Sound card vs. USB DAC

FWIW I'm using a MOTU M2 (newest version) and Adam Audio T5Vs, I couldn't be happier. The T5V are roughly comparable to the JBLs you're using. I set my windows volume to 95% and use the DAC volume controls. My T5Vs on-board amps are set to slightly above 0dB (id say +4 ish), and if I crank the MOTU they get plenty loud for all but house party level listening while staying clean. There is definitely headroom, but I'm not interested in 90+dB listening.

For gaming or quieter listening I have a pair of Beyer TYGR300 R headphones and the MOTU can drive them to uncomfortably high volumes, although to be fair they are low impedance cans.

Maybe you could get some dough back from that Bifrost and try a MOTU or Focusrite that will have on board separate volume control for balanced TRS outputs and XLR/TRS inputs for some extra versatility. Maybe you'll hear a small difference in quality between the MOTU M2 and the Bifrost, but I really doubt it. If it turns out you're happy with a MOTU, the money saved would go a long way toward future speaker upgrades.
 
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Quiz said:
What's the difference between a sound card and a USB DAC?
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The main difference between them is latency and stability with multi-channel audio. You get dropouts, loss of sync, much higher latency (if you use it for any sort of production with DAW/VST).
For eg. I can run 16x channels audio with 2ms latency and zero dropouts if I use my PCIe soundcard with ASIO drivers. I struggle to get a stable audio stream without glitching at under 16ms with USB.

If you're just using it to power stereo desktop speakers then get a USB. If you're doing any sort of music work then get a PCIe card.
 
Nobu said:
It should be fine, doesn't get much simpler than that. They even use a multi-layer PCB -- others might have used jumper wires or no PCB at all...which would be okay, but not great.

Technically speaking it's a simple attenuator circuit, the expensive parts are the case (metal) and the POT (has to potentially handle high current/voltage for extended periods, and endure wear from being adjusted).
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Yeah, in the past I ran into issues where the pots were garbage and didn't have even leveling through the range, my magni was like that for the first bit of its control. It's always been a bit of a plague IME and why some vendors go for digital controls instead.
 
D-EJ915 said:
Yeah, in the past I ran into issues where the pots were garbage and didn't have even leveling through the range, my magni was like that for the first bit of its control. It's always been a bit of a plague IME and why some vendors go for digital controls instead.
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I'm done with Schiit. My Magni and Modi are both falling apart and I quite literally never touch them. Except I have to now more and more to fiddle with connectors and knobs just to get them to operate. The Modi just likes to disappear from Windows from time to time. Reseating the USB cable sometimes brings it back, sometimes doesn't. I have to hold it correctly. Magni's volume pot is scratchy, but this seems like a common Schiit issue. The gain switch unless you hold it just right for a second will cause the right channel be essentially half volume. The power switch will only sometimes turn it on.
 
I have been weary of the Sys order I did because I made the order on impulse (without any real research) once I found out I couldn't control the DAC's volume in macOS natively. I have been discussing the Sys on the ASR and Head-Fi forums. The basic consensus is that it might not be the best match for my studio monitors for complete 1:1 transparent audio quality vs. connecting directly to the DAC without the Sys in the chain. I can link the discussions if you want to read it yourself. I basically want to step up to the active Saga+ to control the volume.

I had been bugging Schiit to cancel the Sys order and they finally accepted.

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That's the wild-tier level of audiophiles that I'll just never be down with. There is no way in hell i'm going to tell the difference. Everybodies got to have a hobby, I guess. Just don't be the fool in the old saying "a fool and his money are soon parted".
 
criccio said:
That's the wild-tier level of audiophiles that I'll just never be down with. There is no way in hell i'm going to tell the difference. Everybodies got to have a hobby, I guess. Just don't be the fool in the old saying "a fool and his money are soon parted".
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I myself am more sensitive to sound than video. I put a little more into that part of my pc, but not crazy imo. I have a sound blaster ae5 out to a magni for my headphones or mackie speakers. My monitor is a chinese brand 1440p lol. My wife has a samsung 4k hdr monitor and sound blaster pebble speakers.
 
So, I got my AudioQuest Cinnamon USB-B to USB-C cable for free because Amazon was way past the delivery date and offered to do a refund. I got my refund but the cable was also delivered the day I got my refund. I contacted Amazon and they said not to worry and just keep it.

A little history of my computer's audio journey:

Built desktop PC in 2012 with a Titanium HD and Corsair SP2500 speakers. Thought it sounded great.

In 2015 I got my JBL LSR305 studio monitors and LSR310S subwoofer. This was a completely different universe in terms of sound quality. After this, I vowed to never return to those "PC gaming speaker sets" again and always use real speakers/studio monitors.

In 2020, I got my AE-9. I noticed an improvement in sound quality and a massive increase in bass (even with the same level settings on the speakers and subwoofer). Was worth it over the Titanium HD.

In December 2023, I sold my desktop PC but kept the JBLs for use with my next computer (a MacBook Pro 14").

On April 21, I received my Schiit Bifrost 2/64 and connected it to my MacBook Pro 14" via USB for use with my JBL speakers and subwoofer.

AE-9 vs. Bifrost 2/64:

Significant increase in clarity. I've started noticing things/sounds that I didn't notice before. Bass seems to be less than the AE-9 but I think the AE-9 was boosting the bass because literally everything has bombastic amounts of bass whereas with the Bifrost 2/64, things have bass when they are actually supposed to. So, I don't think there is less bass on the Bifrost 2/64 because it seems the Bifrost 2/64's bass is more accurate. Bifrost 2/64's bass tightness and texture is a marked improvement over the AE-9. The bass is more cleaner on the Bifrost 2/64.

Soundstage and spacial cues are much better on the Bifrost 2/64 vs. the AE-9. The AE-9's soundstage and sense of space was very flat and 2D but had good amount of width. On the Bifrost 2/64, I can actually hear depth in the soundstage and imagining is improved.

Massive improvement in the reproduction of music on the Bifrost 2/64 vs. the AE-9. Music sounds so "real" and not digital like it did on the AE-9. Not sure if this is because of the Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless formats I now have on Apple Music with macOS (because on Windows you don't get lossless music on Apple Music). But my God, music sounds so good now and I'm listening to the same music. But even music on YouTube sounds so much better. The soundstage, depth, spacial cues, clarity, bite/attack, dynamics, and imagining are all vastly improved.

One pretty impressive thing I also noticed with the Bifrost 2/64 is that when I am viewing Twitch streams, I can now actually hear how good the streamer's game audio settings and setup is. With the AE-9, every streamer's game audio sounded the same. With the Bifrost 2/64, I can clearly tell the difference in a streamer's game audio and how good they have it set up.

Overall, super happy with the Bifrost 2/64. As I vowed to never return to those "PC gaming speaker sets" again, I don't think I'll ever return to a gaming-centric sound card again either.

By the way, the Bifrost 2/64 has been powered on ever since I got it and I noticed quite an improvement in its sound quality after a few days of it being left on.
 
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