Topping E30 to headphones

[Jimbob54]

yes it has yr standard usb input........obsesessed because i want to access files from my laptop ...... the square-shaped connector, that have to be the optical or usb (they look squarish to me)............and by the way, thanks for helping me trying to solve this dilemma

Ok. Lets take a step back. The files on your PC are the source. Answer the following:

1. Presumably you will use some player software on the PC? What is it?
2. The player will "read" the source music files on the PC. You need to get the signal OUT of your PC to the DAC. You need an OUTPUT. The letterbox USB on the side of your PC is both and OUTPUT socket and and INPUT, depending on what you are plugging in. With me ?
3. You plug the other end of that USB cable into the E30 DAC input socket. Marked as USB . Inbetween the black optical plug and the round DC plug. White, Marked USB. With me ?
4. You need to plug an RCA cable into the L and R sockets on the back of the e30. There may even be one in the E30 box. With me ?

Thus far you have taken the Digital signal out of your PC and Converted it to Analog. Please note the highlighted letters.

Now, what you need to do is plug that RCA into something to amplify that Analog signal and then plug something else INTO THAT to convert the electrical impulses into sound. A speaker, Or headphones. If you have powered speakers you may just plug the RCA from the E30 into them . Job done!

 

[Jimbob54]

just want to hear different types of audio files flac wav dsd sacd's cd's etc. thru this dac to my headphones......that's the point of having a dac playing audio files

See my previous post. You need to tell us what bits of that little jigsaw you either dont have or dont understand.

 

[hwy61]

foobar is the player..... so i DO need an amplifier!.... and something to convert the electrical impulses ...(i have a little dot 3 tube analog amp w/ (analog in and outs.).....and a Art usb phono plus phono/line preamp with spdif in-- opto in --usb in) can either of these be used without trashing the potential of the dac signal?

 

[Jimbob54]

foobar is the player..... so i DO need an amplifier!.... and something to convert the electrical impulses ...(i have a little dot 3 tube analog amp w/ (analog in and outs.).....and a Art usb phono plus phono/line preamp with spdif in-- opto in --usb in) can either of these be used without trashing the potential of the dac signal?

Now we are getting somewhere!!!

You may also now have figured out the E30 would be duplicating conversion duties your ART preamp can do. I have no idea how good it is at it but unless its terrible, it should suffice!

If I were you, connect your preamp by USB from PC and see what happens . Do you have any speakers? Headphones? Anything with a headphone socket aside from the one on your pc?

Note- the pre amp or little dot MAY be objectively rubbish, I dont know . But swapping an E30 into that existing mix wont transform your experience . Good speakers/ headphones will.

 

[hwy61]

anything with a headphone socket? (both of these mentioned have headphone out's) ....as for headphones hd600

 

[Jimbob54]

anything with a headphone socket? (both of these mentioned have headphone out's) ....as for headphones hd600

Ok , we are cooking. Plug the USB from the PC into the preamp. Plug the RCA out from the preamp to the LD. Play HD600 through both. Start with Foobar and windows volume at full, preamp at lowest vol and work up. Same for LD, start low.

I cant guarantee the PC will recognise the preamp , depends on age and drivers. But if Windows 10 pc, should be good to go.

 

[solderdude]

connect the E30 with USB to the PC/laptop. Connect the RCA line out with RCA cable to little dot with standard RCA cable. Connect headphone to litte dot.

You may have to select the E30 to be the output device on the PC/laptop.

Play music.

 

[Jimbob54]

connect the E30 with USB to the PC/laptop. Connect the RCA line out with RCA cable to little dot with standard RCA cable. Connect headphone to litte dot.

You may have to select the E30 to be the output device on the PC/laptop.

Play music.

I'm not sure he actually has the e30. I'm exploring

 

[hwy61]

windows 10......the pc should recognize it, i've done needledrops thru it in the past ....i want to raise BOTH preamp and LD (so these two will be my final headphone volume control?)

 

[Jimbob54]

windows 10......the pc should recognize it, i've done needledrops thru it in the past ....i want to raise BOTH preamp and LD (so these two will be my final headphone volume control?)

If you're listening via the preamp hp out, LD is irrelevant. But if using LD , yes, you'll need to turn the preamp up as well as the ld. You need to decide which is best level on both for you. I'd start with preamp at noon and work little dot up to level you like.

Per @solderdude if you actually have the e30, do as he says. I'm not sure you do have it?

 

[hwy61]

thank you Jimbob54 and solderdude for yr time .....i don't have the e30 but has been ordered

 

[Jimbob54]

thank you Jimbob54 and solderdude for yr time .....i don't have the e30 but has been ordered

Let us know if you get anything out of current kit and if you like it!

 

[hwy61]

i will let you know how this Rube Goldberg setup pan's out.............one more question while setting both Art preamp and little dot volume's to get the sound i want thru headphones, where should the dac volume be at? or does that even play into the equation?

 

[Jimbob54]

i will let you know how this Rube Goldberg setup pan's out.............one more question while setting both Art preamp and little dot volume's to get the sound i want thru headphones, where should the dac volume be at? or does that even play into the equation?

What in that setup gives you option to set DAC output? Run the PC volume and Foobar at full. The preamp volume IS the DAC volume in PC-USB to preamp-RCA to Little Dot set up.

Only when you get the E30 can you go PC-USB to E30 -RCA to LD. In that set up I believe you can use the remote on E30 (or dial?) to lower DAC output.

 

[hwy61]

''What in that setup gives you option to set DAC output? ".............as i said i wasn't sure that played in the equation at all

too many volumes to wrap my head around...... in terms of volume control is there a general rule of thumb in the chain like this as to where the source (DAC) OR (PC) (LD) etc. volume should be ....... with that many volumes what's driving or overdriving what? i'm lost ...... i just got out of rabbit hole now diggin' another .....thanks again for the help.... i'll mess with it when it arrives and get back to you

 

[Jimbob54]

''What in that setup gives you option to set DAC output? ".............as i said i wasn't sure that played in the equation at all

too many volumes to wrap my head around...... in terms of volume control is there a general rule of thumb in the chain like this as to where the source (DAC) OR (PC) (LD) etc. volume should be ....... with that many volumes what's driving or overdriving what? i'm lost ...... i just got out of rabbit hole now diggin' another .....thanks again for the help.... i'll mess with it when it arrives and get back to you

Think thats your best bet. Have a fiddle around!

 

[Tomáš Papoušek]

All the left and right inputs of my E30 optical coaxial usb are reversed.
Why that has so big mistake? And if I send it back, it may take me so much shipping fee. omg.

For such a big mistake, I think the manufacturer should consider future quality management.

 

[Jimbob54]

All the left and right inputs of my E30 optical coaxial usb are reversed.
Why that has so big mistake? And if I send it back, it may take me so much shipping fee. omg.

For such a big mistake, I think the manufacturer should consider future quality management.

Then just swap the l and r output cables round

 

[Jimbob54]

Then just swap the l and r output cables round

And are you sure you've not accidentally swapped over at the amp end?

 

[Haskil]

All the left and right inputs of my E30 optical coaxial usb are reversed.
Why that has so big mistake? And if I send it back, it may take me so much shipping fee. omg.

For such a big mistake, I think the manufacturer should consider future quality management.

Are you sure ? Only you have this problem...