I guess I choose right, got a Mac mini, connected to my tv using HDMI, audio comes out spdif to my spdif switcher into my IGA and I can't imagine it sounding better but I'm sure can, I'm happy though
I have a lot of troubles with USB powered sound cards having a very distorted audio on various laptops. Asus xonar u3 / dragonfly by audio quest , this sound cards tested on /acer aspire E1-532G, Acer Aspire 5733Z , lenovo B570e ,asus x551MA behaved very strange , mostly they had a very distorted sound unpleasant to listen but some times the sound just gets a lot better /cleaner instantly under some circumstances /after a long usage of the sound card ,some times after waking up the laptop from sleep with the sound card being plugged . Intel processor is the USB host controller for all of this laptops ... Could this be cheap design /noisy USB ports, and that the laptops are not supplying a sufficiently clean DC voltage via its USB ports?
Use EAC in secure mode for ripping and utilize AccurateRip. Simply selecting a lossless format on a ripping program is NOT enough to ensure bit perfect copies
Hi Hans, I listen to a lot of DSD files that my MacBook Air first has to convert to DoP (my DAC only accepts that format). I recently bought a media player (an Android 4K media player with USB audio and DoP) that does the same trick: basically I can use the media player as a transport and don't need the MacBook Air at all. So my question is: is all DoP conversion alike? Or could there be differences in sound quality? My rationale is that the DSD64 or DSD128 is relatively prone to error (it works or it doesn't work) so any changes would immediately be detectable. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!
I wouldn't be concerned about the DSD to DoP conversion, that is a relatively easy job (in contrast to for instance volume or tone controlling a DSD file). I would be more concerned about the electronics noise computer, tablets and smartphones can add to the digital signal and that can cause jitter during the digital to analog conversion. See my videoWhy digital circuits influence the sound quality (ua-cam.com/video/B-StTplQZys/v-deo.html).
Question: Sir, Hi, I just bought a Blue Sound Node (The latest one). The very reputable seller, Crutchfield advised using iPhone to play the music. Do I need a computer?
Hans, I wanted to tell you something that happened to me at an audio meeting some years ago. We were having a heated debate about whether there was a difference in sound between an original store bought CD and a copy of that CD. The next meeting we had a computer set up to burn a copy of a recording that we were all familiar with and on axis it sounded identical however off axis there was a difference in the treble. We repeated the experiment a few times with the same results. Would you have any idea what might have caused this. Thank you for all your helpful videos.
Hans--excellent video... you've got me yearning for A+. One big question though... can I drag and drop entire playlists from iTunes into A+ and have them retain their order. The order is extremely important to me as I am a jazz fan who lists by session date rather than album. If I can do this, will I need to play A+ with iTunes open, and will this affect sound quality? Thank you.
When you use iTunes as interface for A+, iTunes works like normal. If you use A+ as a stand-alone app, iTunes playlists won't work for as far as I can see. The sound quality is equal in both situations as far as I can hear, but there will always be people that hear a difference...
could you please give me your opinion on what may be better to store my music and have a dedicated music server: a mac mini or a lap top with an external hard drive, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much
Ok my question is about the last part of your video. If I’m using Tidal or Qobuz through my streamer , to get the highest quality sound , is using the computer / sending the music from my computer via jriver , audirvana or roon software to my streamer the way to go ? Does it matter whether the software is installed in a laptop or mac mini in that case? Whether you are using bluesound node2i or dcs is this the method to get the highest quality sound when streaming? Or are there other ways? I’m only asking in regards to streaming. I feel totally lost in all these technicalities...
How important is a soundcard in a computer for sound reproduction? Can you let us know how it effects the music going into the DAC and also what soundcard do you recommend?
Hi i like your videos. Now there is dacs with galvanic isolation, so i will be ok with any pc right? I am asking because de mac mini has an outdated processor used from 2012 and now 2017 i can get a better pc windows based, connected with the hugo tt with galvanic isolation
Hello Hans, I have a question about the combi of roon, microrendu and chordette 2cute. I would like to use roon in a config with a nas 2x2tb (mirrored) with audiofiles, a microrendu or macmini and the dac chord 2cute. Speakers active dynaudio or kef ls50(W than without the chord). When I use the microrendu, how and where the roon core and datafiles are installed? What is the best config in above case? Best regards, Mart
I have an old Macbook Pro 2009 lying around. If I disconnect the internal plug to the monitor from the motherboard, theoretically, would it make the Macbook Pro as good as the Mac Mini? Thanks!
I really don't know, it might be. But I don't know if all the driver electronics is switched off as well. It would make sense from a power consumption point of view but when used with an external monitor, power consumption is normally no consideration.
Re: "That might help but the screen drivers will be a lot noisier" That's why I raised the question whether disconnecting the internal plug (which I already did) would help. From an electronic point of view, do you think battery will be on par with linear power supply? P.S. Good job Hans! I really enjoy your channel.
im trying to get better sound from a laptop, its run into an onkyo reveiver and 2 vintage speakers. i notice a big difference in sound quality compared to a little nettop i used to run. its almost like the sound card cant send out as much. almost like its missing frequencies or cant do many at once. is there something i can do to fix that? lets say i play a youtube video, same link, same stereo and wiring, it sounds completley different between the 2 computers
You might but that depends on what causes the differences. And than can be many things: bad PCB layout, bad clock oscillator, noisy screen driver (the electronics that sends the video signal to the display) and many other things. It is impossible to say what the cause is (or causes are) in your case.
Hello. What would be interesting are some tips bout the configration of a pc for optimum DAC output, say like settings in BIOS, ASIO driver, recommended Music player etc.
What about toslink cable connection between pc and amplifier? I have an older amplifier that has toslink digital input but no hdmi. What would be the best digital interface ?
Hard to say. Not every battery performs well and the same goes for LPS'ses. Very good LPS'ses will perform better than very good batteries. But both will not be cheap.
Hans, It's not very clear to me the following question, even after reading you ebook: to achieve the best budget highest analog-like quality audio should I have: 1) a server connected to a network audio adapter (microrendu, sms-200, etc) connected to DAC, (2) a audiophile computer (nimitra, sms1000, etc) connected directly to DAC or (3) a high-quality media player transport connected to DAC (aurender, chord codeX, meridian, etc)?
It all depends on the quality of the equipment. At least in theory all three solutions might achieve the best result if done optimally. I think that using a small computer as server, like the Intel NUC, connected over a network to a quality network audio adaptor will be the most cost efficient. That is why I use this solution.
Another stuff I didn´t understood very well. If Asynchronomous USB buffer bits to DAC, why should I worry with quality of cable and transport clock or silence? In theory I did just need a source to provide perfect bits to the DAC. May
I have not seen a satisfactory explanation of this phenomenon but it is easy to hear. See for instance the review of the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra that is due later this day.
Hans, I am desperately trying to find what is the jitter measurement on the optical out of a late 2012 Mac Mini. I even wrote to Apple and posted on different audiophile forums. Any chance you can measure it or point me in the right direction? Thanks!
Unfortunately there is no one way to measure jitter cq capture it in one figure. I use the Audio Precision figures and JTest but both - even combined - tell little about how good it sounds. Only when it is really bad, you see that in the measurements. I still have to judge jitter by ear.
I am currently exploring the possibility of using a HTPC running Lunix (Ubuntu) as an alternative to a music transport. Do you think Linux is good enough to output hi-fi quality audio? I find that switching sample rates on Linux is not as easy as on Windows or Mac OSX. Are there any good tips on Linux as an audiophile transport or player for an audiophile quality DAC or hi-fi system? There are not many resources on this subject. Thanks.
I have no experience e using Linux as a direct player. I did use VOlumio and the like on a Raspberry Pi but these are all set to work good. I use an Intel NUC to run Roon but Roon sends the audio to a networked audio adaptor that takes care of the audio quality. If you want to use one of the outputs of the computer Linux is running on, you not only have to take care of Linux doing the right things, also the computer has to have proper outputs, being USB, SPDIF or optical. And that all is not easy.
Can Volumio save content locally, for example, on the PC drive that it is installed on? Or can it only connect to external sources on the network? Volumio does sound interesting. But I would love to see more videos exploring audio configuration on Linux. Not a lot has been done on the subject. For example, changing output sample rates and bit rate for example. Thanks.
You're making things more complicated than they are. Volumio only runs on a small number of small computers and not on a PC. If you follow the instructions the mini computer - Raspberry Pi 3b for instance - will become a bit perfect music player that, when connected to for instance a HiFiBerry board plus music automatically at the right sample rate and bit depth. There is nothing more to explain.
Goedemorgen Hans, I have a little dilemma, My hifi is a Hegel h360 I like use Tidal and also I want buy music. Right now I’m using play music through airplay. My question is, I like to buy the mac mini 2018 to connect direct to the h360, is a good choice of you think there is a better product and situation, by the way I like your book very much. Regards, Michele
You can get fair results using a computer directly connected to the digital input of your amp. But it is far better to use a network bridge, aka network audio adaptor. Those are in fact also computers but far less powerful and therefore make less noise. You then still need a computer to feed the music from. But here an Intel NUC i3 will suffice, which is clearly lower priced. Or you could use a streamer like the Bluesound Node 2i or Cocktail audio N15D, either analogue or digitally connected to your amp. Watch Networked Audio Adaptors
I do not consider myself a hardcore audiophile but I do like having high quality audio when listening to music. I enjoy my music very well by plugging my Grado headphones to my Macbook. However, I might consider getting that AudioQuest Dragonfly as my DAC / AMP. I do not know what to expect with that setup because Grados are low-impedance headphones.
Greetings Hans, my operating system is OSX and I am streaming music from my computer to the micromega WM-10. I am not having a big digital collection (about 200GB) and they are all ripped CDs using itunes in separate hard disk. In chapter 5 of your book you are mentioning that you have not tried storing the collection in a SSD because of the size of your collection therefore you can not comment if it proves sound quality. Do you have any updates about this? Since my collection is rather small would you suggest using SSD for storing music? 250GB of SSD is not that expensive at all...
I haven't tried an SSD yet and I don't know if I will. There are many things that ask for attention and I personally can't imagine it will make a big difference given well implemented hard- and software. But I might be wrong, of course.
How about audiophile ubuntu? it claims to be bit perfect audio. I have a nice system and a Arcam IR DAC using the digital coaxial out of my pc to the coaxial input of the Arcam it sounds better than using the USB. So should i be using a Mac?
Using 'normal' 'big' computers doesn't do it anymore for me. I rather use a Raspberry Pi, Sparky or a good, purpose built networked audio interface like the SOtM sMS-200. You can than use any of those with a proper audiophile power supply. The 'normal' 'big' computer then can function as a server for any program and the quality is far less critical..
Wonder if a 80 plus gold power supply would be better than my 80 plus bronze. Probably not as much of a difference as just getting a power conditioner? I built my PC (pre built systems are a rip off) and use a USB dac with an ifi ground isolator.
Changed PSU with Corsair RM1000i and the sound improved a lot on my USB DACs, but the biggest change was to get a new $250 motherboard, somehow it filters the noise on USB way better that the PSU did. Imagine a laptop that is used as a source for a DAC, it won't have the filtering that a desktop could have.
Hi Hans, very informative! I have a Mac Mini with my music ripped to external hard drive and stream tidal. Id like to reduce sonic noise as much as possible. Id like to use my IPad to run my music which i do currently via JRiver but am unable to use the Ipad to run Tidal. Will Roon allow me to do this? Im planning on purchasing the original Brooklyn to match to this system. Upgrading my cables too. Can I also insulate sonic problems from my Mini and DAC with external power supplies? Thanks for your time. New Patrean member here.
Roon can do what you want. And you could try to clean the usb signal from the MacMini. The better way is to use a networked audio interface like the Allo USBridge, the SOtM sMS series or the Sonore products. See next weeks video.
Thanks, ive been looking at the sotm and im still a little confused as how they work together. Are you suggesting perhaps the 200 ultra? If yes, i was further confused by the options offered by sotm. Thanks again. Huge fan and have my first Petreon supportcoming your way. Sorry its not more.
I really don't get the problem with PC, if you just use optical cable as an output into a DAC with its own power supply? Don't you skip all of those problems and you actually on the cheap side?
I'm afraid not. But it all depends on what sound quality you want. Your suggested setup will surely work but if you go for higher quality, it's not the best solution.
@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel thank you for your reply. I'm watching your videos about how to connect a DAC, and it makes sense to me a bit how the clocks work.
+The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel short for subscriber :) A very informative channel. I'm not really new in the audio. (My set is actually from the early 90's--infinity renaissance 90 on a dutch-made sphinx project 2 with sphinx project 12 ). But im just starting in the dac's. And i like the no-nonsence reviews alot.
+lunatrics Ah, the old Sphinx set (I have owned it for some time). Dit you know the designer of those amps nowadays is the CEO/head designer of Siltech and Crystal Cable? A very capable man!
Hans Beekhuyzen Dont know the designer personally. But i've been there once. I live near arnhem. And if i remember correctly their base of operations was in elst.. my cables are from crystal cable.. so i guess im sticking with one company. :)
Hi Hans, thanks for your very informative knowledge. I recently got roon and have a lumin D2 network streamer. Can you recommend some good audiophile computer as a roon core device that would improve the sound over using my Mac computer. Something with a ripper would be good but not essential. I don’t have a huge budget but between €500-1000 would be great. Really appreciate it. Has to be compatible with iPhone/iPad. Many thanks !
I use an Intel NUC 7i3 computer running Roon Rock connected over ethernet and the Uptone EtherREGEN to my streamer. In this setup I don't hear a difference between servers. Watch ua-cam.com/video/AtfXsVM9QDE/v-deo.html
pretty much a normal usb port with some special power options and conditioning built in, can output more power than a normal port and do it cleaner, typically has software control from mobo mfg. Gets the sound data out of the noisy computer nicely to an external DAC/AMP combo that can be isolated. Its mainly for Dacs that can be powered and are plug and play usb. Starting to show up on high end boards from Asus, Gigabyte etc. For the average user I think its a great solution to get the sound data cleanly out of a computer vs digital optical etc which can cost alot more for a setup
Like your videos. I really want to hear more of your opinion regarding today's computer for audiophile, especially internal dac. Do PC's internal sound cards, like those high-end models from Creative Labs or Asus, are all considered not an ideal way to have excellent audio? They have many features on them that they boasted to able to produce high fidelity audio. Features like high-precision clock, high snr, clean power supply, hyper-grounding, emi-shielding, bla-bla. TIA.
+Budi Lee I consider internal DAC to be no option. I have explained it clearly in several videos that DAC's are to sensitive to the HF noise inside computers. 'Features' are designed to sound good in a sales pitch but seldom result in good audio. Buy an external DAC like the NuForce µDAC3 for € 149 and you're far better of than with any sound card! And, like I've also said many times, I will not review general purpose computer gear since their commercial live span is too short, there are technical differences per content and sometimes even per country. My videos are viewed in 124 countries... If you want a rock solid advise from me: buy an Apple MacMini that is released after 2010 and mount an SSD system drive (or buy one new with an SSD mounted as standard). Mind you, I'm not saying you can't buy or build a good Wintel or Lintel box, but choosing the components wisely can be extremely difficult and I can't help. See my book for more details: thehbproject.com/en/news/116/file_based_audio
Hans - I have your book, and listen for all I'm worth to your videos, but have complete novice questions. Please tell me if what I'm trying to achieve is even possible, and which category (audiophile computer?) I'm in. I'm on a trial with Tidal. They only allow download to mobile devices, but I want to use my MacBook Pro. Can a playlist from Tidal stream successfully in HQ, or does the file need to be stored on my device? I purchased a nuForce DAC-3. Hooked it up. Played a tune from iTunes expecting the DAC to divert the signal to itself, but it didn't. Still hearing the sound from the Macbook. Where in your book or on your channel can I learn about a system such as I'm devising, or am I doing something that just is ill fated?
The book offers a general description and not tips on specific hardware. If you want to stream Tidal in HQ, use the Tidal app and select the nuForce DAC as output in the settings menu under streaming.
Dank Je Hans. Unfortunately, in the settings tab there is only streaming quality, and no selection for output to a DAC. I mentioned the book to identify basic configuration possibilities. Streaming from a service like Tidal is one option for file based audio. But for the audio file, improvements are desirable. This is why I bought the DAC, and hope to play through my stereo instead of my computer. You've mentioned a few times that laptops are noisy. But what if the DAC is external? Thanks again, Vic
While that link yielded a 404, it's of less interest now that I have Tidal streaming through my DAC. Of much interest, however, is to know if having an external DAC avoids the noise issues inherent in laptops. Of course, it does add a 1M USB interconnect, which I imagine might pick up noise. Thank you!
I follow you regularly and appreciate your material. I'm curious to see if i'm missing something on my computer. I am connected from my PC to a Marantz 5009 receiver with an external Emotiva Amp and a Bowers and Wilkins 805 Diamond setup. I also have a set of HD 800 Headphones hooked up to a Schiit Audio Gungnir DAC and Asgard 2 Amp for the headphones. While I can tell a difference between the speakers vs the headphones I cant for the life of me tell a difference between better quality audio files. I purchased from HDtracks Norah Jones Come Away With Me and Miles Davis album at 192 - 24 and would play the Spotify version against the high res track through Foobar. I have also taken the NPR audio blind test along with the Tidal blind test and am unable to tell a difference between any of them. I am wondering if i'm missing something from my computer because everything I am doing is through my PC. I am going through my PC audio out HDMI on my video card to my Marantz and out from my motherboard via Toslink into the Schiit Audio Gungnir. I do have the output in Windows 10 to reflect the top studio quality of 192 - 24. I have watched your video on the differences between 192 and 44.1 but am having trouble telling the difference between Spotify (high quality - Premium) and the 192 files. I feel like I have a great ear (which is why I thought it necessary to purchase higher end equipment) and want to be capable of hearing the difference between an MP3 and a 192 file. Something that is easy for me to tell is a well recorded song vs a poorly recorded song. I'm trying to figure out if there is something else on my PC whether it be a setting or a piece of hardware that is getting in the way of me noticing the difference between the two. Thanks Hans
+Derek Dastrup Listening to audio is like watching a Ultra HD TV through ten layers of glass. If nine layers are of the finest glass available and one layer is made of far from perfect glass, it is questionable whether you would see the difference with a normal High Definition TV and if the one layer of glass is really bad, chances are you won't even see the difference between it and an old standard definition tube tv. With your stereo all components must be set up properly and be of sufficient quality to hear the difference. Only if all is chosen and set up well, you will hear the difference provided your hearing is not flowed. There are already videos on setting up your stereo (ua-cam.com/video/L83EEDbAMJI/v-deo.html) and more will follow.
Hans - Im trying to find the best solution for me. I have 3000-4000 personal CDs. I would like to rip them as FLAC and put them on external HDDs and then be able to stream them over my home network either on my laptops or cell phones. I dont want to dedicate an always on PC for this audio only project (dont need movies/video capabilities). Need to decide if the Raspberry Pi and those type of mini PCs would be best or something else? I have Amazon Prime and many of the CDs I bought didnt have AutoRip capabilities so I cant play them thru Alexa. I have a annual Plex Pass account currently. I have a Western Digitial MyCloud EX2 Ultra NAS (2 bay) which currently only has 2 TB drives in it but I plan to put my FLAC hi res rip music files on a different Western Digitial external 5 TB HDD .. Any ideas or thoughts are appreciated. Going to watch your RIPPING video now.. Love your channel. Thanks for all you do.
Dear Hans, thank you for this interesting explanations. Would be interesting to know your opinion regarding Intel NUC computers for home HiFi Audio. Is it suitable to stream audio via USB and as an alternative option via HDMI. Here is the link to inter NUC portfolio www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/nuc/products-overview.html. this NUC computer also has USB3 interface and because it better shielded than usb2, would be better to use it with external DAC like IFI (which is also has USB3 connection)
I think you should have talked a bit more about options for sound cards / DACs - since although newer motherboards have higher quality audio output (PCs are catching up with MACs finally) but if you care about music you really want a decent soundcard for playback. Preferably something with optical / TOSLINK or similar digital output interconnect. You obviously need a DAC/amp that can take this though, or some kind of adapter/converter. For analog PC output, you pretty much always need a basic line level transformer isolator to get rid of the CPU buzzes and hums (the noise you can hear moving your mouse or CPU etc) - although it will always be there a little at high gain levels. I hear that using an 'Audioquest Jitterbug' plugged into a USB port will help audio output potentially (I am not sure if this will help with analog? I'd hope it would). But you want to at least use USB, ethernet, optical toslink, firewire, thunderbolt or whatever digital/data connection you can, rather than an analog audio output, since almost no computers are well designed for this purpose. Another last option if you must use analog output - if say an ART DTI doesn't cut it as an isolator, try a proper line level DI with a ground lift to see if the issue is grounding (you can go crazy on power regulators/conditioners etc also to try to help with this).
Solution : ditch CD/network player, use Toslink with good quality DAC. This way any computer is audiophile grade for dirt cheap. You did not talk about the underlying sound layer at the system level that gets replaced with bit perfect playback.
Hello Hans I bought your ebook File Based Audio and eventhough I found it very informative, I haven't found an answer to two questions I have. I have a very revealing system and I listen to all my music streaming with Tidal app going to my R2R DAC with a nice USB cable. My Notebook has an Intel i5 processor, 4 Gb of RAM and Windows 10. I find the sound of my system very good, but always as an non-resting audiophile I keep on looking for improving the sound bit a bit. My two questions are: 1. Related to your book. Considering that I want to keep on streaming music because I love the almost endless universe of songs offered at a glance, I would like to have an appropriate PC for the task. Which one or wich components inside and OS would you recomend as minimum? 2. Not related to your book. Last night (late) I was listening to music at low levels (my family was sleeping) and I was amazed on the sound of my system. It was better than normal and I knew it happened due to a cleaner power line at those hours. It made me think about buying a AC power supply or a filter to accomplish that sound during day time. There are A LOT of options out there and I don't have the knowledge, nor the endless money or the time to buy blindly. Could you recomend me a good price-quality ratio solution for that? I live in Argentina, we have 220V and 50 Hz current supply. Thank you. Regards
OK, I don't do buyer's advise. But considering you state your system is of very high quality, perhaps the same setup as I use for my setup 1 might be interesting. Do not connect your DAC directly to a computer but use a Networked Audio Adaptor (watch ua-cam.com/video/2XRi9utNBl4/v-deo.html) and a simple computer to run Roon on (watch ua-cam.com/video/AtfXsVM9QDE/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/PX5657-RA9E/v-deo.html). As far as power conditioners and the like are concerned, I really can't help you there. It is very difficult to gather information on all the differences between grid systems - both technical and legal - worldwide so I put that aside for now.
And why should a rebuild desktop, not using the onboard usb or audio with descent cables and offcourse not a cheap psu have. So not using a desktop, neither mac or win 7 or above and watercooled to keep the computer easily within the 30 degrees range, with studio soundcards or the less scoring usb soundcard, since they miss power( the cheap onboard ones or pci-x Without 12v connection)? The annoying thing which hifi peoples have is, they want only here the source: so interconnects should be neutral, but no, cable x sounds warmer etc., that interlink shouldn't do a thing if it's a right one,??agree??. I have a perfect soundcard with phono input, and doesn't add a thing, bjt hifi lovers talk nonsense in my opinion, since their main purpose to use overexpensive interlinks and nonsense like powersupplies etc. is to bring with the use of bulbamps, which s/n are very low, is the warm natural sound they give.Give me the system and i'll record your phono amp output stage super lineair andbelieve me.... nice for studio use, but you don't want that sound. Nobody ones real digital sound ,it's what it really is, and if i plackback over my hybrid mackie mixer it allready sounds way wARmer, since it's components add a nice smooth glow . That whole hifi stuff is based on contradictions, but an interlink should act like a copperwire on a pcb and you may be also a nice engineer, but you talk in your own commercial way.....sad
"but since I'm a member of the society to preserve useless knowlegde..." ANother member found!
18 years ago I owned a soundblaster extigy usb with toslink / fiber optic, and it was far superb in comparison to a pci card or onboard audio
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and infos.
A big bravo from Morocco!
Simple and clear.
Keep going!!
Thank you sir, I surely will.
I guess I choose right, got a Mac mini, connected to my tv using HDMI, audio comes out spdif to my spdif switcher into my IGA and I can't imagine it sounding better but I'm sure can, I'm happy though
Enjoy the music😁
Wat een heerlijke beschouwingen over audiofiele aangelegenheden... Dank je wel Hans!!
goede video's voor gestresste managers, verplicht een uur luisteren en kijken naar Hans, lekker relaxed hans top.
I have a lot of troubles with USB powered sound cards having a very distorted audio on various laptops. Asus xonar u3 / dragonfly by audio quest , this sound cards tested on /acer aspire E1-532G, Acer Aspire 5733Z , lenovo B570e ,asus x551MA behaved very strange , mostly they had a very distorted sound unpleasant to listen but some times the sound just gets a lot better /cleaner instantly under some circumstances /after a long usage of the sound card ,some times after waking up the laptop from sleep with the sound card being plugged .
Intel processor is the USB host controller for all of this laptops ...
Could this be cheap design /noisy USB ports, and that the laptops are not supplying a sufficiently clean DC voltage via its USB ports?
Use EAC in secure mode for ripping and utilize AccurateRip. Simply selecting a lossless format on a ripping program is NOT enough to ensure bit perfect copies
MIGHT not be enough. I have ripped cd's using iTunes on a Mac and checked them agains EAC. No difference.
Your videos are awesome, keep up good work Sir.
Thanks, will do!
Hi Hans, I listen to a lot of DSD files that my MacBook Air first has to convert to DoP (my DAC only accepts that format). I recently bought a media player (an Android 4K media player with USB audio and DoP) that does the same trick: basically I can use the media player as a transport and don't need the MacBook Air at all. So my question is: is all DoP conversion alike? Or could there be differences in sound quality? My rationale is that the DSD64 or DSD128 is relatively prone to error (it works or it doesn't work) so any changes would immediately be detectable. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!
I wouldn't be concerned about the DSD to DoP conversion, that is a relatively easy job (in contrast to for instance volume or tone controlling a DSD file). I would be more concerned about the electronics noise computer, tablets and smartphones can add to the digital signal and that can cause jitter during the digital to analog conversion. See my videoWhy digital circuits influence the sound quality (ua-cam.com/video/B-StTplQZys/v-deo.html).
As always ..great info
Ahh some great info here. Many thanks!
Is there degradation or loss of quality if we use mac mini playing music from a NAS drive (Apple Time Capsule)?
If all works well, there will be no degradation
Question: Sir, Hi, I just bought a Blue Sound Node (The latest one). The very reputable seller, Crutchfield advised using iPhone to play the music. Do I need a computer?
Please watch ua-cam.com/video/t5J-EJL0D9U/v-deo.html
Hans, I wanted to tell you something that happened to me at an audio meeting some years ago. We were having a heated debate about whether there was a difference in sound between an original store bought CD and a copy of that CD. The next meeting we had a computer set up to burn a copy of a recording that we were all familiar with and on axis it sounded identical however off axis there was a difference in the treble. We repeated the experiment a few times with the same results. Would you have any idea what might have caused this. Thank you for all your helpful videos.
Very nicely explained, thank you !
Hans--excellent video... you've got me yearning for A+. One big question though... can I drag and drop entire playlists from iTunes into A+ and have them retain their order. The order is extremely important to me as I am a jazz fan who lists by session date rather than album. If I can do this, will I need to play A+ with iTunes open, and will this affect sound quality? Thank you.
When you use iTunes as interface for A+, iTunes works like normal. If you use A+ as a stand-alone app, iTunes playlists won't work for as far as I can see. The sound quality is equal in both situations as far as I can hear, but there will always be people that hear a difference...
could you please give me your opinion on what may be better to store my music and have a dedicated music server: a mac mini or a lap top with an external hard drive, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much
Watch ua-cam.com/video/n26CMGX_yrk/v-deo.html
Ok my question is about the last part of your video. If I’m using Tidal or Qobuz through my streamer , to get the highest quality sound , is using the computer / sending the music from my computer via jriver , audirvana or roon software to my streamer the way to go ? Does it matter whether the software is installed in a laptop or mac mini in that case? Whether you are using bluesound node2i or dcs is this the method to get the highest quality sound when streaming? Or are there other ways? I’m only asking in regards to streaming. I feel totally lost in all these technicalities...
Perhaps this video will help you: ua-cam.com/video/7ydifESMwYo/v-deo.html
The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel thanks!
Great video Hans, very informative!!
How important is a soundcard in a computer for sound reproduction? Can you let us know how it effects the music going into the DAC and also what soundcard do you recommend?
se ua-cam.com/video/AWM8fOCCVW4/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/grzoqEb2KMk/v-deo.html
Hi i like your videos. Now there is dacs with galvanic isolation, so i will be ok with any pc right? I am asking because de mac mini has an outdated processor used from 2012 and now 2017 i can get a better pc windows based, connected with the hugo tt with galvanic isolation
If it only were that simple. galvanic isolation will kill the noise that travelled through the ground plane but it will not kill jitter.
The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel Thanks for your answer. I just discover i can upgrade the processor. I think i will order the mac mini. Thanks
Hello Hans, I have a question about the combi of roon, microrendu and chordette 2cute. I would like to use roon in a config with a nas 2x2tb (mirrored) with audiofiles, a microrendu or macmini and the dac chord 2cute. Speakers active dynaudio or kef ls50(W than without the chord). When I use the microrendu, how and where the roon core and datafiles are installed? What is the best config in above case? Best regards, Mart
+boerenbach see my most recent post in which I explain more on Roon.
I have an old Macbook Pro 2009 lying around. If I disconnect the internal plug to the monitor from the motherboard, theoretically, would it make the Macbook Pro as good as the Mac Mini?
Thanks!
And would the MBP, while running from its battery, offer any advantage over the stock AC power supply?
I really don't know, it might be. But I don't know if all the driver electronics is switched off as well. It would make sense from a power consumption point of view but when used with an external monitor, power consumption is normally no consideration.
That might help but the screen drivers will be a lot noisier
Thanks for your reply! I'm using the MBP as a dedicated headless music server so I won't need a monitor (internal or external) anyway.
Re: "That might help but the screen drivers will be a lot noisier" That's why I raised the question whether disconnecting the internal plug (which I already did) would help. From an electronic point of view, do you think battery will be on par with linear power supply?
P.S. Good job Hans! I really enjoy your channel.
Thanks a lot for your informative videos!
im trying to get better sound from a laptop, its run into an onkyo reveiver and 2 vintage speakers. i notice a big difference in sound quality compared to a little nettop i used to run. its almost like the sound card cant send out as much. almost like its missing frequencies or cant do many at once. is there something i can do to fix that? lets say i play a youtube video, same link, same stereo and wiring, it sounds completley different between the 2 computers
You might but that depends on what causes the differences. And than can be many things: bad PCB layout, bad clock oscillator, noisy screen driver (the electronics that sends the video signal to the display) and many other things. It is impossible to say what the cause is (or causes are) in your case.
Which format is better to download mqa file ? Wav 32 bit 96000 or flac 24bit 96000?
MQA is always FLAC.
Hello. What would be interesting are some tips bout the configration of a pc for optimum DAC output, say like settings in BIOS, ASIO driver, recommended Music player etc.
That depends largely on the hardware and OS of choice and these differ per country try and almost per week. Impossible for me to help you there.
What about toslink cable connection between pc and amplifier? I have an older amplifier that has toslink digital input but no hdmi. What would be the best digital interface ?
Then you have to use TOS link. There is no 'best connection' as such, it is all about the implementation.
I currently run a mac mini with and outboard battery, do you think I should try a high quality LPS instead?
Hard to say. Not every battery performs well and the same goes for LPS'ses. Very good LPS'ses will perform better than very good batteries. But both will not be cheap.
Hans, It's not very clear to me the following question, even after reading you ebook: to achieve the best budget highest analog-like quality audio should I have: 1) a server connected to a network audio adapter (microrendu, sms-200, etc) connected to DAC, (2) a audiophile computer (nimitra, sms1000, etc) connected directly to DAC or (3) a high-quality media player transport connected to DAC (aurender, chord codeX, meridian, etc)?
It all depends on the quality of the equipment. At least in theory all three solutions might achieve the best result if done optimally. I think that using a small computer as server, like the Intel NUC, connected over a network to a quality network audio adaptor will be the most cost efficient. That is why I use this solution.
Another stuff I didn´t understood very well. If Asynchronomous USB buffer bits to DAC, why should I worry with quality of cable and transport clock or silence? In theory I did just need a source to provide perfect bits to the DAC. May
I have not seen a satisfactory explanation of this phenomenon but it is easy to hear. See for instance the review of the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra that is due later this day.
Hans, I am desperately trying to find what is the jitter measurement on the optical out of a late 2012 Mac Mini. I even wrote to Apple and posted on different audiophile forums.
Any chance you can measure it or point me in the right direction?
Thanks!
Unfortunately there is no one way to measure jitter cq capture it in one figure. I use the Audio Precision figures and JTest but both - even combined - tell little about how good it sounds. Only when it is really bad, you see that in the measurements. I still have to judge jitter by ear.
Using Gold or Silver glitted HighEnd USB cable helps for better PC-fi Audio?
I have never reviewed them so I can’t tell.
I am currently exploring the possibility of using a HTPC running Lunix (Ubuntu) as an alternative to a music transport. Do you think Linux is good enough to output hi-fi quality audio? I find that switching sample rates on Linux is not as easy as on Windows or Mac OSX. Are there any good tips on Linux as an audiophile transport or player for an audiophile quality DAC or hi-fi system? There are not many resources on this subject. Thanks.
I have no experience e using Linux as a direct player. I did use VOlumio and the like on a Raspberry Pi but these are all set to work good. I use an Intel NUC to run Roon but Roon sends the audio to a networked audio adaptor that takes care of the audio quality. If you want to use one of the outputs of the computer Linux is running on, you not only have to take care of Linux doing the right things, also the computer has to have proper outputs, being USB, SPDIF or optical. And that all is not easy.
Can Volumio save content locally, for example, on the PC drive that it is installed on? Or can it only connect to external sources on the network? Volumio does sound interesting. But I would love to see more videos exploring audio configuration on Linux. Not a lot has been done on the subject. For example, changing output sample rates and bit rate for example. Thanks.
You're making things more complicated than they are. Volumio only runs on a small number of small computers and not on a PC. If you follow the instructions the mini computer - Raspberry Pi 3b for instance - will become a bit perfect music player that, when connected to for instance a HiFiBerry board plus music automatically at the right sample rate and bit depth. There is nothing more to explain.
Thank you.
Goedemorgen Hans, I have a little dilemma, My hifi is a Hegel h360 I like use Tidal and also I want buy music. Right now I’m using play music through airplay. My question is, I like to buy the mac mini 2018 to connect direct to the h360, is a good choice of you think there is a better product and situation, by the way I like your book very much. Regards, Michele
You can get fair results using a computer directly connected to the digital input of your amp. But it is far better to use a network bridge, aka network audio adaptor. Those are in fact also computers but far less powerful and therefore make less noise. You then still need a computer to feed the music from. But here an Intel NUC i3 will suffice, which is clearly lower priced. Or you could use a streamer like the Bluesound Node 2i or Cocktail audio N15D, either analogue or digitally connected to your amp. Watch Networked Audio Adaptors
Thank you for your feedback. In my house I have only apple products I don’t know if this intel NUC i3 will work for me, what do you think?
I really can’t say.
I do not consider myself a hardcore audiophile but I do like having high quality audio when listening to music. I enjoy my music very well by plugging my Grado headphones to my Macbook. However, I might consider getting that AudioQuest Dragonfly as my DAC / AMP. I do not know what to expect with that setup because Grados are low-impedance headphones.
Sorry I can't help. I know little about headphones. Perhaps head.com can help
No problem sir. Your valuable information on hardware and sources is great!
Greetings Hans,
my operating system is OSX and I am streaming music from my computer to the micromega WM-10.
I am not having a big digital collection (about 200GB) and they are all ripped CDs using itunes in separate hard disk.
In chapter 5 of your book you are mentioning that you have not tried storing the collection in a SSD because of the size of your collection therefore you can not comment if it proves sound quality.
Do you have any updates about this?
Since my collection is rather small would you suggest using SSD for storing music?
250GB of SSD is not that expensive at all...
I haven't tried an SSD yet and I don't know if I will. There are many things that ask for attention and I personally can't imagine it will make a big difference given well implemented hard- and software. But I might be wrong, of course.
Thank you for the fast reply Sir.
This is an excellent video. Thank you for a well spent 10 minutes in my day!
Hans ,I Love that Line...
What line is that?
@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel But since I’m a member of the society to preserve useless knowledge… Great line
Hans… I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge in a clear and concise method… Thanks from California
My pleasure
Did I mishear or did you say in one of your videos that audirvana was planning its own hardware?
You did mishear, I'm afraid.
Great video.
How about audiophile ubuntu? it claims to be bit perfect audio. I have a nice system and a Arcam IR DAC using the digital coaxial out of my pc to the coaxial input of the Arcam it sounds better than using the USB. So should i be using a Mac?
Using 'normal' 'big' computers doesn't do it anymore for me. I rather use a Raspberry Pi, Sparky or a good, purpose built networked audio interface like the SOtM sMS-200. You can than use any of those with a proper audiophile power supply. The 'normal' 'big' computer then can function as a server for any program and the quality is far less critical..
Wonder if a 80 plus gold power supply would be better than my 80 plus bronze. Probably not as much of a difference as just getting a power conditioner? I built my PC (pre built systems are a rip off) and use a USB dac with an ifi ground isolator.
I have no experience with these power supplies so I can't tell for sure. But to me they all seem focussed at anything else than audio optimalisation.
Changed PSU with Corsair RM1000i and the sound improved a lot on my USB DACs, but the biggest change was to get a new $250 motherboard, somehow it filters the noise on USB way better that the PSU did.
Imagine a laptop that is used as a source for a DAC, it won't have the filtering that a desktop could have.
If you have a mother board with a optical output can I use that to connect to dac amp
Yes you can, but it will usually sound very poor due to jitter.
Hi Hans, very informative! I have a Mac Mini with my music ripped to external hard drive and stream tidal. Id like to reduce sonic noise as much as possible. Id like to use my IPad to run my music which i do currently via JRiver but am unable to use the Ipad to run Tidal. Will Roon allow me to do this? Im planning on purchasing the original Brooklyn to match to this system. Upgrading my cables too. Can I also insulate sonic problems from my Mini and DAC with external power supplies? Thanks for your time. New Patrean member here.
Roon can do what you want. And you could try to clean the usb signal from the MacMini. The better way is to use a networked audio interface like the Allo USBridge, the SOtM sMS series or the Sonore products. See next weeks video.
Thanks, ive been looking at the sotm and im still a little confused as how they work together. Are you suggesting perhaps the 200 ultra? If yes, i was further confused by the options offered by sotm. Thanks again. Huge fan and have my first Petreon supportcoming your way. Sorry its not more.
I have reviewed both SOtM’s. in UA-cam search for SOtM and Beekhuyzen. Any support is greatly appreciated.
Hans seems to mentioned that Qobus/Tidal are already streaming MQA. Not yet I think . I wish. Do you know when Hans?
Kobus and Tidal are not yet streaming MQA and it is not clear when that will start.
I really don't get the problem with PC, if you just use optical cable as an output into a DAC with its own power supply? Don't you skip all of those problems and you actually on the cheap side?
I'm afraid not. But it all depends on what sound quality you want. Your suggested setup will surely work but if you go for higher quality, it's not the best solution.
@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel thank you for your reply. I'm watching your videos about how to connect a DAC, and it makes sense to me a bit how the clocks work.
geweldig en leerzaam.
Love your channel.... you earned a sub.
+lunatrics Thanks. Just wondering, what that sub is (I am no web language expert;-)
+The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel short for subscriber :)
A very informative channel. I'm not really new in the audio. (My set is actually from the early 90's--infinity renaissance 90 on a dutch-made sphinx project 2 with sphinx project 12 ). But im just starting in the dac's. And i like the no-nonsence reviews alot.
+lunatrics Ah, the old Sphinx set (I have owned it for some time). Dit you know the designer of those amps nowadays is the CEO/head designer of Siltech and Crystal Cable? A very capable man!
Hans Beekhuyzen Dont know the designer personally. But i've been there once. I live near arnhem. And if i remember correctly their base of operations was in elst.. my cables are from crystal cable.. so i guess im sticking with one company. :)
Hi Hans, thanks for your very informative knowledge. I recently got roon and have a lumin D2 network streamer. Can you recommend some good audiophile computer as a roon core device that would improve the sound over using my Mac computer. Something with a ripper would be good but not essential. I don’t have a huge budget but between €500-1000 would be great. Really appreciate it. Has to be compatible with
iPhone/iPad. Many thanks !
I use an Intel NUC 7i3 computer running Roon Rock connected over ethernet and the Uptone EtherREGEN to my streamer. In this setup I don't hear a difference between servers. Watch ua-cam.com/video/AtfXsVM9QDE/v-deo.html
I’ll have a look, many thanks !
Why not use a motherboard that has a dac-up usb port for clean power/amp/dac?
I haven't tried it, so I can't say.
pretty much a normal usb port with some special power options and conditioning built in, can output more power than a normal port and do it cleaner, typically has software control from mobo mfg. Gets the sound data out of the noisy computer nicely to an external DAC/AMP combo that can be isolated. Its mainly for Dacs that can be powered and are plug and play usb. Starting to show up on high end boards from Asus, Gigabyte etc. For the average user I think its a great solution to get the sound data cleanly out of a computer vs digital optical etc which can cost alot more for a setup
I know, but I didn’t do a hands on. On paper even the cheapest stuff sounds great if you use the right words....
What is your thought on the Brennen music player?
+Augur Cybernaut none, I haven't reviewed it.
Like your videos. I really want to hear more of your opinion regarding today's computer for audiophile, especially internal dac. Do PC's internal sound cards, like those high-end models from Creative Labs or Asus, are all considered not an ideal way to have excellent audio? They have many features on them that they boasted to able to produce high fidelity audio. Features like high-precision clock, high snr, clean power supply, hyper-grounding, emi-shielding, bla-bla. TIA.
+Budi Lee I consider internal DAC to be no option. I have explained it clearly in several videos that DAC's are to sensitive to the HF noise inside computers. 'Features' are designed to sound good in a sales pitch but seldom result in good audio. Buy an external DAC like the NuForce µDAC3 for € 149 and you're far better of than with any sound card! And, like I've also said many times, I will not review general purpose computer gear since their commercial live span is too short, there are technical differences per content and sometimes even per country. My videos are viewed in 124 countries... If you want a rock solid advise from me: buy an Apple MacMini that is released after 2010 and mount an SSD system drive (or buy one new with an SSD mounted as standard). Mind you, I'm not saying you can't buy or build a good Wintel or Lintel box, but choosing the components wisely can be extremely difficult and I can't help. See my book for more details: thehbproject.com/en/news/116/file_based_audio
+The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel Thank you, sir for your quick response and recommendation.
My pleasure.
Hans - I have your book, and listen for all I'm worth to your videos, but have complete novice questions. Please tell me if what I'm trying to achieve is even possible, and which category (audiophile computer?) I'm in.
I'm on a trial with Tidal. They only allow download to mobile devices, but I want to use my MacBook Pro. Can a playlist from Tidal stream successfully in HQ, or does the file need to be stored on my device?
I purchased a nuForce DAC-3. Hooked it up. Played a tune from iTunes expecting the DAC to divert the signal to itself, but it didn't. Still hearing the sound from the Macbook.
Where in your book or on your channel can I learn about a system such as I'm devising, or am I doing something that just is ill fated?
The book offers a general description and not tips on specific hardware. If you want to stream Tidal in HQ, use the Tidal app and select the nuForce DAC as output in the settings menu under streaming.
Dank Je Hans. Unfortunately, in the settings tab there is only streaming quality, and no selection for output to a DAC.
I mentioned the book to identify basic configuration possibilities. Streaming from a service like Tidal is one option for file based audio. But for the audio file, improvements are desirable. This is why I bought the DAC, and hope to play through my stereo instead of my computer.
You've mentioned a few times that laptops are noisy. But what if the DAC is external?
Thanks again, Vic
The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel I found it. The DAC has to be selected on the Mac under system settings.
Not with me: www.dropbox.com/s/pvkh6a4i4x3bf38/Schermafbeelding%202017-03-03%20om%2015.12.02.png?dl=0. The AudioQuest is the external DAC here.
While that link yielded a 404, it's of less interest now that I have Tidal streaming through my DAC.
Of much interest, however, is to know if having an external DAC avoids the noise issues inherent in laptops. Of course, it does add a 1M USB interconnect, which I imagine might pick up noise. Thank you!
You forgot to add the link to the TOP RIGHT corner, @ 3.55
Thanks for reporting this. It is corrected now.
I follow you regularly and appreciate your material. I'm curious to see if i'm missing something on my computer. I am connected from my PC to a Marantz 5009 receiver with an external Emotiva Amp and a Bowers and Wilkins 805 Diamond setup. I also have a set of HD 800 Headphones hooked up to a Schiit Audio Gungnir DAC and Asgard 2 Amp for the headphones. While I can tell a difference between the speakers vs the headphones I cant for the life of me tell a difference between better quality audio files. I purchased from HDtracks Norah Jones Come Away With Me and Miles Davis album at 192 - 24 and would play the Spotify version against the high res track through Foobar. I have also taken the NPR audio blind test along with the Tidal blind test and am unable to tell a difference between any of them. I am wondering if i'm missing something from my computer because everything I am doing is through my PC. I am going through my PC audio out HDMI on my video card to my Marantz and out from my motherboard via Toslink into the Schiit Audio Gungnir. I do have the output in Windows 10 to reflect the top studio quality of 192 - 24. I have watched your video on the differences between 192 and 44.1 but am having trouble telling the difference between Spotify (high quality - Premium) and the 192 files. I feel like I have a great ear (which is why I thought it necessary to purchase higher end equipment) and want to be capable of hearing the difference between an MP3 and a 192 file. Something that is easy for me to tell is a well recorded song vs a poorly recorded song. I'm trying to figure out if there is something else on my PC whether it be a setting or a piece of hardware that is getting in the way of me noticing the difference between the two.
Thanks Hans
+Derek Dastrup Listening to audio is like watching a Ultra HD TV through ten layers of glass. If nine layers are of the finest glass available and one layer is made of far from perfect glass, it is questionable whether you would see the difference with a normal High Definition TV and if the one layer of glass is really bad, chances are you won't even see the difference between it and an old standard definition tube tv. With your stereo all components must be set up properly and be of sufficient quality to hear the difference. Only if all is chosen and set up well, you will hear the difference provided your hearing is not flowed. There are already videos on setting up your stereo (ua-cam.com/video/L83EEDbAMJI/v-deo.html) and more will follow.
Hans - Im trying to find the best solution for me. I have 3000-4000 personal CDs. I would like to rip them as FLAC and put them on external HDDs and then be able to stream them over my home network either on my laptops or cell phones. I dont want to dedicate an always on PC for this audio only project (dont need movies/video capabilities). Need to decide if the Raspberry Pi and those type of mini PCs would be best or something else? I have Amazon Prime and many of the CDs I bought didnt have AutoRip capabilities so I cant play them thru Alexa. I have a annual Plex Pass account currently. I have a Western Digitial MyCloud EX2 Ultra NAS (2 bay) which currently only has 2 TB drives in it but I plan to put my FLAC hi res rip music files on a different Western Digitial external 5 TB HDD .. Any ideas or thoughts are appreciated. Going to watch your RIPPING video now.. Love your channel. Thanks for all you do.
It is virtually impossible to give personal advise, both time wise and because of personal preferences.
@@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel no problem I understand. Thanks
Dear Hans, thank you for this interesting explanations. Would be interesting to know your opinion regarding Intel NUC computers for home HiFi Audio. Is it suitable to stream audio via USB and as an alternative option via HDMI. Here is the link to inter NUC portfolio www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/nuc/products-overview.html. this NUC computer also has USB3 interface and because it better shielded than usb2, would be better to use it with external DAC like IFI (which is also has USB3 connection)
Computers differ every 3 months and per continent (sometimes even by country) so it is very hard to say if that NUC will be suited.
I think you should have talked a bit more about options for sound cards / DACs - since although newer motherboards have higher quality audio output (PCs are catching up with MACs finally) but if you care about music you really want a decent soundcard for playback. Preferably something with optical / TOSLINK or similar digital output interconnect. You obviously need a DAC/amp that can take this though, or some kind of adapter/converter. For analog PC output, you pretty much always need a basic line level transformer isolator to get rid of the CPU buzzes and hums (the noise you can hear moving your mouse or CPU etc) - although it will always be there a little at high gain levels. I hear that using an 'Audioquest Jitterbug' plugged into a USB port will help audio output potentially (I am not sure if this will help with analog? I'd hope it would). But you want to at least use USB, ethernet, optical toslink, firewire, thunderbolt or whatever digital/data connection you can, rather than an analog audio output, since almost no computers are well designed for this purpose. Another last option if you must use analog output - if say an ART DTI doesn't cut it as an isolator, try a proper line level DI with a ground lift to see if the issue is grounding (you can go crazy on power regulators/conditioners etc also to try to help with this).
Did you czech out my channel? ua-cam.com/video/grzoqEb2KMk/v-deo.html is full of reviews of DAC's!!
Solution : ditch CD/network player, use Toslink with good quality DAC. This way any computer is audiophile grade for dirt cheap.
You did not talk about the underlying sound layer at the system level that gets replaced with bit perfect playback.
Hello Hans
I bought your ebook File Based Audio and eventhough I found it very informative, I haven't found an answer to two questions I have.
I have a very revealing system and I listen to all my music streaming with Tidal app going to my R2R DAC with a nice USB cable.
My Notebook has an Intel i5 processor, 4 Gb of RAM and Windows 10.
I find the sound of my system very good, but always as an non-resting audiophile I keep on looking for improving the sound bit a bit.
My two questions are:
1. Related to your book. Considering that I want to keep on streaming music because I love the almost endless universe of songs offered at a glance, I would like to have an appropriate PC for the task. Which one or wich components inside and OS would you recomend as minimum?
2. Not related to your book. Last night (late) I was listening to music at low levels (my family was sleeping) and I was amazed on the sound of my system. It was better than normal and I knew it happened due to a cleaner power line at those hours. It made me think about buying a AC power supply or a filter to accomplish that sound during day time. There are A LOT of options out there and I don't have the knowledge, nor the endless money or the time to buy blindly. Could you recomend me a good price-quality ratio solution for that?
I live in Argentina, we have 220V and 50 Hz current supply.
Thank you. Regards
OK, I don't do buyer's advise. But considering you state your system is of very high quality, perhaps the same setup as I use for my setup 1 might be interesting. Do not connect your DAC directly to a computer but use a Networked Audio Adaptor (watch ua-cam.com/video/2XRi9utNBl4/v-deo.html) and a simple computer to run Roon on (watch ua-cam.com/video/AtfXsVM9QDE/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/PX5657-RA9E/v-deo.html).
As far as power conditioners and the like are concerned, I really can't help you there. It is very difficult to gather information on all the differences between grid systems - both technical and legal - worldwide so I put that aside for now.
The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel. Thanks!
Good video
Can you achive a good sound quality by using external dac that is connected to stationary pc via usb cable?
With some effort, yes. Although 'good sound' is relative, of course. Please watch ua-cam.com/video/grzoqEb2KMk/v-deo.html
The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel thank you, very helpful!
What would be better for audio stationary PC or a laptop?
The best is to not use the computer near the D/A conversion but use an NAA. Second best would be a stationary PC, all other things being equal.
Re-upload?
Why?
And why should a rebuild desktop, not using the onboard usb or audio with descent cables and offcourse not a cheap psu have.
So not using a desktop, neither mac or win 7 or above and watercooled to keep the computer easily within the 30 degrees range, with studio soundcards or the less scoring usb soundcard, since they miss power( the cheap onboard ones or pci-x Without 12v connection)?
The annoying thing which hifi peoples have is, they want only here the source: so interconnects should be neutral, but no, cable x sounds warmer etc., that interlink shouldn't do a thing if it's a right one,??agree??. I have a perfect soundcard with phono input, and doesn't add a thing, bjt hifi lovers talk nonsense in my opinion, since their main purpose to use overexpensive interlinks and nonsense like powersupplies etc. is to bring with the use of bulbamps, which s/n are very low, is the warm natural sound they give.Give me the system and i'll record your phono amp output stage super lineair andbelieve me.... nice for studio use, but you don't want that sound. Nobody ones real digital sound ,it's what it really is, and if i plackback over my hybrid mackie mixer it allready sounds way wARmer, since it's components add a nice smooth glow . That whole hifi stuff is based on contradictions, but an interlink should act like a copperwire on a pcb and you may be also a nice engineer, but you talk in your own commercial way.....sad
Whatever makes you enjoy the music...
....and indeed, ignorance can be a blessing .