[Cyberjim]

I need some suggestions on how to get better sound out of my computer.

My current setup is:

Foobar resampling to 48khz -> Audigy 1 digital out (spdif) -> presonus cs -> sennheiser hd555

I ripped my CDs in FLAC using EAC. I noticed that my computer setup sounds worse then when I plug my HD555 in a Yamaha receiver + Yahama CD player that I have at home (dad's stereo).

What would you recommend? Upgrading my soundcard to go bitperfect? Keep in mind that I do play games occasionnaly but I guess I could work with two sound cards.

Looking for suggestions / help.

Thanks!

 

[mofonyx]

Squeezebox 3 in place of Audigy?

That eliminates all the computer noise that may be causing poor sound.

 

[HFat]

Your Presonus is highly regarded here. Your headphones aren't... so if you want better sound, I think it's safe to say that you should upgrade those. For a fraction of the price of the CS, you can get headphones which sound clearly better (depending on your tastes of course). Good luck finding something that sounds clearly better (as opposed to merely different) than your CS... if you think that receiver+CDP does, maybe you should try to determine what's the difference you're hearing: you might be able to replicate that pleasant sound with EQ or some other DSP. There might also be something wrong in your setup (encoding, computer configuration, defective hardware, whatever).

That said, it would make sense to use a second soundcard (or indeed a Squeezebox or some such) for practical reasons. Just about any decent non-resampling card with good drivers should do. If your CS is usually out of reach, you might also want a card which sports a nice volume knob.

 

[Cyberjim]

Thanks for the replies.

The receiver + CDP sounds clearer, better instrument separation and a cleaner background. I'm guessing this might be related to the 48khz resampling. Is it worth buying a X-FI xtrememusic vs keeping my audigy for games and buying a Chaintech AV710 for music?

Of course a headphone upgrade is the next step but I wanted to make sure I have a good source before upgrading. I think I'll be getting some Grado, probably sr225 since I listen to rock / metal mostly.

Thanks

 

[Cousin Patty]

If you're only an occasional gamer, I'd recommend the EMU 0404. I do a lot of gaming and it works with all the games that I play and it sounds good. There's no EAX or anything but I dont miss it at all.

 

[HFat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyberjim /img/forum/go_quote.gif The receiver + CDP sounds clearer, better instrument separation and a cleaner background. I'm guessing this might be related to the 48khz resampling.

I doubt it... configured correctly, foobar's resampling should be transparent. Here's what I'd do:
-make sure that these differences are objective with a blind test
-make sure that these differences aren't caused by some coloration or poor resolution of the the receiver+CDP by playing with EQ, lowpass, dropping the resolution, and so on
-make sure that everything is configured properly on the computer... you want make sure you're not killing the resolution with excessive digital attenuation, that there's no craptastic Creative DSP at work, and so on

Here's my personal experience: I've got a nice Korean flash player that sounds cleaner (IMO) than my "reference" gear. If I plug revealing headphones into it and play noisy recordings, I hear less noise than I do when plugging them into more powerful and more accurate gear. A lot of modern music featuring distorted guitars and such sounds more pleasant and more "coherent" to me on low-fi gear. Other people feel differently and I must say I'm enjoying noisy music on revealing gear more than I used to... maybe it's an acquired taste. On the other hand, maybe it's simply hearing loss.

 

[Cyberjim]

I'm bypassing the EQ on the receiver. In foobar the only dsp active is the resampler (48khz in ultra-mode) and I'm using the kernel streamer plugin, no EQ here. So if I get what you are saying, upgrading/changing my soundcard won't make much of a difference and I should look at upgrading my headphones?

 

[facelvega]

I don't know how much of an upgrade you'll be able to do from a Presonus Central Station, and I have to agree with the comments above that your weakest link by far is your headphone. And it may well be true that your rig is being held back by some configuration issue, but generally it doesn't surprise me that a midfi cdp sounds better than a more expensive dac. I wish I could get my computer to sound as good as my $20 vintage onkyo cdp, much less my rotel. So far no luck.

 

[Cyberjim]

I don't want to upgrade my presonus cs. I'm asking if I should upgrade my soundcard really.