USB DAC for Dell Studio 17 Laptop

audiodelic

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Im tired of the electrical interference i keep hearing from my creative audigy 2 zs notebook hooked up to Audioengine A5. Im looking for a USB Dac.

I basically listen to trance music and do not need something that is very high end with specific sonic characteristics etc. I just need a basic one with usb input and stereo output and should sound above average overall the entire frequency spectrum

Im looking for value for money DAC in the 5000 to 7000 range lower the better. Im open to buying from the u.s via 20north so basically give me suggestions ill send them the link they can give me a quote this way i have access to many option from the u.s.

Suggestions please .... thanks as always
 
Have you tried using another power source?

You could try connecting laptop and speakers via Belkin Surge Protector as it provides reduction of AC line noise contamination.

I have the Gold series and it has removed the hum from speakers at high volume levels.
 
OK. But I am not sure from where you are getting the interference? This can continue even with DAC?
 
Interference was always there in the sound card itself the express slot is very flimsy also i bet that is the culprit i do not get these issues when i use the on board sound card but the quality of the on board card is lacking.
 
In your budget, you might want to try the M-Audio Transit.

M-AUDIO%20Transit%20USB.jpg

transit_callout.jpg


Also, someone was mentioning 20north.com. I was checking and saw the Sumiko Pro-Ject USB. Dont know much about this one, but you can explore.

41vnfVAyBAL._SL500_AA280_.jpg


http://www.sumikoaudio.net/project/awards/debut_III_usb/Debut_III_USB_SV_6-08.pdf

You might find Beresford DACs on ebay as well.

Cheers.
 
thanks unleash ill do some research and post again. How would the sq be on the m audio unit you pointed out ?
 
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check if the VALAB nos dac has usb input
if it does its good dac in your budget
i think it goes for about 120-150$
 
Interference was always there in the sound card itself the express slot is very flimsy also i bet that is the culprit i do not get these issues when i use the on board sound card but the quality of the on board card is lacking.

Creative sound cards are normally good quality. Have you tried updating the drivers for same and also the BIOS?
 
thanks unleash ill do some research and post again. How would the sq be on the m audio unit you pointed out ?

Few colleagues at work use this and they find it brilliant. Think they had some issues with Vista drivers or something like that, but guess they worked it out. Quite recently I have been using the creative one mentioned with the Beresford 7510 DAC. I just wanted a digital out from my laptop to feed the dac. Worked fine.

Fubar is good but not sure if you can find them in your budget. In fact a friend of mine is planning to get the Fubar III. Interestingly he is 'upgrading' from the Beresford 7520 :) Only he knows why!

Cheers.
 
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the PCM2702 is basically a USB receiver which also acts as a DAC. Overall this chip isnt in the same league as the 17xx series. A better solution is to buy a DAC that uses a 2xxx as the USB converter and a better chip as the actual DAC. The only real advantage of the 2xxx series chips is that they often dont need external power. If using with a laptop, this is often an advantage.

If you are looking at the 2xxx series DAC's, do consider the Hotaudio products (check their site and ebay store). They do shipping to India and accept paypal.
 
the PCM2702 is basically a USB receiver which also acts as a DAC. Overall this chip isnt in the same league as the 17xx series. A better solution is to buy a DAC that uses a 2xxx as the USB converter and a better chip as the actual DAC. The only real advantage of the 2xxx series chips is that they often dont need external power. If using with a laptop, this is often an advantage.

If you are looking at the 2xxx series DAC's, do consider the Hotaudio products (check their site and ebay store). They do shipping to India and accept paypal.

thanks for the link, i think this is the better choice but i dont have paypal ill see what i can do.
 
What you basically intend to play? I used to connect my Dell to Onkyo AVR via digital co-axial, but then sound is so much better from my Pio DVD player. I just moved to that and DVD-A. That's only 6.5K investment:)
 
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