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do computers make good sources? - Page 2

post #16 of 160
11/4/03 at 12:07pm
Quote:
Originally posted by lini
a decent soundcard (M-Audio Revolution, Terratec DMX 6fire LT & Aureon 5.1 Sky/7.1 Spave, Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1...) for ~ 100 US$/Euro can compete with standalone cd players up to 250 US$/Euro, I'd say.
I'd say that was being quite modest. I have heard some $500-$600 CD players that dont sound any better than what I am using now, the Rotel RCD-02 being a case in point - and its not a bad little player either.

The fact is, with a soundcard you are paying for very little in comparison with a CD player - there you are paying for a transport, a chassis and a power supply on top of the cost of the circuitry.
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post #17 of 160
11/4/03 at 1:21pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Earwax
How do people deal with the noise from PC fans and hard drive whirring? I've never bothered trying to get good sound out of a PC mostly because of all the mechanical noise.

Are there any simple & relatively cheap solutions?
You can disconnect some fans or mod them to run at 7Volts instead of the normal 12V. Just be sure to check your temperatures and stability.

I use a quiet harddrive (Seagate Barracuda 4). As for the CPU fan, I use a heatpipe.

For the case, make sure it's spacious. If it's aluminum, it can be like a huge heatsink also.
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post #18 of 160
11/4/03 at 1:33pm
Use the zalman's (or others) huge heatsinks wich have no fans on them..I've even seen one like that for the CPU,its so big it fills the whole PC case
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post #19 of 160
11/4/03 at 1:42pm
Quote:
Originally posted by pbirkett
I'd say that was being quite modest. I have heard some $500-$600 CD players that dont sound any better than what I am using now, the Rotel RCD-02 being a case in point - and its not a bad little player either.

The fact is, with a soundcard you are paying for very little in comparison with a CD player - there you are paying for a transport, a chassis and a power supply on top of the cost of the circuitry.
What about RME digi 96/8 pad,I wonder how much the cd-player capable of beating it would cost.
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post #20 of 160
11/4/03 at 1:44pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Earwax
How do people deal with the noise from PC fans and hard drive whirring? I've never bothered trying to get good sound out of a PC mostly because of all the mechanical noise.
I currently listen to music with my PC and although it has lots of fans, I cant hear them when im playing my music.

Maybe its got something to do with my volume levels
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post #21 of 160
11/4/03 at 1:59pm
I wouldn't compare a $3000 computer to a $3000 CD player. I already have the computer (homebuilt, cost maybe $700-1000) and need it. I listen to CDs through a M-Audio Revolution soundcard to an unmodified Art DI/O to my headphone amp. The soundcard and Art DI/O cost me maybe $150 (not counting interconnects) and I am thrilled with my system. Maybe a megabuck system would sound a little better, perhaps, but this sounds real good to me.
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post #22 of 160
11/4/03 at 3:47pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Earwax

Are there any simple & relatively cheap solutions?
Yep, for me all it took was 5 $5 Panaflo 80mm L1A fans for my case plus a $20 Panaflo 120mm L1A fan for the cpu, with a $4 adapter. Of course I already had the $35 Alpha PAL8045 heatsink which enabled me to use that big fan, but now I can overclock my athlonXP to 2.5GHz, keep it cool, and have a very quiet system. All I can really hear are the hard drives, which are pretty quiet themselves
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post #23 of 160
11/4/03 at 4:35pm
Where did you order your Panaflo's? I need 1 or 2 for my case. Also, what kind of power supply do you have? I have a dual-fan Antec which seems pretty quiet, but I might go with one of those 120mm single fan PSUs..
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post #24 of 160
11/4/03 at 8:32pm
Quote:
Originally posted by cadobhuk
What about RME digi 96/8 pad,I wonder how much the cd-player capable of beating it would cost.

Here it's being compared (quite favorably) to some VERY expensive audio gear:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hlight=RME+PAD
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post #25 of 160
11/4/03 at 8:51pm
Quote:
Originally posted by aphex944
Where did you order your Panaflo's? I need 1 or 2 for my case. Also, what kind of power supply do you have? I have a dual-fan Antec which seems pretty quiet, but I might go with one of those 120mm single fan PSUs..
www.casecooler.com

and

www.coolcases.com

are both very good sources for cooling/quiet gear.
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post #26 of 160
11/4/03 at 11:30pm
The loudest component in most computers is the cpu heatsink and fan (in case you weren't sure:P.) Throw that thing away. I recommend Zalman's CNPS7000A-Cu, but at $40-50 is kind of expensive. For a budget system I recommend Thermalright's SK-6 or 7 paired with a Panaflo L1A. (be careful buying these as the tails (i.e. wires) vary and sometimes are not included at all. A 2-pin connector can fit a 3-pin slot, just cut the plastic piece that gets in the way)

For those with cash to blow check out Verax fans.
www.veraxfans.com
www.verax.de
I've been thinking about putting one of these in my power supply for years: just could never justify the need with the obstructive nature of my current case.

Oh, and here is one GIANT heatsink for everyone to drool over.
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post #27 of 160
11/5/03 at 12:26am
Just pick up a used G4 Cube and be done with fans altogether. You can even buy a new aluminum Harley-Davidson enclosure for it.
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post #28 of 160
11/5/03 at 12:44am
I've followed this advice and highly recommend it :

Step-by-Step: Building a Quiet PC from the Ground Up
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post #29 of 160
11/5/03 at 1:40am
Quote:
Originally posted by blessingx
Just pick up a used G4 Cube and be done with fans altogether. You can even buy a new aluminum Harley-Davidson enclosure for it.
Reasons why I'ld prefer something else:

1. "There were no PCI slots..."
2. "There were no PCI slots..."
3. "There were no PCI slots..."
4. "There were no PCI slots..."
5. "There were no PCI slots..."
6. "There were no PCI slots..."

The "airport"(haha, good on Apple) is optional? Must vent some how. I do like the lack of fans, though.
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post #30 of 160
11/5/03 at 1:48am
and...
7. Price.

It is supposedly the only computer in the Smithsonian though.
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