New computer speaker setup 2.1 + Amp + Dac

Ruoh

Ruoh

Supreme [H]ardness
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*Edit* Thanks for the suggestions. In the end I went with a SMSL SE98E amp, and a pair of Wavecrest HVL-1s.
 
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i'm a huge proponent of schiit. for $99 they have the modi 2, which is a great little dac that has what you are looking for.
 
Shiit it is then. Hope I'm not overdoing it on the speakers, I just don't want to need to upgrade for quit a while.
 
Ruoh said:
If I DO need a dac (toslink pref), what should I be looking at, preferably in the <$100 range?
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You may find that you do not need a DAC. Onboard sound is pretty good nowadays. Most of the increase in sound quality comes from using decent speakers. If you have issues with noise in your system, then an external DAC may solve the problem.

delita said:
i'm a huge proponent of schiit. for $99 they have the modi 2, which is a great little dac that has what you are looking for.
Click to expand...

You would need to get the Modi 2 Uber 2 for the optical input. Pricing is at $149, this slightly over budget. Still a great choice IMO.
 
My plan was to "offboard" as much as the audio processing as possible, from Linux, even though I'm looking at running a custom sound profile.
 
HammerSandwich said:
Why the change from Fluance to Micca? Just curious.
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Fluance are pretty damn big. I do have a 6' long desk now, but the speakers are just huge for the desktop.

As with most purchases (that will need to last a while), I'm going back and forth on my options still.
 
Ruoh said:
Shiit it is then. Hope I'm not overdoing it on the speakers, I just don't want to need to upgrade for quit a while.
Click to expand...

Those speakers are entry level stuff. You're not overdoing but going at bare minimum at this stage. You can achieve the highest improvements to overall sound by investing to speakers.
 
I don't have my new speakers yet, but after using the amp on a pair of older BA speakers, I can say, I overdid it on the power. The SMSL 60W amp would likely have been more than sufficient.
 
Just buy a receiver then you have it all, headphone amp, speaker amp, DAC, HDMI, optical, coax, surround sound processing if wanted, hardware EQ, tuner. What more can you want? I have used dedicated headphone amps, SS and tube and it just ain't worth it, decent receiver gives you far more bang-for-the-buck and in hindsight I was foolish to give credibility to the "golden ear" boys because IMO it was a waste of my time and money.

The only downside to a receiver is that it takes up a lot more desk space than a headphone amp and doesn't have cool looking tubes.
 
rezerekted said:
Just buy a receiver then you have it all, headphone amp, speaker amp, DAC, HDMI, optical, coax, surround sound processing if wanted, hardware EQ, tuner. What more can you want? I have used dedicated headphone amps, SS and tube and it just ain't worth it, decent receiver gives you far more bang-for-the-buck and in hindsight I was foolish to give credibility to the "golden ear" boys because IMO it was a waste of my time and money.

The only downside to a receiver is that it takes up a lot more desk space than a headphone amp and doesn't have cool looking tubes.
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A receiver can have cool looking tubes, too. It will just cost an arm and a leg.
 
Never seen one, show me. Personally, I would like a Bryston SS but too much money.
 
I received the speakers last night. They are friggen awesome for the cost.
 
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