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Advice for a new computer can audiophile

post #1 of 4
11/24/10 at 11:07pm
Thread Starter 

I purchased a set of Sennheiser HD555's thinking that this would sate the inner audiophile screaming to get out.  I was wrong.

 

With a computer as a source, what is your advice for a soundcard and headphone amp setup for a person with a modest income?  From my limited reading a Little Dot MKIII with new tubes and a DAC seems to be a good fit, but I am hoping to find a DAC/tube amp all-in-one with the same quality at a lower price point.  Is that possible without sacrificing quality?  Can I find a PC soundcard with a quality DAC that can feed an MKIII?

 

I am really hoping to find a good balance between quality and price point.  What are your suggestions?

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post #2 of 4
11/25/10 at 1:56pm

I keep recommending it to new comers, but thats because its such an unbelievable little device, and that would be the NuForce uDAC.  It is a small DAC and amp, though its primary purpose is that of an amp.  Feed it a good cd quality signal through a usb cable, and use its RCA out jacks to feed the amp of your choice.  For $100.00 its nearly impossible to beat.  This pared with the Little dot and your senns should be a really nice entry level set up.  

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post #3 of 4
11/25/10 at 3:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kboe View Post

I keep recommending it to new comers, but thats because its such an unbelievable little device, and that would be the NuForce uDAC.  It is a small DAC and amp, though its primary purpose is that of an amp.  Feed it a good cd quality signal through a usb cable, and use its RCA out jacks to feed the amp of your choice.  For $100.00 its nearly impossible to beat.  This pared with the Little dot and your senns should be a really nice entry level set up.  


x2.  I had a uDAC2 that was very nice and an extremely good value for the money. 

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post #4 of 4
11/25/10 at 5:21pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the advice. 

 

Right now I am using the integrated sound card that came with the motherboard.  Would a dedicated sound card be worth the investment, or is the signal from the integrated circuit sufficient for feeding the DAC?  I would guess that a nice sound card would improve the signal, but is it really worth the money in an entry level computer setup?

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