hdmi vs usb

[goodguy]

Hello and thanks for taking the time to read this post.

I have a good quality pc and it has audio out via usb ( i use a firestone fubar 2 dac) and audio out via a hdmi socket.
Which of these 2 interfaces would be best for audio output to a good amplifier the usb or the hdmi. I am thinking of either buying a top quality dac or a top quality hdmi processor and woud appreciate a nod in which direction to go. I use the pc for work but do let the family use to to watch their beloved bluray, dvd, listening to cd's etc At a guess i would have said hdmi is better for audio but a few buddies have said the bandwidth of usb is good enough and there would be no difference, think it may depend on the bit rate the two interfaces can support.

Many thanks in advance. John.

 

[Farview]

It will come down the quality of the DAC you use. Digital is digital no matter which connection you use. Unless you need to record a lot of tracks at once, the bandwidth is a non-issue.

I have never heard of an HDMI recording audio interface (I know it's normally used for hi-def video) and a quick google search turned up nothing of the sort. The only thing I've found is a box that converts the audio in an HDMI signal to analog to connect to a stereo that doesn't have digital inputs.

So that begs the question: Are you recording and doing audio work, or are you just trying to hook up your computers as part of an entertainment system? The answer to your question will be wildly different depending on what you are actually trying to accomplish.

 

[goodguy]

Hi. Thanks for the reply.

I've given the pc to my family now as the kids kept moaning (sigh) pester power has humbled me again just can't keep saying no to those cute little faces who don't stop tugging at my legs till they get what they want. Guess i will go down the home entertainment road with that pc. The reason i asked the question is that i heard the usb output i limited to 16 bit at 44khz whereas hdmi can do 24 bit at 192khz is this true what difference does it make in real life listening terms.

Many thanks. John.

 

[Farview]

If that is true (it has to go up to at least 48k), it still doesn't make much difference because the content that the family will be listening to will (most likely) not be presented in higher resolutions. Even DVD movies have the audio compressed (like an mp3, but not and mp3). You have to search long and hard to find any consumer audio that is higher than 48k 16 bit. (48k is the sample rate for audio attached to video) So it's a complete non-issue unless the children are audiophiles that search out ultra high-rez formats for their listening enjoyment.

If it's just normal TV, games and music listening, it won't matter one single bit.

There are many people who don't use sample rates higher than 48k (even then, 48k only for video audio) when recording serious albums, so I really doubt the children will notice.

 

[disord3r]

HDMI can certainly be your audio source. I found this out when I bought a new video card that has HDMI output and suddenly my sound output stopped altogether. Turns out that the install reconfigured my audio output to send everything over HDMI. Only problem is that my flat panel monitor had no speakers, so I just had to reconfigure it to use the normal sound card. Whether or not it's a viable option will depend on what you're connecting it to - that device is where the D/A process will take place. Over USB, it happens at the fubar. Over HDMI, you'll just want to plug it into something suitable for the task. Maybe running the HDMI to your TV isn't going to give you acceptible results, but your sending it to a $1000 audio receiver, I would have to assume it would sound just a bit better than the fubar.

Regarding bandwith, if an HDMI connection is capable of 7.2 channel audio while simultaneously handling a 1080p video stream, I'm sure you'll have no problems using it for your audio purposes. At the same time, I don't think that USB is necessarily limited to 16/44, but that may just be what the fubar is capable of. If people can multitrack fully-mic'ed drum kits over USB interfaces without a problem, I don't see why you couldn't do the same with USB in the other direction; bandwidth is bandwidth.

In short, I think both of should be able to do what you want. Or optical or coax/spdif. They're all just different ways of sending the same digital signal. It just matters what's receiving that signal.