cd player or pc as source

[rahulsood]

hello
i am posting a thread after long time...... I know most of people will tell me to go thrugh previous threads ( as was the case when i was building my home theater so decided not to post a thread related to home theater build) But i need suggestion whether to go for a cd player of around 20k ( max budget) or i can go for HTPC ( 40 K budget). Kindly help me out what will the difference in sound quality If theres not much of difference then i will for htpc as i cam play movies also ( downloaded from web) Please suggest what to buy..........

 

[gobble]

To get the SQ of a 20k budget audiophile cdp from a pc, you may have to spend 15-20k on an external DAC. But you could prolly live and enjoy with a 8-10k sound card like Asus Essence ST as long as you don't "know" or mind the difference .... So of the 40k you will have to earmark atleast 12k for SC and IC cable.

HTH
Sent from my iPod touch

 

[thevortex]

To get the SQ of a 20k budget audiophile cdp from a pc, you may have to spend 15-20k on an external DAC. But you could prolly live and enjoy with a 8-10k sound card like Asus Essence ST as long as you don't "know" or mind the difference .... So of the 40k you will have to earmark atleast 12k for SC and IC cable.

HTH
Sent from my iPod touch

Gobble - the Essence will have a field day against a Rs. 20,000 CD player. No doubts about it.

Yes, the quality can be improved with external DACs. But if the question is about comparing a 20K CD Player with a 40K PC (all inclusive) then it is the 40K which produces more enjoyment and utility.

To the OP - thing is the difference between relatively decent source equipment is not as apparent as say the differences between two different amplifiers or two different speakers. It is nevertheless there. It is just not night and day, in most cases.

 

[gobble]

Gobble - the Essence will have a field day against a Rs. 20,000 CD player. No doubts about it.

Yes, the quality can be improved with external DACs. But if the question is about comparing a 20K CD Player with a 40K PC (all inclusive) then it is the 40K which produces more enjoyment and utility.

To the OP - thing is the difference between relatively decent source equipment is not as apparent as say the differences between two different amplifiers or two different speakers. It is nevertheless there. It is just not night and day, in most cases.

We've been there before in other threads....

A pci card of 6x4" dimensions working in a minefield environment of RF and EMI inside the PC beating a thoughtfully laid out cdp at twice the price ......

You know what? I am installing a silent heatsink in my PC this weekend. I will acquire a asus ST card and test it this month :thumbsup:

Regards


Sent from my iPod touch

 

[srramanujam]

A pci card of 6x4" dimensions working in a minefield environment of RF and EMI inside the PC beating a thoughtfully laid out cdp at twice the price ......

Regards


Sent from my iPod touch

Is there a price beyond which the CDP starts making sense. For example there are CDPs costing more than a lakh. Do they seriously add significant differences to SQ compared to a PC + Good DAC?

 

[jayad08]

hello
i am posting a thread after long time...... I know most of people will tell me to go thrugh previous threads ( as was the case when i was building my home theater so decided not to post a thread related to home theater build) But i need suggestion whether to go for a cd player of around 20k ( max budget) or i can go for HTPC ( 40 K budget). Kindly help me out what will the difference in sound quality If theres not much of difference then i will for htpc as i cam play movies also ( downloaded from web) Please suggest what to buy..........

HTPC solely for music and movies shouldnt cost more than 30k (with high end sound card included)
6-8k: Mobo
3-5k: CPU
2k: RAM
2k: HDD
1k: CD ROM
1k: Cabinet
1k: KB/Mouse
10k: Sound Card
-----
25-30k

and yes if you have not upgraded ur ears to audiophile level, then trust me you wont be able to distinguish a difference between a 8-10k SC and 1L CDP/DAC
so HTPC is the way to go IMO

 

[iaudio]

Gobble - the Essence will have a field day against a Rs. 20,000 CD player. No doubts about it.

Yes, the quality can be improved with external DACs. But if the question is about comparing a 20K CD Player with a 40K PC (all inclusive) then it is the 40K which produces more enjoyment and utility.

To the OP - thing is the difference between relatively decent source equipment is not as apparent as say the differences between two different amplifiers or two different speakers. It is nevertheless there. It is just not night and day, in most cases.

Thevortex, we should have done A-B shootout of Cdp and dac at your place that day.

 

[rahulsood]

Thanks for quick help
Well I dont know bout audiophile ear But yes when i play flac songs Through Xtreamer media player and my laptop i can hear difference My laptop Sound quality is far more better than xtreamer player. Dont know bout CDP of 20k as i havent got much time to enjoy thats why i asked whether to go for htpc or CDP. Reading your Valuable suggestion i think HTPC is better investment as can also play other file which CDP wont. I have many DTS songs (DVD AUDIO DISC) which i think CDP will not be able to play.

One more question if i install a good sound card then will i need external DAC I am having denon 2310 AVR.

 

[thevortex]

We've been there before in other threads....

A pci card of 6x4" dimensions working in a minefield environment of RF and EMI inside the PC beating a thoughtfully laid out cdp at twice the price ......

You know what? I am installing a silent heatsink in my PC this weekend. I will acquire a asus ST card and test it this month :thumbsup:

Regards


Sent from my iPod touch

Dont blame me if the output from your PC with Xonar helps open up your jawline and leaves it hanging .

Seriously the most important component in your PC to be taken care of is the PSU. Without that, no amount of thermal improvement within the PC is going to be of much help. Overclocking is another no-no.

And if ever you do go the cPlay way, see if you can live on without an antivirus. I have never stopped being pleasantly surprised by the speed of even a moderately configured machine without an antivirus.

 

[gobble]

Dont blame me if the output from your PC with Xonar helps open up your jawline and leaves it hanging .

Seriously the most important component in your PC to be taken care of is the PSU. Without that, no amount of thermal improvement within the PC is going to be of much help. Overclocking is another no-no.

And if ever you do go the cPlay way, see if you can live on without an antivirus. I have never stopped being pleasantly surprised by the speed of even a moderately configured machine without an antivirus.

Actually, I forgot I had decided against a SC and opted to put my money in a DIY DAC. Now let me mull over it ... unless somebody is going to buy this off me if I am not happy with the SQ ...

Regards

 

[thevortex]

Actually, I forgot I had decided against a SC and opted to put my money in a DIY DAC. Now let me mull over it ... unless somebody is going to buy this off me if I am not happy with the SQ ...

Regards

A DAC is not a bad idea really. Because if you can get hold of something which has a decent SPDIF in as well as a USB one then you are set to connect even mass market DVD players to it - without bringing your computer into the mix.

 

[thevortex]

Titus - I wish we had the time to do that comparo as well. There is always a next time anyway.

 

[rahulsood]

Thanks for quick help
Well I dont know bout audiophile ear But yes when i play flac songs Through Xtreamer media player and my laptop i can hear difference My laptop Sound quality is far more better than xtreamer player. Dont know bout CDP of 20k as i havent got much time to enjoy thats why i asked whether to go for htpc or CDP. Reading your Valuable suggestion i think HTPC is better investment as can also play other file which CDP wont. I have many DTS songs (DVD AUDIO DISC) which i think CDP will not be able to play.

One more question if i install a good sound card then will i need external DAC I am having denon 2310 AVR.

PLEASE ANSWER MY QUERY and kindly do not use abbreviations, i am not much familiar with these...

 

[jayad08]

PLEASE ANSWER MY QUERY and kindly do not use abbreviations, i am not much familiar with these...

Sound Card already has a DAC (Digital Analog Converter), so no u dont need an external DAC..
For playing DTS you would need SPDIF out, which mostly evey sound card has..and 2310 is a good enough receiver to decode DTS well.
Check the stereo based sound cards such as XONAR ST/ESI Juli, coz that is not decoded from AVR

 

[venkatcr]

A pci card of 6x4" dimensions working in a minefield environment of RF and EMI inside the PC beating a thoughtfully laid out cdp at twice the price ......

When Stereophile did their test of the Asus card, they actually fitted the card on an ordinary PC, and measured for interference related noise. What they found was literally zilch. I will post the complete article ASAP.

With high end cards, RF/EMI is not an issue any more.

Cheers

 

[thevortex]

When Stereophile did their test of the Asus card, they actually fitted the card on an ordinary PC, and measured for interference related noise. What they found was literally zilch. I will post the complete article ASAP.

With high end cards, RF/EMI is not an issue any more.

Cheers

I am not so sure about that Venkat.

If you use a run of the mill Zebronics PSU then you can come to expect a lot of issues. Interference will be the least of your problems with an inefficient PSU.

 

[Amarbir[Lynx-India]]

I am not so sure about that Venkat.

If you use a run of the mill Zebronics PSU then you can come to expect a lot of issues. Interference will be the least of your problems with an inefficient PSU.

Well,
Explain Me "Interference will be the least of your problems with an inefficient PSU" Why ?

 

[pdhanwada]

Have been on this kind of thread before in Headfi.org. For the same reason I planned to move from my CD changer to the PC based source by buying a MHDT HAVANA DAC. I copied some of the songs on to my laptop and tried to run it thru the MHDT havana dac. Didnt like the sound.

May be the USB cable connecting the laptop to the MHDT HAVANA was not as good or may be the USB port introducing the Jitter. Need to try it again soon. Because it so much convieniant.

Thanks
Pandu

 

[iaudio]

Till date, in the few instances when I have tried a CD player and a DAC in the same set up, the Cd player won hands down. For the same reason, I shifted from being a completely pc music oriented user to a cdp user.
The main difference is the body and depth even an entry level cdp brings to the sound. Xonar brings out all details but sounded kinda thin and nasal when I heard it. But there are so many variables in a pc based set up which could have gone wrong to cause that impression.
CDp= hassle less, no need to fiddle around, good sound.

 

[pdhanwada]

Iaudio,

I agree with you when you say cdp > pc source. The question is how much is the difference. Is it audible to everyone and on every system. I guess not.

Mine is a reasonable resolving system. I am going to work on it to implement it using another USB cable and see how it works.

PC maynot be as good as CDP. Are there any other alternatives. Like squeezebox etc. I am not knowledgeble enough to experiment so soon.

Enlighten me on any other alternatives. CDP is a problem because, it is difficult to manage hundreds if not thousands of CD titles. I am happy with my 12 year old Technics CD changer. But when I buy a new CD, I need to find a CD in the CD changer such that I can replace it.

Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks
pandu