LaZyLuke

iTrader: (2)

ok so here is the case... im going for pure SQ on this (sorry if wrong place but I could not find more suitable section):

HU: Pioneer Premier DEH-P780MP (SQ is decent- as for my budget) - AUX mini jack input

Laptop sound card integrated :/ - so i have a feeling im loosing most SQ on that part

I am looking for USB/FireWire 2 channel external sound card... nothing fancy as for voice recording and amplifiers for musical instruments or monitoring or extra EQ (the deck has plenty of options so I think it will be enough) ... basic 2 channel card with above average SQ- ground lift switch is a big plus

Budget: under 200 bucks....

i understand this has barely anything to do with car audio, however I could not register on few audiophiles forums so I figured i will ask here... anyone has any suggestions?

Any recommendations?

kevmurray

That HU should be fine. As far as sound quality goes, I bet double-blind you couldn't tell it apart from the top of the line units. We may define "SQ" differently of course.
No doubt. The internal sound cards in laptops suffer from sharing a power supply with the rest of the laptop's components. It's a very noisy electrical environment and the sound card is unfiltered.

I use a Creative Audigy2 on a PC card and it's worlds better than the internal sound card. It uses the same power source of course but it must have internal isolation and filtering because the clicks and rumble are gone. The bonus in this setup is that you can use PC based acoustic analysis software such as an RTA.

LaZyLuke

iTrader: (2)

thank you for the reply... my problem is that im running a laptop so PC cards are not really an option- I have found few external units by this company but all have 5+ channels... now i wont be using more then 2 obviously- anyone has a recommendation for a 2 or 2.1 channel card? I just dont want to pay for features i wot be using and instead pay more for a better quality 2 channel unit.....

kevmurray

This is a PC card. It goes in a laptop.

vast

M-audio Mobile Pre USB

~$50

dc23

High Resolution Technologies music streamer, or music streamer +, or music streamer II, or music streamer II + USB DAC, like this one:

HRT - Music Streamer II - Demo-Audio Advisor

or this one:

HRT - Music Streamer II Plus - Demo-Audio Advisor

You can probably still pick up one of the first-generation models (non-II; not asynchronous and not 24/96, but still pretty amazing) for less (I think Music Direct still has 'em). Dead-nuts simple plug 'n play--just plug it into a USB port on your laptop, then into the aux-in on your deck. It has a USB input on one end, RCA outputs on the other. It's powered by your laptop--just treat it like a cable. Guaranteed it'll sound astounding. I use one in my home system, running foobar2000 and Exact Audio Copy and ripping my music to FLAC files. Haven't listened to my CD player since I got it. Should work a treat in the car.

LaZyLuke

iTrader: (2)

Thanks everyone for help. And just like dc23 mentioned, I will be using it with flac files and foobar. I will get one in few weeks as the integrated is just horrible... Do the mentioned units have ground loop protection and ground noise protection? I have a hum everytime the computer is opening something or moving windows around (when the HU is cranked and I move the window I can hear the static noise as long as I keep dragging the window- or if I minimize windows etc... )... So I think it's due to the common ground that the audiooutput shares with the entire board... Also when I plug in an external HD or a monitor it has a noise but that's a ground loop I know I can buy a special bar to solve this but just curious if I one of the cards have that feature.

P.s. Just in case someone is wondering- yes this is a home setup- I'm going to get a plate amp soon and hook up subs at home. I allready have nice small columns (2way) that worked out with the HU very well.

kevmurray

Close, it's because the power supply is shared. The add-on cards are mostly immune to this. I have never heard a half decent one suffer the rumble and static noises.

dc23

I had a huge noise problem when I hooked up one of those little Behringer AD/DA boxes to my old Toshiba laptop. Wound up calling Bryston. Can't remember why other than I love my amp and they made it so they might know something. Guy there told me to cheat the ground on the laptop's power cord. Poof. Gone. Worth a try?

LaZyLuke

iTrader: (2)

That's called a ground loop and "cheating" ground can cost you the item that is not grounded... There are power bars that can solve this problem for around 30-40 bucks... You can also buy the ground loop terminator but I don't like the idea of that as in sQ setup.