[adhoc]

i am a college student who's building his own audio system. so.. i have quite a limited budget.

so far i'm considering 2 options:

A. self assembled system w/ a revo 7.1 - dvdrom, 120gb hdd, 256ram, 1ghz duron proc, revo 7.1., integrated graphics & lan, 2nd hand monitor; estimated cost ~ $570 total.

pros:
1. useful for other things besides music
2. can play songs without loading/unloading cds (after ripping with flac)
3. software equaliser function
4. downloading station

cons:
1. expensive
2. not convenient
3. inferior (?) sound quality
4. maintainence

B. philips dvd/cd/sacd player $460

pros:
1. MUCH CHEAPER
2. better sound quality (?)
3. stability; dependability
4. more discreet (no need for bulky monitor)

cons:
1. plays ONLY cds, dvds and SACDs
2. no equaliser function
3. not really future proof


any suggestions? which one would you choose?

 

[nebuchadnezzar]

Philips dvd/cd/sacd player $460 DVD963SA I assume?
pros:
1. MUCH CHEAPER- and well worth every penny
2. better sound quality- definetly much much much much better
3. stability; dependability- I have no experience with Philips' service dept....never needed it
4. more discreet (no need for bulky monitor)-a TV would be handy for the excellent DVD picture quality

cons: ??
1. plays ONLY cds, dvds and SACDs- also plays CD-R/W and video CD, and upsamples to 192kHz...aside from vinyl and DVD-A, what else is there?
2. no equaliser function- for?
3. not really future proof- DVD isn't going anywhere, nor do I think Redbook will die anytime soon...and IMO SACD is picking up speed every day

The better sound quality alone would warrant the purchase of the 963sa, as far as I'm concerned...

IMHFO a no-brainer

 

[jms007bnd007]

Well if you already have another computer then go for the Philips. If you don't have a computer yet, then go for the computer. Who needs two computers in college?

 

[hempcamp]

Quote:

Originally posted by jms007bnd007 Well if you already have another computer then go for the Philips. If you don't have a computer yet, then go for the computer. Who needs two computers in college?

When I was an undergrad studying EE/CE, I had anywhere from 6-10 computers at one time!

PDP-11 (yes!), VAX, DEC Alpha, several Macs, several x86 boxen...

But then I switched to history and narrowed things down to a notebook and several old Macs (for nostalgia).

Anyway, I recommend the Philips route, sound-unheard. Computers are great for casual listening, but it's just not the same as having a dedicated system.

--Chris

 

[Rizumu]

I use my comp for the majority of my listening, but like hempcamp says, it's the casual listening I do in the day while doing other things. Most of my dedicated listening I save for my main rig. I'm a bit reluctant to invest much in comp audio since I'm trying to move away from MP3s and my comp and would rather spend more on my main rig. Too bad I don't have enough cash for both

If you already have a nice comp, there's not much point in building another one just for audio IMO. I'd say go with the Philips.

 

[Wodgy]

Another thing to think about... if you don't already have a DVD player, the Philips unit is nice. Having a DVD player in college is handy for entertaining the ladies.

 

[Ph34rful]

If you don't already have a computer for college you'll need one. If you already have one then go dedicated.

I personally love my setup. (I spend most of my day on the computer.)

 

[minya]

I use a computer as my source (and an ART DI/O DAC). It's unbelievably convenient.

If I weren't a college student I would still use a computer as a source. Lossless files are much more convenient than CDs, and if you get a nice soundcard you can upgrade the sound hundred-fold later by buying a nice outboard DAC.

That said, you can't play SACDs (if you care.... I don't) and dedicated DVD players are nice.

IMO, though, I would much rather have a computer.

- Chris

 

[lan]

Where are you getting your computer prices from? Those parts are old and is way HIGH. for same price you can get

AMD Athlon XP 1700+ = 42
WD 1200JB = 111
Revo = 90
Liteon DVD = 38
nforce2 mobo <90
256MB DDR PC2700 = 28
case + powersupply = ~100
used monitor = ???

 

[dd3mon]

Quote:

Originally posted by lan Where are you getting your computer prices from? Those parts are old and is way HIGH. for same price you can get AMD Athlon XP 1700+ = 42 WD 1200JB = 111 Revo = 90 Liteon DVD = 38 nforce2 mobo <90 256MB DDR PC2700 = 28 case + powersupply = ~100 used monitor = ???

That would make a very capable media system. Grab a cheap ATI card (I suggest Radeon 7000 aka Radeon VE for $35) and use the TV-out for DVD playback! ATI's tv-outs (using s-video) are *excellent*, and their cards have hardware dvd playback. I do not recommend the expensive ATI cards for games due to driver problems, but I do recommend it for a media-only system (that's what my second box is for). The DVD playback through the ATI card through the TV-out beats many cheap DVD players (although I'm sure the 963sa trouces it w/ video quality).

A Revo will provide amazing sound quality for the price. Well beyond any other card in it's price range imo. (Although I haven't heard the new Terratec 7.1 card based of the same VIA Envy24 chip).

-dd3mon

 

[adhoc]

lan,

i live in singapore. they price things a little differently here. to compensate for the cheap prices you enjoy, they raise prices elsewhere i guess.

dd3mon, thanks for the suggestion about the ATi cards. my main family computer currently has a 9700pro in it, and gosh, does it rock.

 

[Guyferd]

adhoc,
go for philips
there is no need for 2nd comp , if you already have one
rather invest in a good source. The philips will knock revo in terms of soundquality alone. But as I have said, you might need to consider that the total cost of philips+cds/dvds alone will soar up to $1000 ?
I don't know.. but in the long run, the philips is gonna be more enjoyable/nicer sounding.

 

[lan]

Quote:

Originally posted by adhoc lan, i live in singapore. they price things a little differently here. to compensate for the cheap prices you enjoy, they raise prices else i guess.

Ah sorry, I didn't notice that. Still couldn't you get some of those things used from somebody? Like CPU, RAM, mobo?

Well I'm still for the computer because of it's versatility.