My desktop setup

[Tricky]

Hey,

I think think that I thought about everything, so I want to be sure that I'm not missing anything before buying the rest of my desktop setup.
What I already have: Audio Technica at2020 (mic), Scarlet 2i2, Beyerdynamic DT990 pro (250 ohms), Hifiman Edition XS
My planned setup :

DAC/AMP: Fiio K9 pro
Microphone: Audio technica at2020 (will use the scarlett to connect it since there's no entry for the mic on the fiio)
Headphones: Hifiman Edition XS
Speakers (desktop): Kanto Yu active speakers (I heard that you can connect them to the Fiio, can you confirm?)
Stand: Kanto s2 speaker stand

So, is there anything that doesn't fit (overkill, not so great or that has a better alternative)? Am I missing a piece of equipment?
I listen to my music through Tidal and downloaded FLAC files. I don't use any CD or vinyl.

 

[RickSanchez]

My 2 cents ...

DAC/AMP: Fiio K9 pro

• You don't need a DAC. The Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 has been measured here and serves as a perfectly good DAC.
• Personally I would not want to spend $700 on the Fiio K9 Pro considering we don't have measurements for it on ASR. That's a big risk to take, even knowing that the Kiio K5 Pro did OK (at least for the amp section).
• You should take a look at the various desktop headphone amps that have been measured on ASR. For a lot less than $700 you can get a great -- even SOTA -- amp. Off the top of my head the Drop THX 789 and Monoprice THX 887, but there are many others that measure well and may have features / aesthetics that are more appealing to you.

Speakers (desktop): Kanto Yu active speakers (I heard that you can connect them to the Fiio, can you confirm?)

• Yes, you can use the RCA out of a headphone amp to connect directly to the RCA inputs of the Kantu Yu speakers.
• The Kantu Yu's are pretty small, with just 4" mid/woofers. Make sure they have enough power for your desired listening levels. Depending on your desk setup you may want to consider looking at active speakers at the next size up (5.25" mid/woofers). The Yu's are nice speakers that measure well and have a nice feature set, and Amir mentions they can play loud; just want to make sure they can play loud enough for you.

Am I missing a piece of equipment?

• Make sure you look into EQ. If you're on Windows something like EqualizerAPO + Peace. If you want to use REW to measure how your speakers do in your room (and at your listening position) then you would need to buy a measurement mic. Most people here will recommend the UMIK-1, but since you own a Scarlett 2i2 you could buy a Behringer ECM8000.

 

[raistlin65]

So, is there anything that doesn't fit (overkill, not so great or that has a better alternative)? Am I missing a piece of equipment?

I agree with @RickSanchez. K9 Pro is way overkill. You're better off spending a couple hundred dollars on the dac/amp, and getting yourself some better speakers.

I would go for the JDS Labs Atom stack.

Or, sell the 2i2 and get the Motu M4, which measures amazingly well for a DAC

Motu M4 Audio Interface Review

This is a review of Motu M4 4x4 audio interface (DAC and ADC). It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $220. The enclosure is heavy gauge metal and sturdy: The front inputs are for microphones with higher gain. For my testing I used the Line in (and out) in the back: For testing I...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Get an Atom Amp+ to connect to its RCA outs for your headphone amp, since the Edition XS are somewhat difficult to drive.

JDS Atom Amp+ Review (Headphone Amplifier)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the JDS Labs Atom Amp+ headphone amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $99. It was announced today. The Amp+ follows the same recent industrial design in JDS amps and dacs: It is light but functional. Dual gains are provided...

www.audiosciencereview.com

And then the Kali LP-6 for speakers connected to the balanced output on the M4. Recently got the first gen of the Kali's, and they are excellent. The second gen are apparently even better.

Kali LP-6/LP-8 V2 (2nd Wave) studio monitors released

I believe this upcoming video confirms that Kali is about to release 2nd generation of their LP-series studio monitors. Here's spinorama for LP-6 (measured by Amir) and LP-8 (measured by Audioholics): I'm glad to see Kali improving on this design, since they are very affordable studio...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[EdTice]

And then the Kali LP-6 for speakers connected to the balanced output on the M4. Recently got the first gen of the Kali's, and they are excellent. The second gen are apparently even better.

I'm on the same page as the other posters. Although I like FocusRite for simplicity (But darn those meters on the Moto M4 are super cool.) I don't know that I would be happy with the Kali LP6v2 as desktop speakers, though. Too much self noise. I wish the active speaker list had measurements for self-noise with no signal. I use Kali LP6v2 as rears in a secondary system and they are okay. But at desktop distance I wouldn't be happy. Doubly so if I got a phone call or something and could hear them hiss in the background. I have a set of Genelec 8030As that will probably become my desktop speakers. Almost no self-noise. But I got those used for a good deal. If I were buying new today I'd get a desktop amplifier and passive speakers.

 

[RickSanchez]

I wish the active speaker list had measurements for self-noise with no signal.

This isn't perfect but better than nothing?

Hiss List (S&R)

Lots of discussion about hiss lately, how perceptible or annoying it is, and if it matters. I've created a sheet with Sound & Recording measurements of hiss in active loudspeakers: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1n62hGAdKptSSKC74_fIT_R7DxFJ60YR2_O9C8x-vYQI/edit?usp=sharing Viewers can...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Tricky]

Get an Atom Amp+ to connect to its RCA outs for your headphone amp, since the Edition XS are somewhat difficult to drive.

I'm European, so I can't get American stuff like Massdrop or Atom Lab without paying HUGE taxes (Last time I bought a 175€ headset I had to pay 85€ from various bills, taxes, and border control)
I was going for the Fiio since there was a ton of amazing review on it compared with really high-end stuff for the price, and the aspect "all in one clean box" was quite tempting (I don't like the look of the Focusrite at all and it's quite hard to stack it neatly, but that's not the main point) but if I can get away with less expensive stuff for the Edition XS I'm all for it. Just something that could be bought in Europe if possible.
For the speaker, it's not my main listening gear, I'm more of a headphone guy. So I wanted something clean in look and sound, not too expensive, and easy to use with a computer.

 

[raistlin65]

I'm European, so I can't get American stuff like Massdrop or Atom Lab without paying HUGE taxes (Last time I bought a 175€ headset I had to pay 85€ from various bills, taxes, and border control)
I was going for the Fiio since there was a ton of amazing review on it compared with really high-end stuff for the price, and the aspect "all in one clean box" was quite tempting (I don't like the look of the Focusrite at all and it's quite hard to stack it neatly, but that's not the main point) but if I can get away with less expensive stuff for the Edition XS I'm all for it. Just something that could be bought in Europe if possible.
For the speaker, it's not my main listening gear, I'm more of a headphone guy. So I wanted something clean in look and sound, not too expensive, and easy to use with a computer.

Topping L30 is comparable to the Atom amp

TOPPING L30 Headphone Amplifier / Preamplifier NFCA Black - Audiophonics

The Topping L30 is a headphone amplifier with preamplifier function that is compact, affordable and, above all, extremely powerful! It benefits from excellent measurements, allowing it to deliver a sound reproduction of incredible precision.

www.audiophonics.fr

 

[Tricky]

Topping L30 is comparable to the Atom amp

Do I lose anything if it's not balanced? I heard that there's were a thing called ground loop that can happen if I use a computer as a source without a balanced cable (I'm honestly asking since I don't know a thing about that).

 

[Tricky]

Well, I looked up a bit more on the DAC/Amp subject and find the Topping EX5 and DX7 Pro that fit my original idea while having good measurement.
Which one should I get (if any of them) as a final DAC/AMP since I don't want to spend more on this (I prefer to spend 1 time 600 than once 300 then 4-500)
And maybe get the Motus M4 if it's really a good improvement but the dac part should be already covered

 

[stemfencer]

I am in a similar situation to you, instead of 2i2 I have a Presonus 24c. I am buying a Motu M4 for the dual balanced outputs to replace the 24c. I have a good headphone amp already so that will take the second set of outputs on the Motu and the main monitor outputs (which knob at front contorls) will go to my active speakers.

For you, the Motu M4 headphone amp is good enough, but next upgrade after that would be a Topping L50 or another tier (or two) again Singxer SA-1 if really chasing premium headphone sound. You will not need much more than that assuming not trying to build a serious home recording studio, then we start talking about mic-preamps etc. After this you would look at replacing higher end headphones (or diversifying) and speakers. Then finally would be replacing/bypassing the DAC, but that is going to get expensive as need an interface with digital outputs and dedicated DAC and basically replacing entire electronics.

 

[sprellemannen]

When it comes to DAC, my 'guess' is that you can not distinguish the sound from average performance DACs and superior performance DACs (inaudibility of differences in digital to analog conversion). I would therefore focus more on features, for instance: do you want it to have a 12V trigger, whether the unit also has a headphone amplifier (if so: one or two headphone outputs, if two outputs are of importance) or not, the connections it has, the remote control, the manufacturer's customer service (and if they are available by phone etc.), whether it has a pre-amplifier or not, etc.