Connecting laptop - DAC - amp

[Dan.m]

I have a laptop receiving apple lossless files (itunes) from a PC and external hardrive via a wireless router. I want to connect my laptop to my hifi set up via an external DAC

1) How do i connect my laptop to the DAC. My laptop (inspiron 1545) has spare USB port, an ethernet port and a headphone socket (3.5mm). Which is best connection? How do i find out if the headphone socket doubles up as an optical out? Any cable recommendations?

2) How do i connect my DAC (depends which one I buy!) to my amp (an old rotel RA 930AX !). Any cable recommendations?

3) who can recommend a DAC (£250ish). BerefordsCaiman/VDac/audiocam etc. The choice of DAC will decide how i connect the whole thing up!! I am buying a DAC blind !

4) When it is all connected up, will the DAC just overide the soundcard in the laptop. Will i have to alter any settings on the laptop

Any advice/recommendations greatly appreciated

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Dan.m:
I have a laptop receiving apple lossless files (itunes) from a PC and external hardrive via a wireless router. I want to connect my laptop to my hifi set up via an external DAC

1) How do i connect my laptop to the DAC. My laptop (inspiron 1545) has spare USB port, an ethernet port and a headphone socket (3.5mm). Which is best connection? How do i find out if the headphone socket doubles up as an optical out? Any cable recommendations?

2) How do i connect my DAC (depends which one I buy!) to my amp (an old rotel RA 930AX !). Any cable recommendations?

3) who can recommend a DAC (£250ish). BerefordsCaiman/VDac/audiocam etc. The choice of DAC will decide how i connect the whole thing up!! I am buying a DAC blind !

4) When it is all connected up, will the DAC just overide the soundcard in the laptop. Will i have to alter any settings on the laptop

Any advice/recommendations greatly appreciated

Thanks

1. USB - ask dell (optical would also be fine) - any decent usb cable will do

2. Do you have a cable fetish? If not, any decent rca interconnect

3. I have never compared them, the vdac is good enough for me. But is also depends, do you want an extra box on your rack or a small unit that can be hidden, and do you need headphone output and volume control.

4. Usually the system will switch automatically if you plug in a USB audio device, but you can also select manually which output the system should use.

 

[davydmx]

Hi,

I use the Wireworld Ultraviolet USB Cable, as shown in my sig below. It's ace! There are a lot of arguments/disputes about which types of digital cables work best though. All i can say is, this cable made/makes a suprising improvement for the better in my system.Which is prob why i've mentioned it so often...

I think your headphone socket will have that telltale red laser glow if it also doubles as an optical out. I tried my Supra(decent) optical cable from that socket(with a 3.5mm adapter), versus the Wireworld USB, i reckon the USB route sounded better. Not sure though if it's that the USB 'format' is inherently better, or just that the Wireworld's better than the Supra!

Can't help you regarding your choice of DAC. But i've been eyeballing the Dacmagic for a good while now! Maybe in 2010...

 

[idc]

Dan.m:

I have a laptop receiving apple lossless files (itunes) from a PC and external hardrive via a wireless router. I want to connect my laptop to my hifi set up via an external DAC

1) How do i connect my laptop to the DAC. My laptop (inspiron 1545) has spare USB port, an ethernet port and a headphone socket (3.5mm). Which is best connection? How do i find out if the headphone socket doubles up as an optical out? Any cable recommendations?

Hi Dan.m. I use USB on my Dell. I have not heard of an ethernet DAC and I dont think that your Inspiron has optical out hidden in the headphone socket. But USB is fine. There is no consistency to whether USB/optical/digital coax is best for sound quality. It just appears to be down to peoples preferences and connectivity.

Dan.m:

2) How do i connect my DAC (depends which one I buy!) to my amp (an old rotel RA 930AX !). Any cable recommendations?

The connection between DAC and amp is phono cables, no matter the DAC. I use Silver High Breed phono cables bought off ebay. I bought them because they were pretty cheap and people were raving about the sound, in particular its brightness, whch I like. I would say look at What Hifi recommendations and dont spend more than £50.

Dan.m:

3) who can recommend a DAC (£250ish). BerefordsCaiman/VDac/audiocam etc. The choice of DAC will decide how i connect the whole thing up!! I am buying a DAC blind !

Read up on all of them and get a flavour of the sound. I use a Firestone Fubar USB DAC and Supplier. There are appeals in to What Hifi to have a big DAC test. The present winner is the DACmagic, but Beresford has had very good reviews to. The V-DAC does less well here, but has won group tests elsewhere.

Dan.m:

4) When it is all connected up, will the DAC just overide the soundcard in the laptop. Will i have to alter any settings on the laptop

When you connect a DAC with USB, it downloads a driver onto the PC and away you go. The soundcard is bypassed. I changed settings where I turn off sounds on the laptop so there are no background clicks. I also maximised the laptops volume, which reduces distortion and I use the amps volume alone.

 

[Dan.m]

Thanks all - plenty to go on.

Until i get a DAC i want to connect my laptop to my amp. Is there such a thing as a usb/ phono cable. Ive seen the usb/video phono cables (with three plugs) but not the double phono plugs for hifi.

Pete10- Ive just realised i do have a cable fetish!

 

[idc]

You need a minijack to phono cable as you are taking an analogue signal from the headphone jack to the amp. USB is a digital signal, so you need a DAC for it. They may be convertors out there to convert USB to optical or digital coax and then you can connect to the CDP is it has a digital or optical in. Then the CDPs DAC is used. But, like with a PS3 you would be better off with a DAC.