[Byrnie]

Quote:

Dang that CX is quite amazing...definitely out of the price range though.  Audioengine D1 would be perfect if i didn't need an AMP for my hd 650s....Question though, if i were to plug my speakers into the headphone jack on the D1, then still connect the DAC to my Asgard, would the speakers be muted when i jacked into the headphone on the asgard?

The D1 has an amp in it and it can power the HD650s (I have a pair too).  If you were to connect the Asgard to your D1, you would connect the Asgard through the D1's RCA jacks to bypass it's built-in headphone amp.  I'm not sure why you would connect your speakers through the headphone jack but yes it would mute w/e if connected to the RCA jacks when you plug something into the headphone jack.
 
(Fixed some grammatical mistakes)

 

[cel4145]

Have you considered a good switcher? I use a Niles AXP-1 to switch between multiple devices running off my DAC output.

 

[codybell85]

You win the prize, thats perfect.

 

[Byrnie]

I think I'm gonna just get a schiit modi for my speakers and use my old headphone amp for my headphones then maybe pick up an Asgard 2 later on.

 

[cel4145]

You win the prize, thats perfect.

If you mean the switcher, t's dangerous to the wallet, though. I now have two headphone amps and my passive speaker/receiver output hooked up to that, with room for more devices

 

[codybell85]

So i'm actually thinking about getting a Asus Xonar STX to replace my DAC and just run it through my Asgard.  THen replace my asgard with a 2 later on.  I wanted to be able to get surround...etc for games.  Do the high end soundcards such as this compare to external DAC's?  I don't see why they wouldn't be about equal or better than my HRT Streamer II.

 

[Byrnie]

Quote:

So i'm actually thinking about getting a Asus Xonar STX to replace my DAC and just run it through my Asgard.  THen replace my asgard with a 2 later on.  I wanted to be able to get surround...etc for games.  Do the high end soundcards such as this compare to external DAC's?  I don't see why they wouldn't be about equal or better than my HRT Streamer II.

I believe the main reason that a lot of people don't use internal sound cards is because of the PC noise getting into the lines (at least this is why I don't use internal ones).  Hell, I plan to replace my external Creative X-Fi USB sound card with a DAC.  I believe the DAC you have now is probably better than the DAC on the STX (I'm not 100% about this).  Usually stand alone DACs sound better than sound cards but at the same time I hear the Asus Xonar's are very nice sound cards.

 

[jaywillin]

Quote:

Dang that CX is quite amazing...definitely out of the price range though.  Audioengine D1 would be perfect if i didn't need an AMP for my hd 650s....Question though, if i were to plug my speakers into the headphone jack on the D1, then still connect the DAC to my Asgard, would the speakers be muted when i jacked into the headphone on the asgard?

 i had the d1, its a great little unit, though i've never used the d1 as just a dac, into another headamp, i know that when you plug in headphones, it mutes the signal 
coming out of the rca outputs, in my search for a piece that would give the function you want i looked at the maverick audio products the d1 is a tube dac, that
has a headphone out, pre outs, very versatile , i believe it would do what you are wanting, it'll work as a standalone amp/dac, or dac, and you could use the asgard
for headphones, i'm looking at their a1, a hybrid integrated amp, with a full tube headphone amp.
right now i'm using a microstreamer as just a dac, into a fiio eo9k headphone amp, it has pre outs for my powered speakers(a2's) it doesn't mute the speakers
when headphones are used, i have to turn the speakers down, or off, but i don't have to bother with any of the conections. keep us posted !
good luck !

 

[codybell85]

So if i connected my speakers via RCA to the tube pre-out of the D1, then connected the Analog out RCA's to my Asgard amp...when i plug my headphones into the asgard, will the speakers be muted?

 

[jaywillin]

Quote:

So if i connected my speakers via RCA to the tube pre-out of the D1, then connected the Analog out RCA's to my Asgard amp...when i plug my headphones into the asgard, will the speakers be muted?

i believe, on the maverick site, there's a link for asking questions, the guy there(can't think of his name right now) is very helpful, and answers pretty quickly !

 

[Byrnie]

I would just go this route Codybell85:
 
D1 RCA out to Asgard RCA in to Asgard RCA out to Speakers
 

 

[codybell85]

Thats he problem 

 The Asgard 1 only have RCA in.  Otherwise that would be perfect.  Final solution is either the D1 or the Asgard 2.  Asgard is 50-60$ more. I'm guessing it would be better to upgrade my DAC (HRT Streamer ii) to the D1 then it would be to upgrade my Asgard to Asgard 2.

 

[cel4145]

Is the Audioengine D1 an upgrade over the Music Streamer II? I would wonder if that's true.

 

[jaywillin]

Is the Audioengine D1 an upgrade over the Music Streamer II? I would wonder if that's true.

ive never heard the msii, but i have the new microstreamer from hrt , to my ears , the micro is a large improvement over the d1

 

[Byrnie]

I would just get a Schiit Modi for $99 and not bother with the HRT or the D1.