Oh, in case it was not clear from the original post: this cheap PC as a source is no slouch. It sounds almost (but not quite) as good as the transport in my Accuphase DP550; on the other hand, when comparing the CD with the streamed album in a higher resolution like 24/96, it becomes a matter of preference, maybe with a slight nod to the streaming.
Inexpensive but good sounding power supply (and hard drive) for PC audio?
Hello! I am about to replace my hard disk and power supply in my audio PC due to aging and I'm wondering if there's room for improvement (but without investing significant money) compared to what I'm currently using. Please advise me:
1. What power supply to buy? What to look for if I'm interested in sound quality on a ~ 150Euro budget: brand (I'm reading good things about Seasonic and Corsair), power (600W? 750W?), bronze vs. gold and so on?I know some people are raving about dedicated servers running on LPS and so on but I cannot afford the expense atm.
2. Can I expect a better or at least not worse sound after replacing the hard drive with a SSD? Any specific recommendation for a SSD?
My system consists of:
- a generic PC running Windows 10, used for streaming Tidal and Qobuz. It sports a WD Blue hard disk (no SSD), a cheap, generic power supply that costs about 10-15 Euro, I3-6100 processor @ 3.7GhZ, Asus B150M-K D3 motherboard and a Clearer Audio power cord (about 250 Euro) that, to my surprise, brought a significant improvement;
- much more expensive, "audiophile" audio components: Aurender DDC, Accuphase player / DAC and amplifier, Martin Logan hybrid electrostats
The reason for this disproportion between the cheap computer and expensive audio gear is that I've tried several "improvements" to the computer part and in the end I didn't prefer the result:
- a dedicated Lumin U1 Mini streamer. My PC was better to my ears (fuller, less sterile sounding)
- a Matrix PCI-USB card. Even when fed by an expensive Ferrum power supply, it was not a straight upgrade and overall I think I preferred the PC
- more expensive cables (power, USB, Ethernet) or DDC (Audio GD) that sounded worse
- a few Cisco switches, a better (Sotm) power supply for my router - sidegrades or downgrades
Thank you!
Showing 4 responses by donquichotte
Thank you both, very useful information! Unfortunately, some recent unfriendly financial events are severely limiting my budget for the time being (and for the foreseeable future). So the upgrade path suggested by @sns is not possible in my case. Luckily, I'm quite content with the sound of my system as it is. On the other hand, I'm very much aware that "everything matters" from the sound quality point of view, to a degree that many would deem ridiculous if I were to share some of my experiences, so I wouldn't cheap out on the computer / streamer side of the equation if it were by me.
I must admit though that the Lumin experience kinda killed my interest in a moderately expensive (2000-3000 euro) streamer anyway. I don't understand why the Lumin didn't destroy my PC in terms of sound quality. Also, a friend of mine has bought a Sotm streamer with the dedicated Sotm power supply and, well, it is nice but not groundbreaking if you're asking me (never heard it in my system).
I have tried the free version of Fidelizer today. I recognize it as a clear improvement, objectively speaking, but the tonal change (stronger upper bass) was not very welcome in my system. It's just not a good synergy to my current system (and taste, after all). By contrast, I didn't like Audirvana. Btw, I have found that synergy trumps "objective" quality most of the time, and to a degree I wouldn't have though possible. |
@mastering92 Thank you for your advice.
I would be very surprised to discover the power supply of my PC didn't matter for the sound. The power cord feeding the PC certainly did make a difference. And, counterintuitively, it made a difference even when I was taking the USB signal from the Matrix PCI-USB card powered by an external Ferrum Hypsos power supply! |