trying to make the best of a bad situation

[soundacct]

Hello,

I've been searching, but still confused.

Can anybody tell me what's the best route (on a budget) for using my computer as the audio source?

TOSlink off the motherboard sound card? Or off the soundblaster card? Does it even matter - won't my preamp's dac do the d/a work in that case? I have a b&k reference 20

Or just 3.5mm to rca converter analog off the soundblaster?

Or convert optical to digital coax off the soundblaster?

Or get a usb dac? Something budget like an emotiva xda-2 would be about my price limit.

Or a usb to s/pdif converter, then TOSlink or digital coax to the preamp?

Or...something else?

Am I splitting hairs here?

Basically, I just had to replace analog rca with TOSlink on my cable box of all things due to a pesky 60hz hum that I couldn't solve. Besides curing the hum I noticed a dramatic improvement in sound quality. It got me thinking about the computer audio.

Any advise?

 

[InterMechanico]

Hi-O. I use a Cambridge Audio DacMagic. It's an entry level DAC with RCA, Optical (Toslink), and USB inputs. The DacMagic upsamples to 24 bits/192kHz any incoming sample rate at 16 or 24 bits of resolution and from 32 to 96kHz. I'm using the usb input from my laptop/rca output to my amplifier. They do work great and are very easy to set up. I think mine retails for $399.00 or so, but take a look using the search engine, because there are some in depth discussions about this on the site.

I would avoid using the soundcard output from your computer, unless sound quality is not important. If you can find a DAC to try in your system, I expect you'll be very impressed with the results.

 

[soundacct]

Hi-O. I use a Cambridge Audio DacMagic. It's an entry level DAC with RCA, Optical (Toslink), and USB inputs. The DacMagic upsamples to 24 bits/192kHz any incoming sample rate at 16 or 24 bits of resolution and from 32 to 96kHz. I'm using the usb input from my laptop/rca output to my amplifier. They do work great and are very easy to set up. I think mine retails for $399.00 or so, but take a look using the search engine, because there are some in depth discussions about this on the site.

I would avoid using the soundcard output from your computer, unless sound quality is not important. If you can find a DAC to try in your system, I expect you'll be very impressed with the results.

Thanks, I'm glad you like your DacMagic! I have seen it mentioned quite a bit.

As for quality, that's just it...I am getting sound quality as good or better off my CABLE BOX using TOSlink as I am my computer using a 3.5mm to RCA cable!

Can't have that!

I may try a few cheap-o things but a USB DAC looks like the route?

I was also advised about a USB S/PDIF converter which handles all the clocking.

 

[InterMechanico]

I think that the clocking (digital sampling rate/stibility) may have more to do with the quality of the music file, and how it was ripped. What i mean is, if you have a cheap cd drive in your computer, and you use it to rip an album to your hard drive, regardless of the format (e.g. FLAC) you use, the download quality may be permanently affected due to the unstable sampling rate of the computer's cd drive. I presume that most HQ music downloads are uploaded in full (native) digital format and the clocking will be of decent quality. So, after all that, an upscaling 24 bit/92 khz USB DAC will probably be your best option. I dont actually use my DAC anymore because A) The balanced output voltage is too high for my (prized) amplifier, and B) I've just found that I prefer the guaranteed recording quality of store bought cd's and vinyl since it costs the same anyhow, and ITunes is the DEVIL. :devil:

 

[RUR]

Let's keep this simple...

If you rip CD's using bit perfect software, you're guaranteed a perfect rip - it simply can't get any better or more accurate. Exact Audio Copy is free, but cumbersome to learn and use. I use dBpoweramp because it's simple, full-featured and inexpensive. Rip your files to .wav or .flac or other lossless file type. I use CUETools to generate the necessary .cue files.

To send data from PC to preamp, buy any quality USB>S/PDIF converter. Assuming it provides asynchronous reclocking and galvanic isolation (and any good one will), it should be sonically transparent. I use a Stello U3, which cost me $400 brand new, though I use the XLR output in lieu of S/PDIF only because that's the input on my pre/pro .

I use jRiver to manage and play files and jRemote to control the whole shebang from an iPad. Both are inexpensive downloads with terrific support.

Perfect digital audio is not magic.

 

[jmschnur]

Yes. I use jriver to send my music to my oppo 103 via JR rivers music server. Sounds great.


J

 

[soundacct]

Let's keep this simple...

If you rip CD's using bit perfect software, you're guaranteed a perfect rip - it simply can't get any better or more accurate. Exact Audio Copy is free, but cumbersome to learn and use. I use dBpoweramp because it's simple, full-featured and inexpensive. Rip your files to .wav or .flac or other lossless file type. I use CUETools to generate the necessary .cue files.

To send data from PC to preamp, buy any quality USB>S/PDIF converter. Assuming it provides asynchronous reclocking and galvanic isolation (and any good one will), it should be sonically transparent. I use a Stello U3, which cost me $400 brand new, though I use the XLR output in lieu of S/PDIF only because that's the input on my pre/pro .

I use jRiver to manage and play files and jRemote to control the whole shebang from an iPad. Both are inexpensive downloads with terrific support.

Perfect digital audio is not magic.

Thanks, I'm starting to see the benefit of USB to S/PDIF...this way I can use whatever DAC comes my way. Right now, that would be my B&K preamp which seems pretty OK. Maybe I'll be happy with that, maybe not. I could always get a better DAC though.

But If I get a USB DAC my choices are more limited.

BTW, I also use JRiver and rip bit perfect to FLAC and I've been happy with that.

 

[RUR]

Thanks, I'm starting to see the benefit of USB to S/PDIF...this way I can use whatever DAC comes my way. Right now, that would be my B&K preamp which seems pretty OK. Maybe I'll be happy with that, maybe not. I could always get a better DAC though.

But If I get a USB DAC my choices are more limited.

Bingo!

BTW, I also use JRiver and rip bit perfect to FLAC and I've been happy with that.

Ripping with jRiver is slooooooow, and IME there are many more errors reported. dBpoweramp rips 3-4X faster and with fewer errors. It also has a number of other nifty features, which may or may not appeal to you - HDCD rips, batch conversion, etc. etc.

 

[soundacct]

OK, looks like time for me to start pricing USB - S/PDIF converters. As mentioned earlier, a Stello u3 would be high on the list?

Another MLO member suggested a Stello, so that's 2 for 2.

 

[beek]

I use CUETools to generate the necessary .cue files

Thanx for posting this

 

[RUR]

I use CUETools to generate the necessary .cue files

Thanx for posting this

and, as I should have mentioned....it's free!