My audio options

[admin_exported]

Currently I have no audio equipment just a new toshiba laptop. I am considering a few options:

1. buy an amp (eg cambridge a1) and speakers (eg tannoy f1) and run laptop through these

2. buy a decent set of headphones and listen through the laptop (no chance of annoying the neighbours then)

3. forget about mp3 and buy an amp, cd player and speakers and just buy cd's

what sort of sound quality can i get from headphones compared with hifi amp and speakers? my sound card is realtek high definition audio... Tosh L300D-202 laptop.

All replies appreciated

 

[basshound]

If you add a DAC to option 1 you could have a pretty good setup

 

[idc]

For option 2, to get the best sound you need either a DAC and amp and phones or you could get an ipod and use that as the source of your music, see here. My ipod route is rather unconventional, but it is a cheap, simple and compact way of getting really good music. I may switch to a DAC to connect PC to amp. But I will not give up on the headphones. My setup is very revealing, has excellent clarity, but is hard on poorly recorded music and some (not me) would find its presentation tiring after a while.

You will get excellent sound quality through headphones, it is a different way of listening to music. You lack the sound stage of speakers, but I find it very relaxing and can easily get lost in my own world of music. Plus I do not annoy the family and neighbours.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, I'm a bit confused about adding a DAC. I thought an amp was all I needed between a source and speakers?

Also, how much would I need to pay for a decent set of headphones do you think? Would plugging headphones straight into the laptop not be very good?

 

[basshound]

If you use a standalone DAC such as ones from Beresford and Cambridge Audio you will get much better quality than using the laptops soundcard.The new DAC from Beresford doubles as a headphone amp and so might kill two birds with one stone.I would think a budget of around £100 would get you a decent enough set of `phones. Have a look here for more info http://www.beresford.me/main/main.html

 

[Anonymous]

so the DAC is something i need with the laptop as a source.. what about a cd player would i still need a DAC?

 

[basshound]

You could use the laptop with out a DAC but the quality may not be up to much.A cd player already has a DAC built in and so you just need to add an amp and speakers.

 

[idc]

The DAC is needed where the PC outputs a digital signal and you need someting to convert that into an analogue signal to feed into the amp. Some CDPs also have a digital ouput to use an external DAC, the thought being that it allows the CDP to use a better DAC than the one already inside it. Some very expensive amps also contain DACs. An ipod also has a DAC in it, hence it can be connected straight into an amp.

A PC using a digital interconnect to a DAC and then use either that DACs headphone output or connect the DAC with analogue interconnects into a dedicated amp either for headphones or to drive conventional speakers are your routes to good sound.

 

[Anonymous]

I am thinking more towards getting a cd player now. I still like the idea of buying cd's, as I really enjoy listening to whole albums. So would a package from richer sounds be worth going for, with a cd player, amp and speakers? It will be in a small double bedroom, carpet floored, is it best to go for floorstanding speakers or stand mounted ones? I do wonder whether the cost of the stands would mean floorstanders work out better value??

Also, my dad keeps insisting I should just get a home cinema system with dvd player and surround speakers. His was around £180 and panasonic. As my main focus is on music I think that hi fi components would be better and just 2 speakers, can someone back me up on this or is he right?

 

[basshound]

For music a hi-fi set up is better than a home cinema system.What sort of budget do you have?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I thought so, I'm more into music than watching films. I dont have a set budget, but initally I'd like an entry level hi-fi system, where I can upgrade components one at a time if I feel the need to. I'm pretty sure I'll be impressed with lower end hi-fi equipment as I've only ever had a micro/midi pioneer system as a teenager and more recently pc with (at best) Creative T20 speakers.

 

[idc]

You can still buy CDs with a PC based setup. Download the CDs onto your music manager e.g itunes at lossless rates and keep the CD as a backup. A PC with a DAC at £120 odd for the DAC will perform at the same level as CDPs that cost £500 plus.

 

[basshound]

For £5-600 you could have a pretty decent system,I`d consider Cambridge Audio cdp and amp with speakers by Mordaunt Short or Wharfdale.Of course there is a vast choice of equipment out there so if you have a friendly hi-fi shop near you call in and see what they suggest for your budget and most importantly have a listen and choose what sounds good to you.

 

[Ant8519]

Reading through this thread it's clear that the advice given was a bit confusing to start with - it's amazing how much we assume people know...

As stated later in the thread though, dedicated hifi equipment is the way to go.

Personally I would spend as much as possible on a great amp and speakers, don't worry too much about your current room size as you will no doubt move, but your hifi will last many years. Stand mount speakers are generally more flexible in that respect.

Don't bother with a cd player, they are pretty much a nearly redundant technonlogy (although they will still exist for a long time). Hard drive music is much more flexible and future proof and you can still buy cd's regardless. If your budget is, say £600, spend that on an amp and speakers and use your laptop as a source initially. OK it will not be hifi (yet) but it will be when a few months later you have saved a bit more. Then either buy a dac or a Squeezebox Duet which will stream from your laptop wirelessly to the amp and has a good built in dac anyway. Either will sound as good as a good cd player costing considerably more and duet has the advantage of a great user interface - far better than a rack of cd's or even a laptop.

Alternatively you could try an ipod classic 120gb mated to a fatman itube amp and speakers. This should give enough room for maybe 300 cd's lossless and will sound easily as good as a comparable cost cd system or 1-2000 cd's at an acceptable lossy bitrate and still sound comparable to a cd system of similar cost. Others may hate the idea of a lossy format but really few can reallly hear the difference - the key is to try it out for yourself and see what you are happy with.

 

[Anonymous]

thank you for all the replies, i have learned a lot... i have currently been experimenting with headphones and got a set of px100's connected directly to the laptop. they sound pretty good to me, and i easily notice poor quality sound (eg youtube) whereas i wouldnt have noticed that with pc speakers. i still want speakers though and am tempted by the richer sounds deal £369 for cambridge 340 amp and cd player with gale speakers and an ipod dock.

which leads me to another question....... it looks like buying a glass shelf rack and speaker stands will cost another £100 (£50 each), from richer sounds, can i get these elsewhere. are there cheaper alternatives if i am prepared to DIY a little?

thanks guys you are very helpful