[damitamit]

im gettin really annoyed with the crappy onboard soundcard im using to play mp3s and such. You can hear random changing hissing when nothing is playing through my MINT-->Grados or other cans, or CMOY---> other cans.

so ive been looking around for a better soundcard.

or should i get a dac and use the optical digital out of a VideoLogic sonic vortex 2 or Creative SBLive i have lying about somewhere.

so really the question is should i get a 2nd hand Cambridge Audio DacMagic 2 for about £50- 60 to use with the Sonic Vortex or SBLive OR spend that money on a new soundcard?

any suggestions?

thanks
Amit

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

I think PBirkett used to own that DAC, and he found his 24/96 soundcard to be far better sounding. I would go with the high-quality soundcard first, then get a DAC sometime down the road if you wnat even more performance (keep the SB Live for gaming, if you do any).

He has a pretty high opinion of the Terratec EWX 24/96, which I think must be pretty easy to get in the UK. An M-Audio card would also provide similar performance, if you can get them there, the Revolution, Audiophile, or Delta models would sound very good (ranging from $90US to $150). If you want an even higher end sound, look for an RME card, specifically a Digi 96/8 model (PST or PAD), which cost $270-$400US, I'm not sure about in your country, but it's agerman company, so it might be cheaper.

 

[damitamit]

thanks

i have seen the Terratec EWX 24/96 on a few sites. thou i think its a bit much for me at the mo. around £130. was looking to spend around £50. hence the dac seemed appealing.

I have seen the cheap Terratec cards. The aureons range from £25 to £80. but im not quite sure what the sound quality difference is between the range.

just looked up the m-audio revolution. can be had for about £80 here in the UK. still a bit high, but might be doable..

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Of the Terratec Aurons, avoid the Fun, from what I've read it's quite inferior to the Sky and Space, which is a counterpart to the Revolution.

 

[pbirkett]

The DACMAGIC is an ok DAC and would certainly solve the problems with noise in the PC I should think. Moreover, it does indeed offer better sound than most consumer soundcards out there.

However, it is an ageing piece of kit nowadays, and as such, if you can afford it, I'd recommend trying to muster the extra for the EWX or something better, as it really is a dramatic improvement over the DACMAGIC (I had the v3 BTW). If you cannot afford one of those, then perhaps an Aureon would still at least match a DACMAGIC but I have not heard one so I cannot really say for certain.

Even so, a DACMAGIC should probably still offer a reasonable improvement over a bog standard consumer card and you'll likely get back everything you pay when it comes to the time when you wish to sell it, so its a fairly safe buy.

Of course, if you are DIY savvy, then it is said it is possible to bring the DACMAGIC up to surprising levels, although I am not sure what those levels would be in comparison to better DACs these days.

 

[damitamit]

update:

well i won a Dacmagic 2 on ebay last nite. Should be getting it on saturday so i shall see how it sounds...

 

[subsea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by damitamit update: well i won a Dacmagic 2 on ebay last nite. Should be getting it on saturday so i shall see how it sounds...

So how did you like DACMAGIC? One man offers it to me for 150$. For this money I can get either juli@(155$) or 0404(130$). Which would be a better buy, DAC or soundcard?