Play FLAC files through 2-channel system

[whell]

As the header states I am looking at the best way to play FLAC and other lossless files through my main system (Nikko Beta 40 preamp and Nikko Alpha 440 power amp).
I am currently using an old and noisy desktop PC connected to the preamp via a 3.5mm to RCA cable assembly. The sound is far from great and I believe the cheap soundcard is one of the main culprits here. The other issue is the fan which sounds like a Boeing 747.

Could anyone advise on any units that can be connected directly to the preamp?
All music is on a separate 1TB harddrive so if required I can move it from the PC and install in such unit.
My budget is $500 or so.
The last resort would be to buy a new desktop (which I intend to do anyway) with a good soundcard, but I am hoping to find a neater separate solution where I don't have to switch on the PC every time I want to listen to music.

Thanks in advance
Tom

Lots of suggestions here, but maybe there's a way to get started the PC already have, and using your $500 budget in the most effective manner.

- Noisy desktop PC fan. First thing to check is to make sure the PC is well ventilated. Dust can be a major factor with PC fan noise. You can vacuum the PC's fan intake vent and make sure its completely clear of dust. You can also open up the PC and GENTLY clean the fan and any other vents from dust and debris. See if this helps with the fan noise issue. If not, you may need a replacement PC. you really don't need much of a PC for FLAC file playback. I used an old Pentium Core 2 DUO laptop that did the job just fine until it died recently. Shop for a reconditioned desktop - there are a number of PC shops around here that specialize in taking computers in that have come off-lease from corporations, reconditioning them, and reselling them for reasonable prices. More adventurous, you can see if you can find a good deal on a good condition used machine on Craigslist. $150 max should do it, but you could score a deal for a good condition machine for less than that.

- As others have observed, a significant improvement in sound can be had by inserting a good DAC into your playback chain. Until you figure out if you really like what PC based playback can do - and it can sound amazing - you might start out with a qualify, modestly priced DAC. You've got about $350 left to spend (unless your current PC responds well to a thorough cleaning), and how much of that you choose to spend and what you choose to spend it on is probably more of a subjective exercise. There are some reasonable suggestions already in this thread. Personally, I'd be tempted to go for used DAC. If you wanted to go new, its really hard to go wrong with the Schitt Modi Multibit DAC. Lots of bang for the buck with this one. And if you really like what PC - based audio can do for you, you'll have $100 left over to save for your next DAC upgrade.

 

[xero-D-hero]

FWIW: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....e-an-external-dac.839915/page-5#post-12235629

My first foray into external DAC's mostly came about as result of putting together my headphone / nearfield system.

I mean I had used a Fiio D3 with some Sony wireless headphones before that.
But that was simply as a "means to an end" in that I just needed to convert the digital signal from our TV to an analog signal the headphones could use.

Anyhow,back to the HP/NF rig,in the process of putting that rig together I used a NAD 106 preamp as I wanted something that could drive 600Ω AKG's.
See I was feeding that preamp from my PC's SB Zx analog outs,and I was hearing a good deal of PC noise with the AKG's.
Now in the past I did'nt hear that at all listening to my Sony MDR-7506's via the SB Zx's ACM (audio control module).
And I had tried the AKG's with the SB Zx ACM as well before,and while it sounded OK,it needed to be cranked to near max to get a decent listening level.
So enter the NAD 106 preamp and the realization the noise was actually there,
But with the SB Zx ACM it was just buried there waaayyy deep in the background,too deep to really notice.

So I need some isolation from the PC's noise.

I figured WTH I'll try another one of those cheap Fiio DAC's via the SB Zx's optical outs instead of the analog (RCA) outs...

And d@mned if it did'nt sound MUCH better connected that way,and all that PC noise was gone.

Thus began much studying up on the subject,and as an experiment I scored a deal on an older Schitt Modi optical.
And that sounded even better than the Fiio D3,so I had proven to myself the whole DAC thing was an area worthy of exploration.

So then I got a Parasound D/AC-1000 and WOW did that sound good,at that point I felt this was more than I expected,so I'm happy for now.

Then the OptiModi got moved over to the BR system (where it still sounds d@mn good) and the HP/NF system uses the D/AC-1000.

A while later I found a good deal on another D/AC-1000 so seeing I liked the first one soooo much I grabbed that 2nd one for my big rack enclosure system.

I'm strictly a redbook guy right now,so for me these are all I really need.
IMO the PCM-63 is about as good as it gets for redbook.
And those D/AC-1000 can be upgraded to handle 24/96k res. files,if I ever deem it necessary.
And if I need to listen to higher res material I always have the Yamaha CD-S300-rk in that rack enclosure rig.

So yeah,it's definitely not snake oil if you ask me.

FWIW

Bret P.

That's ^^^^ what I went thru with this same sorta thing.

Hence why I asked for more info 'bout the current 'puter...

See it may be as simple as using an optical out that his PC may already have.
Then route that thru a $25 Fiio D3 DAC via $10-$20 worth of cables (1 optical & 1 stereo RCA).
So yeah he could easily get this handled pretty painlessly.

That got me like 80% of my improvement right there,and it killed the PC noise completely.

And like I said,fixing the fan noise is simple,just buy better (ie: quieter) fans to replace the old noisey fans.
IIRC my Noctura cost me like $80.00 for all four (3x 3pin case fans & 1x 4pin CPU PWM fan).

Now if he's doing high res material,he may need something more than a Fiio D3,so it would help to know more about that as well.

But I digress...

HTH

Bret P.

 

[Mr.Horse]

I realize this post is old but what I would do for dedicated .fla, .wav, eac storage and playback utilizing a windows jukebox program to catalog and playback the music files would be to buy one of the refurbished small form factor Hewlett Packard Windows PC's that it seems every computer store has for cheap and install a Xonar Essence STX ii sound card. The HP PC can be hooked up to the present monitor to toggle between the present desktop. The Xonar has a headphone amp with a proper headphone jack output and rca outputs to connect to the preamp.

 

[Aerobat]

I ended up buying a Modi DAC and I just play FLAC files from my Android phone using the built-in app. I also have them on a USB stick for my car since that works better as a file server than the phone for that application (Ford Sync 3).