HDMI Audio (ATI HD6950) digital signal -> Pioneer Elite VSX-92TXH (DAC?) -> Headphone Amp? ->...

Is this a viable solution?

Right now I am listening via onboard sound (SupremeFX X-Fi 2) -> Onkyo M5200 power amp -> Senn HD580.  They sound really good compared to straight out of the computer, and better than coming from the headphone out of the Pioneer receiver.  I have been researching DAC/amp combos and standalone amps.  Would my Pioneer Elite receiver work well enough as a DAC so that I could spend more on a standalone amp or would getting a DAC/amp for the same price sound better and I could just use the optical out from my soundcard (SupremeFX X-Fi 2)?  I use Jriver Media Center 16 to play my music and it has lots of output options (wav out, ASIO, direct sound ...)

My price range is $400-$500 MAX.

Also, I am a bit of a n00b with this stuff so bear with me if I don't know what the hell I'm talking about.

Thanks for the advice!!  My SupremeFI is actually a Realtek chip, but basically the same thing lol.  The Onkyo I'm using is a bit too much, I have to run < 10% audio in windows unless I want permanent hearing loss. 

I hadn't even considered those two options (haven't seen them while researching).  I'll have to take a look.

So far my short list is:

DAC/AMP combo

• YuLong D100
• 09 Zero DAC/AMP (why is it so cheap?)
• Nuforce Icon HDP

AMP only

• Matrix M-Stage
• Schiit Asgard or Lyr
• Emmeline RSA XP-7

My only concern is using my soundcard or Pioneer Elite for the DAC, am I going to lose sound quality?  On the flip side, going with a DAC/AMP combo am I going to lose SQ cause of the all-in one nature and being cheaper?

I wish I could just go somewhere and listen to these things lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sulvaat 

Hi there, 

 

The digital out my ATI cards sound fine when run to my iBasso D12, the setup was not ideal but it worked just fine. (I couldn't tell the difference between my Xonar ST's digital out or the ATI's - which means everything is okay digital wise.) 

 

If I where you, I would use the optical out on your motherboard instead, the SupreamFX X-Fi 2 is actually a VIA chipset with Creatives software suite on top to trick you (I was fooled too lol)! It's advantages over the ATI's digital out are the ease of use (no running the HDMI out to the TV or something and then the TV's optical into your DAC.) and the software controls are more robust. 

 

If your Onkyo doesn't have a digital input you should look into a DAC, perhaps the Audio-gd NFB-12 or an iBasso D12 (those are two DAC's I can attest to). You can connect these via USB (like a new soundcard) or with the optical out from your motherboard (using your current soundcard but bypassing the crappy analogue sound it makes), personally I use the motherboards optical out. Either of those two are both DAC's and headphone amps so you have the option of listening to their headphone out or running it to your current system, see which sounds best to you~ 

 

There are tons more options for DAC's but those two are under your budget and I have personally heard them with an almost identical setup as yours.

 

Link to NFB-12: http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB12/NFB12EN.htm

Link to D12: http://www.ibasso.com/en/products/show.asp?ID=63