Aloha,
So I just recently purchased a Focusrite Scarlett Solo Gen3 to hook my iPad up to my JBL LSR305 Monitors, and I was very pleased to discover that the speakers sound clearer than when I plug them directly into the headphone port on my MacBook Pro (using a 3.5 aux breakout to XLRs going into the speakers).
First question, does this make sense that I would be hearing increased clarity? To confess, I am even using the same Aux breakout cable plugged into the headphone monitoring port of the Scarlett (using a 1/4 adapter) so I haven't even properly set it up using the balanced outputs in the back. And it still sounds wonderful.
Even with that limitation, the DAC inside the Scarlett seems to be providing a clearer signal than the headphone port on my MacBook. So of course I came here to research and I discovered my budget choice was well founded.
With that said, I also have a much larger system downstairs that I used to DJ with (2 QSC Q10.2s and a KS112). Right now I'm using a DDJ 1000 as an ad hoc mixer... connecting the headphone port of my MacBook into one of the channels on the controller's mixing board using an Aux to RCA inputs. I realize this is far from ideal, and it sounds worse listening to the same track on spotify like this than when I am using it in Serato and outputting directly to the speakers using the balanced XLR outputs from the controller.
SO -- my question is this -- I want to find a DAC for my MacBook pro that will circumvent the whole DJ controller and output a clean signal to my QSC Q10.2s. Am I correct in assuming the Focusrite Scarlett Solo is competent at this task if I were to using the 1/4 TSR to XLR outputs properly? And is there any other desktop DAC that might be recommended? My budget for a second interface is say $150 or under.
Thanks!
So I just recently purchased a Focusrite Scarlett Solo Gen3 to hook my iPad up to my JBL LSR305 Monitors, and I was very pleased to discover that the speakers sound clearer than when I plug them directly into the headphone port on my MacBook Pro (using a 3.5 aux breakout to XLRs going into the speakers).
First question, does this make sense that I would be hearing increased clarity? To confess, I am even using the same Aux breakout cable plugged into the headphone monitoring port of the Scarlett (using a 1/4 adapter) so I haven't even properly set it up using the balanced outputs in the back. And it still sounds wonderful.
Even with that limitation, the DAC inside the Scarlett seems to be providing a clearer signal than the headphone port on my MacBook. So of course I came here to research and I discovered my budget choice was well founded.
With that said, I also have a much larger system downstairs that I used to DJ with (2 QSC Q10.2s and a KS112). Right now I'm using a DDJ 1000 as an ad hoc mixer... connecting the headphone port of my MacBook into one of the channels on the controller's mixing board using an Aux to RCA inputs. I realize this is far from ideal, and it sounds worse listening to the same track on spotify like this than when I am using it in Serato and outputting directly to the speakers using the balanced XLR outputs from the controller.
SO -- my question is this -- I want to find a DAC for my MacBook pro that will circumvent the whole DJ controller and output a clean signal to my QSC Q10.2s. Am I correct in assuming the Focusrite Scarlett Solo is competent at this task if I were to using the 1/4 TSR to XLR outputs properly? And is there any other desktop DAC that might be recommended? My budget for a second interface is say $150 or under.
Thanks!