Desktop setup where I can EQ once

[elastic_albattani]

I regularly switch between my work (macOS) and personal (Windows 10) laptops at my desk, using a Thunderbolt dock.

I'd like to configure EQ/REW for my headphones and speakers once, perhaps with Equalizer APO, and have audio from both laptops (not at the same time) benefit from that EQ/REW configuration, instead of configuring it separately on each laptop and keeping those configurations in sync. I'd also like to use an external microphone with both laptops for Teams, Zoom, etc.

After a few months of learning and research (the bulk of it here on this forum - thanks y'all), I've come up with the following diagrams of possibilities based around:

• the Adam T5Vs,
• a Massdrop THX AAA 789 headphone amp,
  • Right now I have a pair of NightOwl Carbons, and am planning on adding some or all of HD 6XX, HE 4XX, some IEMs (though I probably won't use the IEMs at my desk that often).
• the Audio-Technica ATR2100X-USB microphone,
• an unused Windows 10 laptop (for diagrams 2 and 3),
• and two Focusrite Scarlett USB audio interfaces:
  • one Solo,
  • and one 4i4 or 8i6, the latter giving me room for expansion in the future with the S/PDIF input and output and additional line inputs.

Diagrams 2 and 3 are basically the same but 3 has the 8i6 and a Raspberry Pi with Volumio and a Digi board as a stand-in example of another input.
Diagram 1 differs from the others by pivoting around where Equalizer APO runs - my Windows 10 laptop or some other device.

I tested using Equalizer APO with both a pair of Bluetooth headphones and my Dragonfly Red connected to my laptop, with two Device statements to apply different settings to each. Based on what I read on the Focusrite website, I should be able to address the outputs to my speakers and the outputs to my headphone amp separately in the same way. I'm not stuck on using Equalizer APO, either, if there's a better option.

I'm leaning towards 3 for the extra inputs. Does it make sense? Will I be able to do what I want? Is there a better way?

 

[wesslen]

This is similar to my previous setup. I used 2 Scarlett 8i6 connected via SPDIF instead though, to keep it in digital as long as possible.

I've since switched to RME interfaces due to Focusrite Control being exclusively point-and-click, whereas RME's equivalent TotalMix is controllable via OSC and MIDI, which helped my setup a lot. The Focusrite setup worked great aside from that though.

 

[elastic_albattani]

Good points. I need to better understand what using this setup day-to-day will be like from the software side.