KingElvis wrote:Good posts all
Let me get this straight:
As long as you get real audio on your pc/amp instead of "static noise" you will hear how much better
hd tracks really are??
I would assume speakers,cables and so on are important as well?
There are poor quality speakers,cables,blu ray players,amp and so on out there.
With the right playback software I think I can get my 10 year old laptop to play these files but find it hard
to believe that I then will get full 24/96 audio quality?
Can someone tell what D/A- converter actually do and are they a must?
Noob so please explain,THANKS
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
So let me see if I can help you out.
The computer becomes the source, the device playing the files.
The computer requires the right software (itunes, JRiver, Media Monkey, and so on) to 'play' the files.
In this world the word 'play' means to take the digital file and convert it to analogue sound impulses.
This is the job of the DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) within the computer.
The DAC pushes out analogue sound via the sound card.
Now, of course the quality of the DAC in the computer, and the quality of the sound card do count an influence the sound.
So much so that many choose a separate DAC, which is fed a digital stream by the computer.
The DAC then sends analogue signals to your hi-fi.
These off board DACS can cost anything from £30.00 to several thousand pounds.
Every piece of the chain, from source to speakers, influences what you hear.
I have used a Cambidge Audio DAC for many years, with great sound. Now I have moved on and no longer use this.
Today I use a dedicated device from Marantz to accept the digital stream and convert it to analogue sound.
Whether or not your current laptop is up to the job, well possibly, depending on the quality of the DAC and sound card within it. The best way to know? Purchase one HD album, plug in your headphones and 'play' it. If you like what you hear then you are set to go. It is perfectly possible that your 10 year old laptop can do this. There are parameters to check regarding the DAC being able to decode the 24-bit 96 kHz files.
If your laptop is an apple then you are indeed set to go, even if it is 10 years old.
There are many people who consider themselves 'audiophiles' who will tell you that the DAC and sound card in your average Apple MacBook is perfectly acceptable for this, as well as many modern Windows laptop.
Actually, this is not as new as you might think. Your CD player is actually a computer reading data from the CDs and converting it to analogue sound. Again we have a digital source, DAC and a sound card, it's just that we are not used to thinking about the parts within the CD player that make it work.
Does that help?