Which option for best sound quality from my setup?

iaudio

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hey hi fiers:),

I have a onkyo sr506 paired with mission m33is as front and mh3 sys centre and surround speakers.

Till recently I was using my cowon iaudio d2( portable player, plays flacs too) for music playback. However it got stolen. I use my dell 1525 for movie playback(hooked to a 21inch sony crt via s video).

I am biased more towards music than movies(though my setup indicates otherwise!:p)

I need a good source for good stereo music and movies. I have a friend coming from U.K too.
These are the options I am thinking of:
1. A dedicated entry level cdp+ pio dv410/610 dvdp
I can get the Pio dvd for a low price from dubai and I have seen some cheap cdps on richersounds.com which I can ask my friend to bring down from UK.

TANGENT CDP50-SIL at Richer Sounds - HI-FI Separates, Home Cinema, Speakers, MP3 DVD Portables, Plasma LCD, etc.

Else there is the cdp 100, the nad 515 would be too much of a stretch for me!

2. Get a dvdp which is good for music such as the oppos or the ca's?
I can get the ca dv89 for 80 pounds which is something I can afford! However it doesnt have usb or upscaling. However I am prepared to ignore that.

3. A PC based solution.
This would be best as I have most of my music on hdd and a very few cds/dvds( I would have to start to burning like hell to listen to music on cdps)

a)
Currently, I have a dell1525 laptop and Amd sempron 2400 + asus a7v400 mobo desktop( no sata support). the mobo has only pci and agp support. so i will need a sound card which is pci based,
this will be very pocket friendly!

b)
Get a new desktop! I would love it but cost would be out of my reach
amd x25200+ asus m3n78em- 7000(i can use digital out to avr for 6 channel surround movies)
500gb sata wd grenn-5000
2gb ram- 1400
asus xonar essence stx- 8200( excellent stereo source!)
ups-3700
I already have a lite on dvd burner which I can use. But still the whole set up would cost aroudn 25k! Its way out of my budget unless I purchase step by step!
Help me!:sad:
 
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iaudio,sorry to hear bout the cowon:mad:.not a nice thing to happen to anyone.from ur setup i gather ur at the crossroads of the separates vs pc based solution battle:lol:!!!IMO,getting a pio 610/(given the budget)ca dv89/99 would be the way to go as u get all the frills of audio/video.of course,moserw/supra are better qualified to give u adv regarding an htpc setup.btw the missions giving u a good time;)??cheers
 
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iaudio,sorry to hear bout the cowon:mad:.not a nice thing to happen to anyone.from ur setup i gather ur at the crossroads of the separates vs pc based solution battle:lol:!!!IMO,getting a pio 610/(given the budget)ca dv89/99 would be the way to go as u get all the frills of audio/video.of course,moserw/supra are better qualified to give u adv regarding an htpc setup.btw the missions giving u a good time;)??cheers

Thank you for the quick response rallynut!
Yes, the cowon theft was a big shock. And the fact that it was stolen from the hospital when someone dear passed away didnt help either:sad:

i would wholeheartedly have bought the asus xonar stx and lived happily ever after had my ancient rig had pci e support! The only two things keeping me away from pc based solution is:
1. the cost of a new setup
2. booting time, power consumption, need to keep pc on all the time( hmm.. i do that even otherwise surfing/downloading!)
Even I prefer a pc based solution! If i could get a pci based sound card/ rather than pci e I would be most happy! Any suggestions?

I think the ca dv89 would be the best bet otherwise!

As for the Missions, I am loving it! Just that I dont have a decent source now!
 
@iaudio - Seeing all your content is stored on the PC a soundcard makes more sense especially since the PC is on all the time anyway.

How is the SQ from the Onkyo TX-SR506? If it's good and something you can live with or are happy then the best thing I can suggest is go for any soundcard PCI based with a digital out/SPDIF. It will cost Rs. 1000-1500 max. All you will need to invest additionally will be in a digital cable to connect the soundcard and the AVR which will cost another Rs. 500-1000 depending on the company. If you have the cable then all the better. Of course all of this comes down to the SQ of the Onkyo and I think you were using that with the Cowon so if that worked fine till now then go ahead with it.

Another option is to get a decent soundcard costing around 4-5K and get the Altec Lansing MX5021 costing 7K. For 11K you will have a great VFM setup for music that will be independent of the AVR and HT unit.

But if you want to use the Onkyo and the Missions go with the first option. For Rs. 1000-1500 it will be a great solution.
 
@iaudio - Seeing all your content is stored on the PC a soundcard makes more sense especially since the PC is on all the time anyway.

How is the SQ from the Onkyo TX-SR506? If it's good and something you can live with or are happy then the best thing I can suggest is go for any soundcard PCI based with a digital out/SPDIF. It will cost Rs. 1000-1500 max. All you will need to invest additionally will be in a digital cable to connect the soundcard and the AVR which will cost another Rs. 500-1000 depending on the company. If you have the cable then all the better. Of course all of this comes down to the SQ of the Onkyo and I think you were using that with the Cowon so if that worked fine till now then go ahead with it.

Another option is to get a decent soundcard costing around 4-5K and get the Altec Lansing MX5021 costing 7K. For 11K you will have a great VFM setup for music that will be independent of the AVR and HT unit.

But if you want to use the Onkyo and the Missions go with the first option. For Rs. 1000-1500 it will be a great solution.

Yes I would like to continue using the onkyo and missions, I wouldnt say the onkyo is exceptional but still good.
my question is how good would be the stereo sound quality through digital out from the sound card?
 
Yes I would like to continue using the onkyo and missions, I wouldnt say the onkyo is exceptional but still good.
my question is how good would be the stereo sound quality through digital out from the sound card?

Digital out means unprocessed audio. All processing will be done by the Onkyo. Only if you use analog out will the soundcard's DAC come into play. That's why for a digital out you can go with a cheaper card. For analog you will need a good soundcard with good DAC and none like the Asus at present. For your requirement any Creative costing around Rs. 1500 will do a great job.
 
Digital out means unprocessed audio. All processing will be done by the Onkyo. Only if you use analog out will the soundcard's DAC come into play. That's why for a digital out you can go with a cheaper card. For analog you will need a good soundcard with good DAC and none like the Asus at present. For your requirement any Creative costing around Rs. 1500 will do a great job.

Yes moser, I am aware that digital out is unprocessed. I would like to have a sound card with a good dac which can be used on a pci slot. I dont want to rely on the onkyo s dac for stereo audio.

What about my second option? The cambridge audio dv89?
 
Yes moser, I am aware that digital out is unprocessed. I would like to have a sound card with a good dac which can be used on a pci slot. I dont want to rely on the onkyo s dac for stereo audio.

What about my second option? The cambridge audio dv89?

In that case only the Asus Essence STX at 8K is with a great DAC, but its PCI-E. You can consider the Asus D1 and D2 for the PCI slot.

Not sure about the DVD89, the DVD99 has a few good reviews on this forum, but I don't think it will stand against a CDP or a good soundcard.
 
In that case only the Asus Essence STX at 8K is with a great DAC, but its PCI-E. You can consider the Asus D1 and D2 for the PCI slot.

Not sure about the DVD89, the DVD99 has a few good reviews on this forum, but I don't think it will stand against a CDP or a good soundcard.

I think D2 availability is an issue. what about the price?
what about this: m audio Audiophile 2496?
 
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