[lofthanza]

I am running FLAC music through my laptop and my Galaxy S3 device. Comparing both, the S3 has a much cleaner sound output. My laptop generates noise with the music I am playing, especially when playing FLAC files. I use both VLC and Foobar 2000 to play music. Although Foobar generates less noise ( still noisy though) its sound signature isn't pleasant to me, it sounds muffles and congested. Now do you think buying an external DAC/AMP will help solving the problem? Something like the Fiio e17?

Thanks!

 

[NA Blur]

An external DAC will most certainly improve the sound just by isolating the signal from all of the power carriers within your PC.  The noise can completely go away with an external DAC.

 

[lofthanza]

Is it normal that there is a lot more noise when playing FLAC than when playing mp3 320? Shall I still blame the internal DAC in this case?

 

[NA Blur]

FLAC has more information present and is harder on your machine ( more memory use ).  I would expect the problem to exacerbate with larger file types.  This all does not take into account the fact that the internal DAC simply cannot handle FLAC depending on the encoding, bit rate, and bit depth.

 

[lofthanza]

That's good then! Any recommendations for a DAC/AMP that will sound better than both my devices, the S3 and the Iphone 4s? Something that costs less than $200, or preferably less than $150?

Thanks indeed! 

 

[NA Blur]

You can dig around here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/620775/the-sub-200-portable-amps-shootout-11-10-amps-compared/120
 
I used the Total Bithead for years.  The issue I have with it now is it is really antiquated technology and housing.  It is so susceptible to EMI that I cannot stand to listen to it when fed a signal from my iPod Touch.
 
Do you need it to be portable?

 

[lofthanza]

Thanks for the link sir.
and nope! Sound quality comes first, portability isn't an issue! I am using the ATH-M50s if you are familiar with them.
 

 

[flatmap]

It's my understanding that only a DAC which is certified by Apple will work with the iPhone.  Very much limits the options and increases price.
 
Since iPhone does not support FLAC natively, are you switching to ALAC?  

 

[lofthanza]

I am not gonna use it with iphone, I will use it only with the laptop and the S3. But I really want it to have better sound quality than the Iphone 4s, which I like better than the rest of my devices in sound quality.

 

[lofthanza]

Will the fiio e10 paired with my laptop provide better sound quality than my iphone 4s alone? I know my ath-m50s don't demand much amping. I think it will all come down to the dac chips used in the fiio e10 and the iphone 4s...

 

[lofthanza]

I hope someone is gonna answer this question, I have been trying to find an answer to it but so far I couldn't. The question is, do cheap DACs, like the Fiio e10, produce better (even a little better) sound quality when hooked up to a computer than do ipods and iphons alone? 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I hope someone is gonna answer this question, I have been trying to find an answer to it but so far I couldn't. The question is, do cheap DACs, like the Fiio e10, produce better (even a little better) sound quality when hooked up to a computer than do iPods and iPhons alone? 

I should really sound the same, assuming it's same audio file in each.

 

[flatmap]

Quote:

I hope someone is gonna answer this question, I have been trying to find an answer to it but so far I couldn't. The question is, do cheap DACs, like the Fiio e10, produce better (even a little better) sound quality when hooked up to a computer than do ipods and iphons alone? 

Not familiar with the (very popular) Fiio e10, unfortunately.
 
But I think no way to give a categorical answer, there are so many differences in implementation.  
A digital music player is equipped with a DAC circuit and downstream amp which delivers the sound to
your headphones.  Likewise your computer has a built in DAC and amp circuit to drive its headphone out.
So even baseline performance between different computers can vary.  My computer at work has tons
of noise.  My computer at home is pretty quiet.
 
So if you go with an outboard USB DAC this packages up both a USB interface and DAC circuit.  Individual
DAC chips themselves have different strengths and the USB interface can be implemented differently.  
Likewise for the downstream amplification circuit.  So many variables here.  
 
I know this isn't quite what you're looking for, but each outboard USB+DAC+Amp implementation can
bring different sonic qualities to the mix.  IME.

 

[qbroid]

the current noise from computers such as laptop cannot be easily isolated. I have a usb interface that use external linear DC power supply to isolate the usb 5V pin from computer and the only physical connection is the two usb singal pin. The noise is still there.

 

[lofthanza]

So in which price range should I expect external DACs to outperform ipods and iphones?