[Wallboy]

Hello, I'm likely going to be picking up a PS4 Slim soon and would like to play it at my desk through my monitor and and headphones. What I used to do on my PS3 was run the Optical output to an Omega Striker PCI card (Optical-In) and within Windows redirect that sound to my DAC/Amp stack (Modi 1/Vali 1). This worked ok, but I no longer have that sound card (completely different PC actually) and instead would like to skip the route of taking the audio through my PC first and go straight to a DAC.

I have been looking at upgrading my current DAC/AMP stack to something like the Jotunheim as I've been having issues with my Modi sometimes cutting out and also some ringing issues with the tubes of the Vali. Also I feel like I could use some more power. My current cans are K712 and I can easily take the Vali to 3 o'clock and feel like they could still use more power. I feel the Jotunheim would be a good upgrade as I could look into upgrading my headphones as well in the future and the Jot should still be fine.

This still left the problem of how I can run my PS4 audio and my PC audio through this chain. So I started looking to possibly using just the Jot as an amp and getting something like a Modi 2 Multibit (Or maybe just Uber... Convince me the extra $100 is worth it) which has multiple source inputs that would work for me.

Since the PS4 Slim does not have an Optical Output, I would need to first run the HDMI through an Extractor of some sort that just passes the HDMI signal through to my monitor, and splits the audio into an Optical Out I can use to plug into the DAC. I have drew up a quick diagram of what I'm looking to achieve and would like to know if anyone else is doing something similar and to offer any different opinions/insights if I should be doing something differently:

Thanks for any help

 

[cossix]

I'm definitely one to recommend the Jot, but if you don't plan on going balanced then it may not be worth it.

I'd make 2 suggestions:
1) If you're interested in going balanced eventually and/or having powered monitors, the Jot + Modi Multibit is a great option.
2) If you don't care about balanced and don't see yourself running speakers, Magni 2 + Uber/Multibit is perfectly fine.

Either way, I think the Modi Multibit is a good idea because it's very likely you won't ever feel the need to upgrade your DAC. I think anything after that unit is questionable in terms of price to performance. Diminishing returns kicks in hard above that price point for Dac's.

For your current amp, it seems to put a little under 500mW into your K712. That's a respectable amount of power but Magni 2 would put almost 1 full Watt of power into them which I think would make you much happier. For $100 bucks you simply can't beat the Magni 2. The Jotunheim single ended output is actually weaker than the Magni 2 at 50 ohms.

It all comes down to futureproofing though. Magni 2 is an inexpensive fix for your problem, but isn't a very flexible amp. Jotunheim is obviously more expensive but really is a complex desktop solution like Schiit advertises.

On the other side, the Modi 2 Uber vs Multibit isn't a matter of futureproofing, but rather of sound quality. While I can't say I've heard the Multibit, I've seen plenty of people who say the Multibit is noticeably better than the base models. So in the end, choosing the dac is a matter of sound quality, both Uber and Multibit will integrate perfectly with what you need.

I hope all this makes sense and good luck with your decision!

 

[Monsterzero]

An amp i understand,but im curious as to why you think you need a DAC for the PS4?

 

[cossix]

An amp i understand,but im curious as to why you think you need a DAC for the PS4?

I believe it's because 1) he doesn't want to mess with his setup when switching between pc and ps4, and 2) there is only digital out from his HDMI box-looking thing.

I would agree with Monsterzero's implied statement that a PS4 won't really benefit from a DAC but I'm assuming you just want everything connected to each other for simplicity

 

[Wallboy]

The PS4 Slim only has HDMI output. How else am I supposed to hook it up to my headphones? That little extractor box takes that HDMI signal from the PS4 and splits the audio to Optical Out OR directly to analog RCA. If I use the RCA outs on that extractor box, then that box is performing the DAC duties, which I have to assume is going to be considerably worse then what the chip in a Modi MB would be able to do. So doesn't it make more sense to defer the DAC duty to the Modi MB instead of that audio extractor box?

 

[buke9]

Don't have any of your gear but have heard it if there is ringing in tha Vali then you have a tube problem or you have a vibration problem.

 

[Wallboy]

I had an early model which had issues with the tubes staying on the pads and I'd get a VERY loud high pitch tone in one channel. To the point where I could hear it 15 feet away. I had to cycle the amp on and off to fix it. I eventually got tired of having to cycle it, that I sent it in for new tubes and they have been perfect for 1.5 years, but now it's starting to do the same thing again. So I have come to the conclusion that tube amps are too much of a hassle/problem and why I going back to solid state.