[EmptyTalk]

Not sure if this is posted in the correct forum, but here goes. I am pretty new to this game, and was wondering whether a single element of my setup might be limiting the sound quality. My PC is my source: MP3 files encoded using Exact Audio Copy and the LAME encoder, using the V1 variable bit rate setting. I play the MP3 files with Winamp, but am NOT using ASIO. I have an M-Audio Revolution 7.1 card, and I use the digital coax from the card to feed my Tianyun Zero DAC/Amp. The Zero has upgraded opamps (OPA627 in the DAC and LT1364 in the headphone amp). I use the Zero to drive my headphones - Grado SR225 or Sennheiser HD595. I mostly listen to rock, punk, metal, and post-rock, if that makes any difference. I also prefer the Grados most of the time, if that makes any difference.

So, I am wondering if there might be an obvious weak link in my chain and, if so, whether some of you more experienced folks could identify that weak link. If there is a glaring bottleneck somewhere, then I would try to fix it. But I'd like to avoid uneducated and ignorant trial and error experiments.

For example, maybe I should be using lossless files, or maybe I should use ASIO, or maybe I need a standalone headphone amp, or maybe I need better cables, or maybe I should be using foobar2000. On the other hand, if everything seems to be fairly well matched (whether for lo-fi, mid-fi, or whatever-fi), then that would be good to know, too.

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Cheers.

 

[richierich]

Which operating system are you using?

 

[XXII]

Whether you need ASIO or not depends on whether you are using XP or Vista. If you are using XP, then using ASIO should be the easiest fix for you to improve sound quality.

 

[psyllium]

First thing I'd try is:
. Winamp or Foobar with ASIO in XP or;
. Foobar with WSAPI in Vista

If you have some spare disk space, try keeping your CDs as lossless (I recommend something like FLAC instead of WAV for compression + tagging ability). It means you aren't losing any quality from the original as far as the bits go, but secondly you can always encode those FLAC files down to MP3 or the best format for a portable device quickly without needing to grab the CD again. With hard disk space being so cheap these days, I reckon it pays off in the end.

 

[EmptyTalk]

Thanks for the replies so far. I am using XP Professional, and will look into ASIO. One ignorant question on ASIO: will it still allow me to listen to streaming media and .DSS files (these are digital dictation machine files)? I think that question is too basic, which is probably why I can't find the answer through Google, here, or on Hydrogen Audio.

Anyone care to say which will result in better sound improvement: ASIO versus lossless?

Thanks again.

 

[richierich]

If you use foobar or winamp with ASIO playing the streaming files you'll be ok. I don't know anything about DSS files though, sorry. Even if you can't always play lossless files ASIO would be a good start. And then if you are still not happy with your sound then it may be your music files. Not all music is produced/mastered equally.