High end sound on a HTPC?

[TimmyH]

I am interested in the concept of an HTPC (DVD,PVR, CD) one box solution, but haven't been able to find any reviews of the "CD" sound potential attainable for music (compared to a mid/high stand alone CD player-such as a modded Jolida 100 tube player). I've looked over the offerings at 2 Parts Fusion ("flagship" model 702) and also discovered an M-Audio soundcard (the Audiophile) which, though pricey, might give very good-excellent sound quality. Anyone had a HTPC/CD head to head music comparison? Any experience with the M-Audio card? Thanks in advance- Tim.

[Morbius]

Originally Posted by TimmyH

I am interested in the concept of an HTPC (DVD,PVR, CD) one box solution, but haven't been able to find any reviews of the "CD" sound potential attainable for music (compared to a mid/high stand alone CD player-such as a modded Jolida 100 tube player). I've looked over the offerings at 2 Parts Fusion ("flagship" model 702) and also discovered an M-Audio soundcard (the Audiophile) which, though pricey, might give very good-excellent sound quality. Anyone had a HTPC/CD head to head music comparison? Any experience with the M-Audio card? Thanks in advance- Tim.

Timmy,

If you want high-end sound from an HTPC; you can always take the digital output from the
sound card and input that to a standalone DAC, and then to the rest of the system.

Instead of doing the D->A conversion in the HTPC and outputting analog to the preamp / amps;
back off one level and relieve the HTPC of the D->A step and take the digital out of the HTPC.

It all depends on whether you are willing to use an audiophile quality DAC in lieu of the
soundcard.

[Scotty L]

The LynxTwo-B and RME Hammerfall DSP are two popular cards for the HTPC music nut crowd.

[diogen]

Originally Posted by Morbius

Instead of doing the D->A conversion in the HTPC and outputting analog to the preamp / amps;
back off one level and relieve the HTPC of the D->A step and take the digital out of the HTPC.

This will work, unless you believe only SACD/DVD-A can achieve the needed quality:
there is no computer solution to SACD and only analog solution for DVD-A.

Diogen.

[2parts]

Another one that is very popular..

Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1LT 8 (7.1) Channels

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by 2parts

Here are few more that are very popular..

Chaintech AV-710 8 (7.1) Channels
Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1LT 8 (7.1) Channels
HDA Digital X-Mystique 7.1 GOLD Sound Card

I think the HDA card actually has a dedicated thread lurking around here somewhere.

FWIW, unless you're talking digital output, I don't think any of those (save the Prodigy) would qualify as "high-end".

[2parts]

Stranger,

You are correct and I will edit my post.

[Mark_A_W]

You can do Digital Room Correction with a PC. You need a inexpensive measurement mic, and 2 or 3 hours of you time to set it up.

Lifts HTPC above all CD-players IMO.

http://drc.wildgooses.com/index.php/Main_Page

[TimmyH]

Thanks everyone for the informative replies, I'll check out the cards mentioned and investigate the outboard DAC idea (hadn't considered that) -- Tim.

[SexualChocolate]

For everything you want to know about true high end audio from a PC.. visit this forum

http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/pcaudio/bbs.html

[htpcfan]

If you want high end analog out of your HTPC I suggest you opt for more professional solutions like the firewire MOTU devices.

[vairulez]

I suppose you mean MOTU and I'd say stay away from it
IMO the best choice is the lynx TwoB.

[htpcfan]

Yes I mean MOTU (corrected it in the original posting).
You stay away from it? Well certainly your prerogative.
But realize that most audio productions are either done with MOTU or ProTools hardware.

[Ash Sharma]

I use a Lynx 22 AES EBU From m HTPC to Theta CB 3 Processor -it is the best sound card.

[Charlie82]

Originally Posted by Ash Sharma

I use a Lynx 22 AES EBU From m HTPC to Theta CB 3 Processor -it is the best sound card.

Do you notice the Windows resampling? I can notice it with a M-Audio revolution.

[dfrazee]

If you are looking to use outbord DACs or to otherwise maximize PC audio quality, Google on the following terms:

"bit perfect", ASIO, "kernal streaming", kmixer

Your questions will be answered...and if you go with such a solution, a cheap soundcard like the Chaintek AV-710 configured for bit-perfect will give essentially the same quality digital output as any of the esoteric solutions mentioned. Most PC audio purists conclude that bit-perfect output into a quality outboard DAC is superior to any (stereo) solution using sound card DACs.

If, however, you plan to use the soundcard's DACs, then a Lynx or RME card will be a better choice.

doug

[jimwhite]

.... and don't ignore the X-Fi Elite Pro.... the sound q is in the same class.... and the versatility, with AC3/DTS Spdif input decoding, is wonderful!

[rambo2300]

Get a relatively cheap soundcard with digital coaxial or SPDIF output and connect it to the digital input of a decent audio receiver (Harman Kardon, Onkyo, etc. ); you should be very happy with the audio quality. Audio nuts will probably disagree with me.

Or upgrade your motherboard and CPU and get one with digital audio outputs. That way you will upgrade both the speed and sound of your PC.

[Fredrik]

The issue with studio cards is that most is not targeted at the HTPC market.
From what I've read, Lynx-studio's listen to the htpc crowd (I think the last thing was the volume control) and that is not common among the high end developers.

But I would say that the first thing to decide is the amount of money you want to spend and what it should do.
What should it be connected to and so on ?
I wouldn't spend 1k on a sound card if the benefits of the extra quality is lost in the rest of the system.
If money is no issue then a Apogee Rosetta 200 might be worth looking at, Apogee is probably considered as one of THE top manufacturers in the music industry, though the 200 will set you back $1600-1700.

[scorch123]

I agree with Fredrik - folks here using an HTPC as a preamp/processor deal more with driver issues/support, instead of hardware issues.

I have to disagree with rambo2300 - spending money on a cheap soundcard + cheap A/V receiver is not a hi-fi approach to improving your sound quality. Also, upgrading your motherboard, which typically use low-grade DACs & output drivers, is not the best approach. Upgrading your CPU, unless you're shooting for more horsepower for digital room correction (putting the cart before the horse), also does not directly impact sound quality.

Search more on "htpc as prepro" and "soundcard shootout" and you will get a better feel for solutions tried already.

The thing to watch out for is that the cost of pro audio setups is comparable to decent prepros...and prepros are far easier to use and integrate into HTPC than a pro audio card.

- Steve O.

[bnieman]

While I completely agree with letting your surround prossor handle AC3 and DTS streams but what about WAV files and MP3s? Doesn't the sound card have to convert these formats into a digital bitstream to send over to your components? It is my understanding you are at the mercy of your sound card as to how good these formats will play since it must used its Analog to Digital converter for this process

Can anyone confirm this?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by bnieman

It is my understanding you are at the mercy of your sound card as to how good these formats will play since it must used its Analog to Digital converter for this process

Can anyone confirm this?

I doubt it, audio is never converted to analog unless you're using the analog outputs of the soundcard. If you're using S/PDIF, the audio is decoded (in the case of compressed audio) and sent out, directly, as PCM.

[frego]

I'm using an M-Audio Delta 1010 in my HTPC. I don't use an integrated receiver. The Delta 1010 runs directly to several rack mount amps. The specs of this PCI device rivals that of much more expensive preamps. I play CD's and have a collection of flac files for reference listening. I also use this machine as my main theater PC to watch DVDs and such. I don't have any SACD or DVD-A discs. I used to use an integrated receiver and an asus soundcard that had an spdif output. My integrated receiver (Sony 100watt X 5) comes no where near the sound I get with the M-audio. Plus, with the Delta 1010 I can do 7.1 if I should ever get around to adding those other couple of speakers. The only downside, is I have to use a cordless gyro mouse as my remote. To adjust the volume, I must use the GUI. So I must resize the playing video. But that is not a deal breaker for me, as I prefer to set the volume and watch the movie rather than always tweaking it up or down.

[Naylia]

For DVD-Audio playback, is a Creative card required? Or can I use any sufficiently capable sound card (24bit/192kHz) w/ analog out and either PowerDVD or WinDVD to playback protected DVD-As?

[RichB]

Originally Posted by Naylia

For DVD-Audio playback, is a Creative card required? Or can I use any sufficiently capable sound card (24bit/192kHz) w/ analog out and either PowerDVD or WinDVD to playback protected DVD-As?

A creative card is not required. I have used a X-Meridian and onboard sound with PowerDVD. Actually, on Vista, the creative card is the only one that does not work

- Rich

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Naylia

For DVD-Audio playback, is a Creative card required? Or can I use any sufficiently capable sound card (24bit/192kHz) w/ analog out and either PowerDVD or WinDVD to playback protected DVD-As?

You need a Creative card to play back protected DVD-As at full resolution.

[ROBSCIX]

How about a X-Meridian with LM4562 Opamps. Very nice sound quality for a HTPC. People areound here are getting great results with these cards and they say the X-Meridian easily rivals Audio gear several times more expensive. IT is worth review for you if considering a new HTPC build.

[Ozy666]

^^^^------- What he said, with a link to the thread here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=792354

Ozy

[CyberScott]

For my next HTPC, I've been keeping an eye on the upcoming Auzen X-fi Prelude 7.1. It seems to have a lot of potential and will have a HDMI add on card for sound output to compatible receivers and video cards. It is due out in late May/June. Here's a link to the press release.
http://www.auzentech.com/site/company/press.php

[Socio]

Originally Posted by CyberScott

For my next HTPC, I've been keeping an eye on the upcoming Auzen X-fi Prelude 7.1. It seems to have a lot of potential and will have a HDMI add on card for sound output to compatible receivers and video cards. It is due out in late May/June. Here's a link to the press release.
http://www.auzentech.com/site/company/press.php

Looks good but it also looks like they are diliberatly withholding some features, I see no mention of ASIO support or DTS 5.1 encoding, perhaps it is to have something to add in for a future version of their cards.