I have owned several 'hi-fi' DDCs (e.g. Denafrips Gaia, Topping U90, Singxer Su6, etc) and often wondered why they almost invariably have a USB input, but never a corresponding USB output.
S/PDIF is fabulous, if you're exclusively doing 24bit/192kHz or less.
And if the proposed advantage of I2S is fewer digital conversion steps, then the argument is sort of moot if the source is USB in the first place xD
But USB--love it or hate it, undeniably offers the best support for all of the 'latest' digital audio formats.
So then, why do most DDCs go from a USB input, to all sorts of other arguably inferior digital outputs? For example, what if I wanted a DDC that just ensured that my DAC is getting a good USB input signal irrespective of the quality of the source? It doesn't seem as though there are 'hi-fi' DDCs that offer this(?).
I assume there's a reason why, but would be so grateful if someone would please fill me in.
S/PDIF is fabulous, if you're exclusively doing 24bit/192kHz or less.
And if the proposed advantage of I2S is fewer digital conversion steps, then the argument is sort of moot if the source is USB in the first place xD
But USB--love it or hate it, undeniably offers the best support for all of the 'latest' digital audio formats.
So then, why do most DDCs go from a USB input, to all sorts of other arguably inferior digital outputs? For example, what if I wanted a DDC that just ensured that my DAC is getting a good USB input signal irrespective of the quality of the source? It doesn't seem as though there are 'hi-fi' DDCs that offer this(?).
I assume there's a reason why, but would be so grateful if someone would please fill me in.