Completed META42 Pics
Jan 2, 2003 at 12:21 AM Post #31 of 58
uh i cant fine the high res pics
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Jan 2, 2003 at 12:59 AM Post #32 of 58
yeah, i had to remove them, sorry. I was over my quota with both the high res and low res pics. Let me know which ones specifically you want to see in hi-res and i will post them, i think i can post 4 or 5 hi res pics without going over the quota.
 
Jan 2, 2003 at 1:11 AM Post #33 of 58
I just realized something. My GTXP has a digital out jack. If i were to hook up this jack to an outboard DAC, would i be bypassing the crappy source of the GTXP? I think this would probably be the best way to go, because then i wouldn't have to buy another cd player and i could still listen to mp3s and DVDs on my computer. Hopefully i can find some encoding technique that doesn't result in a loss of quailty. How much does a good DAC go for. I'm really hopping i can find one for around $50. I'm getting tired of spending all this money. I've already spent $400 on my HD600 and META42, and on top of that i can't even see the benefit of the meta.....yet, i hope
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Jan 2, 2003 at 1:46 AM Post #34 of 58
The DAC would help, but probably only when you're listening to DVDs. Remember, mp3s will still be mp3s, will still be mp3s. I know this is overused, but "garbage in, garbage out." Nothing will bring that missing sound quality back to the mp3s.
 
Jan 2, 2003 at 2:15 AM Post #35 of 58
yeah, i realize i'm probably gonna have to re-rip any cds i have and keep them in wav format, luckily i have 240 gb of HD space. But it will save me money if i don't have to buy a seperate dvd/cd player. Now the only problem is finding out how much a decent DAC costs, and if i will actually be getting an unaltered signal from my HD and DVD/cd player in my computer.
 
Jan 2, 2003 at 2:30 AM Post #36 of 58
My guess is that you're trying too hard to spot differences. Try listening for the fun of it, relax, and just enjoy the nuances of the music, instead of frantically AB'ing everything and looking for explicit improvements. The effects of an amp are very subtle refinements, nothing that is very obvious. My point is, if the amp doesn't sound like crap then it isn't malfunctioning, then just keep on listening (and ENJOYING) the music through it. You will notice those subtle refinements soon enough.
 
Jan 2, 2003 at 3:03 AM Post #37 of 58
thanks STaTIx, i think that's exactly the advice i was looking for. I've been focusing on a specific instrument, and replaying the same 10 seconds of a song focussing very hard on one specific aspect to see if it is improved and it's been driving me nuts because i can't notice any difference.

Quote:

My point is, if the amp doesn't sound like crap then it isn't malfunctioning....


Thats the only thing i was affraid of, that i actually constructed something wrong, but the thing is, the amp sounds far from crap, it sounds really good. I just didn't know if overheating a transistor from the current source or a C4 cap could have resulted in mediocre sound, but my guess is that the amp would not function very well at all if this were the case. I think it's time for me to relax and enjoy my work now, and hopefully in the future i will notice these subtle refinements.

Now all i need is a good source.....any suggestions for my particular setup? I saw a link for a nifty USB device that transports the sound to a box through a usb cable avoiding interference, but it's $160 and i don't have that much to spend.
 
Jan 4, 2003 at 9:57 AM Post #40 of 58
Try looking for a M-Audio Sonica USB soundcard. They sound very good, and there is a noticeable difference listening to mp3's from it compared to my regular soundcard. You might be able to find one on Ebay or they could be found on www.compusa.com for $60.
 
Jan 4, 2003 at 4:39 PM Post #41 of 58
yeah, i was actually considering that, only problem is, i'll need a mini to rca cable which is another $60. Also, i'm wondering about the quality of that device when compared to the M-Audio Revolution.

The sonica says it has 24/96khz output while the Revolution sound card has 24/192khz output. What i'm curious about is the sampling rate. What are these high sampling rates used for if a normal cd has a sampling rate of 44.1 khz? Will i notice a difference between the Revolution and the Sonica. The revolution is only $100 so it's not a bad deal, but i'm worried about interference from the computer, and i'll also need either a digital cable with a DAC or a mini to RCA cable for that as well........why is life so complicated, all i wanted for Christmas were headphones, now, everything audio i own is crap.
 
Jan 4, 2003 at 5:24 PM Post #42 of 58
The Sonica is more than good enough for even the highest quality mp3s, so the Revolution is not necessary if you want to save $$$. The analogue out on the Sonica sounds very good, and I don't think you need to go all out and get a separate DAC for it as you listen to mostly mp3s. Also, if you put a WTB ad in the sale forum asking for an RCA-mini, you can get an offer for a decent used one for about $30-40, or the regular RCA-RCA interconnects and get an RCA-mini adapter at radio shack for $4.
 
Jan 4, 2003 at 5:49 PM Post #43 of 58
See the only thing is, i'm not just going to use it to listen to mp3s. I will be ripping cds using monkeys audio which is lossless. Although i probably won't have a problem there, the part that concerns me are games and DVDs. I read somewhere that the sonica has limited bandwidth because it uses USB which makes sense, and that it doesn't matter if i'm just listening to music, but bandwidth does become an issue as more channels are added....

said by lan
Quote:

Definitly go for a PCI solution not a USB one if you can as there's more bandwidth there. Wait for the M-Audio Revolution 7.1. It will be $99 when it comes out and it will have awesome quality and features. It's not worth it upgrading the SBLive since it's soundquality is bad.


and the reply by wodgy
Quote:

Bandwidth isn't an issue if you're listening to stereo audio; with USB 1.0, CD audio (16/44.1kHz) uses only 8.6% of the available bandwidth.

A more pressing issue with PCI devices is noise from inside your computer's chassis. USB devices have the potential to be quieter.

Of course, if you're listening to 7.1 audio, bandwidth does become an issue. The only common sources of this kind of audio are games, and you should definitely go with a PCI device if you're playing games. If you only listen to music, however, an external device will probably be your best bet.


would bandwidth be an issue just using headphones, cause that's the only reason i want this for.


So now the final question.....is the sonica better than the Revolution for low noise all around listening, and will it sound better than a CD player? And why the hell would you use such a high output sampling frequency?
 
Jan 4, 2003 at 9:09 PM Post #44 of 58
"would bandwidth be an issue just using headphones, cause that's the only reason i want this for."
Bandwidth would not be an issue when using headphones.

"So now the final question.....is the sonica better than the Revolution for low noise all around listening"
I don't have the Revolution, but I can tell you that the Sonica is dead quiet.

"and will it sound better than a CD player?"
Depends on what kind of cd player, portable or full size. However, the Sonica will let you hear everything the music has to offer.

"And why the hell would you use such a high output sampling frequency?"
Honestly, I have no idea.
 
Jan 4, 2003 at 10:43 PM Post #45 of 58
Quote:

Honestly, I have no idea.


haha, ok, thanks. I just bought one from compusa for $60. I'll post the results after i'm done listening. I can always return it if it's not up to par.
 
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