2. pc-audio
  3. 1375540142

Computer audio, I am not convinced yet ......

I am extremely interested in using the computer (Mac or PC) as a source for a digital playback. It seems to be the right direction for modern digital playback, a good alternative to the age old CDP, has endless potential and most convenient. So, I got an EMM DAC2 (retail $10000) with USB input and connected it to an Windows laptop via USB. My preamp, amp, speakers and cables are also of very good quality. Played some track on my system from the PC (used Audacity software, a very good and high quality software for sound processing). In 2 minutes I had to turn it off. It is just mediocre sound compared to playing the same track through a $1000 CDP(Sony SCD XA5400ES). It is almost like listening to an internet-radio through my PC speakers. I was wondering what happened to my first rate sound system ? Later I replaced the Windows PC with a Linux based MacMini, hoping that I will get the result I wanted. But it did not improve much. I did not like the outcome. My listening experience with the computer set up was 4 minutes(2 with PC and 2 with Mac) total. Since then I have gone back to using the same old CDP. I think I blame on the USB interface for this failure. The USB interface has not come up to the state of the art of a modern CD player. I did not try other interfaces purposely. No High-Res, only 16bit/44.1 audio files. I dont listen to SACD. Fire Wire to USB, USB to SPDI/F, Fire wire to HDMI, Firewire to SPDI/F, and almost an infinite combinations of patch up ideas are out there. But I dont like a patch up solution nor do I like to compromise the sound in favor of convenience.

I have heard many audiophile friends changed to computer based playback system many years ago for good and they are happy too. But I am not convinced yet. I am eagerly waiting for computer audio to catch up. I am sure it is in the making but it still has to go quiet a long distance.

Your thoughts are most welcome.
topmostaudio

Showing 8 responses by cerrot

cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
I have the ESI Julie@ soundcard; didnt hear the asus -
I never heard of isolation being a benefit to USB; if anything, the 'isolation' creates its inherent problems.

USB was created to hook up peripherials, not to play muic.
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
Drubin - guys getting into PC audio are using USB as they don't know any better. Lots of misinformation and companys trying to make a sale. I think anyone who truly understands computers, busses, etc can easilly understand why USB is not proper for audio. The guys that have been running usb servers for a while now are going back to CD players. To me, that is abandoning USB.
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
I think anything other than an spdif out via a sound card is a LARGE reduction in sound quality. Why would we go through the abomination of converting a usb signal into high end audio when you can have sound card doing it natively? USB in music is like flying to sweden for a sex change. Why go through such a drastic conversion? (because they can sell it easilly to everyone! - Techno phobes need not be concerned)

Today, I am seeing more and more people abandoning (finally) USB. They gave us usb because it was idiot proof - every puter has one and the user didn't need to open up the box. Well, great things usually take some effort. My dealer actually laughs when we discuss USB as an interface. I laugh as well.
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
The puter is definitely susceptable to noise but it is much easier to deal with than the USB interface's susceptablity to crappy sound, jitter, and the rest. I added a nice power cord, richard grey power conditioner, shatki stone on top of the case and nice isolation feet. the puter has silent fans (for now) and is in the next room. It sounds awesome (but not as good as a VERY good CD payer into the same dac). I have heard the Ayer USB converter and th Berkeley and neither (to my ears) sound anywhere as good as the soundcard. I plan on building a caps server as well, but it will have a sound card. There truly is no practical explanation as to why you would not use a sound card, or at least try it first. Considerig the soundcardis $150 and the usb converter is $2,500, why not just try the sound card?
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
The alternative to usb is a good sound card. If you study the USB porotcal, you will find that it transmits data in packets - not streams. That is the inherent problem. No one on earth can dispute that the usb bus teransmits data in packets. A soundcard, via spdif (or PC via fire wire even) transmits data is a stream. USB IS JITTER! (why would you build a house on sand when you can build it on something firm?)

As for examples of listeners abandaning usb, I follow many forums online and if you pick thrugh to the engineers (take a peak at linkedin - places where guys arent trying to sell stuff) you will see what I mean.

It serves no advantage to me to preach against usb other than to save someone out there time and money and not give up on pc audio after a short time cause it sounds poor). Its just gotten silly. Just try the spdif out of a computer and w/o fumbling arond with drivers, clocks, asychronwastemytinestuff, it will just sound awesome.
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
Computer audio can(and does) sound awesome. I think dbpoweramp beats the pants off of EAC, in my set up.

I just did a ridiculous overhaul on my windows system (a very sophisticated cleaning & tweaking) and found a ton of malware issues (I do run antimalware-long story) and once the cleaning/tweaking over, the PC rig sounds even better than it was. PC Audio has many facets - the OS being bombarded with malware being one of them, I have now learned.
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
My issues with EAC were not sonic; I ripped a few hundred CD's and EAC didn't do as well as job with the meta data that I wanted. I re-ripped with dbPower and am thrilled, and am not looking back. EAC consistently missed a few tracks in the ripping process as well. Of course it could have been something in my PC, natch, but for $29 bucks, the headache is gone and I'm a ripping phool again.
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
My computer days are behind me. I no longer want to tweak things. I just want them to work.
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