[fortawesome]

I'm recently learned that the onboard NVidia Soundstorm source is really quite bad for Analog output and I need to use its digital S/PDIF output to fully realize its potential.

To that end, I'm looking to purchase a receiver that will allow me to decode the digital signal outside the computer and output the sound out to my speakers or headphones.

Being completely clueless towards receivers, I'm trying to get some recommendations from the members of this forum. Here are my requirements (also let me know if a requirement doesn't make sense):

1. Better DAC : I would like a receiver that is better than what could be easily had from a soundcard upgrade. I'm under the impression that the DACs on receivers are generally much superior to ones that are available to current soundcards such as Audigy, Revolution, etc.

2. Good clean headphone amp : I've heard that receivers often disregard the headphone output and that I should be careful about purchasing a receiver in this regard. As I would like to avoid having to buy another amp just for my headphones, I would like to buy the best receiver for my headphones as possible.

3. < $200

Thanks!

 

[fortawesome]

bump...any suggestions?

 

[uzziah]

are you saying your total budget is $200?

then i'd say:

get an emu 0404 soundcard
get grado sr60's
get a cmoy from someone here

or, get the chaintech av710 rather than the emu, and use the extra $75 for a better amp. up to you. i'd suggest the first option.

you're not going to get a good dac for under $300 usually. aos piccolo is good, but over your price range, and emu might well be better, unsure about that.

 

[uzziah]

a "reciever" is a amp with many features, not a dac. the dac is in your cd player or soundcard. there are also "external" dacs, but they're out of your price range. i think the first setup i've detailed would absolutely blow you away for the money. the cmoy amp will only cost you $30-40 or so. heck, i'm going to be making one soon. if you can wait a couple weeks (at the least), i'll sell you one for the cost of parts +shipping (no labor charge) for whatever you want to pay ($20, $30, $40 etc.)

but do yourself a favor and get a better soundcard and those grados. they have fantastic bang for buck ratio

 

[NightRaven]

Really, Soundstorm is *not* all that impressive. I'd second getting a good soundcard such as the EMU and a dedicated headphone amp, as a much more effective, and potentially cheaper option.

 

[bundee1]

Actually U hes probably thinking of a home theater receiver which does include a DAC for the DD/DTS conversions and for some cd playing. The Arcam receivers supposedly have the best sounding dacs. They use the same DACS in their receivers as in their $500 cd players.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by uzziah a "reciever" is a amp with many features, not a dac. the dac is in your cd player or soundcard. there are also "external" dacs, but they're out of your price range. i think the first setup i've detailed would absolutely blow you away for the money. the cmoy amp will only cost you $30-40 or so. heck, i'm going to be making one soon. if you can wait a couple weeks (at the least), i'll sell you one for the cost of parts +shipping (no labor charge) for whatever you want to pay ($20, $30, $40 etc.) but do yourself a favor and get a better soundcard and those grados. they have fantastic bang for buck ratio

Most receivers have dacs. I don't know one that doesn't. However, they are not all better than say an emu 0404 until get into higher level receivers.

 

[maarek99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by number1sixerfan Most receivers have dacs. I don't know one that doesn't. However, they are not all better than say an emu 0404 until get into higher level receivers.

And still my el-cheapo Kenwood krf-v6030d with an inferior akm dac does actually sound better than my 0404. It has "more texture" and "realism". 0404 is faster and more precise, but it doesn't sound as "real". That's why I'm continually baffled by peoples claims that 0404 is on par with cd players costing upwards of 1000$.

Amp Rega Ear, phones hd580.

 

[fortawesome]

Hmm, thanks for all the replies.

1. I was under the impression even a low-end receiver would have a better DAC than your run-of-the-mill Audigy, Revo, etc. So you guys are saying that a soundcard like the emu 0404 will have a better DAC than most of the entry level receivers out there?

2. The reason I'm trying to stay with soundstorm out via S/PDIF is because I listen to music and watch movies on my computer about equally. I thought getting a decent receiver would allow me to
a) decode the digital stream not using the crappy onboard Soundstorm DAC
b) use the integrated amplifier to drive headphones
c) allow me to use better bookshelf speakers
d) good investment in case I wanted go the full HT route with audio and video both going through the receiver (although this point isn't as important)
So is it unlikely that I will find a decent receiver around the $200 range that will provide these features for me (the suggested Arcams seem pretty expensive)?

 

[uzziah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by number1sixerfan Most receivers have dacs. I don't know one that doesn't. However, they are not all better than say an emu 0404 until get into higher level receivers.

my mistake. in know cdp's have dacs, so i was under the impression that a reciever wouldn't have the digital to analog components. glad you corrected me. if you want dvd and cd inegration, things get a bit trickier. everyone has their own position. take it all with a grain of salt.

 

[CSMR]

Do you want your DVDs in stereo or multichannel?
You may find you need separate amps for headphones and speakers.

 

[fortawesome]

Multichannel would be great eventually, but at this point I would be happy with stereo.

CSMR, do you mean that most receivers will be inadequate to drive a decent pair of headphones (hd-580)?

 

[TheWayofWay]

I use a Yamaha DP-U50 to decode DTS/Dolby and setup a nice sounding headphone virtualization. Then it goes to my Pioneer Elite A-35R ($190) which serves as my headphone amp/speaker thingy. It's stereo only if you don't mind, but I think its the only "receiver" that has a respectable headphone jack. That is, unless you go for the vintage receivers (which can be hard to find). I think there's software DTS/Dolby decoding isn't there? At any rate, you might want to up the budget for what you're saying you want.

My Pioneer was 190 as I said before and the dp-u50 ran me 80.

 

[uzziah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fortawesome Multichannel would be great eventually, but at this point I would be happy with stereo. CSMR, do you mean that most receivers will be inadequate to drive a decent pair of headphones (hd-580)?

perhaps, but it's not just about "being able to drive." amps have a dramtic effect to the quality and character of the sound you get out of your headphones. it's not just raw power.

 

[fortawesome]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maarek99 And still my el-cheapo Kenwood krf-v6030d with an inferior akm dac does actually sound better than my 0404. It has "more texture" and "realism". 0404 is faster and more precise, but it doesn't sound as "real". That's why I'm continually baffled by peoples claims that 0404 is on par with cd players costing upwards of 1000$. Amp Rega Ear, phones hd580.

How do you find out what kind of DAC a certain receiver uses? Is there a web site that lists popular models and the DACs they use?

How about a list of popular DACs and their audio quality?