DAC...USB vs. Coax/Optical

[Feanor]

Hello Everybody. I have been on the market for a DAC for a couple of weeks now. Maybe it's just me, but I'm having a hell of a time deciding. It just seems like there's alot to weigh out between alot of different products. Perhaps it's the fact that its my first, because I can make quick decisions in every other dept.

Right now a friend of mine is trying to sell me his Firestone Spitfire. I have it hooked up and its a great unit. The thing that's throwing me off is this; my card has optical and digital out. I have been going about my search by looking for DACs that will connect from these. Should I be overlooking USB DACs? I feel like I should be using the outputs my card has but am I selling myself short? Will a USB cable provide the same results as coax or optical for this application?

There are some great looking, USB only DACs out there....what do you think??

It depends. As others have said, standard USB is limited to 98kbps. Also in general it's inclined to be jittery. Personally I use the S/PDIF coax from my sound card via a 30 foot cable to my DAC. (The longer cable suppresses jitter due to possible card/DAC impedance mismatches.)

On the other hand, asynchronous USB connectors, using custom software drivers, are becoming increasingly available; they permit 24/192 and can reduce jitter to levels as good as or better than S/PDIF.

Here's an example of a low-cost DAC that boasts a custom USB interface as well as an ASIO driver ... Musiland Monitor 02