bit perfect - on the cheap

adamau5

adamau5

adamau5

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21 Oct 2002
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I have just finished my bit perfect Hifi setup.

Heres the connection

Flac (digital) > Winamp (digital) > Remote Speakers output (digital ) > Airport express (digital) > Toslink (digital) > Beresford DAC mk6/3 (digital to analog)> Gotham IC's > Cambridge 540a V2 > KEF Q5's

How does it sounds? Fantastic!!!! very impressed.

Currently listening to 'the ocean' by Zep, sounds brillant.

I am going to make myself some 4n silver interconnects, then i'm done.
 
How much did it set you back in total (if you don't mind me asking?)

I am wanting to do something to improve the sound quality over my integrated, that is compatible with vista, but I am somewhat undecided.
 
The airport express was £28, the dac £90, the amp £200 and the speakers £250.

So in all a lot, but that is very cheap for a very good transport (bit perfect).
 
My Bit perfect route so far is shaping up like this
WAV or FLAC> Media Monkey**> SPDIF out of EMU0404> Monica2 DAC> HiFi System.

Cost £35 quid for the EMU0404 and about £130 for Monica2
** Have to confirm Media Monkey will support Bit perfect when used with the mixer supplied with the EMU card.

Sound, dunno, Sound card in UK, PC in Italy !!! LOL
 
The onboard DAC on my E-mu 1212m isn't too shabby, but I have been tempted by a few I must admit... Not many have balanced outs tho, which can be a PITA for me...

EDIT: Use foobar with the ASIO driver - it skips out the whole windows mixer malarky, so the signal goes stroght to your soundcard outs.... IE better quality
 
Could any one tell me if this would be a bit perfect system and would it work?

FLAC > Foobar(ASIO) > EMU 1212m > A/V Reicever > Speakers
 
I believe I read, if you find a 24bit 96Khz DTS file, and play it it should show on the amp as a DTS file only if was maintain as bit perfect. If any re sample had occurred you would loose he correct flag. Sorry not very exact, working from memory/theory.
 
FLAC> Foobar ASIO> EMU 0404 1/4" jacks> CA 540A> Mordaunt Short 902is

Planning to get a DAC, either a Behringer Ultramatch Pro or Beresford mk6/3 as the DAC magic is slightly out of my budget atm. After that planning to get a headphone amp and USB DAC and some nice cans as a silent setup.
 
Stick with the analogue outs of the Emu 0404/1212, put in some nice new OSCON caps + a few BGs, bypass the output buffer chips and caps, then stick a new op-amp in. Much better value that a DAC, and it will show you how good the old EMU can sound.

Not compared it directly to any DAC, but it is a lot cheaper :D
 
How do you know that it's 'bit perfect'?

My setup is foobar FLAC > DACmagic (USB) > hifi, but it doesn't sound anywhere near as nice as Arcam Alpha 6 (1995 CDP, £500 new, worth about 70quid now) as a transport going through the DACmagic. Which is a shame really.
 
SoundsGood said:
Wouldn't mind giving this a go, have you got any more details? :)
Click to expand...

Can't remember as i did it at least 3yrs ago and was my first real audio mod project.

Sign up on head-fi and run some searches in the computer based audio section for emu 0404 mods. There were some really great threads with diagrams pointing out exactly what neeeded to be done to whats parts.

The op-amp I put in was something like an LM1362, or maybea 1364, can't remember exactly, and then I got a dedicated output cable made by AK[ZIP] over at head-fi which gives you x2 RCAs to plug into an av amp or headphone amp.
 
SoundsGood said:
Wouldn't mind giving this a go, have you got any more details? :)



How are you finding the Monica2? Tempted to get one for my two Charlize 2s made by the same company.
Click to expand...


Woow this is an old thread........I gave up on the above route, sounds was now where near my CDP performance, (which was no surprise) Monica2 was no better than a good 500 quid CDP......

So... I ended getting a NAS drive and a Linn Akurate DS music streaming setup.
Performance is simply superb, and only improved by having the crazy priced Klimax DS....
 
PC -> HDMI out on Radeon 4850 -> Onkyo 605

Perhaps not ideal for stereo but you should hear a film played ;)

Though for various stupid reasons nothing will output true-full-uber-proper HD audio but PS3 fixes that...
 
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