Pxa-H701 vs Audiophile 192

**igo88** · 05-17-2011, 11:47 PM

Hi...i am relatively new to audio car...but i have been reading a lot the last month.

I have one doubt that i couldn't find the answer....i am planning to build a car pc...and i dont know if it would be better to do the DAC on a sound card (perhaps AudioPhile 192) or on a processor like PXA-H701...

in the case of the processor i would connect my car pc via toslink, and then to the amps...

Thanks in advance...

**PhilG** · 05-18-2011, 07:27 AM

I can only speak for the H701, I am extremely happy with the results. One of the big advantages is being able to locate the processor close to the amps allowing for minimal lengths of analogue cable which is the inherent cause of most noise in a lot of installs. If your install allows you to locate the sound card just as close to the amp(s) then that benefit is negated. The other thought is to look for (rare as they may be) amps with optical in which is even better, then do your tuning from the PC software.

**soundman98** · 05-18-2011, 07:55 PM

imo, the biggest difference is your needs. i don't think either solution is perfect, but both offer some major advantages over the other..

just so you know, i went the computer route

negatives:

pc: if you do everything on the pc, you will need better components, because each piece of software that modifies the audio requires some cpu power, and onboard audio cards aren't usually very good.

sound processor: if you do everything with a external sound processor, your limited to the functions that it provides-- in many cases, this is enough, but this is something that you need to analyze your current setup, and see if it meets your needs--there might be a feature or 2 that you need that it might not have..

positives:

pc: the biggest limiting factor is the cpu power-- you are virtually unlimited to how you setup, or manipulate the audio.

sound processor: it can run even if the pc gets taken out, and only requires a pc for initial programming.