Are Laptops Good Enough for Hi-Res Audio in 2021?
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- čas přidán 22. 12. 2021
- People ask me all the time if using a laptop would be good enough for Hi-Res Audio.
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This video is brought to you by Intel. For more details on the Intel EVO platform check
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Intel Evo Platform based laptops: shop-links.co/cggETGzN9UI
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The DAC always dominates dude.....Spending an arm and a leg on a streamer is almost like spending an arm and a leg on cables.
My introduction into a minimalist audiophile world was via a heavy laptop, a portable DAC and some good powered bookshelf speakers; while listening to music files, CD’s and digital music purchases. My return to a love for analog via vinyl as well as streaming from Spotify & Tidal changed that plus, use of an iPad instead of a laptop altered the path. Still relevant, useful and flexible, if I ever start teleworking, I would return to that tech.
Thanks Jay, nice to hear. I always thought a computer would suffice as a streamer. Spend the cash saved on the streamer and get a better DAC.
I hear you ! I find desktop computers to be noisy at times so laptop was a better solution for me.
Are you deaf? This is a paid computer ad and nothing more. He clearly never stated the computer sounded better. In fact, he stated the computer doesn’t have the same sound quality as a dedicated streamer.
I always recommend to get a raspberry pI with a digital board or an external DDC with good clocks. This saves you a lot of money, it's small and convenient and jitter perfomance is on the same level as most of those boutique audio company's streamers
Don’t have a $3k streamer to compare it to but the RP4 with Allo digione signature HAT running Volumio sounds good via SPDIF to an external DAC. Powered with a LPS. However it is still a bit buggy, with at least one dropout per 30 mins on a totally capable wired network.
@arcomel is tot possible to set bigger buffer?
@@rndm4642 Jay has a really expensive DAC with a custom async USB input that doesn't need reclocking and should have a good master clock. If you have one, use USB.
Along the same lines, the Pi2AES board on a rpi4 is reported to be even more outstanding. Looking to upgrade to it from my allo digione/rpi3b+. But have also tried a laptop via usb with fidelizer software quieting-down unessential operations….which done right sounds surprisingly good
RPi is the best audio streamer value.
Rob Watts (main Chord designer) uses an MSI computer (I have read). The MSI (a GT w/ Intel 9750 using an internal solid state drive for music files) sounds great to my ears (with a Chord DAC).
Hi Jay’s, thank you, thank you, thank you for an excellent video. You have saved around 4K USD. I am using a fan less Dell laptop with is few years old, and wondering how a dedicated music server could be better? You have put an end to my search, thank you. The OCD hifi guy pulled the covers of popular servers and it’s all a single board simple computers and nothing much. Now I can put that money towards an Audio Research Ref 6 preamplifier. Thank You.
Really great to know that there is a more optimized laptop option. Wonder how software like Fidelizer could improve SQ even more 🙏🏼
I have to ask as I love your room décor. Where did you get the beautiful screens that run up the sides of your room? I know it’s off topic but would love to see a video on your room style and treatments. Thanks so much and all the best for the coming year. CS.
Any idea when the Burson Funk Jay's edition is coming out? I am looking forward to picking it up.
Hola muy buen video. Me gustaría que te refirieras en otro video a como son tus conexiones y cuales recomienda entre PC, DAC y amplificador. Tambien que software recomiendas como reproductor y si usas aquellos que hacen bit perfect. Un saludo desde Cuba
Hi jay, i've been browsing your video because i was curious about your linear diffuser and i noticed this is the first video which shows them. Please tell us more about it, what are the differences between linear diffusers and your previous diffuser?
I use a fanless mini pc with ssd hard drive and linear power supply as music steamer with audirvana connected to m'y dac with excellent result
Are those new diffusion panels? Where did you get them from?
Hi Jay,
I have yet to buy a streamer and am very interested in this video and getting an Intel EVO laptop. What software are you using to replace your streamers? And you mentioned there was a difference in the sound between them, but you didn’t expand on that, so will you now? Oh and is there anything else you might suggest?
Thanks in advance and hope you have a great new year!
JD
Gee thanks Jay, I was just getting ready to purchase a Mac Mini now I have to re-evaluate. Some of us rely and value your opinions and recommendations (I for one). I’m using my Mac Notebook Air now but it doesn’t like being unplugged from AC power and doing more than one task. Oh well decisions decisions. Great video, thanks.
If you’re thinking of employing a PC for streaming, seriously, I would highly recommend a Mac mini!
Thanks jay. Always been happy with my newish laptop but been wondering how to improve it ? You may of opened a can of worms here testing laptops etc fir sound quality
What company is your chair furniture from? It looks really comfy
Is the R700 review coming soon?
iPad to DAC to headphone stack 🥳
iPhone to DAC to headphone stack 🥳
hi jay
please try and compare a flagship android device as well.
How much did you pay for your Denafrips Terminator DAC?
I use a MacMini without screen with Roon. Makes for an excellent streamer at a much lower price point:-)
How do u use it without a screen? And how do you output the audio digitally (coax/spdif)? What dongle to get to output to the coax/spdif?
I use MacMini with Audirvana, it sounds good to me.
@@kas4751 I use either VNC or Apple screen share for the few occasions I need to manage the MacMini. I use actuality 2 as per Roon recommendation. My 2nd is the M1 as Roon Bridge. With Uptone ISO Regen USB to a Denafrips DDC then connected with I2S to the Denafrips DAC.
Yo tambien utilizo una MacMini 2014 sin pantalla con Audirvana, salida usb con SMSL SU-9 y va muy bien. Lo controlo con mi Ipad Air 4 con la app Aurdirvana Remote, y para apagarlo la MacMini con Anydesk
I was just about ask about using a Mac.
What's up Jay I'm curious what are those. Speakers behind you?
Awesome
I use my thinkpad p52s. With a power point clicker to change tracks and volume
what soft you use with laptop to listen music?
When you're falling asleep in class so you turn on spotify 5:16
My main hifi source is a giant gaming desktop PC lol. It does have a really good power supply though: Corsair AX1200i. The processor is liquid cooled but it does have a dual 120mm fan radiator, plus two other 120mm case fans. I don't notice any more noise when using my PC as a source than when I used the internal streamer of my audiolab 6000a Play. Though I do connect my PC to the audiolab through optical connection. Which I do believe is supposed to be less noisy than USB. But even when I used my Modius DAC with the PC plugged in via USB, with RCA out from Modius to the audiolab, I never thought it was noisy. I just preferred the internal Sabre DAC of the audiolab to the Modius. So I moved the Modius back to headphone only duty.
My speakers are Klipsch Cornwall IVs. Which is an amazing pairing with the audiolab!
a streamer hardware is also a pc platform but with a stream down spec. So it actually the same thing.
How can a streamer sound better than a laptop if you use a quality external DAC?
You can use the optical output to get rid of noise right? In my mind, if your DAC handles jitter well... You're good to go!
Just me but I don’t like using optical as it limits your resolution.
@@Jayiyagi you got a good point! Didn't think of that because I listen to lossless files and CDs 😋
@@Jayiyagi Optical is an issue like SP/DIF because the clock is in the master and has to be recovered in the recievier. This is NOT how audio class 2 USB works.
Hey i want to make music but the problem is that the highs of my hp laptop are boosted pretty much in other words the sound is not neutral, how can i make it neutral?
Congratulations on getting sponsored by intel
Thanks man. It was awesome working with them.
@@Jayiyagi Many more sponsors in the future for sure
Yes, good job, love Intel.
As long as I can add a high quality power cable, with great filtering and pure silver. I’ve realized my computer will sound cleaner and will run faster.
QUESTION - sound from my iPad to DAC is variable and I get up to 24/192, but from my MacBook it's fixed and limited to 16/44 (using Apple Music). Why is that? Thought I'd get a better signal from a MacBook...
I use macbook too, no experience with ipad, but MacBook software support only up to 16/44 if you use generic browser to stream. You will have to use program like Roon or Audirvana(the one I’m using) they are able to support tidal and Qobuz, and you can remote control it on your phone as well. However I’m not happy about my usb cable as I have to get adapter so I think the sound is compromised. So for long term I would like to save up for a streamer.
Mine is opposite of that…iPad is worse than MacBook Air….With either dragonfly red or my schiit modi. I use Amazon HD though…not sure if that’s why.
@@tsaoandy9732 Thanks for reply. iPad seems the easiest. Switched from Tidal to Apple Music and think it's better tbh (no MQA), so Roon or Audirvana won't work for me.
Mac Dude... Im game to take a look....
laptop - DDC - DAC - PreAmp - Amp - Speakers
Seems working just great for me.
Just my opinion, I have an expensive PrimaLuna valve amp. I previously used a Cambridge Audio CXN V2 streamer, which costs £750 UK. It sounded awful. I sold that, bought a Cayin IDAC6 MK II, and use Quobuz via a USB cable from my laptop, with the Cayin Sound driver and it sounds in a different league altogether for the same cost. Streamers are practical but overrated in terms of price vs performance. I have previously had a Cambridge Audio 851N streamer, which costs £1400 new and streaming via my laptop direct into a decent DAC is still every bit as good. If you can live with a cable, then to me it's a no brainer.
Have you tried sound over hdmi? For people who arc. To compare. To your well trained ears
Kinda different topic but, why does my medium range laptop from ten years ago have MUCH better audio than my new-ish 2022 gaming laptop !?
If you use ASIO as output it is bit perfect there is no differences at all. BUT you can also use ROON and in it HQplayer so you get M Scaler on your PC.
problem with a laptop is there is no way to connect to your DAC with it being wired
you cant control the laptop with a phone
How do you make sure that the laptop doesn’t make strange things with the audio output format.
What strange things ?
@@Jayiyagi please check out for example related vlogs from PS Audio.
He use audirvana to eliminate not controlable activities from the operating system of your laptop.
@@Jayiyagi Like weird noises in the night doors opening dishes flying across the room those type of strange things😂🤣😂🤣
Just get a priest and let him pray over the laptop to remove the strange things and occurrences that happen at night😂🤣😂
@@Jayiyagi I think hes talking about how Windows can mess with your sound. Kinda like how when using Foobar you install certain add-ons to get WASPI so its a clean untouched output. I think when using Tidal for instance, it handles that because you cant run Tidal and a YT video at the same time as Tidal takes "exclusive control" of the sound.
The only thing you need is USB to I2S converter with linear power supply and the signal will be excellent!
Which USB to I2S converter ?
why would you do that? if your DAC has a good clock the USB connection will be able to use it. It is my understanding the for all other connection the source clock is used by the DAC only the USB connection uses the DAC's clock
C'mon Jay.....c'mon.....zero dB emitting Windows operated notebooks or tablets, powerful enough for hi-res streaming are available for quite some time now, maybe 5 years or so. I guess you know that very well. While building a fanless desktop PC is no longer a big deal since oversize CPU coolers, SSDs and fanless or semi-fanless power supplies became available for little money.
Anyway, I agree....this is a quite sophisticated ultra slim bezel notebook.
My problem with computers is that their usb outputs always sound noisy. I've yet to hear a usb port on a laptop that is totally clean with no dirt in it. As a result of these problems with USB I just use optical and coaxial for my serious listening.
I hear you, especially on my desktop, although I didn’t experience that with this laptop.
I try to avoid optical and coax because USB has a higher resolution but nothing sucks more than noise
This is nonsense. Once upon a time, the timing on the signal was driven from the host side, but that has not been the case for a long time. The data is protected by checksums and the device will show an error if it is not bit perfect. The receiver chips have buffering that hide the timing issues in teh conversation between the devices.
I had the noise problem that you mentioned via the USB connection, and it was more pronounced with a class D amplifier. Not as bad with my tube amp with the same source from my DAC and preamp.
Try this: iFi Nano iGalvanic3.0 - USB Galvanic Isolation, and it may help masking some of the noise problem.
@@Jayiyagi true. USB has better resolution. Though since im using a mi box for my hifi which also connected to my TV for netflix. I have no choice but using coaxial. With USB, the netflix keeps saying "not supported" for movie that uses HDR or etc. Idk how to fix that ...
An SSD is much better for sound quality than the old spinning hard drives.
No, it is not, unless the machine is close and noisy.
Hum… not sure if I’m with you on this one. It sounds very commercially oriented. Thanks Intel (EVO) 😉
You are right ! It is commercially oriented as you can see clearly outlined as a sponsorship with all the disclaimers and #ad
BUT sponsorship doesn’t mean I have to lie about my opinion especially on the sound part !
I respect the skepticism as it is a sponsorship
@@Jayiyagi Don’t get me wrong, you are doing fantastic videos, very inspiring. You made me discover the Sonus Faber Electa III. Just bought the SF Maxima Amator. Keep up with the good work!!
@@Jayiyagi It does not necessarily require a lie to leave a bit of a stale aftertaste. It's just very hard to believe that you as a major HiFi geek did not follow the progress portable (Windows operated PC) devices made within the last five or six years. In particular when it comes to the abandonment of fans (chipset coolers) and noisy HDDs. I'm simply not buying that this device comes to you as such a big surprise(!) as you pretend. And I think I'm not alone with my perception.
I just hooked up my M1 MacBook Pro playing Qobuz in place of my Auralic streamer. Clearly and obviously, the laptop was worse than the dedicated streamer. I even used the same digital cable. I won't be following your laptop advice.
Get a Pi2AES. Don't need anything else.
Intel laptops get hot very quickly. I can’t imagine that this does not have an impact on the usb out. The MacBook latest laptop are quite, very efficient and never get hot. I’m sure they are way better than intel for music
CPU heat would have no affect on the USB buss.
Heck yes laptops are noisy! Ever drop one on the floor?
Tons of times dude
Wondering why you deleted my comment? I don't think I said anything offensive at all.
Hey man. All comments get filtered by a third party so it takes a few min before appearing.
I wouldn't buy a $2000 streamer using Supra cable. I bet upgrading that USB cable might make more difference than buying a non-top tier streamer.
Mmm. I owned a lot of usb cables. Changes I saw as price went up were not always positive. I use supra because it has proper impedance
@@Jayiyagi USB protocol will identify errors. Cables are in-spec or not. It is a digital network with error detection and correction, cable quality stuff is bullshit.
First!
Get a Mac.
That may be in consideration actually :) thanks for the suggestion
I bought a Mac book pro many years ago and paid top dollar for it just for listening to music then after about six years it became a boat anchor because Apple won't support any further upgrades to the operating system on their older computers. Windows is somewhat similar to as they keep changing up the windows line and then not supporting their older formats. I'm thinking this is one advantage to a music server.
Streamers are a waste of time and money