Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Computer Audio › best way to hook up chaintech card
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

best way to hook up chaintech card

post #1 of 26
9/15/04 at 2:41pm
Thread Starter 
So i'm getting a chaintech card to eliminate the noise I can now hear form my soundstorm audio since getting some a500s and was wondering something.

Should I just plug them into the souncard or go analog to my receiver and use the headphone jack there?

The headphone jack seems powered enough to sufficiently drive the cans, but I'm wondering if the chaintech card will do a better job.

*note* The receiver is a kenwood vr-506

Also.. what would be the best way to hook it up? I'm assuming mini-Y rca's into the receiver if I go that way.. but which output do I use on the card? and do I use a different one if I'm not going to the receiver?
Reply
post #2 of 26
9/15/04 at 3:43pm
Well, you will be using the Line Out jack on the Chaintech card. It doesn't provide much power... but it drives my HD-535 well. If your headphone's impedance is less than 100 ohms, I'd think it would do ok. In the end, amp helps almost always.
Reply
post #3 of 26
9/15/04 at 3:52pm
Thread Starter 
I think its 64ohms on the a500s.. but I did notice a huge step up from my pda -> ipod... then from the ipod to my receiver is a whole new world
Reply
post #4 of 26
9/15/04 at 4:38pm
You'll want to use the hi sample output on the Chaintech (Mr Radars setup) which is the black output next to the digital out (toslink). It normally is for surrounds, but not when hi-sample rate is chosen. Then, first try to use a high quality mini cable and run it directly into your phones (the A500's may be easy enough to drive) and use the volume on foobar or whatever front end you use.. Most other phones, no...the chaintech doesn't have near enough gain.

Then, if you find it's not loud enough, go to the receiver. I just don't trust the kenwood would have a decent headphone out (sorry, stereotyping receivers, I guess). Or buy a portable headphone amp, something like a Xin supermicro (that's what I have....a bit biased) and drive them with that.

Ted_B
Reply
post #5 of 26
9/15/04 at 6:07pm
I was using the output on the AV-710 to drive my A500s and I never had a volume problem. If I set Foobar to 0 dB I couln't move the sliders in the via control panel more than 3/4 up without overdoing it. Now that I have an amp they are driven with much less effort but the quality without an amp was still probably 80-90% of them amped.

I have the same receiver and I think the output on the Chaintech (even unamped) was much better than the receiver. To me the receiver muddied the detail and rolled off the top end. It did provide fuller bass but not as tight.
Reply
post #6 of 26
9/15/04 at 6:18pm
Wow, go figure....a review, within a few hrs, by someone with the SAME soundcard and SAME receiver...and SAME frickin headphones, and has experience with the SAME issue. Ain't technology wonderful


BTW, what amp did you get? Schapman may have to get the SAME one in order to keep up this parallel universe thing.

Ted_B
Reply
post #7 of 26
9/15/04 at 6:30pm
I have a chaintech and a900s, I found the sound quality improved quite a bit with an amp. Volume isn't the issue really.
Reply
post #8 of 26
9/15/04 at 7:06pm
Thread Starter 
one word... bothersome :P I never run across people w/ that receiver (though for the price I paid it is well made). I just got the card at lunch so I'll be trying it when I get home tonight. Is there any way to get the high qual output and have it hooked up to the front ports on my antec sonata case?
Reply
post #9 of 26
9/15/04 at 7:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by schapman
one word... bothersome :P I never run across people w/ that receiver (though for the price I paid it is well made). I just got the card at lunch so I'll be trying it when I get home tonight. Is there any way to get the high qual output and have it hooked up to the front ports on my antec sonata case?
No. Also, the wires that your case's headphone jack uses are probably complete crap so you wouldn't want to anyways.
Reply
post #10 of 26
9/16/04 at 3:29am
hey guys, i have a logitech z-680 system and i use my system for dvd's music and television. i have my satelite receiver going in to the analog in of my onboard sound. and i use analog out to my z-680's. this way i can control all the volume through a remote that controls my computer. so what i was gonna do is pick up the chaintech card but i heard that in order to make it sound good, it will dissable the line-in. is this true? if so can someone recomend a good card with nice analog in and out. that will not hog a lot of the cpu cause i like to game also. i want to spend under $70 but cheaper is better.
thanks
Reply
post #11 of 26
9/16/04 at 11:04am
I just use the AV-710 for music only and my soundstorm onboard audio for gaming. I have to move my headphones each time but it's really the best of both worlds.
Reply
post #12 of 26
9/16/04 at 11:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted_B
BTW, what amp did you get? Schapman may have to get the SAME one in order to keep up this parallel universe thing.
I bought the Perreaux SXH-1 and then I had to upgrade to the A900s. I was so ignorant and happy a month ago before I found this site. I used the 500s with the amp for a few days before the new phones came. Now, what else can I upgrade?.....
Reply
post #13 of 26
9/16/04 at 12:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by magnummafia
hey guys, i have a logitech z-680 system and i use my system for dvd's music and television. i have my satelite receiver going in to the analog in of my onboard sound. and i use analog out to my z-680's. this way i can control all the volume through a remote that controls my computer. so what i was gonna do is pick up the chaintech card but i heard that in order to make it sound good, it will dissable the line-in. is this true? if so can someone recomend a good card with nice analog in and out. that will not hog a lot of the cpu cause i like to game also. i want to spend under $70 but cheaper is better.
thanks
Yes, you are correct. The high quality setting disables all inputs. If you want to do that, you'd have to get better ones... like M-Audio Revolution 5.1/7.1 or Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 or E-mu 0404!
Reply
post #14 of 26
9/16/04 at 2:55pm
You can use Chaintech in regular 2 channel mode with the high quality DAC without resampling if your audio sources are just normal CDs. Then the inputs will work (as long as no > 48KHz content is played back, HW problem I presume).
Reply
post #15 of 26
9/16/04 at 4:11pm
thanks guys for the insight, everything including dvds gets output in 2 channel analog and then i just let the receiver on the z-680 convert it to dolby. so i guess in reality i could just get a decent analog card. what would be a better choice? the sb live or the santa cruz? which hogs less cpu cycles?
thanks
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Computer Audio
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Computer Audio › best way to hook up chaintech card