Possible Upgrades to Sound card +external DAC?---->DELL-STUDIO 17

Steve,

If you get a dac it should be a usb type, because I don't think there is another way to get the digital signal directly out of your computer. Dell eliminated the spdif port that the earlier models had. However a dac is a piece of audiophile equipment and may be a bit of overkill for use with desktop speakers.

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My guess is that a good card from Creative Labs or another manufacturer will be sufficient for consumer listening. These will bypass the internal audio and have their own dacs. Their dacs might not necessarily be better than those which are on your motherboard (which have impressive specs) but will be outside of the noisy electrical environment of the motherboard which will improve quality. A couple of examples:

Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 usb card:
http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=669&product=17751&nav=0

This X-Fi model fits into your computer's Express card slot :

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=669&product=17988 

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An upgrade from external sound cards are external audio interfaces like the M-Audio and EMU products on this Newegg page. Interfaces are normally used to provide inputs for recording.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000360057%201102608535&bop=And&Page=1&FieldChange=Y&FieldChoose=16%2C15%2C10%2C14%2C18%2C21%2C20

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You could bypass sound cards and interfaces altogether by plugging in a set of usb speakers. These would have their own dacs and bypass the motherboard audio, but the only ones I have seen are mini speakers that probably do not produce the type of sound you want.

:emotion-1:Hi Jim..

really can not thank you enough for your comprehensive and very helpful reply..very much appreicated.

you have more than simplified things foir meas well as making the issue more clear..which is what i required as i do have certain problems which can lead to extream confusion...and can sometimes be very difficult indeed to comprehen things,,,

Now to the main course....

DAC or No DAC? if i were to purchase a good quality DAC and active speakers could this be a good route to take

alternatively as you advice a Quality sound card..which i have being looking at earlier today..this would still require speakers(quality?) maybe active..am i correct or a s eperate amp?? which could now be pushing up the price....

I was interested in your comment re the impressive motherboard specs? please can you elaborate further i am afraid my knowledge on this is very limited...i thought my laptop spec was nothing special (but waht do i know)

also Jim i have being looking closely at the M-Audio and EMU products and others and this would be a good step Jim..

out of all your suggestions which in your opinion would be the best route given a level palying field so i can sort of think about it....

look forward to hearing from you

all the very best Steve

Great post, Jim.

DAC or No DAC? if i were to purchase a good quality DAC and active speakers could this be a good route to take

Steve, yes that setup would meet your requirements as you stated them.

A sound card or audio interface is a set of DAC's paired with a set of ADC's, plus some other features like input jacks and software. A particular stand alone DAC might be better than a particular sound card but that would require direct comparison to judge. If it helps, most home studio owners do not bother with stand alone DAC & ADC's, because they select interfaces that provide them with the quality they need within their budgets.

My thinking is to get the best speakers you can, within your budget and size limitations, and then consider the sound card situation. Unless you have studio quality speakers you won't hear the difference between good converters and great converters anyway, I believe, and even with great speakers you might need audiophile ears. If you have golden ears and need the highest quality audio, then you probably need a great stereo system instead of playing mp3's through the computer. It's hard to judge what another person's requirements are, but as a general observation the ordinary person who wants good sound is satisfied with really good speakers and a good consumer sound card. People with special requirements naturally need better quality but have to pay up to get it.

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this would still require speakers(quality?) maybe active..am i correct or a s eperate amp??

As long as you have active speakers you do not need a separate amp. Passive speakers do of course require an amp.

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I was interested in your comment re the impressive motherboard specs? please can you elaborate further

I was referring to the IDT  92HD73C audio chip on your motherboard. It's specs provided by IDT say it "provides stereo 24-bit, full duplex resolution supporting sample rates up to 192kHz by the DAC and ADC."

That looks pretty good on paper. In a way it is nothing special because those high specs are becoming standard, but still it is several times better than cd quality. However how it performs when it is actually installed in a computer is a different matter. You can have noise from electrical interference, the software might be glitchy, etc. You listened to it and found it lacking and that is where it counts. A lot of people do not like the Studio's audio, and that might be due to the audio driver.

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I don't want to sound like I know more about this than I do. My particular audio interest is recording and I don't  have audiophile equipment,  just an old discontinued Soundblaster usb card, a hardware mixer, and a pair of inexpensive studio monitors. (The monitors are meant for nearfield mixing after recording, not for normal listening.)  I'm not sure how my setup sounds because my hearing isn't that good anymore.

Just in my personal opinion, I'd say to figure out how much you can spend on speakers and go from there. When you get the best speakers that you can afford then you can start trying out other things. I think stores like Best Buy have a 14 day return policy on sound cards, but you'd better double check that. Generally speaking, speakers make the biggest impact on the sound. The differences between converters can be subtle, for example how much detail you can hear in the reverb tail after a cymbal crash.

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Bill B, thanks for the comment.

Hi jim

another really superb set of answers..many thanks indeed..i will now tsake time to look at and evaluate all the imformation i am reciving from your good self and elsewhere..and hopefully follow the great advice given....

I have also being adviced to loo k at  alesis and other monitors..

i take your very well made points about what you can afford..i am not one of those high end buyers...i will be more than satisfied knowing i have a better than decent sound quality...through active speakers hopefully

once again many thanks

all the best for now steve