Laptop Audio Output

dudeinaroom

If you have a hum from your headphone jack, you definitely want something that is NOT powered from the usb port. The usb port will be fine for sending a signal to an externally powered dac. If you use a usb powered dac the hum will most likely still be there as it is drawing it's power from your laptop which has poor power filtering and passing that power on to the dac. I use my laptop the same way you do(headphone jack), but I have no hum what so ever. My laptop is my best sounding source even in all of it's cheap glory. With all the hype out there about macs, I'd expect that thing to be dead quite, considering that they are supposed to be superior to windows machines in every aspect.

falconcry72

heiney9 wrote: »

But to the OP, that's another option. The Audio GD NFB 3.1 with shipping and paypal fee's will run you over $300, but from what I've read and heard, probably the best $300 you can spend on a dac.

H9

I agree that it's a good option. Any DAC with a USB input is a "one and done" type thing, whereas either of the USB>SPDIF converters allow for a future, separate standalone DAC upgrade, that doesn't have to have a USB input. Neither is inherently better, it's just something for the OP to consider.

tonyb

Milsivich wrote: »

Do you guys know much about iTunes playback performance? Falconcry72 mentioned bit-perfect playback, but this is a new concept for me. I use iTunes for probably 75% of my listening--should I be trying out a different method?

You have some nice gear in your sig. Nice amps, TT, LSI's, but you forgot to complete the equation of good sound......the source. A laptop cannot take the place of a good source, without alittle help from the outside that is. The posters above gave you some good advice, adding a dac, a decent dac, will improve your listening pleasure. Getting good sound out of a computer ? We have many threads going on just for that, do a search and they should pop up.

I'm still alittle fuzzy on your needs though. Getting good sound from the laptop to your system is one thing, getting good sound on the laptop itself thru the cans is another. Or is it both you seek ?

heiney9

dudeinaroom wrote: »

With all the hype out there about macs, I'd expect that thing to be dead quite, considering that they are supposed to be superior to windows machines in every aspect.

Except laptops were never marketed or designed to be true audiophile pieces of gear. No one markets a laptop (cheap or expensive) that is an audiophile piece of gear. So Mac or not don't expect it to be a plug-n-play audiophile piece of gear that sounds fabulous. Lots of careful planning and understanding needs to go into using a computer as a true "audiophile" source, and the headphone jack ain't it.

H9

falconcry72

heiney9 wrote: »

...Lots of careful planning and understanding needs to go into using a computer as a true "audiophile" source...

I agree 100%, but I would like to emphasize that it absolutely CAN BE DONE, as many here have successfully achieved. In fact, a PC-based system can yield results that rival CD-transports that cost 10 times more.

heiney9

falconcry72 wrote: »

I agree 100%, but I would like to emphasize that it absolutely CAN BE DONE, as many here have successfully achieved. In fact, a PC-based system can yield results that rival CD-transports that cost 10 times more.

Again, agree 100%. But it's not as easy as many seem to think. Of course I also understand we all have different minimum thresholds of sound quality that we are happy with.

H9

tonyb

heiney9 wrote: »

Again, agree 100%. But it's not as easy as many seem to think. Of course I also understand we all have different minimum thresholds of sound quality that we are happy with.

H9

Exactly.

falconcry72

heiney9 wrote: »

...But it's not as easy as many seem to think....

H9

Really good audio in general isn't easy, and a computer-based system is no different.

I think people sometimes discount it as a serious, top-of-the-line source, so they then don't give it the time and attention that they would, say, a turntable, so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

falconcry72

falconcry72 wrote: »

...I think people sometimes discount it as a serious, top-of-the-line source, so they then don't give it the time and attention that they would, say, a turntable, so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

An example of this is the OP. (sorry Milsivich, not trying to break balls, just making a point.:biggrin:)

He has a great setup. Nice preamp, nice poweramp, nice turntable, nice speakers. If he would be willing to spend on his PC implementation what he spent on any of those pieces, he would have himself an awesome-sounding, uber-convenient source, and he might just retire that CD player.

dudeinaroom

heiney9 wrote: »

Except laptops were never marketed or designed to be true audiophile pieces of gear. No one markets a laptop (cheap or expensive) that is an audiophile piece of gear. So Mac or not don't expect it to be a plug-n-play audiophile piece of gear that sounds fabulous. Lots of careful planning and understanding needs to go into using a computer as a true "audiophile" source, and the headphone jack ain't it.

H9

I know the headphone jack is not the end all be all, but it is what I got. The onboard dac is good enough to be able to tell the difference between 16/44.1, 24/96 and 24/192. It's not as noticeable as a dedicated player, but you can tell. If someone wants to drop the coin for me I will definitely go with an outboard dac. I'm still trying to recoup from the incident that took place about a year ago, so I got what I got, and do what I can with what I have. Would love to have a dedicated media player so I could stream every thing, but it will be a good while before that happens, if ever.

I am also not saying anyone makes a high end laptop, I just figured noise and digital signals don't play well and apple would have made those things noise free. I have a sub $500 acer laptop and there is no noticeable noise when hooked up to my setup, whether running it off the power supply or just batteries.

Milsivich

dudeinaroom wrote: »

If you have a hum from your headphone jack, you definitely want something that is NOT powered from the usb port. The usb port will be fine for sending a signal to an externally powered dac. If you use a usb powered dac the hum will most likely still be there as it is drawing it's power from your laptop which has poor power filtering and passing that power on to the dac. I use my laptop the same way you do(headphone jack), but I have no hum what so ever. My laptop is my best sounding source even in all of it's cheap glory. With all the hype out there about macs, I'd expect that thing to be dead quite, considering that they are supposed to be superior to windows machines in every aspect.

I am pretty sure the hum isn't from a bad power source, but physical damage to my headphones jack in some way. There is absolutely no hum from the computer speakers, or the monitor speakers from the mini displayport. The jack never used to hum; that's a recent development.

As far as general crappiness of laptops as a source: yeah, my turntable sounds AMAZING. Hopefully I can get my laptop sound up to par!

dudeinaroom

Well if that's the case you should be fine using a usb powered dac, but more than likely you would get better sonic benefits using one that is powred from it's own source vs. the usb power. Good luck in which ever way you end up going. Sorry if it seems like I'm a mac hater, I'm not. I'm just an Intel fan boy. Does not matter what OS it is running as long as it has an Intel CPU. Does it hum when you have the power supply disconnected?

Milsivich

You will be happy to know I'm running an i7! And as far as power supply goes, it is always noisy (introduces background sound that isn't there with other sources like my turntable)

heiney9

Milsivich wrote: »

You will be happy to know I'm running an i7! And as far as power supply goes, it is always noisy (introduces background sound that isn't there with other sources like my turntable)

Exactly why it's important to do things right, regardless of cost (within reason of course)

H9

Syndil

Milsivich wrote: »

In my mind there is a threshold where faults can be heard. For some people, default computer speakers sound great, and they can't begin to imagine why someone would spend thousands of dollars to buy what they themselves got for under a hundred. On the other hand, some people are interested in improving their system in every way possible, despite what their ears tell them. Their is something to be said about the cumulative effect of buying the very best of everything, but I think in some cases a blind test would show us that no audible difference can be discerned.

This is well-reasoned logic, but unfortunately it does not mesh with the attitudes of many of the membership here, as blind testing is somewhat of a taboo topic. I believe the attitude is that, since blind tests often do not produce results in favor of what is prejudiced to be much higher quality (and therefore much more expensive) audio gear, then the testing process itself is at fault, rather than the claims of higher audio quality.

Since you are more like-minded to my own attitude than that of those who have been giving you advice so far, I feel I should step in to offer my own bit of input to help you make a more informed decision.

It sounds like you are happy with using your laptop as a source, and that your primary goal is to eliminate the hum from your headphone jack. I am assuming that until the hum developed, it sounded just fine to you.

Your Parasound pre-amp does not have a digital input, so you need an external sound card--something that plugs into a USB port and has analog audio outputs. Call it a USB DAC if you want. USB DAC, external USB soundcard--they both accomplish the same exact thing. However, if it's called a USB DAC instead of an external USB soundcard, you can bet it will cost more than an external USB soundcard, will come in a fancier looking enclosure, and will have accompanying claims of increased sound quality. Whether those claims are true (and therefore the price justified), or whether they are complete bunk is up to your own ears, of course.

Combine this knowledge with what you have learned so far, and you should be able to make an informed decision. You could always buy an X-Fi Go! (Amazon sells them for $34) and a USB DAC and do your own blind comparison.

falconcry72

Syndil wrote: »

This is well-reasoned logic, but unfortunately it does not mesh with the attitudes of many of the membership here, as blind testing is somewhat of a taboo topic. I believe the attitude is that, since blind tests often do not produce results in favor of what is prejudiced to be much higher quality (and therefore much more expensive) audio gear, then the testing process itself is at fault, rather than the claims of higher audio quality.

Since you are more like-minded to my own attitude than that of those who have been giving you advice so far, I feel I should step in to offer my own bit of input to help you make a more informed decision.

It sounds like you are happy with using your laptop as a source, and that your primary goal is to eliminate the hum from your headphone jack. I am assuming that until the hum developed, it sounded just fine to you.

Your Parasound pre-amp does not have a digital input, so you need an external sound card--something that plugs into a USB port and has analog audio outputs. Call it a USB DAC if you want. USB DAC, external USB soundcard--they both accomplish the same exact thing. However, if it's called a USB DAC instead of an external USB soundcard, you can bet it will cost more than an external USB soundcard, will come in a fancier looking enclosure, and will have accompanying claims of increased sound quality. Whether those claims are true (and therefore the price justified), or whether they are complete bunk is up to your own ears, of course.

Combine this knowledge with what you have learned so far, and you should be able to make an informed decision. You could always buy an X-Fi Go! (Amazon sells them for $34) and a USB DAC and do your own blind comparison.

If you're trying to say that all external DAC's sound the same, you are wrong. Period.

I have experimented extensively with internal sound cards and external DAC's, and there is world of difference between different models.



And just to clarify, the most recommended piece of equipment so far has been the Musiland Monitor 02, which sells for 125 bucks. That's not exactly an exorbitant amount of money, and it's half of the OP's stated budget. It's also a lot less expensive than the gear in your signature, so I'm not exactly sure why your panties are in a wad, but I'd imagine it's stemming from an issue outside of this thread.

Syndil

I made no recommendations for or against any piece of gear. It is not my panties that are in a wad.

tonyb

Syndil wrote: »

This is well-reasoned logic, but unfortunately it does not mesh with the attitudes of many of the membership here, as blind testing is somewhat of a taboo topic. I believe the attitude is that, since blind tests often do not produce results in favor of what is prejudiced to be much higher quality (and therefore much more expensive) audio gear, then the testing process itself is at fault, rather than the claims of higher audio quality.

More like the many, us, don't agree with the few, you. We must have prejudices if we don't agree ? Even the ones with more experience than you with a variety of gear ? Last I checked, it was still OK to agree to disagree. Because you don't want to further your audio journey doesn't mean others are wasting time and coin doing so.

inspiredsports

Milsivich wrote: »

When I'm not listening to music off of my CD player or my turntable, I listen to music off of my laptop. Unfortunately, my laptop output (which is just a headphones jack) has an unpleasant hum whenever it's plugged in. Does anyone have a USB output, or something similar, that they would recommend? I have a lot of music on my computer that I want to listen to, but I can hardly stand that little hum!

Thanks!

While you search for a more expensive solution, buy a 59 cent gray grounding adapter (from 3-prong to 2-prong) and place it between you laptops power brick and the wall plug. Your hum will be gone.

Syndil

tonyb wrote: »

More like the many, us, don't agree with the few, you.

Your re-statement is invalid. I made no such argument.

I posted information solely for the OP's benefit. I knew some would get their hackles up in response, but I do not care.

audiocr381ve

inspiredsports wrote: »

While you search for a more expensive solution, buy a 59 cent gray grounding adapter (from 3-prong to 2-prong) and place it between you laptops power brick and the wall plug. Your hum will be gone.

Head shot.

tonyb

inspiredsports wrote: »

While you search for a more expensive solution, buy a 59 cent gray grounding adapter (from 3-prong to 2-prong) and place it between you laptops power brick and the wall plug. Your hum will be gone.

Damn, I'm usually the first to suggest that, my brain is shot I tell ya.

Good advice and cheap to try too.

falconcry72

tonyb wrote: »

Damn, I'm usually the first to suggest that...

Sure ya are, Tony. Sure ya are.:rolleyes::cheesygrin:


Temporarily relieving the hum with a cheater plug is all well and good, but getting off that jack and onto a properly-implemented USB output should still be the main plan.

heiney9

Syndil wrote: »

This is well-reasoned logic, but unfortunately it does not mesh with the attitudes of many of the membership here, as blind testing is somewhat of a taboo topic. I believe the attitude is that, since blind tests often do not produce results in favor of what is prejudiced to be much higher quality (and therefore much more expensive) audio gear, then the testing process itself is at fault, rather than the claims of higher audio quality.

Since you are more like-minded to my own attitude than that of those who have been giving you advice so far, I feel I should step in to offer my own bit of input to help you make a more informed decision.

It sounds like you are happy with using your laptop as a source, and that your primary goal is to eliminate the hum from your headphone jack. I am assuming that until the hum developed, it sounded just fine to you.

Your Parasound pre-amp does not have a digital input, so you need an external sound card--something that plugs into a USB port and has analog audio outputs. Call it a USB DAC if you want. USB DAC, external USB soundcard--they both accomplish the same exact thing. However, if it's called a USB DAC instead of an external USB soundcard, you can bet it will cost more than an external USB soundcard, will come in a fancier looking enclosure, and will have accompanying claims of increased sound quality. Whether those claims are true (and therefore the price justified), or whether they are complete bunk is up to your own ears, of course.

Combine this knowledge with what you have learned so far, and you should be able to make an informed decision. You could always buy an X-Fi Go! (Amazon sells them for $34) and a USB DAC and do your own blind comparison.

Your post is total BS.

H9

tonyb

Syndil wrote: »

I knew some would get their hackles up in response, but I do not care.

Maybe you don't understand what gets our "hackles up" Syndil. I can only speak for myself here, but it is more so your constant distain for the membership here.

I have no doubt you have something to offer the forum, but when something comes up outside your realm of experience, somehow the rest of us are peddling B.S. in your eyes.

dudeinaroom

seo.guru wrote: »

that is the problem of all laptop.. i think the reason is its too much closer to ur ears.

OMG...you are soo right, maybe I should stop sitting with my ear on the tweeter. Or It could be because I don't have the Keen-wood speakers you posted about in another thread.

wayne3burk

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD Sound Card powered

I'd buy that if i was you

period

Milsivich

I decided o go with the HRT music streamer II. Its the cheaper of the expensive ones. Also, it works better with Mac than most of the other ones. I'm sure it will be more than enough for my ears though!

EndersShadow

Milsivich wrote: »

I decided o go with the HRT music streamer II. Its the cheaper of the expensive ones. Also, it works better with Mac than most of the other ones. I'm sure it will be more than enough for my ears though!

Awesome, let us know how you like it. Have you purchased your RCA interconnects yet? If not check out the mitcablesexpress.com sale on their EXp ones. Best deal you can get for a long time.

Makes me wish I had hopped on their speaker wire sale back when it happened in april

michaeljhsda2

Milsivich wrote: »

I decided o go with the HRT music streamer II. Its the cheaper of the expensive ones. Also, it works better with Mac than most of the other ones. I'm sure it will be more than enough for my ears though!

Good choice.
Not sure if this will happen to you but the only glitch I've ever had using the HRT II was when I plugged it into the USB port after the computer was already up and running. This resulted in what sounded like a whooshing noise in the background. Plugging the HRT II in before booting up the computer solved this issue.