Hi guys, I have a noob question. I use my PC to play music. I have a PC connected to a DAC Topping D10S. Then I have this Topping D10S connected via SPDIF to a DAC Topping E30, which I have connected to my speakers. I was having trouble with the ground loop, and of course that SPDIF between the Topping D10S and the Topping E30 solved it and the sound is fine. But I also have that Topping D10S connected to the Topping L30 headphone amp, via RCA. And I switch between them. When I want to listen in the headphones, I turn off the E30, turn off the speakers and turn on the L30 AMP and listen in the headphones. But I wonder what would happen if I had the E30 with speakers on and the L30 with headphones on at the same time. Wouldn't that damage the hardware somehow? I haven't tried it yet.
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Noob hardware question
- Thread starter Drumster
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AFAIK, The D10S will output digital (SPDIF/COAX) and analogue (RCA) quite happily at the same time. I can't see any reason why using the L30 and E30 at the same time is going to cause any issue.
I would also consider adding an SPDIF/COAX output to your PC and removing the D10S from your setup entirely. Most, if not all, PC motherboards have an SPDIF header than you can connect an external bracket to. I use this one in my PC for the same reason as you...
LiebeWH SPDIF OutPlate Cable Bracket, Bracket for ASUS Motherboard Optical Electrical Components for ASUS/GIGABYTE/MSI Motherboard : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo
The other alternative to consider is connecting the PC -> D10s -> E30 -> L30. This way, the D10s is just used as a digital transport (but it would be cheaper and neater to use the PC bracket I linked above
)
I would also consider adding an SPDIF/COAX output to your PC and removing the D10S from your setup entirely. Most, if not all, PC motherboards have an SPDIF header than you can connect an external bracket to. I use this one in my PC for the same reason as you...
LiebeWH SPDIF OutPlate Cable Bracket, Bracket for ASUS Motherboard Optical Electrical Components for ASUS/GIGABYTE/MSI Motherboard : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo
The other alternative to consider is connecting the PC -> D10s -> E30 -> L30. This way, the D10s is just used as a digital transport (but it would be cheaper and neater to use the PC bracket I linked above
)
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The DAC isnt really powering/ driving anything. Thats the amps in the speakers / L30's job. I cant see why outputting digital and analog signals together should be a problem
- Thread Starter
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Thx @Berwhale . I did get an SPDIF daughter card and wouldn't have to run it all through the D10S DAC, but I've read various discussions. And it was like 50:50 that the PC onboard audio card can affect the quality of that audio that goes through SPDIF to that DAC. It's probably bullshit, but I'm a detail guy.
Digital is digital. The bits that come out of your motherboard audio (usually Realtek) shouldn't be any different to the bits that come out of your D10S. I suppose jitter could be worse on the Realtek than the D10s, but I think that is unlikely to be an audible concern.
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