Dedicated Music Bridge, Worth It?

[burbster]

OK, so I have been experimenting with HiRes music, the CD player I bought has the feature to use just the DAC via various inputs. I had a fairly high spec laptop which after getting some tips online I then 'optimised' for Hi Res audio playback. I use the USB output into the USB input on the DAC.

I was pleased with the SQ, but I do notice, a very very slight noise/hum being introduced to the music, noticable on very quiet sections of music, but noticable nonetheless. It only happend when the PC is actually outputting music, and it certainly does not happen when I am listening to CDs. My thoughts are its perhaps the fan or hard drive on laptop??? Not certain but its got me thinking am I better off biting the bullet and buying something like the Auralic Aries? Anyone got any experience, my other option is a MAC Mini, much cheaper but the laptop I have on paper is a far higher spec.

Any Thoughts?

 

[pauln]

OK, so I have been experimenting with HiRes music, the CD player I bought has the feature to use just the DAC via various inputs. I had a fairly high spec laptop which after getting some tips online I then 'optimised' for Hi Res audio playback. I use the USB output into the USB input on the DAC.

I was pleased with the SQ, but I do notice, a very very slight noise/hum being introduced to the music, noticable on very quiet sections of music, but noticable nonetheless. It only happend when the PC is actually outputting music, and it certainly does not happen when I am listening to CDs. My thoughts are its perhaps the fan or hard drive on laptop??? Not certain but its got me thinking am I better off biting the bullet and buying something like the Auralic Aries? Anyone got any experience, my other option is a MAC Mini, much cheaper but the laptop I have on paper is a far higher spec.

Any Thoughts?

It may be the fan - you could look in Task Manager to see how much work the CPU is doing during playback to give you an idea. If it's an oldish laptop, the fan and heat sink may be clogged with dust which would make the fan run faster and for longer.

It may be the hard drive - assuming it's not an SSD. You could swap it out for an SSD with all the other benefits that would bring.