[magicsun]

Has anyone heard both of these sources through an amp, and would it be a worthwile investment getting the EB01 over stock onboard 9400 sound, as it doesnt sound too bad?

help much appreciated

 

[magicsun]

anyone??

 

[K2Grey]

I doubt you will find anyone who has heard Dell 9400 stock laptop sound, to be honest.

In general, stock outputs are not held in high regard here, and you should find some kind of improvement from the EB01 (don't want to guess about the magnitude of the improvement).

The stock output will of course not sound too bad, because if it was obviously horrific then no one would listen to music out of it in the first place. Audio reproduction consists of a rate of decreasng returns, it's for you to determine whether it is worth it to shell out the money. Buy the EB01 from somewhere that has a good return policy.

 

[happyangryhappy]

I haven't heard the Dell 9400 soundcard either, but I do use the EB01 with an amp and I can say it was an improvement from my Audigy2 PCI soundcard - which was a improvement from my DFI's factory onboard sound. Usually audio is not the focus of motherboard manufacturers, so I can't imagine the EB01 to be any worse, and for the price I'd agree with K2Grey, just try it and see and if you don't like it return it or sell it. For $90 I think it sounds really good - the next step up is a lot more.