USB-S/PDIF Converter

Musical Fidelity V-Link192 USB-S/PDIF Converter

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I purchased this unit on a bit of a whim, since it had received many accolades on forums and in the press.

But all I really wanted to know was, just how good my Schiit Bifrost DAC could really perform.

However, I was not expecting the level of performance improvement this very affordable unit brought to the digital side of my system.

Turns out, the guys at Musical Fidelity know a thing or two about USB interfaces, but the guys at Schiit also know a thing or two about DAC’s and discreet analogue output stages Happy

Combined, these two components really know how to make superbly detailed and spacious music from a bunch of zero’s and one’s!

Unfortunately, the V-Link192 is no longer in production, but they can still be found on E-Bay for $135 US.

My only complaint is the placement of the outputs...
  • it would be easier to connect had they all been placed at the same end as the USB port
  • but at this price and performance - I’ll live with it!

If you have a DAC with a USB interface that is older than a year I would recommend getting one of these units, because it will probably elevate its performance to levels you probably thought would require a significant DAC upgrade.

It is even much better than the Gen-2 USB upgrade available from Schiit, for both the Bifrost and Gungnir, which I have also tried Embarrassed

I have found the Dual USB Cable and Power Adapter identified in this post,
Overcoming USB Streaming Issues, to work extremely well with this unit.

I have also found my own DIY S/PDIF cable design, which can be found at the end of this post -
RCA Interconnect Construction Techniques, outperformed some very pricey boutique brands.

This level of performance improvement seldom comes at such a modest price in the world of hi-fi...


It’s a real bargain!


UPDATE: I’ve since removed the DAC and V-link192 and replaced it with the Blusound NODE 2, connected via an ethernet cable to the NAS drive.

This eliminated the need for USB cables and computer software updates - a much simpler approach with better sound quality



page6_blog_entry61-page6_blog_entry60-page6_blog_entry52-page6_blog_entry40-two-thumbs-up-2 A highly recommended product!