Complete audio idiot question(s)

[flint338]

Hi all.. I've basically just been running headphones-into-soundcard (cheap pair of Phillips cans), but I'm tired of changing the volume within windows, and I'd honestly like a better sound experence.

So.. what's the deal with optical outs, digital sound, etc? I'd probably want to get some kind of a stereo/amp and plug my headphones (looking into getting some nicer Sennheiser's). I'm using a SB live POS soundcard from years ago, but my ds3 mobo has HD audio -- how do I use it? It kinda sounds shitty with just the headphones plugged into it.

Basically I need some ideas on how digital sound works and what kind of stereo amps/recievers/whatever I should get. I need to have an output from my main computer (obviously) and then an input for a pair of composite (L/R RCA-style) coming from my tuner box. I'd also really like to have my second and third computers going to the same amp, although I'm not sure if that's possible.

As far as speakers, I've got a decent 4.1 setup here, old style speaker wires going into an ancient stereo, I'd like to keep the speakers but ditch this 70's POS.

Help!

TIA.

 

[rcf1987]

Well

1. what headphones you gettin if there the nicer sennheisers than ya amps usually help

2. To use onboard audio remove your sound card and then go into the bios there should be an option to turn it on.

3. Unless your gettin really high end cans you can't get digital, analog is still good

4. For a good music expierence I'd look into gettin a x-fi music card.

 

[flint338]

Well

1. what headphones you gettin if there the nicer sennheisers than ya amps usually help

2. To use onboard audio remove your sound card and then go into the bios there should be an option to turn it on.

3. Unless your gettin really high end cans you can't get digital, analog is still good

4. For a good music expierence I'd look into gettin a x-fi music card.

Probably some HD-280's. The problem seems that the onboard is "scratchy", almost like there is noise coming from something else. I was hoping going totally digital would solve this.. so how do I do that with an amp..? Any recommendations on one to actually get?

I was looking into an x-fi, but I'd rather try using this onboard hd because I'd need an amp either way.

 

[rcf1987]

Well the scratchiness is the price you pay for using onboard. The HD-280 are analog so you can't use digital out. They would also benefit from having an amp, which may help your scratchiness. So I would research a good amp for the hd-280s since I don't know much about them. A forum member by the name of MisterX builds amps so you could send him a PM and ask. For now keep the sound card even if it is an old SB Live! card. When you get the new cans see if the scratchiness goes away and go from there.

 

[phide]

So.. what's the deal with optical outs, digital sound, etc? ...Basically I need some ideas on how digital sound works and what kind of stereo amps/recievers/whatever I should get.

Well, I have a beer and some time, so I'll give you a brief explanation.

Essentially, the analog output of digital audio begins its path at a digital-to-analog converter, is converted into variances in voltage (which represents the acoustic waveform) and amplified to a nominal level called line level (-10dBV for consumer components) via a preamplifier stage. All sound cards have one or more DACs and preamplifier stages, as do on-board sound chipsets and modern stereo/HT receivers. Stand-alone DACs, typically with USB or digital optical (essentially a fiber optic cable) inputs, can be used to bypass the components of an objectionable sound card.

After this point, you need a headphone amplifier. There are probably a thousand options here for every conceivable budget, from solid state to tube (and more).

On-board sound is totally adequate if you bypass the physical components of it. By using an external DAC/preamplifer, you negate the need for these noisy, poor-quality components. You can also upgrade to a better sound card, but if headphone usage is your main aim, you're probably just as well with an external preamp. It's also possible to route the output of the DAC to a stereo/home theater receiver, as headphone amps in these units are generally decent.

The problem with digital transmission for us is that we're limited to stereo unless we can encode the source into a multi-channel format like Dolby Digital or DTS. There is hardware that can do this, but, generally, most of the hardware that exists that can do this have other shortcomings. Pound for pound, it's better to utilize the good analog components of a good sound card as this minimizes expense and complication.

My recommendation is to buy a good sound card to pair with the HD-280s if you're on a budget. They're very low impedance cans, and don't require a great deal of power to drive. From what I've been told, the headphone amplifier integrated into most X-Fi cards is rather decent. You can certainly do better, but one of the better X-Fis is a good place to start.