[Jaeger 77]

Hello!
I own an external usb soundcard,Asus Xonar U7 MKII and i want to upgrade it this year to something with more power (volume and bass) as Xonar feels pretty weak sometimes (low volume) for driving my SAMSON M50 active monitors wich are connected to RCA output of the card. Also i will upgrade my actual headphones (Omnitronic SHP 600) to AKG K612 Pro or Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro,so i will need something more powerfull as audio source.
I like Fiio K5 Pro,so what do you think guys,it will do a better job than U7 MKII?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Technically the Xonar U7 does not "drive" the Samson M50, just feeds a line signal.
But you would want to feed the best signal, max out the computer and Xonar's volume control and adjust the loudness using the M50 volume knob.
Swapping DACs will not give the M50s more bass (normally).
I would guess the FiiO K5 Pro would be an improvement (in general), over the Xonar U7.
For headphones, check out the Soundmagic HP200 headphones, they are like an improved DT990.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I own an external usb soundcard,Asus Xonar U7 MKII and i want to upgrade it this year to something with more power (volume and bass) as Xonar feels pretty weak sometimes (low volume) for driving my SAMSON M50 active monitors wich are connected to RCA output of the card. Also i will upgrade my actual headphones (Omnitronic SHP 600) to AKG K612 Pro or Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro,so i will need something more powerfull as audio source.
I like Fiio K5 Pro,so what do you think guys,it will do a better job than U7 MKII?

The U7 isn't really "driving" the monitors the way the term is used, ie, amplifiers amplifying a signal to drive transducers like speakers.

What it's doing, or rather, failing at, is just feeding line signal into the amps...but it's only sending a 1V signal instead of the Sony CD standard 2V.

So in this case you need to make sure of two power ratings: one, enough power for your headphones; and two, enough line voltage so you don't actually have to crank the speakers all the way up.

Maybe try the AudioGD NFB-11. Or at least clarify with Fiio if the 2V line output is controlled by the volume control, otherwise you're going to have to go reach over to turn the knob on the speakers. Not necessarily a bad thing though since this simplifies the signal chain and unlike gain control on the back of each pro monitor, you only have one knob here.

 

[Jaeger 77]

Technically the Xonar U7 does not "drive" the Samson M50, just feeds a line signal.
But you would want to feed the best signal, max out the computer and Xonar's volume control and adjust the loudness using the M50 volume knob.
Swapping DACs will not give the M50s more bass (normally).
I would guess the FiiO K5 Pro would be an improvement (in general), over the Xonar U7.
For headphones, check out the Soundmagic HP200 headphones, they are like an improved DT990.

PC and Xonar volume are already at max. I'm guessing that just 1 volt power on the RCA out of Xonar will not give enough ''juice'' to any active speaker that's why i fell Samsons underpowered? Or maybe i'm wrong...
Soundmagic HP200 are double the price over DT990 Pro in my country (Romania).

 

[Jaeger 77]

The U7 isn't really "driving" the monitors the way the term is used, ie, amplifiers amplifying a signal to drive transducers like speakers.

What it's doing, or rather, failing at, is just feeding line signal into the amps...but it's only sending a 1V signal instead of the Sony CD standard 2V.

So in this case you need to make sure of two power ratings: one, enough power for your headphones; and two, enough line voltage so you don't actually have to crank the speakers all the way up.

Maybe try the AudioGD NFB-11. Or at least clarify with Fiio if the 2V line output is controlled by the volume control, otherwise you're going to have to go reach over to turn the knob on the speakers. Not necessarily a bad thing though since this simplifies the signal chain and unlike gain control on the back of each pro monitor, you only have one knob here.

So i can presume that a weak signal of Xonar will not feed correctly the internal amplifier (AB class) in the Samsons?

 

[Infoseeker]

The ifi company dac/amps can do 1watt @32 (7 Vrms) for power. And have a bass profile switch. I.e the Xcan model.


As for you speakers, maybe a Schiit Loki to manipulate the sound could help.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

So i can presume that a weak signal of Xonar will not feed correctly the internal amplifier (AB class) in the Samsons?

Those speakers, no. Their input sensitivity is calibrated for users who they presume are using a 2V line output or an up to ~10V preamp line output.

 

[Jaeger 77]

So i need an AMP/DAC with 2 v line output to proper maxedout the speakers and to be a futureproof solution for my next audio upgrades. What i need is a 150 USD option (at max),but i will consider any cheaper solution than K5 PRO that sounds better and has more power than Xonar U7 MKII (RCA and headphone amp) and has USB 2.0 interface for easy connect to my PC.