How to get great sound from Laptop

[jilgiljongiljing]

I almost bought the Audigy PCMCIA but later found that it has tons and tons of compatibility issues, and the PCMCIA bandwidth causes popping and clipping noises occasionally. Thats the LAST thing u want when u are listenin to music using headphones!!!

Also I would like to use the same device with my PS2 as well, so it has got to have a line in. The turtle beach thingy looks like a cheap solution, shall give it a test and see how it is.

And the Echo option is out cos I would like one device which I can carry and use with my Office desktop as well...so USB is the way to go, no PCMCIA.

 

[Davesrose]

I guess a USB DAC is probably the best solution then.....if you want to use it interchangably with desktop computers. I've been thinking of getting the MicroDAC, since it is USB and can be treated as a soundcard, but have heard it's SQ isn't as good as Zhaolu's DAC. Humm.....too bad my local Best Buy doesn't sell Echo pcmcia cards. Could go there, snag one, test it out, and return it if I didn't like the sound. Understand it's great for musicians....but I'm looking for my cake in SQ from a laptop!

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

damn turtle beach micro devices dont offer line in...
ugh
Although there seem to be loads of unknows brands which do offer line in as well, they dont look like they wud be of much use.

Is the Advantage Roadie any good?

http://www.turtle-beach.com/site/pro...roducthome.asp

It seems compact enough to carry around.

 

[Davesrose]

The Creative Labs Xmod is similar....have noticed a few threads on that one. Seems like many audiophilers are wondering about it, but too affraid to spend any money on it because of it's lack of power (but I'd assume feeding it a headphone amp would be OK). So many possibilites! I'm thinking of either the MicroDAC or finding a way to get spdif from my laptop.

 

[raif]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Question Maybe my ignorence but I can't get the point of "dac to dac" if you already have a decent audio output enough to feed any (well... most) headphones (as in case of Echo). And Im dare to say (no offence) also search for "M-Audio, Audiophile, problems"

I am not sure if anyone answered your question but the thought process is:

Buy a quality mid-grade usb-dac now(i.e. the m-audio transit) that has spdif out.

Later, whenever you decide you want to drop major bank for a neato external dac(like the bel canto, or in my case, the benchmark) you can use the spdif passthru of the transit to feed the bits to the external dac.

It's like having your cake, then paying too much to eat it too.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

I kinda respect CNETs reviews to a fair amount, although they are somewhat inconsistent at times and tend to focus on things which wouldnt matter much.

But it seems as though they love the Xmod, which makes me want to try them out all the more. Sure its 80 bucks and its not truly portable, but I do sit in a cube all day!!! So it wud work for me.

Will probably just wait for a few more reviews to show up and then make a decision.

 

[Davesrose]

I guess if you're looking for best quality sound: I just got word about this product that someone just let me know about on my MicroDAC vs Zhaolu thread.

http://diykits.com.hk/index.html

Look at PC Link to SPDIF. Since it's broken English, I'm not sure what the technology is....if it's actually got a DAC or what.....but I'll get that to pair with the zhaolu....if I want to brave dealing with China!

 

[Szabi]

Guys, i'm in the same situation. I need a good audio solution for my pc and laptop. My LDM+ is on it's way, so no need for a card with an amp. Would the Firestone Fubar do the trick for me?

 

[Davesrose]

it may go OK with the LD II....I dunno. Actually, if you're looking for something on a budget, I noticed Circuit City caries this: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Xitel...oductDetail.do


Most customer reviews say it's better then their soundcard

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Man I just read somewhere that the Xmod requires a seperate adapter if you want to use the Line In. That is just uber lame!!!

Quote:

Actually, if you're looking for something on a budget, I noticed Circuit City caries this: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Xitel...oductDetail.do

This looks pretty interesting although is it just a pass thru? It has to have some amping ablility for my interest. And again, it doesnt have a line in.

Time for a new thread

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lipidicman So, does the USB supply power, or must you use a 9v all the time?

When connected to USB, the Porta Corda overrides the 9 volt battery.The USB voltage is increased to 10 volts. You can use USB power even if you're using the analog input as this overrides the USB digital input signal. If you connect a DC power supply to the jack inside the battery compartment it will override the USB and battery power if it exceeds 12 volts,and can be as much as 28 volts.

These are details that were included with the amp which I believe to be true. When I use a 14 volt ( 1 amp) DC power supply the amp light gets noticably brighter and SQ is increased. using the USB connection, the amp is dead quiet and very detailed using my HD 650. I can recommend this amp although it is not exactly cheap.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

As awesome as they sound, they are way over my budget

Am gonna live with my external soundcard for now...

 

[poonpower]

what about this??
http://www.ledshoppe.com/Product/com/CA4017.htm

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by poonpower what about this?? http://www.ledshoppe.com/Product/com/CA4017.htm

I'm tempted to pick of one of these redleader specials just to see how it fares up against my TBAAM. The only thing stopping me is I know I'll order about ten led flashlights I don't need just 'cause they're so cheap. And maybe an extra wireless mouse...

 

[jilgiljongiljing]