Is computer audio a bust?

@ Audioengr, Hi Steve, your last post about computers was really what you do, most people buy, as you said, the newest greatest whatever computer, then, like I said, when they go to walk out the store, another computer is better before the door hits them in the ass, however, my desk-top computer works great for me, kinda old, your intel chip you developed is one tuff proccessor, it's the Intel core 2,,, you did have a hand in the development of this proccessor??, of course I am running windows 7 on it instead of the vista that was on it originally.

Audiolabyrinth - I was a design team lead on the Pentium 2 many years ago. It was a "slot 1" processor.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

07-19-14: Bhobba
The improved SQ has to do with reduced jitter which is easier to accomplish without the moving parts of a mechanical transport being involved.

The real value of computer audio is not that is SQ is inherently better - transports can sound as good - but its rare - its the paradigm shift it engenders of being able to tap into you entire music library from your litening position with something like an iPad.

Agreed....

07-19-14: Electroslacker
That said, a quality USB cable can do a phenomenal job of delivering a digital stream from a computer to a DAC, where the final quality and subjective preference is determined by the chosen DAC.

slacker, what cable do u use? I am in the process of researching one....

Joecasey, There is some world class transports out there that computer audio cannot touch period, if computer audio could, then this is the biggest fleasing in american history of audio!, look at DCS for an example, LOL!, to get this straight here, I am saying transports, Dacs, cd-players are all in the same catorgory, that is NOT computer audio, though I agree, cd-players,dacs, transports are computers, no doubt, however, they are dedicated to audio!