Laptop Connection, Foobar and Upsampling

[admin_exported]

Hi guys,

I'm hoping for a little more technical advice. I want to link my laptop to the stereo system through a DAC. My laptop (a Dell Inspiron 9400) does not have an optical out socket. I'm going to upgrade my system by buying either a DAC or a new CD player although I'm still agonising over exactly which device to buy (favourite at the moment is the Harman Kardon HD990 since it is a decent CD player and can act as an external DAC too).

I've bought an external soundcard (Behringer U-Control UCA202). This plugs into the USB socket and can provide optical out, headphone socket and standard coaxial connections. ( I read a review that that UCA202 has a Burr Brown DAC inside it).

Output from this device seems a step up already from the output from the vanilla headphone socket (although I'm expecting a big improvement when the signal eventually goes through a DAC).

Reading around the subject, some people are using Foobar with a software upscaler. What would I need to take advantage of this? Would the optical out from the UCA202 do the job? If I get an upsampling DAC would there be no need to use upsampling software?

Perhaps someone would be kind enough to comment on this in a non-technical manner. Also to confirm that the Harman Kardon would indeed fulfil the triple role of DAC for the laptop, standalone CD player and DAC for the DV7600.

Thanks in anticipation...

Current system: Marantz PM80, Marantz DV7600, B&W Matrix 2 Series 2 speakers, QED interconnects.

 

[idc]

Hi Eileen99. I would suggest that you decide whether you want to go down the DAC or CDP route and then decide about connections afterwards.

If you decide that you want to go down the DAC route then the obvious connection from PC to DAC is by USB. The optical and digital connections in DACs tend to be aimed at connecting CDPs to the DAC.

If using a DAC then the soundcard, whether in or out of the PC becomes largely irrelevant as the DAC takes its digital signal from the PC bypassing the soundcard. The soundcard is the PCs own DAC so that it can create its own analogue signal to use for its own speakers or to send elsewhere such as headphones.

A look at the HK 990 CDP specifications shows a coaxial and optical digital input. That certainly suggests that it can be connected directly to your PC and act as a DAC.

As for Fubar and upscaling, I've no idea.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for you reply idc.

I'm in a quandary. You're quite right: I need to decide which way to go (CDP or DAC). The HD990 seems a compromise in that it is a decent CD player by all accounts and would act as a DAC too.

Decision time...

 

[idc]

What is your ultimate aim? I went PC to save space and because I felt the sound was a s good as if not better than from my CDP - an Arcam CD62.

Are you wanting to keep your CDs as your main medium? Do you just want the PC for internet radio? If so then the HK seems a good compromise. But if you are going to import your CD collection onto the likes of Fubar and purchase downloads again to use with Fubar, then I would suggest a stand alone DAC.