plissken Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Sorry about the mess upthread. It's quite possible, since you get a sound you like better from your CD player than from flacs, using the same speakers in the same room, that the difference you hear comes from the difference in digital-to-analog conversion in your sound card vs. digital-to-analog conversion from your CD player. So yes, doing the digital-to-analog conversion from your PC differently might help. Part of the mess is people suggesting cables vs asking exactly what his setup consisted of Jud. It's the very definition of agenda driven 'helpful' posting. The CD playback and FLAC playback are all happening on the same machine: a Laptop. Everyone makes assumptions and asks no questions. Link to comment
Jud Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 The CD playback and FLAC playback are all happening on the same machine: a Laptop. CD player is Onkyo 7030. I am confused. One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature. Link to comment
plissken Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 So what are you going to suggest to the OP to help improve bass response and dynamics of his current setup? My suggestion is a picture of the room layout and a measurement mic to find out what is going on room mode wise. The adjectives used to describe the low level output are room issues. Link to comment
plissken Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I am confused. I thought he was comparing CD playback and FLAC playback as it concerned the laptop and using the HP out and hearing a difference. He said he was ripping CD's so I assumed he also gave them a listen on the laptop out to the audio system and was surprised by the output difference. Does that help? Link to comment
Jud Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Everyone makes assumptions and asks no questions. He said he was ripping CD's so I assumed he also gave them a listen on the laptop out to the audio system and was surprised by the output difference. Does that help? Perhaps, perhaps not. One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature. Link to comment
plissken Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Perhaps, perhaps not. Jud, look at what I put in asterisk and ask yourself why someone would post something in such a manner(?). I made an assumption, because the setup and conditions were not clear, and I posed it with the ** to seek clarification. To the OP: I think more research is warranted. Bottom line is your system sounds fine with the CD *assuming you are playing CD's from the laptop* content in native form and you experience the FLAC as lacking. I didn't know if he was saying the output of the Onk and the laptop were really vastly different in quality, or if it was the FLAC's sounded worse than CD on the laptop and therefore vastly different in quality. Is it an output of laptop vs CD player or is it an output of FLAC vs CD on same device type of question. How the OP had it worded just wasn't making a lot of sense. Link to comment
catbox Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 Sorry if I confused anyone. I'll have to get more specific in the future. Until the other day, everything (ripping CDs, messing with a couple audio players, etc..) was done on the desk top in the home office. The wifes laptop became available and this was my 1st experience with attempting to play pc audio through our stereo system. I was slow in transitioning from vinyl to CD a couple decades back and am now doing the same with PC audio. I did post earlier that due to shear luck about 85% of the issues have been resolved. I thank everyone for your interest in assisting my journey so far. Link to comment
Jud Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Sorry if I confused anyone. I'll have to get more specific in the future.Until the other day, everything (ripping CDs, messing with a couple audio players, etc..) was done on the desk top in the home office. The wifes laptop became available and this was my 1st experience with attempting to play pc audio through our stereo system. I was slow in transitioning from vinyl to CD a couple decades back and am now doing the same with PC audio. I did post earlier that due to shear luck about 85% of the issues have been resolved. I thank everyone for your interest in assisting my journey so far. Thanks. Can you tell me how the Onkyo fits into this if at all? Was that where you were hearing better bass, or not? Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature. Link to comment
catbox Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 I was comparing the sound that came out of the Onkyo with what was coming out of the laptop. (the laptop does not have a CD drive) I'm very familiar with the sound I get through the Onkyo and thought that would be a good place to start for comparison. The switched audio driver supplied a BIG improvement. (I was floored at how much) The sound is still lacking in some areas but unlike my 1st impressions, I can now see that with a bit of work and experimentation, pc audio could possibly equal or even exceed my current go to player. Link to comment
mansr Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 The switched audio driver supplied a BIG improvement. (I was floored at how much) The sound is still lacking in some areas but unlike my 1st impressions, I can now see that with a bit of work and experimentation, pc audio could possibly equal or even exceed my current go to player. What audio hardware does the laptop have, and which drivers are we talking about? Link to comment
catbox Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 The audio setup and drivers that were in it came from Realtek. I switched it over to the generic windows HD audio. The wife had used the laptop for e-mail, bill paying and a bit of web surfing. I never even thought about whatever audio driver was in it when I first attempted this. I really just got lucky and ran across some comments people had made about Realtek audio messing up their playback and chased it from there. Link to comment
audiventory Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I'm sure an external DAC will benefit the sound even if it only eliminates the "noise" in the background. All these things is implementation matter only and aren't external/intrnal matter. AuI ConverteR 48x44 - HD audio converter/optimizer for DAC of high resolution files ISO, DSF, DFF (1-bit/D64/128/256/512/1024), wav, flac, aiff, alac, safe CD ripper to PCM/DSF, Seamless Album Conversion, AIFF, WAV, FLAC, DSF metadata editor, Mac & WindowsOffline conversion save energy and nature Link to comment
catbox Posted February 14, 2017 Author Share Posted February 14, 2017 In order to clarify everything - From what I discovered, the laptop I used came with Realtek Audio Codec. Apparently it contains some form of volume leveling in the output stage. The built in volume leveling created all the issues I mentioned previously. Removing the Realtek audio drivers and installing windows HD audio eliminated the volume leveling issue restoring bass and dynamics. My understanding is that an external DAC would bypass the internal sound card (?) making the drivers that run the soundcards audio a nonissue. I have yet to acquire a DAC and as of now am relying on the computers sound card for audio output. Link to comment
Nikhil Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 ..My understanding is that an external DAC would bypass the internal sound card (?) making the drivers that run the soundcards audio a nonissue. I have yet to acquire a DAC and as of now am relying on the computers sound card for audio output. Yes, the external DAC works in place of the sound card typically using the USB out from the computer. Custom Win10 Server | Mutec MC-3+ USB | Lampizator Amber | Job INT | ATC SCM20PSL + JL Audio E-Sub e110 Link to comment
pdickerson Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I suggest you listen to some MQA albums and you'll forget hardware /bass Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile Link to comment
crenca Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I suggest you listen to some MQA albums and you'll forget hardware /bass Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile That's right - you will forget about alot of other things also... Hey MQA, if it is not all $voodoo$, show us the math! Link to comment
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