My new computer rig -- under $600!

AudioFilet

And it sounds sweet too! Here is what it is:

Technics SU-8600 integrated amp -- $100 used
Keces USB DAC -- $275 new
Infinity Primus P162 speakers -- $195 new

Got the whole setup on eBay. I got pretty lucky with the amp, they normally go for around $200. This one is in excellent condition and works perfectly. The Chinese Keces DAC is really pretty nice. The seller goes out of his way in the description with details of the parts used, all good quality stuff, and the thing sounds great. The top of the unit is clear acrylic, so you can even see it all in there. The P162 speakers are outstanding for the price, these things can crank & I love the sound of them.

Take a look at the pics & let me know what you think!

rskarvan

Nice equipment... but, dude, you need to work on getting those wires "nice and neat".

Yashu

Suggestion... I have invested quite a bit into my PC audio setup, and have been doing the PC audio thing for years now... it is very hard to use regular bookshelves as nearfield monitors.

If you want to keep the infinitys, put them as far back as you can and toe them in as much as you can. They were not built for nearfield, so you have to get them far enough away from your ears for them to be coherent.

Also, software is as important as the hardware. Make sure you are using foobar or winamp with ASIO output, you must, this is very important, you must bypass the windows mixers and send bit-perfect signal to your DAC. Being a USB DAC you really just need ASIO4ALL and the ASIO plugin for your playback software. You basically don't want to be using any of the volume sliders on the computer, you want the integrated to do all the work with that. I don't know the full specs on your DAC, but I think it is 24/96 compatable, so with that in mind, consider testing the upsampling mode in the ASIO plugin, and make sure you use it's "ultra" quality. I say test, because some people prefer to not change the signal at all, keep it full redbook, but some people prefer the upsampling sound. http://http://otachan.com/

There you can find the plugins for ASIO output from winamp and foobar. These are basically the defacto standard for PC audio.

I would consider looking for some passive nearfield monitors so you do not have to worry so much about speaker placement. There are many, but something like this http://cgi.ebay.com/JBL-4208-REFERENCE-MONITOR-SPEAKERS-PR_W0QQitemZ290202883994QQihZ019QQcategoryZ47094QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem would be perfect for a nearfield setup. There are a ton of 4208s on ebay right now, you could find the best looking set and grab one... I have never seen this many on ebay before. Very good nearfield monitor.

Refefer

Definitely consider ASIO output. I found it made a real difference when I used it, mainly by removing the "grit" noise. I have a decent computer setup as well, and I concur: toe-in is key.

Looks like it's gonna sound great though!

furball

Nice setup. Just one thing, you sure that piece of glass shelf is strong enough to hold that amp? It already looks a little tilted in the picture.

Yashu

70's vintage integrated probably weighs a ton... I would hate to wake up to that thing crashing down.

AudioFilet

Wow, I have never heard anything about all this ASIO and near-field monitors and such. With this set-up, my listening position is about 5 feet away from the speakers, a little more when I lean back to get in the "sweet spot". It really does sound pretty good, I don't think I have any of the problems you guys mention above. I am only using it for music, no gaming or movies or anything like that.

As for the shelf, it's fine. It's supposed to hold 100 lbs, and it is attached to the wall with some pretty sturdy lag bolts in a stud, so no worries there.

Yashu

You can't game on ASIO, but that is besides the point, try it, you may like it. ASIO4ALL is free and so are the plugins. You really don't want to be having windows mix in those extra channels, nor do you want the computer to digitally control gain.

ASIO is a low latency protocol for audio engineers, it bypasses the windows sound system completely, and for us, we benefit in getting an untouched signal, but for audio engineers, you get lower latency and thus can better use equipment in real-time with production software. You also don't want the signal to be affected by anything other than what you control, if you are using a computer to produce an album.

furball

http://audioengineusa.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=77&osCsid=27b524b60278d3a306fe611aa5585f45

AudioEngine A5, powered monitors with 5inch woofers. $350. Much less cables and wiring.

RuSsMaN

Nice rig, get back to enjoying it.

Cheers,
Russ

Yashu

True, PC audio will be something cool that you can always tweak and squeak over time. You have the right step, USB DAC, good 70's integrated, speakers that will give a good bang for the buck... It will impress your friends, laugh in the face of their logitechs and bose computer speakers, you are already 1000% ahead of most people that have a PC and like music.