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USB to SPDIF converters - any good / bad experiences or recommendations?

Enfield boy said:
At the moment it's the only converter that I have that works, it's good but not as good as the battery powered converter that I used to have which sadly failed. I bought a Topping (D30 iirc) but that arrived faulty and I was refunded.
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I’ve managed to source an ISO-SPDIF to use with my Metrum Amethyst. I’m a fan of the Ciunas devices, quirky as they are.

From what I’ve read the ISO-SPDIF should be getting close to Audiophileo / Purepower level, which are far beyond my budget for the minute.
 
MBP with Lacie 4tb HD as server, Audirvana - converter - nDac/555ps - 52 - 135s -briks. Digital was always a poor second to my LP12 which I still prefer but this was the closest I got to digital nirvana and sounded better than my Marantz CD63 KI signature digital coax out into the nDac.
 
minimido said:
I've tried numerous converters including Hiface, Halide, Gustard, Singxer, Empirical Offramp, Audiophilleo. In my experience you get what you pay for unfortunately. The more expensive ones were clearly the better ones. Whether or not they justify their price tags is a matter of debate, but that was my conclusion.

The Audiophilleo was certainly one of the best that I tried.
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I have exactly the same experience with all the same brands. Yep, unfortunately like everything else, you get what you pay for and the best by a margin was the Mutec...
 
Occasionally I connect my iPhone to an Auralic Vega DAC using an Apple USB adapter. The sound is dull and lacking in clarity. Placing an iFi USB to SPDIF converter between the phone and DAC has a significant impact on the sound, restoring its clarity and removing dullness. The shocking thing is that if I wirelessly stream ripped CD FLAC files from JRiver (on my PC) via the phone using this connection, the sound is only marginally inferior compared to playing a CD.
So, a good experience here, but as usual results will be relative to each specific set up.
 
Schnitger said:
Occasionally I connect my iPhone to an Auralic Vega DAC using an Apple USB adapter. The sound is dull and lacking in clarity. Placing an iFi USB to SPDIF converter between the phone and DAC has a significant impact on the sound, restoring its clarity and removing dullness. The shocking thing is that if I wirelessly stream ripped CD FLAC files from JRiver (on my PC) via the phone using this connection, the sound is only marginally inferior compared to playing a CD.
So, a good experience here, but as usual results will be relative to each specific set up.
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I had something weird too..testing my cyrus dac x against cyrus soundkey..dac x fed by schiit eitr soundkey fed by ipad mini..I couldnt hear hardly any difference between them..but put my schiit eitr in front of my dac magic..what a difference! Most strange?
 
Thread resurrection alert!
Having been disappointed by the Topping E30 which lit briefly then failed I tried a Douk min XMOS XU208 which behaved similarly so I stuck with my Schiit Eitr which sounded a lot better after I had my nap135s serviced again. But I couldn't help thinking about my old Ciunas converter and kept an eye on reviews of likely candidates. I've recently bought a Singxer su-6 which is cleaner and clearer than the Schiit Eitr, gives much more recording ambience and improved sonics all round. There are some interesting reviews out there and I think I got a bargain on Amazon Prime day.
 
I can run a Halide Bridge, a Schiit Eitr (ha ha) and USB direct. You’d not hear a difference in any blind test.
 
I use the Denafrips IRIS DDC and am pleased with it.

Nucleus + revA -> USB -> IRIS -> coaxial SPDIF -> Chord Qutest
 
Worth noting that the Hiface outputs an out of spec SPDIF signal where the max level is way above the voltage spec for the spdif interface. Some dacs have problems with this depending on which spdif receiver chip is used.
 
Yes, the HiFace was my first converter iirc it had to be used with (or improved by) a 75 ohm attenuator, the Ciunas with a Teddy Pardo P/S was a big upgrade as it should have been given the price difference. I was keen to try a Denafrips Iris but the fact that it was an unknown quantity, quite expensive and difficult to try in an obsolete system put me off. The Singxer was available at a good price and Amazon are normally great for returns so I took a punt and am glad I did. I know bits are bits and all that but I can hear a clear improvement compared to the Schiit Eitr which I shall keep as a back up just in case!
 
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