JJZolx;256224 Wrote: > That's certainly not the impression that I've gotten recently in > (probably) those same forums. Certainly, the _potential_ for better > sound reproduction lies with having an external DAC, but a lot of > audiphiles are running systems with professional sound cards and are > quite happy with the sound. > > That direction of discussion, though, probably isn't relevant to the > vast majority of multi-zone audio systems, which are seldom set up with > the best sound quality as a priority. Spending $400 to $1000 per sound > card per zone wouldn't doesn't much sense when using inexpensive > in-wall speakers and a cheap amp.
Just what I was about to post! I happened to have the m-audio left over from a previous HTPC build and found it fit for purpose. If it had not been to hand, I would most likely have used a cheap sound blaster or similar. Given that this is for whole house audio using budget amps and mix and match speakers, the set up is more than adequate. (For serious listening, a more serious system would be advised). Having said that, I'm more than happy with the sound quality, given that it's always background in any case. One could install RME or higher end sound cards for beter output. Peter -- meep ------------------------------------------------------------------------ meep's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=12744 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=41118 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss