[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Big bass is not a must. Based on what you've said, I doubt I'll need a sub anytime soon if at all. If I do want some extra bass, I could always put on headphones.
 
So what I think you're trying to tell me is that I should buy a DAC separately from an amp? I was thinking I can concentrate on speakers and amp now then get a DAC down the road. I'm more than fine with that option.

It's just a hypothetical - the good thing about buying an amp with a USB DAC for now is that you can get better than soundcard SQ now then just get a new DAC later IF USB2 gets phased out and then add that; just make sure you're getting a good amp with a USB DAC, as opposed to a good DAC with a so-so amp (in other words, you have to be paying more for the amp, at least for now, since that's the necessity). Or if SARS* sets in, which might set in much sooner but reason can always win. The only thing that's driven my upgrades in the past 12mos were changing needs - I needed global voltage, but initially went for a battery-powered amp, and then came across an amp (which happened to have global voltage) that I missed out on several times.


*Severe Audio Replacement Syndrome; sometimes referred to as 'upgraditis'

 

[sn0o]

I would surely go with the 27" iMac, with the i7 processor, and 8gb ram upgrade, for 2,299$.  It's 200$ cheaper then the base MacPro and a lot better the iMac will have a faster faster cpu, more ram, much quicker graphics card, and it takes up less space. However.... by far the best and most important part is the 27"  2560x1440 LED backlit IPS screen :O I don't wanna get to tech-ie  but that screen will make your photoshopping and photos look soooo GLOOORIOUS that every other screen you look at will look like crap! Also you may not think it now but the 27" will be helpful, there will be times  when you've got 30 images open at once all fighting for screen space, or wanting to have what your working on and reference imgs side by side for comparison.
 
Now that we know that, what is the new price range? Also the iMac has a shared 3.5mm analogue out / 3.5mm optical out, and only 4 usb 2.0 ports. I'm thinking it might be better to take advantage of the optical port since there's few USB ports.

 

[leechi]

You seem to have some experience with screen real estate when editing photos! Haha.
 
It'd be nice to try to find a refurb that has those specs because I also want to get an SSD installed in addition to the hd that comes pre-installed. I'll also get my memory from another vendor to install myself. No need to spend extra on something so simple.
 
I think I'd still like to limit my budget for audio gear to $300. I don't think I can appreciate the difference in sound quality enough to justify spending more than that.

 

[trog]

Sure  - if it's on sale @ time of proposed purchase 

 

[leechi]

Quote:

Sure  - if it's on sale @ time of proposed purchase 

 
What/which are you referring to?

 

[trog]

Quote:

 
What/which are you referring to?

@ $99
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-629

 

[leechi]

Quote:

It's just a hypothetical - the good thing about buying an amp with a USB DAC for now is that you can get better than soundcard SQ now then just get a new DAC later IF USB2 gets phased out and then add that; just make sure you're getting a good amp with a USB DAC, as opposed to a good DAC with a so-so amp (in other words, you have to be paying more for the amp, at least for now, since that's the necessity). Or if SARS* sets in, which might set in much sooner but reason can always win. The only thing that's driven my upgrades in the past 12mos were changing needs - I needed global voltage, but initially went for a battery-powered amp, and then came across an amp (which happened to have global voltage) that I missed out on several times.


*Severe Audio Replacement Syndrome; sometimes referred to as 'upgraditis'

Ohhhh, I see what you mean. So if I were to have a budget of $300 for an amp/dac and speakers, what combination would you recommend? Would you pay more for the amp and less for the speakers or vice versa? I guess both speakers and amps would cost about the same to upgrade, as in which would give me a bigger upgrade in quality with a lower expenditure?

 

[leechi]

Quote:

@ $99
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-629

Oh, okay. If I were to get the Polk RTi6 at the sale price of $150, is it possible to find a good amp/dac combo for $150? Or do I need to break my $300 budget?
 
I'd like to make a decision on those Polk's by today, since that's when the sale ends. Those speakers are pretty large though! (H x W x D): 14.75" x 7.75" x 14.25"  ... I might need to aim for a larger desk!

 

[trog]

Well as said before - you could also go with a coax/optical receiver and leverage on the DAC on that if $$ is an issue 

 

[leechi]

So does that mean $150 for an amp/dac combo won't be enough for anything decent? Haha.
 
I really don't know what is out there in terms of the equipment you've listed, so it helps if there were brands and models I can springboard off of. I know, I'm being lazy. I guess I should go read some more.

 

[leechi]

I've been reading around a little for budget amp/dac combos and one that seemed to get good reviews is the Audio-gd NFB-12.1. I'm not understanding all the specs listed on the site, but I see that for "Output power", the words "Only for headphone" are written underneath. I guess that means this amp/dac is only usable with headphones?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Ohhhh, I see what you mean. So if I were to have a budget of $300 for an amp/dac and speakers, what combination would you recommend? Would you pay more for the amp and less for the speakers or vice versa? I guess both speakers and amps would cost about the same to upgrade, as in which would give me a bigger upgrade in quality with a lower expenditure?

At the price of the Polk Audio speakers that were posted I'd spend more of that $300 on it (it was just under $200 if I recall correctly), mostly because that's a fantastic deal. Plus nearfield use means you won't be needing a heack of a lot of power, as long as it's clean and has current to back it up. Class D amps don't need a lot of dynamic output in pure peak watts, most generally make up for it be their fast response time (vs anything other than pure Class A). 

 

[Hughkk]

sorry to go off topic, but I want to ask how good are these 300 speakers, comparing to headphones?
 
obviously they will have a wider soundstage, but will the detail, accuracy, Prat level be more like : m-50, SRH840, HD25 or HD650?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

All those will depend on other factors. The PRAT can depend almost as much on the amp; low current amp or with insufficient capacitance (slew rate and absolute capacity) will lack dynamics, or will sound slow. Detail will depend on how quiet your room is. Even if you can have a lot of leaks through open headphones, they're right outside your ear canals; speakers will depend more on environmental factors.
 
Even the soundstage will vary. Generally it will be wider but if you have one side too close to a wall you're screwed without sound deadening. I got rid of my home speakers because one wall is the concrete outer wall and the other side had the interior wall; it was always louder and warmer off the wood than the concrete. Even my car's sound system was a lot better than that thanks to the time delay function on my receiver's processor; without it my car's stage is all over the place.

 

[proton007]

Quote:

sorry to go off topic, but I want to ask how good are these 300 speakers, comparing to headphones?
 
obviously they will have a wider soundstage, but will the detail, accuracy, Prat level be more like : m-50, SRH840, HD25 or HD650?

 
In my experience, speakers are a different experience. The soundstage is wider, and the instruments can be placed more realistically. The sound is more like coming from a source than all around you.
Headphones have the advantage of being close to your ears, so they can sound more detailed. Not to say you cannot find detail in speakers, but it takes more effort and usually, price. Nearfield monitors are better in that respect.