[davidc2]

I have recently bought a Dacmagic Plus. Its headphone socket is ok but I would like to be able to continue to use my Graham Slee Novo headphone amp.  The problem is that if you connect the Novo to the DMPlus using the unbalanced phono connectors (the XLR sockets are used to drive my active Genelec speakers), when you turn down the volume on the Genelecs, that also reduces (obviously) the volume of the signal going to the Novo.  So as you don't want to hear the speakers at all when you are using headphones, it is impossible to use the headphones in this configuration.  The DMPlus has a fixed line level mode but this is very dodgy because if you switch to it without turning off the source signal (it easy to do this by mistake) the speakers erupt with volume.  There is no convenient, risk-free way to directly run a thrid party headphone amp from the DMP+..
 
But I also have my "old" Dacmagic and I wondered if I could get round the headphone volume problem using it in this way:
Take a co-ax cable out of the DMPlus Digital Out to the Dacmagic's Digital In.  Then connect the Novo to the Dacmagic using the unbalanced Phono cables. 
 
Would that work do you think?  What I want to do is give the Novo full volume control over the signal).
 
(I used to use a TC Level Pilot analogue volume knob to control the Genelec speakers but the Level Pilot, good as it is in many ways, irritatingly always develops crackling after a while (despite using Deoxit on it) and at low volumes the left side is louder than the right). 
 
Grateful to know if my suggested configuration would achieve the result I'm after.
 
Thanks.

 

[mdehaan]

Hey David,
 
Can you tell me the differences between the integrated headamp of the DacMagic Plus and the Graham Slee Novo.
I have the DacMagic Plus and think the integrated headamp sucks.
What is the diference in sound when playing music with the Graham Slee Novo attached trough the DacMagic Plus?
What source are you using?
 
Sound stage, Dynamics, Attack, Lows, Mids, Highs, Better at low volumes and everything you can tell me.
 
I would realy appreciate it if you would take the time to write it down
 
Kind Regards, Marten

 

[davidc2]

Marten
 
I did.  Here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/592871/dacmagic-plus-into-dacmagic-into-novo-headphone-amp