So here is setup 1 Schiit Jotunheim connected by built in usb 4490 dac to pc. After having this for a while it has gotten to be a pain in the butt to switch to phones as it does not mute the speakers and my (connected by xlr) Kali LP6 switches are on the rear. I am looking for a equivalent dac/amp that does mute. I am slowly learning why the “Jote” has a reputation. I cured the power switch problem by using a smart outlet. (Switch is a bitch to get at)
Setup2 on my second pc is a SMSL su8 balanced dac connected to my T5vs via xlr and my sub by rca’s. On this setup I have to unplug my sub in order to plug in my Magni 3+ Anyone know of a alternative either by being creative or just different equipment?
Budget I would like to be under $500 but understand sometimes you are dreaming too!! My main concern is setup 1 for starters
Hey Mon! Thanks for answering, May I ask whether you have personal experience with the Questyle?
Does it mute as I would expect when phones are plugged in?
As for the splitter on setup 2. The sub would then still be active, would it not?
Yes, I have demoed it a fair amount of times (along with other questyle gear), and it’s pretty sweet. It’s a pretty well refined dac and amp, on the slightly warmer and sweeter side of neutral, pretty enjoyable, and can drive most headphones no problem. Build and quality are also pretty good for the price. The 400i should have a button that allows you to switch between preamp and headphone amp mode, so you don’t have to unplug the headphones from the unit and can switch between headphone out or speaker out essentially.
My bad, I meant rca switcher, that would do the job lol. A simple one like this would work (you would just run it in reverse, it’s a passive device so you shouldn’t have any issues)
Well Duh! I did not think of running it in reverse!! Ok… That one will work for setup 2
Just out of curiosity do you have any experience with the Topping dx7pro? I saw that one as well.
Wow! I reread this last comment and it is easily misunderstood… My bad!! I cannot believe I did not think of a rca switcher for setup 2. Just ordered same…
As usual when Mon suggests some piece of equipment I seem to have a hard time finding it to purchase. Cma400i is like out of stock at most places and I am also interest in the Topping Dx7 pro if anyone has some insight into.
Lol sorry about that one. The dx7 pro is good, but it depends on what headphones you are using, it has a somewhat high output impedance so with lower impedance headphones it isn’t ideal
Not trying to be too picky here but… $ 700 is pushing the budget a little. Is there something else that you might recommend that would allow me to do the same?
As you may remember (or not) I currently have my 58x, hd558 and was just given a new He4xx ($75).
Ah ok, that is really overkill lol. So does it have to be an all in one? I was thinking you could get a dac amp stack and then a monitor controller to deal with the monitors
So I think you could grab something like an enog 2 pro (or another su8 or something lol) and an amp like the asgard 3 (which imo is an improvement over the jot), then run the unbalanced out of the enog to the asgard, then run the balanced out of the dac to a controller like the mackie big knob passive (where you can just mute it when you are done and have volume control separate from the headphone amp
Lord knows Zeos loves his enog 2!!! LOL! He is one of the reasons I got deep into this rabbit hole…Although always been a music and overall sound nut. I am not totally done with the Questyle and I am a little soured by Schiit. I will ponder all this and check finances. You rock Mon !! Thanks.
Lol well don’t overspend, tbh the questyle is way overkill for those headphones, I would really suggest spending more on a higher tier of headphones (or monitors) before going for something like the questyle
Oh that is the plan eventually. I have every intention on waiting for the right opportunity. I now have my sim rig set and can deal with the other for now.
Does anyone have experience with the Sabaj D5 or Monolith Tube HP Amp w/ Sabre DAC? Both within price range and have piqued my interest, just haven’t seen much by way of reviews for either.
So the d5 is a solid unit, clean and feature rich, pretty nice for the price. The monolith tube amp is meh for me, it’s good but imo I think you might be better off looking elsewhere
I know ASR can be a bit taboo to reference here, but the D5 is one of the highest rated on some measurements of any DAC…is that purely measurement? How does it compare on natural presentation when paired with something like the RNHP? If it’s the same level as SU-8, what’s an example of the next level? Amp section not necessary for consideration, though the variable out for powered speakers is a plus.