I am trying not to find technical information about the new technology behind these two cables. I am not really having much joy. PS audio Paul McGowen says that USB is a bad choice for interface…
Hi @John_A_Leighton,
An internet search for “AES/EBU cable vs USB” will find the usual pros/cons and disagreements from the fora.
Personally I prefer Network, USB (Audio Class 2), AES/EBU, SPDIF and finally TosLink in that order.
The advantage of the first two methods are that it’s the DAC that controls the timing, not the source.
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Vendors will say anything to get you to buy their products.
Assuming a competently designed DAC, there should be no difference. Neither USB nor AES/EBU is anything that could be described as new anyway, and from a technical standpoint USB is the best way of moving bits from one place to another. I2S is the worst.
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In addition to the other replies, USB has the advantage over AES/EBU and S/PDIF (both essentially the same) because it provides two-way signalling. That is, Roon can communicate with the DAC. With the other digital interfaces, this isn’t possible.
Moreover, the maximum PCM for these interfaces is 192 kHz, which limits DSD over PCM (DoP) playback. And, another positive for USB is that the DAC controls timing.
I2S is intended as an internal bus between electronic circuits, and was never intended to be used over a cable. It should be avoided.
Incidentally, I use USB, S/PDIF (with 75 Ω BNC connectors) and Toslink, and prefer USB.
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Thanks for your help x
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