[fractal]

So, I listen to quite a bit of music at my PC (though mostly on the go with IEMs) and using on board sound and Phillips speakers is starting to annoy me.

At present I have around £200 that I'm willing to spend (ideally £150) and I'm a little unsure as to what's going to be my best options with this budget.

As it is just now, I'm looking at the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 and the M-Audio StudioPro 3 monitors, which takes me upto around £110. I've been thinking of the StudioPro 4s but I'm not entirely sure it's worth doubling the cost of the speakers to go with the newer model(even if it is still within my budget), or if I'm going to spend the money on the SP 4s is it worth looking at a different set of speakers altogether?

Or perhaps the Audiophile 192? Not too sure wheres best to try and cut the budget, card or speakers?

Thanks

 

[Dave_M]

I had an ESI Julia PCI soundcard and I could hear the noise generated from the computer internals (i think it was the graphics card). The sound would change pitch and volume depending on what was happening on screen. It was pretty annoying.

I use a Samsung Z5 mp3 player as my main source now and I think it sounds just as good but without the noise. Its a 4GB player and it cost £100 which is how much I spent on the Julia. Unless you will use the extra features of a pro card like decent ADC for recording and MIDI, then they are a bit of a waste of money if you are just listening to music with it. Most pro sound cards have more money spent on the ADC than the DAC. If you are only listening to music, you want the money spent on the DACs and none at all on the ADC (Analog to Digital converter).

A good USB DAC can be built very cheaply if you have the DIY skills (see alien DAC in DIY section).

 

[gsansite]

I think the 24/96 and StudioPro 3 setup would be pretty good for the money. If you can hear any noise from the PC (not always a problem) you could spend a little extra on an external DAC, with some patience you should be able to get something decent from ebay for the remainder of your budget.

I think the 192 would be overkill for now, definitely spend more on the speakers over a better card.

 

[fractal]

Thanks guys, I ended up going for the 2496 and the Studiopro 4s, should get them on Monday hopefully

Yeah, I was starting to look at a dac but soon become apparent I wasn't going to be able to fund that route at the moment. Would a Zhalou be usable with speakers alright? It seems as they it would from what I've read, but most of what I have read regarding the zhalou has been geared towards headphones.

thanks again.

 

[gsansite]

Yes, you would be able to use the Zhalou with your speakers. The DAC section is pretty well regarded round here, as with the headamp.

Enjoy the new setup!