[magnavox]

So thats the setup Im using, just got the little dot last night and im having trouble getting it set right. I hear a low hiss when i have my littledot in the setup, if its my sound card powering my akgs no hiss. Maybe I have the gain wrong my the little dot? Im using the the stock tubes so maybe that might be causing the problem too? Sorry im new to all of this so any advice would be much appreciated!

Also is my sound card DAC/headphone amp good enough? Or is using my little dot for the amp going to make it sound much better?

 

[whirlwind]

The STX has a good headphone amp....but I would use the soundcard for dac and the LD1+ for amp.
 
If you do it this way, be sure to switch to speakers in the xonar audio center.

 

[PurpleAngel]

So that's the setup I'm using, just got the little dot last night and I'm having trouble getting it set right. I hear a low hiss when i have my littledot in the setup, if its my sound card powering my AKGs no hiss. Maybe I have the gain wrong my the little dot? I'm using the the stock tubes so maybe that might be causing the problem too? Sorry I'm new to all of this so any advice would be much appreciated!

Also is my sound card DAC/headphone amp good enough? Or is using my little dot for the amp going to make it sound much better?

Do you have the LD MKII hooked up to the STX's RCA outputs? for best sound quality.
Hooking the LD MKII to the STX's headphone output would be double amping.
Have you disabled the motherboard's on-board audio? in the BIOS.
 
Try installing the "Unified Xonar Drivers".
Try using Foobar2000 for playing music audio.
 
Between the Essence STXs amplifier and the LD MKII amplifier, your ears will decide which sounds better.

 

[magnavox]

Ahhh ok good to know! I had it plugged into the headphone jack so the RCA one. Should I upgrade the rca cables it cane with?

 

[magnavox]

Came*

 

[magnavox]

Do you have the LD MKII hooked up to the STX's RCA outputs? for best sound quality.
Hooking the LD MKII to the STX's headphone output would be double amping.
Have you disabled the motherboard's on-board audio? in the BIOS.

Try installing the "Unified Xonar Drivers".
Try using Foobar2000 for playing music audio.

Between the Essence STXs amplifier and the LD MKII amplifier, your ears will decide which sounds better.

So double amping is better? Sweet ill look into foobar2000 when i get home :]

Yeah i don't use the motherboards audio drivers or anything, only the soundcard.

Thanks!

 

[PurpleAngel]

So double amping is better? Sweet ill look into foobar2000 when I get home :]
Yeah I don't use the motherboards audio drivers or anything, only the sound card.

Double amping is not better, best to use just one good amplifier, in the audio chain.
The RCA outputs on the STX takes advantage of the buffer op-amp (as well as the two I/V op-amps that the STX's headphone output uses).
The analog audio signal signal coming out of the RCA outputs should provide a slightly cleaner analog signal.
But you did disable (in the BIOS) the motherboard's on-board audio (built-in sound card)?

 

[magnavox]

Double amping is not better, best to use just one good amplifier, in the audio chain.
The RCA outputs on the STX takes advantage of the buffer op-amp (as well as the two I/V op-amps that the STX's headphone output uses).
The analog audio signal signal coming out of the RCA outputs should provide a slightly cleaner analog signal.
But you did disable (in the BIOS) the motherboard's on-board audio (built-in sound card)?

Ahhh ok ill connect it to RCA then :] the RCA cable from the littledot turns into a jack then I connect that to the splitter the STX came with the the RCA. Wouls it be better it I get a good quality RCA to RCA cable?

Ohhhhh dont think so, would that benefit it? If so how?

Thanks again, im learning alot :]

 

[PurpleAngel]

Ahhh ok I'll connect it to RCA then :] the RCA cable from the Little Dot turns into a jack then I connect that to the splitter the STX came with the the RCA. Would it be better it I get a good quality RCA to RCA cable?

Ohhhhh don't think so, would that benefit it? If so how?

Thanks again, I'm learning a lot :]

Here is a low cost "Premium" RCA to RCA cable.
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021814&p_id=2869&seq=1&format=2

 

[magnavox]

Here is a low cost "Premium" RCA to RCA cable.
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021814&p_id=2869&seq=1&format=2

Awesome thanks! Got some on the way :]

 

[manbear]

I hear hiss on my little dot mk3 when it's near something like a fan or a cordless phone base, so you might also want to make sure the little dot isn't near any sources of electromagnetic radiation. Those tubes can pick it up in some cases.