Building a high quality laptop based audio system

[Welder]

Hello 5by5

I’m computer/file based for audio (see my sig)
It seems in general that the preferred laptops for audio are made by apple.
Apple computers do have some advantages compared to Windows and Linux and these are primarily ease of setup for bit perfect audio replay and 24/192 capable as standard with the newer OS.
However, any make with any OS is theoretically capable of providing bit perfect replay; a lot depends on how comfortable you are with computers and which OS you are familiar with. This also influences in what format you rip your music files.
It seems you have Flac files so a windows based system would be the most obvious choice. Windows 7 will allow you to access the core audio drivers but natively you will be restricted to 24/96 resolutions although some dacs come with custom 24/192 drivers but they tend to be the more expensive variety.

Given most laptops have USB rather than SPDIF, USB would seem the obvious choice. It is probably best to look for a dac that offers this as its primary method of connection. I personally found USB from my laptop superior to SPDIF from my main PC. In theory, any USB dac which offers some form of galvanic isolation from the computer will perform well with regard to data and power transmitted noise. After that it’s a matter of choosing a laptop with low mechanical noise.
The squeezebox method mentioned above should also be considered and has a very good reputation for sound quality here and on other forums but you will probably find a separate dac (using the squeezebox as server) will be necessary to get the best audio quality.
In my experience most dacs in the sub £500 bracket are equally capable providing the USB transfer is well implemented. It’s more a question of what suits the rest of your system. I preferred the sound of even the basic HRT Music Streamer to V-Dac, NOS and Beresford.
So, basically you will need to decide on which route you take after that your choices of dacs etc become a bit easier.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

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.

im not really that up on the usb as a digital conection, i use it in my caiman for listening to some spotify sometimes, but not often... i think someone else has commented a bit more and can probably help you make a better decision

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.

the arcam and dac magic are possibly better jsut through being a bit newer as much as anything else... i dont know though i havent heard either .. or the 7510 for that matter
the thing is though, it is often difficult to say one is better than another as some people have different preferences.
beresfords are great value because of the added features of headphone amp and pre amp. also stan beresford posts on here very frequently with little tips and tweaks for modifying his dacs to get the best out of them...
you just need to weigh up your options a bit ... all the dacs i have heard recently in the sub £500 bracket have been pretty good, just with a different presentation to the sound so i would say the dac is probably the least of your worries ... some people seem to slate the v-dac, at £159 rrp it is one of the cheapest, and i think its fairly good ..
a couple of people have said the hrt now, so if you dont need the fetures of the beresford then it would appear that would be a good option?

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.

the problem with speakers is your room.. the way speakers interact with a room is a pretty major factor. home dems are always worth while...
what is your budget?
i have a couple of pairs of little speakers that i rate really highly and would always recommend - dynaudio audience 42's and usher s520's. both can be bought for less then £200 second hand and both seem to be fairly widely recognised as good speakers so would perhaps be a good starting point

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.

the dacs output goes into the input of the amp...
as i said before, if you get a dac with a built in pre amp you can get a power amp. if you buy a power amp for £200 you are getting £200 of amp where as if you get a £200 integrated some of that money has gone toward all the switches and volume control etc... so as a very loose rule a dedicated power amp is better at a price point. of course this is not always the case...

a very good starting point would be a hlly90 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HLLY-TAMP-90-9...item3ca7590e15

it is technically an integrated amp, but it works better with a pre amp, and works very well with the caiman. it is fantastic value for money too, in my books seeing off a lot of kit that you might find in a high street retailer at a good few times its value... i would seriously concider it as an option

a pair of dynaudio audience 42's, a hlly90, a caiman and some cables from mark grant would make a very nice set up for less than £600 (not inc computer or speaker stands)... and is in fact exactly what i use in my office system

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

no probs

the thing is with choosing hifi, is there is a hell of a lot out there to choose from. all recommendations are based on experience, but everyone's experience and preferences vary greatly. good sound quality is fairly easily attainable, sound quality that perfectly suits you is not... the more you buy, the more you listen to, the more complicated it gets... i have spent 12 years (with "proper" hifi) and a lot of ££££ getting my system to a stage i dont feel i need to upgrade ... there are people who never seem to reach that point ... it is worth getting as much advice as you can, but more important than that is going out and listening to stuff... you will no doubt buy stuff along the way that you later regret, but it is all experience in finding what suits you most!

[Rare Bird]

Sonus is well worth a look at...

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Also,

As Dave pointed out, active speakers are another option, but there are a few considerations

active speakers have a few pros and cons, the biggest advantage is that the amps inside them are designed to work with the speakers...
if you buy a normal stand alone amp it will have been designed, for the most part, to try and cope with powering as wide a range of speakers as possible... this is fine, but amps designed to work with the exact speaker they are powering is an obvious advantage...
the problem with them is that you are limiting you upgrade path... you want new amps, well, they are built into your speakers, so they need to be upgraded too!.. same goes vise versa

i have active speakers, they are without doubt the best speakers i have heard of their size... i am still paying for them... this is my experience, you might not have the same, which is why i didn't recommend them straight away... whilst finding your feet in hifi, it is probably advised to keep your options wide open

the avi things that dave recommends even have the dac built in... and as such provide literately zero upgrade path... of course if you believe the hype, you wont want to upgrade... im very sceptical, but havent heard them so cant comment

[John]

If you already have a Good DAC then all you need is USB/SPIF converter there quite cheap and work pretty well for me

[Alex_UK]

Sonus is well worth a look at...

Especially as you can now stream Spotify to them...

[DutchAudiophilist]

Hi!

I'm 'breaking in' my Beresford TC 7520 SE (Caiman) DAC and the results are stunning..I bought it for the same purpose as yours: a laptop-based upgrade. Take care of a HQ USB cable, not longer than 3 - 5 mtr.

Greetings.

[5by5]

Thanks so much members.

I just now have had a chance to get back on-line. It is going to take me a bit of time to digest all of your generous input. I feel like an "elementary" visiting the University he is planning on going to when he grows up. Hopefully my learning curve has a little more haste to it than that eh!

Thanks again,

[Marco]

Hi "5by5",

I posted this earlier, which you appear to have ignored:

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.

You must comply before posting again or I'm afraid that I will have to temporarily remove your posting rights until you do as you have been asked.

I'm sorry to get 'heavy', but we insist on first names and locations being given by all members here, and you do appear to be ignoring my prompts.

Marco.

[5by5]

I ignored nothing. I just got back on-line and read your message just 20 minutes ago. What you have requested is done. I'm not on the computer 24/7 so I did not see your post until now. When I went on-line this evening I saw all of the help the members were offering and went straight to sending a general thank you without stopping to see yours.