tjmetcalf

barrows, Thank you for the clarification on the terms "upsampling" and "oversampling". And you are spot on with your advice "to listen to the DACs to decide what you like". That's the best advice anyone can give in this hobby, whether it's about speakers, DACs, or anything in between. Having owned (see earlier post) and listened to (add Benchmark and BelCanto to the list) a fair share of DACs, I simply offer the opinion that the Wavelength Proton is the best sounding DAC you can get for $900 and, based upon my listening experience, I am absolutely sold on Asynchronous USB DACs.

JonP, Let me offer my recommendation......a Wavelength Proton Asynchronous DAC. In a word, "outstanding". I've been dabbling in computer music for some time and have used quite a few DACs over the past couple of years including, Lavry DA10, DacMagic, Peachtree Decco2, Apogee Duet2, V-Dac, NuForce Icon HDP, and a PS Audio Digital Link III. Most of these upsampled my music and other than the Duet2 (USB Only) all of the others had better performance with their optical/SPDIF input than with their USB, which, I believe, are all adaptive. (The Lavry didn't even have a USB.) With the Proton, however, I have finally found the DAC for which I have been searching and discovered that USB IS the path to take.. It may have taken me a while but, at last, I have concluded (from first-hand experience and A-B comparisons) that the best computer audio is produced with an "asynchronous" USB DAC.....no question about it. The Wavelength Proton is a perfect entry for serious computer audiophiles and it does not upsample your music. I cannot emphasize enough the difference the Proton has made to my music system. My digital music now sounds warm and lush......more like analogue. Definitely a DAC to consider, especially if you are not interested in having a DAC upsample your music.

I believe most of the audio software programs (i.e. Decibel, Pure Music, Audirvana) will automatically reset to the sampling rate. Also, one additional in the NuForce vs. Duet 2 debate is that the NuForce does NOT support 88.2/24. Balancing that, the NuForce gives you greater options on the impedance of the headphones you can choose. ...just sayin'

The Duet2 does just what it says.....record or playback......analog-digital (record); digital-analog (playback). Both at up to 24/192. On a purely sound basis, my (subjective) preference is the Apogee Duet2 over the NuForce Icon HDP.

The Duet2 does just what it says.....record or playback......analog-digital (record); digital-analog (playback). Both at up to 24/192. On a purely sound basis, my (subjective) preference is the Apogee Duet2 over the NuForce Icon HDP.

I own both and really like both. However, the NuForce is limited to 24/96 USB while the Duet2 can go 24/192. In both cases, the Apple Audio Midi Setup reflects the capabilities of the DAC. The Duet2 is ONLY USB, while the NuForce, in addition to USB, has inputs for optical and coaxial, both of which can handle 24/192. Both units perform well. However, the Duet2 wins the "Way Cool" award for looks. One other clear advantage is that the Duet2 does not require external power, running off the USB in most cases. (If your applications and use of the Duet2 for recording purposes requires additional power, there is an ac-adapter provided, but I have never had to use it when using the Apogee Duet2 as a DAC listening to music.) The Duet2 has many other professional "bells & whistles" that you may or may not use, depending upon whether or not you use it for recording, but this is a professional piece of equipment and Apogee has been in the DAC business for quite some time. The unit is wonderful for listening to music, especially if you need something portable. Overall, although a few hundred dollars more, I think the Apogee has more to offer. However, if you can't swing the price difference the NuForce icon HDP is certainly no slouch.

Why won't Amarra (Mini or Junior) play 88.2 kHz high resolution music files on my system? All of my other music players (Audirvana, Decibel, Fidelia, and Pure Music) seem to handle them. What am I missing? I have two systems configured as follows: Work - MacPro, Lavry DA10, McIntosh MC7100 Amp, NHT Classic Three Speakers. Home-MacPro, PS Audio Digital Link III, McIntosh MA6200 Integrated Amp, B&W 685 Speakers. Both systems utilize a toslink connection. (NOTE: Both Dacs will accomodate coax and optical, but only the PS Audio will handle USB). Any advice/suggestions on how to modify/tweak my setup to improve sound and get the most out of the High Resolution Music I've been downloading from HDTracks would be most appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks everyone for the terrific feedback. I played around with the many options you suggested. Yes, if I turn the dolby digital out "off" in the Apple TV settings, the Dac Magic works fine but, of course, I lose surround sound. Also, by connecting the DacMagic by both the analog outs (for two-channel sound) to my receiver AND connecting via the coaxial pass-through to my receiver, I was able to enjoy both high-quality stereo and my movies played with surround sound. Ironically, I was unable to successfully connect the optical pass-through out to my receiver, but I believe that was likely my mistake in adjusting the settings on the receiver considering I was successful with the coaxial connection. It's been quite a "learnign experience" and I want to thank all those who posted and Computer Audiophile for hosting such a wonderful forum.

A did use Handbrake on a number of the videos, so that may be the issue. (Although at least one of the videos giving me trouble was downloaded directly from Apple iTunes.) Any recommendations on the settings I might want to use with Handbrake to minimize potential problems?

I'm not sure if this group can help me with my problem, but any advice would be welcomed. I've been using an Apple TV for music, photos and videos in my living room while doing serious listening in another room using a Mac Mini, McIntosh Receiver, PS Audio Digital Link, and B&W 685's. Recently, I decided to upgrade the sound in my living room by adding a Cambridge DacMagic. Before adding the Cambridge unit, I previously connected the optical output of the Apple TV to an optical input on my Onkyo receiver. After adding the DacMagic, I connected the optical output of the Apple TV directly into the DAC and then connected the analog outputs of the Cambridge unit to my receiver. With this set-up, there was a significant improvement in the sound of my music using iTunes. (I should also note that I use Apple Lossless music files). The problem, however, is with the audio portion of a number of my videos that are also on the Apple TV. The videos include both digital copies of videos I purchased at local stores, as well as videos purchased directly from Apple iTunes. The weird thing is that the audio tracks on some of the videos were fine, but on others there was no sound at all. I then changed my connectors and ran connectors from the analog output of the Apple TV to the analog inputs in my receiver. The sound on all the videos returned. Can anyone tell me why some of the audio from my videos would not work when connected to the DacMagic, while others did? At this point, I have to use different connections, depending on whether I'm listening to music or watching videos on the Apple TV. For music, I have the optical out from the Apple TV to the DacMagic and then analog to the receiver. For the audio portion of the videos, it is connected from the Apple TV analog output to analog input of the receiver. Any ideas or suggestions?

I'm not sure if this group can help me with my problem, but any advice would be welcomed. I've been using an Apple TV for music, photos and videos in my living room while doing serious listening in another room using a Mac Mini, McIntosh Receiver, PS Audio Digital Link, and B&W 685's. Recently, I decided to upgrade the sound in my living room by adding a Cambridge DacMagic. Before adding the Cambridge unit, I previously connected the optical output of the Apple TV to an optical input on my Onkyo receiver. After adding the DacMagic, I connected the optical output of the Apple TV directly into the DAC and then connected the analog outputs of the Cambridge unit to my receiver. With this set-up, there was a significant improvement in my audio. (I should also note that I use Apple Lossless music files). The problem , however, is that I developed difficulty with the audio portion of my videos that are on the Apple TV. The videos include both digital copies of videos I purchased at local stores, as well as videos purchased directly from Apple iTunes. The weird thing is that the audio tracks on some of the videos was fine, but on others there was no sound at all. I then changed my connectors and ran analog from the output of the Apple TV to the analog inputs in my receiver. The sound on all the videos returned. Can anyone tell me why some of the audio from my videos would not work when connected to the DacMagic while others did? At this point, I have to use different connections, depending on whether I'm listening to music or watching videos on the Apple TV. For music, I have the optical out from the Apple TV to the DacMagic and then analog to the receiver. For the audio portion of the videos, it is connected from the Apple TV analog output to analog input of the receiver. Any ideas?