Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Cleaner computer audio?

OK, I usually don't pay much attention to the soundcard threads, although I probably should. I use my computers for gaming and listening to music; very rarely do I watch a DVD on one. All of this is through headphones.

I got a headphone amp to correct what I thought was the amp in my Mac G4 being overdriven--it wasn't. It still sounds a bit iffy. So I'm thinking soundcard or other digital-audio translator, eg the Griffin iMic. Anyone have any experience with that? I know that ideally I would be going with an M-Audio type solution, but with the iMic, I could move it between the Mac and the PC, hopefully getting better audio on both (although I have no complaints about the PC.)

I haven't decided weather to trust sound card's circuitry...since they are designed with computer speakers. And we all know computer speakers don't hold a candle to hi-fi speakers. But, odds are, if you invest $100 in one, you are going to get a clean signal.

The newer creative cards actually look very nice with gold plated jacks and everything...no idea with compatability with a mac though. If you use a sound card, just take the effort to double check to disable any sound field programs and equalizers. I use SPDIF, just so I can let the reciever decode the audio, rather than my sound card.

If you really want untainted audio, you can get a BitHead Headphone amp that has a USB connection found here. It's meant for laptops with iffy sound cards, much like your situation with a desktop. So, should work fine. Hate to waste that extra headphone amp you got though.

Otherwise, I saw somewhere there was a device that also worked off USB, and gave a straight L/R analog singal from USB. Sorry, I don't have a link for you on that one .

I have the Creative Audigy Pro sound card, and they don't sell those anymore. The next step up is an Audigy 2 Which has gold plated ports. My only complaint with the card is that it can only use digital or analog, not both. When you use digital, only one port will output the signal, and the unused ports just emit buzz if you have any analog devices up to it. Otherwise, it sounds great.

I don't think that will work on a Mac, I could be wrong though. I looked around on newegg and couldn't find any sound card that said Mac on it, so maybe you could research if you want to go the sound card route.

I hope that kind of helped, and that I wasn't feeding you info you already knew.

Good luck!

Yeah, I'm about out of PCI slots (now that I think of it) on the Mac--extra video card, SCSI, USB2, desperation fan...

My vague sort of idea is to have an outboard one I can use with my PC and the headphone amp when I'm at LAN parties, and I can use at home with the headphone amp when I'm listening to music on the Mac.

Sadly, the Headroom stuff is a tad out of my range ($199!) and replaces the headhpone amp with something that doesn't have a nice big knob--which is half of the reason I like my little Creek!

M-Audio does make cards for the Mac, but reportedly their drivers are a tad shoddy. I just want something that works. I fix computers for a living; I don't like doing it at home!

Ken, following up Dan's mention of bypassing the junk in the computer by using the USB output, consider getting one of the USB adapter units. For about four years I've been using a Xitel link from my computer USB output to my(non-USB)receiver to listen to streaming classical stations from all over the world. This or a similar device( TurtleBeach is another)should work with your present headphone amp.

Hey, those look great. Nice to get digital output from such a compact little device.

The sound quality is fairly good?

Hmm, I'll have to keep it in mind for my laptop.

Cheers,

j

Bithead Review

A little snippit from the review:

Quote:

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The BitHead in USB mode, however, is a clear step up from integrated motherboard audio output - and, I'd confidently say, from the output quality of a bunch of add-on sound cards, too.

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I should clarify further. I am definitely looking at using USB or Firewire as the output--I have no trust in my computer's audio subsystems!

Thanks for the tips. I sort of glanced at the Xitel and thought that perhaps it was too good to be true.

Ken, of course there's some advertising puffery from Xitel, Turtle Beach, etc., but note that basically all this is is a plug for the computer's USB output port(which of course gives a clean digital output bypassing the internal computer circuitry), then a DAC, then cabling to connect to a receiver, amp etc. No magic involved, but works fine, just as would be expected.

I was actually referring to the low price... especially when compared with M-Audio.

I have the Turtle Beach USB soundcard and its great. I even used it (in SPDIF mode) on my HTPC for a while.

Yeah, unless you want to pay for an M-Audio or somesuch, a USB amp or USB sound"card" is the way to go. There is alot of electronic noise inside a computer case and the cheaper internal solutions are not shielded against it.