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What amp is used when you have DAC/AMP + amp?

post #1 of 11
8/4/11 at 10:46am
Thread Starter 

Incoming!  Real noob question here.

 

 

If I'm running: source > integrated dac/amp > standalone amp > headphones
 
am I using the amp of the integrated dac/amp AND the standalone amp,
 
OR does this set-up only use the amp from the standalone amp, and the amp function of the integrated dac/amp is disabled?
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post #2 of 11
8/4/11 at 10:55am

Many times the dac/amp have some kind of output which connects it to an amp where then you would be using the dac from the dac/amp and the amp from the external amp. That's usually how it goes.

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post #3 of 11
8/4/11 at 11:28am

If you use the amp output of a dac/amp into another amp, it still goes through the first amp. The first amp sees an easier load and second amp does the driving, but I think almost everyone would say it is ideal to bypass the first amp. I've heard one manufacturer say to try keeping the first amp in the chain though, maybe for sound signature reasons.

 

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/337253/double-amping-bad


Edited by haloxt - 8/4/11 at 11:29am
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post #4 of 11
8/4/11 at 11:43am

I actually meant something along the lines of an RCA, XLR, etc and not the headphone output.

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post #5 of 11
8/4/11 at 12:40pm
Thread Starter 

My dac/amp has RCA out, which I'm feeding to the standalone amp.  When I adjust the volume of the dac/amp, it affects headphone volume.  Suggests that the signal is being amplified by both the dac/amp and the standalone amp - do you think that's happening?

 

If yes, and if "I think almost everyone would say it is ideal to bypass the first amp," then how do I disable the amp in the dac/amp?  Turn the volume to 0?  

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post #6 of 11
8/4/11 at 1:06pm

You are feeding the preamp into the second amp.  Turning the volume to zero will get you very quite, if not muted, sound.  Just set both as high as you need without getting audible distortion or clipping of the sound.  Even better would be if you find the line-out on the dac/amp and use that instead of the preamp output to feed the standalone amp.  The line-out outputs a fixed volume signal, which is what you want to send into the standalone amplifier.


Edited by Mad Max - 8/4/11 at 1:10pm
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post #7 of 11
8/4/11 at 1:44pm

Are you using a dac/amp from audio-gd? I know some of them have an option to go between fixed gain and variable by playing with some switch inside.

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post #8 of 11
8/4/11 at 9:11pm
Thread Starter 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Max View Post

You are feeding the preamp into the second amp.  Turning the volume to zero will get you very quite, if not muted, sound.  Just set both as high as you need without getting audible distortion or clipping of the sound.  Even better would be if you find the line-out on the dac/amp and use that instead of the preamp output to feed the standalone amp.  The line-out outputs a fixed volume signal, which is what you want to send into the standalone amplifier.


Here's the noob in me showing.  I'm using the uDac-2 as the dac/amp and all it has analog RCA output.  Is that the "line out" or the "preamp" output?   Regardless, I'm maxing the volume on the uDac-2 and then on the standalone amp, about 12'oclock produces comfortably loud volume for me.  If I turn the uDac-2 volume to 0, I get no sound regardless of how high I crank the standalone amp.

 

Am I getting a fixed volume signal?  Though does it matter since it'smy only output. . .

 

 

 

 



 
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post #9 of 11
8/4/11 at 11:16pm

You hook up the uDAC-2 to the standalone amp via RCA.  It should be the line-out.  It should be a fixed-volume signal, meaning the volume is high and cannot be changed.

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post #10 of 11
8/6/11 at 9:42am
Thread Starter 

Thanks everybody.  Sounds like I'm using the uDac-2 as a pre-amp and should be turning its volume to full, and connecting via RCA to the standalone amp, and adjusting volume to comfortable listening level.

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post #11 of 11
8/8/11 at 7:49am
Just a FYI ontop of this.. even dedicated DAC-only units have amps in them, after the digital-to-analog connection analog signal that it's outputting via RCA or whatever is preamped to line-level before it's sent to the output.

Usually "line-level" is 12 o'clock on your preamp, so that's probably the most correct setting for your dac+amp when it's going to another amp.
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