Audiophile performance from a computer?
Computers make it fun and easy to play music, but getting true audiophile sound from your laptop or desktop into your home audio system and speakers can be a challenge without the right tools. That's where Musical Fidelity's V-Link II comes in. This clever adapter takes a USB output from your PC, and converts it into a pristine optical or coaxial digital signal that you can easily plug into your favorite outboard DAC (digital-to-analog converter) or home theater receiver to turn it into beautiful music.
Free your music from the whims of your computer
Standard USB outputs from most computers pose a serious limitation to sound quality. That's because while you're trying to listen to music, your PC is busy performing virus scans, data backup, and other background tasks that may take priority over your tunes, causing it to alter the data rate to suit its own needs. Unfortunately, this situation results in timing errors within the digital data stream — known as "jitter" — that adversely affect sound quality. Jitter can make your music sound harsh and edgy, and smear subtle details.
The "asynchronous" USB advantage
The V-Link II neatly solves this problem by reaching out to your computer through the USB interface, and instructing it to relinquish control of the data stream timing. In its place, the V-Link II inserts its own separate, or asynchronous, clock to precisely control the timing of the data rate, reducing jitter to the vanishing point. You'll hear a stunning improvement in low-level ambient detail along with a wider, deeper soundstage as your music comes pouring out of a silent background.
And for all you high-res music lovers...
Along with all the sonic benefits the V-Link II provides for your compressed and CD-quality music files, it also has another trick up its sleeve — it allows your DAC to receive high-resolution data streams with up to 96kHz/24-bit resolution, so you can enjoy better-than-CD audio quality. If you download high-res music files from HDtracks and other audiophile sources, the V-link will ensure that you hear them in all their glory.
The V-Series difference
Musical Fidelity applied substantial improvements in fit and finish to the V-Link II over the original V-Link. The front and back end pieces are now made from machined aluminum, twice as thick as before. The result is a cool look that's both classy and technical. But they stayed true to the high-value, V-Series concept. Instead of spending big bucks on a fancy, full-sized component chassis, Musical Fidelity chose to put the money into the V-Link II's insides — where it really counts. That means you get the top-notch performance of a component many times its cost for a bargain price.
