[noobie72]

Hi,

I just hooked up my old Rotel RTC-940AX preamp and Acurus A150 amp to my Gateway laptop soundcard and all I have to say is WOW! With just the laptop, my Grado SR80s sounded nice, but they the highs were a little too harsh and I thought the bass was lacking. The amp/preamp combo seemed to tone down the highs and the bass is now kicking. I had forgetton how nice the Rotel/Acurus combo was because I haven't had my stereo hooked up for a long time. My question is, how much will placing a USB DAC between the laptop and preamp improve the sound?

I just ordered the Alessandro MS1s because of the highs, but I might have to return them or sell them if they sound a little dull with this new combo. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[RasmusseN]

well since your using a preamp and than an amp you are still amilfiying the onboard sound. Using a usb dac would give you a new source I think it'd help the sound out a good amount.

 

[noobie72]

That seems to be the general consensus. The only thing I really notice with the soundcard is some interference when using my computer and listening to music at the same time. When just listening to musice, it's really not an issue. I just ordered a E-MU 0404 USB for it. I'm hoping it's a noticeable improvement.

Thanks for the input.


Quote:

Originally Posted by RasmusseN /img/forum/go_quote.gif well since your using a preamp and than an amp you are still amilfiying the onboard sound. Using a usb dac would give you a new source I think it'd help the sound out a good amount.