Advice needed: optimising sound quality of a new laptop

[admin_exported]

Hi chaps,

I started using Spotify (premium) last night, and so far so good. Today I'm going to run it (via USB) through the DAC Magic in my main system and do some critical listening. If I notice anything interesting I'll post my thoughts here.

I don't know very much about computer audio, but over the next couple of weeks I want to educate myself before buying a new laptop (probably a Dell) optimised for sound quality. Cost isn't really an issue, and I don't need fancy specs apart from the audio components. Obviously I'll need a great soundcard but not really sure what cards I should be looking at. What else can I do to have a "state of the art" audio playing laptop? Are there software applications I should have installed to improve audio performance? Power supply? Etc etc.

I run a DAC Magic, so I have flexibility in terms of input types. I've always considered RCA S/PDIF to be the best digital connection, but if optical is the only want to go then so be it (I can't remember seeing a soundcard with an RCA output!). Obviously I want to avoid USB because of the bandwidth limitations.

Your advice will be gratefully received!

Thanks!

System: Klipsch RB-81 on Partington Dreadnoughts/Roksan Kandy L3/CA DAC Magic/Oppo DV-980H/Cables by Signal and Supra

 

[chebby]

symbolicexchange:...I want to educate myself before buying a new laptop (probably a Dell) optimised for sound quality. Cost isn't really an issue, and I don't need fancy specs apart from the audio components. Obviously I'll need a great soundcard ...

No you don't need a great soundcard.

Plugging a usb lead between the laptop and DAC will completely sidestep any soundcard in your laptop.

As for settings, just go into 'Sounds and Audio devices' from the control panel and click on 'sounds' tab and 'sound scheme' and select 'no sounds'. (You don't want all those other boops and beeps coming through the hifi.)

Then click on 'audio' tab and 'sound playback' tab to ensure your USB device (the DacMagic) is selected.

Now (still on 'Sound playback' box) click 'advanced' then 'performance' tab. Set everything to 'full' and 'best'. Go to 'effects' tab and select 'none'. Click OK

Then click 'Apply' then 'OK'

Always have the laptop master volume on maximum. (You don't want the laptop to control volume digitally by reducing bits!)

 

[chebby]

symbolicexchange:Today I'm going to run it (via USB) through the DAC Magic in my main system and do some critical listening......

.....Obviously I want to avoid USB because of the bandwidth limitations.

Which is it then?

USB will be superb except for anything more than 16bit and 44.1khz or 48khz.

If you are using 24 bit 96khz downloads then you will need optical or RCA coax but this is unusual and only a (very) few sites (Linn, Naim, B&W) do such downloads.

USB will be great even for lossless rips of CDs (16bit and 44.1khz), it will be fine for Spotify, iTunes, iPlayer, youtube and ANY internet radio station.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Symbolic exchange,

I sense you are a little confused as to the whole PC DAC thing.

As Chebby notes, you don't need a great soundcard, as the point of an external DAC is to bypass the soundcard entirely. For the same reason, you wouldn't want a soundcard with RCA outs.

Again as Chebby notes, you are unlikely to find yourself limited by a USB connection. People debate the pros and cons of an optical vs a USB connection until the cows come home, but I wouldn't buy a new laptop just so that you can have an optical out.

If you are buying a new laptop anyway, then I would suggest that the most important thing is that it is quiet - i.e. you don't have a big noisy fan kicking in all the time. I use a small netbook for music (Asus EeePC1000H) which is all but silent.

You also want to be sure that the laptop is capable of feeding an uninterrupted stream of data to the DAC, to avoid dropouts. Here is thread about a handy little bit of software: clicky

If you are going to be ripping CDs to play, in addition to streaming music from providers like Spotify, then you need to consider what software you are going to use for ripping and playback. Ideally you should be ripping into a lossless format, rather than lossy MP3, which can degrade sound quality. Most people are quite content with the usual software, such as iTunes or Windows Media Player. Others prefer more esoteric software: search on this forum and around the net for EAC (Exact Audio Copy) and Foobar, for a taster.

Hope this helps.

 

[chebby]

Ooh. I like that latency checker DPDat thingy.

I use a Dell Latitude D630 laptop based system (XP Pro SP3) for my work stuff and even with all my applications running along with BBC iPlayer (and sound throught the DAC) I am getting....

"This machine should be able to handle real-time streaming of audio and/or video data without drop-outs."

I got an 'all-time' max of 301 æs when i started it and now it seems to tick along at around between 30 and 60 æs (I think that is good).

(This is hypnotic

)