DCS Puccini U-Clock
Max 24/96, 24/192 capability to be added in the future. In: USB. Out: 2x spdif out, 4x word clock. It is an asynchronous USB to coaxial S/PDIF converter. It is also an external master clock for any component that accepts word clock signal via 75 ohm BNC connection.
Retail price approx 4250 euro
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Disclaimer:
I try my best to reflect accurate information but cannot be held responsible for misprint, misquoting prices etc. Specs can and do change sometimes over the coarse of a product's availability. Prices are often approximated from the selling price in the country of origin. Due to taxes and such, prices may vary. If you find any mistakes, don't hestitate to mail me.
Gefen Digital Audio Extender
24/96 Max. In: coax, toslink. Out: coax, toslink (via ethernet and 2 adapters) Place your digital audio components anywhere you want and extend digital signals via common CAT-5E ethernetcable. Optical cables are rarely longer than 2 meters while USB isn't officially capable of longer lengths either (in practice it varies and 5m works most of the time) but with the Gefen Digital Audio Extender you can use up to 100 meters.
Retail price approx 150 euro
Bel Canto USB link
24/96max. In: USB. Out: BNC digital (bnc-bnc and cinh adapter supplied) Tiny USB to SPDIF converter. Windows and Mac compatible. Bus-powered.
Retail price approx 500 euro
Devilsound DAC Digital Audio Cable
Max 16/48. In: USB. Out: cinch. This is a cable with a dac built in! It needs no external power and works with Mac and PC. Non oversampling and according to the manufacturer very natural sounding.
Retail price approx 250 euro
Apple Airport Express
Max 16/44. In: Ethernet, USB (for printer). Out: analog and optical via 3,5mm mini-jack. Works with Mac and Windows but needs iTunes. Wireless 802.11n and Ethernet. Using the Airport and your existing router, you can easily stream music through the air. The Airport's built-in analog output works fine but it is even better to use the optical digital output into a decent DAC.
Retail price approx 75 euro
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KingRex UC192 USB-SPDIF converter
Max 24/192. In: USB 2,0, Out: cinch, AES/EBU (on mini XLR), IIS (only one output active at a time). This compact and pretty interface performed well above my expectations. I cannot express in few words the impact that this device had, even compared to my excellent resident HiFace EVO. Under Windows it is neccesary to install ASIO4ALL and it is recommended to use Foobar2000 but suffice to say that this combination beat my previous solution on many areas. Read the full review for a detailed explanation.
Retail price approx 100 euro
M2Tech HiFace USB-SPDIF converter
Max 24/192. In: USB 2,0, Out: cinch (or BNC on request). Tiny USB-SPDIF converter that works as advertised: flawlessly. There are drivers for Mac and PC and both DirectSound and Kerner streaming. The sound compared to my semi-pro EMU 1212M's coaxial output is dynamic, punchy, controlled, fast and very detailed. The highs are very open and airy but just right, luckily not glassy or overly bright. Overly I'd say that the Hiface isn't better or less good than the EMU, just different. It is however much better than the onboard spdif out which sounds very undynamic, synthetic and woolly in comparison. At its price it comes highly recommended!
Retail price approx 100 euro
M2Tech HiFace EVO USB-audio converter
An evolution over the original HiFace, this converter offers a lot more in the way of connectivity as well as soundquality. There are drivers for Mac and PC and both DirectSound and Kerner streaming. For the first time, I feel that my trusty EMU1212M PCI soundcard is outclassed in its spdif digital output. The EVO provides a wider soundstage while at once being more focused, livelier, more airy and simply more engaging. The EMU only has fuller and more powerful bass. That's it. Otherwise the EVO just beats it. Although the EVO is 4 times as expensive as the original HiFace, it is more than worth it for its added musicality and colour. Highly recommended!
Retail price approx 400 euro
Wadia 171i Transport (for iPod/iPad/iPhone)
The 171i is a so-called transport for getting audio from an i-device in a highend manner. Its digital output is special in that it is real, proper, digital audio, straight from the hard disk or memorychip inside the i-device, be it an iPhone, iPod or iPad. Other cradles only take the analog output but the Wadia deciphered the digital stream, to offer unprecedented audio from an i-device. Amazingly, it really succeeds and, given a state of the art dac, really produces state of the art sound.
Retail price approx 500 euro
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Onkyo ND-S1 transport (for iPod/iPad/iPhone)
At only about a quarter of the Wadia 171i's entry price, while still offering digital audio extraction, as well as a nice extra in the shape of a USB input that allows a PC to stream music into, or sync the ipod/iphone with, the Onkyo is very complete indeed. Sadly it doesn't sound as spectacular as the Wadia. Offering smooth, fluid and friendly sound for 150 euro is pretty nice and everything functions really well, but there's something distinctively synthetic about the resulting sound, reminiscent of what the Squeezebox had on offer.
Retail price approx 150 euro
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KingRex UD384 USB/spdif interface + U Power battery power supply
While the UC192 is a bit extreme in its sound and thus will appeal to people seeking a certain sound, the UD384 is a much more neutral, solid choice that will work much more universally well and it easily performs at the same level as the HiFace EVO, which costs much more. Various listening sessions, both in the main system as in friends' systems show that the UD384 sounds very open and airy and by comparison makes the HiFace EVO sound almost dark and uninspiring by comparison, even if the latter has bigger bass and a more forgiving frequency balance. For the MacIntosh camp, with the Macbook Pro, the choice is easy: the UD384, with battery power supply and using iTunes and Pure Music, is my new reference for Mac replay.
Retail price unknown
