USB Input of DMP and i2s question

Audio Components Transports
1

Hello,

When using the DMP’s front USB input to play back files. Does this input use the i2s interface to send the audio files to an externally connected DS DAC?

For example, are the files themselves connected via this front input being processed with this superior connection via the externally connected DS DAC?

Thanks

2

Yes, the USB source will output on the I2s.

3

I’ve got a number of Hi-Res audio files on my PC hard drive. I could burn them all to DVD but thought about transferring them to a couple of flash drives. Is the quality of sound retrieved from a flash drive equal to that from a burned DVD? I only use i2s connected to a DSD.

Thanks very much.

Ian

4
ihmeyers said

Is the quality of sound retrieved from a flash drive equal to that from a burned DVD?


If you’re simply comparing audio files stored on the two different media formats, I don’t think you’ll notice a difference in sound quality. Where you’ll notice a difference is in the ease of copying material to a USB drive as compared to burning optical media. Additionally, extra capacity along with the ability to make changes to the file structure on the USB drive and update its contents make it a clear winner over optical discs.

Be aware that neither provide gapless play when playing audio files such as WAV and FLAC. Also be aware that navigation of folders on the USB drive is going to require some patience on your part.

If you were to burn your files as a DAD (up to 24/96) or DVD-A (up to 24/192) disc rather than simply use the disc for file storage, you could overcome the gapless issue. In this case, you’ll want to do a bit of experimentation to find an authoring method that makes it easy to play the disc on the DMP.

If you have a sizable collection of audio files, you might consider the purchase of a Bridge II - it will greatly simplify playback.

5

Ihmeyers - to give you a different two cents, a number of us do feel that discs sound better than the USB input. Though often convenience outweighs what may be an insignificant difference for some.