Building a high quality laptop based audio system

[5by5]

Hello everyone. I hope that someone or a few might feel inspired to help me out with my goal below for building a high end laptop based audio system.

I have a couple of hard drives full of Flac files from CDs and want to use them to tie into a laptop based high end home audio system.

Does anyone have a system set up like this where their main concern was audio quality? Can you suggest how I should get started? What specific things to purchase for this goal. Example: what kind of laptotp; what kind of DAC; what kind of integrated amp., etc.

If you are kind enough to help, I'm a bit of a novice. So, if you can keep it simple I'll understand much better.

Thanks so much,

[Rare Bird]

I can help you

[5by5]

I can help you

Hello Andre. Thanks for responding.

1. I'm using a PC, so I'll probably stick with that.
2. I have heard some set-ups getting away on the cheap and acheiving some spectacular sound. I like this idea and who doesn't. What do you know about this.
3. I've heard that it would be better to purchase a separate DAC and not one on-board the amp.
4. As far as I know, you first have your hard drive full of high quality audio files. Check - I have this. Second, you need a laptop. I've heard some say to look at your laptop as a transfer only - I don't know what this means. Third, you need a DAC. Fourthly, you need and integrated amplifier. And fifthly, the wires to connect it altogether.

Tell me if I'm wrong with any of these. Or, if there is another way.

I want to stay away from wireless, and if the whole internet idea is taken away from us some day in some totalitarian grab for information control, I'd rather not have to rely on an internet connection. Just want to have a set up to listen to high quality sound from a laptop.

Thanks so much Andre, and I look forward to hearing from you.

p.s. I'm a layman in these matters, so if you can come down to my level when you explain things to me, I would really appreciate it, and absorb much more. Thanks Again.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

If useing a lap top you might be limited USB for conection to a dac... It's not the end of the world, but if you can find a laptop with a digital optical or coax conection that might be better.
Secondly, a dac that many of us on this forum have is a Beresford. Beresford dacs also have the option to be used as a pre amp. That opens up the possibility of using a dedicated power amp, and as such give you more choice for amp... And possibly better quality at the price point ... If that makes sence?
You haven't mentioned speakers?
If you already have some, what are they, that might help people recomend specific kit...
Cables are fairly important too, avoid the tat that can be bought for £20 from your local hifi dealer.. Look up mark grant cables, he is an independant manufacturer (and a member here and all round good chap). Independant manufacturers like mark grant and Stan Beresford (who makes Beresford dacs) offer great value as you don't have to pay the mark up you would when you buy stud from a shop... That is a good way to get good value for money ...

[Rare Bird]

As Hamish points out
If you don't have a digital link your only real option is use the USB to bypass the pooter soundcard, if you only wish to stream the music out into your hifi i highly recommend the HRT Streamer II..you'll hear a massive improvement over the soundcard, you'll of course have to go into your computer control pannel settings to select the connected streamer in 'sound & audio device's'. you obviously won't have an headphone output/pre amp this way & you will always be restriced using USB, i personally don't find this a problem..

[5by5]

Thanks Hamish and Andre for your responses.

1. Since I have not purchased the laptop yet, accept for my working one, would it be better for me to get an inexpensively built CPU with a monitor and keyboard thus giving me the ability to have an optical output put in? Would this give me the ability to achieve higher audio quality? Laptops with this feature are a bit dear in price.

2. The Beresford TC-7510 Dac and the DAC HRT of Andre's suggestion, are they as good as the Arcam or the Magic? Or are we talking oranges and apples. If they are as good in creating quality sound then nobody should spend the many extra dollars to go the other route.

3. And about speakers, I will be needing to get a pair of those also. Any suggestions for awesome sound at a reasonable price. I know it is a matter of personal preference, but in your opinion.

4. Once I, let's say get one of these DACS of your suggestion, what would you suggest I purchase to input it into, example integrated amp or another suggestion.

Thanks so much fellas for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

5by5

[Ali Tait]

Another option would be to buy a Squeezebox Touch.If the hard drives you have are external ones (or buy a case to put them in) you can connect them directly to the Touch via usb. The Touch has both analogue and digital outs,so intitially you could use the analogue outs straight into an amp,and then buy a dac such as the Beresford Caiman when funds permit. This would the most cost-effective solution IMO as you would not need to buy a laptop. The Touch sounds very good from it's analogue outs,and can he made even better with the addition of a decent dac.

[DSJR]

Many people who want a streaming solution don't seem to want a pile of odd boxes for the replay system. if you're one of these, then some decent active monitors should be considered. the standard output of the current beresford DACs may not be man enough to drive several metres of interconnect to the amp packs in these speakers, but the new "Gator" output circuit may be just the thing.

Of course, if the PC/laptop has a digital output (I think that laptop ideal is for neatness and hopefully low noise), then there are reasonable domestically acceptable active speakers with DAC and volume control built in (AVI ADM 9.1T) which seem to fit the bill for a good sound in a neat package and lowish cost (£1200 all in).

Have a look on the HDD forum. The regulars there are rather rigid in their beliefs on "legacy HiFi," but there's a huge knowledge base available regarding streaming audio (not just with a Mac/AVI solution either, although you'll have to hunt around a bit). You might find some of it useful.

[JOE!BLOGGS]

stream from your pc via 1000mb wired ethernet to a thin playstation 3 take the analogue output to a suitable amplifer and speakers take the hdmi to a hd tv
this setup will play all your flacs and hd films in very high quality
i have tried a great many dacs including the new arcam rdac last week and none compare to the singled ended capacitorless analogue output of the ps3

joe

[Marco]

Hi, "5by5"

Please add your first name and location details to your profile A.S.A.P, as you were asked to do in your Welcome thread.

Cheers!

Marco.