[Elephas]

Getting good sound out of a computer transport isn't difficult, but it may not be inexpensive. It can get more complicated if you're trying to optimize and going for the last few percentages.

The first thing you need is an external DAC. A good one.

Next thing you need is a way to get the digital output to the DAC. If it is a USB DAC, you'll obviously use USB. Otherwise, a sound card such as RME or Lynx will work very well. I've had good results using a 9632's AES/EBU output.

Next, choose your software, maybe iTunes or Foobar2000. There are other options but these two work fine for me.

Then, set up your playlists and enjoy your music whenever and in the order you want instead of having to sticj discs one at a time into a CDP.

Oh, you'll also need to rip your CD's into lossless format if you haven't already. It is time-consuming, but you only need to do it once.

P.S. If you have SACDs and a player, you'll want to keep them around. Rip the CD layer to the computer and compare the sound quality against playing the SACD. If they are close, you're doing OK. But you'll probably need to "optimize" further.

 

[progo]

I get very good sound out of my computer just by having ALSA system without mixers. It's easy to improve from this by purchasing a dedicated DAC.

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elephas /img/forum/go_quote.gif Getting good sound out of a computer transport isn't difficult, but it may not be inexpensive. It can get more complicated if you're trying to optimize and going for the last few percentages. The first thing you need is an external DAC. A good one.

But once you start using an external DAC, can you truly say that you're using a computer as your source? I don't think you can. If computers are such an awesome source, why do you have to start adding stuff to it to make it sound good?

 

[Sherwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earwicker7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If computers are such an awesome source, why do you have to start adding stuff to it to make it sound good?

Computers are an awesome transport -- the best that can be had. Computers are also awesome for typing, too, but not if you don't start adding stuff like a monitor and a keyboard.

 

[DouglasQuaid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earwicker7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If computers are such an awesome source, why do you have to start adding stuff to it to make it sound good?

I wouldn't say computers are awesome sources. They are quite limited in the sound quality offered from an analog out. I will say that computers make excellent transports, offering unparalleled convenience and great sound quality when paired with a quality dac.

 

[lacrossebowe8]

I still think computer audio has a ways to go. Few usb dacs can take higher sample rates than 16/48, making high resolution downloads somewhat moot. I believe the benchmark can take high bit rates from usb but am not aware of many others, especially at a decent price.

 

[milkweg]

You don't have to use USB. You can use coax or optical digital out from a soundcard to an external DAC. EMU 0404 USB makes a decent external DAC used this way for just under $200.00 because it also has optical and coax I/O and not just USB. That's how mine is hooked up and works well for me. There are plenty of other external DACs that have coax/optical I/O if you want to spend more money.

http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?product=15185

E-MU's 0404 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface delivers an unparalleled level of audio performance to your Mac or PC with premium 24-bit/192kHz A/D and D/A converters, pristine XTC™ mic/line/hi-Z preamps, ultra-low jitter clock and rock-solid stability. From its plug-and-play functionality and hands-on ergonomic design to professional features and signal-to-noise specs that are simply unmatched by any other USB interface on the market, the 0404 USB will forever change your expectations of USB audio.

Sample Rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192kHz from internal crystal (no sample rate conversion)*

Bit Depth: 24-bit I/O, 32-bit processing

USB 2.0 Hi-Speed

- Full 24-bit resolution at all sample rates

- 4in/4 out channels from 44.1-96kHz

- 2 in/2 out channels from 176.4-192kHz
Internal crystal sync at 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192kHz

External sample rate sync via

- Optical S/PDIF (44.1 - 96kHz)

- Coaxial S/PDIF (44.1 - 96kHz)

A/D converter: AK5385A

** When connecting the 0404 USB to a USB 1.1 port on a Windows PC, performance will be limited to 16-bit and 44.1/48kHz recording and playback. Macintosh support limited to USB 2.0 ports only.

BTW, people sweat over sample rates and bit depth too much. Higher sample rate means more frequency range but 44.1 khz 16bit is already frequency range above the hearing range of the human ear so what is the big deal about higher sample rates? Many people deliberately choose to force their hardware to play back at 44.1khz 16bit via software so no upsampling is done.

 

[condor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghostmusic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think if you're spinning physical discs on the computer, it kind of defeats using computer as transport. The whole point of using the PC as transport is to reduce the errors, or (I'm going to borrow your metaphor) the hiccups that are induced as the laser reads the discs; when the disc is ripped to hard disk, it definitely reduces the jitter potential/reading error caused by the CDP's reading mechanism. But you do make a good point in that there are hosts of other issues. Optimizing a computer is an issue, but I'll argue it's no rocket science to do so. A thornier issue is that no matter how well the music is ripped and the PC has the ability to play the music more securely, the way that digital info is relayed to the analog stage, to the DAC, is still a rough hand-off, without proper care & set-up. That's why I've heard so many people use expensive DACs with ill-configured PCs, and obviously: terrible sound. But a lot of people use Lynx or RME cards to interface with DAC, and this will help with the issue. computeraudiophile.com has practical advices on this matter. And still more, there are DACs that reclock the digital info once it enters DAC stage; Bryston's new BDA-1 is one. There is also Wavelength Cosecant, a beautiful tubed unit which uses USB input, but because of the asynchronous topology, controls the digital information. This is the unit that John Atkinson at Stereophile used to demonstrate about hi-rez, and he marveled at the SSD equipped Macbook feeding the Wavelength Cosecant. I think the review will come out in March or something.

Oh my... seriously talking about SSD vs HDD sound on a normal PC.

You just made my day!

If you only get ONE read error from your normal HDD your PC will crash in 99% of the cases.
PC audio is simply about feeding the data unresampled (!) to a external DAC/nice internal soundcard with a nice DAC.
And you're done.

Talking about HDD sound is the most ridiciously thing I've ever heard and that as a CS student.


EDIT:

And to that the MAC is a better source argument; if you use a digital output of your normal PC which you feed again unresampled it won't make a difference. Why? The MAC uses the same stupid Realtek Chip which 99% of the PCs do.

 

[Gazza]

It's been said before but garbage in, garbage out.

In fact I'm seriously contemplating getting a Chord QBD 76 to upgrade my Densen. I'll probably demo a unit first for a couple of weeks to determine that it's worth the cash (my Densen CD player has managed to hold its own against considerably more expensive CDPs) but I suspect that I'll be blown away.

Initial reviews on the Chord have inferred and in some cases outright said that it heralds the state-of-the-art in regards to digital audio.

I'll just be happy if it can sound as good as my vinyl set up.

 

[Happy Camper]

Using I2S transfer to dac will minimize jitter and (according to it's designers) bring realism found in vinyl. Proof will be in the product so I am looking forward to EA reviews of the Overdrive.