Lets talk about DACs!!!

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rg200amp

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So, Listening to music (320kbps) on my iPhone 5 sounds great.

However, I plugged my headphones into the new MacBook Pro and listened to the same music (iTunes) and it sounds SO MUCH BETTER! It's like night and day!

This got me thinking. . . .

If the DAC/AMP in the MacBook is so much better that the iPhone's; a stand alone "desktop" DAC/AMP might sound even better. . .

Anyone using dedicated DACs/Amps for their headphones?
 
Imagine what it would sound like if you heard music through a decent DAC instead of the ones built into a portable player or laptop!
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: cchase
Imagine what it would sound like if you heard music through a decent DAC instead of the ones built into a portable player or laptop!
smile.gif



That's what im thinking!!!!

And my Bose headphones are not ideal either.


I smell another $1000+ expense coming soon! lol
crazy2.gif
 
Audinst HUD mx1. Been using it for a few years on my desktop with a set of Belden cables hooked into JBL LSR2325 monitors. Sometimes I plug in my Audio Technica ATH-M50s. The DAC can run off USB power (for portability) but also has an AC adapter for driving bigger headphones. You can swap the internals yourself if you want, but the Wolfson WM8740 is pretty good already.

The NuForce ones seem to be very popular too.


Massive improvement over any internal card I've ever used, even the HT Omega Claro.
 
I've got a FiiO E9/E7 combo (one's a DAC and the other's a headphone amp with a dock for the DAC). It sounds good. However, you would hear more of a difference with lossless files (equivalent to a CD or better).
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: dparm
Audinst HUD mx1. Been using it for a few years on my desktop with a set of Belden cables hooked into JBL LSR2325 monitors. Sometimes I plug in my Audio Technica ATH-M50s. The DAC can run off USB power (for portability) but also has an AC adapter for driving bigger headphones. You can swap the internals yourself if you want, but the Wolfson WM8740 is pretty good already.

The NuForce ones seem to be very popular too.


Massive improvement over any internal card I've ever used, even the HT Omega Claro.


I think I am going to go with a set of M50s.

Are they really as great as they are raved to be?
 
I have a Skullcandy HESH headset. Before anyone knocks the brand, for $40 its the single best headset I've ever bought. Audio is perfect, loud, clear, the full size cones are natural noise-cancelling, bass response is good.

But you're right, most computers suck brutal, laptops especially it seems. The chipsets are usually designed to just "work" and are usually SoC systems that leave much to be desired.

The best sound card I've ever had still, bar none, is an old SoundBlaster Live! PCI card. However those are unique; they were designed with largely discreet components still and were heralded for ages as being the most phenomenal straight-up audio you could get.

Currently, haven't tried anything. I've been tempted to get a USB audio system though, the internal noise and pitiful response on my laptop with no ability to change it does get old when you wanna listen to tunes.
 
I run an MSB Nelson Link III with dedicated power supply at 192khz.

Was the music ripped at 320 or was it downgraded for space on the iPhone?
 
Originally Posted By: rg200amp


I think I am going to go with a set of M50s.

Are they really as great as they are raved to be?



I would say so, but everyone's ears are different so you should get what you think sounds best. For the money they're a strong performer all around.

I still prefer my Etymotics for most things.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I run an MSB Nelson Link III with dedicated power supply at 192khz.

Was the music ripped at 320 or was it downgraded for space on the iPhone?


Downgraded
 
If you guys are seriously gonna start argueing that 320kbps lossy compression is "inferior" and you can somehow tell the difference from it and a lossless source, sorry, but I plan to start laughing.

At any rate I hope you're ripping in AAC audio and not MP3's. AAC is a more modern and complex codec, so you get more bitrate-bang-for-your-buck. 256k or even 192k is probably more then enough to be completely indescernable in audio quality from even a lossless source.

Since this thread could quickly boil down into a self-masturbatory demonstration of "how expensive and better my hardware is" type of audiophile discussion I'm out.

But at any rate its nice to hear at least new Mac's have better audio then most PC's...which most are just boring Realtek "make noise" chips.
 
Mmmmmm I'm perfectly happy with the Realtek ALC892 integrated audio and Harman/Kardon Soundsticks III for speakers. And Logitech G930 wireless USB headset. I usually rip CDs in Highest quality VBR AAC.
 
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Originally Posted By: Nick R
Mmmmmm I'm perfectly happy with the Realtek ALC892 integrated audio and Harman/Kardon Soundsticks III for speakers. And Logitech G930 wireless USB headset. I usually rip CDs in Highest quality VBR AAC.


Going from Realtek to my XONAR was night and day difference.
 
I use an old NAD dvd changer as a transporter and an 707 Pro external DAC, which was only like $100 ...still made a difference (with some music) over the internal DAC of the NAD.
 
Originally Posted By: rg200amp
So, Listening to music (320kbps) on my iPhone 5 sounds great.

However, I plugged my headphones into the new MacBook Pro and listened to the same music (iTunes) and it sounds SO MUCH BETTER! It's like night and day!


You made a comment that the music on your iPhone was actually further compressed to save space. So, was it really "the same music" that you're comparing or not?

What was the music on the iPhone down-converted to (format and bit rate)? Obviously you will lose quality when transcoding from one lossy format to another and when reducing the bit rate. Some of this not even a good DAC can fix.

FYI, I often downconvert my 320 kbps MP3s into q0.40 AAC (about 128 kbps) when loading music onto my Android phone. I don't do any critical listening on it, but it still sounds pretty good to me. However, people with very sharp ears and audio purists would probably consider it blasphemy.
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: rg200amp
So, Listening to music (320kbps) on my iPhone 5 sounds great.

However, I plugged my headphones into the new MacBook Pro and listened to the same music (iTunes) and it sounds SO MUCH BETTER! It's like night and day!


You made a comment that the music on your iPhone was actually further compressed to save space. So, was it really "the same music" that you're comparing or not?

What was the music on the iPhone down-converted to (format and bit rate)? Obviously you will lose quality when transcoding from one lossy format to another and when reducing the bit rate. Some of this not even a good DAC can fix.

FYI, I often downconvert my 320 kbps MP3s into q0.40 AAC (about 128 kbps) when loading music onto my Android phone. I don't do any critical listening on it, but it still sounds pretty good to me. However, people with very sharp ears and audio purists would probably consider it blasphemy.
smile.gif



It was the same music files. 320 on the phone and MacBook.
 
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