Connecting PC to the amp via DAC
Question) Has anyone tried connecting their amps to their computer? How good does the mp3 files sound off your amps? If someone wants to play mainly mp3 files off the pc, do they need to buy a special sound card (models?) Which amp would be a good choice?
Reply 1) For good sound, try lower end M Audio cards, supposed to be very good.
Reply 2) Quite agree. Best sound is achieved when you match your amp to your speakers and get a pure digital to analogue conversion from your pc. Pc end will sound increasingly better if you:
3)choose decent software to play the files and high(er) bitrates, 320 mp3 to lossless. Softwarewise: for win XP choose either winamp or foobar plus asio4all plugin. For Win vista and Macintosh choose any program you like- no difference to the sound!
2)if you choose a good internal soundcard preferably from a manufacturer with professional background (No gamecards with a plethora of add-ons) M-audio for example.
1) Best is to get an external dac and connect the pc/mac to them via usb/spdif/optical digital (or just use wifi for longer distance between pc and dac/cd-player).
I use a midi device (dac included) for my digital to analogue conversion: the tascam/teac us-144. Other options Edirol ua-25, Edirol FA66...price: about 150 pounds.
Reply 3) My first PC setup was a Creative card, and a Nad 310 through JPW mini monitors, and it was fantastic!
But an ¨m-audio audiophile 2496 for £50 is a major improvement on ANY consumer Creative card for stereo, and further improvements can be made with DACs and better speakers.
If you listen at a computer desk I'd be tempted to go for monitors though. Maybe even active, losing the need for an amp.
Reply 4) How does the media player software effect the sound? i would have thought they would all sound the same as they're using the same codecs?
Reply 5) If you're using either a laptop/pc with windows vista on it or an apple mac, the media software wíll not effect the sound.
When using win xp on the other hand, great improvements to the clarity of playback can be made by using either winamp or foobar plus plugin. This will bring it to the same level as Win vista or mac os.
For further reading I suggest this site: http://www.aqvox.de/Asio-USB-Audio-installation-e.htm
Reply 6) I think before we get onto the Kmixer and drivers we need to establish the basics: 1. If the MP3s are of your own CDs, re-rip them to a lossless format.
2. Ideally you need to get a digital output from the PC to a DAC.
Question 2) How does CDP output differ from DAC or a Transporter? The CDP output goes directly to the amp where as the sound files (consider any lossless mp3/wma format) goes from the hard drive to the sound card and then to the amp OR via Sound card> DAC> amplifier...where does the degradation take place?
Reply 7) How does CDP output differ from DAC or a Transporter? In essence they are the same..all analogue outputs that connect to your amp of choice.
Cd-player= disc-reader + Dac.
Separate Dac can receive any digital input, from your cd-player, dvd-player, from your pc or mac....
Transporter is a dac plus a wifi streamer- it connect to your pc/mac/nas drives (all harddisk based), streams the digital info to the transporter and translates it into analogue using it's Dac.
>>>>>The CDP output goes directly to the amp where as the sound files (consider any lossless mp3/wma format) goes from the hard drive to the sound card and then to the amp OR via Sound card> DAC> amplifier...where does the degradation take place? Primarily in the dac that's built in the soundcard, which plugs into the computers motherboard. An internal design needs to be well shielded from all the interference within a computer, caused by all the components that are essential for a pc but not for a media-player. (Hence the nas drives/apple tv) This is in fact such a challenge that's it's a far better option (read better price-performance) to choose and external soundcard/Dac, then buying an expensive (100 +) internal soundcard.
Question 3) Is there a way to process the files stored on the hard drive, outside the PC. Will an external USB soundcard process the mp3/wma files outside the PC thus eliminating the interference? Will this be an inexpensive alternative to an expensive sound card with digital output + an expensive DAC?
Reply 8) First I want to get your question clear. What I undersatnd from your questions is that you want a very cost effective way of getting hifi quality from your pc. Am I right?
If so, then an external dac is a must. Wouldn't worry to much about soundcard versus DAC options- just keep the signal within the computer digital, then you should be fine.
I'll give you a choice selection:
*Beresford dac 99 pounds; digital in, no usb; can return it when not satisfied; recommended by quite a few forum members
*Tascam us 144 about 100 pounds, usb great sound, although the software is sometimes a pain
*Edirol UA-25 Comes recommended by Ashley James, the manufacturer of Avi hifi, about 150 pounds
Mail me at ^^^^^^^ and I'll provide you with some pages for further reading/reviews (would be breaking forum rules if I posted them here). Remember however that a review is also just an opinion. Take it as a guideline, not an absolute truth- not only the quality of the product gets judged, it's always get mixed with that person's personal taste.
HERE IS HIS EMAIL>>>>>>>
Hi,
This website http://www.stereo.de/index.php?id=197 links to "stereo"mag website. (note there are 3 pages) See what you can use. It's in German, but not really tough to understand. They've basically been reconducting a Dac test with a normal office pc as a basis after many written request from readers.
Interestingly, they concluded that the difference between a cd-transport and a home pc isn't really that big. It the dac that is the main deciding factor in what sound you end up with. Furthermore the difference between the so called cheaper external usb dacs/soundcards and the much pricier Aqvox dac isn't that big a gap.
They also argue that usb is the best solution for a dac connected to a pc and that a quality usb cable can (marginally) improve on an already good setup. From my own experience and from what I've heard from a hifi manufacturer that's now focussing his attention on pc/mac based solution, I can tell you that most probably a toslink/optical cable connecting to an outboard dac would work just as well, and that a quality usb cable can be had for not much money at all. I use a well screened one with ferrite rings on either side, that I used to plug between the pc and the scanner! It's better than the one free provided with the soundcard, but cost peanuts.
I haven't been able to test many dacs myself, and as the tascam us-144 isn't flawless, it might be good to also consider the Edirol UA-25. Came recommended by Ashely James from Avi hifi. I'm sure he's in a much better position than me to judge the best from the rest! Any way, happy reading, and if there any question you want to ask about the tascam, feel free to mail me.
Oh, before i forget, it's best to rip your music files in a lossless codec. EAC is a free and very good ripper. www.eac.de (yes, also german based...i'm not german by the way ;-)
Best wishes,
...........
Ps: As an all in one solution also consider the Avi adm9- dacs and amps are already in the speakers.
Question in email>>>
what do you mean by "cd-transport". Is that the DAC inside the stand alone CD Player? Is the DAC inside a CD player better just because it is outside a PC environment hence there is no interference?
Do you use tascam us-144 only for your PC/Hi-Fi? I have heard that it is used by Musician and Guitarist too. I just want to concentrate on my PC and the amplifier connected to it. I don't want to buy a product which is primarily used by musician to connect various musical instrument and which also doubles as a DAC used for PCs.
Answer in email>>>>
To answer your question: cd-transport is a cd-player without a dac. The dac is in a separate box, because some designers believe this is beneficial to the end result.(Many, including myself, are not so sure about this, either way the effect is minimal, nothing to worry about)
To your question "Is the DAC inside a CD player better just because it is outside a PC environment hence there is no interference?", my answer is that the dacs might well be the same -there are only a few manufacturers in the world- the end result when using the same dac is also pretty much the same. The stereo article concluded that too. There is also interference inside a cd-player but much less so than in a computer, just because it's designed to do only one thing. The benefit that a cd-player has over a compueter setup is less interference (from other electric components); however the computer has the advantage over a cd-player when readind a cd is concerned. It can read very accurately using EAC and a suitable drive and can take its time to do so (less speed reading out the cd gives better end result). The end result is stored on a harddrive with bit to bit perfect info, which is much more high tech and much preferable to a fast spinning plastic disc/cd read out by a laser with real time (it's basically guessing!) error correction.The best of both worlds would thus be, a hard drive stored with carefully ripped albums in lossless format (wav, apple losslesss, flac), on a very simple pc connected to a very good dac.I must say here however that the interference I'm experiencing, with an external soundcard/dac connected to a home compaq pc, is merely theoretical, i.e.: I don't have moments in which I experience much noise, or strange sounds...It's merely the sound of the computer fan (not very loud, but detrimental to the end result when your listening is near the pc) that's bugging me.Best would be files ripped to a mac apple tv/Nas mini pc -with many harddrives- running on very minimal software, connected to a suitable dac. Which reminds me of a site a forgot to mention yesterday, sound on sound, www.soundonsound.com, a website for professional hifi use. Look for reviews of dacs on this website, like the tascam us144 and the Edirol UA25 and others from Edirol and Emu etc: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul07/articles/tascamus144us122l.htm , http://www.soundonsound.com/search?section=%2F&Keyword=edirol for example.
"If we run lossless cd and then send it to an amp, is it then better than from a pc.?" No, the quality can be the same, provided you take care with the ripping process and use the same dac.Moreover, a pc/mac/appletv/nasdrive connected to a decent dac will sound miles better than any low or mid priced cd-player! Remember the dac is the main deciding factor. In many cd-players sound is compromised to cut costs. We don't have to do that if we concentrate our search on a good dac only, no unnecessary expensive drive unit, no box etc. After the Digital to Analogue Conversion (DAC) the now analogue signal is send to the amp, where it gets amplified for the speakers to output some music loud enough for us to hear.
"Do you use tascam us-144 only for your PC/Hi-Fi? I have heard that it is used by Musician and Guitarist too" That's right, it's basically a dac that works the other way around to- from analogue to digital (recording). I never use this feature. Basically the unit just has a good dac.
"I just want to concentrate on my PC and the amplifier connected to it."No problem, then the Beresford dac would be your best option. Just look if your pc soundcard has a digital out and connect it to the dac.
"I don't want to buy a product which is primarily used by musician to connect various musical instrument and which also doubles as a DAC used for PCs."That's fine, ther are other options available, like the beresford I mentioned. The external soundcard I choser because it came recommended by a hifi magazine and because is a cheap way to buy a good dac. Hifi dacs are often way overpriced. The professional (music making) business has more sense and demands products that are good but cost not much. The price is kept low by the high demand.The only sensibly priced dacs from hifi origens I can think of are the Beresford dac (100) then there is the stello dac (500) and and then it gets exotic and expensive musical fidelity X-dac V8, stello 220 etc. I think the beresford would be your best bet for first time purchase. It's comes with a warranty and you can send it back if you don't like it.His website, where you can directly order, is: http://www.homehifi.co.uk/main/main.html
Best wishes,
........
Question in email>>>
You talk about external sound card/dac. Do you have an external sound card which you then further connect to a DAC.Which external sound card do you use. While I searched for USB sound cards, I found one made by creative-http://reviews.cnet.com/external-audio-adapters/creative-sound-blaster-live/4505-9335_7-31156408.htmlBut I have read that audiophiles don't go for frills made by soundblaster but prefer dedicated music m-audi1wadhawso sound cards. If these devices are mostly similar, is the m audio costlier because they have a midi in and out port? Can you think of a no frill sound card which gives a stereo output/ digital output and sticks to basics. Which amplifier do you use? Have you reviewed other products as well?<<<>Let me check if I get this right: One should use an external USB sound card (with a digital output port) that feeds a digital output to a DAC. A regular PCI sound card with digital output to a dac would be fine too.I have a blog in which I post about the issues that I face so that the next time I don't have to research about it on the Internet. Can I copy paste our emails and post it there with your permission (I will change the name if you want)? Your thought about how HiFi dacs are overpriced as compared to Music Hi fi makes good sense.Thanks for all the advice.
Reply in email>>>
To answer your questions:
* I currently use an external midi device as a dac, the Us-144 from Tascam
*The creative you mention, i haven't heard myself. I'd stretch your budget a little more and go for the edirol UA-25, the tascam or Emu 0202 or 0404. Emu is the more music oriented brand that's owned by creative (!). If that's to much the beresford dac at 100 pounds is a save bet. The trouble with cheaper dac/soundard solutions is, it's almost impossible to listen to them before you buy. Best you can do is rely on others' experiences and buy with a money back guarantee if not satisfied.
* I use the musical fidelity X-can V3 headamp with Sennheisers HD650
* Q:"Let me check if I get this right: One should use an external USB sound card (with a digital output port) that feeds a digital output to a DAC. A regular PCI sound card with digital output to a dac would be fine too." A:An external soundcard contains a dac. You only have to plug it in & get it recognised to use it as such. A regular pci sound card like the m-audio M-Audio 2496 will be fine too as a low budget solution; it's an internal soundcard, but at the price it's hard to beat.
*In short, if you can't spend more than 50-60 pounds go for the m-audio 2496. Beresford dac I'd recommend If you're willing to spend 100-130 pounds; further upwards usb cards like the edirol Ua25, tascam us144 and Emu usb cards. (M-audio you could buy at dolphin music, beresford here: http://www.homehifi.co.uk/main/main.html Note that for the beresford you need to check if your computer has a digital spdif out.)
*Q:"I have a blog in which I post about the issues that I face so that the next time I don't have to research about it on the Internet. Can I copy paste our emails and post it there with your permission (I will change the name if you want)?"A: You may use what you've learned and post it by copy pasting, provided you remove my username. When you've removed my username you may post what you've learned. It's general knowledge, I don't need any credit for it. Please take care with what you post as I don't want to think people I know everything. It's just a general guideline and in the end it's you who decides what's best for you. For further reading you could recommend (if possible/allowed) the computeraudiophile.com, sound on sound.com, etc.
Good luck with your dac hunt,
best wishes,
The webmaster would like to thank the above person who shared this information with everyone.
Reply 1) For good sound, try lower end M Audio cards, supposed to be very good.
Reply 2) Quite agree. Best sound is achieved when you match your amp to your speakers and get a pure digital to analogue conversion from your pc. Pc end will sound increasingly better if you:
3)choose decent software to play the files and high(er) bitrates, 320 mp3 to lossless. Softwarewise: for win XP choose either winamp or foobar plus asio4all plugin. For Win vista and Macintosh choose any program you like- no difference to the sound!
2)if you choose a good internal soundcard preferably from a manufacturer with professional background (No gamecards with a plethora of add-ons) M-audio for example.
1) Best is to get an external dac and connect the pc/mac to them via usb/spdif/optical digital (or just use wifi for longer distance between pc and dac/cd-player).
I use a midi device (dac included) for my digital to analogue conversion: the tascam/teac us-144. Other options Edirol ua-25, Edirol FA66...price: about 150 pounds.
Reply 3) My first PC setup was a Creative card, and a Nad 310 through JPW mini monitors, and it was fantastic!
But an ¨m-audio audiophile 2496 for £50 is a major improvement on ANY consumer Creative card for stereo, and further improvements can be made with DACs and better speakers.
If you listen at a computer desk I'd be tempted to go for monitors though. Maybe even active, losing the need for an amp.
Reply 4) How does the media player software effect the sound? i would have thought they would all sound the same as they're using the same codecs?
Reply 5) If you're using either a laptop/pc with windows vista on it or an apple mac, the media software wíll not effect the sound.
When using win xp on the other hand, great improvements to the clarity of playback can be made by using either winamp or foobar plus plugin. This will bring it to the same level as Win vista or mac os.
For further reading I suggest this site: http://www.aqvox.de/Asio-USB-Audio-installation-e.htm
Reply 6) I think before we get onto the Kmixer and drivers we need to establish the basics: 1. If the MP3s are of your own CDs, re-rip them to a lossless format.
2. Ideally you need to get a digital output from the PC to a DAC.
Question 2) How does CDP output differ from DAC or a Transporter? The CDP output goes directly to the amp where as the sound files (consider any lossless mp3/wma format) goes from the hard drive to the sound card and then to the amp OR via Sound card> DAC> amplifier...where does the degradation take place?
Reply 7) How does CDP output differ from DAC or a Transporter? In essence they are the same..all analogue outputs that connect to your amp of choice.
Cd-player= disc-reader + Dac.
Separate Dac can receive any digital input, from your cd-player, dvd-player, from your pc or mac....
Transporter is a dac plus a wifi streamer- it connect to your pc/mac/nas drives (all harddisk based), streams the digital info to the transporter and translates it into analogue using it's Dac.
>>>>>The CDP output goes directly to the amp where as the sound files (consider any lossless mp3/wma format) goes from the hard drive to the sound card and then to the amp OR via Sound card> DAC> amplifier...where does the degradation take place? Primarily in the dac that's built in the soundcard, which plugs into the computers motherboard. An internal design needs to be well shielded from all the interference within a computer, caused by all the components that are essential for a pc but not for a media-player. (Hence the nas drives/apple tv) This is in fact such a challenge that's it's a far better option (read better price-performance) to choose and external soundcard/Dac, then buying an expensive (100 +) internal soundcard.
Question 3) Is there a way to process the files stored on the hard drive, outside the PC. Will an external USB soundcard process the mp3/wma files outside the PC thus eliminating the interference? Will this be an inexpensive alternative to an expensive sound card with digital output + an expensive DAC?
Reply 8) First I want to get your question clear. What I undersatnd from your questions is that you want a very cost effective way of getting hifi quality from your pc. Am I right?
If so, then an external dac is a must. Wouldn't worry to much about soundcard versus DAC options- just keep the signal within the computer digital, then you should be fine.
I'll give you a choice selection:
*Beresford dac 99 pounds; digital in, no usb; can return it when not satisfied; recommended by quite a few forum members
*Tascam us 144 about 100 pounds, usb great sound, although the software is sometimes a pain
*Edirol UA-25 Comes recommended by Ashley James, the manufacturer of Avi hifi, about 150 pounds
Mail me at ^^^^^^^ and I'll provide you with some pages for further reading/reviews (would be breaking forum rules if I posted them here). Remember however that a review is also just an opinion. Take it as a guideline, not an absolute truth- not only the quality of the product gets judged, it's always get mixed with that person's personal taste.
HERE IS HIS EMAIL>>>>>>>
Hi,
This website http://www.stereo.de/index.php?id=197 links to "stereo"mag website. (note there are 3 pages) See what you can use. It's in German, but not really tough to understand. They've basically been reconducting a Dac test with a normal office pc as a basis after many written request from readers.
Interestingly, they concluded that the difference between a cd-transport and a home pc isn't really that big. It the dac that is the main deciding factor in what sound you end up with. Furthermore the difference between the so called cheaper external usb dacs/soundcards and the much pricier Aqvox dac isn't that big a gap.
They also argue that usb is the best solution for a dac connected to a pc and that a quality usb cable can (marginally) improve on an already good setup. From my own experience and from what I've heard from a hifi manufacturer that's now focussing his attention on pc/mac based solution, I can tell you that most probably a toslink/optical cable connecting to an outboard dac would work just as well, and that a quality usb cable can be had for not much money at all. I use a well screened one with ferrite rings on either side, that I used to plug between the pc and the scanner! It's better than the one free provided with the soundcard, but cost peanuts.
I haven't been able to test many dacs myself, and as the tascam us-144 isn't flawless, it might be good to also consider the Edirol UA-25. Came recommended by Ashely James from Avi hifi. I'm sure he's in a much better position than me to judge the best from the rest! Any way, happy reading, and if there any question you want to ask about the tascam, feel free to mail me.
Oh, before i forget, it's best to rip your music files in a lossless codec. EAC is a free and very good ripper. www.eac.de (yes, also german based...i'm not german by the way ;-)
Best wishes,
...........
Ps: As an all in one solution also consider the Avi adm9- dacs and amps are already in the speakers.
Question in email>>>
what do you mean by "cd-transport". Is that the DAC inside the stand alone CD Player? Is the DAC inside a CD player better just because it is outside a PC environment hence there is no interference?
Do you use tascam us-144 only for your PC/Hi-Fi? I have heard that it is used by Musician and Guitarist too. I just want to concentrate on my PC and the amplifier connected to it. I don't want to buy a product which is primarily used by musician to connect various musical instrument and which also doubles as a DAC used for PCs.
Answer in email>>>>
To answer your question: cd-transport is a cd-player without a dac. The dac is in a separate box, because some designers believe this is beneficial to the end result.(Many, including myself, are not so sure about this, either way the effect is minimal, nothing to worry about)
To your question "Is the DAC inside a CD player better just because it is outside a PC environment hence there is no interference?", my answer is that the dacs might well be the same -there are only a few manufacturers in the world- the end result when using the same dac is also pretty much the same. The stereo article concluded that too. There is also interference inside a cd-player but much less so than in a computer, just because it's designed to do only one thing. The benefit that a cd-player has over a compueter setup is less interference (from other electric components); however the computer has the advantage over a cd-player when readind a cd is concerned. It can read very accurately using EAC and a suitable drive and can take its time to do so (less speed reading out the cd gives better end result). The end result is stored on a harddrive with bit to bit perfect info, which is much more high tech and much preferable to a fast spinning plastic disc/cd read out by a laser with real time (it's basically guessing!) error correction.The best of both worlds would thus be, a hard drive stored with carefully ripped albums in lossless format (wav, apple losslesss, flac), on a very simple pc connected to a very good dac.I must say here however that the interference I'm experiencing, with an external soundcard/dac connected to a home compaq pc, is merely theoretical, i.e.: I don't have moments in which I experience much noise, or strange sounds...It's merely the sound of the computer fan (not very loud, but detrimental to the end result when your listening is near the pc) that's bugging me.Best would be files ripped to a mac apple tv/Nas mini pc -with many harddrives- running on very minimal software, connected to a suitable dac. Which reminds me of a site a forgot to mention yesterday, sound on sound, www.soundonsound.com, a website for professional hifi use. Look for reviews of dacs on this website, like the tascam us144 and the Edirol UA25 and others from Edirol and Emu etc: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul07/articles/tascamus144us122l.htm , http://www.soundonsound.com/search?section=%2F&Keyword=edirol for example.
"If we run lossless cd and then send it to an amp, is it then better than from a pc.?" No, the quality can be the same, provided you take care with the ripping process and use the same dac.Moreover, a pc/mac/appletv/nasdrive connected to a decent dac will sound miles better than any low or mid priced cd-player! Remember the dac is the main deciding factor. In many cd-players sound is compromised to cut costs. We don't have to do that if we concentrate our search on a good dac only, no unnecessary expensive drive unit, no box etc. After the Digital to Analogue Conversion (DAC) the now analogue signal is send to the amp, where it gets amplified for the speakers to output some music loud enough for us to hear.
"Do you use tascam us-144 only for your PC/Hi-Fi? I have heard that it is used by Musician and Guitarist too" That's right, it's basically a dac that works the other way around to- from analogue to digital (recording). I never use this feature. Basically the unit just has a good dac.
"I just want to concentrate on my PC and the amplifier connected to it."No problem, then the Beresford dac would be your best option. Just look if your pc soundcard has a digital out and connect it to the dac.
"I don't want to buy a product which is primarily used by musician to connect various musical instrument and which also doubles as a DAC used for PCs."That's fine, ther are other options available, like the beresford I mentioned. The external soundcard I choser because it came recommended by a hifi magazine and because is a cheap way to buy a good dac. Hifi dacs are often way overpriced. The professional (music making) business has more sense and demands products that are good but cost not much. The price is kept low by the high demand.The only sensibly priced dacs from hifi origens I can think of are the Beresford dac (100) then there is the stello dac (500) and and then it gets exotic and expensive musical fidelity X-dac V8, stello 220 etc. I think the beresford would be your best bet for first time purchase. It's comes with a warranty and you can send it back if you don't like it.His website, where you can directly order, is: http://www.homehifi.co.uk/main/main.html
Best wishes,
........
Question in email>>>
You talk about external sound card/dac. Do you have an external sound card which you then further connect to a DAC.Which external sound card do you use. While I searched for USB sound cards, I found one made by creative-http://reviews.cnet.com/external-audio-adapters/creative-sound-blaster-live/4505-9335_7-31156408.htmlBut I have read that audiophiles don't go for frills made by soundblaster but prefer dedicated music m-audi1wadhawso sound cards. If these devices are mostly similar, is the m audio costlier because they have a midi in and out port? Can you think of a no frill sound card which gives a stereo output/ digital output and sticks to basics. Which amplifier do you use? Have you reviewed other products as well?<<<
Reply in email>>>
To answer your questions:
* I currently use an external midi device as a dac, the Us-144 from Tascam
*The creative you mention, i haven't heard myself. I'd stretch your budget a little more and go for the edirol UA-25, the tascam or Emu 0202 or 0404. Emu is the more music oriented brand that's owned by creative (!). If that's to much the beresford dac at 100 pounds is a save bet. The trouble with cheaper dac/soundard solutions is, it's almost impossible to listen to them before you buy. Best you can do is rely on others' experiences and buy with a money back guarantee if not satisfied.
* I use the musical fidelity X-can V3 headamp with Sennheisers HD650
* Q:"Let me check if I get this right: One should use an external USB sound card (with a digital output port) that feeds a digital output to a DAC. A regular PCI sound card with digital output to a dac would be fine too." A:An external soundcard contains a dac. You only have to plug it in & get it recognised to use it as such. A regular pci sound card like the m-audio M-Audio 2496 will be fine too as a low budget solution; it's an internal soundcard, but at the price it's hard to beat.
*In short, if you can't spend more than 50-60 pounds go for the m-audio 2496. Beresford dac I'd recommend If you're willing to spend 100-130 pounds; further upwards usb cards like the edirol Ua25, tascam us144 and Emu usb cards. (M-audio you could buy at dolphin music, beresford here: http://www.homehifi.co.uk/main/main.html Note that for the beresford you need to check if your computer has a digital spdif out.)
*Q:"I have a blog in which I post about the issues that I face so that the next time I don't have to research about it on the Internet. Can I copy paste our emails and post it there with your permission (I will change the name if you want)?"A: You may use what you've learned and post it by copy pasting, provided you remove my username. When you've removed my username you may post what you've learned. It's general knowledge, I don't need any credit for it. Please take care with what you post as I don't want to think people I know everything. It's just a general guideline and in the end it's you who decides what's best for you. For further reading you could recommend (if possible/allowed) the computeraudiophile.com, sound on sound.com, etc.
Good luck with your dac hunt,
best wishes,
The webmaster would like to thank the above person who shared this information with everyone.
posted by Surinder Rinku at
6:23 PM
