[DarkScythe]

Hello everyone,
 
It seems long posts don't garner much interest, so I'll keep it short and simple this time.
Besides a soundcard from Asus or Auzentech, what are my options for an external dac/amp or dac+amp for driving HD600's, along with SRH840's and my Audioengines?
That in itself would be a simple question except I also need a mic-in for gaming use, and my budget is roughly $200 or so for either a combined unit or two separate units. I'd also prefer Firewire, but I'm not too sure why other than my friend suggested it. Otherwise, I have no idea where to begin.

 
Thanks.

 

[Shahrose]

Highly recommend a Musiland 02US. For the money, I've found nothing even close to its performance. I've sold amps 5-6 times its price because it was just better with my HD650s.
It's a DAC/amp combo. You can pick one up from eBay from several vendors for around $125.

 

[DarkScythe]

Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Apologies for the late response, but I went on vacation and came back to a ton of work.
 
Anyway, I took a look at that Musiland, and it does look nice. Unfortunately I'm trying to consolidate my equipment, and it doesn't seem to have a mic-in.
I could technically stay with my current Audiofire2 if I was going to have to buy a preamp or something to connect my microphone anyway.
 
That said, the only "all-in-one's" I can find are the Asus Xonar Essence, and Auzen X-fi Bravura/Forte and both of those are sound cards.
I don't mind that too much, except I've gotten used to have an external audio interface which made it very easy to swap connections.
 
The only affordable external interface I've found that seem to have a good DAC, mic-in with preamp and a capable headphone amp seems to be the Echo Audiofire 4 (higher end model of what I'm using right now.)
As a bonus, it comes with additional I/O's for me to plug in my PS2, as well as other headphones at once.
Unfortunately, I've heard that the headphone amp in the Audiofire is not particularly great, which means I'd end up buying another amp, and thus increasing my overall spending even more.
However, I'm thinking the AF4 could 'tide me over" until I save for an good amp (something like the Matrix M-stage, maybe?) and use the AF4's DAC that way.
 
But then I'd end up spending nearly, or over $500 for those 2 devices which blows past my original $200-250 limit. If I end up with this, then is there an integrated DAC/AMP combo with a pre-amp'd mic-in at that price just to keep it all together in one unit, or is that plan looking like my best bet?

 

[Uncle Erik]

I don't know about the mic-in and other stuff, but there are a few good amps for sale in the For Sale Forum right now. I think I saw a Dynalo going for around $200. Those are terrific amps and I'd highly recommend it. I'd worry about the rest of the stuff later; you can always patch together other parts for the functionality you want. But I see a quality amp as necessary - your headphones won't perform well without one. You're better off buying a quality dedicated amp than buying something gimmicky with dozens of features. Also, going separate allows you to upgrade over time and change your setup as you grow in the hobby. I had no plans to grt into vinyl at first, but I did and a flexible system made it easy. If I had been with an all-in-one box, I would have had to start over.

 

[DarkScythe]

That is a good point, and the "upgrade over time" bit is probably the only reason I'm considering separating the units. An all-in-one does save desk space though, and some of the hassle of an explosion of cables.
That said, I can agree with getting a separate "good" amp later down the road, but if I were to do that, would the Audiofire4 be the best DAC to fit my needs, or are there are good DACs out there with a mic-in? I'm willing to settle on 2 boxes for a DAC and amp, but I'm not willing to have to add yet a third box (pre-amp) just to plug in my mic to game with. I have read generally good things about the Audiofire, but they don't seem to be very popular around here for whatever reason. One other alternative I found was an M-audio Firewire Solo, but their drivers seem really shoddy, where Echo's drivers have been rock solid.
 
As far as the amp goes, I haven't seen that name before (though admittedly, I never needed to research anything like this, and I just go off of what my friend uses.)
What should I look for there?

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

I don't know about the mic-in and other stuff, but there are a few good amps for sale in the For Sale Forum right now. I think I saw a Dynalo going for around $200. Those are terrific amps and I'd highly recommend it. I'd worry about the rest of the stuff later; you can always patch together other parts for the functionality you want. But I see a quality amp as necessary - your headphones won't perform well without one. You're better off buying a quality dedicated amp than buying something gimmicky with dozens of features. Also, going separate allows you to upgrade over time and change your setup as you grow in the hobby. I had no plans to grt into vinyl at first, but I did and a flexible system made it easy. If I had been with an all-in-one box, I would have had to start over.

x2.
 
To the OP: I owned the Asus Essence ST and STX and wouldn't recommend them. The Musiland you were looking at is significantly better.

 

[Maxvla]

You could always use the mic in that's on your motherboard. That's what I do, with my DACMagic selected for output. Works like a charm.

 

[DarkScythe]

What was wrong with the Essence? By most reviews here it seems fairly well regarded, although I'm not entirely sure about their drivers.
I could use the mic-in on my motherboard, because that's what I'm using now, but I wanted to try to simplify everything by moving everything together.
Technically, if I was set on continuing to use my mobo, I'd just re-use my existing Audiofire2 and just pick up an amp, because that would be the cheapest.
The Audiofire sounds fine to me (granted I haven't heard 'better') and it also seems well-liked from Google searches of Gearslutz, which is why I figured I could pick up the AF4 that included something for the mic.
 
Doesn't seem like I have many other options for DACs, since they mostly don't have a mic-in (without it, I think I'm better off staying with my AF2, unless the DAC is fairly cheap and really, really good/better than the AF2.)
In both scenarios, would a dedicated amp be better? My friend claims the M-stage cleared up all complaints he ever had about his HD580's, so that's what I'm leaning towards if I decide to pick up an amp (pending going over to do a listening test.)
Are there any other good ones around or under that price to consider?

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

What was wrong with the Essence? By most reviews here it seems fairly well regarded, although I'm not entirely sure about their drivers.
I could use the mic-in on my motherboard, because that's what I'm using now, but I wanted to try to simplify everything by moving everything together.
Technically, if I was set on continuing to use my mobo, I'd just re-use my existing Audiofire2 and just pick up an amp, because that would be the cheapest.
The Audiofire sounds fine to me (granted I haven't heard 'better') and it also seems well-liked from Google searches of Gearslutz, which is why I figured I could pick up the AF4 that included something for the mic.
 
Doesn't seem like I have many other options for DACs, since they mostly don't have a mic-in (without it, I think I'm better off staying with my AF2, unless the DAC is fairly cheap and really, really good/better than the AF2.)
In both scenarios, would a dedicated amp be better? My friend claims the M-stage cleared up all complaints he ever had about his HD580's, so that's what I'm leaning towards if I decide to pick up an amp (pending going over to do a listening test.)
Are there any other good ones around or under that price to consider?

The Essence ST/STX (which sound a bit different BTW) cost $200 while the Musiland is $125. Despite the lower cost, the 02US has much better soundstaging (biggest difference), is less fatiguing, has tighter bass, and sounds more open and involving.
 
I use the mic-in of my motherboard and use my DAC for sound output...there's nothing difficult about it. In fact, I don't see how it's any different than if you were to use your mobo's own sound output. Windows 7 detects that 2 different devices are being used for input and output and assigns device roles accordingly.

 

[artears]

For $300, you can get Bottlehead Crack amp with speedball upgrade and build it yourself (or get stock for $200 and do the upgrade later, however I should say the upgrade is worth its price). I can put this amp next to many amps having 4-digit price tags and believe me I listened to a lot of retail amps. You will also have the option to upgrade any parts inside when the funds permit. It mates well with Sennheisers. Then you can buy a dac for the remaining $200. Can you get AF4 for that price?

 

[Maxvla]

Quote:

Technically, if I was set on continuing to use my mobo, I'd just re-use my existing Audiofire2 and just pick up an amp, because that would be the cheapest.

Sounds like a winner to me

 

[DarkScythe]

Thanks for the info about the Essence. I was pretty set on it a couple months ago when I was insisting on getting a PCI/e card instead of an external.
A couple months of using the AF2 and its diminutive size gave me time to consider otherwise.
 
Thanks for the suggestion on the amp- I'll check it out. The Musiland looks very nice, but unless it sounds noticeably better than my AF2, it's going to sit in the same role it currently is in; just a DAC with possibly fewer I/O's and still no mic-in. In that case, I'd rather just stay with my AF2 just because it's already here. That said, I'm trying to look up reviews and comparisons, but it's pretty tough for some reason. I can't get an AF4 for $200 though, unless I look to used, but no one is selling one. I can, however, get a new one from B&H for around $260+tax, I think. Unless I can get a couple more suggestions for alternative DACs (the couple I browsed seem to cost on the verge of $500) I'm very tempted to go the Audiofire4 route. Same sound signature as the already-familiar AF2, rock solid drivers, mic-in and just enough I/O's where it doesn't seem excessive, but I have enough to not have to swap a lot.
 
If I go the separate DAC and amp route, what do you guys think of either an Audiofire2/4 or another DAC, paired with the Matrix M-stage? From that massive thread it sounds like a winner, although seems like it could be FOTM or something.