I ran a laptop to a Schiit Bifrost. I started with a printer cable. Then an Audioquest Cinnamon and then a Cardas Clear. The cable made a huge difference. I then switched to a Schiit Yiggy and the laptop. Finally added a Project streamer. Everything makes a difference, but the cable was a big difference especially at your price point. Also try to go with a separate dac.
DAC suggestion for PC
Need some help deciding on which DAC to use with a few changes I will be making for my PC audio setup. Currently I am using a iFi Audio Zen DAC v2 connected by USB (and a Fosi Audio Tube amp). Right now I am using some PSB Image bookshelves (but I'll be changing these as well) and a Velodyne Subwoofer.
The change I will be making, is I'm looking at changing my amp to a used Cambridge Audio CXA61 which has its own DAC. The Cambridge has the ESS Sabre ES9010 DAC model. If this isn't a better DAC, then I'll look at the Cambridge Audio AXR85 instead which doesnt come with a DAC instead and keep the zen dac.
My questions are the following:
1. Is the CXA61 dac better than the Zen DAC v2? It would be nice to eliminate an extra piece of equipment.
2. Might be a bit out of my budget, but how much of an upgrade would the CXA81 with the ESS Sabre ES9016 DAC be? Is it worth paying the extra?
From what I understand, the model of the DAC alone doesnt tell the whole story, but how the unit is built and setup around it that also matters. Hence why I am looking for some feedback as Ive never compared or auditioned them with an A/B comparison. Thanks
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@lanx0003 - I should rephrase my statement by saying, "and finally went to a higher quality USB cable". I am using an Audio Quest Carbon USB-A to USB-B cable. There are certainly higher quality cables than what I'm using, so my apologies for the poor phrasing. Each step up in USB cables made a difference for me. |
@milpai Correct I am using directly from my PC, sitting in front of the screen. I should have mentioned from the beginning, this is my office desk setup. Fidelizer could be very interesting. What about using the Roon app on pc, does that help any? |
Got it @skads_187 . I am not sure if Roon lets you control Tidal's app on the Desktop PC. I understand that most people use Roon to stream Tidal/Qobuz directly to the DAC/Streamer. But since you access the PC directly, I don't think you need any "control/connect" software. You can control the app directly on the PC. Since I sit away from the server and want to control Foobar2000, I use MonkeyMote on a tablet and control the Foobar playback. The audio server is directly connected to the DAC using USB. So I have o need for Roon. Try the free Fidelizer and see if you benefit from it. |
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