Newbie questions

[admin_exported]

For the last few years my indoor music listening has been CDs played on an Arcam CD72 and A80 Amp. Due to a chronic shortage of space, the need to buy a new PC, and the benefits of somewhere like Spotify, i'm intending to move over to digital. From doing reading here and elsewhere, I'm thinking of feeding the new PC through an HRT Music Streamer II and then into the Arcam, but I have some total beginner questions I'm hoping you can answer: The USB cable between the PC and Streamer will have to be 4 metres long. Will that cause any problems sonically? Is a normal USB cable going to do justice to the sound? If not, is there any hi-fi usb cable I should use (bearing in mind I need a good 4 metres)? Will the type of soundcard my PC has make any difference to the sound quality given i'm using the Streamer? Would I benefit from the Dacmagic (via USB or digital) instead, or is that excessive given the Streamer does what I'm after for cheaper and is highly reviewed? (And has better instructions on the web.)

Anything I'm clearly not aware of? Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Okay, let me just try the core question: Will the type of soundcard my PC has make any difference to the sound quality if I use a DAC like the Streamer / DacMagic / rDAC? Indeed, if I use a digital or usb link from my motherboard straight to a DAC, do I even need a dedicated soundcard at all if all i'm doing is playing music, not making it?

 

[JohnnyC]

Q 1 - 4 meter USB length won't cause you any sonic problems.

Q 2 - Like all Hi Fi cable, including USB, some say there is a sonic improvement with 'higher cost' cable and others disagree. I used a cheap 1 meter length of USB and changed it to Wireworld (2 meter length). Could I hear a difference, well frankly no. However it's down to trying different cables to see if you can hear a perceivable difference.

 

[Anonymous]

Question 1 4 Meter length won't cause you a jot of difference.

Question 2 As answered by Jonny C a Wireworld USB will cost between 50 60 quid for a 2meter cable you pay your money and take your chance I use a bog standard USB connected to my M1Musical Fidelity DAC and its sounds great.

Question 3 Your do not need a quaility soundcard it will make no diffrence.

Question 4 In answer to the above can I make a suggestion why not consider th Arcam rdac which will give you the option of the following connection to your CD player, USB connection to your computer as well as connection to your streaming gear.

My set up is this Squeezebox duet connected to Dac CD player connected to dac usb connection to dac then dac to my amp

In terms of quality The CD player sounds best,USB second, streaming third but all sound damn good.

 

[idc]

I agree with the above for Q1 and 2. As for soundcard vs DAC, if you have a bog standard soundcard, I would get a DAC. If I listen straight from my laptops soundcard there is back ground hiss and a loss of detail, dynamics and clarity which makes the listening experience flat. If I use my DAC, the sound is better. However, if you have an 'audiophile' soundcard that has a better shielding from the computers electrical interference, then the difference between soundcard and DAC can be minimal.

 

[scene]

+1 on the Arcam rDac. It's got a lot of flexibility, and its likely that this will have the same sonic qualities in its Digital to Audio conversion as the CD72...