I plan on build a computer audiophile, will i have better sound performance with this unit comparing to a laptop with SSD?
1518213
The correct answer is the sound quality will be exactly the same if you do this properly. All computer sound cards stink. The proper way to do computer audio is USB to a DAC like a Benchmark DAC1 or DAC2, Peachtree, DacMagic, or a similar unit. Depending on your level of audiophilia and associated equipment you may or may not hear a difference in sound quality between different USB cables (yes, really) and software. I've found JRiver to sound the best and you should hear a difference between .flac and .wav, again depending on the quality of the associated audio equipment. Good luck.
1518214
La verdad el rendimiento es muy bueno, yo lo use para virtualizar con vmware siendo esta una funcion mas compleja que la que buscas.
1518215
The primary sound output for the Next Unit of Computing is via the HDMI port. This works well for most televisions but does not offer the ability to add a high quality sound card. However, if you are just using this unit to transfer your audio across a network then this product would work great!
1518216
There is no audio jack. As mentioned previously, base audio is via HDMI. Most true audiophiles won't be happy with stock audio chips. We have, in those instances where we do not have a HDMI monitor with speakers, added a USB audio "stick"/card. This would give you a jack that you could then run into your stereo system. Because this unit is essentially built off the same parts as a laptop, the stock audio chipset will be comparable to what a laptop outputs. There is a Haswell based version which has an audio jack and increases the USB port count and adds USB 3 which should be arriving in 2-6 weeks. There is no audio jack. As mentioned previously, base audio is via HDMI. Most true audiophiles won't be happy with stock audio chips. We have, in those instances where we do not have a HDMI monitor with speakers, added a USB audio "stick"/card. This would give you a jack that you could then run into your stereo system. Because this unit is essentially built off the same parts as a laptop, the stock audio chipset will be comparable to what a laptop outputs. There is a Haswell based version which has an audio jack and increases the USB port count and adds USB 3 which should be... » Read More There is no audio jack. As mentioned previously, base audio is via HDMI. Most true audiophiles won't be happy with stock audio chips. We have, in those instances where we do not have a HDMI monitor with speakers, added a USB audio "stick"/card. This would give you a jack that you could then run into your stereo system. Because this unit is essentially built off the same parts as a laptop, the stock audio chipset will be comparable to what a laptop outputs. There is a Haswell based version which has an audio jack and increases the USB port count and adds USB 3 which should be arriving in 2-6 weeks. « Show Less
1105853
This might be overkill for that.....you could find a nice cheap laptop or something for that. This is more of a mid grade gaming/audio production pc
2189648
It depends of your entire equipment, but yes, the ZxR sounds better than the HD. I did that upgrade.
695657
Let's put it this way: The Sony SS-B3000 bookshelf speakers are about a 5/10 speaker (decent), for $36 apiece. The SSF-5000s are about 6.5/10 (respectable), for around $50 apiece. The SSF-6000s are about 7/10 (good) for $60 apiece. The SSF-7000s are about 7.5/10 (very good) for $85 apiece. From there, prices on speakers pretty much increase geometrically. An 8/10 will cost you about $150, an 8.5/10 $300, a 9/10 $600, a 9.5/10 about $1200. From there, it goes way into the thousands, and probably only dogs could hear the difference anyway. Can *you* hear the difference between, say, a 7.5 and a 9 speaker? Yes, mostly likely if you're under 45 and have at least a $500 amp. Is buying speakers better than the SSF-7000 the *most effective* way to spend your audio/entertainment $$$? Probably not...unless you already have a $500 amp, a 192K sound card, a $200 sub, a quad-core PC that Passmarks at over 5K, etc.
1720435
I use it as a preamp between my Intergra receiver to my Carver amp and it sounds great! You can still use it with your laptop as an amp or preamp, however if you are looking for DAC, buy a DAC designed just for that purpose.
458701
You didn't mention if you're going to simply be listening or doing recording/editing, so I'll give you a general answer. The built-in speakers aren't great, but you if you're doing something like editing tracks, you should be using monitors or a headset anyway. I've used both a bluetooth headset and a gaming headset with USB connector and have noticed a couple of things. The Bluetooth sounds spectacular. The USB has a faint hiss as soon as you plug it in, though not as noticeable in the USB 3, and definitely better than the on-board speakers. I think the hiss is just general noise from the electrical-from not having perfect shielding on the internal wires-but that's a bit much to ask for any laptop. I was a music major and studied audio engineering in college, so I get where you're coming from. I wasn't that impressed with this thing at first, but it's shown me what it can do and now I'm impressed and honestly really fond of it. You won't want to master anything on this, but it's going to be insanely portable and can handle a lot, considering the price point.
1676592
It all depends on your mother board. If it is a gaming motherboard it will most likely have a very good sound card built into it. If you have a cheap one, expect it to have cheap sound.
1189375
I wouldn't advise it. For your purposes, and to ensure quality recordings, I would advise a laptop with faster processor speed and more memory. This is a decent little laptop for general purpose computing, but you require something with more robust capacity. If you're trying to keep it cheap, consider the Lenovo S415.
125218
Theoretically, a sound card will make a difference unless you happen to have a very good quality sound chip on your motherboard (very unlikely). If you can hear the difference or not depends on you. Good speakers are certainly more important than a dedicated sound card though.
405693
Yes. The speakers are quite good. I've used this laptop to watch DVDs for entertainment and lecture purposes.
254798
For anyone fairly familiar with computers, you could replace the hard drive with a ssd. However, this laptop boots in less than 20 seconds and runs quite quickly, so I feel confident I am getting a boost from the express cache built-in. Also, it has an amazing recover from sleep in about 2 seconds which makes it even closer to ssd performance. I have a desktop with an ssd for my boot drive, and I can tell you that even buying one of the best Crucial ssd's, they can give you more issues than a standard hard drive. No argument ssds are faster, just saying this hybrid express cache solution from samsung with a 7200 rpm hard drive is a good choice, at least for me.
721113
For a laptop, I think it's fine. It has decent volume and the sound is clear. I wouldn't mistake it for some high quality stand alone speakers, though. Hope that helps.
1482446
This laptop is a very capable machine, and screaming fast if you swap out the included hard drive for an SSD. When under load you can definitely hear the cooling fan, but I've never found it distracting. One thing to note is that the cooling fan is a blower and the exhaust exits the laptop on the left hand side. It can get a little toasty on that side when playing games or doing heavy math processing. If you're wanting to use this for taking notes the one thing I would remind you of is the size - 15.6" laptop is not small and might have trouble fitting on some lecture hall desks. If that isn't an issue, then I would strongly recommend this laptop. This laptop is a very capable machine, and screaming fast if you swap out the included hard drive for an SSD. When under load you can definitely hear the cooling fan, but I've never found it distracting. One thing to note is that the cooling fan is a blower and the exhaust exits the laptop on the left hand side. It can get a little toasty on that side when playing games or doing heavy math processing. If you're wanting to use this for taking notes the one thing I would remind you of is the size - 15.6" laptop is not small and might have trouble fitting on some lecture hall desks. If... » Read More This laptop is a very capable machine, and screaming fast if you swap out the included hard drive for an SSD. When under load you can definitely hear the cooling fan, but I've never found it distracting. One thing to note is that the cooling fan is a blower and the exhaust exits the laptop on the left hand side. It can get a little toasty on that side when playing games or doing heavy math processing. If you're wanting to use this for taking notes the one thing I would remind you of is the size - 15.6" laptop is not small and might have trouble fitting on some lecture hall desks. If that isn't an issue, then I would strongly recommend this laptop. « Show Less
1372181
I use it for the same reason you're asking about but don't expect optimum sound clarity with this device, I too was a little skeptical at first but it proved that it could handle the type of music I listen to. It will definitely increase your volume/bass/treble but that depends on you. I've tried many different types of computer speakers, high & low-end to boot and ended up returning a set of Bowers and Wilkins MM1's and ended up with the Bose system. If you listen to heavy-bass music, don't waste your time with it unless you have speakers that can handle the output. Yes, same applies to your headphones. I'm using the B&W; P7 and they sound great... IMHO. Hope this helps. I use it for the same reason you're asking about but don't expect optimum sound clarity with this device, I too was a little skeptical at first but it proved that it could handle the type of music I listen to. It will definitely increase your volume/bass/treble but that depends on you. I've tried many different types of computer speakers, high & low-end to boot and ended up returning a set of Bowers and Wilkins MM1's and ended up with the Bose system. If you listen to heavy-bass music, don't waste your time with it unless you have speakers that can handle the output. Yes, same applies to... » Read More I use it for the same reason you're asking about but don't expect optimum sound clarity with this device, I too was a little skeptical at first but it proved that it could handle the type of music I listen to. It will definitely increase your volume/bass/treble but that depends on you. I've tried many different types of computer speakers, high & low-end to boot and ended up returning a set of Bowers and Wilkins MM1's and ended up with the Bose system. If you listen to heavy-bass music, don't waste your time with it unless you have speakers that can handle the output. Yes, same applies to your headphones. I'm using the B&W; P7 and they sound great... IMHO. Hope this helps. « Show Less
806060
My NC10SE just arrived a couple of hours ago, and I've been able to test out the speakers. I'd say they're pretty decent for netbooks. They're certainly loud enough for you to hear music or watch a movie. However, you might have a little trouble if your listening to stuff in a loud environment. For that I would suggest headphones. Having read lots of reviews I was expecting awful sound quality, but I was pleasantly surprised. Of course, they're not going to be as loud as speakers on full size laptops due to the size limitation of the speakers themselves, but overall I can't say I'm disappointed. I never owned a standard NC10 so I can't do a direct comparison, but I bought this as a replacement for my premium VAIO SZ, which cost around 2000 bucks. The speakers on that system aren't that much better. Hope this helps.
2203750
Thanks Kanje, I will keep that in mind. So far the only gripe I have is the lack of volume. If I could do something about that. Might keep ad a work computer only as I got it at a reduced price.
1840255
ABSOLUTELY. Anytime you get a dedicated card the overall quality will be a TON better. The amount of customization and power that a dedicated card will run to your speakers will be awesome. I'm not sure how it compares to headphones, but I noticed a huge jump in quality and of course the equalizer alone let me tune everything to have very epic bass and no distortion.