Nuforce Icon uDAC or HRT Music Streamer II for Laptop with Creative Gigaworks T20....?!? & How to Connect the DAC to the Speakers...?!?

[rana_kirti]

Hi frens,

I currently play my music from my laptop through the "Headphones out" to which i have connected my Creative Gigaworks T20.

The sound coming out is decent but i read somewhere that i could get a better sound if i add a DAC to my setup.

I am considering one of the 2 above mentioned products. However i dont want to add a Stereo Amplifier and Speakers.. I want to continue to use my Creative Gigaworks T20.

I have a few questions....

1. Which of the 2 above mentioned Products is better.... ?

2. Should i also consider the CA DagMagic ?

3. How do i connect the HRT Music Streamer II to my Creative Gigaworks T20 ? The Music Streamer shows usb on one side which i assume i will connect to my laptop usb and it shows 2 analog connections on the other side.... However my Creative Speakers only have a 3.5 mm input in the back. So how do i connect my speakers to the DAC....?!?

http://www.highresolutiontechnologies.com/products.html

4. Also the Nuforce uDAC shows a "headphone output". Can i connect the input from the Creative Speakers to the "headphone output" of the uDAC and get sound.

Laptop--> uDac --> one side of the 3.5mm into "headphone output" & the other side of the 3.5mm into the Creative Speakers....??? Is that Right.....???

http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/iconudac/index.php

5. And lastly will adding a DAC to my Laptop+Creative Gigaworks T20 be Worth it ???

Thanks to all....

Cheers.

 

[AudioPlaya]

All 3 DACS are said to sound very good at their respective price
points. I just got the streamerII myself and although I'm having
issues with it on my cyrus amp it does sound good on cheaper equipment,
nicely detailed and fluid. The DACMAGIC is highly regarded on the
forums but costs. All 3 DACS would improve your sound it's more a matter
of
balance... if you really want to keep the creatives then maybe go for
the icon as spending any more than the $99 seems excessive, any gains
above that may be wasted on the creative speakers. There are a few other
budget options out there too.

To connect the HRT to your creatives you need a 2 x RCA to 3.5mm jack lead, these are quite readily
available, same goes for most DACS. you won't be able to use the
headphone out as you suggested as they work at different levels even
though they are both 3.5mm, thats why you'll need a lead.

 

[rana_kirti]

Hi AudioPlaya,

Thanks for the reply and clearing my doubts....

I had a few more questions for you.... ;-)

1. Suppose if i decided to get B&W 685 + Marantz PM6003 in the future.... In that case am i better of buying the HRT Music Streamer II over the NuForce uDAC....?!? Will it be a better Future Proofing Option...?!?

2. Also you mentioned "There are a few other budget options out there too." Would you be able to suggest a few...? Also would they be better than the NuForce uDAC & HRT Music Streamer II or should i really keep my options to these 2 only...?!?

3. Does the Quailty of a "2 x RCA to 3.5mm jack lead" matter...?? Could you recommend a good quality one to buy....?? Or am i good enough with any generic one ?

Thanks for you help...

 

[AudioPlaya]

Glad if I can help....

Deifinitely like the idea of future-proofing, hi-fi is addictive! Maybe I'm biased because I'm sat here enjoying the HRT as I type... can't say for sure that the HRT sounds better than the Icon, but it's highly likely. The icon has more features and is so cheap it can't sound better too. I'm tempted to buy one though as I am building a 2nd bedroom system and the headphone out would be a bonus.

As for the other options i mentioned, at the extreme budget end there is the CYP-AU-D3 for £42, what hifi gave it four stars although understand it's a very basic upgrade - no potential for the future and has optical and coax connections instead of USB so you would need to make sure your laptop has toslink. There are also a multitude of small sleek silver metal boxes from Honk Kong on ebay between £50-£150 from brands and makers you'll never hear of in a hifi mag, who knows about these to be honest.

One thing I do know is It's worth getting a decent entry-level hifi cable whichever DAC you choose. Below are a few good deals on budget 2xRCA to 3.5mm from hificables.co.uk (no i don't work for them

) - haven't heard any I have a cambridge audio pacific which cost £20. The QED looks like a bargain although profigold are well regarded in the budget area (I have a profigold optical and it's great).

Wireworld i-World £13.45
Profigold PGA3402 £15.99
Qed Performance Audio £18.40

 

[Anonymous]

Hello AudioPlaya, may I ask what kind of problems you are having with
the HRT? I have a very similar setup, i.e. Music Streamer II+ connected
to an older Cyrus III amplifier and also got some problems. It
occasionally gives crackling noise when I play music from an external
USB hard drive. However I was told this is because my laptop has a poor
USB root hub... Anyway, I also found out it is possible to set up
exclusive mode (WASAPI) in Windows. It sounds better and almost
eliminates crackling. On the plus side I am happy with the sound
quality.