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Post by emotifan on Jan 15, 2020 10:03:59 GMT -5
I started listening to Amazon HD streaming, which is awesome btw, and I'm not sure if I'm using the best setup. Right now I'm running a fifteen foot USB cable from the computer to the DAC in my rack. My question is, would it be better to use a shorter USB cable with the DAC close to the computer and 15 feet of RCA cable to the preamp? I've read that it's not a good idea to use long USB runs for audio.
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KeithL
Administrator 
Posts: 9,928
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Post by KeithL on Jan 15, 2020 10:36:50 GMT -5
"Good" is a relative term... In your case, it's going to depend on the specific equipment you have, and a bit on luck.
That's a bit long for an unbalanced RCA cable - so you might pick up noise - and specifically hum - by using one that long. (But that probably won't really be an issue.... and it's even less likely to be a problem if you avoid running it directly next to power cables and such.)
When it comes to USB cables - some specific devices can be fussy about the length. Several of our older units, including our XDA-2 and DC-1 DACs, and the USB input on our XMC-1, have issues if you use a USB cable longer than about two meters. However, that's a limitation of the particular USB input chip-set we used, and many other DACs will work fine with a USB cable as long as twenty or even thirty feet. (It's unlikely to affect the sound quality - if the cable is too long you'll either get frequent total dropouts or no connection at all.)
As long as what you've got is working then you're probably just fine.
I haven't actually tried it with one of our newer processors but I haven't heard of any specific issues there. (As far as I know there's no "official" spec for how long it's safe to run a USB cable.)
I started listening to Amazon HD streaming, which is awesome btw, and I'm not sure if I'm using the best setup. Right now I'm running a fifteen foot USB cable from the computer to the DAC in my rack. My question is, would it be better to use a shorter USB cable with the DAC close to the computer and 15 feet of RCA cable to the preamp? I've read that it's not a good idea to use long USB runs for audio. |
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Post by emotifan on Jan 15, 2020 10:56:17 GMT -5
Thanks so much for your input Keith. I think I've probably been over thinking this. I'm getting no dropouts at 15 feet so I should probably stop worrying about it.
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Post by millst on Jan 15, 2020 10:58:35 GMT -5
That 15-foot USB cable should be fine. It meets the 5-meter USB spec. Unfortunately, implementations and specs don't always work out. If you have problems with a long USB cable run, as Keith indicated, you can probably use an active USB hub to bring up the signal levels. I believe I've used my XMC-1 with a long cable before and had no problems so you might be fine.
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Post by repeetavx on Jan 15, 2020 11:52:12 GMT -5
Like Keith said, if your USB is working, then it is working fine.
My rule of thumb is keep analog short, run digital long.
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Post by Jean Genie on Jan 16, 2020 12:30:31 GMT -5
"Good" is a relative term...
...When it comes to USB Are there any known issues with the Little Ego? I'd like to use mine with a 20'-25' usb cable & an 18" RCA to 3.5mm to my USP-1. |
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Post by vcautokid on Jan 16, 2020 12:42:28 GMT -5
A little word about USB hubs. Some Audio devices don't like those in the signal chain either. Lots of audio interfaces for example and mixers with USB feature in play do not like these. Gotta love audio huh? But yeah, USB in most cases plays ball pretty well. My favorite connection still is optical. Long runs no worries. Noise and interference also no worries. An awesome connection that does not get enough love frankly.
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