Quote:
Originally Posted by DeadByDawn
Thanks for your reply everyone.
Hey ralphp@optonline,
I noticed in your profile that you are plugging your digital out from your x-fi card/console to the DAC in your Headroom.
I am curious if you think that improves the sound. I have an x-fi fatal1ty. I was curious how the DAC in the card itself would compare to the DAC in the headroom amps.
I am thinking about the Headroom Desktop for 70% gaming, and 30% music. For gaming it would be obviously hooked up to my computer. For music, i would probably hook it up directly to my stereo receiver (havent really thought it through yet).
One benefit i can see by getting a DAC upgrade in the amp is not having to buy expensive cables to connect the x-fi to the amp. A optical cable is cheap (and i have a few laying around).
Another would be is I could easily hook my sony ES CD player right into the amp on my stereo when i want to listen to music.
I only have enough money for one upgrade on the basic desktop unit with stock power supply. I was thinking either the "Home" amp upgrade or the DAC upgrade.
What is your opinion on this what i should get?
Thanks
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Without going into too much detail here's what I found to be the case and have previously posted in another thread:
"With the Audigy card versus the Micro DAC it is no contest, as you state, apple and oranges. With the Audigy the sound is echoy, phasy, ringy, hollow, just plain bad. With the Micro DAC the sound is focused, has weight, there is no ringing or echo and everything sounds just fine, quite good in fact. For the record, I'm using the Micro DAC via the USB input.
Now with the X-Fi Xtreme Music card it's a totally different story. There is almost no difference at all between the sound of the analog output of the X-Fi card fed into the analog input of my Headroom Desktop amp versus the digital output of the X-Fi card fed into the digital input of the same Desktop amp (and therefore using the amp's built-in DAC). Now mind you, I have the X-Fi card set for absolutely NO digital processing whatsoever, no CMSS, 24 bit crystalizer, no equalizer, nothing, nada, straight through - if you add even the slightest amount of digital processing you will mess up the sound. I also have the I/O digital output set for 96Khz. Plus I haven't tried this setup with the USB input."
Basically, what I found is that the DAC on the X-Fi card is really quite good and if not the equal of the Desktop DAC at least within a hairbreadth of it.
However there is a fly in the ointment regarding your proposed connection scheme. There is not an optical out on the X-Fi card itself. Perhaps there is one on the breakout console but since I don't have that item I won't know. Otherwise you most certainly could connect as follows and get some pretty fine sounding results:
Digital ouput of X-Fi -> cable (either optical or mono-mini jack to RCA plug) -> Desktop DAC -> headphone out (for headphone listening or -> stereo line out -> stereo RCA cables -> line in on power amp, preamp or receiver.
Please note that the line out on the back of the Desktop amp can be fed directly into a power amp, in other words, the Desktop amp acts as a preamp for these outputs - all front panel switches and the volume knob are all active.
To listen to a CD played on your Sony ES player through the Desktop amp you still have to run a second set of cables from the player (or your preamp/receiver) over to the analog inputs of the Desktop amp.
Everything sounds much more confusing than it actually is and all it would take is a very simple diagram to clear things up, provided that I've managed to totally confuse you and believe me, I've tried
. Just shoot me a PM and I'll draw one up for you and send it to you as a PDF.