24 bit / 96 Khz from PC/USB, Why not...

[gavinbirss]

Have been googling some interesting products : mostly Korean products with TENOR TE7022L that allows for 24/96 playback from USB
(There may be more TENOR TE7022 based products out there...)

AUDIOTRAK
http://stores.ebay.com/GYROCOM

AUDIOTRAK Prodigy Cube (USB power) - $ 127
(Free shipping to South Africa)
http://cgi.ebay.com/AUDIOTRAK-Prodigy-CUBE-External-USB-Sound-Card-/110520471227?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19bb888ebb

AUDIOTRAK DR.DAC2 DX Digital to Analog Converter DAC - (External power) - $ 375
(Free shipping to South Africa)
http://cgi.ebay.com/AUDIOTRAK-DR-DAC2-DX-Digital-Analog-Converter-DAC-/110520472927?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19bb88955f

Audinst HUD-mx1 Hi-Fi USB Audio DAC (external power/ wolfson D/A/LME opamp) - $ 179
(Free shipping to South Africa)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Audinst-HUD-mx1-Hi-Fi-USB-Audio-DAC-/170473708156?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b1065a7c

eBay5 / Styleaudio products on Ebay >$99.99 <$469.99 (mostly up-samples input)

eBay5 JAVS nanoS PC Hi-Fi Audio USB DAC (has TENOR TE7022L 24/96 USB capability - $ 99.99)
(Free shipping to South Africa or +$15 for expedited shipping)
http://cgi.ebay.com/eBay5-JAVS-nanoS-PC-Hi-Fi-Audio-USB-DAC-/260586346526?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cac28181e

eBay5 JAVS DAC-1 PC Hi-Fi Audio Processor DAC (has TENOR TE7022L 24/96 USB capability - $ 319.99)
(Free shipping to South Africa)
http://cgi.ebay.com/eBay5-JAVS-DAC-1-PC-Hi-Fi-Audio-Processor-DAC-/260586346511?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cac28180f

see eBay5 products :
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_npmv=3&_trksid=m570&_nkw=Ebay5

Gigawork 24/192 Up-sampling DAC DA CONVERTER w/ USB kit  ($ 119.99 + $29.99 Shipping / $ 89.99 without power transformer)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Gigawork-24-192-Up-sampling-DAC-DA-CONVERTER-w-USB-kit_W0QQitemZ120474001273QQcategoryZ14978QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m8QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DMW%26its%3DC%26itu%3DUCC%26otn%3D20%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D9023502349477326178

April Music Stello U2 96/24 USB converter DAC (TENOR TL7022L [24/96 USB] to I2S/COAX - $ 299.99
($7 standard shipping to South Africa or $ 35 expedited)
http://cgi.ebay.com/April-Music-Stello-U2-96-24-USB-converter-DAC-/150436533368?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2306b75478

TerraDAK  (with TENOR TL7022L 24/96 USB capability) - price ?
TerraLink X2 : http://www.teradak.com/ProductsView.Asp?id=21

[handsome]

don't forget the 'ol EMU 0202 USB: 192k/24bit DAC and ADC, R2000 and available locally. http://www.soundz.co.za/pEMEMU007/E-MU-0202-USB-Audio-Interface.aspx

[Hi-Phibian]

I hope I am wrong but don't these bit and sample rates only refer to the DAC chip only? I understood that very few USB implementations handle higher than 48k. Only the latest chips from ti do afaik and then typically some software needs to be loaded.

[GearSlave]

You are right in that the standard HID drivers that comes with Windows (and works with the PCM2702 range) can only go up to 48kHz. But if you write your own driver there's many chips that'll go much higher. There's other reasons why USB is a bad idea though, but I'll keep my jaded opinion for another thread.

[Hi-Phibian]

Those ideas may or may not be what I have heard...
PC or squeeze into a good dac can be very good but on comparison still quite a bit behind one of my fave cdps when compared back to back.

[gavinbirss]

The Benchmark DAC's were quite frank about their 24/96 capability but they are quite pricey. The above are 24/96 capable via USB because of the TENOR TL7022L USB recveiver.

[handsome]

the emu uses it's own drivers thus enabling 192k/24bit and that does apply to both DAC and ADC. interestingly enough the benchmark DACs down/upsample everything that's incoming to 110kHz which they 'found to be optimum'

[gavinbirss]

Custom firmware USB drvier with 192/24 support :

 audiophilleo1 - advanced USB to SPDIF transport - $895
http://www.audiophilleo.com/audiophilleo1.aspx

 audiophilleo2 - advanced USB to SPDIF transport - $495
http://www.audiophilleo.com/audiophilleo2.aspx

 audiophilleo5 - soon to be released...

http://www.audiophilleo.com/comparison.aspx
A comparative feature matrix...

[Tachyon]

Be sure to consider USB interfaces that feature asynchronous operation - this essentially turns your PC clock into the slave with the USB device acting as master.

This goes a long way to addressing the shortfalls of USB audio .

Most of the good asynch models will also do 24bit / 192k using USB 2.0.

[Byrd]

You are right in that the standard HID drivers that comes with Windows (and works with the PCM2702 range) can only go up to 48kHz. But if you write your own driver there's many chips that'll go much higher. There's other reasons why USB is a bad idea though, but I'll keep my jaded opinion for another thread.

Where's the other thread? Is it to do with it having the jitters?

[GearSlave]

Where's the other thread? Is it to do with it having the jitters?

Eish, I don't remember past last week. Good thing the interwebz are there to haunt me. To be fair, it does depend on what you want ot do with the USB interface. If it's just playback then you don't have too much of a problem. But when you want to playback and record, USB is an issue because of the 1ms block mode. Like I said, jaded...

[WaterDog]

Have been using the Teralink X2 for the past week and am very pleased with it. It basically turns your PC or laptop into a low jitter, high quality transport for digital playback via a dac.
Quite a revelation how good my little Musical Fidelity V-dac actually sounds when fed a good spdif signal.
Great improvements in bass, treble, depth and dynamics. Instruments sound incredibly real and detailed but with with zero digital "shrillness" - very analog sound.
Bought it direct from their Ebay store - am waiting for the separate power supply which I've ordered subsequently - (using "dirty" usb power atm).

http://cgi.ebay.com/Teralink-X2-Native-24bit-96k-USB-SPDIF-I2S-Converter-/260666233697?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb0eb1361

[Grootoor]

Anyone have any experience with the E-MU 0202??

[Skylark]

I've owned the Emu 404 and it was decent
Drivers were pretty junk though
Not really professional or audiophile grade but well made

As with everything you pay for what you get and true quality is very expensive
That's the way capitalism works - countless price points to encourage consumption
Excuse the topic de-rail..
 

As Tachyon mentioned asynchronous operation is the benchmark of a low jitter USB interface