Thread: Current "preferred audio setup"?

What is good to me may not be good to you.
Personally, I use onboard sound and am very happy with it. Others prefer a more audiophile setup.
I suggest at least trying the onboad sound to see if it is adequate for you and your tastes. If no, then look into another setup.

And as far as I know SPDIF to a DAC is a very good solution.

You mean SPDIF > DAC > Amp? Or what about just getting an amp with SPDIF in and a motherboard that has SPDIF out?

They have amps now that have SPDIF in?? Doesn't it seem like that would be a good way to go? How would you control fade/balance/sub volume like that?

I was thinking SPDIF > DAC > AMP but as I look around, I don't see any DACs that support 5.1 for the car. Yes, I just threw that in there - I'd like 5.1

My first thought was to just use a good 5.1 sound card and break out to RCAs - then I'd have front/rear Center/Sub but I just don't want to go through all this to be dissapointed in the sound quality.

I am trying to decide between just getting a Kenwood DD HU or building a PC. I've been in IT for years, and am a tech geek, so the PC appeals to me, but I wouldn't do it "just" to do it if I had to give up a lot of flexability over an HU.

Thanks for the help guys.
Jeff

http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/prod...egory=MULTI-CH

Can you actually hear the difference between a high quality DAC using RCA out and pure digital SPDIF? Especially in the car where you have to deal with road noise and such.

I don't know. I have a bad habit of over-doing stuff though. I hate doing things twice.

That Alpine unit looks pretty nice but it's not cheap and I would still need to buy the $250 controller to be able to change anything on the fly. That makes for an $800 add-on and an extra in-dash piece just to get 5.1.

From these answers (which I appreciate!) spawn more questions

1 - By going out of my way to buy the above Alpine processor to achieve surround - am I shooting myself in the foot in anyway as far as quality music playback is concerned?

2 - Is digital out of a soundcard/MB purely 1s and 0s? I mean, at that point, has it been processed at all? If I was going to buy an expensive processor like this Alpine, it seems like I would want an unmodified signal going to it to begin with, or whats the point, right?

3 - Basically, any frontend that I use will only control the volume then, right? I'd do the rest from the controller/processor?

Thanks
Jeff

Are my posts being moderated? I posted earlier and it never showed up.

I'll try to remember what I typed..

The Alpine processor above looks nice but I have to get a controller as well and the prices really add up. I'd like to avoid the extra piece of equipment (controller) in the dash as well.

Still - IF I went with the Alpine setup above, do current frontends allow fade/balance/volume control of the SPDIF out? Could I get away from the Alipine controller or would that defeat part of the advantage to having the Alpine processor? Also, will the digital audio exiting the SPDIF already have been processed somehow or can you get a "raw" signal?

Thanks guys - just trying to make sure I've got my thinking straight before I throw some $ at this thing

yes Jeff, you post was moderated, but has now been approved. You may have a word in there that the filter picked up on.