[Quinftw]

I am new so...
 
I was wondering if you could help me out (I need it)?
So I'm not an audiophile or anything actually the closest thing I could say my music quality is buying songs from Google play/iTunes. I am setting up my computer to be an all around entertainment system (gaming,movies,music) and I wanted to make sure when that when I listen to my audio that its the best it can be (for my budget). I have very little experience with audio improvements so I cant really grasp what I need and how to set it up.
My questions,
1) Where do i download high quality music I've look at a lot of lossless places but none of them have the music i listen to (hip hop and others genres)?
2) For headphones i have the ATH-M50 and the beats pros (i know, but they were a gift) and i was wondering is getting this equipment even worth it.
3) I have no idea how to set anything up other than plugging stuff in the USB so if you could walk me through that ill appreciate it.
4) I have to have a sound card, DAC, amp for good quality audio.
5) Is there anything else i need to know about what I'm getting into.
6) Is there any alternative that is like an all in one USB devise?
Thanks so much

 

[elmoe]

First off, take a deep breath, and sorry about your wallet
 
I'll try to respond accordingly:
 
1) Alot of old (80s-90s, early 00) hiphop will be HARD to find in FLAC format. You're better off ripping your own CDs using a software called EAC. There are tons of guides online on how to do it.
 
2) No comment on the Beats (sell them), but the M50s are decent entry level headphones. Depending on your budget though, you could do a LOT better.
 
3) It's relatively straight forward. If you want a "full" chain, you'll probably end up with: Computer ---> USB cable ---> DAC ---> Interconnects cable (RCA->RCA) ---> Amplifier ---> Headphones
 
4) If you have a USB DAC, you don't really need a soundcard. Some will argue, and you can do more research on this, but USB straight to your DAC will work fine to carry the digital signal.
 
5) You're going to be spending a lot of hours and probably plenty more money than you thought you initially would. My suggestion is to take the time to do PLENTY of research (read plenty of topics on Head-Fi and don't be satisfied by only a few positive opinions), don't buy anything out of hype, and as much as you possibly can, drive to Audio stores and TEST the gear before you buy.
 
6) Yes! There are plenty of USB DAC/Amp combos available, from many different manufacturers. Once again don't hesitate to read plenty, ask questions, and first and foremost, enjoy it.
 
Good luck!

 

[Quinftw]

thanks

 

[Quinftw]

I am looking at...
 

Topping TP30 Class T,TASCAM US-366,Syba USB 2.0 DAC with Stereo Headphone Amplifier Sound Card,FiiO D3 (D03K),Little Dot MK2.

 
can i combine fiio d3 and the little dot mk2

 

[davidsh]

Something like xonar u3-> DAC -> Amp would be nice