Pro Audio

[rich]

Thank you all for the amount of of reliable information on this truly valuable website.

 

What do you think of cheap pro components (Behringer and all the brands available on Professional music instruments websites (Thomann for example). It seems to me that purchasing several pro components starting as cheap as €150 (!) will anyway sound better than a poor integrated consumer system, without the insanely high prices of High-End products. A friend of mine, who happens to study electronics, and several musicians I know, all told me that High-End adds no real value to the quality of sound as long as your system is designed and tuned properly.

 

 

 

[dsnyder]

Hello,

 

There are certainly some good buys in the pro audio field that can be used to facilitate enjoyable computer music playback. If a piece of gear enhances your enjoyment of music and integrates well enough into your system, I say go for it. :-)

 

Benchmark Media is a good example of a company that produces gear that is of interest to both the pro audio and audiophile markets. I've seen some audiophiles talking about products from MYTEK Digital and Korg for DSD file playback as well.

 

I'm personally using an E-MU 0404 USB pro(sumer) audio interface for FLAC playback a home and (don't laugh) a little Behringer UCA202 interface that's connected to a Behringer MON800 and Yamaha MSP3s at work for background music at my desk. The little MON800 actually does an adequate job driving my Sennheiser HD600s, although I would not recommend this combo for critical listening. LOL.

 

As the market for computer audio continues to develop, we will see more and more dedicated home audio components that enable high resoultion digital file playback at a wide range of price points. It feels like designers are still trying to figure out what consumers are looking for, and I don't think that a consensus around a particular layout or set of features will form anytime soon (if ever).

 

While I think that it's good to support the home audio market if available products are a good fit for your system, in the end, it's your dollars, so listen carefully and then spend them on products (pro audio or audiophile) that deliver the greatest enjoyment to your ears in your system. Cheers!

 

-- David