[JDAIII]

Got everything i need for an O2 and ODAC. I got everything for rear RCA and realized after almost at that step that I'm not sure if I should have an RCA line out on the DAC or if I should wire the RCA straight into the 1/4" headphone jack.

While I PLAN to get a pair of powered balanced monitors from massdrop for listening when I don't use my headphones but I'm not sure if I always will.

Any suggestions why I should go either way? Amp is mostly for the headphones but volume adjustment would be a pain if only using the dac with no amp but it also adds more wire distance between source and speakers.

Opinions?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Got everything i need for an O2 and ODAC. I got everything for rear RCA and realized after almost at that step that I'm not sure if I should have an RCA line out on the DAC or if I should wire the RCA straight into the 1/4" headphone jack.

While I PLAN to get a pair of powered balanced monitors from massdrop for listening when I don't use my headphones but I'm not sure if I always will.

ODAC line out goes into O2. You don't have a real option for the speakers though since you bought the wrong equipment for integrating it - you need one that has a preamplifier output from either the headphone amp like the Schiit amps (except the Magni and Magni2, and most of the Gen 1 Schiits) or from a one box DAC-HPamp-Preamp unit like the AudioGD NFB-11.

Or there's a custom version of the one-box O2-ODAC that can be configured for ODAC output out the rear RCA, and some custom versions can run the signal through the O2's preamp stage first so you can control speaker volume.

Any suggestions why I should go either way? Amp is mostly for the headphones but volume adjustment would be a pain if only using the dac with no amp but it also adds more wire distance between source and speakers.

Opinions?

1. Cancel the O2-ODAC order and get something else; if you bought the O2-ODAC kit, either sell it, build it and sell it, or modify the O2 circuit to have a preamp output.

2. Use speakers that have a single volume control (no studio monitors with asymmetrical design, ie one amp built into each speaker) and connect to a Y-connector from the ODAC (other end goes into the O2). Go for small PC desktop speakers so you can reach the volume control or they'll have some kind of wired remote pod, or get something like the Audioengine A5+ and just reach for the volume control.

#1 sounds like the easy bet in the long run.

 

[JDAIII]

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I bought the O2 and ODAC in kit form and am finished with soldering together the O2. In the modification guide, I can choose to wire the RCA to the output of the ODAC with O2 also or I can solder it to the 1/4" headphone jack. So not sure which way to go. Do I just want a direct line for RCA from the ODAC or should I go through O2.
A link to the modification guide is below.

http://www.jdslabs.com/pdf/Custom O2-ODAC - Complete Soldering Guide.pdf

The speakers are just on sale at massdrop and I've heard them before and I like their sound. If they don't work out, I'm sure my 13 year old nephew would love them for his desk.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-jbl-lsr30x-powered-speakers

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I bought the O2 and ODAC in kit form and am finished with soldering together the O2. In the modification guide, I can choose to wire the RCA to the output of the ODAC with O2 also or I can solder it to the 1/4" headphone jack. So not sure which way to go. Do I just want a direct line for RCA from the ODAC or should I go through O2.
A link to the modification guide is below.

http://www.jdslabs.com/pdf/Custom O2-ODAC - Complete Soldering Guide.pdf

Did you read that guide through vis a vis my previous reply? Because I found the solution to integrating speakers in, like, 1 minute. Page 6.

 

[JDAIII]

And that is one of the two options for the RCA connections on the O2. Read the section of the modification instructions just above that. Just looking at my options but I guess you like flaming people.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

And that is one of the two options for the RCA connections on the O2. Read the section of the modification instructions just above that. Just looking at my options but I guess you like flaming people.

First off, I don't like flaming people. I am asking a legit question - ie, whether you read it in detail vis a vis my reply.

Second, that you bother to accuse me of flaming and mentioning that there are two inadvertedly provided a negative answer to that question I posed, ie, I don't think you read that well. And again, I don't flame people, in fact, I am very helpful, so I'm going to walk you through what to read.

Here's the other option you pointed out.

Here's the one I posted.

See the difference? Read the difference? No? OK, let me help you out further and emphasize it. Remember this is because you said you were hoping to add speakers.

Perhaps marking the relevant parts were not enough. Here, let me make it all bigger.