[kelly]

Duncan

A few suggestions:

1. Make better MP3s with high VBR and a good encoder.
2. Use a better program to rip (ie, Exact Audio Copy)
3. Don't use the MP3 format at all when you can avoid it--there are lossless compresssions like Monkey's Audio available.
4. Consider an outboard DAC in the future. These vary in price with the stock ART DI/O being an entry level $125.

You already mentioned using a better soundcard as well.

If you want rolloff or controlled treble, use a different headphone. Muffling the HD600 by using a lesser amp is simply not a good solution to covering up an insufficient source. If anything, this thread proves my case for making the source more important rather than blowing your budget on an expensive headphone so that can only better reveal what crap you've got behind it. (Note: good source means the recording/encoding sometimes as well as the actual hardware.)

It's frustrating to see good headphones blamed for the shortcomings of what they're plugged into. I don't at all agree that going with a less capable amplifier is a good solution to handling this problem.

 

[Duncan]

I agree wholeheartedly Kelly, which is why (as my signature below says) I run my computer through my DAC, and it appears to get rid of 90% of the nasties

I was looking at it purely on a cost basis, with Memph only having $250 to play with... but, if you swapped the SBLive! for a Santa Cruz, I guess that would give you some money back...

$125 for the ART DI/O... that leaves... shall we say $150-$175 (including the difference from the SB to the Santa Cruz)... that will get you a basic META... Yes

So, with a little hindsight, i'll retract from some of what i've said... but, I said it purely to get the best from a compromised situation

 

[Memph]

Well that sounds like a very good idea indeed... Going from the SB to the SC will save me around 35 USD

So that leaves me with around 285....

Minus 125 for DAC leaves 160

Now i would be able to add a tiny bit to get a basic META..

And i take it this would give me better sound over al than just a META? Having the dac aswell i mean...

 

[Memph]

Ok.
Someone has advised me to not worry about the DAC and go for a better amp as the DAC will not help me when listening to Mp3's from my PC. si this correct?

Would i be better off spending the money i would on the DAC in getting a better AMP?

Thanks

 

[Memph]

Quote:

Originally posted by Duncan I agree wholeheartedly Kelly, which is why (as my signature below says) I run my computer through my DAC, and it appears to get rid of 90% of the nasties

Is that playing Mp3's or CD's?

As my primary music will be MP3's from my PC..

 

[taoster]

make sure your source is good and the mp3 is of the highest quality first.

if the majoirty of your mp3 are 128bits then dac would be a waste of money. if its high-bit vbr, lossless etc then a dac would help amples. You would get the most benefit from your amp if its driving quality source...

also bare in mind shipping + custom cost ALOT!

costed me US$45 to get my ART DIO sent to Sydney.

 

[taoster]

$125 for the ART DI/O... might look cheap..

but after stancor, voltage transformer for 240v, cables+adapters its not so cheap..

i am not saying the ART DI/O is not good value but its deceptive.

 

[Memph]

well yes
i would say that the majority of my songs would be 128bit...

So maybe its not a good idea to get the ART DIO

hmm...

Should i just get a better amp?

atm.. Some songs are crackling and clipping
is that coz my headphones are like 300 Ohms and my PC cant give enough power? Or what?

 

[taoster]

i doubt its a power/amp issue.. your headphone will reveal more of your source(mp3) too but its most likely your sound card.

new soundcard!

 

[Memph]

i am getting a VideoLogic Sonic Fury....
Should get that some time this week...
Then i will be getting a META amp.
But how good the amp is depends on whther i get a DAC or not.
and at this stage.
People have said that just for Mp3's a DAC would be useless and i should spend the money on getting a better amp.

 

[taoster]

sounds like a good idea to me!

the META42 should really help drive your headphones. the DAC would be abit of an overkill at your current point in time. you could always get it later should you choose to go down that road..

 

[Memph]

Yeh
To be honest i didnt actually look at it like that...
I could always get it later couldnt i?
hehehe

So i guess i will end up doign that...
But wouldnt an amp just amplifier my bad quality sound? hehe.. and isnt the idea of the DAC to get rid of background Hissing and Other nasties. as duncan said earlier...

 

[becomethemould]

my opinion is that you are wasting all your money to just listen to crap quality mp3s.. even buying the headphones just to listen to mp3s was a waste of money...

one of the most important things in decent music listening is your source... no point having a crap source and kickarse listening equipment...

do you ever use a cd player to play cd quality music? even with low end headphones like the grado sr60 there is a huge difference between cd quality and mp3 burnt onto cd...

have a comparision and then make a wise decision to not use your comp as your main source!

 

[taoster]

the amp WOULD only amplify what you give it and the DAC cant make your 128bit mp3 sound any better. the main benefit of DAC with a mp3 system is that it removes alot of the work from your noisy pc environment and on to an outboard dac. it is also usually a much better dac then what you would found on a soundcard.

your main bottleneck is your 128bit mp3.. youll need to address those by either encoding in high vbr or a lossless encoding. only after that would you be able to get any real audible benefits from a DAC or amp.

 

[Memph]

So inactual fact
what i really need to do is sell these headphones and get some of less quality?

Then we go back to my older question
what headphones do i get? Which ones would be best to use with my PC and Mp3's