This sound ok?

[fotografer1]

Hello everyone,

 

I am new to this site but have learned a tremendous amount from many people on here. I would not consider myself an audiophile but I can tell the difference between a good and bad recording. I used to think that you really could not tell the difference between 400 dollar speakers and 4000 dollar speakers until i was in Portland , Oregon and chanced on a audio store by the name of Echo Audio. The owner took me to his "back room" set me in a leather chair in front of 2 B&W 800 series speakers. He then pressed play. That would have been the end of my savings account if my wife had not taken control. Now on to my question. I have ordered what I hope will be a good desktop solution to listning to recordings from B&w's Society of Sound and HD tracks. So here is the list of what i have ordered

 

Audioengine A2 speakers

ASUS Xonar Essence ST sound card

Fubar III dac with supplier power supply

Media monkey or winamp player

 

Thank you in advance for any advice you may have in regards to adding or subtracting anything from my list to have a better listning experience. thank you

 

[Akapod]

I have the AudioEngine A2 speakers running off my Mac at work, and they're perfectly acceptable for playing music in the background. If you plan to really listen to the music, though, you might think about foregoing the DAC and upgrading to the A5. I don't think the quality of the DAC would really show through even with the A5s (which I have in my bedroom, and run off of an Airport Express). AudioEngine's strength is creating modestly-priced, nicely-styled self-powered speakers, not audiophile-quality products.

 

I can't speak to the sound card, as I run Macs exclusively (and their built-in sound capabilities are pretty good).

 

[atomheart]

fotographer1-

 

The A2's have a remarkably clean treble, especially for the price...

http://www.stereophile.com/budgetcomponents/1207ae/index4.html

Read the rest of the review to get the complete skinny.

 

I have the A5s, and they, combined w/ my MBP, are my hotel system when car-traveling. The A2s are even more portable, if that's a factor for you.

 

Echo Audio is my goto place here in Portland for buying and selling gear. My amp and speakers below came from there. The owner, Kurt, is a true gent.

http://echohifi.com/

 

happy listening,

Chris