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Audio Noob Question

T

tommygun124

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
177
Hi All,

I'm trying to upgrade my audio setup.. and I am thinking about the Audioengine a5+s, some swan T200bs, or maybe some passive speakers (Cambridge CS-30s, or similar and an amp.) I have an Asus Xonar DG soundcard.

My question is if I have this setup am I going to see a big benefit from a DAC or other equipment? Any advice for improving the setup on the cheap once I have speakers?
 
Get the Cambridge S30s and an amp, don't limit yourself to powered monitors.

I don't know how good the DAC is in the Xonar, but since it's a $200 soundcard I imagine it is pretty good. If you get passive speakers and a receiver you will also have the DAC available in that.

There are people that talk up the benefits of a super expensive DAC, I've never done a side by side comparison, so I can't comment. Probably something you should test out before you buy.
 
I have the cheap 30$ xonar, not the nice one. Are there any good small footprint amps that also have a dac?
 
Or is there any recommended midrange setup for passive speakers w amp/dac for desktop/near field listening?
 
matteos said:
Get the Cambridge S30s and an amp, don't limit yourself to powered monitors.

I don't know how good the DAC is in the Xonar, but since it's a $200 soundcard I imagine it is pretty good. If you get passive speakers and a receiver you will also have the DAC available in that.

There are people that talk up the benefits of a super expensive DAC, I've never done a side by side comparison, so I can't comment. Probably something you should test out before you buy.
Click to expand...

Super expensive DAC with 30 dollar desktop speakers is a mark of a true idiot. :)

Speakers define much of the quality.
 
Best upgrade in terms of gaming would be to get a better sound card like the Creative Z and something like this to keep the price under the cost for A5s. You can get the Creative Z later but I would personally get the Z first then the speakers.

Dayton Audio DTA-100a
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-383

BIC Formula FH-65B
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=303-434

Or cheaper but still good speakers

Dayton Audio B652
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-652

Either speaker gives decent bass by but adding a subwoofer later would really kick it up a notch.
 
Not looking for gaming quality. Just want some good 2.0 speakers. and need to know if I should get a new DAC or just use my Xonar DG and passive speakers like the S30s. What cheapish amps do people use for bookshelf speakers like these? I don't want a massive thing sitting on my desk.
 
B00nie said:
Super expensive DAC with 30 dollar desktop speakers is a mark of a true idiot. :)

Speakers define much of the quality.
Click to expand...

Yep. Speakers should take most of the budget... Myself, I'm going to vinyl, not buying anything new digital anymore. Sound of digital can't compete with my analog setup, and mine is nothing special.
 
tommygun124 said:
Not looking for gaming quality. Just want some good 2.0 speakers. and need to know if I should get a new DAC or just use my Xonar DG and passive speakers like the S30s. What cheapish amps do people use for bookshelf speakers like these? I don't want a massive thing sitting on my desk.
Click to expand...

Problem with audio is that as a pretty general rule bigger and heavier almost always means better. You can get a small amp but it is not going to be sound as good or play anywhere close to as loud as something bigger.

A T-amp and a DAC while taking up less room aren't going to sound as good or play as loud and clean as a real amp. If that's the trade off you want then fair enough. If it was me, I'd find the room somewhere. Although if you are only using the setup for near field listening you'd probably be fine with a T-amp, it'll be about as powerful as a normal set of computer speakers... Although it will give you the chance to upgrade incrementally if you go the route of T-amp and passive speakers.
 
The Dayton Audio DTA-100a is a small desktop amp. for 2.0 you really want 5 1/4" to 6 1/2" speakers for best results.

Now, a pair of Swans T200b would be a good sounding setup too. It should be for $870. You can do better for that money though.
 
tommygun124 said:
picked up a pair of cambridge s30s and a topping tp-20 amp... wondering if you guys have opinions on whether my xonar dg will be a limiting factor to good quality sound or not.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132020

Or if its worth picking up a usb dac?
Click to expand...

Depends on what you want. Yes you can improve the sound. How much $$ will determine how much the sound changes.

If it was me? I would consider this at the entry level $$ point.

HiFimeDIY Sabre USB DAC

http://hifimediy.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=62&product_id=83
 
matteos said:
Not trying to get too off topic, but yes. Screw digital.
Click to expand...

This is a computer audio forum, and the op was asking about sound from his pc. How are you going to get an analog signal from a pc?
There will have to be a conversion in the signal stream someplace.
 
Snufykat said:
This is a computer audio forum, and the op was asking about sound from his pc. How are you going to get an analog signal from a pc?
There will have to be a conversion in the signal stream someplace.
Click to expand...

I'm going way off topic, so I'm not going to answer your question as it will inevitably lead to other questions etc.
 
matteos said:
I'm going way off topic, so I'm not going to answer your question as it will inevitably lead to other questions etc.
Click to expand...

Or because given the parameters there is no answer.....
If it is sound from a pc it is already digital or has been.
From other sources sure but from a pc....
May be off topic but you have my curiosity now.
 
Last edited:
Well, you can get analog out with any DAC onboard the PC, soundcard, onboard etc...

You can get that vinyl sound through digital if you want too, plenty of vinyl rips out there or rip your own, advantages being greater dynamic range on most modern recordings due to the loudness war and all the other slight distortions that make vinyl pleasant to listen too..

It was digital vinyl rips that got me into vinyl, I used to have some vinyl when I was a teenager and I played it on a crappy all in one system where it sounded bad... After hearing some of the vinyl rips out there as digital files, one's that were ripped on really good equipment I realised that was the direction I wanted to head in. But obviously having the actual album in hand is more of an enjoyable experience than having a digital copy of it. The albums I did get I already owned on CD and did so for comparative purposes, I have since then bought the actual vinyl.

If you compare some of the stuff out there, the original digital file such as a CD or MP3... There's no way it should sound worse than a digital copy of a vinyl album, but the mastering for digital sucks now, everything is clipped or compressed, you can't do that with vinyl because the needle will jump out of the groove. It is the physical limitations of the format that ironically make it superior. If you compare lets say RHCP - Californication on vinyl vs cd you will understand what I mean. They just screwed it up on digital I can't even listen to it anymore it's so obviously distorted which is a shame because it's a great album. Having said that the distortion is not that noticeable on a pair of cheap ass headphones which is what things are mastered for now.

And no DAC, I don't care how expensive it is can make up for what is lost in the mastering, a clipped and compressed digital file is still going to sound like crap no matter what you put it through.

You see how far off topic I've gone, lol.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the feedback, ending up picking up the $50 HiFiMeDIY DAC along with the cambridge s30s and the topping tp-20 amp.
 
tommygun124 said:
Thanks for the feedback, ending up picking up the $50 HiFiMeDIY DAC along with the cambridge s30s and the topping tp-20 amp.
Click to expand...

That should sound great for normal to fairly loud listening. Just understand that if you crank it, there will probably be clipping aka distortion.
 
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