Distroyed
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2003
- Posts
- 1,091
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Hi, all. I just ordered a Marantz SR5007 (http://www.amazon.com/Marantz-SR5007-Home-Theater-Receiver/dp/B0081N9180/) which I will be using to power some decent speakers and probably my Sennheiser HD580's as well (presuming Marantz still makes good built-in headphone amps). My goal is to use my PC as my source. I currently have an old Soundblaster (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102005) which appears to have an s/pdif out (as does my onboard mobo).
My goals include: 1) Decoding lossless music through a decent DAC and I'm not sure if the Marantz DAC is decent; 2) playing videogames with some version of EAX or whatever the current gaming decoders are these days so I can play with headphones or 5.1; and 3) 5.1 surround sound decoding capability for movies.
It it fine to just EAX and Dolby through the digital out and the Marantz DAC will work well enough? Would it be better to do so with a different soundcard? Or does EAX require conversion to analog, making an external DAC impossible? As much as I enjoy the audiophile hobby, I'm a firm believer in the "point of diminishing return" - I'm not interested in getting lost in the deep end for a change in sound that is 5% better for 5x the price.
My goals include: 1) Decoding lossless music through a decent DAC and I'm not sure if the Marantz DAC is decent; 2) playing videogames with some version of EAX or whatever the current gaming decoders are these days so I can play with headphones or 5.1; and 3) 5.1 surround sound decoding capability for movies.
It it fine to just EAX and Dolby through the digital out and the Marantz DAC will work well enough? Would it be better to do so with a different soundcard? Or does EAX require conversion to analog, making an external DAC impossible? As much as I enjoy the audiophile hobby, I'm a firm believer in the "point of diminishing return" - I'm not interested in getting lost in the deep end for a change in sound that is 5% better for 5x the price.
