pc as my source

seabeerob213

got bored and decided to set up my pc with the digital coax out for audio instead of using hdmi for all. i hooked the pc straight to the tv instead of the avr, and the digital coax to the receiver.i then switched the audio out to digital coax and hdmi is only a video source, i was immediately surprised and happy with the result, clearer audio and a huge picture improvement. i then got into the properties and adjusted the output to 24 bit 192 kHz and the audio was as much better as the original change. im now wondering what changes if any to the EQ on my pc will improve the sound even more, im currently running zune with lossless files through the real-tek digital output. i have a decent cable but not the best, and stock pc power cord,

what recomendations do you guys have to help my system,also i have a yamaha rx-v765 receiver, and want to know what i might do on that end to help things along, i dont have any money for new software or components for a while, but there are firmware updates available for my avr, thanks in advance, i look forward to your input

falconcry72

In my experience, the best way to get 2-channel music out of a computer is with an external asynchronous USB > SPDIF converter being used in a bit-perfect playback mode such as WASAPI or ASIO. Musical Fidelity makes a very good sounding one called the V-Link II that sells for only 129. The newer V-Link 192 sells for 199.

I've been using an Audio GD Digital Interface, which was an improvement over the V-Link, and I just ordered (2) more designs for comparison: the Stello U3 and the Bel Canto mLink.

seabeerob213

can you post some links, i have no idea where to begin to look for any of that except google, which doesnt always help

falconcry72

seabeerob213 wrote: »

can you post some links, i have no idea where to begin to look for any of that except google, which doesnt always help

... guess where I'm going to get the links...

seabeerob213

haha, nice, well you know what to look for, id be stumbling ignorantly through stuff i dont understand yet, thank you very much, i do appreciate your help, also, i feel fine by the beatles just came on and wow, didnt know there was o much i could improve with just a few mouse clicks

falconcry72

http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/WASAPI

http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/ASIO

http://www.musicalfidelity.com/products/vSeries/v-linkii/

http://www.musicalfidelity.com/products/vSeries/v-link192/

http://www.belcantodesign.com/Belcanto_mLink.html

http://www.aprilmusic.com/eng/main/sub02_03_05.html


on second thought, if you don't know how to use google, maybe you shouldn't be using a PC as your source anyway...


JUST KIDDING!!!

seabeerob213

i know how to use google, just dont know anything about what youre suggesting to me, i have never even heard of it before, i have never been allowed much computer access till i moved out and got my own, and other than the basics, im kinda slow with them, especially when it comes to components for hi-fi, which im also fairly new to, i just care yo learn about it more than i care to learn about computers

falconcry72

seabeerob213 wrote: »

i know how to use google, just dont know anything about what youre suggesting to me, i have never even heard of it before, i have never been allowed much computer access till i moved out and got my own, and other than the basics, im kinda slow with them, especially when it comes to components for hi-fi, which im also fairly new to, i just care yo learn about it more than i care to learn about computers

Just messin with you, man!


Search our forum here too.. a lot of this has been discussed at great length.

seabeerob213

i tried that and got lost and confused in forums talking about something way over my head, haha, will check out your links in a bit, i gotta go fudge some readings i forgot to take at work today, then grab some dinner, i dont wanna leave my room though, the music is so good now

EndersShadow

1. Install a program to play your media. You have a couple go to choices that are freeish
1A: MediaMonkey - free and paid versions. The free version is good for playback but missing a lot of features that make the paid version worth it
1B: JRiver - free IIRC. No personal experience using it, I normally use Media Monkey
1C: XBMC - free (I use this and like it but it may be a bit much for you personally to setup)

2. Use a bitperfect driver to send the audio out either WASAPI or ASIO depending on the program.

3. Enjoy the music

**Note** Technically the first step should be to reburn your entire library to FLAC using the 30 day free trial of dbpoweramp as thats going to give you the highest fidelity source file, but not everyone wants to do that. All 3 players listed will play FLAC with no problems.

**Second Note**Tehcnically you dont want to EQ the music at the computer level and using one of those bit-perfect drivers will actually disable any EQ you may have turned on. If your going to EQ anything use the bass and treble knobs on your HK 3490 to tweak stuff, but otherwise most of the purists here would say you shouldnt EQ the source file at all as your not truly listening to the music as it was intended that way...

seabeerob213

i am like 3/4 of the way done doing that to WMA lossless, and it sucks, but i will give that a try and see what my ears think

Tbone289

EndersShadow wrote: »

1B: JRiver - free IIRC.

I wish it was! $50 for JRiver.

I use foobar2000 w/WASAPI event-style output. It's another free option, but it take a lot of "tweaking" to get it the way you want. I think Media Monkey is probably the best free option regarding ease of use.

falconcry72

Tbone289 wrote: »

I wish it was! $50 for JRiver.

I use foobar2000 w/WASAPI event-style output. It's another free option, but it take a lot of "tweaking" to get it the way you want. I think Media Monkey is probably the best free option regarding ease of use.

I also use foobar2000. I like it simple. No media management, no nothin. Foobar has a lot of customization options if you want to get more complicated, but I keep it real clean.

Denzel

I use a MacMini (latrest generation) into a HRT MusicStreamer II+ AUSB converter, very nice 2-channel setup. If you are a Mac fan, Decibel is a nice playback engne that supports FLAC and WAV nicely. For PC my 2 cents are to MediaMonkey. Regardless, its worth the effort in the long run to re-rip all your CDs to WAV at a minimum but FLAC if at all possible.

Good Luck!

AsSiMiLaTeD

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?134589-Digital-Computer-Audio-Starter-Guide

98Badger

JRiver is well worth the $50. Haven't compared to Foobar but it is in a different league compared to Mediamonkey. Go for the 30 day free trial.

falconcry72

98Badger wrote: »

JRiver is well worth the $50. Haven't compared to Foobar but it is in a different league compared to Mediamonkey. Go for the 30 day free trial.

In a different league in what way? Media management or sound quality?

Face

Media management, DSP, etc... It also does an excellent job ripping with error correction and tagging.

Give the free trial a whirl...

11tsteve

my files are AIFF (out of necessity for others in my household) which is lossless. will this still work bit-perfect with Jriver and WASAPI?

seabeerob213

[/QUOTE]
**Second Note**Tehcnically you dont want to EQ the music at the computer level and using one of those bit-perfect drivers will actually disable any EQ you may have turned on. If your going to EQ anything use the bass and treble knobs on your HK 3490 to tweak stuff, but otherwise most of the purists here would say you shouldnt EQ the source file at all as your not truly listening to the music as it was intended that way...[/QUOTE]

i thought it sounded better with EQ off, and the 3490 isnt being used, dont have it here in italy, using the 765, so that would be the tone control button right?

TNHNDYMAN

Roger that.

seabeerob213

falconcry72 wrote: »

http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/WASAPI

http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/ASIO

http://www.musicalfidelity.com/products/vSeries/v-linkii/

http://www.musicalfidelity.com/products/vSeries/v-link192/

http://www.belcantodesign.com/Belcanto_mLink.html

http://www.aprilmusic.com/eng/main/sub02_03_05.html


on second thought, if you don't know how to use google, maybe you shouldn't be using a PC as your source anyway...


JUST KIDDING!!!

i like the v 192, thank you for the help everyone

seabeerob213

will a good power cord for the pc help with sound quality?

falconcry72

seabeerob213 wrote: »

i like the v 192, thank you for the help everyone

Another way to improve any digital source is by upgrading your Digital to Analog Converter (DAC). You are now using the DAC in your receiver, so you'd have to get a DAC that was better than that to get an improvement. If you like the V-Link, a natural choice would be the V-DAC II, which is a DAC that incorporates an asynchronous USB input. Another option is to just get the V-Link for now, and then add an external DAC later on. The advantage to keeping the USB > SPDIF converter separate is that you can then add any number of external DACs, including ones that don't have a USB input. Many audiophiles have found that using a high quality separate USB > SPDIF converter connected to an external DAC sounds better than using that same DAC's USB input. This is not always the case, and it is only an issue if the DAC's USB input is sub-par, but unfortunately that is pretty common... even on high-end gear like the Bryston BDA.

AsSiMiLaTeD

seabeerob213 wrote: »

will a good power cord for the pc help with sound quality?

Nope. A good cable on something like a preamp, amp or dedicated source CAN make a difference, but inside a PC it won't matter one bit.

Face

EndersShadow wrote: »

**Second Note**Tehcnically you dont want to EQ the music at the computer level and using one of those bit-perfect drivers will actually disable any EQ you may have turned on. If your going to EQ anything use the bass and treble knobs on your HK 3490 to tweak stuff, but otherwise most of the purists here would say you shouldnt EQ the source file at all as your not truly listening to the music as it was intended that way...

I disagree. Adding EQ, DSP, or Parametric EQ before the files are converted to analog is a great way not to increase floor noise, add distortion, etc... With J. River it's possible to add any of those items and still remain bit perfect.

EndersShadow

Face wrote: »

I disagree. Adding EQ, DSP, or Parametric EQ before the files are converted to analog is a great way not to increase floor noise, add distortion, etc... With J. River it's possible to add any of those items and still remain bit perfect.

Then I stand corrected :eek:.

falconcry72

Face wrote: »

I disagree. Adding EQ, DSP, or Parametric EQ before the files are converted to analog is a great way not to increase floor noise, add distortion, etc... With J. River it's possible to add any of those items and still remain bit perfect.

That's an interesting point. Digital EQ'ing prior to analog conversion sounds like it could be a promising option...

With that said, you could potentially take frequency response measurements of your speakers in your room, then create an overall EQ setting in JRiver that you would apply to all music in order to smooth out response due to room, speakers, gear, etc...

Is this a good idea, or am I being naively optimistic? Would a pre-analog-conversion digital EQ still potentially degrade SQ??

falconcry72

just checked, and foobar2000 has a 31 band digital EQ component. I'm going to give it a whirl tonight when I get home and see what happens. I think it could be a great way to get better bass, and an all around smoother response out of my Maggies.

Just waiting for someone to tell me why it should sound bad...

Face

Due to the high Q of most bass anomalies, a parametric EQ will usually be more helpful.

falconcry72

Face wrote: »

Due to the high Q of most bass anomalies, a parametric EQ will usually be more helpful.

So Face, have you found the DSP's or EQ's in JRiver to hurt SQ (aside from bad settings lol).