christopher_j

Hey mate, yeah I did late last night, after your comments i read through my inputs and outputs, then checked airfoil.....and i had sonic stream selected which i thought was the right one, but then realised i could add amara the program as the source, after I did that......awesome, all worked a treat. Just need to find the time when everyones not home so i can mess around with the different equalizer settings etc and get it sounding how i like. Thanks again. What do you set your equalizer to ? or do you have a custom setting ?

Just looking then sorry, im on a different computer, the airport express does show on the airfoil, but should i be running airfoil speaker instead ?

No worries, its night time here...opposite brain is starting to fade:) I havent used it with itunes at all, previous to getting amarra i have just been streaming directly from mog via airplay. So should i get it working with itunes first then ? as other programs are picking it up on the same computer just not airfoil

I was just using the airfoil before not the airfoil speakers, I just had a look at it then but all it selects is my imac, the apple express doesnt seem to show as an option to stream to....... see my chain is imac to airport express ( as cant connect directly due to location) to schiit modi via optical and the finally to tube amplifier

Im sure i did try that to no avail, how does the apple express then pick it up ? Sorry kinda new to the whole computer audio, thanks for your help

Hi guys, Im just after some advice if I can as Im not sure what I am doing wrong I purchased amarra sq today as well as airfoil so that I can stream mog (or similar) to my airport express. The sound is coming out of my system but its not changing when using the equalizer, and the music continues when amarra and the equilizer is turned to off. So it doesnt seem like its in the chain for some reason. In air foil I have it currently set up as : sonicstream as the source and then airport express as the destination. In amarra sq i have the built in output as the output ( i can also change this to sonicstream, but nothing changes also), and for the input i have sonic stream (as its the only preference). I have heard nothing but good things about amarra, but so far not so good for me...including amarra and airfoil im out of pocket approx $80, which I know doesnt sound much but to me is quite a significant investment. So I'm hoping someone out there has a similar setup and can guide me as to what Im doing wrong or whats not working correctly. Thanks Chris

Just been listening to some music this morning on mog / flacs vs cd player. Sound from the cd player is a lot more refined and tight. The pc sound card sound, is a lot looser and airy (if thats a term) at the higher end, so i think as you said a good dac will bring that all together. The dragonfly is a good cost option with good reviews. I have been looking at dacs for a few months now, or at least reading revies, forums etc. The one I keep coming back to is the schiit bifrost. I must admit the aesthetics of the components comes into with me also. Can you recommend any good online stores in australia that give the option of trialling dacs ?

Thanks for the replies. I guess the problem i dont want to fall into too much is not enjoying the music, and worrying too much about the sound quality.....but then I guess if you are listening with the music and finding fault, you arent going to enjoy the music as much........its towing a thin line. The problem with the dacs is that I live in Perth (australia, for those not familiar) and we aren't spoilt with hifi stores (so we pay a premium) and especially stores that stock dacs, i think i have found 1. So all of my purchases so far have been online, to get the best prices........so unfortunately I have to take a gamble on components and hope for the best. Im concerned maybe my speaker cables which i made may be an issue. I bought a high gauge speaker wire from bunnings (hardware store) and connected it to banana plugs which i bought online. I dont have any stock pre terminated cables to test against, so i dont know if this may be a problem or not.........I can see how this 'hobby' can begin to be a money pit, and im only at the lower end ! but unfortunately with a family spending money on these things is a luxury, and as many of you would probably agree our wives dont see the value in our purchases

Firstly I just wanted to say thank you for all the replies, and I will try moving the positioning of my speakers tomorrow. I have been listening to some music this evening, and I do find it very pleasing to the ear. I think as one of the earlier posts from paul mentioned I can pick up different bass, that I could not before. I think its a case of its more of a natural sound than what I am used to, than the heavy doof doof so to speak. Most of what I listen to tends to be more instrumental the likes on Neil Young, Wilco, arcade fire, bon iver etc. so this setup suits it quite well. I am quite happy with the sound staging just running out of the analogue outputs of the sound card that came with my pc. Will a dedicated dac really improve the sound enough to warrant making a purchase?

Thanks A.N, for your reply, Can a Dac affect the level off bass to a system, or give it more? Sorry Im still kinda finding my feet in the audiophile world, this is my first foray.

Greetings, Im hoping I can get some advice with my new setup. I have just recently purchased and hooked up a miniwatt n3 amplifier and a pair of wharfedale 10.1 diamond speakers. This is currently hooked up straight to my pc's soundcard. I have been thinking of getting a dac but the soundstage i am quite happy with at this point. My problem (or i think it is a problem) is that I feel that the sound even though has a great soundstage, seems to be lacking a little bass. As you may know the miniwatt only has a volume control so levels are set. My question is, is this sound the natural sound it should be or am I just used to the heavy bass a lot of cheaper hifi systems pump out, or is due to more of an in-compatability between speakers and amp. From what I have read the miniwatt can pretty much run most speakers well, so I dont know if Im just being picky. Is there anyway i can increase the base slightly using any computer programs or is it worth getting something like a preamp to give me more control? Any advice would be greatly appreciated......Thanks

Hi, Ive been following computer audiophile for quite a long time and this is my first posting. Im after some advice as Im looking to upgrade from my basic system, which is just an imac hooked up to my tivoli 2. I was using a behringer uca202 dac but for some reason when using mog, I would get no sound. The computer sounds would come through the speakers but not the music...... Im looking at upgrading, but still I do not have a lot of money to spend. Im looking at the schiit modi dac. For an amp im looking at getting the appj miniwatt tube amplifier, hooked up to bookshelf speakers. Possibly something like the q acoustics 2010's or similar. I need it to be something simple, which my wife can operate with ease. I dont mind spending a little bit more money if they are quality products which will get years of music listening out of. Any suggestions on the products Im looking at or others which I should think about it, would be greatly appreciated, cheers in advance.