Benchmark or Apogee Mini-dac

[goskers]

Hey all,

After doing a lot of research on using my PC as a source I have come to the conclusion that it is a very good idea. If you can use your usb outs then you can eliminate the jitter until your dac decodes the signal. If you get the right dac, one with a usb input, then you may have a very good source on your hands.

Of the two main ones that I could find I am trying to decide between the very well received Benchmark DAC1 and the Apogee Mini-DAC. The DAC1 has been getting very good reviews while the Mini-DAC is a little more unknown. From what I know about pro gear, Apogee typically produces a very good product. We all know the Benchmark is very good from some reputable sources here. :T

One of the main things that concerns me with the decision is the internal design of the boards. Is the Benchmark layed out with good ground planes and a well thought out usb board? Is the Mini-dac designed better than the DAC1?

Any input regarding the issues of using either of these as my DAC would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
wasser

[ThomasW]

The DAC1 is designed for prosound applications, it doesn't have USB circuits. It has spdif and toslink inputs

It's probably the best DAC to use with a PC, given it's reclocking abilities and resulting very low jitter.

[goskers]

Whoops, for some reason I thought the DAC1 had a usb input on it. Isn't it true that jitter will be greatly reduced in general if you can use a usb output of the computer directly into an outboard dac vs using a SPDIF out?

Thanks

[ThomasW]

I don't have any info about using usb as an interface with DACs. I never considered using a PC as a source unit I bought a DAC1. Now I'll probably build a music server, but only when I have enough cash to buy a second DAC1.

With the DAC1; jitter as a result of the interface is a moot point, since everything is reclocked by the unit.

Many people call toslink connections "trash-link" given it's problems with jitter. I A/B' ed toslink vs spdif using a high-end transport in my main system. With the DAC1 there's no audible difference between the two.

I A/B'ed the toslink output of my high-end transport against the toslink output of a 7yr old 5 disc carousel player. Again no audible difference with the DAC1 in the loop

IMO that makes the DAC1 'the' choice for use with a PC based system.

[Bruce]

The best bet using usb from a PC seems to involve usb's asynchronous mode of operation rather than synchrounous mode to avoid a variable PLL clock frequency (jitter). I gather this is similiar to what the DAC1 does by itself (buffering plus reclocking).

Unfortunately many of the usb to S/PDIF converters are using synchronous mode and thus are not improving the jitter (some may actually make it worse).

[goskers]

Hi Bruce,

The Apogee uses the same theory of operation as the DAC1 then with the dual clocks, the first one being a buffer.

I am pretty sure that Apogee is generally very well regarded in the pro market for digital applications but I am just not sure overall. Anyone have any experience with Apogee gear?

I understand that these 'buffered' dac's really make jitter less of an issue but couldn't they be better even if you make jitter spec's very small in the first place?

wasser