keysersoze311

Thanks guys, Eloise, do I avoid the Macbook's DAC if I use any digital output, eg. s/pdif, USB, etc?

Dear Computer Audiophile, The dream is to have a high quality hifi, that is controlled by my Macbook, on which I will store 1000s of songs. So, I want to connect the Macbook to a DAC. I have been told that I will be limited by my laptop's soundcard if I use it to store FLAC files, which is a bit of a bummer. If I wirelessly connect to the DAC, (to save having a digital cable going halfway across the living room), can I do this without a loss in sound quality? Indeed, what would be even better, is if I use Sonos to connect wirelessly, DO I BYPASS THE LAPTOP'S SOUNDCARD? Or must I use an external converter to do this? Please help... Is there any point spending £3000 on a DAC if I'm not bypassing soundcard? Keyser

Hi all, Yeah, so if I buy the QBD76 DAC, can I bypass my computer's internal soundcard if I use the bluetooth connection? If so, am I better off using the bluetooth connection than connecting via digital out? I was told earlier that if I connect over digital I am limited by laptop's soundcard, which is not what I want in a high quality audio system... Suggestions for £1000+ converters were made - crazy money in adtion to the £3k DAC... Merci

Hi all, as in the title. Just wondering, if I use a digital output straight into a DAC, will I be at all limited by my Macbook's soundcard, or does the soundcard get bypassed? The 2 DACs I'm interested in are the Naim DAC and the Chord QBD76 - any comments/ further recommendations? I remember reading a post by The Computer Audiophile a while back, and the guy who runs the site said that his favourite DAC of a long time had been outclassed by this new DAC. Does anyone know which 2 DACs he was referring to, I can't find the article? Gracias, Keyser

Hi all, I'm new to the forum, just a quick couple of questions. I have just ordered a Macbook Pro and am looking forward to using it as the front end that will feed a stanalone DAC in a brand new hifi system. Suddenly occured to me, does the kind of computer you use have any impact on sound quality? And if so, how much of an effect does it have? It doesn't seem to make sense that people pay many £1000s for an expensive CD transport, if any old PC will do, and the DAC is the only crucial thing. If the transport makes a big difference, shouldn't we all really be using CD transport/DAC hifis rather than using non specific PCs as half of our system's source...? I've gone for 17 inch macbook pro, stock model with upgraded hard drive. Also, is itunes alright for keeping my music in, and can I keep FLAC files and lossy mp3s without the song name appearing twice - just for the iPod? Finally, I chose to upgrade the hard drive in my macbook pro to 7200rpm, from the stock 5400rpm. Was this a good idea, or am I likely to get more noisy whirring sounds as a result of this upgrade? I don't do much intensive work on the laptop, mainly internet browsing, so I'm hoping it should be fine Thanks so much, Jake