[Walie]

how good is an alien DAC compared to other DACs? Does it have better quality than onboard sound? What other soundcards is it compared to?

 

[[AK]Zip]

It is better then onboard sound. The sound quality is usually compared to an EMU 0404 sound card.

-Alex-

 

[ZenFountain]

are there any entrepreneurs on these forums that sell pre-made alien DAC's, possibly even with housing?

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenFountain /img/forum/go_quote.gif are there any entrepreneurs on these forums that sell pre-made alien DAC's, possibly even with housing?

send a PM to misterx.

 

[Walie]

the thing is, i'm using an alien DAC paired with a pint to drive a pair of grado sr225s

i notice very little difference between the setup above vs going straight from the onboard sound, maybe a little more bass impact, that's all

i set it up with foobar --> asio4all --> multi-plugin --> itunes, is this right

or is it because the 225s are low impedance and therefore don't benefit from a amp like the pint?

 

[Ikarios]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walie /img/forum/go_quote.gif the thing is, i'm using an alien DAC paired with a pint to drive a pair of grado sr225s i notice very little difference between the setup above vs going straight from the onboard sound, maybe a little more bass impact, that's all i set it up with foobar --> asio4all --> multi-plugin --> itunes, is this right or is it because the 225s are low impedance and therefore don't benefit from a amp like the pint?

What quality is your music?

 

[Walie]

minimum 192 kb/sec to LAME vbr mp3s

 

[pheonix991]

That is why, try out some flac or a cd.

 

[Walie]

hmm, i'll try that, but i won't be able to do that for my entire library (time and hd space issues)

plus i can't imagine that the only way to benefit from this setup is using lossless files

 

[pheonix991]

Maybe a better amp? Just a guess, I have never heard anything other than my A900's.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walie /img/forum/go_quote.gif or is it because the 225s are low impedance and therefore don't benefit from a amp like the pint?

Yes. All an amp helps to do with low impedance cans is colour the sound

 

[Calroth]

As to how the Alien DAC stacks up against onboard sound, I have performed RMAA testing and linked the results to this post. However, the recording device is onboard sound on my laptop, which adds distortion. So you can't take them as absolute figures, but since the distortion is equally added to all the outputs I tested, it's still useful for comparing the Alien DAC to other DACs.

Also, it could potentially sound better than what I have in the graphs, because my soldering isn't the best

 

[Walie]

this further leads me to this question which probably belongs in the amp section

is the pint considered a transparent amp?

 

[apnk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmmtn4aj /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes. All an amp helps to do with low impedance cans is colour the sound

That's in your opinion btw. My 32ohm Dt990's sound sig is not changed with my PPAv2, it makes everything tighter more defined imo.

 

[jbloudg20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmmtn4aj /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes. All an amp helps to do with low impedance cans is colour the sound

Sorry there, but you are incorrect. One of the biggest imporvements you will notice right away is better bass responce. Grados are current hungry, and will benefit greatly from a good high current amp. Other subtle difference can be noted, dynamics, trebile response.

Do not spread mis-informed opinions.