Best routing for Apollo x8 + headphone EQ + external DAC/amp?

[tjbrownmusic]

Hello! I’ve been lurking for a while, but this is my first post.

I’m trying to figure out the cleanest routing setup for an Apollo x8 with a dedicated headphone amp/DAC. I’m considering the Topping DX1 II, DX5 II, or L30 II.

My goals:

1. Drive headphones well, especially Slate VSX Immersion One planar headphones, and possibly other planars in the future.
2. Apply headphone EQ/correction systemwide without that EQ affecting my monitor outputs.
3. Still be able to hear Apollo Console effects in my headphones while tracking vocals/guitar.
4. Ideally avoid constantly moving my headphone cable between the Apollo and the headphone amp/DAC.

The issue I’m trying to understand is this:
A DAC/amp like the DX1 II or DX5 II would show up as a separate output device on my Mac, which seems useful because I could apply headphone EQ only to that device and keep my Apollo monitor outputs unaffected. But if I’m tracking through Apollo Console, I’m not sure whether I can easily route the Console monitor/cue mix, including UAD effects, to the external DAC/amp.

The L30 II seems simpler as an analog amp because I could feed it from Apollo line outputs/cue outputs, which should let me hear Console effects. But since it is only an analog amp, it doesn’t appear as a separate Mac output device, so systemwide headphone EQ may be harder to keep separate from my monitors unless I do the EQ inside the DAW or use some specific routing software.

So my main question is what is the best way to achieve both separate headphone EQ and Apollo Console monitoring?

Possible routes i’m considering:

• Apollo line outs/cue mix → L30 II → headphones
  Good for Console tracking, but less clear how to apply global headphone correction without affecting monitors.
• Mac USB → DX1 II/DX5 II → headphones
  Good for separate systemwide headphone EQ, but may not receive Apollo Console effects while tracking.
• Apollo S/PDIF/coax out → DX5 II coax input → headphones
  Potentially the best “one headphone jack” setup if Console/cue/monitor output can be routed digitally to the DX5 II.

I know it’s a very niche question but maybe some people here have experience with an Apollo Rack Interface and a DAC/amp. I’m particularly curious if the SPDIF from the Apollo would solve the problem. Thanks!

 

[staticV3]

Hi @tjbrownmusic! Welcome aboard.

You can do Mac -> USB -> Apollo x8 -> SPDIF/Toslink -> DX1 II -> Headphones

With the headphone correction preset loaded into the DX1 II.

This will do what you want, provided that the x8 supports cue mix output via SPDIF.

If it doesn't and you have to use the Line/Monitor output, then one solution would be:
x8 Line out -> miniDSP Pocket ADC -> SPDIF -> DX1 II.

Either option would allow you to correct only the headphone response (monitor output unaffected), while still hearing the Apollo console effects through all outputs, headphone and monitor.