The gamma1 is not the correct comparison afaik.

The gamma2 is the one you should compare.

How do you figure? Either one (1 or 2) as a commercial product would be likely to cost more than the pico dac.

How do you figure? Either one (1 or 2) as a commercial product would be likely to cost more than the pico dac.

maybe the implication is the pico bests a y1, but not a y2

maybe the implication is the pico bests a y1, but not a y2

Sure, that's possible but that doesn't make the comparison incorrect does it?

Sure, that's possible but that doesn't make the comparison incorrect does it?

nope, agreed.

I see statements like that all the time and that's how I usually interpret them at least

Sorry I think I worded that pretty piss poor

I meant that the gamma2: dac, asrc, and (afaik) opamp wize, is the pico's closest diy equivalent.

I wouldn't try to compare the y1 to the pico is all I think I was trying to spit out.

Edit: I only just noticed that there is in-built translation of stuff like "afaik" here =]

Look -- it even needs breakout cables just to get 8 DisplayPort connectors out of it (one slot card)!

Internet porn was never so immersive!

Just wait until that 3D stuff starts coming out.

Sorry I think I worded that pretty piss poor

I meant that the gamma2: dac, asrc, and (afaik) opamp wize, is the pico's closest diy equivalent.

I wouldn't try to compare the y1 to the pico is all I think I was trying to spit out.

Edit: I only just noticed that there is in-built translation of stuff like "afaik" here =]

I had decided to pass the Pico and gotten a Gamma1 which will eventually be turned into a Gamma2.

I just got the Gamma1 from Marshall today and it looks really nice on the outside. I'm looking forward to try it in the evening.

Comparing the Gamma1 and Pico, it is immediately apparent that the Pico has better low-frequency resolution and a smoother treble. Considering one is sub-$100 and the other is close to $500, I'm not really surprised though.

Time to convert this into a Gamma2 once I'm done with my Sigma22.

Can someone explain this please, what's the point to upsamples to 24-bit/352.8kHz while the converter chip supports only 24-bit/192-kHz?

Simaudio Moon 300D DAC

Bigger numbers look more impressive? Probably the same reason many DACs up-sample to 192k.

8*44.1 == 352.8

352.8/192 == 1.8375

Whereas

192/44.1 == 4.3537...

Easier math? It also might be easier math because 352.8 might be more natural choice for the intermediate value, given the calculations that gets it from one to the other.

It also might be a complete red herring. Like "17 bit internal value" is really a fancy way of saying "we can do 16 bit math and keep track of one bit of overflow as a result of the instruction set".

Comparing the Gamma1 and Pico, it is immediately apparent that the Pico has better low-frequency resolution and a smoother treble. Considering one is sub-$100 and the other is close to $500, I'm not really surprised though.

Time to convert this into a Gamma2 once I'm done with my Sigma22.

The Pico DAC was $268 shipped to my door thanks to the black Friday deal.

But yes, DIY is cheaper.

Can somebody tell me, what is best value option for providing a decent quality coaxial output from a desktop PC? There are various solutions, but which one is the best?

Edit: What about BNC connection (provided that the DAC supports it), can it be done properly?

Can somebody tell me, what is best value option for providing a decent quality coaxial output from a desktop PC? There are various solutions, but which one is the best?

I can't tell you what the best is for you personally. Hiface or 0404 seem to fit the bill well, though there isn't a clear-cut choice. I vote Hiface for me based on its features and because I haven't heard it yet, always a good reason. It also can have BNC added.

The first question that sprang to mind for me was internal or external?

Edit: What about BNC connection (provided that the DAC supports it), can it be done properly?

It certainly can be done, though historically it just plain hasn't.

I do think the Trends UD10.1 does have a proper BNC output but it's been a while since I was researching this stuff...

The Pico DAC was $268 shipped to my door thanks to the black Friday deal.

But yes, DIY is cheaper.

Not to mention the fun factor. I have utter confidence in the y2 though.

Anyway, in an effort to spark more discussions the new nuForce uDAC apparently has an ESS Sabre chip inside for a mere $99. Any brave souls here want to try that?

To make a bit more clear, my question would be: which is the best way to connect a Buff32 to a PC. There is either BNC or I2S as an option, some people say the latter is the way to go as it is 'more modern'.

I know there is its own USB->I2S modul as a option but I guess there are better alternatives since that is limited to 16bit. The HiFace looks interesting, as it is made in the EU (Italy).

Can somebody tell me, what is best value option for providing a decent quality coaxial output from a desktop PC? There are various solutions, but which one is the best?

Edit: What about BNC connection (provided that the DAC supports it), can it be done properly?

If you wanted a low cost internal PC S/PDIF solution, and don't mind a little bit of DIY, there's this one.

Sweex SC012

It's quite cheap and you could use a BNC connector rather than the RCA shown.

This card makes use of dogbert's bitperfect C-Media 8738 / 8768 chipset drivers.

cmediadrivers - Project Hosting on Google Code

On the other end of the scale from my previous post is the Empirical Audio Off-Ramp converter. It does S/PDIF and I2S out from USB.

Off Ramp Converter > Products : Empirical Audio

Another basic question:

Why does firewire not suffer from the same limitations that one finds with most USB DAC implementations? Or, put another way, is FW SQ the same as S/PDIF?