Audiophile new to computer audio would like a little advice

[drag]

I tend to agree....

You don't have to be rich or buy the nicest stuff to be a audiofile. It's just a enthusiest, that's all. They tend to do lots of research and learn electronics and the nature of sound waves and all that happy fun stuff. Going out and buying the best audio equipment doesn't make me a audiofile anymore then putting on black clothing and hiding throwing stars in my pocketd gives me a black-bet in ninjitsu.

Of course the tube in the motherboard is the stupidist thing I've ever seen.

 

[powerMarkymark]

Originally posted by: Brian48

Originally posted by: powerMarkymark
I've bought two Hercules Fortissmo III 7.1 cards and for the price (around $50.00 US!), can't be beaten (they have SPDIF outputs).

Only you neglected to mention that the Fortissimo is no longer supported or manufactured, and next to impossible to find new.

There are very easy to find here (in Montreal). Manufactured and supported by Hercules.

You can order online.

 

[Ken90630]

Thanks a lot, everyone. 🙂

I want to clarify something that WhackWhiteBoy, Quadophile and Drag kinda stated for me (that I may not have stated clearly enough in my original post): I've been a serious audiophile for many years, but simply don't have a lot of money to spend on this computer's sound at this time. So I was merely posting to see if what I'd like to achieve can, in fact, be achieved within my budget. If so, great; if not, then I'll get the best equipment I can afford right now and if it falls a bit short of "audiophile" grade, so be it. I don't need the best sound known to man; just high quality sound without the multiple channels and effects that gamers use/need.

I also just realized I shoulda clarified something else. I'd like to have reasonably decent computer speakers (2.1) for most of the listening I'll do in my home office, but the reason I wanted RCA output capability is that I'd like the option of running the sound card output into my (component) stereo receiver to record Web radio if I want to (with my Yamaha component cassette deck). I'd also like the option of running the card output to a mini-component audio system I have here in my office (which would, of course, bypass the separate computer speakers whenever doing so). This was the method to my madness. 😀

Your budget is no good for this. Why even use a computer if this is all you want to do?

Because Web radio is only available via my computer at this time. 🙂

Based on some of the interesting comments here, I'm gonna rethink things a bit and do some research on some of the products mentioned. Looks like I'm gonna be busy this evening.

Thanks, all. If anyone else would like to chime in, feel free.

 

[powerMarkymark]

The Hercules line of sound cards all support RCA output capability.

Mark

 

[screw3d]

You should seriously consider a pair of good headphones. For your budget, you can get quite a kick-ass pair! Head over to http://www.head-fi.org/

 

[Quadophile]

Turtle Beach sound cards are great and they tend to satisfy the bug in an audiophile more than what a Creative sound card would. Hercules and Philips are other two good brands that I had considered in the past when I was in the market for a sound card under $100. I had a $1,000 spare to spend at that time and I could have gone on to buy a sound card with "bells and whistles" so to say, but, decided it was not worth spending that much on the computer for sound (which never seem to come out in one piece from computer anyway). I spent the balance on MIT Interconnects and upgraded my main system. Money well spent and no regrets.

 

[Quadophile]

Originally posted by: screw3d
You should seriously consider a pair of good headphones. For your budget, you can get quite a kick-ass pair! Head over to http://www.head-fi.org/

May I ask what you would recommend in terms of headphones which would be so called "a kick-ass pair"?

 

[Ken90630]

I don't wanna use headphones for this set-up. My computer is in my office, and I need to be able to hear the phone ring and also hear people talking and such without having to lift headphones off of my head a hundred times a day. 😀

But thanks for the thought. I do use headphones sometimes with my main stereo components. It's a nice way to tune in the music and tune out the rest of the world.

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

i'd say for your budget get the M-Audio 7.1 and the Creative Inspire T7700.

 

[SickBeast]

This might sound stupid, but why can't you use the SPDIF output of any NF2 motherboard w/ SoundStorm?

 

[konakona]

Originally posted by: Ken90630
I don't wanna use headphones for this set-up. My computer is in my office, and I need to be able to hear the phone ring and also hear people talking and such without having to lift headphones off of my head a hundred times a day. 😀

But thanks for the thought. I do use headphones sometimes with my main stereo components. It's a nice way to tune in the music and tune out the rest of the world.

i dont have any trouble hearing the phone ring thru my hd-580. just get a open cans and you could hear everything at moderate volume levels (or just hit the pause button when you wanna talk to ppl or something)

for combined total of $225, grab a chaintech av-710 for $23shipped, a used pair of hd-580 for about $120 and a DIY amp like a PIMETA for $150 or less for used ones. this will bring ANY multimedia system down to its knees 🙂

 

[thatsright]

For Ken90603:

Heres a suggestion Chief: You said your budget is $100 for AudCard and $125 or so for speakers. DUDE, you can still get the Klipsch Pro Media 2.1's. I have them, and they actually rival my $1200 Monitor Audio home theater main speakers (of course not in overall sound 'coverage'). If you do a bit of budgeting, you can get what your looking for, even if you have to pay full retail for the PM 2.1's

For your PC audio needs, everyone says 'just get the Audigy 2 ZS' which is what I have, but for you is slight overkill. Here are the two scenarios I'm thinking of; JUST get the 'Ole Audigy 2, not the ZS version. You could get a new one for retail for about $70 or so, or get one on eBay for about $50. You will still get the 24Bit/96k your looking for, without the Multi-Channel-Madness of the ZS.

So once you get the A2 card then you'll have about $150-175 left over for your speakers. And then you can, ne you should, get the ProMedia 2.1's. They KICK ASS!!!. And if you're going to use Headphones, then there is a jack on the right side of the control pod.

If you can do it then go for it.

 

[Quadophile]

I knew someone would come up with the idea of using the HD580's, I was just waiting for that! HD 580's CANNOT work due to it's 300 Ohm impedence into the speaker socket of any audio card which basically are rated for 32 Ohms. Sure they will play but you get something like 10 percent of its true potentiial, sure waste of money. Just because someone can afford it it does not mean you pair it with a $100 card. HD 580 are high-end audiophile headphones at a fraction of high end prices. Probably the best in its price category when it was released back in 1996 or so at a price of $350. Just because today you can get it for $100 it does not mean you connect it to a $100 card. The specs have not changed over the years its only the price which has gone down.

Please don't tell audiophiles where to buy their headphones from! We all have bought our headphones from headfi.org at one time or another. Its nothing new.

I have the HD-580 and never use it on the sound card which is an Audigy. Sounds horribly anaemic!

 

[Nebor]

I'm gonna have to agree with thatsright and say get an Audigy 2. You'll get pretty good music, you'll get digital out, should you ever need, and you can just use a y cable splitter to do analog out to your reciever. Team that up w/ Klipsch PM 2.1s or Creative Megaworks 250Ds and you're set.

 

[Dman877]

Try this site

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Dman877
Try this site

Try the forums of that site. The actual site has been dead for... more than a year?

 

[screw3d]

Originally posted by: Quadophile

Originally posted by: screw3d
You should seriously consider a pair of good headphones. For your budget, you can get quite a kick-ass pair! Head over to http://www.head-fi.org/

May I ask what you would recommend in terms of headphones which would be so called "a kick-ass pair"?

For about $100, you can get the Audio Technica ATH-A500 (I have one) which can be easily driven by any sound card. There are a few more choices that the folks at Head-fi would be able to recommend, depending on your preference.

 

[screw3d]

Originally posted by: Ken90630
I don't wanna use headphones for this set-up. My computer is in my office, and I need to be able to hear the phone ring and also hear people talking and such without having to lift headphones off of my head a hundred times a day. 😀

But thanks for the thought. I do use headphones sometimes with my main stereo components. It's a nice way to tune in the music and tune out the rest of the world.

If you get a pair of open phones, you can still hear everything around you even at reasonably loud levels

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: Dman877
Try this site

Try the forums of that site. The actual site has been dead for... more than a year?

Not so, the page was last updated on May 30th. It sure did load slowly though.

I remember back when 3DSoundSurge was a thriving site. It's too bad there is so little going on in the PC audio world. 🙁

 

[CSMR]

Originally posted by: Nebor
I'm gonna have to agree with thatsright and say get an Audigy 2. You'll get pretty good music, you'll get digital out, should you ever need, and you can just use a y cable splitter to do analog out to your reciever. Team that up w/ Klipsch PM 2.1s or Creative Megaworks 250Ds and you're set.

I'd be surprised if that's worth it, because:
1. You're paying for 6.1 output unnecessarily
2. Buyers of the card are looking for 6.1 output, so are likely to be gamers rather than audiophiles (of course, they could be DVD-A collecters, but I think not) - creative therefore has no incentive to create an audiophile card
3. Creative's cards are generally not at the quality of M-audio or terratec, and most resample both line out and digital out - including the audigy 2 I think.

I don't have personal experience of the audigy 2 however.

 

[konakona]

Originally posted by: Quadophile
I knew someone would come up with the idea of using the HD580's, I was just waiting for that! HD 580's CANNOT work due to it's 300 Ohm impedence into the speaker socket of any audio card which basically are rated for 32 Ohms. Sure they will play but you get something like 10 percent of its true potentiial, sure waste of money. Just because someone can afford it it does not mean you pair it with a $100 card. HD 580 are high-end audiophile headphones at a fraction of high end prices. Probably the best in its price category when it was released back in 1996 or so at a price of $350. Just because today you can get it for $100 it does not mean you connect it to a $100 card. The specs have not changed over the years its only the price which has gone down.

Please don't tell audiophiles where to buy their headphones from! We all have bought our headphones from headfi.org at one time or another. Its nothing new.

I have the HD-580 and never use it on the sound card which is an Audigy. Sounds horribly anaemic!

lol and i was waiting someone to skim thru my post without actually reading it. does PIMETA ring a bell? you have no respect for this great DIY amp so many audiophiles seem to be in love with? 🙂 audigy was never so hot for headpohone music listening.. as a head-fi visitor you should know what kinda reputation creative cards have over there...

seriously, you should get a decent amp. i love my hd-580s with my meta42, ZEN and gilmore v1. just to think of what you been missing >.< oh yeah i am getting a Piccolo DAC btw... fisher 400 will get here soon (still gotta work that out with my friend in NYC however)

 

[mcveigh]

speakers....i'm still deciding 🙁

via envy cards..m-audio revo is nice..but there seem to be probs using spdif. if you're not using spdif it's great(i have this) some people also have had a crackling sound ( i did w/ my card in a amd setup, I now have it in my intel HTPC)

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=29-120-103&amp;depa=0
chaintech's envy board uses the same chipset and has SPDIF optical output it's only $23.

 

[konakona]

if you do get the chaintech card make sure you use the 'high sample rate 2channel' mode, otherwise you wouldnt be using the high quality wolfson DAC. by doing so you are losing some analog functionality, nothing an audiophile could care less about tho 🙂

cmon people lets get real. the guy needs a speaker he could use at work, doubt he can crank it up all the way if he gets a klipsch. if you dont wanna go headphone route just get swan m200s, they wont dissapoint (klipschs are no match)

 

[Ken90630]

Well, I think I have a pretty wide cross-section of opinions &amp; info now from which to educate myself and make a good buying decision. Think I'm gonna take my time and digest all of this over the next few days, check out some more Web sites that some of you guys recommended, then buy some nice computer audio equipment! 😀

Gigathanks to you all for your time &amp; effort and for sharing your knowledge and experiences. I really appreciate it. 🙂

PS: It's a bit late in the game for me to be mentioning this, but I'll be running all this on an Asus A7N8X and Athlon 2600+ (Barton) set-up with 512MB of Corsair RAM and a Plextor or TDK CD-RW drive. Just mentioning this in case anyone knows of any driver or other compatibility issues with this set-up and any of the audio equipment mentioned in the thread.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: VanillaH
if you do get the chaintech card make sure you use the 'high sample rate 2channel' mode, otherwise you wouldnt be using the high quality wolfson DAC. by doing so you are losing some analog functionality, nothing an audiophile could care less about tho 🙂

cmon people lets get real. the guy needs a speaker he could use at work, doubt he can crank it up all the way if he gets a klipsch. if you dont wanna go headphone route just get swan m200s, they wont dissapoint (klipschs are no match)

The chaintech also requires some jumpers to be moved, I believe.

And I seriously doubt this guy is going to notice the difference between 48khz CDs and 44.1 khz CDs. Besides, even if he gets a card that doesn't do hardware remixing like the audigies, he's still going to have to wrestle with foobar and ASIO output to circumvent Kmixer with any othe rcard.