[Sebasistan]

Since I'm spending a lot of time in front of computers, might as well look into this...

But I have absolutely no clue where to begin looking or what to look out for.
I have several laptops and a big gaming / workstation PC. Should I go for basically a dongle? Or something more substantial / desktop-y?
What are the benefits of a USB Dac/Amp vs. a DAP?
What are the pro/cons of a combined Dac/Amp unit vs. separate ones?

I also have some rather n00b-ish questions. How is a USB Dac/Amp thing different from, say, a dedicated sound card? I know those still exist, but few people use them since most people just use the onboard sound cards of their mainboards, if they use stationary PCs at all. I would guess soundcards generally offer less isolation from "system noise" but I really don't know.

And where would one start? This market segment is pretty huge and confusing and I have just no clue what's good there, or what I would even need. Do any of those have Bluetooth?

 

[PurpleAngel]

An external sound card is like an external DAC/amp, but the sound card comes with a DSP chip (not the same as a DAC chip).
What headphones are you using?
What is your budget?

 

[CTR640]

An external soundcard is not the best option to go for because some components on the motherboard will cause buzzing noise and or other system noise.
External dac/amp is the best and that way as you can carry it over to your next motherboard upgrade.

USB headphones are usually the gaming headphones/headsets, I don't have any experience with that as I use the 3.5mm and 6.3mm audiojacks.

 

[Sebasistan]

An external sound card is like an external DAC/amp, but the sound card comes with a DSP chip (not the same as a DAC chip).
What headphones are you using?
What is your budget?

I'm not quite sure in terms of budget, since I have no idea what budget means what in this market segment. Looking at the Shiit lineup, I guess somewhere in the $200 range, like Magni/Modi or Asgard. My main headphones are the Meze 99 Neo, the Hifiman HE 400i and I have a pair of Takstar 82Pro coming in. My main IEM are the TRI I3 and the Moondrop Starfield. I use most of my headphones and IEMs with balanced 2.5mm or 4.4mm jacks. So I will probably need some adapters if I see that right...

 

[PurpleAngel]

I'm not quite sure in terms of budget, since I have no idea what budget means what in this market segment. Looking at the Shiit lineup, I guess somewhere in the $200 range, like Magni/Modi or Asgard. My main headphones are the Meze 99 Neo, the Hifiman HE 400i and I have a pair of Takstar 82Pro coming in. My main IEM are the TRI I3 and the Moondrop Starfield. I use most of my headphones and IEMs with balanced 2.5mm or 4.4mm jacks. So I will probably need some adapters if I see that right...

What sources are you plugging the headphones into, that already comes with a balanced 2.5mm or 4.4mm jack?

 

[pbui44]

@Sebasistan From your current gear, your cheapest and most reasonable option is the Schiit Magnius, then getting a 4-pin-xlr-to-4.4mm adapter and 4.4mm-to-2.5mm adapter:

https://www.schiit.com/products/magnius

https://www.amazon.com/4-4mm-Balanc...DDNCE6TNVS2&psc=1&refRID=2J4ED7KTBDDNCE6TNVS2

https://www.amazon.com/Geekria-Balanced-Gold-Plated-NW-ZX300A-TA-ZH1ES/dp/B0751B7PTS

 

[Sebasistan]

What sources are you plugging the headphones into, that already comes with a balanced 2.5mm or 4.4mm jack?

Shanling M6 and A&K SR 15.

 

[Sebasistan]

@Sebasistan From your current gear, your cheapest and most reasonable option is the Schiit Magnius, then getting a 4-pin-xlr-to-4.4mm adapter and 4.4mm-to-2.5mm adapter:

https://www.schiit.com/products/magnius

https://www.amazon.com/4-4mm-Balanc...DDNCE6TNVS2&psc=1&refRID=2J4ED7KTBDDNCE6TNVS2

https://www.amazon.com/Geekria-Balanced-Gold-Plated-NW-ZX300A-TA-ZH1ES/dp/B0751B7PTS

Yeah that's what I had my eyes on.

Does the Magnius have Bluetooth?
Are there such devices that have Bluetooth? Just wondering if I can use that thing for my Deepblue 3 as well...

 

[pbui44]

Yeah that's what I had my eyes on.

Does the Magnius have Bluetooth?
Are there such devices that have Bluetooth? Just wondering if I can use that thing for my Deepblue 3 as well...

You will need to add a RCA-to-bluetooth adapter for a Deepblue 3. Look at this one as well:

https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac/

 

[Sebasistan]

One more noob question.

Do I need a DAC *and* and Amp? You seem to suggest a DAC is enough.
What are the pros/cons there?

I'm just trying to really understand how this whole thing works. I can use my PC / laptop as a source, feed that into the DAC, and then plug my headphones / (bluetooth) speaker into it.

Or I could feed the DAC into an additional amplifier and THEN plug my headphones into that. Or into an additional amp.

So getting an amp without a DAC wouldn't make too much sense, but getting a DAC without an additional amp does? Just trying to really get the basics of what these individual building blocks in the chain do.

 

[pbui44]

Generally, you will hear the most sound differences from headphones/IEMs, then amplifiers, then DACs, with cables being debatable. Of your gear, the one piece that will see the most benefit from an amp, like the Magnius, is the HE-400i, which needs quite a bit of power from the planar magnetic drivers. Everything else should work fine with the Zen DAC.

So if you really love your HE-400i and/or do not travel/commute a lot to warrant a need for the portability of Zen DAC, then the Magnius will work fine. Your DAPs should also function as DAC for your computer, and unless you really need a lot of power in your DAC, your DAPs will work fine as DACs.

 

[Sebasistan]

Oh right, I kinda blanked that my DAPs also have a USB DAC feature...
Guess I'll play around with that before shelling out more money.

 

[Sebasistan]

So, question:

Using my Shanling M6 as a USB DAC works pretty well.

But I wonder, is it detrimental to the battery if I have it connected like this a lot?

 

[pbui44]

So, question:

Using my Shanling M6 as a USB DAC works pretty well.

But I wonder, is it detrimental to the battery if I have it connected like this a lot?

Yes, which is why you would want a stand-alone DAC. This is one of the cheapest DACs with DSD and fully-balanced XLR:

https://www.amazon.com/Decoder-SMSL...l+dsd+dac&qid=1602110840&s=electronics&sr=1-4

 

[Sebasistan]

I don't think I need DSD, I mostly play FLACs and a wild assortment of MP3s.

So far I'm having my eyes on the Zen DAC or the Magnius. (Modius is the corresponding Amp, right...) The Zen seems really nice and portable... You think it's too weak to drive the HE400i?

What about a Magni/Modi stack? That's seemingly the same price as the Modius. But it lacks a balanced out so I would have to either use a 2.5mm - 3.5mm adapter or... Use different cables?