[Synergist969]

  To whom may interest:
 
    Which is a better way to go...using a high quality in-dwelling sound card (PCI-e or otherwise), or an outboard, USB connection based D/A converter...Pros and Cons of each approach?  (Assuming P.C. running Window's 8 operating system).
 
    Suggestions/advice regarding which hardware to consider, either in-dwelling or outboard?
 
T.A. Kogstrom

 

[brhfl]

I would try to keep that crap out of my system unless a single-box approach was absolutely necessary. Most of the higher end sound cards still don't seem to be that great as far as using high quality clocks and all, but let's assume that's not an issue... My experience was that moving the DAC outside of the computer was a huge improvement simply by merit of getting rid of all the interference from everything else that's going on inside a computer case. Now in my case, dealing with a Mac Pro with every bay loaded (one of them SSD, but still - five devices worth of motors, etc.), plus fans, plus just a ton of digital electronics that don't necessarily need to be shielding themselves very well from one another. But throwing an analog stage (for audio) in there... it's going to pick up on a lotttt of garbage. 

 

[NamelessPFG]

If you care about PC gaming at all, internal sound cards are the way to go, end of story.

If this is for music only, a plug-and-play USB DAC can be much more convenient, though I could not discern a difference between the JDS Labs ODAC and the X-Fi Titanium HD in my testing. I have my doubts that much more expensive DACs would be worth it from a sound quality standpoint.

 

[Synergist969]

Dear Nameless PFG:
 
  I am an dyed in the wool audiophile, such that for me it is all about the sound quality of stereo, and "possibly' surround sound output...
 
Thank you,
T.A. Kogstrom 

 

[cel4145]

If you want multichannel surround sound output (5.1 or 7.1) from bluray, than you need to use HDMI out. Optical can do 5.1 lossy (such as DVD movie audio), but not lossless.

For 2 channel audio, a good USB DAC will work great.