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New Soundcard/Amp??

T

tekknen

n00b
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
22
Building a new pooter, need a soundcard recommendation. I do a bit of gaming, typically with headphones so 5.1/7.1 isn't too important although it seems like a common feature. I do have a Klipsch Promedia 5.1 system but I typically use a funky plug to rca from my computer to a Denon PMA-500v.

The Denon currently pushes a pair of RF-82's which are fantastic for musical purposes. The RCA adapter shenanigans is not... Can anybody make a solid recommendation for a soundcard and method to power my floor speakers from my machine? Will I need to replace the Denon with a newer more sophisticated unit?

As always, all help is appreciated.
 
Fricking 1986 integrated amp. :eek:

Well, you could always tell the sound card to shove off, do your output from the computer over S/PDIF, and get the Zero or some other DAC. I think the Zero does RCA line-out natively, so no adapter. Practically, it's a headphone amp, so you might find a more appropriate part...but with something like the Denon & RF-82s downstream, an internal sound card has a high likelihood of being the limiting factor on your system (provided you're not doing anything odd like using low-bitrate MP3s or something).

I don't see any reason to replace the Denon, but I'm having trouble finding detailed data too on account of the age.
 
Yeah, the amp is ancient my grandfather bought it the year I was born (lol) but it sounds really nice and has plenty of power.

If I don't use a soundcard and go with the SPDIF/DAC would it be best to use my headphones through the amp or through the computer?

What other configuration options do I have assuming I keep only the RF-82's?
 
If headphones are a factor, I would absolutely take a look at the Zero. It will serve as a DAC to the Denon's amp for the speakers, and give you a direct DAC/amp for the headphones. There's even a toggle on it to switch modes, so there should be no need to unplug the headphones if you don't want to. They're $150+/-, and probably the best option in that price range without whipping out a soldering iron.

Unless your headphones are total crap, you don't usually want to hook them up directly to the computer if you can avoid it.

Here, some light reading:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/review-zero-24-bit-192khz-dac-headphone-amp-pre-amp-269458/

If there's anything particular about it that doesn't suit you, it will at least give us a clearer idea where to go next.
 
I typically use a pair of Grados SR225's. Not the best in the world but certainly not crap.

After reading that article it sounds like, if nothing else, that unit is worth a try. Any recommended vendors?
 
Unfortunately, the only guy importing it only sells on eBay. But it's popular enough to be fairly confident in not getting shafted (more so if you use usual precautions like Paypal to a verified address).

If you get the Zero and the Denon has a headphone jack, there's a "bird in the hand" case in play. The Zero is more convenient since it can switch without having to plug things in, and small enough to be on the desk and thus make cabling less of a mess...but try both to see if there's a major SQ difference.
 
From what I have read, I would also recommend the Zero, I haven't heard one yet, but I just ordered one last Friday and its on the way to me from China, so I'll be able to say what it sounds like soon :D
I'm going to ditch my X-Fi and use the digital out from the onboard sound, and then run from the rca outs on the zero to my preamp, and also run my cans from the zero headphone amp.

There are about 4 or 5 different sellers on ebay, I bought from Casque_hifi, and if you go to there own page not on ebay, you can get a Zero for $149 shipped, which was cheaper than any of the other prices on ebay. Don't know if they are a good seller so not an endorsement or anything, but the price was good and they had good feedback. They said 5-7 days to get to me in Minnesota.
 
Casque_hifi is actually a French company with a Chinese branch. They are cool. I have bought a Darkvoice 332 from them before. No issues.
 
That's good to know. I was looking at Gigawork for $156. I have to wait for money to transfer to Paypal....

Let me know what it looks like when you get it, maybe I will swap sellers.
 
The Zero has been ordered. Do any of you use any special cables or is the radio shack special just as great??
 
Monoprice is generally a cheap option for cables.

There's not any real magic to cables. All copper wire is made from copper. So the "Monster" premium is not really worth it, but it would be nice to find something of decent gauge and possibly with a bit of shielding - in lieu of some of the flimsy stuff that comes bundled with various electronics.
 
The Zero can't DAC if you feed it analog input; you only get one digital-to-analog conversion, so the first component to do it trumps anybody downstream. But I think you were asking whether you should use S/PDIF over optical or S/PDIF over coax (which uses RCA plugs)? If so, the result of each is identical since both are digital transports. The deciding factors aren't audio ones...coax is easier to route, optical can travel farther without degradation and is immune to most interference.
 
My Zero was delivered today, and good thing it was double boxed because the outer box looked like it got ran over or stepped on a few times on the way over from China.
Luckily the inner box was in perfect shape though and everything was fine. I hooked it up right away with an optical cable and plugged in my Senn HD485 and I am very happy with it, sounds much better than the headphone out or stereo out on the back of the soundcard. Tried the analog out from the Zero to my speakers and it sounds great through those too. For the price it seems like an awesome little unit.
 
I missed the first delivery attempt yesterday... The thing got here much faster than I had expected.
 
tekknen said:
I missed the first delivery attempt yesterday... The thing got here much faster than I had expected.
Click to expand...

China either ships airmail which is about 3 days, or slow boat which is forever. Smaller items are generally airmail.
 
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