[fjf]

I'm sure it has a mini-output to connect computer speakers or headphones. I don't think there is a soundcard without these. And I agree, if there is no analog output, there is no point on having a DAC chip on the card. It MUST have analog out. Maybe it is through a proprietary connector of some kind.

 

[Superpredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjf I'm sure it has a mini-output to connect computer speakers or headphones. I don't think there is a soundcard without these. And I agree, if there is no analog output, there is no point on having a DAC chip on the card. It MUST have analog out. Maybe it is through a proprietary connector of some kind.

Yes, there is analog output. Currently I plug a pair of Senn HD 595 right into the headphone/speaker jack. I am just thinking that it would have been much better if I had a card like this http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_u...2496-main.html with RCA outs, so as to avoid having to go to a mini to RCA converter and potentially losing quality somewhere along the line.

 

[Sean H]

Superpredator - I'll go out on a limb here and say that I would be inclined to bet that the Aria's DAC is in fact better sounding than the Revolution's sound quality. Now, before anyone jumps on me I will say that, yes, that is unfounded speculation and I probably have no right to say that. However, I do have a Revo 7.1 I use for coaxial digital output to my outboard DAC but have listened to it's analog output and while it's pretty decent it's nothing stellar and I am sure many here would agree and others would argue there are a lot better sounding cards. So, if in fact the Aria's DAC is better sounding than your Revo's output then all you will need in the end is a USB cable going from the computer to your Aria and it's end of story - sell your Revo unless you use the 7.1 features.

If you get an Aria and decide that the Revo still sounds better I wouldn't worry so much about using an adapter with the Revo's mini analog output to the Aria. If you are that concerned about a mini to RCA adapter degarding the sound then buy a high quality mini to RCA cable, there's a lot of them out there and many people make excellent ones here on Head-Fi. This isn't an adapter I'm talking about, I'm talking about a RCA to mini built cable.

Hope that helps.

 

[daninthemix]

This may seem like a wild leap but why would Jan design a great sounding amp and then shove a crap DAC in at the last minute. Makes no sense. It's more likely that the DAC is actually a good match for the amp and thus a no-brainer, isn't it? Why would he deliberately defeat the sound of his own product?

 

[saint.panda]

The way I see it, the Aria is first and foremost a great sounding conventional amp with conventional RCA inputs just like any other amp around. I think that it already performs far above its price level without taking the dac into account and all my comments were based on the prototype that does not have the dac.

The integrated usb dac is merely the icing on the cake and was thrown in since, I suppose, the parts cost are relatively inexpensive. Just consider it a freebie. If I were to buy the Aria, it wouldn't make difference to me whether it had the dac or not since I don't use computer audio a lot anyway.

 

[Andrea]

If Jan states that the DAC sings, no matter its simplicity and low cost, I would trust him. It remains a rather simple and low cost 16 bit resolution DAC with integrated USB interface, nevertheless.

 

[fjf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea If Jan states that the DAC sings, no matter its simplicity and low cost, I would trust him. It remains a rather simple and low cost 16 bit resolution DAC with integrated USB interface, nevertheless.

I may be wrong, but I think the prototype he listened to was just the amp, with no DAC in it.

 

[Sean H]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daninthemix This may seem like a wild leap but why would Jan design a great sounding amp and then shove a crap DAC in at the last minute. Makes no sense. It's more likely that the DAC is actually a good match for the amp and thus a no-brainer, isn't it? Why would he deliberately defeat the sound of his own product?

Just to clarify, are you talking to me? If so, re-read my post, I was assuming the Aria's USB is likely better than the Revo's. If not, sorry. I am betting it's a heck of a good sounding DAC for exactly the reasons you said: no way Jan would put a crappy sounding DAC in there. Heck, my little Black Gated Sonica sounds awesome, I can only imagine a really well implemented design using a quality power supply would only be better.

 

[Superpredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean H Hope that helps.

That helps. There are certainly better better cards out there, but none I could find for less than $100 with similar sound quality. Musically, it does out-perform the Audigy 2 according to some reviews, and does not present conflicts with hyperthreading and dual processers like Creative cards can.

I was doing some further reading, and apparently the Revolution doesn't really shine at 24bit, but rather at 16. 16bit is, I'm sure, fine for playing medium to high quality sound files. I feel like my seeking solutions for my card setup took away from the point of this thread, which was the Corda Aria, a truly exciting amp at a very friendly price.

I have come across some reviews of USB audio connectivity, and supposedly it is an EXCELLENT quality connection, far superior to even expensive audio cables. I'll have to hear for myself.

 

[daninthemix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean H Just to clarify, are you talking to me?

No, just ranting to anybody who'll listen! Since my plan is this:

USB >>> Aria >>> HD650

I was wondering if anyone can tell me how to get the best possible signal into the Aria? I'm thinking words like "kernal", "ASIO", etc...anyone help me out with this?

 

[daninthemix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean H Just to clarify, are you talking to me?

No, just ranting to anybody who'll listen! Since my plan is this:

USB >>> Aria >>> HD650

I was wondering if anyone can tell me how to get the best possible signal into the Aria? I'm thinking words like "kernal", "ASIO", etc...anyone help me out with this?

 

[Superpredator]

I like to see LARGE pictures to get a good impression, and I found one of the Aria. It was posted here a while ago, but smaller sized, so really it's nothing new. But it is huge -> http://ipastudio.com/photopost/showp...sort/1/cat/585 (it's enlargeable). I am starting to realize my first impression was wrong.... the CA is stunningly goodlooking. I'm attracted to it on multiple levels. Really. I hope I overcome all good sense and splurge. I wish there was a smiley face that looked really poor, because that will be me after I do this bad thing I will do.

 

[arielext]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daninthemix No, just ranting to anybody who'll listen! Since my plan is this: USB >>> Aria >>> HD650 I was wondering if anyone can tell me how to get the best possible signal into the Aria? I'm thinking words like "kernal", "ASIO", etc...anyone help me out with this?

I'm running a porta corda with asio4all drivers at the moment. I've read that this (asio4all) uses kernel streaming actually.

 

[Superpredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daninthemix I was wondering if anyone can tell me how to get the best possible signal into the Aria? I'm thinking words like "kernal", "ASIO", etc...anyone help me out with this?

This thread seems to have died, but if you're going USB -> Aria -> HD650 I suppose that if you used Foobar2000's kernal streaming it might sound pretty darn good and be stable to boot. I switch over to kernal from DirectSound 2.0 once in a while and it doesn't seem to work very well with my sound card.

 

[r3b]

I thought that the DAC in the Aria is the same as in the Porta Corda USB ? Correct me if i am wrong !

Some people in here have the Porta Corda USB so there is some experience how good the DAC really is compared to the competition. Of course the better Aria-Amp itself will give the DAC a boost in quality compared to the Porta Corda USB.