Need help with PC set up .

paulvo

Active Member
Hi everyone , I'm new to this Digital setup . I want to play music from a Laptop ( Dell with Window 7 ) to a DAC and to my Preamp > Amp > Speaker . Here is my question : I want to connect a Laptop to DAC using a USB cable but on my Laptop I can only get the sound out from Head phone input. Nothing coming out of USB input . Do I need a new Sound card with USB ? Please chime in and give me some instruction on how to do this.
Thanks
Paulvo
 
Hi everyone , I'm new to this Digital setup . I want to play music from a Laptop ( Dell with Window 7 ) to a DAC and to my Preamp > Amp > Speaker . Here is my question : I want to connect a Laptop to DAC using a USB cable but on my Laptop I can only get the sound out from Head phone input. Nothing coming out of USB input . Do I need a new Sound card with USB ? Please chime in and give me some instruction on how to do this.
Thanks
Paulvo
In order to accomplish what you're setting out to do, the DAC in question must specifically state on its packaging/in its manual that it outputs audio signals via USB 2.0/3.0. Otherwise, you merely have a physical cable spanning two points with no active transfer of data. It's the settings in the DAC's software in Windows/Linux that facilitate output to the preamp/amp. You do not need a new sound card, as the audio signal will be routed directly through the DAC connected to your laptop via a USB port, bypassing your sound card en route to the preamp/amp.
 
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Hi KDAC ,
Thanks for a quick respond . Right now I used a DAC with my CDP and DVD with no problem . I can't make the Laptop communication with the DAC via Audioquest Cinamon USB A>B . Somebody told me I have to make the select on my Laptop but I can't find where I can do that .
Thanks
 
Is your DAC recognized as a playback device in Windows? Go to Sound settings in Control Panel and you should see an option to select the DAC as the audio output.
 
I have a Fubar USB DAC and it depends on how you plug in or turn on the units as to Windows seeing it. Like Kuze said, go to the Audio link of Control Panel and it should be showing there. Rt Click it and set as default.
 
Hi everyone , I'm new to this Digital setup . I want to play music from a Laptop ( Dell with Window 7 ) to a DAC and to my Preamp > Amp > Speaker . Here is my question : I want to connect a Laptop to DAC using a USB cable but on my Laptop I can only get the sound out from Head phone input. Nothing coming out of USB input . Do I need a new Sound card with USB ? Please chime in and give me some instruction on how to do this.
Thanks
Paulvo
Hello, what kind of DAC are you using? Sometimes it needs an installer from the manufacturer.
Check this video.
 
I prefer having noisy (in the electrical sense of RFI) general purpose PCs far away from primary music systems.

LMS resides on a NAS in the office while the main system is located on another floor in the house connected by ethernet and the garage system via WiFi. Both use a small battery or ultracapacitor powered endpoint that run small footprint music playback only Linux distros.
 
I have gone back and forth on this myself for decades. While I did build a MediaCenter PC for the TV room 15 years ago, I have never built one for the 2-channel room. I came close again last year, but a BlueSound Node 2i won me over. When I sit down in that room, I don't want to be the IT guy any more - it want it to be an appliance and just work. Part of it is also noise as @E-Stat alluded to above (although fan noise is a more practical consideration).

I am glad it's working for you though. Having instant access to millions of songs is a game changer no matter how you get there.

jblnut
 
I prefer having noisy (in the electrical sense of RFI) general purpose PCs far away from primary music systems.
Same here--no computers on the same circuit as my audio system for that reason. They are electrically noisy--RFI and EMI are the issues. With streamers (renderers) being so readily available today, and NAS boxes cheap, they have eliminated needing a PC in my system.

The only computer I "built" for the audio system was putting together an Intel NUC to run Roon Core (and a couple of other media server processes to offload them from the NAS), and that can reside anywhere on the network, like down on my network shelf in the basement (modem, router, switches, two NAS boxes, HDHomeRun network tuner, etc.).
 
With streamers (renderers) being so readily available today, and NAS boxes cheap, they have eliminated needing a PC in my system.
I retired my ten year old Win7 box last year (well almost - still use its Blu Ray drive for ripping music/video) and considered options. Some IT guys from another audio site both use Synology NAS units and suggested I consider that path. Originally, my plan was to purchase a new Mac Mini with 2 TB of storage to handle my data. Since it uses high speed (and expensive) M.2 SSDs, the cost of doing so was pretty high. So, I purchased it with the base 256 GB configuration Mac Mini (I use < 50 GB) and bought a two drive Synology 718+ with 6 GB memory with a pair of inexpensive 2 TB spinning rust drives running RAID 1. And run LMS (Logitech Media Server) on it for both music and video. It is not nearly as CPU intensive as Roon and has a small memory footprint (200 MB). I really like the idea of redundant, managed storage optimized for throughput with a huge dedicated cache. And not having to reboot it for months on end since it runs a version of Linux. One of the other guys has both a 718+ and 918+ and for grins, replaced the spinning rust drives with SSDs and did some benchmarks. While they are clearly beneficial for a workstation's OS and applications, he noted no gains using them for overall data retrieval of music.

I use an ultraRendu powered by an LPS-1.2 in the main system and a RPI 3B with Allo DigiOne powered by a 2A battery in the garage. I even declocked the RPi by 25% and disabled internal audio, Bluetooth, HDMI and LEDs to enhance battery life. Those streamers handle the FLAC decompression and playback duties using tiny Linux based operating systems that stay in memory after boot. I also use a linear power supply in the office for the cable modem and router and use a Tripp Lite ethernet isolator just before the ultraRendu. While these steps may seem overkill, I find that JNDs (just noticeable differences) are cumulative for providing the lowest noise floor and highest transparency.
 
One of the other guys has both a 718+ and 918+ and for grins, replaced the spinning rust drives with SSDs and did some benchmarks. While they are clearly beneficial for a workstation's OS and applications, he noted no gains using them for overall data retrieval of music.
I was considering SSDs for a new Synology setup, but like you say, the bandwidth for even high-res audio is far below the maximum throughput of SSDs. And even the old spinning drives have no problem keeping up with the audio...or video, for that matter, as I've ripped BluRay to the Synology and it is delivered without any pauses or stuttering. As for actual PCs (including laptops), I switched to SSDs several years ago and haven't looked back.

I also considered SSDs for the idea of getting rid of moving physical components, but I guess that SSDs can also wear out. (That may be from repeated writing vs. repeating reading--it's been a while since I've read about it, and my memory's not so good anymore.) If the capacity improves and prices drop, I may finally change over. I do keep backups, though, so anything catastrophic is easily restored, no matter what kind of drive I'm using.

I've pretty much stuck to Roon Core here, largely because I stocked up on Chromecast Audio pucks and they are great for remote systems in the garage, kitchen, etc. If I'm not playing from my own server, I'm streaming through Qobuz (using Roon) or using Pandora directly from the app to the CCA units. Thinking back 15 or so years, we've come a long way with delivering audio throughout the house! (I don't miss 30 ft. runs of speaker wire, that's for sure!)
 
And even the old spinning drives have no problem keeping up with the audio...or video, for that matter, as I've ripped BluRay to the Synology and it is delivered without any pauses or stuttering.
They would likely make a difference in a write-intensive world but music and video streaming is largely a sequential read process that gets quickly cached.

On the RPi, I configured 600 MB of its 1 GB memory as an output buffer for streaming 192/24 content out in the semi-detached garage. With 44/16, it is essentially memory playback for an entire album. The piCorePlayer software takes but 140 MB.

Also stream Qobuz Studio via a plug in to LMS.
 
I think maybe you guys are talking way above the OP's abilities and comfort level.

He is having trouble just getting sound out through the USB port.

Of course, I could be wrong. :)
 
I think maybe you guys are talking way above the OP's abilities and comfort level.

That's because we weren't replying to the OP (or even this four-year old thread...); our posts were moved here from another thread, where we thought they were appropriately pitched...
 
Well now, that changes everything!

:D

Carry on.

(I don't know why everything is underlined now.)
 
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