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best sound out of a laptop ?
HI everyone ,I would love to get informed, how am able to get best quality sound' playing out of a laptop , good balance of dynamic and fidelity. ,scrolling the web forums' I found people praise xnoise media player as best for sound ,which is available to Ubuntu users ,while other praise jplay which needs windows', as the best ,anyone had a chance to compare each other ?
Rothchild
28-08-2013, 06:49
Hi Star,
I'm a player sceptic, I think either a digital playback device works or doesn't so in terms of the playback software I think you should just experiment with all of them and pick the one that suits you the best (because of the way it handles playlists, cover art, other features etc etc.) You can of course, while you're testing them, see if you think one sounds better than the other. The great thing about Ubuntu is that you can test them all from the software centre for nothing. There's a sizeable subset of linux users who like using MPD (Music Player Daemon) with a range of clients available for it. It's quite neat cos you can have it running on your laptop and use your phone / tablet computer as a remote control.
You've not listed any of the rest of your kit so it's difficult to determine where you're going to get the best bang per buck in terms of improvements but the main thing is probably going to be getting away from using the audio output on the laptop and swapping up to an external soundcard or DAC. I have a studio / recording background so I tend to go for more pro-audio type gear than 'HiFi'. For a real budget solution you could look at the Behringer 202 and work up the budget tree from there. Devices from Echo Audio, Edirol and RME all have good solid linux support (esp RME) and will improve the results you get from just using the line out on your laptop.
Other linux tricks you might like to play with are uninstalling Pulse (which is part of Ubuntu) and just using ALSA which some folk seem to advocate.
realysm42
28-08-2013, 07:10
Regardless of sq, jriver is excellent purely because of the way it works and it's features.
Intuitive, flexible and versatile, highly recommended.
Also, for "best sound" from a laptop you'd need a dedicated USB to SPDIF converter.
Also, for "best sound" from a laptop you'd need a dedicated USB to SPDIF converter.
I'm not sure why.....there are very good USB DACs available - these convert USB > I2S so why go USB > SPDIF > I2S?
I'm not sure why.....there are very good USB DACs available - these convert USB > I2S so why go USB > SPDIF > I2S?
True... I should have said that laptops aren't good enough for digital outs, so either get a dedicated USB to SPDIF unit or a DAC that supports USB.
True... I should have said that laptops aren't good enough for digital outs, so either get a dedicated USB to SPDIF unit or a DAC that supports USB.
Yep, that's cool.
StanleyB
28-08-2013, 08:51
I have been using laptops for music for some years now. I have tried both the USB outputs and PCMCIA or Express cards with an optical output. So far the Express cards have had the edge sq wise.
I have been using laptops for music for some years now. I have tried both the USB outputs and PCMCIA or Express cards with an optical output. So far the Express cards have had the edge sq wise.
why not rather card with coaxial output ?
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/211858-28-optical-coaxial-inputshttp://www.tomshardware.com/forum/211858-28-optical-coaxial-inputs
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/53063-6-digital-coax-digital-opticalhttp://www.tomshardware.com/forum/53063-6-digital-coax-digital-optical
does my pc have any sound card ? at system information ,all it says is , high definition audio device by Microsoft "
then aside acquiring a good sound card, additional the way to go is to get the usb to spdif converter'?
well to make things and think's more complicated ?
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/usb-or-spdif-12279/
anyone with capabilities to sort all this out and came to a conclusion ??
StanleyB
29-08-2013, 07:35
I have done my own listening and measurements between TOSLINK and coax and I am happy with my preference for TOSLINK if the design is right. a TOSLINK signal is far larger in amplitude compared to a coax signal. So TOSLINK signals are easier to reclock with a simple schmitt trigger circuit. Supply noise has less of an effect on the actual signal from a TOSLINK socket. The noise would only affect the electronics inside the socket.
A coax signal needs to be amplified first from 0.6V to at least 2.7V. That can be an issue in a design.
There are also no earth loops issues with TOSLINK.
Rothchild
29-08-2013, 08:23
does my pc have any sound card ? at system information ,all it says is , high definition audio device by Microsoft "
Probably, if you want you could probably just use a 3.5mm jack to RCA (aka 'the most useful cable in the world') to take a feed from the jack output of your laptop in to your amplifier to get you started.
IMO it's best to keep signal chains and stages as short and minimal as possible so pick a device that works, you can afford, offers the features you need etc and keep it simple!
bobbasrah
29-08-2013, 10:29
Probably, if you want you could probably just use a 3.5mm jack to RCA (aka 'the most useful cable in the world') to take a feed from the jack output of your laptop in to your amplifier to get you started.
IMO it's best to keep signal chains and stages as short and minimal as possible so pick a device that works, you can afford, offers the features you need etc and keep it simple!
Agreed that a Y cable adaptor can get you going, but you are then reliant on the quality of reproduction offered by the onboard audio, which can vary quite markedly.
If I plug the audio output direct from the laptop (Lenovo Win7) into the headphone DAC/AMP, the difference in quality between the 3.5mm feed and the usb outlet is very obvious through the cans.
There again, that is why there is a market for such usb devices, the decoding etc is done at the DAC... Well worth it...
I have done my own listening and measurements between TOSLINK and coax and I am happy with my preference for TOSLINK if the design is right. a TOSLINK signal is far larger in amplitude compared to a coax signal. So TOSLINK signals are easier to reclock with a simple schmitt trigger circuit. Supply noise has less of an effect on the actual signal from a TOSLINK socket. The noise would only affect the electronics inside the socket.
A coax signal needs to be amplified first from 0.6V to at least 2.7V. That can be an issue in a design.
There are also no earth loops issues with TOSLINK.
HDMI vs. Optical or Digital Coax.
HDMI gives more clarity and detail ? are better quality ?
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/understanding-the-differences-between-hdmi-optical-coaxial-rca-cables-184572http:url]http://www.avsforum.com/t/1348062/hdmi-vs-optical-or-digital-coaxhttp://www.avsforum.com/t/1348062/hdmi-vs-optical-or-digital-coax[/url]
do I need the s'pdif altogether ??
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080706185928AAdfQVFhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080706185928AAdfQVF
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