[luckypictures]

Who comes in out front? I may buy an Alien DAC, but I have an old Soundblaster Live! 5.1 sitting next to me that I've never used.

Which has better SQ?

 

[Maniac]

That's like not even fair... SB is going to get a healthy whacking...

 

[luckypictures]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maniac /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's like not even fair... SB is going to get a healthy whacking...

Really? I assumed the Alien DAC was a pretty basic thing, like an advanced CMOY in the world of DAC's. Does that comparison make sense?

Alien DAC = Cmoy
Higher End DAC = Tomahawk

Not that that comparison makes any more sense, but yah.

 

[Maniac]

Well, High end DAC is something way more complex than that comparison... But to put it simply, SB have too many processing that helps games but not sound quality. SB card user have their priority, most of them is not interested in 2 channel music enjoyment. They prefer jumping on their best friends and stomping their neighbors on those online FPS shooter games... (Not that I don't like to do that myself from time to time.

)

It is those games, that some of the later SB cards really shine.

 

[cmirza]

AlienDAC, to give you some perspective of how it ranks in SQ, is somewhere between an AV710 and an 0404. While the DAC chip it uses may not be the greatest, it's design is excellent and pretty much squeezes it for all its worth.

 

[Maniac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmirza /img/forum/go_quote.gif AlienDAC, to give you some perspective of how it ranks in SQ, is somewhere between an AV710 and an 0404. While the DAC chip it uses may not be the greatest, it's design is excellent and pretty much squeezes it for all its worth.

Well, I guess I just have to put in a little plug for my stuff, KECES USB DAC. It is designed with higher selling price in mind, thus the extra goodies that comes with it. One of them being independent power supply that does not source any power from your PC, and both analog and digital stage are independent of each other as well.

Okay, shameless plug aside, I feel that all of them are pretty good for the price bracket they are in. The price difference mostly reflects the cost to make them and the final result you get, and they all seem to give you what you have paid for and a little more, which is good.

And of course, know what you need, then go for something that fits your need, not lusting after some feature then finding a use for that feature that wasn't even in your plans.

 

[cmirza]

Yeah, I'd love to compare KECES USB DAC to the AlienDAC. I'll be keeping it in mind for a future rig. I love USB based sources.

 

[kanamin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmirza /img/forum/go_quote.gif AlienDAC, to give you some perspective of how it ranks in SQ, is somewhere between an AV710 and an 0404. While the DAC chip it uses may not be the greatest, it's design is excellent and pretty much squeezes it for all its worth.

That's comforting. I'm considering ditching my 710 for an Alien so I can use my Audigy on my mobo for gaming (it's a mATX, limited slots D: ), and plug in the Alien when I want better sound, plus I love how the Alien DAC kits are so cheap (though still more than the 710).