Easier to add a DAC unit to the SPDIF output?
Then will be using the hardware outs which will degrade the quality from USB pure digital..
What makes you think the Virus has bad converters? There are quite a few users who prefer the high resolution sound of the analogue outputs over the USB digital signal.
Easier to add a DAC unit to the SPDIF output?
Or just record the digital signal...
What makes you think the Virus has bad converters? There are quite a few users who prefer the high resolution sound of the analogue outputs over the USB digital signal.
Or just record the digital signal...
Well my ears tell me the converters were not as good as my Fireface 800 that I purchased at the same time as my first Ti, nor would I have expected such with the Fireface being dedicated to the task. Ti was a little thinner and brittle in the top end, now I use Antelope which is a major step up from the Fireface.. One of the best things about USB audio on a digital synth is listening to it through high end converters, if you didn't spend thousands on converters then the analog outs may well sound better. Op-amps and capacitors on the Ti board would have an influence on colour there too, I prefer the pure sound and can colour with other analog dedicated to that task.
Was always one of the great points about Virus Ti having many ways to work with, for our individual processes.
Good ideas though using the SPDIF (forgot about that and don't look at the back of my Ti very often!) for either better converters or straight to digital. Thats a good solution 
One of the best things about USB audio on a digital synth is listening to it through high end converters
That's probably a plus, but the resolution of the digital signal via USB is rather limited (44.1kHz or 48kHz/16Bit) compared to what the TI2 uses internally (192kHz/24bit). Thus the Virus TI2 should offer much higher audio quality at the analog outputs, than what is actually possible from the digital signal via USB. Maybe what you perceived as "thin and brittle" is actually the additional top end crispness which is missing on the digital outputs.
BTW, I find the 16 bit actually pretty limiting, since it clearly shows degradation on low volume signals such as releases or delays and reverb tails when boosted or highly compressed (OTT anyone 
). Therefore I always record all the Virus sounds over USB at maximum volume settings just to have enough headroom for later signal processing.
That's a probably plus, but the resolution of the digital signal via USB is rather limited (44.1kHz or 48kHz/16Bit) compared to what the TI2 uses interally (192kHz/24bit). Thus the Virus TI2 should offer much higher audio quality at the analog outputs, than what is actually possible from the digital signal via USB. Maybe what you perceived as "thin and brittle" is actually the additional top end crispness which is missing on the digital outputs.
BTW, I find the 16 bit actually prettly limiting, since clearly shows degradation on low volume signals such as releases or delays and reverb tails when boosted or highly compressed (OTT anyone
Always a wealth of info
I have a Ti Polar V1. Thought there was just DSP update and paint job, any converter update you know of?
USB limit would be due to spdif spec, would need to be AES3 for 24bit. Excellent point and certainly a vote towards some hardware upgrades!
I have a Ti Polar V1. Thought there was just DSP update and paint job, any converter update you know of
Not to my knowledge. According to official info, the TI2 is mainly about dual DSPs. If they had upgraded the converters, I‘m sure it would have been mentioned in the marketing material!
