Are all asynchronous USB inputs similar?

We can all see the original question. While I posted my usual, smug, remark, the responses (thanks, Charles), did conjure up some nice discussions (finally), where there's finally talk where the USB interface may just be more convenient than better sounding.

Happy to be a part of it.

OK, some excellent responses here. My reason for the question was that I currently have an Auraliti PK90 sending USB to a Blacknote DAC30 which has async USB. It's a few years old now, and with the digital world that's more like a decade. So I was wondering if the newer (and cheaper) USB dacs were passing it by, or were they designed with the same technology? Thanks everyone.

I have heard quite a few different async converters and they are all different.

Thanks
Bill

Is there anything out there that confirms that one USB Conversion chip in itself is better than another?? i.e
Xmos, Cmedia, Crystal, Tenor, FPGA ???
I believe that there are most likely excellent examples of most

Koestner - some USB interfaces are constantly improving, even my own. I have done at least 2 mods to the Off-Ramp and added an optional power supply in the last year. It is 5th generation, Off-Ramp 5.

The thing to realize is that an external USB converter like an Off-Ramp 5 driving your USB DAC with S/PDIF will undoubtedly beat your USB interface and probably your transport too. I have lots of customers using the Off-Ramp 5 to drive USB DACs, abandoning the built-in USB interface. 30-day money-back, less shipping.

Off-Ramp 5:

http://www.empiricalaudio.com/products/off-ramp-converter

Steve N.
Empirical Audio