Best SoundCard/Device on the planet is ?

[FatRakoon]

Just wondering more than thinking of buying, but, what is the best soundcard and/or sound device that you can get for the PC?

I understand best could mean a load of things, so, lets sit on quality rather than gaming performance for now.

What can I buy, to make my PC among the best sounding PCs that I could possibly have?

What card or device, connected to what amp, what speaker setup... You know the score?

Here is the kicker though...

Only smaller setups, not big... I want them to still be PC stuff or Studio gear of course, something that does not dominate anywhere but will still pass for a PC setup.

 

[FatRakoon]

I agree with the drivers side of things.

I absolutely despise many companies for their drivers. I mean, look at amany printers.... Even if you only have the most basic drivers possible, they are even then still taking up a couple of hundred MB on your HD? - WTF?

My printer, when I install onto Windows takes up a whole 320MB according to the amount of free space before and after.
When I install the same printer using my Linux PC, there is no change at all and yet they are both the same printer and the yboth have full functions etc.

I have not bothered measuring the drivers, but the drivers that I have for most of the PCs and their Soundcards are all in the many MBs sizes, and yes, you mention the Recon3D and thats just about 200MB - sure, its got the control panel and the manuals etc in there, while Linux only has the basic drivers, but... Well, to be fair, Windows will run that on basic drivers so I dont know how much room they take up then, so it may be a bad example, but I see your point.

Not THAT long ago, I bought myself a BOSE speaker setup, and I found that for the PC, is was dire. it was simply not good enough at all compared to my Altec Lansing setup, and so I chucked it onto the TV and for the TV it is doing a great job, so its stayed there since.

Not too long afterwards, I was looking to buy myself a nice little treat and among the sources, I had another peek at the Bose options, and I bought this little setup thats ben designed for a PC, only to then find out, that its USB, and me being me, wanted to use the Live Drive on the Creative on this PC and so I didnt bother using iton this PC, instead, I plopped it onto my gaming PC and to be completely honest, it has a lovely sound and its clear that its a much better system than the other one... Should be for the price.

But yes, thats USB and has its own Sound Device, but no extra drivers are needed with Windows other than the very basic ones to get the data into it.

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Chord hugo TT DAC?

I have a chord Mojo upstairs somewhere, that Im sure still works?

Are they any cop? Ok, well obviously they are then, but the Mojo is only a cheap thing that I got bunged in when I bought a bundle of other bits on ebay.

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WHAT THE... 3 grand LOL for a headphone amp? Ouch. LOL

 

[FatRakoon]

Ummm, the Chord Mojo is a £400 DAC/Amp

Yeah, I know that, but the Hugo TT is 3 Grand!!!

It was THAT, that I was referring to, cos I just had a peek for it and the first thing I saw was the price!!!

That said, the Mojo is £400 so it wont be a rubbish bit of kit surely?

I will try to get the kids to hunt it down for me.

 

[FatRakoon]

It sounds more than it is.

I have a fairly huge loft, and many years ago, I converted it into a computer room for myself and my kids to play lan games etc.

I also have my Music stuff in there too, and over the years, it has become more studio than LAN room, and this has means that I have extended the house for the LAN, and the Attic has become more a personalized computer room.

Unfortunately, 3 years ago, I was involved in a serious accident that has put me into a wheelchair and so, I am unable to go into the attic anymore, and so, anything I want from there, such as PC bits or whatever, I ask the kids to go and get for me, and similarly, its now being used as a store room and so its got to look like a hell hole, because all the stuff, is all over the place.

Admittedly, there is several dozen crates full of PC parts, cards, Motherboards, and cables etc, because I used to run a small computer shop and I cannot now do that because of the brain injuries, I still help people out, and I still repair peoples PCs, but I get confused easily because of the medication I am on, plus I am a mental case now.

Anyway, I have genuine legit reasons for things being up there that I dont know where they are, and trust me, its killing me... Especially when I need a certain part, I ask the kids, they dont find it, I then have to buy it and then 10 minutes after the part comes in the post, they say they have seen one of them upstairs so they go get it and then they ask IS THIS IT? and yup it is almost every ruddy time.

That really gets on my pip.