[Stiggles]

It's my first post so hi everyone!

I need an amp/DAC combo to connect both my HD598s and LSR305s. The cans were fine with the on-board audio (mobo is an Asus maximus v formula- has a glorified ALC898 iirc.) but since the addition of speakers, I've been getting horrible noise when using the speakers generated by the GPU. So I basically need an external amp/dac which also has a pre-out to control the volume. Don't really care about the on-board sound features so usb connection would be fine. Budget is a little tight, I'd say around 100€.

Thanks in advance!

Btw. I live in Germany

An afterthought: Can I get a Magni 2 and use it with the on-board dac? Would I be able to connect both the speakers and headphones to it? I'd just add a Modi 2 later if that would work. Sorry if this is a stupid question, I'm still what you would consider a noob in the audiophile world.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

It's my first post so hi everyone!

I need an amp/DAC combo to connect both my HD598s and LSR305s....So I basically need an external amp/dac which also has a pre-out to control the volume. Don't really care about the on-board sound features so usb connection would be fine. Budget is a little tight, I'd say around 100€.

NuForce UDAC-5

...but since the addition of speakers, I've been getting horrible noise when using the speakers generated by the GPU.

You might as well save up and use SPDIF because USB still has a higher chance of transmitting electronic noises from the computer and into the DAC.

An afterthought: Can I get a Magni 2 and use it with the on-board dac? Would I be able to connect both the speakers and headphones to it? I'd just add a Modi 2 later if that would work.

Magni2 Uber has preamp output on the rear. But to minimize the chancs of noise transmission you need to use the Modi2 Uber via SPDIF.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I have the LSR305 and also got really bad noise (a hum; probably a ground loop) when I connected via USB. This was with the Schiit Fulla 2. (A good entry-level DAC/amp that you can use in all sorts of ways with speakers and headphones.) I fixed it by using a cheater plug on the laptop charger, but that's just a temporary fix. I believe the best solution is a ground loop isolator.

Yes, you can connect a Magni 2 to your computer's onboard DAC with a 3.5 mm to dual RCA cable. However, it does not have preamp outputs. For that, you'd need the Magni 2 Uber. (I have owned both, by the way.) You may be better off with the Fulla 2 for now.

For the best sound quality and functionality, I recommend eventually adding the Schiit SYS passive preamp. It can improve the sound of some DAC/amps by letting them operate in DAC only mode. (Some amps in DAC/amps can significantly color the sound, and that goes for the Fulla 2 as well.)

As for cables, I recommend Monoprice since they are cheap yet high quality. I'm assuming you can easily get them in Germany too. I use these in particular:

https://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=4777
https://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=2869
https://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=5437

(At first, I used a 3.5 mm to dual XLR cable to connect the Fulla 2 to the speakers.)

 

[Stiggles]

-snip-

Thanks for the reply. I was also eyeing the NuForce UDAC-5 but it is sadly out of my budget atm. SPDIF surely is a good option but it's a bit tough to get it included in entry level amp/dac's. How about the fulla 2? It fits the bill perfectly and I was planning to get one but read so many scary stories about QC issues in general and that kinda steered me away from it.

 

[Stiggles]

-snip-

Thanks for your reply. I'll definitely keep the Sys in mind for the speakers. Nice to actually talk to someone who has/had a similar issue with the same gear. How was your experience with the Fulla 2? I was actually going to get one but then I saw lots of people complaining about legit QC issues here in the impressions thread.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Thanks for your reply. I'll definitely keep the Sys in mind for the speakers. Nice to actually talk to someone who has/had a similar issue with the same gear. How was your experience with the Fulla 2? I was actually going to get one but then I saw lots of people complaining about legit QC issues here in the impressions thread.

It's a great value. Not in the league of a high-end DAC, of course. (It annoyed me compared to the Chord 2Qute, for example.) But it's a great DAC to start with.

How it performs with headphones really depends on which ones you're talking about. Should be fine with yours.

Could you list the quality control issues you heard about?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Thanks for the reply. I was also eyeing the NuForce UDAC-5 but it is sadly out of my budget atm. SPDIF surely is a good option but it's a bit tough to get it included in entry level amp/dac's. How about the fulla 2? It fits the bill perfectly and I was planning to get one but read so many scary stories about QC issues in general and that kinda steered me away from it.

Fulla2 would likely be better than the UDAC but note that you're still using USB. Schiit's filterning might be a bit better but either way there's not enough of a chance you can get rid of the noise.

 

[Stiggles]

-snip-

The volume knob placement, the angle it's sitting at the base, the screws looking poorly installed, scratching noise while adjusting the volume, channel imbalance at up to around 30% volume and crashing if you unplug the headphones while playing a song are the issues I could remember from the impressions thread. Of course these all could've been fixed with the newer batches so I'm not really sure. A guy even stated in the same thread that everything was fine with the product now but I've found a deal for a used Fostex HP-A3 in a pretty damn good condition so currently negotiating the price atm. Against the Fulla 2 this should be a no-brainer i think. Wish me luck! Thanks for your input, you've been very helpful.

 

[Stiggles]

Fulla2 would likely be better than the UDAC but note that you're still using USB. Schiit's filterning might be a bit better but either way there's not enough of a chance you can get rid of the noise.

I've found a used Fostex HP-A3, currently negotiating the price. Should be the better option compared to the Fulla 2 I think. Will probably get that and use SPDIF. Thank you for your help.

 

[Music Alchemist]

The volume knob placement, the angle it's sitting at the base, the screws looking poorly installed, scratching noise while adjusting the volume, channel imbalance at up to around 30% volume and crashing if you unplug the headphones while playing a song are the issues I could remember from the impressions thread.

I like the volume knob on top! It's really fun to use.

Scratching noise is common in volume knobs on low-priced audio equipment, unfortunately. I get soft scratching with the SYS (connected to dedicated DACs) too.

As for the rest, I dunno about all that.

 

[Stiggles]

@ProtegeManiac @Music Alchemist

So the Fostex thing didn't work out, I'm now planning to do this:

This DAC: https://hifimediy.com/DACs/Sabre-9018-DAC

Combined with a Magni 2 Uber which also has the pre-out I need for the LSR305s.

I don't have any doubts regarding the Magni but I'm not really sure about the dac and if they would pair nicely. I'm only doing this because the budget doesn't allow me to simply get a Modi 2 Uber and stack them. Would probably upgrade to that later if it would even be considered an upgrade. Would love to hear your opinions about this. Thanks.

 

[Music Alchemist]

So you want to use a 3.5 mm to dual RCA cable for that?

You could get a used Fulla 2 for around the same price as that DAC by itself.

 

[Stiggles]

So you want to use a 3.5 mm to dual RCA cable for that?

You could get a used Fulla 2 for around the same price as that DAC by itself.

Damn that was fast. Yeah I would do it exactly like that. How do you like the Fulla 2? This whole thing has been giving me such a head ache that I might just go with it and add a Magni later down the road then use the Fulla as a DAC. This seems like the best option now that I think about it.

 

[Music Alchemist]

How do you like the Fulla 2?

You already asked and I already answered. hehe. (But I sold mine.)

It does certainly seem to be one of the best solutions to start with since it's all you need aside from the cables.

 

[Stiggles]

You already asked and I already answered. hehe. (But I already sold mine.)

It does certainly seem to be one of the best solutions to start with since it's all you need aside from the cables.

Oh wow, I forgot that I already asked about it. Sorry. Just shows how confused I got trying to find the right option for my situation. Alright I'm going for the Fulla 2 which was ironically the first product I was planning to get then I shied away from it lol. Would it work as a separate DAC if I say get a hard to drive headphone later and get something like a Magni?