NOOBie question

Hi guys, first time doing a dac/amp setup.
Headphones=DT 880’s
DAC=G6 sound blaster
AMP= liquid spark - I have RVA to male cable to connect liquid spark to G6/aux cable
Computer= Mac

My question is in how to plug all of this up?
Does the 3.5mm jack of DT 880’s go into front of liquid spark? Then the RVA cable from back of liquid spark ?(There is an I and P on the back of the liquid spark, don’t know the difference) After male end of RVA cable to the back of g6 into the line optical in or optical out? Next, I placed an auxiliary cable from the front headphone jack g6 to the mac. That did not work for me. Is there something I am missing?

I would love your guy’s thoughts and expertise on this.
Thanks

The “I” is the “in” and the “p” is for preamp. Mac>g6>LS “I” input. You will need a 1/4" to 3.5mm adapter for your headphones to plug into the 1/4" jack on the front. Generally most headphones come with the adapter. Hope this helps.

O.K. I did manage to get them working. The headphones alone with amp cranked all the way barely get the audio to a decent level (even pressing the button to make it x3 to x6 does not do much). When combined with the G6 it does increase the volume, but the sounds are washed out. It sounds almost like I am in a tunnel or tin can.
When playing a game sound , certain features and animations (such as reloading your gun) are not even audible. Most sound is distorted and sound like whisps in the air. When shooting, the sound is peaking like its about to explode but the volume is still low? If you use a louder gun the audio cuts breaks completely but eventually comes back. Do you know why this is? More powerful amp? Better adapters? Should I downgrade from 600ohm to 250ohm?
Amp link: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=33304

Thanks so much

Map out your connections for us.
The G6 so far as I can tell is a dac/amp, so the only thing you could output from front of G6 output into the back of Liquid Spark (I) would be via a 3.5mm to RCA adapter. You’d be reamplifying the already amped signal. Not sure that’s ideal.

I’d think the only connection to the Mac should be a USB running into G6. I think a standalone DAC would help here, but I understand the microphone thing is probably important - of which I don’t know much.

If you had the 250ohm version, you could simply gut the LS out - though it is the better amp.
I’d think a standalone DAC would be worthwhile otherwise. Only caveat, I don’t know about microphone.

Thanks. Okay, the G6 is causing overstimulation of sound. I will sell that on ebay and return the liquid spark. With 400 dollars budget, would an Asgard 3 sound better as an amp? Do you know any good DACS that could go with that?

Also: What is the purpose of a “pre amp” or “tubes” ? Does this help sound fidelity?

You guys rock,
Thanks.

@jibjab how do u have your g6 going into the spark?

Asgard3 is a great amp for the 880, if u have a $400 budget, you can pair it with a modius frim schiit too, but tax and shipping will put u over 400

Great idea, head a lot about the Magnius/Modius combo! It offers: 150mW per channel for single ended and 500mW per channel for balanced.
DT 880’s 600ohm to be pushed require 250mW. Is there an amp that can push single ended better?

Is it possible to convert DT 880’s 3.5 jack into balanced audio to get the fullest extent of power? If they are single ended is there an adapter to make it balanced?

Perhaps return the 880’s for balanced headphones? Any suggestions?

Learning so much! thanks guys!

I would stick with asgard3 with your budget, while also getting a dac. You can use the modius with the asgard3.

Unfortunately no

Balanced doesn’t mean better, just that when an amp or dac has balanced, it tends to be the better implementation in said amp or dac. There are single ended amps that are superior to balanced amps and vice versa. Balanced would be the best option if you had to do long cable runs, like in a studio.

However, you seem unsure/hungry for your audio setup. Lets get back to the music, what music do you like? And what do you want out of your headphones sound wise? Bass? Vocals? Smooth? Dynamic? Is $400 your max budget?

Definitely treble rich music such as classical or smooth jazz while studying. 400-500$ would be my budget. Ill go with the Asgard 3 then! Are there better options than Asgard 3/modius and is the modius single ended?

When making a stack is it mandatory to use a DAC of the same company or is it highly recommended because of better compatibility between the devices?

You’re the man,
Thanks.

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Has both balanced and se out

Not at all

For the most part it does, but not always

880 should do ya good there

A DAC and an Amp do not need to be from the same company, anymore than a Bluray player and a TV need to be from the same company.

The main things to consider are your own functionality requirements (usb in,optical in,bluetooth,size,tone adjustment etc), and whether you want to include Balanced in the equation or not. This would require a decent budget, getting both a DAC and an Amp that are Balanced capable and a headphone cable with a Balanced connector. As mentioned above, better to get a decent single ended setup and forget Balanced, until you’ve gained knowledge and have a decent budget to warrant it.

For most it is an aesthetic choice, or just easier to buy a stack when they are sold as a pair. If you are looking for best bang for buck though, researching and buying a DAC and an Amp separately should get a better result overall.

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Bmt,

Are there any cable requirements to hook the Asgard 3 and modius or does it come packaged?

When selecting the Asgard 3 in checkout, there is a voltage section prompt: 115VAC or 230VAC. Does this matter? Pick highest?

Module prompt: You can select AK4490 or Truebit dac.
The truebit dac module would be the same price as modius, better to just get the truebit dac combo?

AUDave,
Thanks for the comparison that helped map it out better for me. For entry sake into this I’m just going to stick to one company for now. Although exploring audio products might just be a new hobby for me! So cool!

Thanks guys,

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The voltage matters as it is based on the country you live in. All mains power runs at a fixed voltage, but different countries use a different system. So, myself in Australia, we use 240V mains power so I’d need the 230 (close enough) selection. In the USA they use 110V, so would pick the 115V selection.

If you need to just google search your country and “AC voltage” and you should get an answer as to which one to pick.

Also, cables should come packaged, but they will likely be standard RCA cables anyway that can be bought anywhere or you most likely already have those.

The Asgard doesnt come with RCA cable, so you will need a set of those, schiit sells some too but i like these

https://www.amazon.com/0-5-Foot-High-Definition-Interconnect-Connectors/dp/B01GNXGUAQ/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-nc-drs2_0?crid=227E08IZESXXY&cv_ct_cx=worlds+best+cables+rca&dchild=1&keywords=worlds+best+cables+rca&pd_rd_i=B01GNXGUAQ&pd_rd_r=7529c36e-c6dd-487e-9f2c-7c8979493de4&pd_rd_w=EFIbP&pd_rd_wg=1XIQT&pf_rd_p=a64002b9-9c26-4361-b8a1-b0f5a4835670&pf_rd_r=VCC562CP89HM0ZZ6BZSM&psc=1&qid=1611629781&sprefix=Worlds+Best+Cables%2Caps%2C300&sr=1-2-38d0a374-3318-4625-ad92-b6761a63ecf6

The Modius comes with a usb cable, how will you be connecting to your source?

USA is 115V

Ive always have read that the dac modules are not as good as the stand alone dacs,but i dont know too much other than that,however,the modius will give you lot more option in the future.

Thanks guys for being so receptive and helpful.
I bought the cable pair like you said and ordered the stack with proper voltage and no module. It is on backorder but definitely excited. I’ll fill you in when it gets here.

Cheers!

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