No Rain

Hi pwack. DD and DTS are 6-channel outputs. D TrueHD and DTS HD are raw 8-channel outputs. V-Link is a pure stereo processor. You will have to configure your computer to output stereo, because V-Link cannot downgrade to stereo.

Definitely get a DAC. I have the M1 DAC and got it over the DACMagic because I didn't trust the power supply of the latter. Apparently the V-DAC (II) is an M1 DAC without a fancy box... Maybe not! Also, it uses asynchronous USB input, so you don't even need the V-Link (which you should get if you use the M1 or DACMagic). Get any of these three DAC's, it should make a big improvement over your Squeezebox.

I agree about the importance of shielding when sourcing power from the USB, and that it would be best to source your own power. However, has anyone realized that the V-Link takes its power from the USB? Not just that, it's using the same slot it's getting the data from. Yet it's a pocket rocket of performance. So as long as things are engineered properly, it doesn't matter if an equipment breaks some kind of taboo.

That's very clear when two cables will pass the ones and zeros correctly, but sound quite different. This does not make sense, Paul. How will the sound be different if both cables are transmitting the data correctly? And is it a fact that there is a difference? What scientific study says that? I would be aghast to discover a study would even be made for that.

As with Brian A's Morse Code analogy and metalnwood's scientific discourses show, digital data is immune to slight interferences in its transmission. It can be mangled along the way, but as long as the receiver can still make out the 1's and 0's, a little mangling is acceptable. Of course, mangle the signal enough to confuse the receiver, then you will have data corruption. However, it would take a lot to mangle the signal to that extent. If changing USB cables does make a difference to your sound, then a very serious underlying problem exists in your overall system. Rectifying the problem via swapping USB cables will be nothing more than a Band-Aid solution. Be careful with EMI. If it is strong enough to alter data on your standard USB cable then there is more than data transfer to worry about. Your health should be your first concern.

Hi metalnwood. There really should be no sonic difference when it comes to USB cables. Everything being equal, then any perceived differences between two cables must be psychological. It is very easy to affect the brain this way. In the end, if it makes the person happier with the sound, let it be.

Digital data can stand slight interference unlike analog. Its data stays intact unlike analog where any interference will corrupt the data. Standard (cheap) USB cables are designed to transmit bit-perfect data in spite of slight interference. Any change of bits at any rate (1 in 1000 or 1 in 10,000) would be data corruption. Data corruption is intolerable in the computer world. The operating system may even abort data transfer from a faulty cable. We would not be using USB technology if such problems existed.

Hi Jud. Jitter is not data transfer corruption (and, for that matter, is not data corruption either, per se). To say a USB cable can cause jitter does not make any kind of sense at all. At any rate, if that were true for some remarkable reason, then all USB cables would be susceptible to it. A cable would have to be very poorly made to not work as it should. Fortunately, testing a shoddy cable is easy - use it to copy files over from one medium to another. If you get data transfer errors, then buy a cable from a more reliable brand. I really do not have to mention it, but these are the simple facts. I have duped myself into thinking I have heard differences in my audio because I've done something or other, but in the end found things were actually the same as before.

People, use your common sense. Do you think USB technology would be used widespread if it wasn't transmitting data correctly? Will you agree that your photos, videos, text files, etc., are being transferred faithfully through USB? When did you last get a USB data transfer error (that wasn't medium related)? I have yet to encounter one. Just because we are entering the digital audio arena doesn't mean that we have reached a special magical realm where data might be lost or corrupted. (And jitter isn't this, in case you were wondering.) It is still plain old boring data transfer. Common sense people. If you believe that your $1000 cable has improved your audio, I believe you believe so. But I don't believe it in fact has. There is a thing called the placebo effect, amongst other psychological phenomena.

There may be a difference between coax, optical or USB cable in terms of data transfer, but there is no difference between a 0.99 cent USB cable and a $100 USB cable, except the drop in your bank account. The same way, there is no difference between a $35 optical cable and a $1000 optical cable. They all transmit the 1's and 0's just fine.

USB is a digital link. Unless your cable has been chewed by a dog it will not matter how expensive your cable is in terms of transferring data.