[Red Dragon]

Go for whatever has the features you want, but bear in mind that some sound card features can be done with free software.

I believe your posts in this thread that the Schiit Modi Multibit will probably give me the best audio quality within that price range.

But if I use the Multibit, then I am still unclear about how I will not be gimped in gaming, since as far as I can tell, it has no support for positional audio.

I remember you mentioned that software solutions that may add positional audio, but I have no idea what kind of software can do that (except for software/drivers that comes with internal sound cards and that won't work with external DACs from different companies).

What are some concrete examples of the best software packages that would give me great positional audio in games while using the Multibit?

Preferably I'd prefer positional audio that will be as good or better than the the positional audio features that come with this card:

https://us.creative.com/p/sound-cards/sound-blasterx-ae-5

Is that even possible? By 'possible,' I mean have third party software makers been able to equal Creative's expertise in positional audio, to the point that using an external DAC will not put me at a disadvantage in games compared to someone who uses a Creative product with native positional audio features?

 

[Music Alchemist]

You should be able to use whichever positional audio software you want with the DAC. They're separate. You'll have to do your own research to find the best software for your needs.

 

[AbsolutZeroGI]

If you're looking for a soundcard with a built-in amp, the Asus Xonar DGX is my go-to. It boasts support for up to 150ohm (I think) and it has three modes that you can use (>32 ohm mode, 32-64ohm mode, and 64ohm+ mode). You'll have to get the Uni drivers from here: http://maxedtech.com/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/ because they suck less (get the ones with the standard ASUS UI, you'll have to do some reading, sorry!).

I've had mine for 3 years now, powers my Sennheiser 558s like a dream and it'll amp the front headphone jack (you'll have to unplug it from the mobo and plug it into the sound card, but that's easy stuff, the plug is well labeled on the soundcard).

Best that you can get for under $100. I've heard a lot of bad things about Soundblaster drivers in their cheaper cards so I've avoided wasting money on them. Hope that helps!

 

[Red Dragon]

I bought the LSR30X, which is a limited edition Massdrop version of the 305s.

I'll probably buy a Modi Multibit too.

The speakers I bought come with a "3.5mm TRS to dual ¼-inch TS cable." Is that that the correct cable that I would need in order to connect the 305s speakers to a Modi Multibit? If not, what is the name of the correct cable that I do need? Or a link to an example of such a cable on Amazon or Monoprice would be useful too. And do I need one cable, or two? Thanks.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I bought the LSR30X, which is a limited edition Massdrop version of the 305s.

I'll probably buy a Modi Multibit too.

The speakers I bought come with a "3.5mm TRS to dual ¼-inch TS cable." Is that that the correct cable that I would need in order to connect the 305s speakers to a Modi Multibit? If not, what is the name of the correct cable that I do need? Or a link to an example of such a cable on Amazon or Monoprice would be useful too. And do I need one cable, or two? Thanks.

I recommend the following setup:

DAC > RCA cables > Schiit SYS passive preamp (for volume control) > RCA to XLR cables > speakers

I have these cables:
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=2869 (These come as a connected pair.)
https://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=4777 (You'd need two of these.)

 

[Red Dragon]

I recommend the following setup:

DAC > RCA cables > Schiit SYS passive preamp (for volume control) > RCA to XLR cables > speakers

Thanks for the info. Before I read your post, I didn't realize that I'd have to cough up more money for volume control.

Since I will have to cough up more money anyway, it makes me wonder if instead of buying the SYS, I should be a Magni 2 Uber or something like that? Would a Magni 2 Uber give me the same volume control functionality as the SYS, and also allow me to use headphones?

 

[Music Alchemist]

Thanks for the info. Before I read your post, I didn't realize that I'd have to cough up more money for volume control.

Since I will have to cough up more money anyway, it makes me wonder if instead of buying the SYS, I should be a Magni 2 Uber or something like that? Would a Magni 2 Uber give me the same volume control functionality as the SYS, and also allow me to use headphones?

You can still control the volume in your music player on your computer, but that would be a hassle and present potential sound quality issues.

Yes, you can use the Magni 2 Uber as a headphone amp and preamp for speakers. Although I owned it, I did not use it with speakers. I noticed that the SYS sounded better than some amps (like ones in certain DAC/amps) since it doesn't have any electronics and doesn't alter the signal. I can't say whether the M2U as a preamp would sound as good as the SYS.

 

[Red Dragon]

I was reading a huge thread about the Modi Multibit on the Super Best Audio Friends forum. Many of the knowledgeable audiophiles there say that the quality of the Modi Multibit is bottlenecked by its USB connection. So they recommend to use extra devices to decrapify the USB, or to convert it to SPDIF. But some of them say those devices are too expensive to be worth it and so its better to live with the not-so-great USB.

Are there any relatively cheap devices that I can use with the Modi Multbit that will minimize the flaws which USB cause?

 

[Music Alchemist]

Are there any relatively cheap devices that I can use with the Modi Multbit that will minimize the flaws which USB cause?

I've used a $30 Behringer UCA202 audio interface to output optical TOSLINK to the Chord Mojo. I only used USB with the Modi Multibit, so I can't comment on how it sounds with other inputs. I'd imagine that if your computer doesn't have major USB problems, the improvement with coax would be subtle at best. Heck, the differences between DACs are subtle too. I'm actually using that cheap Behringer as my DAC at the moment and not missing a whole lot compared to high-end DACs.

 

[Red Dragon]

After reading all 61 pages of the Super Best Audio Friends' thread about the Modi Multibit, I realized that I'm going to need a Schiit Eitr because for my use case that is apparently the best & cheapest way to fix the MM's USB flaws.

Also, I think I am going to use the PYST cables.

So, probably my setup would be Eitr>Magni 2 Uber>Modi Multibit>LSR30X.

How many cables of each kind do I need to connect all of that?

I especially don't understand what cable I need in order to follow this instruction, as quoted from the Schiit website: "connect Eitr’s coaxial SPDIF output to any DAC that accepts coaxial input."

 

[theveterans]

1 usb to eitr (PYST), 1 rca (PYST) to Modi, 2 rcas to Magni, 2 rca to 1/4" TS to LSR30X total of 6 cables. Yes you can use one of the PYST RCA pair from eitr to Modi FYI.

If you have a sub that has inputs and outputs, you need 2 more either TS to TS cable or XLR to XLR cable.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I realized that I'm going to need a Schiit Eitr because for my use case that is apparently the best & cheapest way to fix the MM's USB flaws.

The Eitr is $179 plus shipping. That is most certainly not the cheapest way to circumvent USB. As I mentioned, the Behringer UCA202 audio interface that outputs optical TOSLINK is only $30. There are also cheaper USB to coax converters such as this one. And USB sounds fine anyway. You should try USB before bothering with other options.

Also, I think I am going to use the PYST cables.

I'd recommend Monoprice instead since they're much cheaper but still high quality.

So, probably my setup would be Eitr>Magni 2 Uber>Modi Multibit>LSR30X.

The DAC comes before the amp in the chain.

How many cables of each kind do I need to connect all of that?

This question was already answered, but I'll also mention that you could use RCA to XLR cables instead of RCA to 1/4". (I use these.)

 

[Red Dragon]

I finally bought, received and set up my new audio equipment, but I am confused because it sounds bad to my ears.

I am connecting my PC to a Modi Multibit, which is connected to a Magni 3, which is connected to a pair of LSR30X.

All of that stuff has been plugged in and turned on for more than 48 hours before the time when I'm making this post.

Every time I play any song through the LSR30X, it sounds as though the music is being covered with a muffling veneer, or something. I know nothing about sound so I have no idea how properly to describe what I'm hearing. This apparent muffling effect happens always, regardless of whether the song is a youtube video, or an MP3 of any bitrate, or a FLAC.

At first the speakers were on my table with just the feet attached. Later, I tried elevating them more by setting them upon boxes, but that had no effect on the sound quality.

I have a pair of HD 598Cs headphones. When I plug them into the Magni 3, to me they sound exactly the same as the LSR30X, and they also have the same problem of sounding muffled to me.

I'm not sure whether:

a) my perception that the sound is muffled and bad is because the LSR30X and the Magni 3 both sound "flat" and I have no idea what "flat" sounds like --- perhaps an audiophile would consider what I'm hearing to sound normal and good.

or

b) something is wrong with some of the gear in my setup that is causing the sound to suck.

I'm more inclined to think that b) must be the answer, because for the LSR305 to get universal praise if this is how they normally sound seems very unlikely IMO.

How can I figure out what is going on here? I need an opinion about the quality of what I'm hearing from someone who understands sound, but how can I get them to hear the sound from my system?

 

[Music Alchemist]

Did you make sure all the cables are connected properly? If they are reversed, it can interfere with the sound.

 

[Red Dragon]

I'm not sure how my cables could potentially be reversed? If they were, how would I know?

Are there any objective tests I could run that will display statistics to determine whether or not my gear is performing to its specifications?