What ADC and/or DAC are you using?

 I'm using a TC Electronic's Konnekt 8 for digitizing and related playback and an ESI Waveterminal 2496 for playback.

Tom

My digital gear is: Asus Eee PC EB1021 nettop (FLAC/APE/JRMC v.17), as remote control:  Motorola XOOM2 tablet (with free Gizmo software)>>>> Manhattan A to B USB cable >>>> Musical-Fidelity V-Link USB/SPDIF converter >>>> Viablue XS Adapter - instead digital coax cable>>>> MHDT Lab Havana DAC (with handful of valve tubes, my best tube is military Western Electric JW 396A from 1955) or Apogee Mini DAC


So... 2 totally different options:  NOS-DAC with tube output and quite modern oversampling DAC, handling files with max resolution 24/192... And still can't make a choice!
Apogee is better in all aspects but Havana... just plays Music! :)
At the moment I'm waiting for new loudspeakers (PMC TB2i Signature) and when speakers will arrive, I have to make  make a final decision re DAC.


Edited by il Dottore - 31 May 2012 at 12:56pm

Tony,

 Yes, I’ve had the Konnekt 8 for several years now, worked through Windows 7 64-bit drivers beta with TC. My main objective initially was to have 24/192 capability in an external box. At the time only Firewire would satisfy that requirement and fit my price range. The connector issue has been solved by building custom RCA to ¼” cables. Initially my thought was to have a phono preamp with a balanced output down the road, so far, that hasn’t happened. I used to digitize more than just vinyl, so the input options were handy, but that activity has stopped. Currently, the Konnekt 8 DAC side is used mainly during the mastering stage as a monitor so to speak.  I use the ESI Waveterminal 2496 for playback during recreational listening sessions, but it only works under Windows XP which I’m trying to stop using, so I really haven’t decided yet where to go next on the recreational playback side.

 I looked at the M-audio unit and it was on my short list, but my local Guitar Center store stocked the Konnekt 8 and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

 The DAC for recreational playback is the big issue now, but the great thing about this particular obsession is that it is one of the few remaining frontiers in audio.  Hopefully, through this thread we can help each other see and understand options we otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to.

il Dottore,

 I’ve heard the Apogee and agree about the musical aspect, the Havana unit looks very interesting as most of my critical vintage system is tube already. Clearly I need to look into it.

Fatmangolf,

 I’ve heard many good things about the Audiolab products. Are you running the input via coax or USB?

Tom

Just out of interest, we're in the process of prototyping a stereo DAC with optical, coax and USB inputs. 96/24 on optical, 192/24 on coax, and, erm, only 48/16 on USB - but with no faffing about with drivers - plug and play! Front panel pushbutton switching, balanced outs, analogue volume control. Maximum oversampling fixed at 192kHz, meaning we can extend response and phase in analogue: -1dB at 40kHz, -45 degrees at 17kHz, to sound good. Also with -2dB soft clipping in digital domain. Wolfson receiver and DAC chipset - Burr-Brown USB to SPDIF. Also making use of a feature on the Wolfson 8741 nobody else seems to know about - a "proprietary trick". The output stage and analogue filters are discrete transistor, vertical stack class A inverting stages (phase correct at output).

Graham