[typeronin]

Hello everyone, 

I was bugging some of my audiophile friends with questions and they told me "You might as well just make a thread on Head-Fi and see if someone has any advice." rather than message them on Hangouts every 5 minutes. I want to put together a completely new desktop setup and could use some help. I'm a bit of a beginner audiophile. I know the basics but beyond that, I'm stumped. 
 
I'd like to hook my PC, my laptop and my phone to the same audio setup. Three selectable sources that either output to speakers/sub or headphones (or, optionally, more? Maybe a set of speakers in another room?) What I was thinking was:
 
PC (via HDMI from video card or via optical out from motherboard onboard sound) ---> AV Receiver (Sony STR-DH550?) ---> speakers or headphones. 
 
The AV receiver gives me all the inputs needed. I'd like to use bookshelf speakers and a subwoofer but I'm open to suggestions when it comes to speakers. If active is the better option, then I'd love to hear it. Problem with this is AV receivers are mostly enormous and maybe give me too many features I won't use. I don't need Internet connectivity for radio or anything like that but being able to plug my phone or a thumb drive in via USB would be a plus.
 
Can this be done better? I can't seem to find a amp/DAC combo that can power speakers AND has a headphone jack. I was psyched for the SMSL Q5 Pro but then realized it doesn't have a headphone jack! Do I need separate devices for my speakers and for my headphones? If so, then what's a good way to switch between them?
 
Oh, and being able to switch source and output using hardware is essential. I really dislike having to do that in Windows.
 
TL;DR: Help me hook up multiple sources (PC, laptop, phone, +AUX?) to a 2.1 receiver and headphones, please.

 

[Nemoona]

Hello friend, what you are looking for is a pre-amplifier (not the preamp that makes turntables amp-ready) that has a DAC function.
If I understand, you just want a connection between inputs and outputs that centralizes your audio?
 
But first, three questions:
1: do you want it to act as a wireless receiver?
          I just thought the ability to receive wirelessly would be an advantage you might want to pay for
 
2: what's your price range?
          I'm pretty sure you don't want to spend $10,000 so a budget is a good idea
 
3:  Do you want it to be mostly digital?
          It's ok if you choose to have a pre-amp that supports digital input, it seems to be the best choice for you, but a lot of higher-end audiophile systems separate the DAC from the pre-amp.
 
 
I'll just give you a few options before-hand to try and find your taste
all these options have digital inputs as well as analog, and they all have outputs for headphones and speakers.
 
Marantz HD-DAC1
http://www.ca.marantz.com/ca/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=HiFiComponents&SubCatId=&ProductId=HDDAC1
Maybe a little over-powered for your taste, however, if you want to go higher in price, that's definitely not a problem.
This device has everything you want but I understand if it's a little pricey.
The only problem I see is that it seems this device doesn't have a proper speaker amp so you will need either an external amp or powered speakers.
$800 + amp (or powered monitors)
 
Schiit Jotunheim
http://schiit.com/products/jotunheim
You probably know about Schiit, but if you don't, they are extremely highly regarded in the audio industry for producing high quality products at an affordable price.
The Schiit looks good for what you want however, like the Marantz, it seems that it requires an amp for the speakers, or for you to use active speakers.  If you're OK with that, the Schiit would be a fantastic option for you, so long as it's in your price range.
Also keep in mind that the Jotunheim, unfortunately, does not have an aux in or a direct connection to a phone.  So you may need to pay extra for other additional products that allow those features.
$400 + amp (or powered monitors)
 
SoundBlaster X7
http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-x7
Like the Marantz, this also does absolutely everything you need, and maybe a little more since it allows to be used with passive speakers.
If you like the looks of it, not much else can be said, it should end up costing less than the Jotunheim since it allows passive speakers. 
I would only worry about the sound quality, it scares me that the products claims to be "the best" at everything in gaming and audio as well as having more bells and whistles than audiophile products twice the prices.
$400
 
Schiit Fulla 2 (this product was literally named Fulla because people will say "you're fulla schiit" when they find out exactly how much this product can do), and no, I didn't come up with the name.
http://schiit.com/products/fulla-2
If the Jotunheim and X7 are STILL too expensive, you could go for the even smaller Schiit Fulla.
This definitely requires an amp for speakers, however at the price, it has the capabilities to compete with much more expensive models.  While being a less expensive and much smaller alternative, I would highly recommend this Schiit product and would even suggest you consider this option if your budget is $200 or $300.
The good thing about this product is that it retains a high sound quality but has a budget to allow the purchase other products to fill in the gap of it's features.  As well it's portable enough to be brought anywhere, allows to be connected with your phone, and has an aux input.
$100 + amp (or powered monitors)
 
 
Keep in mind these are only suggestions, I should be able to find other products once you answer some more questions.
Final question:  do you prefer tubes or solid state?
 
I hope this could help,
-Nemo

 

[typeronin]

Hi! Thanks so much for the advice! Much appreciated!
 
I did a little more reading after I posted that yesterday and found this image on Zeos: http://i.imgur.com/Z8FMJ.png
 
That looks a lot like what I'm looking to build. Am I on the right track? 
 
Quote:

  Hello friend, what you are looking for is a pre-amplifier (not the preamp that makes turntables amp-ready) that has a DAC function.
If I understand, you just want a connection between inputs and outputs that centralizes your audio?
 
But first, three questions:
1: do you want it to act as a wireless receiver?
          I just thought the ability to receive wirelessly would be an advantage you might want to pay for
 
2: what's your price range?
          I'm pretty sure you don't want to spend $10,000 so a budget is a good idea
 
3:  Do you want it to be mostly digital?
          It's ok if you choose to have a pre-amp that supports digital input, it seems to be the best choice for you, but a lot of higher-end audiophile systems separate the DAC from the pre-amp.
 
Final question:  do you prefer tubes or solid state?
 
I hope this could help,
-Nemo

 
1. Wireless would be cool but not strictly necessary. I don't even know if I'd use it, really. Just spitting ideas.
 
2. Not including cables, headphones, speakers and subwoofer, I'd like to spend $200-300 on all the stuff that I'd need to hookup the outputs to my PC and laptop, like DAC, amp, pre-amp, etc. (Thanks, still learning what these all are...). I'm not a very serious audio guy. Above average would be okay by me.
 
In terms of a very cheap setup, I was looking at the SMSL M3 along with the SMSL A2 (on Massdrop for $59 right now). That seems to have everything I need. Am I on the right track? I'm okay with spending a bit more if I understand why. I'm looking at the Schiit Fulla 2 as well but I would really like to have three inputs (optical, USB, and one more of anything really) that I can easily switch between.
 
And also, it seem like you'd get a lot of these things in a AV receiver like a Sony STR-DH550 (I just looked for a popular one on Amazon) which would be roughly the same price. Other than saving some space, would a setup with a dedicated DAC, dedicated amp, pre-amp, etc have any other advantages over a receiver?
 
3. I think all my sources are digital. I don't have vinyl or anything. I think that would be fun as hell but I already think I'm going to end up a few thousand dollars down two years from now just posting here, asking this question WITHOUT starting a vinyl collection!
 
4. I'm good either way, solid or tubes. I listened to quite a few of each at my local headphone store last week and really I thought most of them sounded amazing. Different kinds of amazing but I think I'd be happy either way. A small tube amp would look pretty sweet on my desk.
 
Thank you!

 

[Nemoona]

Hello, please pardon my extremely late reply.
I had hoped to had responded the day of however my schedule did not allow.
I'll have to be brisk.
 
The SMSL M3 would be a good option for you if you keep in mind it only has one input and that's not an aux.  It would only work for you if you bought an amp that did everything you want
 
The SMSL A2 would be a very good option for you because it has everything you want in an amp, even aux.  you can power a sub and to not need powered moniters.  You will not, however, be able to listen with aux and headphones but that argument is inherently useless so it shouldn't bother you.
 
I wouldn't hugely recommend the M3 but I would recommend the A2.  One thing that you must keep in mind however is that if you buy the A2, you will need to buy a DAC.  the A2 ONLY functions as the amp portion of the chart you brought up.
 
If you choose the A2, I can suggest some DAC's, I think it would be a good option for you, especially if it's on Massdrop.