[BackBoneCrusher]

Hi guys. I'm searching a good Headphone for my birthday and a DAC who will be connected to a Vinyl Player (I don't if it is the right name, my english is bad), for 450$. I want something pretty equilibrated, but with present Bass and Treble (More than mid, not rolled-off mid) like my earphones (1More Triple Driver) who I love, the only default i can give them is, for me, they don't have enough bass but that's not the question.

The problem is :

1. I don't know if i can plug a DAC on a Audio-Technica LP60
2. I'm freaking lost about DACs, the only good DAC I know is the Schiit Modi 2, but I don't know if i'll be able to found it in Canada

 

[Music Alchemist]

If you're using a turntable, you don't need a DAC (digital to analog converter), since it's already analog.

 

[cossix]

With a turntable, you just hook up an amp. Only digital players (computer, iPod, tablet, phone) need a DAC.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Hi guys. I'm searching a good Headphone for my birthday and a DAC who will be connected to a Vinyl Player...The problem is :

1. I don't know if i can plug a DAC on a Audio-Technica LP60

A DAC is a Digital to Analogue Converter. An LP record and player starts with then outputs analogue through and through. There is no digital at any point. You can't even hook those up together to work in any way.

2. I'm freaking lost about DACs, the only good DAC I know is the Schiit Modi 2, but I don't know if i'll be able to found it in Canada

If you're only using an LP player and no digital sources - computers/smartphones, CDPs, music servers, etc - there is no need to worry about DACs.

What you need, if the TT doesn't have one built in, is a phono preamp. Something like the Schiit Mani (this is not the same as the Schiit Magni). It very roughly works like the analogue output stage on a DAC.

I want something pretty equilibrated, but with present Bass and Treble (More than mid, not rolled-off mid) like my earphones (1More Triple Driver) who I love, the only default i can give them is, for me, they don't have enough bass but that's not the question.

Sennheiser HD600. But you'll need a headphone amp for it that will work with the signal coming off the phono preamp. Like the Schiit Vali2 or Magni2 Uber.

 

[BackBoneCrusher]

Oh damn yes I forgot that DAC means Digital to analog converter

Well, like I have a crappy pc with a crappy motherboard, and so a crappy in-built sound card, I'll need a DAC in all cases (I have a Ipod Nano too but I don't know ifI can plug a DAC on it)

I've checked of the HD600 and the price is way too high, the headphone is 520$ CAD and +, while i only have 450$ for Headphone and DAC

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Well, like I have a ****ty pc with a ****ty motherboard, and so a ****ty in-built sound card, I'll need a DAC in all cases

The problem now is how to connect the DAC and Phono Preamp to the same amplifier. You'll need a switcher like the Schiit Sys.

(I have a Ipod Nano too but I don't know ifI can plug a DAC on it)

You can't. You'll need to track down an old 30pin, iTunes only iPod compatible DAC or transport. Too much work considering the storage capacity on that.

I've checked of the HD600 and the price is way too high, the headphone is 520$ CAD and +, while i only have 450$ for Headphone and DAC

Order the HD6XX on Massdrop for US$200. Then get the Pangea HP101 from Amazon for $50 - this has a USB input for your digital devices (you need to install the drivers though; although it works more smoothly with my Android than with Windows, no drivers needed for Android) plus analogue input for the Phono Pre. You can get the Schiit Mani with what you have left.

 

[BackBoneCrusher]

I can't find the Pangea on Amazon.ca and there's no more drop for the 6xx on massdrop

 

[buke9]

I'm pretty sure you can connect that turntable to a dac but I don't know why you would want to. The USB out on it is I believe for archiving your vinyl collection to digital. I have the LP 120 but have yet to hook it up that way. I bought it to listen to some of my old vinyl but it does not have a powerful enough pre amp to get to any decent listening volume. My phono input on my Avr is not much better either. I tried my old Akia and the same volume level with different cartridges so new pre amp is in the future for me.

 

[obobskivich]

I'm pretty sure you can connect that turntable to a dac but I don't know why you would want to. The USB out on it is I believe for archiving your vinyl collection to digital. I have the LP 120 but have yet to hook it up that way. I bought it to listen to some of my old vinyl but it does not have a powerful enough pre amp to get to any decent listening volume. My phono input on my Avr is not much better either. I tried my old Akia and the same volume level with different cartridges so new pre amp is in the future for me.

USB does not work this way. At all. So no, you could not connect two USB slave devices together and hope anything would work. USB requires a host controller (like a computer or smartphone) and then has a slave/client device that provides whatever peripheral function (be it a keyboard, a printer, a soundcard, whatever). The turntables with USB outputs are acting as a soundcard, they just only offer an input pair. The difference in loudness at a given volume level is more to do with internal gain structures and input sensitivity - older equipment tends to be setup "higher" and thus "gets louder at lower volume level" (what a nonsense "spec" that is...) - that doesn't mean newer equipment/modern equipment with phono preamps are "always better" just that there's more to the discussion than meets the eye.

As far as the original question:

If I'm understanding @BackBoneCrusher right, the goal here is to connect a pair of headphones to both a computer for digital media playback, and to also integrate a turntable into the equation for vinyl playback. Right?

If so, give this box a look for all of the connectivity:
https://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-digital-music-premium-hd

That's a USB soundcard with phono preamp input, so you can hook it up to your PC, and hook your turntable up to it - it will let you record vinyl to the PC or monitor it to the playback (or both, or any other contrived combination you may come up with - sound cards are pretty versatile).

And then you need a pair of headphones for the actual listening. If you want something that's fairly balanced (I'm assuming that's what you mean by "equilibrated") sounding - if the HD 600 are out of the question, look at their little brother, the HD 598, or *their* little brother, the HD 558.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I can't find the Pangea on Amazon.ca

Can't you order from US Amazon?
https://www.amazon.com/Pangea-Audio...8&qid=1502508184&sr=8-1&keywords=Pangea+HP101

and there's no more drop for the 6xx on massdrop

Looks like you just missed it, and the HE-4XX too. Might as well hold on to your money now and save up in case either comes up again or you just buy an HD600 or HE400S.

 

[BackBoneCrusher]

ProtegeManiac - Sadly, no I cannot order on Amazon US

Obobskivich - Thank you for your reply. Well the original idea was to simply connect a DAC on a Turntable, but if I can hook my turntable to my PC it will be far more convenient
The SoundBlaster look really nice (Only 120 Canadian bucks), but is he as good as the Schiit Modi 2 ?

For the headphones, the 598 is only 170$ Can (While the 600/650 is 500+ $...)
I just need something that has good treble and bass

 

[ProtegeManiac]

ProtegeManiac - Sadly, no I cannot order on Amazon US

But you can order from Massdrop? You'll just have to wait and see what comes up in there then.

There's a Cavalli amplifier that will go up tomorrow, you can use that with the TT. Hook it up to your computer via analogue output for now.

For the headphones, the 598 is only 170$ Can (While the 600/650 is 500+ $...)
I just need something that has good treble and bass

Superlux HD330 is around $50 if you can find an online dealer you can order it from.

 

[cossix]

ProtegeManiac - Sadly, no I cannot order on Amazon US

Obobskivich - Thank you for your reply. Well the original idea was to simply connect a DAC on a Turntable, but if I can hook my turntable to my PC it will be far more convenient
The SoundBlaster look really nice (Only 120 Canadian bucks), but is he as good as the Schiit Modi 2 ?

For the headphones, the 598 is only 170$ Can (While the 600/650 is 500+ $...)
I just need something that has good treble and bass

The 598 is a great headphone but is light on bass. It has very nice smooth highs and decent mids.

 

[BackBoneCrusher]

But you can order from Massdrop? You'll just have to wait and see what comes up in there then.

There's a Cavalli amplifier that will go up tomorrow, you can use that with the TT. Hook it up to your computer via analogue output for now.




Superlux HD330 is around $50 if you can find an online dealer you can order it from.

Well, Happily I CAN order on Massdrop from Canada, from what I read, but I cannot order tomorrow (I'll only be able to order after my birthday)

 

[buke9]

USB does not work this way. At all. So no, you could not connect two USB slave devices together and hope anything would work. USB requires a host controller (like a computer or smartphone) and then has a slave/client device that provides whatever peripheral function (be it a keyboard, a printer, a soundcard, whatever). The turntables with USB outputs are acting as a soundcard, they just only offer an input pair. The difference in loudness at a given volume level is more to do with internal gain structures and input sensitivity - older equipment tends to be setup "higher" and thus "gets louder at lower volume level" (what a nonsense "spec" that is...) - that doesn't mean newer equipment/modern equipment with phono preamps are "always better" just that there's more to the discussion than meets the eye.

As far as the original question:

If I'm understanding @BackBoneCrusher right, the goal here is to connect a pair of headphones to both a computer for digital media playback, and to also integrate a turntable into the equation for vinyl playback. Right?

If so, give this box a look for all of the connectivity:
https://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-digital-music-premium-hd

That's a USB soundcard with phono preamp input, so you can hook it up to your PC, and hook your turntable up to it - it will let you record vinyl to the PC or monitor it to the playback (or both, or any other contrived combination you may come up with - sound cards are pretty versatile).

And then you need a pair of headphones for the actual listening. If you want something that's fairly balanced (I'm assuming that's what you mean by "equilibrated") sounding - if the HD 600 are out of the question, look at their little brother, the HD 598, or *their* little brother, the HD 558.

You are right as I was thinking of USB to the USB input of the dac and not two usd devices running at once. The cable is wrong and doubt the dac would recognize the turntable. Not for sure if the USB output of the turntable is digital or not though. I corrected. I have no problems when I'm wrong .