[Vinc]

Hello fellow head-fi-ers.
I've been reading many pages and I still have a lot of questions about amps, DAC and sources (mainly CD players). My questions might be stupid, but there we go :
 
1) If you use a good DAC on a computer, will it balance for a bad sound card? I mean, will I still need a good soundcard if I have a good DAC plugged to the computer?
 
2) Are there some cdplayers that have an integrated ampli or is it better to have both an amp and the CDP?
 
3) Also, when you plug your mp3 player on a dedicated sources, do you still want a DAC or is the source acting as a DAC?
 
4) Are there any good dock for 200-300$ where I could plug my ipod,cds and heaphones in ? If so, would an amp be needed with that dock ?
 
5) What to buy first ; amp, DAC or a cdplayer (I have an Ipod as for now)?
 
I know there are a lot of questions, so I thank you for any answer.

 

[myinitialsaredac]

1. If you are using an external DAC then the digital signal is sent to the DAC and is not touched by the internal soundcard. Laymens terms: you do not need a good soundcard if you are using an external DAC.
 
2. Yes there are some like the shanling 300 offering. In the mortal price range generally you'd be better off with a seperate CDP and amp.
 
3. Generally, mp3 players only offer analog outputs so they are utilizing the onboard DAC to decode the digital signal to analog. Laymens: you do not need a dac if you are using a general mp3 player (like an ipod) as your source.
 
4. You may want to look into the Wadia dock, it is one of the few (if not only) docks that can take a digital signal from an ipod. Yes you need an amp with the Wadia offerings (at least the ones that I know of).
 
5. Generally if you are using the ipod as your source I would say get a good amp. If you are using your computer as a source then you may want to look into an amp/dac combo like the Nuforce HDP, the Centrance DACPort, or many of the other offerings as they provide excellent sound from digital or analog sources (bar the dacport which has no analog ins).  Personally I would hold off on investing in a high-end (marantz 7 style) CDP until you get your cans, amp, and dac situation settled. 
 
Hope this helps,
Dave

 

[Vinc]

It helped a lot, thanks for the fast answer.
By the way, if I understand correctly, money-wise, I should rip my CDs to my iPod and use an amp and headphones directly from my  iPod. So, I should let alone a CDp and a DAC as for now ?

 

[estreeter]

1. Unless you have a burning desire to buy a CDP, dont do it.
 
2. A good CDP is defined by, among other things, the quality of the internal DAC. The more expensive models can even be used as a standalone DAC, meaning that you could potentially hook the CDP to your computer and your amp, playing music directly from your computer (or other source)
 
3. While it isnt cast in stone, the cheapest entry point is a combination DAC/amp from someone like iBasso or NuForce. If you elect to go straight to a separate DAC/separate amp rig, more power to you, but it all comes down to budget.
 
As long as you dont spend the rent/mortgage/grocery money on audio, spending some time in the 'For Sale' forum here could save you quite a few dollars. Good luck.