[mtkversion]

TBSC - Aiwa NSX-D5 - Sony V6 / Senn HD580

Use both Winamp / foobar with kernel streaming output.

Nothing fancy but it does the job ...

 

[Jasper994]

See my sig below for my current setup. I'm pretty happy, but will likely work on quieting my computer a bit and am anxious for the 595's to show up at Good Guys.

-EDIT-

I'm also anxious to here Iron_Dreamer's mods to the E-MU... good for my ears, bad for my wallet, but I'll probably want to do the mods once I hear it.

 

[Jose Perez]

Toshiba Satellite laptop---Yamaha DP-U50 USB sound card---to set of Logitech Z640 speakers---or Senn HD-495's

I use the speakers for when I'm watching DVD's on my laptop but I use the headphone out from the DP-U50 for enjoying music in peace.

I also use an ATI usb remote control to control everything. Pretty handy little toy actually.

 

[roadtonowhere08]

See below for my stuff. I also have a Klipsch Promedia Ultra 5.1 in which I use the sub for bass. I will hopefully get an SVS during Christmas. Other than that, nothing new for a while... unless something breaks, damn electronics and their planned obsolecensence.

 

[pbirkett]

Hardware wise, Terratec EWX 2496 >> Perreaux SXH1 >> Beyerdynamic DT531....

I believe I have an excellent and musical combination of "sweet spot" products (highest price / performance ratio). I used to have the Sony MDR-CD3000 and it was also very good, but probably overkill for this system, seeing as the DT531 sounds at least as good 20-30% of the time, only falls slightly behind in the top 10% of recordings and is better the rest of the time.

Software wise, I am using Foobar 2000 (24-bit padded to 32, 96 KHz). At the moment, I have much of my music encoded to MPC format and thats how it will stay. I am however re-encoding my music losslessly, for archive purposes and so I can easily transcode into any other lossy format that takes my fancy.

 

[Edwood]

APE's-->Foobar2K-->RME digi96/8 PAD modded with complete analog output stage bypass and balanced outputs-->my own balanced cables-->Grace 901-->R10 or K1000.

I am pretty happy with my setup. It is no longer fatiguing.

But, I'm never completely satisfied.

One more source upgrade for me this year. I'm waiting til after the Mega SoCal meet to see where I'll be headed.

-Ed

 

[averydonovan]

MPC q8 (CD rips) --> foobar2000 --> Terratec EWX 24/96 --> My cables --> Singlepower PPX3 --> AKG K 271 S

I am using 96KHz resampling, 24-bit padded to 32-bit, and strong ATH noise shaping. I won't use the equalizer in foobar since it distorts the sound noticably.

It all sounds pretty darn good to me. My PC is in dire need of a new PSU and probably should get a new case, once my Senns sell I'll be using that money for that stuff. I may add an external DAC later this year but that's about it that is in the planning stages.

 

[pbirkett]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donovansmith I won't use the equalizer in foobar since it distorts the sound noticably.

Really? I use Foobar to boost the lowest 3 bass sliders (+3db >100 Hz, +2db @ approx 120 Hz (I am not there to look at it so thats just a guess), but even so, I notice no distortion whatsoever. However, you do need to lower the volume of the pre-amp, otherwise it will clip.

 

[ITZBITZ]

My system description is a bit more involved:

Antec Sonata case, rear 120mm fan @ 7V. Alpha 80mm CPU cooler fan at 7V. AMD 2500 Mobile @ stock speed for low heat (45W). Internal 80mm PSU fan @ 5V (replaced with PanaFlo L1A unit). Zalman Northbridge heatsink and Zalman passive VGA cooler. Overall, the system is somewhere between 20-30 dbA @ 1m. As a comparison, my wife's Dell 5100 laptop fan that kicks on when the P4 gets smokin' is at least twice as loud and I can hear it across the room over my setup. In fact, my ceiling fan on medium (Hunter Whisper-Quiet model) is louder than my system. HD seek noise is inaudible unless you put your ear up to the case (Maxtors with max sound supression).

Then my signature applies for the remainder of the journey, except I use my high-end PPA for serious listening.

I ordered a Chaintech to compare the sound quality (and more importantly the convenience) to the Sonica. I'll replace the caps on arrival to BG 47uF/6.3V units for the output I'll use (high-res mode). I route all the computer audio through the Soyo on-board system to avoid any pops/clicks/interruptions on the audio output channels. The main sound is wired to a set of Logitech desktop speakers (with the all-important remote subwoofer, haha).

I'd like to try the EMU-1212M, but I can't really justify it at this point. Maybe in the next six months after opinions have solidified a bit more, but it's just too new to jump into yet. The Chaintech was an easy choice, $22 shipped. I mean, that's almost the cost of a full tank of gas so it wasn't a stretch.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donovansmith My PC is in dire need of a new PSU and probably should get a new case, once my Senns sell I'll be using that money for that stuff. I may add an external DAC later this year but that's about it that is in the planning stages.

If you want a cheap PSU that performs very well, get a fortron/source model from newegg, the 300W with very-quiet 120MM fan is only $28, and it is much more powerful than other 300 watter's I've used. The only brand worth paying more for is PC Power & Cooling, which have superb voltage stability (depending on the model) and the best build quality and reliability avaliable. Sduibek and I both have the turbo-cool 510 deluxe model, which improved the sound quality of our systems noticeably. The turbo-cools have a fairly loud fan, which I have replaced, BTW.

 

[OakIris]

MSI nForce2 mobo w/AMD 2600+ CPU, 512 MB RAM --> 580W Antec PSU --> EMU1212m --> Plextor CDRW/DVD drive or Mitsubishi CDRW drive --> Foobar2000 --> Headphile BlackSilver IC --> SinglePower PPX3 --> primarily Sony CD3000/Senn HD590, sometimes Senn HD650/ATH W1000.

I love my computer set-up. I'm sure I'll end up tweaking it again at some point, but right now I am content. (I will also be getting the Headphile "full woody" upgrade to my CD3000s (next week hopefully) as well.

)

 

[Kush_]

E-MU 1212m --> Adaptor thingo --> Zu Pivot --> Perreaux SXH1 --> Stock cable --> Sennheiser HD-650

 

[taylor]

MP3s > foobar2k > integrated Intel sound > a diy mini>rca cable > Bradford ic fet > Sony v6

I'm getting the Chaintech AV-710 soon, i've read that it will be better than my integrated sound, plus it has a digital output so I can upgrade to an external DAC in the future.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by taylor I'm getting the Chaintech AV-710 soon, i've read that it will be better than my integrated sound, plus it has a digital output so I can upgrade to an external DAC in the future.

Oh trust me, it will give your AC97 sound a big ol' kick in the nuts, especialy considering the low cost

 

[SportaJoe]

TBSC>>>Radio Shack Gold>>>MG Head OTL>>>Senn 580,s

Sounds pretty good. Im thinking of trying the Chaintech, Some better IC,s and maybe the Oehlbach cable for the senns. Photography takes most of my dough. I try and find the best cost to performance ratio with this hobby.