intro to computer audio

Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier
Unless looking for information on how to set up or improve your set up with a particular piece of equipment, I would suggest avoiding the sites that are written by manufacturers, especially hifi manufacturers. We had a thread recently in which some such links were published. The DAC manufacturers are not very interested in informing you that you may not need their product at all; the cable manufacturers are interested in ...well, guess!

One such site, from a cable manufacturer, displays such ignorance of PC technology and equipment that it is more dangerous than helpful. I don't understand how anyone who has ever used a PC at all can write such nonsense --- but they do, and I fear it is getting more common.

The Well-Tempered Computer (Link given by msagar) is a site both for introduction and on-going reference. The basics are there; controversies too.

Starting point: There is nothing difficult or esoteric in getting audio from a PC, nor does it have to be high-spec in any way (quite the opposite, in fact!).

Rider: If you encounter problems, they are likely to be big ones. Some combinations of hardware/motherboard/operating systems just give so many problems they can almost be written off as audio machines. You'll be unlucky if this applies to you. I've been unlucky twice --- but the second occasion was my choice of hardware/operating system and it worked out all right in the end.

Begin here:-

Take it easy.

Don't sweat over the small stuff (although there is plenty of scope for tiny changes). If you want to know about disks, memory, internal cables, buffering, etc, ask a PC technician, not an audiophile!

Do not assume that any of the theoretical "you can't/shouldn't because..." (if you asked an audiophile ;)) are actually true. Try it.
 
Did I leave out the good sound card? Nope :D

But I purposely didn't want to specify any details! I am not suggesting that anyone connects their hifi to the earphone jack on their laptop, or even to the built-in soundcard on a motherboard but I wonder how many people have listened to their built-in before writing it off?

(I didn't! Partly because I already had a much-loved sound card to transfer to my new PC. I can say that built-ins are much, much better now than the first sounblaster card I ever put in a PC, which was, unfortunately, true to its name)

flash drives, ram, etc, has nothing to do with sound quality. There is no way that they can, or do ...except flash is cooler (in more ways than one!) than hdd.

Think of data in a PC like passing the parcel. It does not matter what happens to it as it passes from hand to hand, so long as it reaches the destination. Obviously, we are dealing with multiple parcels. We don't even have to think about what happens to these parcels (how much do you think about a spreadsheet, or a WP document: do the numbers ever change? Do the words get re-written? No, they do not) until they reach a device which is going to convert them to analogue sound, or to a digital data format specific to audio*. That is where our concern begins, not in imposing "audiophile" notions on bits of equipment that do just fine without them.

But hey, we can tweak, and we can spend, to our heart's content, because it's your heart and my heart, and that's what matters, but we should keep the ideas straight, because, yes, it is data, and it is a PC.

I gave the basics, only, as I believe they are. I followed an upgrade path from one card/interface to another: upgrades are allowed ;).

Yes, I will look at that link ...because I'm interested in PC-audio :). Didn't see anything to disagree with in the FAQs.



*Woops... some operating systems do indeed interfere with our musical bits before they reach that point. Yes, we need to use drivers and software that doesn't. In fact, there is probably an exception to every piece of dogma, hence... Take it easy! :)
 
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thad is very correct ....
audiophile threads spend too much information which are some ones
assumptions.

Thread start like this
"Does OS ....blah blah .. ? "
People reply "i heard people saying ..... buffering ... FAT..CPU,ram ...."
Finally the newbie gets confused .

trying out care fully is way to go ....
I suggest following a systematic approach ..

1)why/what made you plan for computer audio?
2)divide the system building to two levels
a) Beta PC audio setup for Rnd
Try and learn the tricks ,driver setup , technicals to reach a decent
setup for a small budget
b) Major upgrade : At suitable point of time , do a required hardware
upgrade
3) Dont ever be in double mind , cdp or pc audio ..
If it is unavoidable keep used CDp in 5-6k if you can and start pc audio
setup
4) Consider overlooked factors fan noise ,power supply noise reduction
Dont fall into marketing : Do you really need very
powerful PC ? cables of 10K ? will the decoder match with
your amp ?


style factor: keeping CPU as SFF

5) keep it simple :
Many times keeping it simple is important ,music playback system
looking like super computer ? no
 
Spot on.

Cash allowing, a person might end up with, say, dCS DAC fed by RME sound card. I'd love to try the analogue out from a higher-end RME or Lynx card. :p If that is the starting point, though, they'll never know what they are upgrading from.

That reveals my liking and interest in semi-pro audio gear --- but even that is not necessary. However, many sound-card buyers are interested in recording as well as playback (got tapes, vinyl to digitise?) and want to know they are putting a quality ADC in their machine along with a good DAC.

When I say "sound card" I mean USB, Firewire, etc, interfaces, as well as actual PCI[e] cards.
 
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Please research the net before investing in your card!

PCI should be less problem for support than the problems I had with Firewire, but still, do check before buying. You are unlikely to get all the facilities available in the Windows softer from the open source equivalents

No experience of Voyage. I use KXStudio, because it takes Firewire, the Jackd system, and a heap of other things you probably only need for home-studio stuff, and simply makes them work. KXStudio can be added to Ubuntu; I'd say it is much better than 'Ubuntu Studio'

The Linux Musicians forum has some useful stuff
 
PCI is not going to be supported henceforth.

To my knowledge all the latest Intel motherboards comes with only PCI-X.

Not sure going for a PCI soundcard is futureproof as they do tend to last a long time but motherboards and processors always need to be upgraded (as Intel ensures its new generation of processors are not compatible with old motherboards).
 
... motherboards and processors always need to be upgraded (as Intel ensures its new generation of processors are not compatible with old motherboards).
Click to expand...

Not while they still work and still do what you built/bought the machine for, they don't :)

A computer used primarily for audio may never need upgrading, as throwing more power at it serves no purpose.

Intel, of course, is but one manufacturer. How about the others? How about the many AMD-based boards still in production?

However, your point is still a good one. There has to be a good reason (such as a great bargain!) for buying something which is already obsolescent. If I was buying an internal card now, I'd much rather buy pci-express than pci.

A while back, I needed to get much deeper into the whole thing of PC hardware interupts. I don't really enjoy technology at that level, apart from the fact that aby problem solving is satisfying, and I don't remember it well --- but I think that PCI-express is superior to PCI? Interrupts are the bane of

What was I saying? Oh yes...

Interrupts are the bane of audio :cool:
 
Let`s face it. PC is the way to go for digital audio. It is the most processing power and possibilities for the money. Regret for the audiophiles who spend thousands of usd for good sound. It is more tricky when the signal needs to covert to analog. One can buy a good PC DAC-soundcard or play with the drivers and software, which is by far cheaper.
Or just purchase an android device with good audio and You`ll be amazed how good the sound is. Battery power supply is not to be undervalued.
For me investing money makes sense only if one goes analog all the way. Vinyl and all the way to the boxes....
 
I-tunes-centric, technically simplistic (and sometimes wrong) and emphasising the importance of cables. Guess what audioquest sells?

In another thread, advertising and sponsorship and its effect on editorial content has been discussed. We know what part advertising plays in the commercial publications world. Here we have a suppesedly independent guide which, I submit, was written entirely to lead up to
And of course, the new cables matter. When using
a USB or FireWire DAC, the USB and/or FireWire
cables that connect the computer and DAC have a
profound impact on the sound you hear, just as the
sonic characteristics of the DAC itself do. It was
never really just 1s and 0s to begin with, and
thats still true today. But whats perhaps more
surprising and less intuitive is that the peripheral
cables that connect to the computer also make such a staggering qualitative
difference in sound quality. The FireWire, USB and Ethernet cables that
connect the computer to external drives and devices can all add distortion
to the signal. Therefore, the entire computer audio experience can be
improved by using cables that are inherently lower in distortion throughout
your entire computer audio system.
Click to expand...

Dishonest and dangerous.

Google is our friend! Here's the said Audioquest, thinking that their sales prove their products, and talking some nonsense which is nicely taken to pieces: Audioquest Cable Theories Exposed, Audioholics

I suppose there is no law against companies disguising their propaganda as "guides" either --- but I don't like it.

This is not about the cable debate: it is about information or misinformation. It is about honest or dishonest selling.
 
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According to Internetslang.com

FYI For Your Information

FYR For Your Review

The articles / guides are for information only not for critical review.
 
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