[AxelCloris]

What amp have you used with the Mixamp?

Im trying to get my hands on a Fiio E17 at the moment and will test it with the mixamp. It just sucks that my M-Stage alters the positional queue. It makes the sound appear closer than they should be which throws me off and hard to tell where the sound is coming from anything that is nearby. Very weird.

 
With the Mixamp I've used the amp in my Aune T1 and Schiit Magni. I've since passed along the Mixamp but I've used the E12 and iCan with my Recon3D USB.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Dunno how much you're willing to spend. The E12 is priced somewhat similarly to the E9K, Magni, and Vali, all which are small desktop amps which have more power than the E12. If you don't need portability, I'd get one of those instead.

 

[retiredat21]

Looks like im gonna be going with the e17 then. More questions.. do i need to buy anything else aside from the u3 and the e17 to have it working with the laptop? This is actually my first time doing this and my first time buying a dac and amp so i really have no idea.. thank you!

 

[1llest]

Dunno how much you're willing to spend. The E12 is priced somewhat similarly to the E9K, Magni, and Vali, all which are small desktop amps which have more power than the E12. If you don't need portability, I'd get one of those instead.

Ive been wanting to try the Vali to compliment my X1 maybe I will get that next, need to read up on it more about pairing it with the X1.

Now my question is, is there any rca switch i can buy so i dont have to keep switching rca cables from the m-stage and vali? Maybe an RCA splitter, but I am not sure if that would degrade the sound. I am planning to use my m-stage as preamp for my studio monitors and the vali for the mixamp and X1.

 

[AxelCloris]

Ive been wanting to try the Vali to compliment my X1 maybe I will get that next, need to read up on it more about pairing it with the X1.

Now my question is, is there any rca switch i can buy so i dont have to keep switching rca cables from the m-stage and vali? Maybe an RCA splitter, but I am not sure if that would degrade the sound. I am planning to use my m-stage as preamp for my studio monitors and the vali for the mixamp and X1.

 
It pairs better with harder to drive headphones. I had it for a short while, and when I paired it with my easy headphones I didn't care for it at all. The humming never went away on my IEMs. But it's a nice amp. Sounded very nice with my HD650. The X1 is a good deal more sensitive, so it may not pair well, but I can't say.

 

[chicolom]

 
Would there be a difference in games (FPS) with this situation?
from Soundcard > Headphones; moving to USB DAC > Amp > Headphones
 
I read here and there suggestions to go with SPDIF from soundcard into DAC but in another place I read that there won't be any difference.
I mean there would obviously be the difference in quality from a crappy onboard soundcard to a decent DAC. What I mean is, in terms of sound cues about players positions, would there be any difference?
 
Thanks a lot in advance!

 
Does your soundcard have surround sound DSPs?  Because if so, the difference will be that you'll LOSE that surround sound when using a USB DAC.
 
If your soundcard does NOT have surround sound, then you may get a marginal improvement in soundstage and positioning with a USB DAC and amp.  It won't be as much of an improvement as adding in virtual surround sound though.
 
 

Has anybody used an Amp with the Astro mixamp? my setup is Astro mixamp > M-Stage and with PC360 and X1

The problem is, I lose pinpoint accuracy when using an amp after the mixamp. Surround is still there but I cant tell where the sound is coming from.

Anybody have the same experience? It sucks that I can't use my amp with the mixamp.

 
I use the same setup with my M-stage.  So does Change is Good. 
 
The M-stage is one of the BEST amps I've used for double amping, and it's able to increase the soundstaeg size the most out of all the amps I've double amped with.
 
So something sounds off with your setup.
 
 
 
 

Im trying to get my hands on a Fiio E17 at the moment and will test it with the mixamp. It just sucks that my M-Stage alters the positional queue. It makes the sound appear closer than they should be which throws me off and hard to tell where the sound is coming from anything that is nearby. Very weird.

 
 
My M-stages does the exact opposite.  It expands the soundstage size by several feet in all directions compared to plugging in directly into the mixamp.
 
So again, something seems off.

 
 

Now my question is, is there any rca switch i can buy so i dont have to keep switching rca cables from the m-stage and vali? Maybe an RCA splitter, but I am not sure if that would degrade the sound. I am planning to use my m-stage as preamp for my studio monitors and the vali for the mixamp and X1.

 
 
Check out the TCC TC-716 6-Way Stereo Source Selector:
http://www.amazon.com/TC-716-Stereo-Selector-BLACK-VERSION/dp/B0001F347K
 
I have this and I love it. 
 
Just plug all your sources and all your amps into it, then mix and route them as you please.  It's a completely passive device (no electronics inside) so it doesn't affect/degrade the sound.  It's just like a box of switchable interconnects.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Has anybody used an Amp with the Astro mixamp? my setup is Astro mixamp > M-Stage and with PC360 and X1

The problem is, I lose pinpoint accuracy when using an amp after the mixamp. Surround is still there but I cant tell where the sound is coming from.

Anybody have the same experience? It sucks that I can't use my amp with the mixamp.

My two cents and best guess.
You might need to turn up the source and Mix-amps volumes up to as high as possible (75% or higher) and use the M-Stages volume knob to control volume.
So first turn down the volume on the M-Stage to zero, then turn up the source/mix-amp volume controls, then try turning up the M-stage's volume knob.

 

[DADDYDC650]

PS4/Xbox One headphone. PLYR1 vs CAL 2 or Philips X1? I'd like to use the X1 but adding an additional mic and possibly and amp would make that setup even more expensive.

 

[1llest]

Does your soundcard have surround sound DSPs?  Because if so, the difference will be that you'll LOSE that surround sound when using a USB DAC.

If your soundcard does NOT have surround sound, then you may get a marginal improvement in soundstage and positioning with a USB DAC and amp.  It won't be as much of an improvement as adding in virtual surround sound though.



I use the same setup with my M-stage.  So does Change is Good. 

The M-stage is one of the BEST amps I've used for double amping, and it's able to increase the soundstaeg size the most out of all the amps I've double amped with.

So something sounds off with your setup.






My M-stages does the exact opposite.  It expands the soundstage size by several feet in all directions compared to plugging in directly into the mixamp.

So again, something seems off. :blink:




Check out the TCC TC-716 6-Way Stereo Source Selector:
http://www.amazon.com/TC-716-Stereo-Selector-BLACK-VERSION/dp/B0001F347K

I have this and I love it. 

Just plug all your sources and all your amps into it, then mix and route them as you please.  It's a completely passive device (no electronics inside) so it doesn't affect/degrade the sound.  It's just like a box of switchable interconnects.

Yeah it looks like something is off but I dont know what it is! Everything works fine when just using the mixamp but when I add the m-stage after the mixamp then everything changes.

xbox 360 > astro mixamp 2013 edition.

Are you using the latest mixamp?

Thanks for the switch recommendation. Will definitely give that one a try.

My two cents and best guess.
You might need to turn up the source and Mix-amps volumes up to as high as possible (75% or higher) and use the M-Stages volume knob to control volume.
So first turn down the volume on the M-Stage to zero, then turn up the source/mix-amp volume controls, then try turning up the M-stage's volume knob.

Will try to do more troubleshooting when I get back home from work. Thanks.

 

[conquerator2]

Does your soundcard have surround sound DSPs?  Because if so, the difference will be that you'll LOSE that surround sound when using a USB DAC.

If your soundcard does NOT have surround sound, then you may get a marginal improvement in soundstage and positioning with a USB DAC and amp.  It won't be as much of an improvement as adding in virtual surround sound though.



I use the same setup with my M-stage.  So does Change is Good. 

The M-stage is one of the BEST amps I've used for double amping, and it's able to increase the soundstaeg size the most out of all the amps I've double amped with.

So something sounds off with your setup.






My M-stages does the exact opposite.  It expands the soundstage size by several feet in all directions compared to plugging in directly into the mixamp.

So again, something seems off. :blink:




Check out the TCC TC-716 6-Way Stereo Source Selector:
http://www.amazon.com/TC-716-Stereo-Selector-BLACK-VERSION/dp/B0001F347K

I have this and I love it. 

Just plug all your sources and all your amps into it, then mix and route them as you please.  It's a completely passive device (no electronics inside) so it doesn't affect/degrade the sound.  It's just like a box of switchable interconnects.

Makes me happy to know
I just ordered the 2014 M-Stage with the DAC module

 

[AxelCloris]

PS4/Xbox One headphone. PLYR1 vs CAL 2 or Philips X1? I'd like to use the X1 but adding an additional mic and possibly and amp would make that setup even more expensive.

 
Adding a mic to the X1 is very simple compared to other headphones. Pick up the V-Moda BoomPro or RadioShack Auvio and you have an inline boom mic. The radio shack one is less expensive, but I can't speak to its quality. The BoomPro is excellent; I absolutely love mine.

 

[DADDYDC650]

Adding a mic to the X1 is very simple compared to other headphones. Pick up the V-Moda BoomPro or RadioShack Auvio and you have an inline boom mic. The radio shack one is less expensive, but I can't speak to its quality. The BoomPro is excellent; I absolutely love mine.

Can I replace the stock X1 cable with the BoomPro???

 

[1llest]

Can I replace the stock X1 cable with the BoomPro???

I purchased a boom pro for my X1 and was just delivered today. Can't wait to try it when I get home. From what I read though, it works well with the X1.

 

[martin vegas]

Good dacs do make the soundstage bigger, it's not just headphones and amps/headphone amps speakers that make the soundstage bigger..it's just a shame that they don't carry through a surround sound signal!

 

[chicolom]

Yeah it looks like something is off but I dont know what it is! Everything works fine when just using the mixamp but when I add the m-stage after the mixamp then everything changes.

xbox 360 > astro mixamp 2013 edition.

Are you using the latest mixamp?

Thanks for the switch recommendation. Will definitely give that one a try.
Will try to do more troubleshooting when I get back home from work. Thanks.

 
I don't have the 2013 mixamp.  I use my M-stage with the Mixamp 5.8 and the Ear Force DSS v1, and it works great with both of them.
 
Try testing your M-stage on your computer by listening to some binaural audio/virtual surround sound videos with it and then compare it to your soundcard/motherboard audio HP jack or a USB DAC.  See if adding the M-stage still screws up the positioning with compared to the un-amped audio.