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[ISeekTheTruth]

Hi,
I am looking for the correct JRiver audio settings to playback 44.1khz 16 bit flac files out to my DAC. Currently a native CD played on a CD transport to my DAC sounds better than when I feed the same FLAC content via JRiver. (More open and airy) My source files are 16bit 44.1 khz flac.  (which I burned to CD in native format for the CD I am using for comparison) The DAC I am using is the same for both scenarios. Looking through the settings I have been guessing without success. For example dither....my FLAC files already dithered. So my thought would be not to dither again. There should be no alteration of volume levels If I am to mimic the original content. Anyone have this info/ Thanks,

[JimH]

The volume may not be the same.  That's probably the only way you would notice a difference.

[ISeekTheTruth]

OK. I have a topping D10S upstream to convert to ToS and on to the DAC. not much in the way of settings there. And the difference is not distortion. Feels more like either dynamic range or high end. So your feeling is there are no settings within JRiver that would make any difference.

[blgentry]

I've been told that USB connections from some computers to some DACs sound bad due to jitter.  Many USB ports on computers have poor time performance.  You might be experiencing the sound of jitter. 

On the MC side, you could look at the audio path and see what is being changed.  Player > Audio Path

If you see any changes being made to sample rate that would be suspect.  I would argue that any Volume changes being made are also suspect.  You can adjust what is being changed in the DSP Studio.

All of this said, I haven't A/Bed this stuff.  You may or may not be experiencing sound issues from any of the things I've mentioned.

Brian.

[JimH]

I've been told that USB connections from some computers to some DACs sound bad due to jitter.  Many USB ports on computers have poor time performance.  You might be experiencing the sound of jitter. 

Please don't repeat things you've heard.  It's what audiophile myths are made of.

[dtc]

Jitter can indeed be a problem with computer connections to a DAC. If the computer controls the timing, then there can be quite a bit of jitter. The PC is not a real time device, so it is not designed for exact timing between devices. That is why Gordon Rankin developed Event Mode, in which the DAC controls the timing.  That is why MC uses Event Mode by default, although it can be turned off if your DAC does not support Event Mode. Pretty much all modern DACs use Event Mode.  In the past, there were separate devices that controlled the timing, but the DAC itself now generally provides that function.

There may indeed be differences in timing between a CD Transport and a PC, although if the DAC uses Event Mode the chances are that those differences are minimal.

That is the science of the situation regarding jitter.  Jitter is not a myth, but it should be a minimal problem in most modern setups.

So, what is the DAC and does it support Event Mode?  What is the CD Transport.

EDIT: Event Mode is also known as asynchronous USB.

[dtc]

There are products that are meant to clean up the usb signal between a PC and the DAC. They basically clean up noise and timing issues with the PC usb interface.  If the interface is very good, then the device will have little or no effect. If the interface is not very good, the device can clean up the signal. It can also re-clock the usb signal, which should not be a problem if the DAC has a good usb interface with good timing circuitry. Some people report no difference when using these devices and some people report a significant increase in sound quality, including "open and airy" as you note. Some also lift the ground from the computer, since that can, in some cases, have significant noise on it which can have an effect on some DACs.

Again, these devices are meant to correct deficiencies in usb unterfaces, which may or may not be present in your system.

One such device is the ifi iPurifier3. If you read the reviews on Amazon, you will find people who heard no difference and you will find people who say it made a big difference. As usual, it depends on your system and your hearing.