Is there any hard evidence about any of this stuff? For example, has Access ever commented on any of this? As far as I know, they haven't. Or maybe I've missed it ...
You can't conclude much from looking at the number of bits available via at the D/A converters. They obviously are not clocking those converters at 192KHz, so who knows what relevance that figure has to anyone. As for 24 bits, it strikes me as odd that they would send more bits into the D/A converters than they would over the digital connections.
SP/DIF is designed to handle up to 20 bits in an audio stream. I haven't seen any hard evidence about how many of these bits are actually in use -- changing value in a meaningful way -- in the case of the Virus.
I operate on the assumption that the Virus is a 16-bit synth from top to bottom, inside and out. I don't know that to be the case, but I tend to think that if there were really a bunch more bits of precision feeding the converters than are going over the USB or SP/DIF connection, then you would hear a much greater difference in sound for certain patches. There are lots of long tails and other opportunities to pick out 16bits vs 20 or 24bits among the Virus sounds and effects.
I've taken to tracking my Virus digitally -- through SP/DIF -- and then using other D/A converters if I want to bounce the tracks through outboard analog. That's mostly a workflow thing. I have some converters with very low noise floor that I like a little better than the converters on the Virus anyhow.
-Luddy
|