Hi guys, I am very new to this section. Basically i have been reading up articles on the web for the past few days, but my knowledge for high quality audio equipment is still very rudimentary. Thus I hope gurus here can give me some advice and recommendations.

Basically I own an Edifier S330 for the past 2 years. I was initially quite satisfied with its performance when playing normal R&B and other pop songs. However, recently I started to have strong interest in Jazz and classical music, and all of sudden I find the sound of my speakers lacking. Perhaps not "rich" enough is the word. Anyhow below is the brief details of my audio source:

Music format: MP3 320kbps and some FLAC
Player: foobar2000
Sound card: Creative SB X-fi Fatal1ty (older PCI version)
Speakers: Edifier S330

Questions:

1. Will adding an external DAC improve the sound quality tremendously?

2. Which DAC is recommended? Budget around RM500 (thinking of Fiio E10 since many good reviews)

3. Should I upgrade my speakers instead (to maybe Aego M)? (sorry if this is the wrong section to ask)

Thanks and best regards.

This post has been edited by hypermax: Aug 3 2012, 08:20 PM

Hi experts, I am thinking of getting a USB DAC to drive my HiVi X4 (Realtek onboard really sux big time). Btw between T-muso DAC PCM2704 and Light DAC 24/96 Sabre ES9023, which should i buy? I am listening mostly to classical music, with occasional R&B and rock.

I see. thx for the info

Btw, is there a lot of difference between custom made USB DAC and those commercial ones with complex circuitry? (besides the price of course )

I see. Thx for the explanation.

Thanks for sharing. Will get the T-Muso first since UD110 is not released yet

Thx for the recommendations.

Any idea where to audition DAC around PJ/KL area?

Dear Sifus,

I am currently using UD110 USB DAC with HiVi X4 (active speakers). Controlling volume from playback software can be a pain as i have to adjust everything individually, and certain games volume cant be controlled. My X4 is still damn bloody loud even when the volume knob is turned to the lowest if (i dun turn down the software volume). Is there a way to hardware control the volume (via amp or something else)? From what i understand, amp is not required for active speakers.

Sorry for the long question. Hopefully someone can answer me. Thx

Thx for the advice. Problem solved. The DAC I was using was in 32bit, so windows can't control the volume. Changing it to 16bit mode for direct sound and 32bit for ASIO solved the problem. Big thanks to Stoner Acoustic for the help.

Can someone recommend me a preamp? Wanna use it to control the volume from my UD110V2 USB DAC to HiVi X4. Even though X4 are active speakers, the volume is too damn loud and it's troublesome to control the volume from software on a Mac (need to adjust each and every application one by one)

Thanks for the recommendation but i think it's too expensive for a pre-amp. Just need something to control the volume without distorting the sound quality.

O2 is actually not superior. It's just very neutral. At first it sounds nice becuz it's freaking neutral. But after a while, it gets boring as it can sometimes be too analytical, especially when paired with monitor headphone like ATH M50.

O2 is a bargain for its price, but it is by no means the "reference" amp. It measures well no doubt, but it's not everyone's cup of tea.

The best way to survey for an amp is by auditioning it yourself. You are the judge, becuz everyone's taste differs. So dun take other's word for it.

Just my 2 cents

Well, no harm trying. Perhaps you can get the C5 first, then we meet up and compare it with my ODAC+O2 combo

Ya kah? I actually find the bass for ath m50 just nice, but not excessive

Haven't tried dt880 pro before, but it has the reputation of being very analytical.