Hi!

I am thinking about connecting a laptop to my receiver in order to play mp3s. I am quite concerned about sound quality. I am thinking about bying an USB soundcard so I can connect my laptop using toslink or coax. This way, I am going to use the DAC of my Denon AVC-A1SE. Then my thoughts are that it shouldnt really matter what USB soundcard I get, right? I can get the cheapest one, and it should sound exactly as the most expensive one??

-Z

Unfortunately NO.. The process of converting digital data to analogue in theory is very simple.. pass through a DA converter and then LP the DA output to produce a smooth output..

In practice, the design of the LP filter in analogue circuitry with sharp cut-off freq can be very complex and expensive, requiring some highly precision electronic components.. and that determines the output sound quality too ..

Of course, there are a lot of techiques to overcome this problem with varying effects on the output sound quality..

Sorry.. are you using a digital output to the DAC of the Devon AVC-A1SE ??

Some soundcards simply cannot output bit perfect. Also audiophiles will tell you that different jitter characteristics will affect sound quality audibly.

Be carefull, as some soundcards have to resample, even when using digital out.

Regarding USB soundcards that do no resample, yes they should all be similar if you only use them for digital out.

A point to consider is that some USB soundboxes (after all they are not really "cards") need an external power, and some are directly powered from the USB port

Edit: external power or powered bu usb is probably not important to you, as you are not likely to put your Denon amplifier in your laptop bag anyway.

Digital accuracy : first link in this post : http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....indpost&p=74074

Jitter : no listening test run in controlled and reproductible conditions ever showed that jitter can audibly affect the sound of a hifi DAC. Thus, according to the Terms Of Service of the board, we won't assume that it can until a test properly setup (see the FAQ) proves it.