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Audio Interface / DAC needed for Adam a7x?

krychu

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Hello everyone!

I'm waiting for a pair of powered speakers (Adam a7x) to arrive and wanted to ask for some advice. I'll be using the monitors to listen to the music from laptop/computer, no music production, no recording etc. I currently have Magni 3 and Audio Technica r70x headphones. I could just plug the monitors directly to Magni with RCA cables (Magni acting as a preamp). Would that be a bad option? Or should I get Audio Interface or DAC, just wondering if the difference would be very noticeable?

If getting Audio Interface / DAC is recommended, what would you recommend circa $100? And should I connect it to Magni or keep both separate?

I'm not too experienced with the subject so appreciate all the advice, thanks so much in advance.
 
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krychu

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just to add more detail, I don't need any inputs for mic or other devices, just a good setup to listen to music from computer, without sacrificing quality by not getting $100 audio interface or some other piece of equipment. I'm just realizing that what I might be needing is just an usb soundcard or audio adapter (?)
 
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Zensō

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Hello everyone!

I'm waiting for a pair of powered speakers (Adam a7x) to arrive and wanted to ask for some advice. I'll be using the monitors to listen to the music from laptop/computer, no music production, no recording etc. I currently have Magni 3 and Audio Technica r70x headphones. I could just plug the monitors directly to Magni with RCA cables (Magni acting as a preamp). Would that be a bad option? Or should I get Audio Interface or DAC, just wondering if the difference would be very noticeable?

If getting Audio Interface / DAC is recommended, what would you recommend circa $100? And should I connect it to Magni or keep both separate?

I'm not too experienced with the subject so appreciate all the advice, thanks so much in advance.
The Magni should work fine as a preamp with your Adam monitors. For a DAC, the Modi would make a nice stack with your Magni. So, PC>Modi>Magni>Adam A7X
 
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krychu

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Thanks a lot, I was looking at modi but a bit worried that the whole setup would basically be unbalanced. Interesting about line isolator, haven't considered that so far.
 
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krychu

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Ended up getting Scarlett 2i4. I'll drive adams directly from it with balanced TRS->XLR, and then also connect Scarlett with Magni with unbalanced cables, and drive headphones from Magni.
 
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