Here is the quick back story. I built a basic music server on windows 7/Jriver on a Asrock low end MB, Core i5, SSD HDD. Music is on a USB 3.0 external 1TB Toshiba HDD. There is a Paul Pang USB inside with a linear power supply. Thats it. no other bells or whistles. After disconnecting the USB to DAC I plugged the ext. HDD into the 3.0 port on the Paul Pang.
BUT, I sold my DAC and just bought a tube amp and I wanted to hear my digital collection as well as my vinyl. I was blown away by the server playing through my new amp. All the sweet adjectives we apply to our musical magic moments applies. But here is the kicker. I am playing out of the 3.5mm stereo jack on the motherboard direct to the amp through a POS 3.5mm to RCA cord.
What gives? Ive never heard this good-no amazing sound out of my 3.5mm of any computer. I mean if I didnt know how amazing it will be when I get a new DAC and go back through the Paul Pang I swear I could live without a new DAC. I swear. Golden ears no, but I think I know good sound stage, imaging and detail (micro-details too) when I hear it.
Could an Asrock cheap Motherboard have a decent DAC chip in it or one that happens to sound good? Is it Jriver? I think it is this one:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H61M-DGS/
