GuyDebord;257896 Wrote: > ...for any studio, the soundcard is just a piece of the system... > Typical computer power supplies are not really made for audio > reproduction nor any of its internal components... professional studios > that I know utilize OUTBOARD clocks, buffers, regulators and > converters... that are very different than our comparatively simple > Hi-Fi systems and generally require a much greater engineering and > monetary investment... a computer-soundcard combo wont do the trick as > well as a good Hi-Fi d/a converter and player (i.e. Transporter)...
GuyDebord, not being confrontational (I promise) but want to make sure we're following each other here: It seems you are saying (I'm simplifying) that an audio source good enough to be a vital link in a more complex professional studio music production system, couldn't also be just as excellent in a simpler home stereo music reproduction system. Which doesn't make sense to me(?) but perhaps I'm missing something. Yes in fact I have built computers for a very long time (much longer than my interest in high quality stereo) and I'm very familiar with all the usual suspect, and also very reasonable sounding, concerns with PC-as-source that you've mentioned. However I've also often skeptically read pro-audio users reporting that those concerns are primarily a myth and don't prove to actually be real-world concerns at all - but as an experienced computer builder, I always simply assumed the arguments and perspective of the side you've described. However now that I've actually (and finally) tried it, I am very pleasantly surprised to find that those PC-as-source worries really aren't issues after all, when using a genuinely top-notch soundcard. Obviously this presumes the PC is otherwise well assembled and solid, which is reasonable to assume (in my view). My most recent 3 configs tested included Transporter analog direct (which sounds fantastic btw), Transporter feeding an L22 card with AES/EBU, and SB3 feeding an L22 card with S/PDIF. The last two configs including the L22 card, were to us very clearly the best (this is *obviously* an entirely subjective conclusion), and these last two configs were also virtually indistinguishable sonically, to the ears of my wife and I - so naturally, the SB3/L22 combo currently gets our personal pick. I would never have anticipated this outcome, had I not actually tried it myself - especially since it involves an S/PDIF conversion which I was previously happy to avoid. However, hearing is believing for me, even if in this case it deviates so strongly from my expectations. Hope you might get a chance to try it out too - and thanks for your wish for good luck. :) -- NewBuyer ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NewBuyer's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=7862 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=42020 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
