Shlonglor
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2007
- Posts
- 191
- Likes
- 10
Hello everyone,
I'm new to the Hi-Fi world, but I'm looking to make a full-headed plunge. I already have some nice stuff (HD280s, Super.Fi 5 Pro, M-Audio Revolution) and now I'm looking to join the big league. I've spent a lot of time reading in the last few days...
First of all, I am probably going to order the Denon AH-D2000s as soon as possible. I also want to amp them properly, so this is the main drive behind this post. I am currently using an old Porta Corda amp I borrowed from a friend (coupled with the M-Audio's headphone amp).
Since I already have a nice sound card, I guess I'd just get a normal desktop amp to power my headphones, but there's another issue - I'm going to spend a few months every year in the foreseeable future in another place with only my laptop with me. Since it only has a ****ty sound card with only one stereo output, I've been considering getting an amp+DAC combo (something that can be connected through USB) to bypass that problem.
Questions:
1) Assuming my sound card is a good one and I only play music through the computer, is there any reason to get an amp that also has speaker outputs? My current speakers have their own amp and I suppose any speakers I'll buy in the future have their own amp as well. The only problem is that I won't be be able to use speakers with the laptop properly since it's a ****ty source and I can only connect two speakers to it.
2) I'm considering getting an amp+DAC combo, like the Meier Cantate. This one's already a bit on the other side of my budget border, but still reasonable... if it's good, which I have no way of knowing. That leads me to other questions:
3) How do I know what quality the DACs on these amps actually have?
4) Is it possible to tell how good an amp is just by stats, or is it like headphones where you have to try them and/or get a proper description? Is there any source that explains all the technical details in detail to help me make a decision about the amp that best suits my needs?
5) Is there a list or a guide to the good amps on the market, similar to the headphone guide in the headphone forum?
6) Is there a difference in quality when connecting a DAC through the USB instead of a S/PDIF?
7) Are there any add-on high-quality sound cards for laptops?
Looking forward to your answers (and any recommendation)!
I'm new to the Hi-Fi world, but I'm looking to make a full-headed plunge. I already have some nice stuff (HD280s, Super.Fi 5 Pro, M-Audio Revolution) and now I'm looking to join the big league. I've spent a lot of time reading in the last few days...
First of all, I am probably going to order the Denon AH-D2000s as soon as possible. I also want to amp them properly, so this is the main drive behind this post. I am currently using an old Porta Corda amp I borrowed from a friend (coupled with the M-Audio's headphone amp).
Since I already have a nice sound card, I guess I'd just get a normal desktop amp to power my headphones, but there's another issue - I'm going to spend a few months every year in the foreseeable future in another place with only my laptop with me. Since it only has a ****ty sound card with only one stereo output, I've been considering getting an amp+DAC combo (something that can be connected through USB) to bypass that problem.
Questions:
1) Assuming my sound card is a good one and I only play music through the computer, is there any reason to get an amp that also has speaker outputs? My current speakers have their own amp and I suppose any speakers I'll buy in the future have their own amp as well. The only problem is that I won't be be able to use speakers with the laptop properly since it's a ****ty source and I can only connect two speakers to it.
2) I'm considering getting an amp+DAC combo, like the Meier Cantate. This one's already a bit on the other side of my budget border, but still reasonable... if it's good, which I have no way of knowing. That leads me to other questions:
3) How do I know what quality the DACs on these amps actually have?
4) Is it possible to tell how good an amp is just by stats, or is it like headphones where you have to try them and/or get a proper description? Is there any source that explains all the technical details in detail to help me make a decision about the amp that best suits my needs?
5) Is there a list or a guide to the good amps on the market, similar to the headphone guide in the headphone forum?
6) Is there a difference in quality when connecting a DAC through the USB instead of a S/PDIF?
7) Are there any add-on high-quality sound cards for laptops?
Looking forward to your answers (and any recommendation)!