[Quadricwaan]

Hello all,
 
A long time lurker, I finally have a question worth asking, regarding connecting the Bifrost & Asgard 2 to my computer.
 
I run a Soundblaster ZXR, which I use predominantly for the various EQ settings while gaming (bass boost, etc). I do like it for video game purposes (I can be nerd in lots of different ways, it's allowed), but my headphones are high quality enough (Beyer T1) that I feel I might be missing out on some audio quality while listening to music by not using a quality external DAC. In addition to my headphones, I also have a set of passive speakers connected to a desktop stereo amplifier (Audioengine N22). 
 
Quick note before people start suggesting more expensive/alternate hardware - this is stretching my budget a fair amount as it is, so I can't go pricier. Also, part of the appeal of the Bifrost is how well it matches with the Asgard 2, which I may move to shortly (tube amp at the moment, but might be downsizing for various reasons). I've already auditioned both together and I like the way they sound.
 
Currently, I run the headphone signal from the headphone output of my ZXR to my headphone AMP, via a headphone jack to RCA splitter and I run the RCA output of my ZXR directly to my N22.
 
Now, for music purposes, I'd like to add a Bifrost into the mix. In theory, I want to run the signal from my ZXR to the Bifrost, so that I can take advantage of the ZXR's EQ settings for games, while using the superior DAC in the Bifrost for music.
 
ZXR > Bifrost > headphone amp / N22.  
 
However, I want to be sure of a few things:
 
1. Will that even work? Will the Bifrost retain the audio changes from the ZXR? Or will this inherently bypass the ZXR altogether, or make the Bifrost redundant and useless. Seems unlikely either way, since the audio would be outputted directly from the ZXR to the Bifrost via optical input.
 
2. Will I suffer any noticeable audio quality degradation using an RCA y-splitter to send the sound signal from the DAC to both Amps? Presumably not.
 
3. Is switching between Headphones and Speakers now as simple as just powering up whichever amp I want to use (headphone amp or N22), and powering down the other?
 
4. Is this even remotely worth doing? Am I better off just continuing with what I've already got? The ZXR has a decent DAC in it, and I don't know how well multiple DACs work together passing signal from one to the other.
 
Many thanks for any advice.

 

[alv4426]

1) Yes you can use the Bifrost while still retaining gaming setting from the ZXR. I personally use a Modi Uber in this way. But i did this because I was having noise issues with my PC that I have since resolved. 
 
2) You should get a normal RCA splitter now so you don't output from the headphone out. You should not get any quality loss if you buy a decent one.
 
3) You can get a RCA switch instead of the splitter, which would be better IMO. Schitt has the Sys for that purpose but there are many cheaper options. I use the Sys to switch between my speaker amp and BHC and it works flawlessly. And the ZXR still has its own headphone out you can use separately. 
 
4) I thought the T1 straight out of the ZXR was already great and in many ways I preferred it too my full system with my Bottlehead Crack+speedball. You got the upgraditis man, the only cure for that is throw down some cash and hear for yourself if it was worth it.
 
What headphone amp are you using right now?

 

[Quadricwaan]

Woo Audio WA2. Amazing amp, but tubes are a liability with kids around,, and I don't really have the time or money for tube rolling in any case. I'm considering moving it to a different system, or selling or altogether.