What sound card to drive amp?

[7499richard]

Hello, first post here

I've got a stereo setup which includes an Adcom GFA555II amp, adcom gft555 pre amp and cerwin vega speakers.

I would like to get a good sound card for my computer so i can play my mp3s directly into the amp, eliminating my adcom pre amp.

What is suggested? I care about sound quality and i like to listen to my music loud. Mainly metal, but i do listen to just about everything from time to time, if that has any relevance.

Price is a concern, but don't hold anything back...

Any feedback is much appreciated!

[7499richard]

bump... is there anything I am missing?

I thought it was an easy question for someone in the know...

[Reegs]

Hi Richard,
Just about anything that outputs line level signals will work as a sound card.

Here's are two that I would consider using:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Delta44/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Audiophile192/

[Bops2000]

For just playing stuff, you could use a soundblaster card set at line output settings.

[ecc83]

Hmm?

I WAS going to say that the 192 is a bit of an overkill for MP3's and because it has balanced I/O, but...

Is the amp earthed, i.e. 3core mains cable? If so you might get a hum loop with an already earthed computer. Balanced op gives you the option of dissing the shields at the amp end.

If the amp is 2core mains, Delta 2496 is more than good enough IMHO and unlike many of the S(of a)B cards it has decent RCA connectors and not the excretable 1/8th" jacks.

If you wanted really cheap, but much better than OBS, the Behringer UCA202 would be ok. 16bit only op' but then so will be all your sources!

Dave.

[GZsound]

Yeah.. for MP3's the on board sound card in most computers is just fine.

Line out to the amp..done.

[sabianq]

I have always liked turtle beach
http://www.turtlebeach.com/

[ecc83]

Those Turtle beach jobbies look suspiciously like a Terratec 5.1Fun I had. Pretty good card but nowhere near as "solid" as a 2496.
For a cheapy look at the Trust Optical expert, about £20.00 Has co-ax and optical i/o(switchable).

Dave.

[jasleinstein]

If I have to spend 12 hours a day in front of my computer I want to listen to the best quality music I can. The music I care the most about is in lossless or at least 320K MP3 format.
I found a killer PS audio DAC to drive my AMP with balanced XLR inputs. The only connection it has to the system is USB, or optical. The issue is gain control. With USB and Optical it appears the USB codec in the Mac has no audio gain control. Surely there is anther codec I can use?
I really don't want to spend another $700 to $2000 for a pre-amp just to get gain control.

any thoughts?

thanks in advanced,

jim

[ecc83]

"I really don't want to spend another $700 to $2000 for a pre-amp just to get gain control."

You don't have to, just put a $1 10k+10k pot in a $1 tin! This is the beer into water dept' of DIY electronics.

Having only "software" control of the final, speaker output of a computer sound system is fraught because:....

1)To cause the needed approx' 20dB of attenuation you have to "throw away" bits. This is, I am told, bad for sound quality but I don't know enough about "digitals" to tell you why!

2) Software WILL go ape***t, and the level will stick at max. This will always happen at 2am and the day after Mr Grumpy next door has threatened legal action "If it happens again!!"

Bottom line, you need a big knob to dive for.

Dave.