Hi,
I use USB out to my Chord MScaler and DAVE. Curious to try Toslink. Connected via Toslink and enabled the output and disabled the USB out…yet I get no output at all. I am doing anything wrong? Your sage thoughts are appreciated.
If you are not getting any sound from the Toslink output, please check the following:
-
Toslink supports only PCM up to 24bit/192kHz.
If you are playing DSD or higher-rate PCM, there will be no output.
Please try a standard PCM file (44.1–96kHz). -
DSD cannot be sent over Toslink.
Make sure DSD playback is set to DSD → PCM conversion. -
Confirm your MScaler/DAVE input is manually set to Optical.
Some devices do not auto-switch inputs. -
Check the Toslink cable connection and try another cable if possible.
Many thanks for this…issue resolved. It was point 2, I set DSD playback to PCM conversion. I will now do some listening and compare USB to Toslink 
I’m glad to hear that the issue has been resolved.
If you encounter any other problems, please feel free to contact us anytime.
what was your takeaway after comparing?
@Dr_Jekyll - I was very surprised by the stark and immediate difference. Via Toslink the soundstage (width & depth) and separation improvement was obvious, with hithero unheard detail and nuance apparent. A genuine shock! I had thought (just expectation - not at all based upon lived experience) that Toslink would not improve the sound - believing it to be ‘technically inferior’ to USB in terms of bandwidth and throughput - and wasn’t expecting much at all. I know Rob Watts (The Chord DAVE & MScaler) designer prefers Toslink and I mused ‘he must know, right?’ Well based on my experinece now, he clearly does.
The sound is now more relaxed in presentation, less ‘technical’ and ‘easier’ - as said detail retrevial and subtle sound inflections are more apparent, and I find myself smiling more as I listen. This effect was immediate, I heard it straightaway. I switched back to USB after a while and it just confirmed what I’d heard - via USB the sound was ‘less full’ and appeared ‘held back’.
Do you (or any others) hold a view; had similar experiences? I would welcome the thoughts and experiences of others.