Incarpc?

princepilot · Post by **princepilot** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:36 am

Hi,

Anybody know anything about incarpc's?

Do they sound as good or better then a headunit?

Can you get the speakers sounding better with a pc?

Matt

Post by **fuzzysnuggleduck** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:03 am

princepilot wrote:Hi,

Anybody know anything about incarpc's?

Do they sound as good or better then a headunit?

Can you get the speakers sounding better with a pc?

Matt

It all depends on the sound card in PC. Most on-board sound cards have pretty damn average DACs (digital to analog converter) but the higher end sound cards should be able to compete with most decks, except I doubt they compete at all with the very high end purpose built SQ decks out there.

Also, be sure not to get a nice carputer with a good sound card and end up playing shitty 128Kbps MP3s you downloaded from some shitty P2P network... the quality of the source becomes rather important when you're playing it on something other than walmart headphones, ear buds or "powered" PC speakers.

princepilot · Post by **princepilot** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:07 am

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, the soundcard would be the top of the range soundblaster audigy platinum fx. So with a top spec pc and a top sopec soundcard you still dont think they would compete with the very best headunits?

Also , what kbps would i need to have to sound the best? , is it 320kbps?

Matt

Post by **Bfowler** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:22 am

192 is considered "cd quality" but i perfer 256, as you can sometimes still hear data errors in very high or deep notes. anything higher then that is a waste Inho.

but yes, the higher the bit rate the better the sampling.

as Fuzzy said, with powerful DAC's on your sound card and a high bit rate, there is no reason the source will be the weak link. the sound quality of your system from then on will be dependent on your speakers and install.

Post by **fuzzysnuggleduck** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:43 am

Use VBR encoding, which is Variable Bit Rate. Soooo much better.

I can hear the difference in 192 and CD... "CD quality" my ass, the data file itself comparing CD to 192, there is substantial loss of data.

Post by **fuzzysnuggleduck** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:53 am

Check out this wikipedia page for more info about that card: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster_X-Fi

It seems to be a good card. Most of the criticism revolves around the marketing of teh 24-bit crystallizer because they make claims that are mathematically impossible.

That said, it probably sounds pretty damn good as long as your source (the audio file) is a high quality encoding from a high quality source such as CD.

HoseHead · Post by **HoseHead** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:55 am

I concur. Convert one of your studio mixed CD tracks using each sampling rate - 192, 256, 512 etc. Then play each back. You'll clearly hear the difference as the sampling rate increases. The same phenomenom is apparent with video recordings. The output is only as good as the source.

princepilot · Post by **princepilot** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:20 am

Hi,

So is the x fi card the best one in the creative lineup?

Also, what things would i need to my system then?

It will be a vauxhall omega saloon and i will want an incarpc, set off components for the front, same for the rear, and 1 or 2 18" subs in ported box.

What other kit will i need apart from the wiring?

Matt

princepilot · Post by **princepilot** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:41 am

Anybody?

Post by **Wakeup** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:51 am

Xfi is the latest from creative. And would say that is probably their best currently.

I am not sure what else you'd need.

Incarpc?

Incarpc?

Re: Incarpc?