Yamaha HS 8 / DAC / Amp, out of curiosity

[bluex]

Hello everyone,
I never listen to speakers ( headphones only )
Just out of curiosity : how would the iFi Audio Micro Signature work, with Yamaha HS 8??
Here are some details :

https://ifi-audio.com/products/micro-idsd-signature/

https://www.musik-produktiv.com/gb/yamaha-hs-8.html

Can the Signature drive those speakers?
Would it improve the sound quality?
Thank you in advance

 

[Voidrunner]

I could be wrong, but from what I can tell, the Micro Signature doesn't have preamp functions, so you'd have to adjust the volume manually on the speakers. That seems kinda inconvenient. Other than that, it should work just fine. But I'd personally look for something with preamp functionality, and maybe even a remote.

 

[bluex]

In this case, could the volume be adjusted from the Windows OS?
Or something else, except the speakers?
Thank you

 

[Voidrunner]

You could potentially do that in Windows, but it gets a little trickier if you're trying to bypass the Windows mixer for bit-perfect audio. Let me ask you this, is there a particular reason you're set on the Micro Signature?

 

[bluex]

I do not own the Yamaha HS 8
A very good friend of mine. He's living in a different country
He knows, I'm using the headphones Denon D9200 with Signature, I told him, I'm very happy with the sound quality
He doesn't speak english, no experience with forums, etc
I want to help him.
What would you recommend (DAC - preamp) for the Yamaha HS 8, for about 550-600 Euro?
Thank you very much for your reply

 

[Voidrunner]

Aaaah, ok. That makes sense. I have an SMSL M500 MkIII myself that I'm quite pleased with. It's an excellent and stable DAC, with a very capable headphone amp section, and it can be used as a preamplifier as well. Has both single-ended RCA and XLR outputs. Topping has several other excellent choices as well, something like the DX7 Pro+ for instance. Either of those would do everything he needed and should be easily available. He might not even need to spend that much, but those should fit inside of his budget.

 

[bluex]

Thank you again
Do you think, the Topping DX7 Pro+ will improve the sound quality, vs the Yamaha HS 8 build in DAC?
Another question : what about this?
Does it have preamp?
https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-signature-set/

 

[Voidrunner]

Well, there's no DAC built-in to the HS-8. Analog inputs only.
That set would likely work as well, yes. You'd be looking for anything described as having either "preamplifier" functions or a "variable" output. IFI has a few options there.

 

[bluex]

Ok, thank you so much
I'll have to check, as you described
Not sure but I think, Ifi xDSD Gryphon has preamp ( variable)
https://ifi-audio.com/products/xdsd-gryphon/

 

[Voidrunner]

You're welcome!
Doesn't look like the Gryphon does. No outputs other than headphone jacks and Bluetooth.

 

[Voidrunner]

The Zen Dac v2 does though.
https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac-v2/

 

[bluex]

SMSL M500 MKIII should be the best choice, I guess
He's using the headphones Shure 1540 as well, but most of the time, Yamaha HS8 speakers.
Are you happy with the SMSL M500 MkIII?
Stupid question : he's using right now, Creative sound blaster x7. That's an external sound card, mostly for gaming.....
He is not a gamer at all.
Does / would / the SMSL M500 MkIII, improve the sound quality, over the Creative sound blaster x7?
What do you think?!
Thank you very much, again.

 

[Voidrunner]

The X7 was pretty high-end for PC audio back when it was released, but... That was a while. I would fully expect both the headphone amplifier and DAC section of the M500 MkIII to substantially outclass the X7.
And yeah, I'm quite happy with my M500. It has plenty of power to drive 300 ohm and higher headphones, and the low-gain setting means I can even use it with my IEMs if I want to. It's my primary source to feed my amplifier and speakers as well, and the sound quality is beyond reproach in my opinion. I have no plans to replace it anytime soon.

 

[bluex]

Thank you.
How do you switch between headphones and speakers?

 

[Voidrunner]

You can use the remote or the knob on the front. The remote is faster. It's pretty easy either way, although not having a dedicated button on the front for swapping between headphones and line output would be just about my only complaint.