Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners DAC: computer Soundcard vs CD Player?

NeverHappy,

I'm responding to him in the same manner as he'd replied to mine.

"sure...go back to sleep."

"When you do wake up....go to your local shop that carries other nice gear. Bring in your PC. Let them hook it up ..compare. Fortunately I have both at home. Both have been SPL to the same level. Both have been demoed by a few people...and all came out to the same conclusion.

If you havent tried it out like I have ... then all you say is heresay."


So it looks like the REAL WORLD comparison I did couple days ago was being regard by MR. High End as "irrelevant" and only "hearsay", so...what does that tell you?

Saturn is trying really hard to justify the cost to performance ratio that he gets, but like everyone else said....a sucker is born everyday. LOL

Tit for tat then I guess! lol

In reply to:

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Bren uses PRO level equipment per his day job. Things that would put your 'high end' items in a garbage bin if comparing according to the rules of the audiophile idea of 'quality'.

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The funny thing about that, Chess, is no matter where I've been or who has rolled trucks in, the same basic rules apply:

- I've never had a producer/TA ask what kind of cable snakes are available in the building, nor have I ever seen the Monster/Kimber branding on theirs, just standard copper, just standard XLRs.
- Audio sources are almost exclusively hard-drive based now, either a laptop with 44.1/16 WAV playback software for events (with queuing, panning, crossfading), or the big boys (WWE, touring groups) use dedicated playback equipment that look like video switchers - they're a bit more resiliant to get packed and unpacked into road cases to hit 150 shows a year.
- for pre-produced music for file in, we use a Sony single disc CD-P, unsure of the model number, and I'm sure you could ask any of the techs or engineers around the building and not a single one could tell you.
- the only other pieces of consumer equipment up there are a Toshiba DVD/VCR combo that's rack mounted in front of my desk and runs into the Time Base Corrector/Frame-Stor of Misfit Toys (one TBC runs all the "stuff we just have on hand" and a BNC pigtail in case someone brings in Hi-8, U-matic, 2" quad or whatever), plus a consumer VCR that records a wide angle for security and insurance purposes (which wasn't quite wide enough to catch the drunk guy at Nickelback that snuck into the catwalks and fell into the scoreclock - he's just lucky it wasn't energized - the caps in that sucker are the size of my torso!)
- pretty much all the same things apply for every venue I've worked in, the arena, the Walker, Playhouse, Concert Hall, Stadium, video mobiles, ENG trucks.

Bren R.

I stand corrected.
I should have phrased my statement more succinctly perhaps leaning to the idea that you have somewhere along the lines of your industrious career used 'pro' equipment. I would be rather surrprised if you have not encounted these units at least once, or discussed with others their use in various venues.

A friend of mine over at CBC here in town does some producing for commericals and other ventures. The equipment they have i know falls into this 'pro' level category for sound and video. In fact, if you keep watching the local channels, there will be a 30s commercial on Winnipeg Icesports in the next month in which you will see some of our hockey team, myself included, flailing about on the ice.

Of course the rest of the stuff is pro equipment - the Clipmaster DDR, the Deko Chyron, the Ross switcher, the Sony A75 and 1800 VTRs, Panny monitor/receivers, Sony DXC-50 bodies with Fujinon lenses, Shure mics, etc, etc...

I was just getting at the fact that no pro audio engineer uses an Oh! Knjob Njob CD-P or 9N OFC silver tipped bat-winged fat-free cables.

Bren R.

Bren:
Could I use my PC with Studio Editing software be it using my Revolution 7.1 inputs to record it. Place the input of the MF CD player and record whatever comes out of it and it should track its wave form. Then I place my generic player and record what waveform comes out of it with the same track played. Then one can compare both waveforms to see if it is exactly alike. Yes there is variance in output but I will use a passive preamp to increase or decrease that output. Would that be kind of a test that could be done? Is the test good enough to see what type of waveform is coming out of those players. I have 2 weeks off starting next week so I might get the time to try this out.

Also yes I know the profession you are in but have you PERSONALLY hooked up any of those gear to your professional recording equipment. I mean you and if you have done those tests yourself. Secondly I do not believe in the wire crap so I never went there. I did my test before on them and I could not find a diff between a $80 wire to a $500+ wire. I found a difference (not necessarily better but a difference) with 99.99% pure silver wire though.

Chess: Depends if I'm up for it I could courier my MF and my cheap player to you guys out west and you can do the test with your equipment. Or I know I'm heading to Calgary sometime this winter for a snowboard roadtrip. I may just drop it over? How far are you from Calgary?

demasoni: Luckily I never had to justify what I spend on audio equipment.
I own or have tried budget and expensive gear. What I paid for my MF is what you paid for your cd player. In other word I get some of my stuff at distributors costs for services which I render to my client(s). Only my time is the cost...which I would give up for some nice gear. So kiss my kulos you Malaka!!!!

Saturn,
I really appreciate the offer since some of the locals here that have access to boutique names never seem to get around to giving me the items which they say will change the sound in my system. Either that or the units they have they cannot lend out b/c they are too precious or borrowed.
Mind you, Calgary is about a 16 hour drive from Winnipeg. Regina is about 6. Thunder Bay about 7. We really are in the middle of nowhere.

However, i may still pick up a Rega cdp in the next couple of months if that is one of those units touted as sounding different from ye olde generic Toshibas, Panasonics and Denons. My wife really likes the look of the star trekky transport and i am interested in seeing if one of the boutique models really has a more quiet and reliable transport when it comes to wear and tear over time. I can probably get one for a reasonable price so it is not going to be in that >$1000 category, more like $500 or less. We are still going to add a 5 disc (or more) player to the mix though, one that can play our DVD-A discs. If i wait awhile then we will also consider finding a good universal player instead (future proofing a bit).

Do you think a test like the one I mentioned can be a valid test?

"demasoni: Luckily I never had to justify what I spend on audio equipment.
I own or have tried budget and expensive gear. What I paid for my MF is what you paid for your cd player. In other word I get some of my stuff at distributors costs for services which I render to my client(s). Only my time is the cost...which I would give up for some nice gear. So kiss my kulos you Malaka!!!! "

Ok, so you didn't actually paid out of your pocket, but that doesn't mean you're not a sucker, because you still fell for that kind of ignorance hype and believe in all those nonsense that you'd fantasized, keep living in your la-la-land!! LOL

DJ Stunna:

I'd installed that KX Project drivers that you suggested, lots of useful features, first thing I notice is the noise floor is definitely better than the Creative drivers, I had the volume on max and the hiss or "white noise" is not audible unless I place my head directly on the speakers. thanks for the hookup!!