Given the two possible digital input connections on the rear panel and the one digital input selection option on the front panel, does this imply that only one of the two input options can be used and that connecting two digital devices concurrently could result in input conflict? (Or does the Sprout have an inbuilt “priority” that ignores one of these inputs?)
The manual states that if both the USB and Coax inputs are in use, the USB input takes precedence. Further, the manual recommends using one of these at a time, not both. Hope this helps.
Of course, there is a practical difference between “in use” and physically connected, but the DAC doesn’t seem to recognize this. The USB will always override the coax, even if you aren’t actively pushing music bits over the USB. It seems the only way to defeat this is to physically unplug the USB cable from either the Sprout or your computer every time you want to use the coax, adding wear to both the port and the cable. Unfortunately, this was a deal killer for me as I frequently alternate between my CD transport and files from my computer, often several times per day.
Seems that it would be pretty straightforward to either add an additional stop on the input switch so that USB and coax are separately selectable or redesign the DAC so that when the USB is not actively pushing bits, that input is not selected. I guess some beancounter thought the extra $3 or whatever was too high…