SU-8 V2 + Monolith 887

[mediumraresteak]

Hi,

I have the SU-8 V2 and Monolith 887 on the way but have only used all-in-one solutions till now. Can someone clarify how I'm supposed to set this up as two separate units? Can I just buy XLR cables to pair the DAC/Amp and plug in my headphones to the amp? How does volume work if both have volume controls?

..and of course, are there any reasonably priced HD800 balanced cables?

Thanks in advance.

 

[decebalus]

Hi,

I have the SU-8 V2 and Monolith 887 on the way but have only used all-in-one solutions till now. Can someone clarify how I'm supposed to set this up as two separate units? Can I just buy XLR cables to pair the DAC/Amp and plug in my headphones to the amp? How does volume work if both have volume controls?

..and of course, are there any reasonably priced HD800 balanced cables?

Thanks in advance.

2 xlr cables to make them work togheter as a combo, mostly if u plan to use XLR output for you're headphones.
u set the volume of the dac at full and then from the amp you do the fine tunning of the volume up to whatever level you like or feel comfy.

try ebay for cables or amazon

 

[Celty]

Hi,

I have the SU-8 V2 and Monolith 887 on the way but have only used all-in-one solutions till now. Can someone clarify how I'm supposed to set this up as two separate units? Can I just buy XLR cables to pair the DAC/Amp and plug in my headphones to the amp? How does volume work if both have volume controls?

..and of course, are there any reasonably priced HD800 balanced cables?

Thanks in advance.

You can use either XLR or RCA interconnects between the DAC and AMP. I am using XLR cables for this, and RCA cables to connect to a sound card.
The XLR cables were $25.95 on Amazon and high quality:

The RCA cables are Amazon Basic for $9.49 and nicely made:

The XLR headphone cables for Sennheiser are from Periapt which I like for $68.00:

As to controlling volume, I have experimented with the following approaches:

1. If I set the DAC volume to max, with gain 3, the amp volume might be approximately 10 o'clock.
2. With the DAC volume again set to max, with gain 2, the amp volume might be approximately 2 o'clock.
3. My most common practice has been to set the amp volume about 2 o'clock on gain two or three (depends on the headphone) and then adjust final volume via the DAC (typically low 20's out of 38).

Personally, I prefer method "3", using the remote from the DAC is so convenient. You are going to love your setup, have a great time!