Getting started

[901Fixer]

I searched some but I think I need a more 3rd grade approach, please.

I've wanted to get started on this for quite some time now but I wanted to make sure I had a plan and knew what to get instead of just buying stuff here and there and then not using any of it ultimately.

-I spend much of my time online researching, shopping, listening to music, watching movies etc.

-I'd like to have PC based audio storage, playback, EQ, processing, x-over and pre-amp capability so as to have control from my PC. Amplification onward I can handle in the traditional way.

-I'd use this to play music mostly thru desk top speakers as well as full sized home speakers.

-Software and Hardware. I'm in the market for a new PC and I wanna go the White Box via New Egg or some such route. I know internal amplifier boards are available but I'd prefer to have them external unless they are better now.

-My needs in a PC are simple and cheap by today's standards, no gaming. I'm not looking for the cheapest to get me thru, I'm looking for the most efficient way to go about it from a HiFi perspective.

-I also am not asking all of the questions I don't know I need to ask. Discussions in other threads touch on things I hadn't really considered or want to do at all.

[901Fixer]

Originally Posted by 901Fixer

I searched some but I think I need a more 3rd grade approach, please.

I've wanted to get started on this for quite some time now but I wanted to make sure I had a plan and knew what to get instead of just buying stuff here and there and then not using any of it ultimately.

-I spend much of my time online researching, shopping, listening to music, watching movies etc.

-I'd like to have PC based audio storage, playback, EQ, processing, x-over and pre-amp capability so as to have control from my PC. Amplification onward I can handle in the traditional way.

-I'd use this to play music mostly thru desk top speakers as well as full sized home speakers.

-Software and Hardware. I'm in the market for a new PC and I wanna go the White Box via New Egg or some such route. I know internal amplifier boards are available but I'd prefer to have them external unless they are better now.

-My needs in a PC are simple and cheap by today's standards, no gaming. I'm not looking for the cheapest to get me thru, I'm looking for the most efficient way to go about it from a HiFi perspective.

-I also am not asking all of the questions I don't know I need to ask. Discussions in other threads touch on things I hadn't really considered or want to do at all.

Don't bother with a sound card, you need the right DAC and everything will be alright, head over to that section.