I am fairly new to the whole PC Audio/USB side of the fence. (Not new to audio...I am a custom installer for a retailer/integrator). I listen to all of my music on the PC. Its all ripped via EAC and encoded to FLAC and I exlusively use Foobar, so it seems I am already on the right track.
From my recent hours spent reading and researching, I am under the strong impression that the Empirical philosophy and application of their USB technology in specific is the reference standard for innovation and pure musical fidelity when considering using a PC as a dedicated audio source. I have learned much in the last days of staying up late surfing the forums and reading tech. papers, etc.
My 2 channel rig is under way as we speak. I have a Melody (Onix) SP3 integrated on the way. I recently had a great visit to Zu, where Sean was my host and gave me a tour of the facility, a chance to meet Ray Kimber and listen to the famous IsoMike demo rig, and lastly, a Druid demo in Sean's own basement in his new home. I was beyond impressed and am ready to order a set of the Druids for myself as soon as I am able.
My next task is to build a dedicated PC to use as the primary source in this system. It will be completely silent, and basic. No fans. Solid state hard disk. Minimal software and extras. Just the essentials for playing the music properly. I will likely stream the FLAC from a network storage.
So, then the missing link is the "in-between" stuff from PC to amp. If I had the means, I would get on the waiting list for the upcoming Formula One DAC! Yet, I am forced to budget somewhat in this endeavor. So...I come here to ask advice from the expert(s).
If I budget ~$1000 at this time for a USB DAC solution, what is my best move? Would buying a stock Benchmark DAC-1 USB be the best starting point? That would give me the option to later send it off to Steve for mods, and later add the Off-Ramp...Pace Car, etc....and gradually improve upon the stock foundation. It seems this might be the most appropriate way to do this on somewhat of a budget. Is there other options I should consider? If I come across a used already modded Northstar or P3A, maybe thats worth being patient for?
Thanks for any info or advice! Glad to be here and will check in often.
PS....this is for another forum, but what are some options for controlling the PC? Handheld PDAs? Webtablets? Wi-Fi controllers? etc.....just looking for ideas at this point.
