I have an audio setup which is based on an Advent 4211 netbook running iTunes into some mostly elderly Hi Fi kit - it's for casual listening not my main listening room.
The problem is that the netbook's onboard Realtek sound is plagued by background noise which is a typical laptop issue. If you run the notebook on the battery only then it quietens right down but the battery is only a 3 cell and runs down quite quickly.
My first attempt to improve things was to use a Firestone Fubar II USB DAC which gave a much improved sound (although not absolutely silent) but unfortunately had a fatal flaw which was every few minutes the USB Suspend LED flickered usually accompanied by an audible click. I tried a number of software performance tweaks to no avail and had to return it.
I had an inexpensive USB Soundblaster Connect unit sitting in a drawer and found this marginally quieter than the onboard Realtek so have been using this. Again with the notebook on battery power it's very much quieter. As this Soundblaster takes its power from the USB I guess the noise is coming through that route. Unlike the Fubar, this little box has no issues with the USB data interface - never skips a beat.
Recently it occurred to me that as the Soundblaster has an optical out connection (which I've never used) a possible improvement might be to connect this to a DAC which has both an optical input and its own power supply. After some hours Googling I came across the Beresford TC-7510 which seems like it might fit the bill.
As I am a novice at all this I wondered if anyone with experience of this type of thing might be able to comment as to whether it might be a workable solution.
There is also the Beresford TC-7520 which is a bit more expensive but which also has a direct USB connection as well as optical in. If this was at least as quiet as the Fubar II on the USB input and did not suffer from the Fubar's USB data handling glitch then there would be no need for the USB Soundblaster at all. That would by-pass any possible issues with an optical connection.
All advice gratefully received!
The problem is that the netbook's onboard Realtek sound is plagued by background noise which is a typical laptop issue. If you run the notebook on the battery only then it quietens right down but the battery is only a 3 cell and runs down quite quickly.
My first attempt to improve things was to use a Firestone Fubar II USB DAC which gave a much improved sound (although not absolutely silent) but unfortunately had a fatal flaw which was every few minutes the USB Suspend LED flickered usually accompanied by an audible click. I tried a number of software performance tweaks to no avail and had to return it.
I had an inexpensive USB Soundblaster Connect unit sitting in a drawer and found this marginally quieter than the onboard Realtek so have been using this. Again with the notebook on battery power it's very much quieter. As this Soundblaster takes its power from the USB I guess the noise is coming through that route. Unlike the Fubar, this little box has no issues with the USB data interface - never skips a beat.
Recently it occurred to me that as the Soundblaster has an optical out connection (which I've never used) a possible improvement might be to connect this to a DAC which has both an optical input and its own power supply. After some hours Googling I came across the Beresford TC-7510 which seems like it might fit the bill.
As I am a novice at all this I wondered if anyone with experience of this type of thing might be able to comment as to whether it might be a workable solution.
There is also the Beresford TC-7520 which is a bit more expensive but which also has a direct USB connection as well as optical in. If this was at least as quiet as the Fubar II on the USB input and did not suffer from the Fubar's USB data handling glitch then there would be no need for the USB Soundblaster at all. That would by-pass any possible issues with an optical connection.
All advice gratefully received!