Help Me With Everything Needed: Computer Audio

I understand wanting a NOS DAC, but if you are really going with computer audio, you might want to consider on that does 24/96. I think the Havana only does 16 bit. 24/96 downloads are becoming more common and are often much better than 16/44.

I actually go against much of the thinking on the PC, using a dedicated Netbook with a 250GB disk and Windows 7 Starter and no anti-virus software. That means there are not many processes running. I use J River and the CPU usage is seldom more than 5%. Then, you can use a USB to SPDIF converter that controls the timing (async USB) like the M2Tech Hiface or Evo, Halide Bridge, Empirial Off-ramp between the netbook and the DAC. When using USB, the async mode is critial to reduce jitter.

If you just want to get your feet wet to start, consider the HRT Streamer II for $150. It is a USB dac that uses asynch USB. Probably not your final solution, but a good way to get started and you can probably resell it pretty easily. It is remarkably good for its price.

On a PC, J River and foobar are probably the most common players. foobar is free but it is a realtively simply user interface. J River is not free, but it is very flexible and support async USB very well. I would stay away from iTunes on the PC.

Nonoise - Many people are getting very nice results from computer audio. If you are not somewhat computer savvy, then it is probably best to hold off. But if you are somewhat computer savvy and willing to put in a little effort, it is very much worth it. I'm afraid the author of this article is a little too critical of a process which he may not be ready to accept.

foober is a free program that many like, especially when using ASIO. The user interface is somewhat limited, although there are front ends for foobar. J River Media Center is probably the most popular non-free program. It is very flexible and has very good support for Async USB. Your Streamer II+ will work nicely with J River using WASAPI Event mode, which is a mode meant for async USB. You can download a free 30 trial of J River. Windows Media Player and iTunes are generally not recommended for audiophiles using Windows. I use J River and like both its sound and its flexibility.