NewBuyer,
By cheapest I mean those priced accordingly, in the same category as SB3, so ~ > 500.00 if you want a figure.
A decent clock would cost as much as entire SB3.
BDA-1 and SB3 are far apart in every aspect.
I had SB3, I tried to make it a decent source by modifications and it was impossible, in the end I sold it.
SB3 is a computer gizmo and should be looked at as such, it is not a good digital source.
KeithA
I do not need to measure jitter, measurements were made and showed extremely high jitter on Toslink of devices I tried.
And I compared the performance, the difference and impact of higher jitter are easily heard.
So however you slice it, by measuring it or listening to it, the difference is enormous.
I am not calling people silly but the ideas, there is a difference, right?
For me it is silly to pair SB3 with BDA-1, as it would be silly to pair 15K speakers with 2K amp, or as is silly the argument that high bit rate of MP3 is undistinguishable from uncompressed signal.
Because it is silly, I would never get engaged in discussion with someone who says he/she never heard the difference, or red some article to that effect, because such discussion would be pointless.
There are actually people that do that, buy BDA-1 or any better executed DAC and feed it with MP3.
It is all question of priorities, if you do not care about the difference, simply because you do not care or you have not heard anything that may convince you otherwise, then by all means continue to do so, but do not get offended when someone tells people seeking advice to consider the real benefits and shortcomings of whatever device and technology is being discussed.
I do not care what UHF said, I heard SB3 on both of its digital interfaces, with and without linear regulated PSU, into several DACs, in my system, and have seen measurements.
SB3 is simply a computer toy, and not a good digital source.
Anything can be characterized as marginal difference, depends who is talking and from what perspective.
For example you can say there is a marginal difference between Bryston integrated amp and Bryston monoblocks, and they all sound the same. I beg to differ.
James,
I did lots of experimenting with different digital sources, transports, DACs.
No experienced listener is required, just resolute system so that differences are not masked, this is the main reason why people do not hear differences.
A few examples.
SB3 SPDIF measures somewhere around 400ps, TosLink around 800ps.
The difference is easily heard, no matter if any kind of upsamling is engaged or not.
Lynx L22 with claimed jitter of 150ps into Wadia 581i, compared to the same track cut to a CD and played from the tray (essentially tells you the difference between digital input where source is not slaved, signal is recovered through double PLL, and digital playback from tray where source is slaved to the clock from DAC).
This is as good comparison as you get, everything in the chain is the same.
The difference is day and night, all you need is a few seconds of a material with drums let’s say, from the tray there is speed, definition and control that is lacking from digital input. One may be very happy with digital input performance, but once the difference is heard it cannot be denied.
And this is not just any PC with Lynx L22, it is completely fanless (heat pipes and radiators), completely tuned up for a single purpose, digital playback, meaning OS footprint is as small as possible, all non essential HW disabled, professional tools from Steinberg used.
My point is that BDA-1 is well executed piece, as much as good as Wadia, from the engineering point of view, and there are obvious sonic benefits this engineering brings.
SB3 is a joke, it belongs together with MP3 players.
