Do I need a DAC to get Hi fi sound from my PC?

[beaker_07]

I have a new PC on order and wish to connect it to my Denon 2300 a/v amplifier. I currently use iTunes and have ripped my CD's to mp3 quality. I am thinking of changing this to loss less and wanted to know the best way to connect the PC to the amp I currently use a 3.5mm headphone jack to twin phono connector cable. I have seen in the forum's about using a USB DAC cable instead

Would this significantly increase the quality of the audio and if so what type would you recommend? Does the USB DAC connect to the amp by standard phono lead?

 

[Hifi Sound]

You might not need a DAC. If you have an optical or coax output on the PC you could connect directly to the Denon amp and use the on board DAC.

If you can borrow a DAC from somewhere you could try the USB DAC against the Denon and see which you prefer.

 

[beaker_07]

Thanks hifi sound

The model I have ordered does not have any optical outputs I would have liked to have had that option. As far as I know the outputs are a 3.5mm headphone jack on the sound card and an HDMI on the video card. The computer is due to be delivered tomorrow so I will see what they recommend. I assume the audio for a film will be output on the HDMI i wonder would it be possible to configure the audio only music files to be output on the HDMI?

Do you have any other thoughts or suggestions? I would like to be able to get the best sound quality I can.

 

[Hifi Sound]

A far as getting the best signal from the PC, I think connecting the HDMI to your amp and sending the video, audio and stereo music files that way will result in the highrst quality you can get.

If you haven't already I strongly recommend re-recording all you music in AIFF if you want to use iTunes. The uncompressed files will sound a whole lot better.

Barry

 

[beaker_07]

I have been able to connect the PC to the amp with a HDMI cable from the graphics card as you suggest.

All my CD's have ripped to 320mp3 standard and I have bought quite a lot of mp3's from Amazon and 7 digital which I would be reluctant to buy again as CD's to rip to llossless.

 

[MajorFubar]

Try re-ripping a CD you know the sound of very well. Use Apple Lossless. If you can't hear a difference between the lossless rip and your MP3 rip, you're one very happy man. Unfortunately if you can hear a difference, and the difference is significant enough to annoy you, you won't be satisfied with the fact all your CDs are ripped to a lossy format which doesn't sound as good as the CD.

As for your purchased MP3s...there's not much you can do about those. Never bought an MP3 in my life and probably never will, seeing as CDs have the potential to be superior and often cost less, especially 2nd hand.

 

[beaker_07]

I have tried doing this with a few cd's and I am undecided about the outcome sometimes i think the cd is much better and other times I don'r seem to notice as much or any real difference. My system is fairly new and I'm still getting used to how it sounds as well.

I suppose the best thing to do is just buy cds and rip them to lossless in the future and not to buy mp3's - most of the mp3's i have bought have been very cheap compared to the cd or some box sets not available on cd - I have a 13 disc equivalent of Paul Weller at the bbc whch was not available on cd.

 

[MajorFubar]

Sounds like a good plan. At the end of the day if you're happy with the sound that's all that matters

As for some CDs making the differences between MP3 and lossless more obvious than others, tbh that's about right. MP3 is a decent codec especially at 256 or higher, and the differences are probably never going to be mindblowing.

But real-estate on hard drives is so cheap these days it doesn't make sense to store them in anything but a lossless format. My ripped collection, all stored as Apple Lossless, spreads to 690 albums (about 675 CDs and 15 LPs) and it still only takes up fractionally less than 275Gb. Give it a couple of years and I'll be able to fit the lot on an iPad.

 

[beaker_07]

I started off with a computer with a smaller hard drive and a 256mb ipod shuffleand then a 30gb ipod so I was trying to save space - all my CD's so far have been ripped to 320mp3 standard. It is only recently that I have got a new a/v set up were I'm trying to combine everything into one system. My computer has a 2Tb hard drive and i have a 4Tb external for backups so hard disc space is no longer a problem. Some of the mp3's i've bought could be replaced by cd's in the future.

The question then is which to use the loss less audio files or the actual cd's themselves - I have a marantz cd6000 ose that i asked advice on in anoter forum about replacing with either another marantz possibly last years cd6005 or a cambridge audio - i would like to be able to stream to another room as well in the future.

 

[muljao]

Another option might be this,

Buy a DNLA receiver. I think Amazon do a Neet one with a digital optical out. Connect this to your digital optical in on your receiver. Download Musicbee (free music player and Flac ripper). You need to then install a plugin (this is quite easy, I am in now way good with computers and I managed it), this plugin allows musicbee to become a DNLA music player. When the DNLA unit is set up with your wifi, you play your download but use the option to send to that DNLA instead of your computer sound card. Hi quality stream complet, as the dac in your Denon sorts out the data

 

[beaker_07]

Thanks for the help.

If I connect the DNLA to the receiver in say the downstairs room and control this by music bee do I need another receiver in the upstairs room to receive and play the music. Would this work with chrome cast as well?

Sorry if this sounds silly but I don't know anything about streaming and trying to sort out a simple and cost effective solution.

 

[muljao]

There are no silly questions, just stupid answers

You would need receivers where you wanted your music. I am not sure that you can run 2 at the same time for multi room set up.

A chromecast may do similar, but you can run more than one cast at a time for multiroom. The only downside to the cast is (AFAIK) other than compatible apps you need to cast from a google browser. You are limited to some functions. I am not sure if any work arounds or indeed these music programs are compatible with hi res rips

 

[muljao]

I should say also that a few weks ago I knew nothing about streaming, and here even jist a few days ago I posted a question about streaming over DNLA. Its nearly easier to set this stuff up on the spot than trying to read it. Some tech issues get very difficult to take in.

I'll also say that i have listened to flac ripped cds through DNLA and it sounds great. I use also an SMSL M3 usb dac that I bought off Amazon for 50 pounds and to me it sounds great. There are a few options that don't cost a fortune

 

[beaker_07]

Thanks muljao. Hopefully will get sorted with the help I'm getting through the forum.

 

[beaker_07]

Has anyone used a Dragonfly DAC Black or Red and if so what do you think? I am currently re-ripping my cd's in itunes using apple lossless file format.

They seem to get a great write up and are this years award winners in What Hi-Fi's awards