2. pc-audio
  3. 136384-5400

Is USB audio dying?

It seems inevitable that USB audio will be replaced with TCP/IP network based audio, either WiFI or Ethernet NICs built into an endpoint/dac as a transport for the audio stream. I have a nice USB audio rig, DAC + USB NAA, but I cant help thinking that pure network based interfaces are a more elegant solution.

At the high end, Mytek has done this with the Manhattan and its network streaming card, as has BluSound with their BluOS products. Many other products are doing this in the more general consumer friendly space like Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, Pioneer etc.

Are there any inherent advantages to handing off audio to the dac via USB?
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Showing 1 response by david_ten

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david_ten
2,509 posts
 
Here is Mr. Darko himself (very recently):

"No single audio reviewer gets to properly assess more than 1 or 2% of any particular product category in a single year. And with such a large pool of hardware to choose from, we’re often drawn to products we’re reasonably sure we will like. It’d be downright stupid of me to single out a review subject that didn’t, on paper at least, play to my own proclivities."

He clearly states that Auralic is the exception and that he DID NOT find a difference between WiFi and Ethernet for the Auralic.

We need to recognize this as a sample size of one. One reviewer. One component. One comparison.
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