[obis]

Hey, I was wondering if I could plug in genelec monitors into a ps audio DAC and then get sound out of them? Because i don't really like the look of audio interfaces, the long skinny ones that you have to nail into a rack. I would much prefer a ps audio dac that ca just sit on my desk or something. So would it be possible to just plug in genelec monitors into the DAC and get good sound out of them from my computer? desktop)

 

[Jamiee]

There's no reason you couldn't, should work just fine

 
Just make sure that you have an easy method of volume control (if your Genelec monitors don't already have volume control on the front of them).
 
 
For my Dynaudio monitors I use a KRK Ergo for volume adjustment plus it also has room acoustic measurement capabilities.
It can be plugged directly into a computer via Firewire (needed for setup and taking measurements) but other than that it also has analog and COAX SPDIF inputs.
I use the COAX SPDIF to receive sound from my Audiolab M-DAC which is connected to my PC via Toslink optical (or USB).
 
This setup allows me to have both of my headphone amps + the monitors run off one source (the M-DAC).  This makes it so that I don't have to switch audio devices from within Windows every time I want to listen to either my speakers or my headphones.
 
It works really well!

 

[obis]

cool, so what your saying is that I can buy any dac with the appropriate inputs and just plug in my headphones and monitors into them for sound? I was looking at a schiit BiFrost DAC but in the back it only has RCA inputs or outputs and maybe even fire wire i have to check to see if monitors can be hooked up like that. I just really like the look of schiits audio but if i can't plug in my monitors then i would have to go for something a little more expensive like a ps audio DAC, its just that i am not really familiar with the big names.

 

[Jamiee]

I'm assuming your monitors have XLR or TRS inputs?
Either way, yes you can use a DAC that only has RCA out's.  Just that (a) you'll need to get the proper cable or cable adapter (b) it won't be balanced any longer due to the fact that RCA isn't balanced (to most this isn't that big of a deal but is something to be aware of).
 
Obviously the ideal situation would be to get a DAC that has XLR output jacks or a multitude of output jack types.
 
My M-DAC for example has Balanced XLR, RCA, SPDIF Optical, and COAX outputs.

 

[obis]

the connector type on the genelecs are XLR Female input is what it says on the spec page. I think getting a DAC would be all i would need unless it doesn't have a built in amp for my headphones also.

 

[Jamiee]

You could even use a nice sound card with built in headphone amp if you're source is a PC.
There's lots of options on how to hook up your monitors/headphones, just depends on what your after and how you want things to run.
 
But yeah, a DAC will work great, and one with a decent built in headphone amp will be a bonus for you.