[obobskivich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by n3rdling /img/forum/go_quote.gif It'd be an even better thread if everybody making comparisons posted what the rest of their listening system is

who hasn't? most people have posted more or less what their listening system is

 

[LostOne.TR]

Depends on the sound card. I've not tried the higher end ones.

Have experience with some of creative's though (sb live, audigy, audigy2, audigy4), and the quality is far below the sound I get with a external DAC (presonus central station, tc7510, Sonic Frontiers transdac). Granted that's also a vastly different scale in terms of pricing.

I had a bithead before and it was better too (than the sb live and possibly the audigy '1,' not sure when I came into ownership of that card).

I run the audigy cards with kX drivers if that helps. Usually use a m-audio transit for optical out, recently have been using the coax out of the audigy2 for convenience issues.

 

[obobskivich]

yeah, lostone, you're comparing some pretty amazing external D/A's to some pretty average to below average internal cards

not to say there aren't external D/A's that are better, but consider how much the CS even costs, compared to the Audigy or Audigy 2

 

[gurubhai]

very informative thread going on here...

I must add that it would be useful if people specify their software setups also. Since on a sound card bypassing the windows Kmixer makes a huge difference(using optical out or asio).
I am sure that some of the people who get huge improvements using spdif is due to bypassing the Kmixer.

 

[daglesj]

Ok I feel that to get good audio from a internal soundcard means good filtered power, both internal and external.

My setup runs like this.

Wall socket -> 6way standard surge/filter block -> Farnell PMF6 power filter -> good short mains lead with ferrite core -> Corsair 750w psu -> main power cable to motherboard with ferrite core -> supplementary power inputs all with ferrite cores -> power to HDDs all with ferrite cores -> X-Fi Fatality soundcard postioned as far away from other components -> any audio out cables routed away from as many others as possible.

The motherboard is a DFI Ultra-D. I also clip small ferrites to to the power leads for the fans.

Maybe overkill but I have the smoothest quietest audio I could wish for.

 

[m0ofassa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadtonowhere08 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I doubt most people on this board could really pass a double blind test between the RCA out of an ASUS Essence and a standalone around $500.

Personally, I doubt I could tell the difference between much (not that I've experienced awful sound, nor state of the art sound). To be honest, I listen for the music, not for the sound quality... otherwise i'd probably listen to a series of sound effects and be able to tell apart car crashes by model - rather than sax players by their solos and tone, or recognising keith jarrett before he groans. I actually find playback at 8000Hz quite relaxing and very smooth(call me crazy).
It's just nice to have decent quality on the side if i want to use it, imho. Anyone who thinks otherwise is probably a bit strange or just kidding themselves with an elitist attitude...

 

[daglesj]

You are quite right. Folks should listen to the music rather than the equipment. If you listen to the equipment you are not a music lover, if you think you are you are kidding yourself.

I do what I do just because I can, then thats it, job done, let's listen to some tunes.

There is another computer audio site that has loads of people wittering on about 'bit perfect' and 'jitter' and how it might be affecting their sound as though all they are hearing is food mixer noises rather than music.

When any of the so called authorities on the subject that state bit perfect and jitter matter are directly asked as to how these 'imperfections' manifest themselves, none can give a decent answer. Its bunk! If it sounds like music, its music.

I reckon most gear out of the box will give you 98.5% of what its capable of with the other bits its equipped with. Further tweaking and tinkering and maybe more expensive parts might if you are lucky take it to 99%.

If it sounds good, it is good! Quit sweating the small stuff.

 

[DW87]

I use a Xonar D2X with a noisy pc and its silent when there's nothing playing.

 

[fzman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daglesj /img/forum/go_quote.gif You are quite right. Folks should listen to the music rather than the equipment. If you listen to the equipment you are not a music lover, if you think you are you are kidding yourself. I do what I do just because I can, then thats it, job done, let's listen to some tunes. There is another computer audio site that has loads of people wittering on about 'bit perfect' and 'jitter' and how it might be affecting their sound as though all they are hearing is food mixer noises rather than music. When any of the so called authorities on the subject that state bit perfect and jitter matter are directly asked as to how these 'imperfections' manifest themselves, none can give a decent answer. Its bunk! If it sounds like music, its music. I reckon most gear out of the box will give you 98.5% of what its capable of with the other bits its equipped with. Further tweaking and tinkering and maybe more expensive parts might if you are lucky take it to 99%. If it sounds good, it is good! Quit sweating the small stuff.

seems like your last quote really means 'if you THINK it sounds good, then it is good'. problem is, you may have no idea what good sound really is, or how much improvement can be gotten from small expenditures of time, effort, and money.......

if no one ever challenged the status quo, things would never change, let alone improve. while i agree that things get out of hand when you get to the point of evaluating and never listening, i think it is utter crap to think that playback quality is irrelevant to musical enjoyment-- it's just that each of us has a different set of values and priorities when it comes to the time money and resources we are willing to devote to improving the quality of musical playback in our homes.

that said, i am a thorough tweek, and i do lots of evaluative listening-- using a small portion of my music collection-- when that's done, i sit back and enjoy my music (approx 4000 Lps and 1000 cds-- not in a row, of course).

audiophiles are like foodies, in that they will spend 3 hours preparing a meal, which they then taste-test, rather than eat for enjoyment. i'd like to think i don't treat my audio like that, but i do care about making it sound as good as possible, and the knowledge and opinions of experts play a crucial role in acheiving that....

i doubt that the 98.5% ouot of the box figure is even remotely accurate -- but it is that last 5-10% that makes all the difference in the world to many of us, so long as it does not replace the musical enjoyment-- but only helps us improve it

 

[daglesj]

Not really hard to explain.

If it sounds good, i.e. YOU enjoy what you hear, then its good. Simple. Doesnt matter what anyone else thinks.

Some folks just try to make it hard. It isnt. Just listen.

If you enjoy sweating the small stuff fine, but not everyone wants to do that to the nth degree.

 

[m0ofassa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fzman /img/forum/go_quote.gif /snip so long as it does not replace the musical enjoyment-- but only helps us improve it

even though the thread is veering off topic, I most definitely agree with you. Very well said. We are, after all, all here for the music, whether it be 8khz, 44.1khz or 192khz.
[size=xx-small]my previous post seems awful now, even though it was not intended as how it now sounds.[/size]

 

[progo]

I thought my Juli@ was a good soundcard ... and a source. But when I bought a cheap Pioneer meant to be my transport, I found that it's sound was so relaxed and spacious. After listening to it for a while, the Juli@ and now the Audiophile 192 both sound very forced and artificial. Good thing I have ordered a primary DAC so things hopefully develop into the right direction: away from the computer's electrical and physical noises.

Edit: and the Juli@ cost around $150 (new), the Pioneer cost $90 (used). Don't know if it's then a good model. DV751Ai.

 

[MadMan007]

In many ways this thread can be summed up as: cheap parts (not necessarily to be confused with price) = worse sound than quality parts. Amazing!