Hi all,
I’m looking for a quality home office setup and need some advice on which setup might satisfy my wishes best. Intention is to use the setup for office calls and quality music listening while working.
As sources I will be using my laptop, a bluetooth receiver and small size CD player.
In both setups, I will be using a Beyerdynamic MMX 300 as headset and also Adam T5V active speakers.
Setup 1 : Mayflower Arc 2.
This is an all in 1 option with 3 audio inputs, mic in and RCA out.
Pro : only 1 device, good DAC and amplifier according to reviews, with latest software updates
you can use volume control when using actives speakers. Also no driver needed if I’m well informed.
Con : pretty expensive, not as much inputs as Setup 2 and switch for audio inputs is on the back which is not user friendly.
Setup 2 : Motu M2 + Fiio MK5 Pro
2 devices with lots of inputs, mic in and RCA out. Plus lots more functionality (which I won’t be using at the moment)
Pro : Lots of input (at least on Fiio). Both devices have good DAC and AMPs (according to reviews), so both could also be used standalone. Input switch on Fiio is in the front. Combination of both is same price as ARC (at least when delivered to Europe)
Con : 2 devices, so will take up more space on my desk.
Questions :
- Which set up will give best audio quality (both mic & headphone)?
- In case of using the Motu M2 - Fiio MK5 combo, can I use the mic input on the Motu M2 combined with the headphone on the Fiio MK5 without any negative side effects? This way I don’t need to switch headphones from the Fiio to the Motu when receiving a call while listening to an audio source other than my laptop.
- Any other reason why or why not to use 1 of the above setups?