I think I'm sick. My Dr. says its Joey-itis? Heard of it?

[Audiophiliac]

I offer a pseudo-apology to all the loyal ML owners here for not following suit at this time....someday maybe...however I DO own a Dynamo...doesn't that count for something?

From recent experience, I have 99% decided to order up a pair of Zu Druids from Sean. I just have to decide what whacky custom finish I want....

My next dilemma is choosing a head end for these beautiful speakers. They sounded so good with the tubed Melody integrated I demod them on, that I have narrowed my choices down to a few. On the less expensive tube side, the Onix/Melody SP3 (~$1k), going up from there, the gorgeous Manley Stingray (~$2k), and my most recent discovery, the Bel Canto S300iu integrated (~$2k).

I know the latter doesnt really fit in context, but what really attracts me to it, other than the glorious Bel Canto reviews and awards, is the integrated USB DAC. My minimalist approach to audio systems seems to demand less hardware...and with my almost exclusive use of FLAC as my listening medium, this might just be the ticket to a one box solution. Plug in the laptop or PC and away we go. (Is this another symptom of Joey-itis?)

I am not sure what I am looking for here....Im bored and this is as good a place to hang out as any....if anyone has any opinions on any of the above mentioned products or any other thoughts on the matter, feel free to opine.

I guess I might ask if anyone has any thoughts on using SPDIF vs. USB for PC digital out...discuss.

 

[greg_slo]

[your] opinion

i have never directly compared SPDIF to USB, but my experiences with USB as a means to transfer audio (being played) has less than steller outcomes. a few friends have used USB for this purpose and a ton of noise was introduced, and just sounded dimensionless...on the other hand, these USB set-ups were far from high quality, and i have never auditioed any Bel Campo, so perhaps the noise issues wont be there...i guess im more curious about ur impresions of USB conections than giving my honest opinion on things.

~greg

 

[Joey_V]

I will add this to your integrated amplication differential... Cary SLi80!

Also, for DAC, I would like to add this: PS Audio Digital Link III.

And no, there is no cure.

 

[lugano]

what really attracts me to it, other than the glorious Bel Canto reviews and awards, is the integrated USB DAC. My minimalist approach to audio systems seems to demand less hardware...and with my almost exclusive use of FLAC as my listening medium, this might just be the ticket to a one box solution. Plug in the laptop or PC and away we go.

read this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=225363

there are lots of interesting infos coming directly from the manufacturer. Make sure you read all the posts coming from Elias Gwinn. I recommend ALL members to read his posts, as he offers a lot of info I've never seen anywhere else, info that goes beyond the Benchmark DAC and is presented in a simple, full of common sense way.

many ML members, me included, have the original (non-usb version) and are quite fond of it.

 

[theWB]

And no, there is no cure.

I remember someone on this forum stating the only known cure was death.
But I'll bet deafness would cure it as well.

 

[stesom]

I remember someone on this forum stating the only known cure was death.
But I'll bet deafness would cure it as well.

Actually there are two other cures that will work. 1) Someone really old dies and leaves you large sums of money; 2) you win the lottery for big bucks.

I think these two are practical solutions, though not very likely, they are something one can hope for.....Steve

 

[discocarp]

But I'll bet deafness would cure it as well.

Nah, that just means you get a monster of a sub.

 

[HopelessDFilms]

USB vs SPDIF

Never have done an A/B comparison between the two, although on a similar note, used Firewire many times for audio with stellar performance. Although Firewire is mainly used in professional recording, while USB is not. I don't know the technical reasons why this is, maybe an engineer could better explain it.

On the other hand, SPDIF is made for the transfer of audio......so with that said..... why not? The only reason I have firewire running is because my choices were running firewire or spdif from my pc into the device. Now I must add that for 2ch listening I use the firewire exclusively....but for surround, as I have many dvds ripped to the pc....I run spdif from the pc into device, into receiver/processor and get my dd and DTS from pc to receiver....

Also for those who don't know, my pc is running its visual feed to my main monitor, samsung dlp. *use it as a pc monitor as well as other tv functions*

Bottom line, try it all and listen for what you like the most, but I would definitely choose spdif over usb.:rocker: