Connecting my work PC to DAC

[Paul V]

Dear All

I'd like to connect my new Dell PC at work to my NOS DAC. The Dell doesn't have a co-ax digital output, but does have a USB. I would imagine there's a device that you can connect to your USB which has a co-ax output ??.

The whole idea behind this is that instead of getting rubbish sound from the h/phone socket on my PC, I can use the drive in the PC as a transport and run my NOS DAC to a headphone amp.

Would anyone have any suggestions as to the best device to use ??. I'd prefer it to be quite cheap and naturally be capable of getting the signal from the CD drive to the DAC without much ill effect.

Hope you can help !!.

Yours ever

Paul Venables

 

[Anex]

Rolands pc division, Edirol, do a load of usb dacs and stuff, theres a little blue box I saw in pc world which was usb to digi in & out. Think it was about £60 or so but that was ages ago. You could probably get one much cheaper now.
Otherwise theres loads of usb dacs available with digi i/o

 

[Nepherim]

Also try cyberguys.com -- they have more connectors than I have names for.

 

[Tenson]

Optical out is generally preferred for computer audio especially in the non-pro market. Pro kit generally only has coax for compatibility. Optical cuts the line for direct electrical interference between the computer and your sensitive audio equipment.

This is probably your best bet - Edirol UA-1D http://www.studiospares.com/product...TERFACES - USB&gtitle=COMPUTER ZONE&p=1&gid=7

 

[Anex]

Yeah thats the thing I was talking about too.

 

[dominicT]

if you are using your proposed purchase as a usb digital thru and have no plans to do anything else with it then buy the cheapest usb soundcard that you can. Alternatively coinsider whether your money would be better spent on a soundcard that will outperform your Nos. As I do not know the Nos I cannot make recommendations but if I am correct in stating that iit was in a bake-off with an m-audio superdac then it will be easy to get something better than the Nos. You could sell the Nos to fund the new soundcard and then only have one box. BTW pro-audio is going (has gone) firewire not usb so if your computer has a firewire port get a firewire soundcard. Alternatively you could add a firewire port to your computer.

www.musiccontrol.co.uk and ask for Emma ( I get most of my analogue synth gear from here but they have a good Mac division and know about soundcards etc; they look after people like Jamiroquai)

or http://www.kmraudio.com/catalogue/index.php and ask for Adrian - recommended by a fellow studio owner friend of mine

If you want a box shifter try www.dv247.co.uk or www.turnkey.co.uk if you know what you are doing as you might get a better price by a few quid.

Dominic