[sokukodo]

I'm in the process of buying the dual 1.42 w/ 20" cinema display, 9700 pro card. My next step is deciding on speakers, and I think that I'll be going with Swans (studio monitors + sub; these are "active" speakers, no external amp needed). My question is, what is the best sound card available for a Mac? External card (Sonica Theater) vs internal (Revolution 7.1)? are there better sound cards than M-Audio for the Mac (not that there's anything wrong with M-Audio)?

[exa]

Well if you really want a good "sound card", just get the USB S/PDIF box (Sonica?) and an external D/A convertor (like the M-Audio Super DAC or Flying Cow or various other super expensive ones).

The Revolution is also quite good I hear, but external DACs do have the advantage of not being susceptible to EMI/RFI inside the computer. However if you want 7.1 sound for cheap, this is your option.

We have two sets of Swan M200s, they are quite good (though they benefit from a subwoofer... I have a full speaker/amp/preamp setup at dorm though). I take it you'd be getting the M20 models?

[sokukodo]

I've decided to get a pair of Swans T200a studio monitors plus the Sub200 subwoofer; for a card, I'm looking at M-Audio's Audiophile 2496.
As I'm pressed for space, I'm not opting for a full-blown surround sound HT system, and I want the best speakers for the size of this room (a small bedroom): I think Swans fills the bill (though Onix Rockets are tempting).

[exa]

I use the AP2496, it's a good soundcard, however I use an external D/A convertor over it (the ART DI/O), and it sounds significantly better than the sound card alone. Just a heads up on the possible upgrade paths... though this can be achieved by cheaper sound cards too.

[sokukodo]

Thanks! Exactly what does a D/A converter do? do you plug it into the sound card? This stuff is new to me ...

[exa]

You plug it into the s/pdif port (what I use), or optical toslink, or aes/beu port (depending on the sound card and d/a convertor).

The d/a convertor does what it says, converts the digital sound stream (in PCM I think) into analog... because sound waves by nature is analog. How well it converts it into analog is really how good a source component or sound card is, because the integrity of digital streams is quite high as there are only 2 possible states, where analog isn't, and better d/a convertors produce better analog sound.

Most d/a convertors are single/few chips right on the sound card but the real good ones can be the size of your computer.

[sokukodo]

So, are the speakers connected to the sound card or to the converter? I'm trying to visualize this.

[exa]

Signal path goes like this:

1) Digital source, this is the computer sound card or cd player.
2) Digital -> Analog convertor, this can be in the sound card or cd player but stand alone ones are usually much better. It is connected to the sound card or cd player via a digital connection like s/pdif (coaxial), toslink (optical), or aes/beu (professional interface, balanced)
3) Now that the sound is analog, something about the voltage and current of the signal has to change, and that is done through a preamplifier. It is connected to the D/A convertor or sound card via a normal analog cable (RCA/RCA or whatever).
4) The preamplifier connects to the power amplifier via a normal analog cable (RCA/RCA). Often you can get speaker amplifiers that are both pre and power amplifiers, these are 'integrated' amplifiers.
5) From the power amplifier (or integrated amplifier) a speaker cable connects the speakers and amplifiers up.

In your case, the amplifier and speakers are together, so it could look something like: sound card -> speaker and you skip a few steps. If you add a standalone d/a convertor in the middle, you get a better source.

[sokukodo]

Thanks, exa, that really helps a lot!