[omi2]

Hi,

I was wondering whether getting a pair of CD3ks was worth it if my source will be a PC, as opposed to a dedicated player. Admittedly it is a good soundcard (DMX 6fire) but I was wondering what kinda of sounds will I be getting from it.
Most of my music will also be transfered to digital format so some loss in quality will be expected as well.
Does anyone else here use their PC as their main source?

 

[3Double]

Check the source forum for a great thread on PCs as sources.

If you're gonna run the CD3000s out of your stock headphone out on your PC, I'm gonna hazard a guess and say the sound is gonna SUCK unless you have a decent soundcard.

I think the consensus seems to be a decent soundcard + a DAC a headphone amp is the best PC set up and if that's not possible, using a good soundcard + amp.

 

[AdamZuf]

do you consider using the soundcard later as a transport to a better DAC?
will you add an amp?

in about 3-4 days i'll get the Revolution 7.1.. my only amp right now is the Porta Corda. i will throw comments here with or without it, if that's any help. i love this amp with the CD3000.

the only thing is, that i temporary have a crap soundcard in here.. so i'm afraid anything will impress me now

a bit about mp3 with the sonys, in case you're wondering.
mp3 can sound great on the revealing sonys, you just need a good analog conversion much more then everything.
because i'm about to travel with my setup, i converted all of my music to LAME mp3 @ 320 kbps, yet i'm not holding myself back from taking my DI/O to the highest level possible (beyond the Mensa mods), just because i'll have a computer source.

 

[lindrone]

CD3K's are very, very good.. they're worth every penny they charge... However, in your case, they're definitely not the best solution.

CD3K's are very revealing, coming from your PC soundcard, you'll notice how much crap and noise is in your sound... they'll turn out pretty ugly for most.

 

[Schizorabbit]

I would say no. You're better off getting some easy to drive headphones that won't make apperant the inadequacies of songs played at 128 kbps. Plus no matter what sound card you have, the CD3k's aren't going to get all that could be wrought out of them. I would suggest looking into a pair of phones less dependent on source, and less focusing on song quality, I've run my Sony CD3k's off of my Soundblaster Audigy Platinum and (if it were my only source) I would say that the price paid isn't worth the quality begotten, though on my Singlepower Supra it is worth more than every penny I paid.

 

[pbirkett]

Well just to buck the trend of doubters who dont believe a soundcard can make decent cans of the 3000's, my soundcard is an EWX24/96 which is fairly closely related to the DMX 6 Fire, and I get a SUPERB sound out of my CD3000's and X-Can v3.

I dont hear any noise from my soundcard whatsoever.

If the DMX 6 Fire is anything like as good as the EWX, it should work out very well IMO. I compared the EWX recently with a Rotel CD player, and the EWX was noticably and considerably better.

 

[AdamZuf]

Lindrone,
it seems that you hang out a lot more with the CD3k then with their owners

 

[markl]

There are two ways to look at it:

1. I have no intention of buying headphone amps, good/better CD players, nor is it likely I'll start buying actual CDs. Buying the CD3000 may be more headphone than I will ever need given my listening habits. Getting a CD3000 may only make me even more aware of the limitations of my system and taunt and tempt me to open the wallet some more to give them better partners to play with.

2. I am building a great audio system over time. I know the CD3000 can make an excellent cornerstone to my ultimate dream system. Gotta start somewhere, maybe I won't hear them at their best for now, but having great headphones is as good a place to start as any.

Many people here begin in Camp #1, get bitten hard by the bug and then end up paupers (but happy paupers for the most part

) with lots of fancy gear in Camp #2.

The question you gotta ask is: how deep am I gonna get into all this stuff?

Mark

 

[AdamZuf]

markl, you are talking from a point of view of a passionate person, no doubt.

but maybe you put it in a too strong contrast.. don't scare our man.. i can easily live with 192 mp3 and CD3000 then with CD's and HD600 (but that's just me).
i can live with a self modded DI/O, not that good transport, not that good interconnects, Porta Corda and CD3000 and enjoy very much. this is the "base setup" for my love to the CD3000.
i'm sure Paul is using mp3, he uses an internal soundcard (of coarse he uses an amp, though), and enjoys the CD3000 very much, after owning about 10 pairs of headphones in the last year, searching for the headphones that will beat the satisfaction he gets from his speakers.

so you see.. the CD3000 are revealing, but don't DEMAND you for the real high end. don't let your R10 confuse you

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Sound cards the caliber of the DMX and better can definitely sound good enough to justify a CD3000, so I say go for it. Just make sure you get a good amp as well, and try to keep the files you're playing as close to lossless as possible

 

[markl]

At the same time, we don't want to use our enthusiasm to push him too hard to buy more than he might need, he seems to be on the fence, he should hear both sides. It would be a shame if he came back after spending his $400 and said "the CD3000 aren't any better than my current cheapie headphones", or "yuck, the CD3000s suck" when in part, he's reacting to their performance with his upstream gear.

Of course, I agree he may just as likely come back delighted with his purchase.

Mark

 

[omi2]

thx for the replies very helpful so far,
I do intend to get an amp but did not consider a external DAC unit. for an amp probably a SXH-1
the sound card is a terratec DMX 6fire a true 24/96 soundcard yes very much comparable with the EWX and some say better. I was going to get the EWX but I wanted the additional ports for recording purposes. the DMX 6fire is IMHO a different world in terms of quality when compared to creative products, i've got an audigy 2 as well. The platinum eX is very noticeably lacking when compared to the 6fire.
I do encode my CDs using Lame @ 320kbps if possible but my lowest standard is 192kbps, maybe 128 when I am using my small 128mb mp3 player. When I am not listening to CDs, but I prefer mp3 since I dont have the space in my room to store my CD collection.
I was just worried that splasing out so much for a CD3K and not really using them properly when a cheaper alternative would be better suited. I doubt I will get a dedicated system in the near future (~3yrs) since i lack the space and I move around abit.

 

[AdamZuf]

mark,
of coarse. that's why i asked the man what are his plan about the rig,

lets start by saying is that the things that there's no way to live without with the CD3000 are a nice amp and a at least a decent soundcard, which i now see that omi2 will definetly have.

omi2,
go for it and have a great time!
and don't forget to rip your CD's with EAC and LAME

so...do we have a new member?

 

[lindrone]

Quote:

Originally posted by AdamZuf Lindrone, it seems that you hang out a lot more with the CD3k then with their owners

I steal the CD3K from its owner whenever the owner's not home to realize they're not there... yes.. indeed...

 

[AdamZuf]

then you're probably encouraging him to go out a lot