[Tadgh]

I'd like to prefix this for apologizing about the inclusion of a DAC in a Forum which explicitly tells me not to, this thread is predominantly about a PC Audio solution!
 
I'm reasonably new to high end audio and have some money set aside to blow on upgrading my personal rig, was gonna blow 500ish on a nice case and some modding, but I've decided to predominantly focus on my capacity to handle audio in and out! That involves a decent mic, the ability to input more on the fly, as well as some kind of
 
Amp/DAC solution for outputting to my speakers and headphones. 
 
I got stuck in and I have a list of componentry I'll need, and some specifics picked out for each. 
 
 
Amp/DAC for headphones + speaker source (where I would swap outputs between speakers/headphones by swapping jacks)
Separate Amp for speakers
Mixer in (For XLR Mic + One audio jack in, 6.3mm/3.5mm either or)
 
 
The problem is that space is a concern here, and I'd love to find a more elegant solution, providing that one exists. I'm fairly certain one must, but I'm not sure what to call it or where to look! If I could get one enclosure with an XLR input, 3.5mm single, LR, or single 6.3mm input, that acted as my DAC, headphone amp, and had a switch between those and my speakers which it would act as source for (where inserting headphones cuts speaker output) I'd be able to allocate probably around 150 euro ($180ish, £100ish) to it. 
 
Does anybody know what such a solution would be called, or where I'd find one? 
 
Thanks, apologies if posted in wrong location

 

[Tablix]

Google "audio interface" and you are beginning the  journey.  Personally own a focusrite 2i4, and Roland Quad and a recently bought 2nd hand focusite 18i20.   Even the basic models allow me to hook up 2 sets of monitors, headphones and MIC's all at once.  I like focusrite products for the price performance ratio, but there are other options.
 
The term DAC is a one way conversion, turning digital into audio, whereas a audio interface allows for both DAC and ADC allowing for the addition of quality audio mic's.

 

[Tadgh]

  Google "audio interface" and you are beginning the  journey.  Personally own a focusrite 2i4, and Roland Quad and a recently bought 2nd hand focusite 18i20.   Even the basic models allow me to hook up 2 sets of monitors, headphones and MIC's all at once.  I like focusrite products for the price performance ratio, but there are other options.
 
The term DAC is a one way conversion, turning digital into audio, whereas a audio interface allows for both DAC and ADC allowing for the addition of quality audio mic's.

Thank you, Master Jedi Tablix I'll go begin my quest of shopping for audio interfaces, I'm at work right now on my phone, could you do me a massive favor and give me a ballpark estimate for the cost of a decent audio interface that dose what I want? Thanks for your response

 

[Tablix]

something like the focusrite 2i4 or the roland quad capture would be the top end of your budget but depends where you live.  There are cheaper options such as the focusrite 2i2, presonus audiobox, tascam US2x2 , roland due-capture or the steinberg UR22.  These will have less inputs/outputs but I doubt you are going to use more than one set of speakers or one mic.
 
These are designed to work with a mic for recording so wont allow you to plug in a mic with a 3.5mm jack and will require something more along the lines of this: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SM58
 
You could always follow the route of an audiophile DAC and a usb mic and may get equally good results but I have never used a USB mic so couldnt comment on quality.  If you are planning to record vocals, rather than just talking over skype or gaming, you may want to choose the audio interface route....
 
Some more info on your planned usage would help with the advice....  generally speaking you dont need a high quality mic unless you plan to record vocals.
 
As you originally made your budget in Euro's a good EU supplier is http://www.thomann.de/gb/index.html
 
Also what equipment are you looking to hook up to it?  passive speakers and amp or active monitors? 

 

[Tadgh]

  something like the focusrite 2i4 or the roland quad capture would be the top end of your budget but depends where you live.  There are cheaper options such as the focusrite 2i2, presonus audiobox, tascam US2x2 , roland due-capture or the steinberg UR22.  These will have less inputs/outputs but I doubt you are going to use more than one set of speakers or one mic.
 
These are designed to work with a mic for recording so wont allow you to plug in a mic with a 3.5mm jack and will require something more along the lines of this: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SM58
 
You could always follow the route of an audiophile DAC and a usb mic and may get equally good results but I have never used a USB mic so couldnt comment on quality.  If you are planning to record vocals, rather than just talking over skype or gaming, you may want to choose the audio interface route....
 
Some more info on your planned usage would help with the advice....  generally speaking you dont need a high quality mic unless you plan to record vocals.
 
As you originally made your budget in Euro's a good EU supplier is http://www.thomann.de/gb/index.html
 
Also what equipment are you looking to hook up to it?  passive speakers and amp or active monitors? 

Well the idea is that I'm using a pair of passive bookshelf speakers + Sub which will have their own amp. I should probably mention that the headphones I'm running currently really aren't very demanding (MDR7506s, might get a different pair of cans in the future), so headphone amplification is an afterthought that would be good to have.. 
 
I'll have an XLR mic and hook up my phone to whatever other audio in I could achieve just to mix in with the mic for goofing about with friends and stuff. Having said that, quality is an issue for me, for both recording casual videos to share between friends, and as I have on-and-off employment doing videography, and sometimes record voice-overs for ads/instructional videos at home (hence the XLR mic rather than Modmic or etc. [I had a UB802 for XLR input but it got trashed by puppies])
 
I am familiar with thomann, and would be happy to purchase from them again, good to know they'll do what I'm looking for
 
Also I fear I may have misrepresented my understanding here, I'm very clear on what I need done and how to do it, it's just that my current mixer has been trashed and I need to get something to take XLR input back up soon, but I'm moving to a smaller environment and I'd like to purchase a solution that better fits my needs than another budget mixer which will undoubtedly have 2-4XLR in, and multiple 6.3mm in. In my experiences (limited though they are) using mixers for a small scale solution is a clunky and space inefficient way of doing things. See I had no idea that a more ideal solution (i.e. an audio interface) existed, and so previously had always just gone for the route of XLR into Mixer into USB Audio Card into PC. 
 
Now I have more to do (i.e. it needs to have AMP/DAC usage covered) and less space to do it in, so I figured it would be best to check in and see if such a thing existed Thank you for your responses btw, great to know that one does, and to be directed in what to look for - I might well have been lost and gone for another painfully awkward solution otherwise