vertical_mammal
Member
Hello! After three years of daily use the TEAC AI101-DA DAC/amp in my desktop setup is dying. Looking online the 101 is no longer available but I can buy a TEAC AI-301DA for $500. I'm not sure I want to do that though, I think I can get much better for the money. I'd like to stick around/under $500 per component probably but could be talked up to maybe $600. I don't mind going lower as long as the gear is good quality. I'm in the US.
At the end of the day I need one or more components to serve audio from a PC to a pair of passive speakers, a powered sub, and headphones.
Input
* PC (USB preferred, Optical available)
Outputs
* HiVi 3.1A kit (passive 4ohm speakers rated 10W-150W)
* SVS SB-2000 Pro (powered sub, prefer mono RCA but flexible)
* Unbalanced headphones (Sennheiser HD 380 Pro, Drop THX Pandas on order)
It would be really, really nice to have a volume knob, but if I need to use the volume wheel on my keyboard to control Windows volume it's an option. Same thing with a dedicated sub output - I'd love a dedicated sub out but if I have to split somewhere to feed the sub then so be it. The sub has its own crossover, but it would be nice to have a way to take the bass out of my speakers. But then in all the potential builds I've made that let me do that I have the possible cost of a post-DAC analog signal being run through AD/DA conversion at 48/96khz to facilitate DSP. But if I go with a build with either of my top two potential DACs then I could possibly put some sort of dedicated crossover between the DAC and the speaker amp, although I'm not in love with that option either. I posted a separate thread about it, but are either the AD/DA conversion or not taking bass out of my speakers really bad? If so, how bad? Which is the lesser of two evils?
Potential DACs
* SMSL M500
* Topping DX7S
* MiniDSP 2x4HD
* ?
Potential Amps
* SMSL DA-8s
* Crown XLS1002
* ?
What do you think? What would you do in my shoes? What components/builds have I missed that you would recommend? Thanks a bunch!!
At the end of the day I need one or more components to serve audio from a PC to a pair of passive speakers, a powered sub, and headphones.
Input
* PC (USB preferred, Optical available)
Outputs
* HiVi 3.1A kit (passive 4ohm speakers rated 10W-150W)
* SVS SB-2000 Pro (powered sub, prefer mono RCA but flexible)
* Unbalanced headphones (Sennheiser HD 380 Pro, Drop THX Pandas on order)
It would be really, really nice to have a volume knob, but if I need to use the volume wheel on my keyboard to control Windows volume it's an option. Same thing with a dedicated sub output - I'd love a dedicated sub out but if I have to split somewhere to feed the sub then so be it. The sub has its own crossover, but it would be nice to have a way to take the bass out of my speakers. But then in all the potential builds I've made that let me do that I have the possible cost of a post-DAC analog signal being run through AD/DA conversion at 48/96khz to facilitate DSP. But if I go with a build with either of my top two potential DACs then I could possibly put some sort of dedicated crossover between the DAC and the speaker amp, although I'm not in love with that option either. I posted a separate thread about it, but are either the AD/DA conversion or not taking bass out of my speakers really bad? If so, how bad? Which is the lesser of two evils?
Potential DACs
* SMSL M500
* Topping DX7S
* MiniDSP 2x4HD
* ?
Potential Amps
* SMSL DA-8s
* Crown XLS1002
* ?
What do you think? What would you do in my shoes? What components/builds have I missed that you would recommend? Thanks a bunch!!
