Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much should I spend on a DAC/amplifier/computer/whatever?

A: At the time of writing, there is little point spending more than £400 on a PC (including monitor) for audio use. In fact, the best computer we've heard, short of a full Amarra Studio system, is a Dell Mini netbook running Ubuntu and Songbird – total cost: £175. The concept of diminishing returns and system budgeting are further explored here . . .

Q: Can't I buy this stuff cheaper abroad?

A: When comparing prices in the US, we urge prudent shoppers to make an accurate accounting of the real world cost – which is always considerably more than the tempting number flashed up by the currency converter. First, however you pay, someone will sting you on the exchange rate – banks, credit card companies, PayPal . . . all have their greedy little ways to fleece punters. Reckon on losing at least 1-2% to the moneychangers. Then, there's shipping: properly insured delivery of a 2kg item (like a KingRex T20U) from the States will cost a US company roughly £15-20. Of course, they'll mark that up a bit to cover various, general, unspecific, logistic facilitations. En-route, it's almost certain to be intercepted by those ever-vigilant defenders of the realm, Customs & Excise. Prepare to be stung again: first, for the enigmatic 'Value-Added' Tax (17.5%), then Import Duty (arbitrarily imposed according to wind velocity, but typically 5%), crowned by a final face slap in the form of 'Handling Charges': typically £8-10. So even when the Sterling rides like Britannia herself atop the crest of a fiscal wave mighty on a roiling swill of minion coin – yea, two Dollars to the Pound – do the math.

At the time of writing, one of your Earth 'Pounds' buys less than one and a half greenbacks. Which means that a T20U from the excellent Audiomagus, for instance, is going to cost you $299 (£199) + £1.50 (currency conversion) + £25 (shipping) + £34.83 (VAT) + £10 (Import duty) + £9 (handling charge) = £279.33. In the same exchange rate climate, we offer the T20U for £245 including next day delivery. Because many far-Eastern currencies are linked to the US Dollar, very similar costings apply. When the Sterling rises, we are careful to drop our prices accordingly, and only increase them when Sterling is really peaky against the dollar.

Q: Isn't there a voltage issue with imported electronic goods?

A:. Usually, no. All the imported amplifiers, PSUs and DACs we sell are supplied for UK voltage. However, some amplification components (such as the Jungson integrateds) are at the outside edge of their operational envelope at 220V ±10% and minor (typical) power supply fluctuations around the 240V mark can shorten their lifespan and cause overheating. We therefore recommend current smoothing or mains conditioning devices with high output amplifiers. Fortunately, the low overhead of Tripath amplifiers means that they're perfectly at home in the UK or EU. Please note that our products are UK specification and sold with UK-specific three pin mains plugs. If you need a different mains plug, please specify at the time of order and we'll supply one at an additional cost.

Q: What about modifications and tweaking?

See the menu: we have a growing range of SE-badged products which are bespoke modifications carried out or commissioned by Item Audio.

Q: What's so good about 24-bit audio?

A. The way it sounds, which is goooorgeous. Bad things about it include quadrupled file sizes (those babies are wider AND taller) and the fact that you can't find more than three 24-bit recordings you'd ever want to own. The one Very Bad Thing about 24-bit is that Sony has locked up vast tranches of worthwhile music behind unbreakable DRM barriers in the SACD format they invested so heavily in, but which (like broad gauge railway, Betamax, Laserdisc, Concorde et al (well, maybe not Concorde)) never took off. Which means they're not exactly rushing to deliver the '24-bit download from studio masters' service that the burgeoning worldwide community of computer audiophiles is finally, really ready for. Linn, HD-Tracks, 2L, Chesky, and a handful of other enlightened folks way out on the fringes of the business, lead the way but don't expect change to happen quickly: 24-bit audio will only happen meaningfully when a critical mass of music buyers throw away their CD players, and if the ever-thorny issue of rights management can be resolved. Meantime, we can dream of a computer SA-CD drive with ripping software, and imagine a wider range of 2-channel music available on rippable DVD-Audio, and try to cultivate a stronger (actually exclusive) taste for Jazz and perfectly recorded, lifeless Classical recordings in order to register our support for 24/96 downloads.

Q: Coaxial, USB or Optical?

A: nother good question. Unfortunately, there's no clear-cut generic answer. There are many variables: first, some DACs implement particular inputs better than others – one may favour USB, another SPDIF. Second, cables matter – coaxial cables in particular vary widely! Actually USB is easily the best value in interconnects and by far the best suited to longer cable runs. The only cables to avoid are cheap Toslinks which customarily sound 'dry' and 'digitally brittle'; we strongly recommend Van den Hul's Optocoupler if you must use optical connection. Third, the computer is an issue: Mac Mini and MacBook owners are effectively denied coaxial connection without resorting to potentially lossy converters, so optical and USB are preferred. Yet even comparing similar Apple platforms, the Mac laptop's USB implementation is audibly superior to the Mac Mini's USB output! On a desktop machine (regardless of OS), the choice of coax-bearing soundcard (located in the worst possible place for an audio component) will greatly impact on the sound quality. Finally, variable results are reported using USB/SPDIF/Coaxial/Optical converters: some feel they reap noticeable gains by playing to the 'strong suit' (ie, preferred input) of their DAC. However, budget must be carefully deployed on additional high quality cabling and a suitably proficient converter in the signal path that can be relied on not to degrade it. It therefore becomes questionable in these circumstances whether the same money wouldn't more usefully be spent on a better DAC . . .

Q: Is upsampling a good thing?

A: nd where's the dark energy? Who knows. Well executed 16 to 24 bit upsampling definitely makes a difference to the spatial reproduction and apparent resolution of a recording. But whether the sound is 'better', more natural and, in the long listen, more desirable, is somewhat subjective – and the answer varies from track to track and DAC to DAC. Some report distinct gains upsampling 16-bit files in software before playback; others invest in 'on the fly' hardware upsampling. There is controversy over whether 96hz sample rates are a Bad Thing (favouring 88.2Hz or other integer multiples of 44.1). Some media players upsample; others aim (with varying success) for bit-perfect transmission. Our best present understanding is that we don't. So approach the question with open ears, and pray the major studios invest in the notion of 24-bit studio master downloads before you lose your hearing altogether.

Q: The Compact Disc isn't really dead, is it?

A. No, of course not. But in 2008 it's dominant grip as a music medium is weakened beyond repair. In hindsight it's easy to see that the historical significance of its arrival lay not in the disc, but in the data. The seeds of its inevitable demise were there in the noughts and ones from day 00000001: as a playback medium it's now largely supplanted by mobile phones, iPods and computers (as convergence proceeds inexorably, it will be soon be strange to think of those as separate devices); as a delivery medium, the internet is faster and wider; and as a storage medium, memory sticks, hard drives, DVD-ROMs and BluRay are cheaper and more efficient. So maybe the CD isn't dead yet, but i has just been moved to the comfortable ward.

Q: Isn't it stupid to spend so much on a power supply?

If we're talking about passive preamps, yes. In all other cases, no. In fact, all components (particularly amplifiers and digital-analogue converters) benefit hugely from a well sorted power supply. If you don't understand enough tech-stuff to know why this is so, simply trust your ears: it's all audible, and it's usually not a subtle difference.

Q: These little amps are cheap and small enough to buy a fistful: is there any point multi-amping my speakers?

A. Indeed there is. A pair of Tripath 2024 amps dedicated one per channel has cured many of our customers of the upgrade itch for a long time.

Q: Why are you so down on the soundcard?

A: Because by far the best route to high fidelity audio is to convert bits remotely from the source.

Q (sort of): Psshaw! My 'audiophile' soundcard uses the same chips as your overpriced external DACs . . .

A. Sometimes that's true. The latest high end cards feature swappable op-amps, proper capacitors, implausibly high SNR ratios and dedicated EMF/RFI shielding. But even when the best components are used, the delicate digital-to-analog conversion process still takes place in a maelstrom of vibration and interference. More crucially, those expensive components are intimately sharing a cheap power supply with at least one mercurially demanding CPU, and multiple chipsets. To make matters worse, PCI connection makes galvanic isolation from the motherboard impossible. Putting a soundcard in a PC is like doubling a fridge and an amplifier in the same mains outlet . . . no, wait: it's exactly like plugging an amplifier in the same socket as a fridge – then putting the amp in the fridge and running it whilst making salad.

Plus, the conversion chip is only one piece of a much bigger puzzle: implementation (jitter control, regulation, output stage, etc) makes all the diference.

Your computer is only good at processing data: let it process data. The knack is to emit those zeros and ones with minimal distraction via USB or SPDIF to an offboard DAC (with a dedicated power supply) where the bistream can be reclocked and converted to voltage in comfort.

Also TBA:

Q. What's Tripath anyway? And how does that tiny little box make such an almighty beautiful wall of sound?

Q. What's your favourite system under £500? or £1000?