The Dude Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 (edited) Ok, my laptop idea didn't work out to well as it makes some horrible sounds when hooked to my receiver. I am thinking of building a htpc, if so would I still need a dac. Or could I just build the dac in with the htpc. How could I build a low cost htpc that doesn't sound like crap. I know I would like to stream movies down the road, but for now music is what is important. Actually lets just stick with music play back, as when I am done with the basement I can move this HTPC to the garage. So really my needs are a simple HTPC that I can connect to my network to access my music, via remote app on my phone. It must sound decent and be able to play back flac. Wow I really simplified that. If I can't build the dac into it, then I guess it gives me reason to buy another piece of audio gear. Edited November 11, 2014 by duder1982 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 It might be that an external USB DAC would be just the ticket. Not so much a HTPC but can be a real upgrade in the audio quality department. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 JL are you saying that a dac by it self with my current lap top might take care of the problem. Or a standalone good dac with the htpc would be best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 (edited) external dac may solve your problem, There are several low priced options to experiment with. If it were me I would take advantage of the Schiit Modi deal for 99.00 it sounds very good , and if you dont like it they have a return policy http://schiit.com/products/modi Edited November 8, 2014 by joessportster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattSER Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 How is the DAC in your receiver? Do you have any digital audio connections from your laptop? Optical? HDMI? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Yes, I was thinking just get a DAC that can connect to a USB connection on your computer. Then connect the DAC to your receiver. Lots of ones to choose from out there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 (edited) I bought one of these. Looks like Crutchfield has them for $299.00. It is a nice DAC with an AMP built in. With setup you have a total 2.1 solution for a PC. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_063AH01S/TEAC-A-H01-Silver.html?tp=34948 Edited November 8, 2014 by JL Sargent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tromprof Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 (edited) You don't need anything fancy to get a good sound out of a computer based system. A good USB DAC takes care of that, or an AVR iif you want to output vidoe as well (then you would want an HDMI connection). My main music computer is an old Gateway that got demoted a couple of years ago. The computer is just supplying the 1s and 0s, the DAC takes care of the rest. You might want to look into some good software however like JRiver to run the show. Edited November 8, 2014 by tromprof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Joes DAC really looks good for $100 IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 tromprof turned me on to the Teac DACs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 How is the DAC in your receiver? Do you have any digital audio connections from your laptop? Optical? HDMI? My receiver is an analog receiver, actually just a preamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 This will be for my 2 channel rig, not so much pc system where I sit. My cd player starting making some funny noise, I figured since i have my music on a usb hard drive connected to my router acting as NAS in way. I just want to be able to access those tunes and control it with my phone. This looks like its worth a try, if it doesn't fix my laptop noise. I could then proceed to build a htpc for music and still utilize this with the htpc. If it were me I would take advantage of the Schiit Modi deal for 99.00 it sounds very good , and if you dont like it they have a return policy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 Just ordered my Schiit usb dac, we will see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 (edited) The HT PC I built uses an Asus Xonar. There is a USB version of this here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132073 It will give you analog outs for 5.1 channels. You would use a stereo mini to L/R RCA going into your receiver. The center channel is shared with the sub, so you have 6 channels actually, and one of them is the sub. There is also an optical output, which would give your laptop that interface if needed. There are cheaper and more expensive things out there, but the Xonar is the one I have been using. edit: FYI, for other folks, here is the 7.1 version of this external USB DAC/sound card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132067&cm_re=asus_xonar-_-29-132-067-_-Product Edited November 8, 2014 by mustang guy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Oops, too late with my post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 Oops, too late with my post. I still appreciate the recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 (edited) Yeah, I think you are gonna like that. That Shiit is a big bang for the buck looks like. Edited November 8, 2014 by JL Sargent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 That SHIIT looks nice... I had to do it.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 (edited) That SHIIT looks nice... I had to do it.... I ordered cause I heard its the schiit. Edited November 8, 2014 by duder1982 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 That SHIIT looks nice... I had to do it.... Yeah, but I beat you by 3 secs! LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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