[Chaos84Camaro]

I've been doing a bit of research and I've been looking for an upgrade to my entire setup. And just looking around, it seems to me I could get an external DAC (Musiland Monitor 01 US) to an amp and then speakers/headphones (Gizmo v1.0M and WAF-1/Headphones). Am I missing anything? If not, this would be a superior setup to any average consumer sound card plus the amp/speakers/etc, would it not?

 

[Hybrys]

Computer --> DAC --> Amp --> Speakers/Headphones is correct.  Usually a setup like this will offer a better bang for buck value vs a sound card.  You are correct to think so.
 
To note, depending on how much you spend on an amp, an alternative combo unit might be a better option.  IE: If you're going to get a $150 DAC, and a $150 amp, a combo unit such as the Audio-GD FUN or Nuforce Icon HDP might be the better way to go.

 

[Chaos84Camaro]

 
Quote:

Computer --> DAC --> Amp --> Speakers/Headphones is correct.  Usually a setup like this will offer a better bang for buck value vs a sound card.  You are correct to think so.

 

To note, depending on how much you spend on an amp, an alternative combo unit might be a better option.  IE: If you're going to get a $150 DAC, and a $150 amp, a combo unit such as the Audio-GD FUN or Nuforce Icon HDP might be the better way to go.

Ah, thank you for clearing that up. Would you recommend those two DAC/Amps as a better alternative to what I had listed?

 

[Hybrys]

Quote:

 
Ah, thank you for clearing that up. Would you recommend those two DAC/Amps as a better alternative to what I had listed?

Depending on your planned amp, computer, and what you're going to be playing.  The less expensive of the two I mentioned (the FUN) is great, but the USB input is limited to 16/48 (and 16/44.1) where as the Musiland you mentioned is 24/96 through USB.  The Nuforce HDP is also 24/96 through USB, but at a higher price point.
 
If the computer you're using has an onboard SPDIF output (Toslink or Coaxial) then I'd recommend the FUN, or some close alternative with an SPDIF input.  That way you'd get 24/96 support, and some really good sound out of the unit.