[Evshrug]

Hi Guys, hoping for your suggestions and recommendations. I posted this on the other thread but i thought this would be appropriate here.

I own a X-Fi Titanium and O2 and thinking of buying an external DAC (optical) or TiHD? :confused_face_2:

FWIR, the main thing you gain going Ti to TiHD is a better integrated DAC and Amp... If you're using optical output to an external DAC (and the O2 for amping), you're not going to make much use of the TiHD.

 

[Exodus121]

Hey guys, I'm having a problem where when I set my equalizer to something like this
 

 
and anything with heavy bass will just hit this point where the bass will just fall/flatten out.
 
I run a soundblaster zxr with q701's and run the q701's in 600ohm mode.  Repeated hits of bass succinctly will have this really weird distorted effect like there is some behind the scene volume compensation system that is trying to dampen output.  
 
Anyone have any ideas what's going on?  My Bass management is off

 

[NamelessPFG]

Your system's probably clipping because you EQed above the neutral point.

Drop that rightmost LEVEL slider or your overall volume and tell us if the problem stops.

 

[Stillhart]

   
I run a soundblaster zxr with q701's and run the q701's in 600ohm mode.

 
What do you mean when you say you run the Q701 in 600ohm mode?

 

[Fegefeuer]

gain mode

 

[Stillhart]

Random question that I'm hoping goes in here.  I'm having trouble finding a decent DAC with optical input in the sub $200 range.  There are tons of USB ones though.  Is it possible to have a USB DAC hooked up at the same time as a sound card and easily swap back and forth in the software depending on whether I'm listening to music or gaming?
 
I have a Schiit SYS, so swapping my source (DAC vs Sound Card) into my Amp is easy.  I'm more concerned out my sound output.  I'm thinking setting the sound card to default and then using WASPI or something to make Winamp always point to the USB DAC?

 

[AvroArrow]

  Random question that I'm hoping goes in here.  I'm having trouble finding a decent DAC with optical input in the sub $200 range.  There are tons of USB ones though.  Is it possible to have a USB DAC hooked up at the same time as a sound card and easily swap back and forth in the software depending on whether I'm listening to music or gaming?
 
I have a Schiit SYS, so swapping my source (DAC vs Sound Card) into my Amp is easy.  I'm more concerned out my sound output.  I'm thinking setting the sound card to default and then using WASPI or something to make Winamp always point to the USB DAC?

 
Yes, that's exactly how I have mine setup.  Default windows sound device is my X-Fi Titanium, in Foobar2000 and MediaMonkey I set the output to WASAPI (event): Speakers (Audioengine D1) so whenever I play music it uses the D1 instead of the X-Fi.  I run a pair of Y-splitters to my Asgard 2 or Fiio E09k depending on whether I want to run a heater on my desk or not.  RCA outputs from my D1 & X-Fi (3.5mm-to-RCA) go into the splitters on the back of the Amp.
 
A note about my D1.  I'm running it from USB input only and not using the Optical input because of lame X-Fi drivers.  I can't get the X-Fi ASIO or WASAPI drivers to work over optical output to the D1's optical input without it hard locking my Win7 x64 PC.  It worked fine with my older Dolby Headphone setup (DHT v4) but not the X-Fi Titanium.  It did work on the X-Fi Surround 5.1 (SB1090) optical when I had it.  I may have to trade my brother my X-Fi Ti for the Surround 5.1 back since he's not much of an audio guy and doesn't use external DACs and amps.
 
I can name 3 sub $200 optical DACs, Audioengine D1, Fiio E17, Schiit Modi (Optical).  I have the E17 & D1 and use the D1 because it's a desktop DAC, the E17 goes on my Android phone or tablet.

 

[Stillhart]

Awesome, thanks!  Good to know it should work if I decide to go that route.  Note, I said I had trouble finding a "good" one.  I had the Schiit Optimodi and returned it due to not being able to tell much difference from my SB Omni's DAC.  I imagine the E17 and D1 are on the same level.  Tho TBH, I didn't realize the D1 had an optical input.
 
I think I've resigned myself to needing a really good DAC to tell much difference.  Hence starting to look into USB solutions..

 

[Dark_wizzie]

Anybody here play Battlefield 3 and have their favorite audio setting?
I was suggested Asus Essence One but I'm not spending 500+ ONLY for audio software technology. (Using HD800 with O2/Dac).
 
HD800 should have best imaging ever, but I'm not that impressed.

 

[benbenkr]

  Awesome, thanks!  Good to know it should work if I decide to go that route.  Note, I said I had trouble finding a "good" one.  I had the Schiit Optimodi and returned it due to not being able to tell much difference from my SB Omni's DAC.  I imagine the E17 and D1 are on the same level.  Tho TBH, I didn't realize the D1 had an optical input.
 
I think I've resigned myself to needing a really good DAC to tell much difference.  Hence starting to look into USB solutions..

 
I'm using an Aune X1 Pro currently, which I can confidently say is one of the best $200+ all-in-one amp/DAC on the market currently. Comes with all inputs and outputs you'll pretty much ever need too — USB in, coax in, optical in, line-in (RCA), pre-amp out, all of which is a huge plus.
 
Loving the WM8805 it uses as its DAC. It's lively, so energetic and yet it doesn't lose control over the bass. I love pairing the X1 Pro with the Fidelio X1 (pssh, they both have X1 in their names...), no more overy boomy bass, no more "recessed" mids. It's stunning stuff really.
As a bonus, it supports DSD as well so if you have any DSD files that'll be nice.
 
Really, I don't see the Schiit M&M stack or the FiiO E17+E09k to be that viable anymore when the Aune X1 Pro does all of that in one package.

 

[AvroArrow]

  Awesome, thanks!  Good to know it should work if I decide to go that route.  Note, I said I had trouble finding a "good" one.  I had the Schiit Optimodi and returned it due to not being able to tell much difference from my SB Omni's DAC.  I imagine the E17 and D1 are on the same level.  Tho TBH, I didn't realize the D1 had an optical input.

 
I'm not sure what your definition of a "good DAC" is, but I for one think the DAC in my X-Fi Titanium kinda sucks for music.  I can only get it to work with foobar's WASAPI drivers if I run it through the headphone jack so I may be double-amping it through my Asgard2/E09k but I can quite easily hear the difference between it and the D1/E17 and it is inferior to those 2 DACs for music on my K702 Annies.  I can't say for certain if the SB Omni's DAC is an upgrade to the X-Fi Titanium's DAC since I haven't heard the Omni.  The next step up would be something like the Bifrost Uber USB which is in the $550 bracket and that I'm not sure is going to sound 3.5x better than the D1/E17 to justify the 3.5x higher price. 

 

[Stillhart]

   
I'm not sure what your definition of a "good DAC" is, but I for one think the DAC in my X-Fi Titanium kinda sucks for music.  I can only get it to work with foobar's WASAPI drivers if I run it through the headphone jack so I may be double-amping it through my Asgard2/E09k but I can quite easily hear the difference between it and the D1/E17 and it is inferior to those 2 DACs for music on my K702 Annies.  I can't say for certain if the SB Omni's DAC is an upgrade to the X-Fi Titanium's DAC since I haven't heard the Omni.  The next step up would be something like the Bifrost Uber USB which is in the $550 bracket and that I'm not sure is going to sound 3.5x better than the D1/E17 to justify the 3.5x higher price. 

 
Well, the Omni is two generation newer than the X-Fi and it advertises how good its headphone jack is, so maybe they've made an effort to put in a decent DAC.  It certainly sounds noticeably better than my old Recon3D.  And like I said, I couldn't tell the difference between the Omni and the Modi without straining my ears. This was with my Q701, which is a detail monster, very similar to your Annies.

 

[Arkanius]

Hey guys I have a question:
 
If CMSS-3D is set to Headphones + 7.1 sources (in Windows) and I play a stereo source, does it get any type of processing ?
I ask this because whenever I hear music, swapping configs is bothersome. For example, for audio the best setting is Audio Creation Mode + 2/2.1 sources, which is Left/Right. 7.1 also has Left/Right, shouldn't CMSS-3D with a stereo source just send me the signal to the Left/Right channel?
 
Or should I attempt something else to send my audio unaltered to me when listening to music? WASAPI perhaps? Or ASIO? (Only in Foobar though...)

 

[Murder Mike]

  Or should I attempt something else to send my audio unaltered to me when listening to music? WASAPI perhaps? Or ASIO? (Only in Foobar though...)

That's the easiest way to do it. Otherwise you'll be swapping settings all the time in my experience. 

 

[Arkanius]

Yeah it seems I'll have to take the bite for other audio applications though. Automode switcher is also buggy as hell.
Also, shouldn't WASAPI send audio directly to the DAC bypassing CMSS-3D? Right now, it seems it's going through the HTFR filters, even with WASAPI (Foobar in this case)