When using the DACMagic with a PC does it work in conjunction with the existing soundcard or does it simply replace it? The CA website seems to be down at the moment but I seem to remember reasing in the online manual that the PC soundcard is disabled when the DAC is in use. If this is the case does it not simply make it a USB soundcard? and if so how does it compare with other non built it cards? I currently have a M Audio Delta 44 soundcardand was wondering if the DAC will enhance it it anyway or if it's just viewed as an upgrade to onboard sound.
Question about using a DACMagic with PC soundcard
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Gerrardasnails
Well-known member
monsieur:
When using the DACMagic with a PC does it work in conjunction with the existing soundcard or does it simply replace it? The CA website seems to be down at the moment but I seem to remember reasing in the online manual that the PC soundcard is disabled when the DAC is in use. If this is the case does it not simply make it a USB soundcard? and if so how does it compare with other non built it cards? I currently have a M Audio Delta 44 soundcardand was wondering if the DAC will enhance it it anyway or if it's just viewed as an upgrade to onboard sound.
I'm not 100% but I think that you are sending the files digitally to the DAC so there is no change of sound from the soundcard at all. You are not playing the songs, you are sending them.
When using the DACMagic with a PC does it work in conjunction with the existing soundcard or does it simply replace it? The CA website seems to be down at the moment but I seem to remember reasing in the online manual that the PC soundcard is disabled when the DAC is in use. If this is the case does it not simply make it a USB soundcard? and if so how does it compare with other non built it cards? I currently have a M Audio Delta 44 soundcardand was wondering if the DAC will enhance it it anyway or if it's just viewed as an upgrade to onboard sound.
I'm not 100% but I think that you are sending the files digitally to the DAC so there is no change of sound from the soundcard at all. You are not playing the songs, you are sending them.
Using an external DAC from a computer by-passes the onboard soundcard and its DAC. I don't know much about PC soundcards but I'll take a punt the DM will blow yours away.
Gerrardasnails
Well-known member
Octopo:Using an external DAC from a computer by-passes the onboard soundcard and its DAC. I don't know much about PC soundcards but I'll take a punt the DM will blow yours away.
I didn't read the last bit - yes it will eat your soundcard for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I didn't read the last bit - yes it will eat your soundcard for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Cool, is that comment based on anything, or is it just a presumption? Are there any comparisons out there between the DACMagic and other soundcards?
If it does bypass the existing PC card is is basically a usb soundcard with additional features and at £200 that makes it very cheap, to the point where I'd except it to perform poorer that a lot of dedicated pci/firewire/usb soundcards. Would you expect it to outperform the RME Fireface for instance?
If it does bypass the existing PC card is is basically a usb soundcard with additional features and at £200 that makes it very cheap, to the point where I'd except it to perform poorer that a lot of dedicated pci/firewire/usb soundcards. Would you expect it to outperform the RME Fireface for instance?
I'm going on my experience with DACs and CD players and the difference between them (which is where the interest lies with external DACs) , like I said I know nothing of PC soundcards. All the DAC really is is an external soundcard, though soundcards can have other functions too. I know not of this RME Fireface but a quick scout tells me it's over £600. I have read that this kind of thing can be good but there is a massive price difference. As computer audio forums and hifi forums don't really go hand in hand you may have to do the testing yourself, there are a couple of people on here who may have heard the soundcard but they probably won't have done a direct comparison with the DM. My money is still on the DM though (presumption).
John Duncan
Well-known member
Octopo:My money is still on the DM though (presumption).
Retracted until further notice.
(I've just been reading about the Fireface)ÿ
Retracted until further notice.
(I've just been reading about the Fireface)ÿ
Gerrardasnails
Well-known member
Octopo:
Octopo:My money is still on the DM though (presumption).
Retracted until further notice.
(I've just been reading about the Fireface)ÿ
The DM - all day long.
Octopo:My money is still on the DM though (presumption).
Retracted until further notice.
(I've just been reading about the Fireface)ÿ
The DM - all day long.
I would say so, the Fireface looks good on paper and ticks all the boxes feature wise but was probably built with virgins ears. Wouldn't like to say without hearing it though...
Hmm, I've very tempted. Richer Sounds website is out of stock though. Any ideas when they're due back in?
Spoke to Richer Sounds in Liverpool yesterday. They company has no stock at the moment but they are expecting some more before Christmas. They couldn't be more specific than that
excellent, I'm on the waiting list for my local branch so should hopefully hear soon.
I have another question. If I use a soundcard with a frequency output of +/-0.2 dB, 22Hz to 22kHz and use the digital out from my soundcard to the DAC rather than use the usb connector, does the frequency response of the DACMagic (20Hz to 20kHz (ñ0.1dB)) override the frequency output of the soundcard? Is it the DAC that determines the frequency response or is it based on the soundcard ourput? in which case I'd be losing out between 20-22Hz, which I know probably isn't going to make that much (if any) difference, but my sub supposedly goes down to 20Hz so I don't want to feel like I'm missing anything.
I have another question. If I use a soundcard with a frequency output of +/-0.2 dB, 22Hz to 22kHz and use the digital out from my soundcard to the DAC rather than use the usb connector, does the frequency response of the DACMagic (20Hz to 20kHz (ñ0.1dB)) override the frequency output of the soundcard? Is it the DAC that determines the frequency response or is it based on the soundcard ourput? in which case I'd be losing out between 20-22Hz, which I know probably isn't going to make that much (if any) difference, but my sub supposedly goes down to 20Hz so I don't want to feel like I'm missing anything.
Got a DacMagic yesterday to compare with my Dac in the CA 740C. To my ears they sound both the same; very good. Not sure what to do now; sell my CA 740C or my DacMagic.
To answer your question; your soundcard is irrelevant if you are using the USB connection to the DacMagic; it completely bypasses the sound card.
To answer your question; your soundcard is irrelevant if you are using the USB connection to the DacMagic; it completely bypasses the sound card.
pvanblarcum:
To answer your question; your soundcard is irrelevant if you are using the USB connection to the DacMagic; it completely bypasses the sound card.
what about if you use the digital out from the card though?
To answer your question; your soundcard is irrelevant if you are using the USB connection to the DacMagic; it completely bypasses the sound card.
what about if you use the digital out from the card though?
USB or digital out, it just pushes digital signals to the DAC without any processing in the sound card, so if you ask me the soundcard is irrelevant
John Duncan
Well-known member
pvanblarcum:USB or digital out, it just pushes digital signals to the DAC without any processing in the sound card, so if you ask me the soundcard is irrelevant
Though USB on the DACMagic is 16-bit only, so the optical out would be marginally preferable, no?
Though USB on the DACMagic is 16-bit only, so the optical out would be marginally preferable, no?
fatboyslimfast
Well-known member
pvanblarcum:USB or digital out, it just pushes digital signals to the DAC without any processing in the sound card, so if you ask me the soundcard is irrelevant
Erm, nope. The soundcard may well do some mixing or resampling of it's own (as PJPro has mentioned, a lot of sound cards are 48KHz, whilst CD and MP3 are normally 44.1KHz), so there may be differences there.
Erm, nope. The soundcard may well do some mixing or resampling of it's own (as PJPro has mentioned, a lot of sound cards are 48KHz, whilst CD and MP3 are normally 44.1KHz), so there may be differences there.
fatboyslimfast:pvanblarcum:USB or digital out, it just pushes digital signals to the DAC without any processing in the sound card, so if you ask me the soundcard is irrelevant Erm, nope. The soundcard may well do some mixing or resampling of it's own (as PJPro has mentioned, a lot of sound cards are 48KHz, whilst CD and MP3 are normally 44.1KHz), so there may be differences there.does mean the frequency range of the soundcard would be used over the range of the DAC then?
chebby
Well-known member
monsieur:fatboyslimfast:pvanblarcum:USB or digital out, it just pushes digital signals to the DAC without any processing in the sound card, so if you ask me the soundcard is irrelevant Erm, nope. The soundcard may well do some mixing or resampling of it's own (as PJPro has mentioned, a lot of sound cards are 48KHz, whilst CD and MP3 are normally 44.1KHz), so there may be differences there.does mean the frequency range of the soundcard would be used over the range of the DAC then?
Forget frequency range. References to 44.1khz, 48khz, 96khz etc are the sampling rates (how many times per second the signal is sampled) which is an entirely different thing to the frequency of the music itself.
16 bits can support 65536 (or 2 raised to the power 16) integer values and this represents the potential 'resolution'. 24 bits can support well over 16,000,000 (2 raised to the power 24) integer values so the signal resolution is that much finer. (Imagine it as a bit like pixels on a camera sensor. 65536 pixels are not going to give as fine a 'resolution' or detail as 16,000,000 will.)
So just imagine an oscilloscope trace of one second's worth of musical signal diplayed on a screen. Now along the horizontal axis you have 44,100 or 48,000 or 96,000 time intervals withiin that one second of signal. Every time each of those intervals comes along the DAC will 'sample' (or measure) the signal along the vertical axis to an accuracy of 1/65526 (16 bits) or an accuracy of 1/16000000 (24 bits)
The bit rate and the sampling rate are fixed values. The frequency of the musical signal is obviously variable just as it is with analogue.
Forget frequency range. References to 44.1khz, 48khz, 96khz etc are the sampling rates (how many times per second the signal is sampled) which is an entirely different thing to the frequency of the music itself.
16 bits can support 65536 (or 2 raised to the power 16) integer values and this represents the potential 'resolution'. 24 bits can support well over 16,000,000 (2 raised to the power 24) integer values so the signal resolution is that much finer. (Imagine it as a bit like pixels on a camera sensor. 65536 pixels are not going to give as fine a 'resolution' or detail as 16,000,000 will.)
So just imagine an oscilloscope trace of one second's worth of musical signal diplayed on a screen. Now along the horizontal axis you have 44,100 or 48,000 or 96,000 time intervals withiin that one second of signal. Every time each of those intervals comes along the DAC will 'sample' (or measure) the signal along the vertical axis to an accuracy of 1/65526 (16 bits) or an accuracy of 1/16000000 (24 bits)
The bit rate and the sampling rate are fixed values. The frequency of the musical signal is obviously variable just as it is with analogue.
so are the saying the cut off of the frequency is irrelevant then? I know that the frequency of the signal is variable but if the cut off is 20Hz on the DAC and 22Hz on the soundcard what is the actual cut of if using the digital out?
Also when using a digital out is there any benefits to having a 'good' soundcard, my current M Audio card that I use doesn't have digital out, but my onboard soundcard does. Am I likely to get a notice a difference by upgrading my soundcard to the next model up that does has digital outs or will my onboard cards' digital out's do as good a job?
Also when using a digital out is there any benefits to having a 'good' soundcard, my current M Audio card that I use doesn't have digital out, but my onboard soundcard does. Am I likely to get a notice a difference by upgrading my soundcard to the next model up that does has digital outs or will my onboard cards' digital out's do as good a job?
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