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Having a DAC setup and an audio interface setup for DAW mixing in Win10.

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bassmothership

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Hi, there. my first post here.
Total newbie, zero experience with this...

Is it straight forward and simple to add a USB DAC in a system already running an audio interface in Windows 10?
I use a focusrite scarlett 18i20 (1st gen) as the interface to feed a pair of Yamaha HS50M and one Auratone Mix Cube.

But as for a headphones monitoring setup (USB DAC > Amp > Headphones)...

Is it just a matter of connecting the USB cable of a DAC to my PC and done? Now I'll have sound coming through the Scarlett 18i20 Asio driver to the speakers, and the highest sampling rate signal from my MB USB connector going to the DAC and audio to my headphones. Is that simple?

I'm super worried about audio drivers, as the 1st gen Scarlett is very prone to instability. Is my fear non-sense?
It's just going to Sound preferences in Windows and there I'll find the option to set one monitoring output to the 18i20 and another one to the DAC. Am I correct?
Won't it be like having two audio soundcards? How would DAWs (Reaper/Ableton/MPC Software) behave in this sense?
 
There should be no problem if you are using the Windows sound mixer. Windows can send audio to multiple sources at the same time. You can enable this in the DAW by setting the output to Windows default rather than a specific device.

If you haven't had driver instability issues with the Focusrite before there is no reason to worry.

Consider getting just a dedicated headphone amp and splitting the signal out from your Focusrite to feed it, which would keep your overall setup simpler. No reason to have two devices doing essentially the same job.
 
pozz said:
Consider getting just a dedicated headphone amp and splitting the signal out from your Focusrite to feed it, which would keep your overall setup simpler. No reason to have two devices doing essentially the same job.
Click to expand...

The reason is that I've been researching about an optimal headphones setup to run an Audeze LCD-X (DAC > Amp > LCD-X).
So I'm looking for the most pristine, uncoloured, distortion-free signal chain that I can have/afford for mixing/mastering with my PC: Windows10 / ASUZ Z87 PRO/ i7-4770K/ 32GbRam.

I'm afraid the 18i20 built-in DAC is of low-quality to get the best out of the LCD-X.
So I thought about bypassing the 18i20 DA altogether by connecting an USB DAC.
 
bassmothership said:
The reason is that I've been researching about an optimal headphones setup to run an Audeze LCD-X (DAC > Amp > LCD-X).
So I'm looking for the most pristine, uncoloured, distortion-free signal chain that I can have/afford for mixing/mastering with my PC: Windows10 / ASUZ Z87 PRO/ i7-4770K/ 32GbRam.

I'm afraid the 18i20 built-in DAC is of low-quality to get the best out of the LCD-X.
So I thought about bypassing the 18i20 DA altogether by connecting an USB DAC.
Click to expand...
The DAC is not the limiting factor in sound quality. As long as you have enough power going into the LCD-X you'll be fine. I counsel the headphone amp route since a good one you can keep for years but will likely replace your interface sooner (compatibility or other reasons).
 
pozz said:
The DAC is not the limiting factor in sound quality..
Click to expand...

Really? As far as I could "understand", DACs, amps and headphones being parts of a signal chain are equally crucial and either of them could be limiting. Am I wrong?
 
pozz said:
Consider getting just a dedicated headphone amp and splitting the signal out from your Focusrite to feed it, which would keep your overall setup simpler. No reason to have two devices doing essentially the same job.
Click to expand...

I'm totally down to that, keep things simple. So from this point, rather than getting a DAC, it'd be better to get a good interface with a good DAC then
 
bassmothership said:
Really? As far as I could "understand", DACs, amps and headphones being parts of a signal chain are equally crucial and either of them could be limiting. Am I wrong?
Click to expand...
They're all crucial but DACs are rarely so bad that they make huge, appreciable changes to what you hear. The 18i20 is plenty good, as you saw.

At work I use the DAC built into my laptop and bought a JDS Labs Atom for a headphone amp back when it was one of the few cheap but excellent amps available with full measurements. These days you have way more choice and can look around.
 
pozz said:
They're all crucial but DACs are rarely so bad that they make huge, appreciable changes to what you hear. The 18i20 is plenty good, as you saw.

At work I use the DAC built into my laptop and bought a JDS Labs Atom for a headphone amp back when it was one of the few cheap but excellent amps available with full measurements. These days you have way more choice and can look around.
Click to expand...

That's very very good news! And thank you for your patience to explain all that :)

My interface has 2 SPDIF outs and DACs have always one input connector, (coax, optical, etc..) which cable exactly should I use between the interface's 2 SPDIF outs and the DAC input?
 
bassmothership said:
That's very very good news! And thank you for your patience to explain all that :)

My interface has 2 SPDIF outs and DACs have always one input connector, (coax, optical, etc..) which cable exactly should I use between the interface's 2 SPDIF outs and the DAC input?
Click to expand...
No problem.

So what I'm assuming is that you already have your computer connected to the 18i20 with line outs going into your monitors.

Were you thinking of buying a DAC/headphone amp combo? My suggestion is that you get a pure analog headphone amp like the Topping A90, or even something cheaper, and connect another pair of line outs to it. Do you have any not already in use?
 
No combos.
Topping A90 is probably what I'm going for.
I was just thinking about connecting the SPDIF outs of the 18i20 to a DAC like the Topping DX3 Pro and from there to the A90. To see if I can up a bit more the quality for the Audeze LCD-X
What do you think?
 
pozz is giving you good advice on this. The 18i20 has 8 analog line outputs as well as the volume controlled monitor outputs.

Get the external headphone amp, like the Topping A90. Feed the balanced line out over a TRS to XLR cable into the Topping.

You can control volume over the monitor outs to your speakers, and have a fixed output from two of the line outs feeding the Topping. You just assign them in the Mix Control software for the 18i20. Control headphone volume with the Topping.

I've never had any instability with my 18i20, and I've used it with 4 different Windows laptops and a desktop, plus with a Macbook Pro. Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.
 
bassmothership said:
No combos.
Topping A90 is probably what I'm going for.
I was just thinking about connecting the SPDIF outs of the 18i20 to a DAC like the Topping DX3 Pro and from there to the A90. To see if I can up a bit more the quality for the Audeze LCD-X
What do you think?
Click to expand...
You could do this. It has optical and coax out. That output is assignable in Mix Control as well.

While not state of the art, the DACs in the 18i20 are pretty good. I doubt you would hear a difference myself.
 
bassmothership said:
No combos.
Topping A90 is probably what I'm going for.
I was just thinking about connecting the SPDIF outs of the 18i20 to a DAC like the Topping DX3 Pro and from there to the A90. To see if I can up a bit more the quality for the Audeze LCD-X
What do you think?
Click to expand...
Blumlein 88 said:
pozz is giving you good advice on this. The 18i20 has 8 analog line outputs as well as the volume controlled monitor outputs.

Get the external headphone amp, like the Topping A90. Feed the balanced line out over a TRS to XLR cable into the Topping.

You can control volume over the monitor outs to your speakers, and have a fixed output from two of the line outs feeding the Topping. You just assign them in the Mix Control software for the 18i20. Control headphone volume with the Topping.

I've never had any instability with my 18i20, and I've used it with 4 different Windows laptops and a desktop, plus with a Macbook Pro. Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.
Click to expand...


Sorry, I meant the d50s (not DX3).

No need for a DAC at all then.
That's really good to know.

Would you guys still pick the A90 over the Drop THX AAA 789 for the Audeze LCD-X?
 
bassmothership said:
Sorry, I meant the d50s (not DX3).

No need for a DAC at all then.
That's really good to know.

Would you guys still pick the A90 over the Drop THX AAA 789 for the Audeze LCD-X?
Click to expand...
Either should be a good choice. Looks like the 789 has a bit more power. I have never used the Audeze, but they like power don't they?

If you haven't seen them here are Amir's reviews of each.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...easurements-of-massdrop-thx-aaa-789-amp.5001/
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...topping-a90-headphone-amplifier-review.13592/
 
Blumlein 88 said:
Either should be a good choice. Looks like the 789 has a bit more power. I have never used the Audeze, but they like power don't they?

If you haven't seen them here are Amir's reviews of each.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...easurements-of-massdrop-thx-aaa-789-amp.5001/
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...topping-a90-headphone-amplifier-review.13592/
Click to expand...


I'm not sure how power hungry the LCD-X is as I still don't know what to look for in the specs:
https://www.audeze.com/products/lcd-x

Since there's a 2 month pre-order waiting, I think I'll go on and get the A90.

I'm glad that you own the 1st gen of the 18i20. So there are 3 options to send audio to the headphones amp?
Is there any connection that's more preferable than the other? Coaxial, optical?
I've never ever used then.
 
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