Suggestions for USB cable and power supply for PC

[Naturelover]

For a PC setup you need a DAC and a connection between the two which is most usually a USB cable. Just realized I have not thought of the USB cable.
Wandered around the net but here too opinions are vastly polarized between cheap and "audiophile" USB cables :lol:.
Request suggestions and opinions.

My configuration is:
Cabinet: Antec ISK 110 Vesa Mini ITX Case With 90W Power Adapter
MoBo: Asus J1800I-C 8GB DDR3 Intel Motherboard with Baytrail chip
RAM: G.skill 8GB (4GB x 2) DDR3 1333MHz Laptop RAM (F3-1333C9S-4GSL)
SSD: Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO MZ-7TE120BW
ODD: Asus 8X Slim External DVD Drive - Black (SDRW-08D2S-U LITE)
HDD: WD My Passport Ultra 1TB Portable External Hard Drive

I will get a linear power supply, possibly the HDPlex that reignofchaos has bought and praised recently. Request suggestions here as well.

Would cabinets such as HDPlex H1 and Streacom FC8 have less resonance than the Antec and thus be quieter and give better SQ? They might be cooler as well with their heat pipes.
Would either be worth ditching the Antec which is already with me?

 

[hydra]

Naturelover, about the cabinets, If you will be getting the HDPlex PSU, the HDPlex chassis you've linked to looks like an excellent choice. The reasons being:

- You will save $50 on the PSU if you're going to use it with a HDPlex chassis (the Chassis already has the necessary connectivity).
- The HDPlex chassis looks like it has excellent truly fanless cooling, that will also work well with a somewhat more powerful processor if you will need to use one in the future.
- I'm sure you will save on overall shipping when both come in together.
- They will look great together (yes, that is a good reason).

I'd actually suggest getting a bigger HDPlex chassis: One that will take a microATX board later, for the future.

I'm also seriously considering the HDPlex PSU.

About the USB cables, I don't know enough to suggest. But I'll be watching this thread, as I will need one soon enough: I'm getting an iFi iLink to place between the computer and the DAC (and to remove the Xonar STX from the system). I'd suggest starting with whatever works well and then looking for an upgrade slowly. I also think that a cable that will let you isolate the power from the signal might have an advantage over a cable that doesn't do this.

EDIT: I see that you'll be using an external drive. From what I've read, I think that using a USB HDD with a USB DAC (even if it is externally powered) might not be a good idea. Perhaps one of those WD/Seagate 3.5" external HDDs that act as network disks (CAT cable) would be preferable.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

You should not get resonance from a PC cabinet, unless it is really cheap and tinny. Even if you did, it would not interfere with the sound quality output, but with the listening experience, yes, very possibly. Resonance: who bluetacks down all the ornaments in the room?

Whether linear power supplies make any real difference over a good switching PSU I don't know but I love the look of that HDPLex stuff, and coiuld happily buy into it if I could afford it. but... will the external power supply work with a traditional cabinet?

 

[prem]

Hi Naturelover

Get the King Rex cable. I think it's about USD 200

 

[Naturelover]

1.

- You will save $50 on the PSU if you're going to use it with a HDPlex chassis (the Chassis already has the necessary connectivity).
- I'm sure you will save on overall shipping when both come in together.
- They will look great together (yes, that is a good reason).

Yes, getting the case and power supply together would give some savings and good looks!

2.

I'm getting an iFi iLink to place between the computer and the DAC. I also think that a cable that will let you isolate the power from the signal might have an advantage over a cable that doesn't do this.

Why would it be better to have a converter and then use the SPDIF rather than a USB cable?
What cable will isolate the power from the signal? That would not matter if the DAC does not have a 5V power jack, isn't it?
You had a review of the ifi DAC. How about a review of their USB cables and the iLink and even the iPurifer!

3.

From what I've read, I think that using a USB HDD with a USB DAC (even if it is externally powered) might not be a good idea. Perhaps one of those WD/Seagate 3.5" external HDDs that act as network disks (CAT cable) would be preferable.

Would a NAS be the best solution?

4.

Whether linear power supplies make any real difference over a good switching PSU I don't know but... will the external power supply work with a traditional cabinet?

reignofchoice got one a few weeks back and he has found much improved SQ than when using the normal SMPS power supply. Post 112 here.
This is just a 100W PSU. HDplex have 250W and a 160W ATX power supplies as well.

5.

Get the King Rex cable. I think it's about USD 200

$269 + $42 shipping from moon-audio as available from their site. Haven't checked other prices.

 

[dheerajin]

IIRC you were searching for DAC worth 20k INR, so adding a 200USD USB cable is justified, I dont know but IMO better spend more on DAC..

People in our forum end up spending on cables more than on source unknowingly..
so thought of letting you know, I dont know if you have increased your budget already for DAC..

 

[Naturelover]

IIRC you were searching for DAC worth 20k INR, so adding a 200USD USB cable is justified, I dont know but IMO better spend more on DAC..

People in our forum end up spending on cables more than on source unknowingly..
so thought of letting you know, I dont know if you have increased your budget already for DAC..

That DAC was for a different system. I have a much higher budget, 1 lac +, for the DAC in my main system.
Sorry, I should have mentioned the DAC budget and the other components.
The speakers and amp in this setup are from Rethm.

 

[hydra]

Why would it be better to have a converter and then use the SPDIF rather than a USB cable?
What cable will isolate the power from the signal? That would not matter if the DAC does not have a 5V power jack, isn't it?
You had a review of the ifi DAC. How about a review of their USB cables and the iLink and even the iPurifer!

Currently the SPDIF coaxial output from the Music PC is via the Xonar STX. I'd like to improve on the not-so-good clock on the Xonar STX: It does not have a native clock for 44.1Khz (the bulk of my rips). Removing it from the PC will also help me keep things simpler inside the PC, and I will be able to go for a slimmer cabinet later, if I would like to.

I'm planning to keep my Rega DAC for a while. But its best input is the SPDIF Coaxial input. The USB input does not sound very good. It is also not Asynchronous.

Since I'd like to keep the Rega DAC, and that too with the digital coaxial input, AND improve on (and do away with) the STX, a USB to SPDIF converter fits the bill perfectly. I had used the iFi iLink for a short while in my setup earlier, and there was a definite improvement (smoother highs, less "grunge"). I'm not going all the way and getting an iUSBPower and a Gemini II cable to go with it (these supposedly improve things even further).

I'll start with the USB cable that comes in the box and slowly experiment with others over time.

The iFi Gemini II cable and the Kingrex cable that Prem suggested will isolate power from the signal. RoC is using an iFi Gemini II cable with his AMR DP777.

Would a NAS be the best solution?

I'd prefer a NAS over a USB HDD, but I think a NAS would involve at least a 16K expense on a decent NAS, and another 8-10K at least on the hard drives. That's a LOT of money for storage IMHO, unless you have multiple access points in the house (and need access from outside while you travel), for movies and music. A NAS would be a good long term investment, I guess, but only if you envisage needing a LOT of storage, and constant and varied modes & points of access.

An external HDD that has a network connection would get the same job done for much less: I think a 2TB WD MyBook with the network port is 10K. There might even be wired routers that have a USB port (for HDDs), but I don't know if they would be fast enough.

 

[jai1611]

An even easier route is to use a USB card at the PC end which is used for the audio device being plugged in. That way bandwidth for the USB card is separate from other USB devices as it would use the PCI lane. The added advantage of a USB card is the ability to power it off a regulated 5v power supply instead of the standard 5v from the motherboard.

There are standard USB-PCI cards available for around Rs1k for USB3.0. There are also "audiophile approved" versions from Paul Pang, SOTM, JCat etc for US$125-350

I have ordered a regular USB-PCI card to experiment with.

 

[Naturelover]

RoC is using an iFi Gemini II cable with his AMR DP777.

But the power cable is unused in his case. See his post 39 on your ifi DAC thread.

An even easier route is to use a USB card at the PC end which is used for the audio device being plugged in. That way bandwidth for the USB card is separate from other USB devices as it would use the PCI lane. The added advantage of a USB card is the ability to power it off a regulated 5v power supply instead of the standard 5v from the motherboard.

There are standard USB-PCI cards available for around Rs1k for USB3.0. There are also "audiophile approved" versions from Paul Pang, SOTM, JCat etc for US$125-350

I have ordered a regular USB-PCI card to experiment with.

Eagerly awaiting the results of your experiment.

 

[Hassan Khani]

I had issues with USB output from MPD server (running Linux) connected to DAC, occasional crack sound for few seconds. Initially suspected the issue to be wireless connection from NAS to music PC but was not the case. Finally bought a Transcend PCIe USB card (needed 5V power) and the issue was solved forever. The motherboard was an old AM2 ASUS motherboard.

 

[Hassan Khani]

This is just a 100W PSU. HDplex have 250W and a 160W ATX power supplies as well.

These 2 ATX power supplies need DC input. Hence you need a AC -> DC converter anyway. The linear power supply is replacement for cheaper AC -> DC converter.

With HDPlex Linear power supply you still need one of those ATX power supply. Other option is to get HDPLEX-Internal-120W-AC-DC-Adapter-with-19V-Output instead of Linear power supply.

 

[hydra]

An even easier route is to use a USB card at the PC end which is used for the audio device being plugged in. That way bandwidth for the USB card is separate from other USB devices as it would use the PCI lane. The added advantage of a USB card is the ability to power it off a regulated 5v power supply instead of the standard 5v from the motherboard.

There are standard USB-PCI cards available for around Rs1k for USB3.0. There are also "audiophile approved" versions from Paul Pang, SOTM, JCat etc for US$125-350

I have ordered a regular USB-PCI card to experiment with.

I'd have gone this route right away, if not for the Rega DAC having a not so good USB input. I need a USB out on the PC, and a coaxial-in at the DAC end.

But I would love to know how your experiment goes. If a dedicated USB card improves the power delivery via USB (in my case, the iLink will be taking power from the USB port) that would be a definite bonus!

But the power cable is unused in his case. See his post 39 on your ifi DAC thread.

Yes. The objective of a USB "Y" cable is to separate the power and data. In the case of a DAC that has its own power supply, it doesn't need the (typically noisy) USB power. It needs just the data, RoC is using just the data end of the cable for this reason.

I don't think you will ultimately use a DAC that will need USB power to function. You will need only the data from the PC.

I guess one can also DIY-mod a regular USB cable to carry just the data, if one is using a DAC with its own power supply. If I'm not mistaken, FM Nikhil had done this.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

There was a recent thread about USB cable mods and power isolation, with some product ideas.

 

[Naturelover]

Paul Pang has stated here that the SATA cable is the most important piece in the optimization of a computer audio transport and suggests that replacing this should be the first step to optimize the music server.
Any opinions on this?

HDPlex replied to me that the heat sink tube will not fit with my motherboard. Since my mobo has a well rated passive heat sink, it should be okay. So now going with Antec ISK 110 and HDPlex linear power supply, same as RoC.

Need to get a USB Y cable with separate data and power channels such as the iFi Gemini. Are there any other ones?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Paul Pang has stated here that the SATA cable is the most important piece in the optimization of a computer audio transport and suggests that replacing this should be the first step to optimize the music server.
Any opinions on this?

Nothing I could post here without at least getting the post deleted. Think... male cows. Think... Rear Ends of Male Cows. Think... what comes out of them.

Yep. Complete Bull Excrement.

It'll sell though!

The motherboard SATA 3 port has more jitter and electomagnetic interference (EMI) than the SATA 2 port.
My opinion is that the SATA 2 port has better sound quality when compared to the SATA 3 port.

I suppose he notices that it makes a difference to his spreadsheets too! What utter unexpurgated nonsense.

To talk about jitter in this context is madness. If there were timing errors, or noise, that could affect how the data is read, at this point, computers would be useless. They would be, "Whoa, nice idea! Pity it doesn't work!" ---I think the evidence says that is not the case.


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