Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'desktop'.
-
Help me design a new system? (Disclaimers: This is about a “desktop” system, by which I mean a system I listen to while sitting at my desk, usually staring at a computer screen. I understand the inherent limitations. Let's skip the question about whether or not this is “audiophile” if that bothers anyone!) My Challenge: This is an emergency. I've relocated offices and have spent last few weeks in an empty space, alone, with no music. It is lonely and depressing. Background: I unboxed remnants on a previous system and patched it together…. Desktop PC, USB Out > ELAC DDP-2 > Genelec 6010A (powered speakers) + Genelec 5040A Immediate Problems: The ELAC DDP-2 struggles to lock onto the USB signal. It worked on day, then didn't. I can’t get Bluetooth to pair and find no documentation about how to do it online. In a former system, I had persistent issues with it locking onto Roon and requiring a power cycle anytime I wanted to switch inputs. I am in contact with ELAC, but I really don’t think this unit is for me. (I’ll take this opportunity to say that my pair of ELAC Navis powered speakers are some of the favorites I’ve ever owned. I’ve also been very happy with a pair of Adante AS-61). My Genelec 6010A’s and 5040 are old and have a finnicky RCA jack. I've loved these little powered monitors in previous offices. Building a New System: The only thing that is lifting my spirits is the idea of building a new system! My new career is related/adjacent to the music business and I am in a position to benefit from a much more capable system. I want to optimize sound quality. Obviously. Sources: Desktop PC (12th Gen i9-12900K 3.19GHz w/ 64GB RAM running Windows 10 Pro). I have a huge, hires digital collection, but have honestly done much more streaming these past few years. New situation will enable me to re-discover my local collection and I am interested in learning how to make it sounds as good as possible. Endemic computer sounds (alerts, etc.) Audio from the web Streaming services (Tidal, Qobuz, iTunes) JRiver Turntable (Technics SL-1200 > Parasound JC 3 Jr.) It's fine. CD (Oppo BDP-105D) Speakers/Amp: Two mains will live on my desk; perhaps on short stands to elevate above my reflective desk surface. Sub beneath my desk. This is near-field listening at 36". I'd like to do another 2.1 system and lean toward active, but I am open to other options. Looking at Genelec 8030C(2) + 7050C (balanced inputs) Wilson Tunetots are another option that's been floated (if I went that route, I may pair them with my Luxman L-590AXmkII 30W class-A integrated.) Pre-Amp:TBD DAC:TBD Setup: I plan for all of this to live in a short, studio equipment rack that sits next to my desk. Room: I am finally in a situation where I can really treat my office correctly. There will be plenty of absorption and diffusion. Questions: Scenario: sitting at your desk, listening to source other than your PC (e.g. - CD or turntable), but I still what to hear computer System Sounds (e.g. - alerts, beeps, boops), web videos, Zoom calls? What is the best way to handle? I know the preamp can't mix 2 sources (e.g. - turntable + PC), so it depends in routing these computer sounds to a secondary speaker? Is there a way to avoid having to do that manually,...continuously? For instance, can I configure PC to always route all System Sounds and Zoom audio to a computer speaker connected directly to the PC audio-out,...but route all sounds from JRiver, TIDAL app, iTunes, etc to the outboard DAC via USB? A high-quality, "dumb" DAC? My hope is to find a great DAC, separate or integrated into a pre-amp, which requires zero attention. I do not want to think about the settingsor filters on an ongoing basis. What I really do not want to do is power cycle it and futz with the inputs everyday when I sit down at my computer. (Maybe they are all like that and my experience with the DDP-2 sort of soured me?) DAC/Pre & Other Recommendations? My dream is to walk in, power up my PC, flip on a pre-amp, and go. I will use vinyl/CD weekly, but not daily. It feels like the big questions here are around the DAC and Preamp,...but I welcome any input. Thanks in advance....
-
Need some advice on building an Audiophile/Home Theater desktop. At the moment using a Precision T7610> JRiver (mostly listen to SACD,DSD,DSF,FLAC)> Matrix Element H USB card > Analysis Plus Purple Plus USB Cable > Modwright Oppo udp205 DAC. Use video card HDMI for movies to Oppo. Im hoping to use the 4 hard drives I have now, if it doesnt effect quality, equating to about 16TB of music and some movies. 80% music/20% movies. Want a quieter, faster, and hopefully better sounding computer. Any advice would help.
- 2 replies
-
- desktop
- audiophile
-
(and 3 more)
Tagged with:
-
I need a new stereo setup. I'm a music lecturer and I only listen to classical music. Orchestral, piano, voice, lots of new music, some with electronics etc… My office is small, about 9' x 14'. The thin end has a window all the way along, and I usually sit facing the window at a desk. I will be using my Macbook Pro Retina with a Meridian Explorer as the main source. Sometimes I listen to LPs, but I don't have a fancy LP player and won't be buying one. Most of the music I listen to is from CD, sometimes online (soundcloud, youtube… sad but true, all necessary for work). I mostly sit at my computer, and so I need something that can sit on my desk. (I think this is really a constraint. I have thought about rearranging my room around some speakers, but I'm not sure how practical this would be given how small the room is (the rest of the walls are lined with bookcases). I can imagine speakers standing in the middle of the room might get knocked over etc… But I'm open to ideas) I really have no idea where to start looking. At home I have some Tanoy R3s and Denon amp, 755AR CD player etc.. and I like the sound (or at least I did when I was a teenager and bought it, and now I'm totally used to the sound). At the moment at work I mostly listen to music with Denon AH-D2000s a I can't help but want a bit more clarity from my speakers than I used to. The Explorer sounds a treat. I don't have endless money (hard working lecturer). But I think about 2000-3000 on some speakers and an amp might be ok. What proportion do I spend on an amp? Do I get one with phono? or use the cheap preamp I bought for my LP player (I think so)? What do I gain over spending less? Or more? Is there a good argument either way? As I often have neighbours, I need to a system that sounds ok at low volume and in the office space. Though I don't have neighbours on weekends and holidays (hard working lecturer, right?!) and over the summer when other people work from home. I'd like this to be a one-off purchase, rather than part of a continual upgrade project. I have the money now and I'd like to still think it sounds sweet in 15+ years. If I need to spend a touch more then I'd rather get it right. Thoughts? Thanks in advance!
-
I have been patiently awaiting the arrival of the Peachtree Audio Decco65 to use on my office desktop, which has been on pre order for some time now. For $999 it really is at the top of what I want to spend for a desktop amp. While waiting for it to come out I have been shopping around thinking there may be another unit at or below the cost of the Decco65 that could work for my needs. The Emotiva mini-x a-100 caught my eye, but that would require a separate DAC. Which is fine, but Emotiva does not make a size compatible DAC (I have aesthetic issues).... A newcomer to the mix is the NuForce DDA-100 ($549) which seems to also fit the bill nicely. I cannot find any reviews to get some expert opinions.. Also I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the digital to analog conversion used in this unit. I have read about it on the NuForce website, but it still isn't clicking in my little brain. Since this appears to have just been out a few weeks, I doubt there is anyone on here with first hand experience, but if so, please let me know what you think... Basically I am looking for a sub $1000 Intergrated Stereo amp with DAC (optical input), like the Peachtree Nova or Wadia PowerDAC to drive my ERA D4 speakers.
-
View Classified SMSL SU-9 BALANCED MQA DAC w/remote + bluetooth Took delivery of SMSL SU-9 Balanced MQA, Bluetooth, DAC w/Remote, on May 14, 2021 (10 Days ago w/delivery receipt), to audition. Paid $469.53 with shipping delivered to my door from APOS Audio. The DAC has performed flawlessly and has about 25 hours of use on it so it's still breaking in. There are so many features in the menus that still need to be explored by the new owner!. The unit will be packed up EXACTLY as it was shipped with plastic and twisty ties on everything for an authentic unboxing experience to the new owner. Apos Audio guarantees the 2nd new owner the remaining 2yr Warranty as transferable with receipt number and original email address which will be provided. Check out Apos Warranty info on their website here: http://help.apos.audio/en/articles/3197291-apos-audio-2nd-year-transferable-warranty Reason for selling on Audiophile Style: While it sounded very, very, excellent and smooth (read reviews), it was a lateral upgrade to my current equipment. I can see that I'm going to have to spend a pile of cash to beat my current set-up ($1000+) or even this SMSL SU-9 which is already an amazing value. So, it's ready for it's new home. You can save $49.53 instantly on a Brand New In-Box amazing SMSL SU-9 DAC right here. I will pick up the cost of all shipping and paypal fees however the price is firm. Anyone looking to buy this DAC would be foolish to buy new from Apos because then you'll have to wait for your unit to clear customs (all of 10 days)--even if you pay for expedited shipping, (I thought Apos carried items in stock at TX). There is no downside to buying this particular SU-9 right here, right now, on Audiophile Lifestyle Classifieds. Check out my selling history on head-fi.org for my selling reputation--it's flawless and I'm proud of it. Seller Condocondor Date 05/25/21 Price 420.00 USD Category Digital to Analog Converters
-
For Late 2012 build-to-order Core i7 Quad-core MacMini A1347 , (Apple no longer makes powerful Quad-core MacMini's and this is the one, it can run Final Cut Pro without breaking a sweat, in this one you can also add memory and change SSD, not that you need to but on new ones you cannot. All upgrades are genuine Apple including SSD and upgraded 8GB of RAM and installed by factory. The price new was $1280 for it. My price is $825 + actual shipping. It is in perfect condition, see the pictures, all factory OEM boxes, manual, AC cord are provided. I take extremely good care of my equipment and this one saw very low hours as it was supposed to be HTPC but we used our Oppo player 100% of the time. I know the price for it and you know the price for it. If you feel you can buy cheaper, please purchase there, my unit is immaculate in every way and runs Yosemite without a hitch. It has every single thing that came with it when new. Aluminum body is without a scratch or dent. I have perfect rating on eBay and Audiogon, feel free to ask for references. Specs are: The Apple Mac mini "Core i7" 2.3 (Late 2012/Aluminum Unibody) features a 22-nm Quad Core "Ivy Bridge" 2.3 GHz Intel "Core i7" (3615QM) processor with four independent processor "cores" on a single chip, a 6 MB shared level 3 cache, 8 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-12800) memory, a 256 SSD and Intel HD Graphics 4000 which shares system memory. Connectivity includes a Firewire "800" port, four USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, Thunderbolt, combined "audio line in (digital/analog)" and combined "audio line out/headphone (digital/analog)" minijacks, a 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet port, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and an SDXC card slot.