[Waldpfifferling]

Hi all,
I'm kinda new here, so I'll just say I'm already sorry for my wallet myself, and bring on the newbie questions

I want my PC to be a worthy source for a Meier Audio Corda HA-1 MK II + HD 600s, which I plan to get as well. The first question is simple: can this be done for €300?

I already know about EAC and .APE, and my CD-Rom is nice enough for 100 % EAC track quality on unscratched CDs, so I am more concerned with the output than obtaining the digital signal.

I currently have a OEM SB Live, which, from I gathered here, resamples the digital S/PDIF signal, so it is unusable even as a digital output, right?

Therefore, I was thinking about getting the cheapest possible sound card that supports digital out and an external clock generator, and hooking it up to an ART DI/O.

The ART DI/O costs me €269, is that an okay price to pay? Are there any european or even german manufacturerers who build anything comparable?

And, if possible, could anybody give me a short overview over the mods people apply to their DI/Os ? Are they pure luxury or almost a necessity? Is there any way to get a pre-modded DI/O in Germany?

Also, are any of these components holding back the overall performance? What would be the weakest link in this setup?

thanks in advance for answering any of these questions

 

[lini]

Schwammerl: I don't see that plan working out, actually. At least not for that budget. You'd still need a non-resampling digital out solution (soundcard, usb module or whatever), if it shall make sense, and that will be ~ 100 Euro. But most of these (M-Audio Revolution, Terratec DMX 6fire & Aureon 5.1 Sky/7.1 Space...) already have fairly good dacs and decent output circuits onboard, so the external dac seems rather superfluous to me, as the subtleties will be drowned in pc noise anyway, when listening with an open construction like the HD 600... So I'd recommend to skip the dac and save 200 Euro by just getting a decent soundcard for direct amp connection, unless you can stretch your budget...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[Glassman]

Quote:

Originally posted by lini ...unless you can stretch your budget...

to some 500€ for RME Digi 96/8 PAD, which is the next (and last) step up in sound quality above those 100-150€ cards lini said

'coz this RME is definitely better than many external DACs..

 

[Waldpfifferling]

what about the Z-Cyber Nightingale Pro6? its only €30 and I guess I don't need 96kHz output unless I plan on oversampling with foobar ( and I have seen no proof that this does anything for quality)

read a review ( no idea about the reliability of this reviewer, but the features are what counts in the digital word, right?)
http://www.au-ja.org/review-zcyberngp6-1.phtml

quote: (in german, sorry)
Quote:

Die digitalen Eingänge werden weder analog gewandelt noch ist eine Aussteuerung nötig, das digitale Signal wird unverfäscht wiedergegeben oder aufgenommen - wie bei einer Profikarte. Zudem können die digitalen Eingänge auf die digitalen Ausgänge sowie zum analogen Monitorausgang durchgeschleift werden, der Kopierschutz kann hierbei unterdrückt werden und die Aufnahme jedes digitalen Materials ist möglich. Zudem sind die digitalen Ausgänge nicht auf 48 kHz festgesetzt - für jeden, der digitale Audioaufnahmen macht, ist diese Karte der absolute Geheimtipp. Profikarten mit ähnlichen Fähigkeiten kosten mindestens das sechsfache!

thanks for all the input so far!

 

[Whit]

You can get the RME for around €300 in Germany. Check out www.thomann.de . Do a search for RME and you should find the Digi96/8 PAD for €299. You might also want to get the spdif breakout cable which is required to hook up an external dac. It is listed as BO-968 AES/EBU and is €19.

I got this card as an upgrade to my M-Audio Audiophile and I expected a small improvement but this card blew my mind. It is MUCH more detailed and defined than my Audiophile could ever be. I think this card is definitely worth the money.


Whit

 

[Glassman]

there is absolutely no reason for using external DAC with RME, the only thing I would suggest you is to get the card properly modded..

 

[lan]

At this budget, I also recommend just getting that RME card and forget the external DAC. You will enjoy it and I notice a remarkable improvement over those cheaper 24/96 cards as it has less jitter.

I still use my modded DI/O and Audiophile 24/96 even though I have the RME card. That's because RME doesn't have real DirectSound drivers as they are emulated. So to watch movies or play games I use the AP24/96. Listening to music w/ the RME, you'll need something like foobar2000 + plugin which has ASIO output capabilities.

 

[Waldpfifferling]

so the RME sounds better than the ART DI/O + Audiophile card?

Wow, I wouldn't have thought. One further question, though, what other components are you using in your PC? is it connected to a line conditioner? are you using a quality PSU? because I don't...

thanks for everything said so far, I feel wiser already

well, one more question:

can I still use my current SBLive for directsound if I install the RME?

 

[lan]

I like the modded DI/O better than the RME. I was just mentioned to forget the DI/O because at this price level, the AP24/96 -> stock DI/O isn't really worth it. And even if you get a modded DI/O the AP24/96 would be holding you back. It's better to start off w/ the RME.

I am using a midlevel Tripplite UPS SmartPro 1050, and after market powercord, EMI filter (to reduce noise being fed back into the line), and PC Power and Cooling power supply which is considered the best.

Yes you can use multiple soundcards. The SBlive should work fine. I guess that depends if creative's drivers behave.

 

[Waldpfifferling]

I just spotted a used Rotel RDP-980 DAC - would that one be worth €200 ?

 

[asdfeproiu9]

Ian - what do you mean by the Audiophile 'holding you back?' I thought that for SPDIF output, there isn't that much of a differnece?

Right now, I'm investing on a PC setup as well, thinking about an M-Audio Sonica (or similar) -> Glass TOSLink cable -> Scott Nixon TubeDac+. Together, this would cost ~$500.

 

[alexerwu]

I also want to confirm the observations of head-fi'ers who have given favorable opinions on the RME96/8 PAD card.

I recently purchased the RME96/8 PAD as an upgrade to my M-Audio 2496, and it was worth every penny. It is my humble opinion that these pro-audio cards often sound much better from both an absolute and "bang-for-the buck" standpoint than many "audiophile" level components.

I have recently converted the bulk of my CD collection to the WMA lossless format. This creates a whole new level of convenience and allows for streaming/sharing of my collection with other family members. My current audio chain goes from the RME --> Nordost Red Dawn interconnects --> Musical Fidelity M3 Nuvista int. amp --> Musical Fidelity Nuvista speaker cables --> Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage speakers.

The RME source replaces/renders obsolete some of my previous equipment (Linn Karik, Sony 9000ES DVD, Birdland Audio Odeon lite DAC, Philips 963SA DVD). In addition, I will go out on a limb and say that it (the RME) compares favorably in many ways with the performance of some mega-buck audio gear that I have heard on CD playback (Linn CD 12, DCS Verdi/Elgar combo). However, take this last comment with a grain of salt as I have not personally owned Linn CD 12 or DCS Verdi/Elgar combo nor have I heard these sources in my own system.

That said, I would say that within my limited realm of experience the RME card gets my highest recommendations as a digital source.

 

[AdamZuf]

sorry to be a bit out of topic but..
Quote:

Originally posted by alexerwu The RME source replaces/renders obsolete some of my previous equipment (Linn Karik, Sony 9000ES DVD, Birdland Audio Odeon lite DAC, Philips 963SA DVD). In addition, I will go out on a limb and say that it (the RME) compares favorably in many ways with the performance of some mega-buck audio gear that I have heard on CD playback (Linn CD 12, DCS Verdi/Elgar combo). However, take this last comment with a grain of salt as I have not personally owned Linn CD 12 or DCS Verdi/Elgar combo nor have I heard these sources in my own system.

do you prefer it to the Philips? sounds nice.. i'm going to have sort of a mensa DI/O soon..and Ian likes his mensa better then the RME.
if the Xitel Pro Hi Fi Link will prove itself as a worthy transport, then this will be the greatest laptop based source ever!

 

[alexerwu]

Quote:

do you prefer it to the Philips?

Yes -- by quite a wide margin. Some characteristics are wider/deeper soundstage and detail that is just apparent (almost obvious). It's not that there is more definition of detail. It's just that with the RME, one does not have to hunt for it. The details are just there.

 

[AdamZuf]

so details express themselves better = better detail, to my logic