Have succombed to computer music

[Richard Allen]

Hi.

Well, I'm sorry to admit it but I think I've succombed to using my laptop as my main music source as opposed to the CDP. I've just bought a Behringer UCA 202 USB DAC for £31.99 off Amazon. Not too bad if it's a pile of junk really. I already use their Ultradrive Pro DCX 2496 and it's a really good piece of kit and inexpensive.

I'm a speaker designer and that's what I know. This stuff??. All new to me. Who else has used Behringer products and what were their experiences and opinions?

 

[matthewpiano]

Behringer stuff is generally decent. Of their stuff I've used, in the past: active monitors; mixing desks; and microphones. Always found it to be reliable and as accurate sounding as you can expect for what is often a much lower price than equivalent Yamaha, Soundcraft etc.

 

[Richard Allen]

As a newbie to digital formats, I don't want to waste my money. I haven't binned the CDP. OK. It's not the newest around but the Sony X33 ES does what I want it to do and I have been told that Sony DACs are some of the best around. Don't honestly know how true this is though.

If this 'cheap' alternative works, I'll probably upgrade it quite quickly. The 1 thing I like about this is the fact you can record and play through it. Asking a lot for £32 quid though, don't you think?

 

[Richard Allen]

www.behringer.com/EN/Products/UCA202.aspx

 

[John Duncan]

If t's USB you've done one of the best things you can do by getting the audio output away from the (electrically) noisy innards of your average PC...

 

[Richard Allen]

JohnDuncan:If t's USB you've done one of the best things you can do by getting the audio output away from the (electrically) noisy innards of your average PC...

Hi John. Yes, it's USB, phantom powered from the PC. In's and Out's analogue and converts them both ways. Even got a headphone amp in it. All for £32 quid delivered?, Hmmmmm!

 

[drummerman]

JohnDuncan:If t's USB you've done one of the best things you can do by getting the audio output away from the (electrically) noisy innards of your average PC...

There was a guy here, not so long ago, that preferred the sound from his laptop, wired to the amp 'au naturel', to the sound of his expensive Naim cdp

I use spotify regularely, the same way and have to say that is strangely satisfying to listen to, not in a hifi sense. No doubt an external DAC could 'improve' on this but I'd go the streaming route to loose the inconvenience of a cable mainly.

 

[Richard Allen]

drummerman:
JohnDuncan:If t's USB you've done one of the best things you can do by getting the audio output away from the (electrically) noisy innards of your average PC...

There was a guy here, not so long ago, that preferred the sound from his laptop, wired to the amp 'au naturel', to the sound of his expensive Naim cdp

I use spotify regularely, the same way and have to say that is strangely satisfying to listen to, not in a hifi sense. No doubt an external DAC could 'improve' on this but I'd go the streaming route to loose the inconvenience of a cable mainly.

If this concoction works, I was thinking of taking it as a music source to exhibitions. Can't be bothered taking all those CDs every time. Best of it, I can check my emails while the thing's playing!. I'd like it to be the easy way forward. Oh,and just in case PRS read these posts, yes! I do own all of the material I use and can prove it.

 

[John Duncan]

drummerman:There was a guy here, not so long ago, that preferred the sound from his laptop, wired to the amp 'au naturel', to the sound of his expensive Naim cdp

Probably sounds more vinyl-esque, with that 50Hz rumble going on

drummerman:spotify [...] is strangely satisfying to listen to, not in a hifi sense.

Whereas I find the opposite - I think it's absolutely satisfying in a hifi sense. Though for reasons I'll go into if I ever get round to a long term report, the Uniti has had me playing more CDs than I did before...

 

[idc]

Music streamed off the internet is the last format change. You have futureproofed yourself.

 

[John Duncan]

Richard Allen:If this concoction works, I was thinking of taking it as a music source to exhibitions. Can't be bothered taking all those CDs every time. Best of it, I can check my emails while the thing's playing!

Oh I think you'll need at least a DACMagic for show-goers to take you seriously

Richard Allen:Oh,and just in case PRS read these posts, yes! I do own all of the material I use and can prove it.

Ah but do you have a license to play it in public?

 

[Richard Allen]

JohnDuncan:Richard Allen:If this concoction works, I was thinking of taking it as a music source to exhibitions. Can't be bothered taking all those CDs every time. Best of it, I can check my emails while the thing's playing!

Oh I think you'll need at least a DACMagic for show-goers to take you seriously

Richard Allen:Oh,and just in case PRS read these posts, yes! I do own all of the material I use and can prove it.

Ah but do you have a license to play it in public?

Oh yes. I hae a mobile PRS and PEL being a DJ.

 

[chebby]

JohnDuncan:Ah but do you have a license to play it in public?

According to Mark Thomas it's ok in public so long as it's used for Morris Dancing.

Hire a Morris troupe for your next hifi show.

These guys might oblige...

Photos ¸ mine

 

[Richard Allen]

Why a DACMagic John?. I don't need the multiple inputs that the Magic has. All I need is a USB Dac.

 

[chebby]

Richard Allen:Why a DACMagic John?. I don't need the multiple inputs that the Magic has. All I need is a USB Dac.

I think John meant for 'hifi credibility'

 

[Richard Allen]

chebby:
Richard Allen:Why a DACMagic John?. I don't need the multiple inputs that the Magic has. All I need is a USB Dac.

I think John meant for 'hifi credibility'

But there are others Cheb. We'll see what happens on the outset when this Behringer turns up. £32 quid all in??. I'm not gonna hold me breath on this.

 

[gooner26]

Richard may i ask you a question?

Sorry to hijack your thread but being a speaker designer you probably qualify for me to ask this question to.

How much would i have to spend on Loudspeakers to get simular sound quality to my Grado SR60i's?

The closest i have come to matching a great little set-up i had a while back (lehmann black cube linear + SR60i) was with a Meridian F80 (sublime sound quality for such a small package).

I have my eye on used Meridian DSP5000's, would that do it?

Regards Danny

 

[Richard Allen]

I would think the DSP5000's, but don't quote me on it. This would, on paper, seem the best choice.

 

[gooner26]

Thanks Richard.

Regards Danny.

 

[Richard Allen]

Hmph!. Always happens to me. Threads get hijacked. I'm not gonna talk about loudspeakers here coz that isn't what this thread is for.

 

[Richard Allen]

To get this back on track, has anybody tried this UCA202 from Behringer?

 

[Anonymous]

Never even heard of them before, but such a thing is going to save me a lot of time in converting my old tapes and MDs to CD.

I'm going to treat myself to one.

 

[Richard Allen]

Tannoid:
Never even heard of them before, but such a thing is going to save me a lot of time in converting my old tapes and MDs to CD.

I'm going to treat myself to one.

I haven't received mine yet so don't know what it sounds like. Might be rubbish for all I know. £32 quid all in from Amazon? The jury's out on this at the mo.

 

[drummerman]

Richard Allen:Hmph!. Always happens to me. Threads get hijacked. I'm not gonna talk about loudspeakers here coz that isn't what this thread is for.

Nothing to do with your signature of course ... or the hint earlier that you design speakers, just in case anyone missed the former

 

[idc]

As a rule of thumb (recently invented by me), since Behringer supply the pro-audio rather than the audiophile side of hifi/audio, they will be more functional looking, cheaper, but just as good.