hi everyone
there's been a lot of threads asking about which soundcard/speakers/headphones recently.. perhaps we can keep a single post listing different setups so others can use it as a reference.. this is my first time doing something like this so i'm not sure if i'll be able to maintain it properly.. but here it goes...
setup
source/usage: sd television, games (tf2, pro evolution soccer series, mirror's edge), occasionally music (itunes + apple loseless)
interface: onboard soundmax AD1988B -- spdif (optical) -- zero dac with upgraded opamp OPA627
speakers: zero dac line out -- monster stereo cables -- swan m10 (usage: tv, other games, music)
headphones: zero dac headphone out -- audio technica ad700 (usage: tf2)
cost
zero dac: $178 USD from ebay
swan m10: $82 USD + shipping from theaudioinsider.com
ad700: $126 USD from ebay
remarks
upgraded to zero dac + ad700 from using onboard + front panel + koss sb40 because of the noise/interference i was getting.. decided on the zero dac over a sound card because of its flexibility with other devices
feel free to make suggestions to the format/info that should be posted.. but let's keep discussion to a minimum here so it'll be easier to use as a reference
there's been a lot of threads asking about which soundcard/speakers/headphones recently.. perhaps we can keep a single post listing different setups so others can use it as a reference.. this is my first time doing something like this so i'm not sure if i'll be able to maintain it properly.. but here it goes...
setup
source/usage: sd television, games (tf2, pro evolution soccer series, mirror's edge), occasionally music (itunes + apple loseless)
interface: onboard soundmax AD1988B -- spdif (optical) -- zero dac with upgraded opamp OPA627
speakers: zero dac line out -- monster stereo cables -- swan m10 (usage: tv, other games, music)
headphones: zero dac headphone out -- audio technica ad700 (usage: tf2)
cost
zero dac: $178 USD from ebay
swan m10: $82 USD + shipping from theaudioinsider.com
ad700: $126 USD from ebay
remarks
upgraded to zero dac + ad700 from using onboard + front panel + koss sb40 because of the noise/interference i was getting.. decided on the zero dac over a sound card because of its flexibility with other devices
feel free to make suggestions to the format/info that should be posted.. but let's keep discussion to a minimum here so it'll be easier to use as a reference