The cheap route

Aug 3, 2004 at 3:48 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 15
acidtripwow

acidtripwow

Headphoneus Supremus
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I've never been a big fan of MP3s after listening to a friend's Archos MP3 player. I thought the sound was horrible. I did download some MP3 files from unknown bands back when it was ok to do so. Most of those were encoded at 128k or less so the quality was lacking. Then I heard about EAC/Lame so I started using it. It was ok but kind of hard to work with if you're a novice. Then I got a CD burner that came with Liquid Player. It sounded pretty good but always gave me errors on startup on my 2000 box. And I found it is no longer supported so I started looking for a new player. I tried a few including Winamp, Windows Media Player, and MusicMatch. MusicMatch was the better of the 3 I thought but I never really cared for the GUI. The newest MusicMatch has a better GUI. I do like the recorder in MusicMatch. I can't tell the difference between it and Lame. So I started using it to record at 160K. I think 160K is fine for non-critical listening on a PC. I recently downloaded iTunes for PC and think it's a great player. I really like the GUI and especially like the equalizer. With the equalizer I can really tailor the sound to my liking. I enjoy the visualizer too. Set it for full sceen and enjoy your favorite beverage or whatever you're in to.
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So I don't use expensive headphones, amps, sources, or cables anymore. Been there done that. I find I'm on the PC a lot of time so why not use it as my source for enjoying music. I went the cheap route and really like it. Below is my current set up now.

PC - Compaq Deskpro EN that I got free from a friend. It has an Intel PIII 1Ghz CPU with 256 RAM, 60 GB HD, SBLive soundcard that I got for $10 used with KX audio drivers - the KX Project GUI is the hardest thing to figure out for a novice. I have added the HD, a Pioneer DVD ROM drive and a Plexwriter 48/24/48A burner.

iTunes - great audio player with equalizer

MusicMatch - I use it to record MP3s at 160K

Mini Meta with AD823 op-amp - I really like the 823 op-amp - it rocks!

Headphones - Maxell HP-2000 - this is a damn good headphone for $25

Speakers - Sony SRS-Z500 with Radio Shack sub

Cheap Monster and Radio Shack cables
 
Aug 3, 2004 at 5:36 PM Post #4 of 15
Psst, shell out $25 for a Chaintech AV-710 sound card
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Aug 3, 2004 at 8:59 PM Post #7 of 15
I used to use MusicMatch Jukebox to encode my mp3's like yourself... and then found Exact Audio Copy! Use it with LAME and it's a heck of a lot better than MMJ!!!
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Save yourself the hassle and move over to it now!! And EAC is free!!
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Aug 3, 2004 at 10:51 PM Post #9 of 15
Yeah, I read some posts where people think that the SBLive was not that good. To me it's good enough for my needs. I listen to the music and not the equipment anymore. I used to be an audio snob and had the $1000 SACD player, the $800 headphones, the $1200 headphone amp, the $700 DAC, all connected with a set of $800 cables. Yeah, it could sound good but I found that I never did that much critical listening so I got rid of it all. Now, I just enjoy the music and forget about the equipment.
 
Aug 3, 2004 at 11:57 PM Post #11 of 15
But seriously, using the SB Live is like using a Sony V-150... it's that bad. And $25 isn't really all that much, and you may even notice an increase in the enjoyment of your rig (and if not send it back or resell it).
 
Aug 4, 2004 at 12:59 AM Post #12 of 15
Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Radar
But seriously, using the SB Live is like using a Sony V-150... it's that bad. And $25 isn't really all that much, and you may even notice an increase in the enjoyment of your rig (and if not send it back or resell it).


No Mr.Radar, he has been to the expensive side of headphone/amp/source and didn't like it, and therefore the PENDULUM MUST SWING TO THE CHEAP SIDE OF HEADPHONE AUDIO!!!
 
Aug 4, 2004 at 1:35 AM Post #14 of 15
As far as cheap setups go, it's possible to do better for less money. My vote would be for:

Sound card: Chaintech AV-710

Headphones: Koss KSC-35

Amp: None (a Meta isn't worth the money here)

Speakers: Any Logitech or similar 2 channel speaker+sub combo from a few years ago, available for $25 or less these days on eBay

Cables: None (except for the cables that come with the speakers)

The total cost here is under $70. I could easily live with this setup.
 
Aug 4, 2004 at 8:20 PM Post #15 of 15
Quote:

Originally Posted by Distroyed
Cmon guys, acidtrip is just yanking everyone's chain
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I just checked out his profile. There's no way he could've gotten rid of all that expensive equipment without someone noticing.
 
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