Halo everyone, i m here to ask opinion of my hifi setup.
I m using PC as my digital transport.

1. Esi Juli@ soundcard = Digital Toslink Out (analog board removed)
2. Monster M1000 Fiber optic
3. Behringer SRC2496 DAC = DAC ( modded)
4. Monster M1000i Interconnect
5. Harman Kardon Citation 25 = Preamplifier
6. Monster M1000i Interconnect
7. Adcom GFA-555 mk2 = Power amplifier
8. Transparent MusicWave Plus = Speaker cable
9. Monitor Audio R152 = speaker (slightly upgraded in crossover)
10. Belkin Surgemaster Gold (F9G726uk3M-GRY) = power conditioning
11. Koss 3KVA Industrial AVR (servo motor type) = power condition

for more info for my AVR http://www.kossups.com.my/v_series.htm

for more info for my belkin
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProd...oduct_Id=135041

What do u think of my setup? excellent? Cool? haha!!
Your comment is greatly appreciated..

Next project, Zapfilter and LClock for my DAC and R-Core transformer. then replace all F*CK up power cord with good ones.

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Added on March 23, 2009, 12:44 amCOOL!!!

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Feb 13 2010, 08:03 PM

requote own post and say cool?!?

errrrr dont wanna prick ya bubble there buddy but in whole scheme of things ya rig is mid fi at best. let go thru ya system shall we.

well IMO...

1.the Juli soundcards prolly excellent as means for digi out either toslink or better still coaxial.

2.the behringer DAC is an unknown quantity -to say da least- soo i wont comment on it 'cept to say i would hardly qualify as anywhere close to hi end (well mayb in canto...just kiddin )

3.emm Harmon kardon does make some ok commercial stuff esp HT but again i'd hardly call it audiophile but i havnt heard (or even heard of) ya citation preamp soo waddaikno.

4.de Adcom 555s prolly ya best piece of elec equipment here & its actually quite decent. i owned a 555 eons ago & IIRC its strong midfi.

5.monitor audio does make decent speakers but i'd hardly call it anything other than good low-mid end bookshelfs.

6.while i cant say much about belkin powerbars, i certainly wouldnt call it 'power conditioning'.

7.im completely indadark about da koss 3kva but it sounds like either a surge protector or a UPS or a combo of both - the only pls i'd use a UPS is for ya PC itself & NOT anywhere else.

8.monster cables & ICs while definetly a 'brand'name, i'd hardly call it hi-end by any measure - its prolly hi-end comparo with cap ayam but tats about it. infact monster can be summed up as the bose of cables (its not a compliment btw).

sooo bottomline, yaa ya rig is 'hi'end'...compared with the typical PC speaker system but calling it audiophile hi-end is akin to saying our esteemed gomen owns allah or isit just da word allah....

just me 2cents since u posted it for comments

Normally people won't claim their system high end although their system deserves it. Good quality item speaks for itself. Monster cables are just too commercialize, even SenQ / HM selling them in bulks. Harmon Kardon??, well...... Moreover, high end stuffs aren't meant for modd. Personally I would distinguish level as below;

Low end: < 10k

Mid end: between 10k and 40k

High end: > above 40k and there are lots of gears above 100k

So I know you think where your system stands.

One note, your title "The world of high end sound"??? Please.................... I don't mind you claimed your system "high end" but please don't claim it as "world of high end sound".

You have to start somewhere.... and there are still a few mortgages to go knocking on the high end's door....

To avoid further ridicule and criticism, go back to your entry and click on `edit'. Unless your PC is `high end' that it can receive voice instructions?!!!

This post has been edited by LazerJuan: Mar 23 2009, 09:02 AM

WOW!!!!!

You have a really good setup there! I am sure it sounds so high-end!
Amazing! Not to mention it is Cool as well! My gawd WOW! I'm salivating already

i was thinking esoteric expensive stuff but ... PC output only. BTW, do you play lots of mp3's?

High end indeed!

give him a chance.. he probably bought all those stuff with his life savings so no wonder he's so proud of them. just like how ur mom would brag about u to her frens even though u're not the best kid in the world

compare to mine.... really quite very "high end" lol...

Wow...great set that you have.... as long as you feel good and that's it.
HIGH END is NO END!

give him some slack guys lol
i think he jus started into this audiophile journey...but seriously yur 1 doesnt consider high end to me....
yur rig will be fare better (qualified ) if u got a cdp like bluenote,cambridge 840c or c.e.c cdp .. using a pc for speaker source i think u will be missing a lot detail on that if u dont wan to use cdp get ipod and iwadia transport for similar effect
well rega is very good and consider high end cdp...
for dac u will need something significant like benchmark dac1, lavry dac10, acousstic arts hybrid dac, audionote dac, grace m902 dac,primesound orpheus, monarchy m24 hybrid amp and dac
all those high end dac costing from 2k to 10k usd...
add a preamp like Cary Xfier for poweramp and preamp... or audionote amps, audio research...those high end amps...
yur monster cables is brand names which doesnt justified the cost and performance for price
get oyaides powercords, ps audio power generator conditioner= the Premier Power Plant Generator and crystal Siltech cables xlr or Piccoline cystal cables xlr for yur interconnect...then i think yur rig will be deserved to call high end at least
to ice yur rigs, get a ultrapulse generator accoustic revival R-77 for large demagnetizing effect and add a ground conditioner to yur wall socket
change yur wall socket to oyaide wall sockets then u r set....
and not forgetting some accoustic dampering materials as treatment for yur listening room....
add all these up,i think total cost for it will be 200 to 300k usd mostly ....

'using a pc for speaker source i think u will be missing a lot detail".... is it true? if yes i might gonna waste money again and get another player afterward...==

I dun think Belkin Surgemaster is a good choice when it comes to Power Conditioning Does it even filter any ?

It does have quite a good line noise attenuation rate.

WAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..... i cant help but laugh at the bolded line... its always been true but i never thought about it...especially comparing it with bose

everytime i think of monster cables i keep remembering the blind test they made comparing monster cables and clothes hanger wires and found no difference

wow...nice rig compared to mine..BUT...buying those at this kinda times?some audiofreaks are selling already...not buying...good luck TS...

i appologize for the sentence of "world of high end sound". lol just wanna attract u guyz.. sorry
haha.. you dun use the price of the set of hifi to determine the sound quality. It probably can known as high end equipment due to the price. But in terms of high end sound is about matching,.. And a cheaper price does not mean the sound low end. I emphasize its about matching, price doest not guarantees a good sound quality. No offense to people who own expensive hifi sets. Sound quality satisfaction is vary to different individual. As i am a DIYer, i go through all the tweaks and fine-tuning for my equipment. For people who never do any modification, its hard to believe that a modded machine will sound totally different at a glance. haha, wat do you mean high end stuff are not for mod? lol please share your setup to me if its possible... i m interest ur hifi setup!!! I may give u some useful comment as well!!

Conclusion, do not let the prices of equipment stunt you, u can buy some vintage stuff to play around.

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Added on March 23, 2009, 12:23 pmthanks for your support.. wat is ur hifi setup? do u mind to share?

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Added on March 23, 2009, 12:25 pmI only play lossless. APE OR FLAC. The pc is only for listening music..

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Added on March 23, 2009, 12:32 pmAudiosmile modificationReview after modd
Audiosmile modified Behringer SRC2496 is capable of recreating ninety percent of the sonic abilities of my $2500 reference DAC.
John Hoffman, Affordable Audio

Please justify why a pc will miss a lot of detail?




This post has been edited by vir___killer: Mar 23 2009, 12:32 PM

Well I'm going to have to disagree with that, it's arguable that the quality of the transport from the PC is bad(toslink, coaxial USB), but a harddisk is just MUCH MUCH MORE stable in comparison to a CD player. I myself does not prefer using CD as a media, in those expensive CD player you're paying alot for the technology they spent on improving the stableness of the CD tray, laser head and motor etc. I think the money would be better spent on improving the DAC. Something like the iWadia or PS Audio's PerfectWave which both relies on Hardisk as the media.

my RM0.02

i think you have gone the right route by using PC as a source....if anyone out there tells you that CD player has better detail, then they have not really listen to a good PC audio .....PC audio has one of the best detail in the world (this is when compared to even the best set up such as DCS or Esoteric system)....they may not be as warm n analog as CD player but their detail is definitely out of this world....one good example is Linn....even they have stated that their network DAC is much better than their CD12 which is already regarded as one of the best cd player in the world.....but of cause all these comes with a price too......

* i mean using HDD as the source rather than the CD rom as source

This post has been edited by Fusion: Mar 23 2009, 01:17 PM

sorry my setup is very humble.. no where near high end at all not even worth mentioning.

Dude, I am into home cinema instead of hifi so it is different setup. Nothing to brag about; Denon avr, Wharfedale Diamond 9 series 7.0 surround, REL sub.

I was trying not to be rude in previous post. It was midnite and I was out of my mind, sorry bout that. (I am in England now) If you want bang for the buck look for Tacima 6 mains conditioner. Selling price should be RM2++ in Msia but here selling cheap, below 30 pound. It improves my lcd sharpness and details in surround. I have no idea with Belkin's products but I think they are also too commercialize. Sell off your Monster and buy better brand / DIY cables, your system deserves that.

Waah... nice setup!

MIne if very humble and low cost, compared to your system. Cheap DVD player/laptop -USB/spdif-> portable DAC-> headphone/IEMs. 2 channels stereo only...

If I want better sound, I just need bring along my ears to Petronas Philharmonics Hall, and for me, it is more than enough. . What can I do, that iis only thing which I can afford right now.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Mar 23 2009, 06:10 PM

wow wee....excellent setup....





hahaha the best solution for hifi....true music.....nothing to compares...

[quote=Sieg,Mar 23 2009, 01:10 PM]Well I'm going to have to disagree with that, it's arguable that the quality of the transport from the PC is bad(toslink, coaxial USB), but a harddisk is just MUCH MUCH MORE stable in comparison to a CD player. I myself does not prefer using CD as a media, in those expensive CD player you're paying alot for the technology they spent on improving the stableness of the CD tray, laser head and motor etc. I think the money would be better spent on improving the DAC. Something like the iWadia or PS Audio's PerfectWave which both relies on Hardisk as the media.

my RM0.02

[/quote]

good point sieg i have to agree with u with that
i will agree with u about the storage and capacity of the harddrive and easy transfer of music files ... either lossless or wave files..
but note that somehow i not going to say that cdp is a MUST for any audiophiles in my case but most audiophiles prefer cds for hifi rigs ...cos cds is not as compressed as they r ripped out from cds to harddrive...whether u using accuraterip or any ripping program they will sound 80% to 90% of total of performance due to lousy coaxial or optical input from pcs...that y they r crazy bout cdp over 10k usd here which using rca,bnc or xlr to yur dac or amp....
tweaks for cdps like carbonmat for cds or demagnitezing the cds b4 playing or others funny tweaks ...that y they r prefer using cds for it....perfect audio source as they c not to bottleneck their perfect hi-fi system....
however i not as guillible as them and gonna spend myself over cds and waste my space over it
i am a computeraudiophile
i love listen to music when surfing on net
not sit back on comfy sofa listening to cdp and keep changing cds each time lol

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Added on March 24, 2009, 1:07 am[Audiosmile modified Behringer SRC2496 is capable of recreating ninety percent of the sonic abilities of my $2500 reference DAC.
John Hoffman, Affordable Audio

Please justify why a pc will miss a lot of detail?

[/quote]

well not missing the details but warmness and analog of the music...need to correct on that
pc sound very clinical and analytical but lack the impression or wat do i call the real ambience....very cold...lifeless...
u need a dac for it lol
well i havent heard the Behringer modded yet so i couldnt judge it yet ....
but 1 thing if i may ask ? why do u use the monster cables for yur rigs?
since u not a beginner at audio.....i sure that u know...monster=Bose.....

This post has been edited by sep90: Mar 24 2009, 01:07 AM

X2!!!

And it's exactly what I'm doing now too

btw i will pass the powercord later to my brother
call him up and collect from him end of the week...
try with yur pc hehe
some interesting results....

//well not missing the details but warmness and analog of the music...need to correct on that
pc sound very clinical and analytical but lack the impression or wat do i call the real ambience....very cold...lifeless...
u need a dac for it lol//

Hmm, this is an arguable topic.. depends how to match with.. hehe

simple formula --> bright + dull = natural. please correct me if i m wrong with proper justification.

i don't think Bright + dull = Neutral
Bright + dull = No Bright, No Dull.. you loss both details.

imagine this.
when your source. is bright. it roll off with bass. much more treble..
then u feed it into an amp. dull amp.
so the dull amp cut offs the treble.. and wanna increase the bass which initially absent in your feed in source..
so bass is gone,treble is gone.
u can of course tweak it back. but it just fake...

bright + laidback = funny soundsignature u will miss out some details and treble will kill yur hearing ....
have u heard a true neutral amp b4?
iqube is a good example of it....B22 is the 1000x power of iqube....detail,neutral,and very good bass response
cables matching also important like oyaides r well known for the dynamics and upper highs and very dark groundsignature...
i use it to with my dac and my Blacksand Z1 Violet Max Power to my amp to balanced the mids and lower tonality and more transparency and more musical to hear

This post has been edited by sep90: Mar 24 2009, 03:23 AM

ooo learn many today.... well.... i still prefer listen my music with CD player... PC <<< = =? jus an extra entertainment la....can see that u are not pure Audiophile... well.... I'm jus a junior... dun ask me my setup... becoz it's low end thingy only.. not worth to mention it... cheap CD player cheap Amp cheap Speaker... usin cheap cable also...I'm in early 20... many thing to buy... many thing to do....gaji 1K+.... dun hv extra to buy high end hifi.....well... got few nice CD ^^

honestly,, all the statement above doesn't mean anythings,... the last bold sentences already makes you a perfect audiophile....

Haha... if u say i m not then nvm lo... haha.. speechless kid.. haha if u have chance please learn about high end pc audio in STEREOPHILE, dCS scarlatti UPSAMPLER, Esoteric, belcanto, benchmark... haha kid..

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Mar 24 2009, 03:53 AM

how u know he is kid?

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Added on March 24, 2009, 4:24 amhi mean kid in hifi.

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Mar 24 2009, 04:24 AM

hey im glad tis threads still alive. as a non interested 3rd party the OP does come on a tad 'strong' in his equipment self evaluation. just a tip -only a IMO tip ya- its always best to NOT make bigg claims (unless ya bigg maamaa rosiee for which then its...destiny ) & expect others to dutifully quietly & obediently agree. esp when its de other wayyy 'round

anyhoos FWIW IMHO i think ya on da rite track building a PC based rig. i bliv its the current & future of music. i have to respectfully disagree wit arguments of bright brittle digital sounding if its not CD. actually its the other way round of digital sounding bright brittle etc etc wen comparo with true analogue turntable/reel2reel rigs but tats another story for another day ).

its [s]NOT[/b] CDs nor PCs nor HDDs tat are bright brittle harsh or otherwise - its the downstream electronics tat processess da PCM datastream tat determines the typa sound we get. wether CD player or PC rig, its only serving as a digital transport. its wot happens after that counts.

sidessss da turntable is almos extinct not bcos of its inferior sound but bcos of its inferior user interface. theres nothing convenient about poppin individual CDs when i can have it all on HDD & even gadgets like iphones & touch as remotes.

i think Benchmark (makers of da Benchmark DAC) themselves admit tat their USB DAC is as good if not better than their spdif version. i think tat says it all.

sooo OP keep it up & do loads of listening. perhaps u will have a rig someday of which "we are not worthy" status but for now.......

Hi all,

I would like to introduce you Network Media Player - a device transmitting wireless (wi-fi) or wired (ethernet cable) your digital music in uncompressed (WAV, AIFF), lossless (ALAC, FLAC), lossy or compressed (MP3, WMA, AAC) to stored in your external hard disc to your hifi/audio system. Of course, you can add external DAC before connecting to your amp.

Check out the details in another forum, the link is as below

http://www.hifi4sale.net/equipment-discuss...9268da60f806a69

Enjoy the music.

Auronthas

This post has been edited by auronthas: Mar 24 2009, 11:29 AM

Yes, the key device in digital audio is DAC. Any digital transport, example CDP, DVD, PC, laptop, iRiver H1x0, media player, which has digital out (optical or coax)... either cheap or expensive will not change digital data (0,1) from the CD. There also error correction in CD (Reed Solomon ECC; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed–Solomon_error_correction ), to make sure audio data always correct. In other word, data from RM 100 cheap DVD player is same as RM10k CD player.

Then, why RM100 DVD player sound different than RM 10k CD Player?... The difference is the built-in DAC. IMHO, a very good DAC can turn RM100 DVD player into a great audio system, and sometime better than RM10k CDP. Why? RM100 DVD player can play movie dvds and 5.1 audio channels , RM10k CDP cannot LOL

Thank you.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Mar 24 2009, 02:09 PM

True.. agree of the part of DAC.. that plays a more than 50% of sound quality production. the CD transport does make a difference of sound in quality.. but how many ppl can afford it.? so i just stick to DAC with computer. nothing without computer depend on how you setup ur computer.

1 thing must understand of the concept of cd transport. critical part of the transport makes a difference in sound might be the clock, digital output buffer stage. transformer as well of the cd drive mechanism must have certain quality of finished.. those are the factors of effecting the digital signal retrieving and transmitting. i guess. so far as i know.. please correct me with proper justification if i m wrong.

Nice article about it
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/Magazine/manu...1104/index.html

Quote from the article



This post has been edited by bahathir: Mar 24 2009, 03:02 PM

Talking about PC vs CD player, I did a test before in between these 2 equipment. The system comprises ATC speakers, Audio Research integrated tube amplifier, Philips old CD player, Exemblache DAC, Tara Labs interconnect cable, Coaxial digital cable and Zu Cables speakers cables. I just made it as simple as possible. After more than 2 hours of listening, including blind listening test, the conclusion is PC sounding less impressive, pick-up more noise than normal CD player. When listen to Tsai Ching CD, no doubts, cd player win. PC sound thinner, less warm and too much noise. From this test conclusion, PC doesn't sounding more detail than cd player, due to pick-up more noise than cd player, a lot of listener will think that it is detail rather than noise.

AdvanceNissan,

Are you comparing audio CD in both PC and CD player?

dont wanna sound -pun intended LOL- skeptical here bud but ahh needs a tad more detail like hows datastream being extracted from da PC? if its jus off de mobos onboard soundcard, then yesss IMO its very likely to be crappy. or isit off a hifi grade dedicated soundcard with discrete power supply? toslink, coaxial or USB? even if one uses the same downstream components, da factors i've stated can me a diff.

sooo one really cant make general statements like PC or CD player is better - it all depends on the means & its implementation

Now, try something like this.
DEVICE -optical-> DAC -> AMP -> Speakers
or
DEVICE -Digital COAX-> DAC -> AMP -> Speakers

Substitute/Change the DEVICE part with PC, CDP, DVD,...
Source for CDP : CD Audio
Source for PC : Lossless encoded files from the SAME CD rip, or just the raw WAV file also can.

Then, honestly tell us the result.

I already did this test, and I really cannot tell the differences.

BTW, how is your CD drive connected to your soundcard/motherboard? Is it via analog or digital ? Some soundcards can use digital out from the CD drive, If not, then, analog signal from CD drive will be converted to digital by ADC before it sent out as digital.

Thank you.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Mar 24 2009, 06:28 PM

hahaha wat DAC u used for testing? i've not heard of exemblache DAC... mind to show me the web?

If a computer does not sound good as a rm10k cdplayer, i wondering how studio works in producing recording haha.

i believe good DACs make a difference
thats wat gives the analogue signal character....
just like Alpine F1 CDA-7990 comes with BB K-Grade....
may not be the best in the world...but for car audio...its one of the smoothest and best cd player

vir_killer, u mentioned about studio recording
for studio, the sound card is not consumer type
they r professional series and connected to serious equipment
i know as i used to support sound studios and one of my close fren works for Ad Audio as a sound engineer.
having studio equipment doesnt mean it must be everyone's taste

one good album to show such an experience is Legends Of Jazz
this cd comes with the DVD to show you how the cd is recorded

my last 0.02cents......how many of us think that their ears r accurate?

mine isnt......

true... like wat you said, studio equipments are not cheap. i know there is a limitation of PC sound card where ESI Juli@ that i used is known as SEMI-PRO grade only. haha. However, in order to make a PC as a good source transport i had go through some SOS kind of magazine shows of studios setup. hmm.. i also know that, some serious sound card runs firewire... but i dun know wat is it for..

My vision, make my playing source alike studio setup. who knows.. may b i will go to custom make a ultra high quality transformer for my PC, with solid cap finished motherboard.

For my behringer SRC2496 DAC, i have a clear vision of modification.
1. Custom R-Core transformer or toroudal transformer.
2. Separate power supply for digital and analog part as like (zapfilter and LClock)
3. Fully recap with rubycon capacitors if still available
4. check signal capacitor
5. check digital input pulse transfomer

afterall, Lclock outputs the clock to my esi juli@.
i will keep my progress of the game updated as when my current upgrade project done.!! stay tuned. i will post some picture or video here... Hope your all will like it.

with those mods i mentioned, i believe my playing source guaranteed will stands a minimum of RM10k kind of sound quality.

I wouldnt say CD Player quality are not good. It is good if and only if you have alot of money!!!!! not in a good value of paying as comparing to PC setup. CDP's owner can deny or disagree towards my words.. But dCS world digital conversion pioneer has proof of my statement of vision.

We have found that sending uncompressed digital audio data from a PC to a high-quality standalone D/A processor results in sound quality that is indistinguishable from playing a CD on a regular player. Cited from Stereophile by John Atkinson

all my thoughts modifications of transport and dacs were generated after i knew that many high end hifi manufacturers are producing source machine for PC.

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Added on March 25, 2009, 5:47 amClick here for Monster M1000i review. who are suppose to say things bad until they listen into it? hehe
click here for More pro...

As a person who is more than 10years experience of being a music lover... i came out with a conclusion or definition that audiophile loves good recordings and an appropriate setup that suits or satisfying his or her taste of music. nothing more that. simple like 1+1.

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Mar 25 2009, 05:49 AM

sheeeeaaat braa if ya do all that, even my ipod will become worldclass - maybe even cap ayam becomes KFC!

seriously though, the mods u stated are exactly wot 'hi-end' components provide. its becoming glaringly clear to me that the DAC chip itself has the least to do with great sound but more the peripheral circuitry & components surronding de DAC that truly matters. sheeeaat some of the big name audiophile DACs uses NOS philips chips made in de 90s !!!

but if ya planning all those mods, then i think ya on the 'korek' path. im just completely indadark on the behringer though but it doesnt really matter i guess. theres a standup dude on headfi that mods a cheapie china errr 'average' -im being kind here- sounding DAC called ZhaoLu D2 and turned it into a serious player just be upgrading the analogue section (similiar to Zapfilter) plus power supply mods too i think.

however i wouldnt go round quoting stereophile mag as the gospel truth though cos...emmm they have not been known to be totally transparent & non biased. gotta keep ze advertizers happy u know la.

Sorry, but your e-peen cannot be found on the Audiophile subforum.

Please look for it elsewhere.

As I said earlier, I tried to make it as simple as possible. So I just connected the PC to DAC using coaxial digital cable from motherboard digital out. Since I want to make it to be fair to cd player and PC, so I just used a cheap and old Philips cd player, it was cost only RM350.00 12 years ago. This test was tested with 2 of my hifi kaki friends, and we get the same conclusion. Talk about studio recording, I think you need to really go to a studio and see what studio really is, not as simple as our home pc setup only.

Haah ? This setup is "high end" ??

bro, it is hard to say whether ur system can match a 10k system or not
first, alot of variables and its not an apple to apple comparison
things like system matching, power factor
honestly, during midnight i use my good old senheisser headphones to listen to music
just plugged in either to the PC or CDP directly....still sound very good from both source
my PC is also plugged into the amplifier and same goes for my CDP.
but both deliver different SQ when going through my speakers
i'm also using quite ok sound card...ASUS Xonar STX
i would still rate my CDP sounding better
both using same interconnects and same length
both terminated with the same RCA jacks and with Furutech silver solder

one thing i hv noted though
i did a CD demagnetizing track by DENSEN
followed by deStat by Furutech...to discharge all the static around my hifi rig....
sounds alot better....darker...cleaner

Guys ....don't be cruel lah to this person.....the meaning of hi end is soooo subjective lah....if you say you have a Krell and claim that you have hi end setup still there's someone will say 'mine is more hi end' and the debate never stops.....as long as this person love his setup then it's an apple to him lah.....kesin dia kalau kita flame too much......music is made to be enjoy...if you have found your self a gems, it always a gems to your eyes...even thou not to others....

Muhahaha

bro ...when talking bout PC sound ....there r a few things involve that you should know before making a comparison....

DO NOT use cd-rom as playback device.....the reason why everyone says PC is better is because CD-rom or CD player playback is real time playback ...even with the buffer ....the optic is not capable to picking up the bits in 100% accuracy ...that is why the DAC has an algorithm to correct the mistake.....but if you are to rip it to your hdd....using the software EAC, you can actually rip it to 100% accuracy because they will read the CD multiple time till its bitperfect....any playback from HDD is suppose to be 100% accuracy ...

another thing is, you need to install ASIO driver to your foobar in order to bypass the Window....everything you play using PC will actually go through the Window which will degrade the sound...the difference is actually quite huge if you are using ASIO drivers.....

try it with the ASIO driver with foobar200....you will realize that PC audio is superior...

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue41/ca_nugent.htm

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue22/nugent.htm

i think these 2 article are quite informative on Computer audio ...Please read it entirely before giving any comments on CD player Vs PC audio....

you indeed very serious in hifi.. and rich.. =P
the furutech destat cost a bomb to me..
but i had heard in hifi shop. and it really does the magic.. it is cleaner . much more cleaner imho.

bro....the destat is a worth while product to invest
while upgrading cables can be done with that type of money...
i chose the destat over other things
first....its the improvement percentage ratio against high end cables
plus....this is not a 1 time thing
it can be done multiple times
home...car....
of coz having both high end cables with destat lagi dahsyat

1 more point....tat destat not mine
hahahahahahahaha

the densen cd is definitely worth every penny of it....
now can't even find that cd

I M BACK here again for something freaking NEW and surprise....

recently, i just mod with my soundcard lol... analog part from my ESI juli@ was removed.. some chips add sanyo OS-CON as decoupling capacitors...

the best part is the power source of soundcard must be isolated from your CPU PSU... in order to get an AUDIOPHILE accurate and quality of sound.. quality of power source for ur digital transport judges the sound u can go regardless of how high end dac chip or watever brand of soundcard. but i only recommend computer as digital transport instead of dac in a computer..

A relatively good Transfo PSU is built for my soundcard digital part..
The PSU consist of 2 stage LC filter total with 120,000uF capacitance (Chemi-con SMH 16v 10000uF/each) of input filter for 5V regulator.
For temporaily situation, Rubycon ZL 10V 220uF cap is used for 5V output before my juli@ 3.3v reg
Hence, audiophile obbligato 0.15uF premium gold film cap is added on an OVERKILL 6V 10A EI-core transfo for AC noise filtering even though i have main conditioner.....

Now we in critical part of transmitting a ULTRA HIGH ACCURACY of digital signal
A very very very GOOD computer music player is needed.. if u think its FOOBAR2000... then my answer is NOPE...
FOOBAR2000 is a stone age quality player for computer... now my new player is a japanese player call uLilith with memory CACHE buffer for playback source.. with a music platform software call cMP2 your sound definitely is HIFI quality.. just dont bother those people who still says computer will never sound good. hahaha. through my listening experience and research, computer definitely can become an high end transport cost like minimum rm10k and above.
for those people who are still stubborn or not willing accept the truth of technology is quite pity lo..
hmmm. but 1 thing must bare in mind computer soundcard will never get an hifi quality of sound in stock mode. u need to get into operation of soldering then only can.

its quite hard to for me to take picture to proof that my setup as i allocate all my funds into AUDIO... so sorry.
but u can go and check it out later. i will try to get some picture for ur all.




this is some serious freaks who change their sound card REG to audiophile grade that costs more than rm100+ and also legendary BLACKGATE AUDIOPHILE E-CAPS. LOL

You can get a high end sound with cheap price... but time and research must be done and 1 more important thing...
OPERATION surgery of your component..
WAHAHAHA wat a sound that better than CD PLAYER... u can think about it.

---

Added on September 6, 2009, 1:29 pmhey one more thing to remind ur all ... pls don use fiber OPTIC for digital out...
i m sure you will never get a good sound due to the optiical transmitter limitation of the soundcard...
the best is u make urself solder a high quality coaxial straight from ur soundcard pulse trans then to your dac.best connector would be BNC instead of RCA.






GOOD LUCK.

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Sep 6 2009, 01:36 PM

No lah...not a freak at all...that's normal mod we see everyday.....swamping caps and connectors removing clock add some dedicated psu for it..........but improvement is very much noticed....

This post has been edited by gabanyayaya: Sep 6 2009, 08:07 PM

ya.. but it really can turn ur computer into real transport if running good dedicated power supply..... if u did that. hmmm but unfortunately. many ppl who in hifi still don blive the art of DIY...

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Sep 6 2009, 11:56 PM

vir killer, let me put this way lah....if u have a 1987 proton saga then u stuff with some 4g92 or some old skol vr4 under the hud you just turn your ride into a 10 second car.............. but people still looking it as the old obsolete proton saga

this is just electronics lah whether branded or cap ayam. I've meet so many people like like this before who only see good thing base on price tag and brand names...as long as you do it in the right way you won't get lost. DIY is the way to go...(and save too...)

you are exactly rite lol. but it really takes time.. hmm making a sound out is simple.. however, making a good good sound is hard and hard LOL.. some ppl as i know, they took more than 10years in tube amp development.. that sounds better than those branded like ARC, mCintosh... bla bla ..with just all standard cables not even audiophile cable..
it was absolutely stunning.. they are just reaching the way to high end in the other way round instead of spending couple of ten thousand or hundreds of thousand. they probably have more than 20 years of listening experience.. hmm i think i still consider as rookie in the hifi world..
perhaps i m better than ppl who just getting their money to spend on those branded stuff.. many ppl like owning high end systems, i got nothing much to talk about it. but other thing, how much do they know..
playing hifi is not just listening.. for ppl who know tweaks and mods, they will be more enjoying.... just like me.

by the way, do u play hifi ? if yes, mind to share ur setup info? hehe.

real and proper sound comes with a price.. many ppl including DIYers don't really know what is real sound except for those knows who r very much involved in live bands or musicians are able to identify what is the right sound or not so it's not up to ur judgement to said that those ppl spend so much $$$ on high end stuffz don't even know shit about sounds and i doubt you know much about sound too..experience doesn't give shit about knowing whats the proper sound in a system, it's passion of learning and exploring, doesn't mean u like the sound its definitely the proper sound!

Actually, it don't matter what the brand is or whether it's DIY or not.

As long as you like what you are listening to, that's it.

I could not care less about people who claim theirs is better or that yours can be improved upon etc.

Whether it's your hard-earned moolah for that "hi-end" gear or your sweat n tears for the DIY gadget... if you like it, great.

LOL.. who the heck is this speaking lol..

like wat i said .. it takes time in finding the real sound. in the other way round.. btw how much u know about it..
know nuts ha.. just like my fren all bla bla..

i did mixing around with friends in playing real instruments.. i dont mean that high end gear is useless.. just DIY is the other way round to get u to high end.

if you are not a music lover then please dont .... around here la.. hehe

"real and proper sound comes with a price.." is not 100% TRUE.

probably 50% only true. hey kid, may b i need to tell u something.. even tough u change one capacitor oso makes the sound different.. sound is just about tuning.. there is nothing that call proper or not..
When u buy a brand A cdplayer sounds good in a system A, it might not sounds good in system B. Its about matching.

I think u better keep quiet abit and learn something from here wat is call high end sound. can ah? then only we discuss again ya boy..

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Sep 7 2009, 08:42 PM

Some people are arrogant because they always associate with their own peers, those who are all really nothing but who would like to be something.. well bare in my mind that you're getting no where with that attitude of yours..

watever la.. u just stubborn here.. lazy to bother u.

Modded Edifier S730 (capacitors, opamps, EMI filter etc) with modded x-fi, can pawn those RM5000 Pionner or Sony Home Theater anytime and it's on analog line out.

In a sense Vic is right, buying something that has potential and modding it can give better sound than more expensive stock systems. IF you mod it right. and IF the modded system has POTENTIAL in the 1st place.

Buying a RM100 multimedia speaker and modding it will never give better sound cause it has no room for improvement.

Of course if you have a >RM100k home cinema setup, anything below than that no matter how you mod, it will be hard to surpass the quality of the RM100k's system's sound.

But if both have a RM100k system, one is modded and one is not, of course the modded one will perform better.

The thing is, if something is already priced that high, it should already be using top quality components.

If you have a 100k setup and found out there is place for a higher quality component and mod it... I really

This post has been edited by andrew9292: Sep 8 2009, 02:17 PM

lol love this post.. i was disappointed not to find any audionote in your gear.. sighhh

lol you mean audionote stuff like their silver oil capacitor? LOL. can b vcap or MCAP silver wat.. now no budget yet la... slowly.. hmm after i finish my sound card power then i will put a ANALOG TUBE STAGE on my DAC.. Then i dun know how to say leh!!!



Universal stereo tube output stage. Complete module including the specially designed over spec power transformer for 115 to 240 V operation. Hybrid anode follower with circle of two CCS using ECC88/6922/6DJ8/6H1/6CG7 (not included); S/N ratio > 100 DBA, 2V RMS into a 10K THD is around 0.1%, 20 Hz to 20 KHz <-0.5db, output minimum 10V RMS on clip into 10K load <1% THD, output impedance is 75-100 ohm; one board can do stereo RCA output tube stage for a DAC, two boards can do balance output tubes stage DAC. One board could make a nice simple line stage, two boards could be configured as a balanced line stage, or an RC RIAA between two boards would make a nice phono stage with about 40 DB of gain, or two boards with a 10K LCR and a 10K termination resistor would be an easy way to build an LCR phono stage. Also includes Obbligatto coupling capacitor.

i will slowly upgrade la.. Audio for me is long term interest.. no need to be 2 rush

vir killer, we are almost the same boat, i start my hifi journey 20 years ago, i start my pc audio 2 years ago. i used monica2 usb dac and mod it with blackgate cap and japan resistor and follow all the mod from their forum, after that i compared it with my friend MBL dac in his system, monica2 sound still cant beat MBL even i using 70A car battery, so i start to do research to make my sound better, i upgrade my pc two times and changed my dac to weiss dac2 with firewire, i change my playback software from foobar,cplay to sawstudio and izotope rx advanced using for recording studio, I follow the acoustic treamtment as recording studio used like bass trap and diffuser(diy) Yes , diy mod will improved the sound quality but it had limited improved, I am also a musician, i have a band play at nightclub when i was young, so i know how the live instruments sound like. MY system is pc firewire to Weiss dac2 direct to Jeffrowland 8Ti HC to Hales concert five, interconnect cardas golden cross, powercord acrolink 4030, speaker cable Ah pui signature series one ( diy with 4N copper )haha

In DIY method to high end, we takes lots and lots time to fine tune the sound. tats the enjoyment of experience too instead of buying 1 set of rm100k system.
Battery as power source for hifi is hard to design as the quality of AC.. heard from an expert.. the current is slow and u losses detail. tats y i forbid that then go for AC for my soundcard.

LOL... hmm... may b i can tell some of my experience.. hmm may b you can try to make a dedicated power supply for ur digital transport soundcard. and .. another superB playback software called uLilith with customizable memory buffer running under cMP, i blive it would be one of the best solution as transport.. the weakness of foobar is not transparent enough lol.. i did use that previously. until i seen uLilith. the software was developed by a group of audiophile in JAPAN.. And they are really SERIOUS FREAKS... LOL. GOOD TO TRY. The playback source like your audio file, is crucial during the phase of transmission. uLilith is able to load up the entire audio file to your RAM then playback. That is one of the solution of reducing jitter. Like the latest innovation of PS Audio PerfectWave Transport concept.
one of the weakness of computer digital out of using USB, i guess it would be the reclocking phase of your DAC. Jitter might appear at there.. Thats why, i am using ESI juli@ that using clock oscilliator at 22.5792mhz@44.1,88.khz,172khz and 24.576mhz@48khz,96khz,192khz. as well as my DAC matches the clock oscilliator is the same. Next time i can install another audiophile clock like newclassd neutron star and Audiocom or VSE Terrafirma uberclock LOL.. UBERCLOCK WAS INSANE TOO.

nevertheless bios setting, windows setting, and configuration jumper in your computer motherboard makes a big difference too. For example, the led light of your hdd or any other led lights. it generates plenty of noise that definitely affect your sound listening.. hmm.,.. if possible you can try the PC power cooling high end series PSU. it is quite good but, i dont think it is good for soundcard.. sound card itself should isolated with any other power source. hehe. connectors of your digital out better is to soldered.

your system setup IS QUITE CHOON! for me LOL... but i cant say anything before i experience it.. LOL.. good to talk to you here..!!! hope to keep in touch.

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Sep 9 2009, 05:12 PM

i used seasonic M12D 850, i think it better than pc power cooling which also make by seasonic. i underclock my amd 5050e to 1.2G,window i use vistalite, disable and delete all unwanted programs,shut down all unwanted services and changed some regedit, disable lan and usb function in bios.

i guess pc power cooling might be the best... still remember cMP transport ?
they uses intel platform.. although i m using AMD oso but old cpu they say is something better but i forgot edy. LOL
if you own a lian li with fanless casing it would be better even u change your cpu fan to passive. totally noiseless
i guess u shud try back windows xp for audio lol.. so far still the best..

i m gonna try winxp 64bit today.... as i just finish my STUPID EXAM...

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Sep 9 2009, 11:14 PM

i try winxp, vistalite, window 7 with separate hard drive, vistalite sound better, dont know due to hard drive or os? vistalite using new WD640, other using old seagate. will try SSD when prices drop.

CHECK THE LATEST MOD OF ESI JULI@


Dedicated power supply's REGulator... 1% accuracy. Lower noise than 7805


Sanyo OS-CON SH as power bank for REGS


DIRECT COAXIAL OUT!!!


NEW REGS for 3.3v ESI JULI@ chips.. REPLACE LOW PERFORMANCE STOCK REG MT1117
ANALOG DEVICES - ADP3338AKCZ-3.3RL7. - LDO REG, 1A, PRECISION 3.3V, SOT223

Manufacturer:
ANALOG DEVICES
Order Code:
1651283
Manufacturer Part No:
ADP3338AKCZ-3.3RL7.
RoHS : Yes
Description
LDO REG, 1A, RECISION 3.3V, SOT223
Voltage Regulator Type:LDO Fixed Positive
Max Input Voltage:8V
Max Output Voltage:3.3V
Max Output Current:1A
Dropout voltage:0.19V
Percentage Accuracy:0.8%
No. of Outputs:1
Min Supply Voltage:2.7V
Max Supply Voltage:8V
Termination Type:SMD
Case Style:SOT-223
No. of Pins:3
Operating Temperature Range:-40蚓 to +85蚓
Max Operating Temperature:85蚓
Min Temperature Operating:-40蚓
Base Number:3338


COAX WITH ETI PLUGS.


SOUND: .... STILL BURNING IN... WILL UPDATE LATER...

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Sep 15 2009, 06:11 AM

I wonder how much is your card worth now... ; )

With that setup i think you can open a hifi shop la....

give me the info about you dac...

ps: working in a night club means you must have many ah moi contact...

my DAC is Behringer SRC2496 MODDED. my wish is to make it like this...

(According to Dr.Lamp: "Have I found the best DAC in the World ? I can assure you - I am DAMN CLOSE !")
Also, 2 weeks later

The modded behringer was put to test with the Audionote champs: DAC4 ad DAC2. Both have huge investments in blackgates inside, better tubes, PIO caps etc.
DAC2 has the good old BB PCM63 and DAC4 has AD1865.

Behringer was for the first time an equal fighter. Even with the 17 000 Euro (plus 1000 Eu for blackgates and upgrades) the Behringer sound was in my opinion more interesting, with wealth of details presented bin a very natural fashion. Behringer was drawing me into the music. Audionote DAC4 had to fight very hard to match that.
After 2 hours - the scale started tipping on the Audionote side because of long warm-up of Blackgates. But the fact that such battle was almost equal - is phenomenal success. Behringer is a real mature champion. In my case - the cost did not exceed 200 Euro. Even without my cheap buying price and with somewhat more realistic lampization price - the total cost should not exceed 800 Eu. Wow !

Concerning AN DAC2 SE - the battle (in completely different system) was also interesting. In that system I preferred AN DAC2 because of its super natural "jazzy atmosphere" but on detail, space and rhythm - AN had no chance. So it was down to a personal taste thing.

http://www.lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/TRANSP.../Behringer.html

Thats y... I STILL WONDERING MANY PPL SAYS TAT EXPENSIVE IS GOOD HA? LOL especially a kid name called fevercrash lol

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Sep 16 2009, 02:33 AM

another lampizator fan....so when can we expect this mod will complete. I might be interested to see this piece of art shines in a very close range....where do you live?

lol... i have no idea when i can done it like tat.. as i m still burning in with my latest mod with my little Juli@... so... stay tuned la.. i will keep my self update..

seriously i dun know how to do it my self like lampizator.. may b some 1 can guide or i take some time to consult some pro or my sifus...

it's not something easy to be fine-tuned to perfection sound.. haha. takes long long time man..

---

Added on September 18, 2009, 11:13 pmLatest news of burning in my Juli@ after 50HOURS...
sounds like.... hmmm RM10k transport la..
don know how to mention it..

Soundstage.. warm, detail.. dynamic.. accurate.. nevertheless REAL sound..

bear in mind to DIGITAL CATEGORY OF AUDIOPHILES....
JITTER IS ANALOGue that has a straight relation to power.... Power source is the core of sound quality regardless of how high end chips or component....

look at my mods of JULI@, A REAL HIGH END oscilliator CLOCK has not installed ... wat if it has installed? lol..
sorry to your all.. i have no camera yet.. cant show u my trafo and power filter stage... previous picture was taken by my friend.. hehe
i expect the real sound of my MOD .... after 100hours.. with Sanyo.. OS-CONs...



will keep ur all update...

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Sep 18 2009, 11:20 PM

latest mod with power amps

Obbligato Copper caps 0.1uf
1 for AC bypass cap
4 for DC rail bypass cap

Black Gate N 50v / 4.7uf
2 for input signal coupling

100hours later it sounds warm, transparent, open sound.. nice bass oso..

i have just posted my external power supply of my sound card too!

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Oct 5 2009, 01:45 AM


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what amp is this....?

so you change the caps....then....?

very nice mods there, how i wish i understand electronics like you ; )

my amp is Adcom GFA-555 MKII

hmm

just now the sound changed again lol.. hmm overall is nice but just lack of abit high frequency extension.. probably its due to the obbligato copper caps..

---

Added on October 6, 2009, 12:58 ami know a bit only.. may b not as u... hmm i see ur setup oso got mods wat.. i tot u know some of it too?

---

Added on October 6, 2009, 1:06 amhey ... i got some updates regarding to my esi Juli@ sound card.. previously i use SANYO oscon for all of the caps...

after power amp burned in.. sound lack of high frequency extension...

the oscon cap was located as input bypass b4 the 5V regulator.. it is replaced by Rubycon ZL 10v / 220uf instead of oscon.. only 1 cap need to be change...
ZL i is a kind of brighter resolution.. too much of ZL is no good for EAR loll.. especially with bright systems...

now temporaily the high frequency just being release from the prison or FRIDGE LOL..

thank you...

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Oct 6 2009, 01:09 AM

Adcom...no wonder seams familiar.....

vir killer, before cap swamping party you better measures the DC from the output of the amp....then try adjust the output bias to reduce some DC offset. then you'll know how good if sound plus to restore that lack of high frequency.....

the obbligator takes sometime to shine....give it a week or two. FWIK obbligator copper case sounds bright with a good detail. some will like it but some said too bright....

Interesting mods on the Juli@

IMO the final solution is to... just take the PC out of the equation. And replace it with something like this:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread....t=142562&page=5

Or just buy the new Naim DAC that plays files directly from a USB stick.

i dun dare to touch the DC biasing stuff.. Cos tat must need to a CRO for it la.. Wrong bias can burn the transistor..
haiz i put back my juli@ rubycon ZL cap to oscon edy.. cos it sound dull bcos of the blackgate has not full burned..
now still waiting for my blackgate N to be stable 1st.. i ask my fren he say it has to be 500hours like VCAP..
so.. just stay calm lo..

by the way, i m preparing my next project DAC with TUBE OUTPUT STAGE ehehe.. sounds good HA??

I want to make it like this.. but mine will using most audiophile parts for it.. HEHE..

This post has been edited by vir___killer: Oct 9 2009, 10:32 PM


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