The ultra-portable AudioQuest DragonFly range of DACs are well regarded and offer rare support for MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) audio, yet are pure Class 1.0 devices.īut if you want to handle all high resolution digital files, you’ll really want a USB Class 2.0 DAC. Out of the box it is in Class 1.0 mode, but if you want to use its 192kHz capabilities, you can switch it to Class 2.0.ĭon’t automatically dismiss USB Audio Class 1.0. One DAC that I used for several years, the Cambridge Audio DACMagic 100, works in both modes. If they say it can handle 192kHz or higher, or that it can decode Direct Stream Digital (DSD), then it’s definitely USB Audio Class 2.0. If the specs say a DAC is good for up to 24 bits and 96kHz, it’s almost certainly USB Audio Class 1.0 compliant. But you can usually tell just by the specifications. It’s not always clear whether a DAC supports USB Audio Class 1.0 or 2.0. In addition, the occasional DAC is not “Class Compliant”, which means it must use its own proprietary drivers. You’ll need ASIO (Audio Session Input/Output) drivers for those higher rates. The WASAPI interface built into Windows tops out at 384kHz and 32-bit support. DACs are starting to appear with support for PCM with 768kHz sampling and for DSD512. I do recommend using manufacturer’s drivers for some DACs if they’re available. My early experiences with it weren’t very good, but within a year or so further updates got Windows working well natively with Class 2.0 DACs. That finally, belatedly, added USB Audio Class 2.0 support to Windows. That changed with the Windows 10 Creators Update, Version 1703, in 2017. So to use such a DAC you have to install special drivers from the hardware manufacturer. Those versions of Windows did not natively support USB Audio Class 2.0. If it’s a recent Windows computer and your Windows 10 installation is up-to-date, then, again, go for USB Audio Class 2.0.īut if you’re still running Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8 or an early version of Windows 10, things are more complicated. When prompted by the program, connect the Rotel product to the USB. Then download and run the setup file below. What computer are you using and what operating system is it running? If it’s a Mac, then all other things being equal, go for USB Audio Class 2.0. Be sure the Rotel device is NOT currently connected to the Windows PC, and the PC-USB Audio Class is set to 2.0 in the Setup Menu of the Rotel product (refer to the owners manuals for specifics on how to change this setting). So, USB Audio Class 2.0 is better, right?Īgain, it depends. I have no doubt that if I ever manage to get my hands on a 768kHz PCM track – I’m working on it – it also will work, despite requiring a bitrate of close to 50Mbps. I have personally tested DACs – such as the Topping E30 pictured at the top – with PCM audio with 32 bits of resolution and 384kHz sampling (almost 25Mbps, not counting encoding overhead) and DSD512 (more than 45Mbps). USB Audio Class 2.0 goes well beyond that and seems to be able to handle any audio standard that can fit within the 480Mbps data transfer limits of USB. That was good enough for many years, but higher and higher resolution audio is becoming increasingly available, along with alternative formats such as Direct Stream Digital. That is, it supports genuinely high-resolution audio. USB Audio Class 1.0 supports PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) digital audio standards up to 24 bits resolution and 96kHz sampling. USB Audio Class 1.0 vs USB Audio Class 2.0 Well, surely 2.0 is better than 1.0, right? Well, it depends. If your driver isn't working, use the driver having the same OEM with the your laptop/desktop brand name.AudioQuest DragonFly Red DAC – highly compatible thanks to USB Audio Class 1.0 compliance If you are looking for an update, pickup the latest one. With the different devices, they can have the same driver, it's because they all use the same chip manufacturer. Below is a list of drivers that may be suitable for your device.
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