I've decided that I've wanted to upgrade from a Xonar STX to something even better, and I've also decided that if I'm going to spend ~$800...I might as well DIY since I'm not going to shell out $1800 for a Burson Conductor (which is my main inspiration right now). Here is my current basic diagram:
It's going to be a pretty basic all-in-one headphone amp and DAC. Right now I'm going with the Buffalo IIIse as my DAC which outputs both current or voltage. However due to my analog inputs and pre-amp out, I'm assuming I need to use the voltage out? Unless I of course add an I/V stage prior to the pre-amp.
So my next question becomes, is there really a noticeable loss in quality (or any at all) if I were to use voltage out over current?
Finally, since the audio going to the amp is going to be Voltage, my original plan of using TPA's IVY III seems silly as half the cost in that kit is the I/V stage. So my final question (and topic) becomes what kit should I use for my amp? O2 Desktop? The Wire? Suggestions please
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Thank you all for the help. Trust me, I resisted making an account and posting my questions for as long as I could. But I hit a wall with my Google-fu. And if you have any other suggestions/questions please feel free to chime in. But my main goals here are to improve upon my Xonar STX, have it be relatively future proof, and be the best bang-for-the-buck in terms of price/performance.
It's going to be a pretty basic all-in-one headphone amp and DAC. Right now I'm going with the Buffalo IIIse as my DAC which outputs both current or voltage. However due to my analog inputs and pre-amp out, I'm assuming I need to use the voltage out? Unless I of course add an I/V stage prior to the pre-amp.
So my next question becomes, is there really a noticeable loss in quality (or any at all) if I were to use voltage out over current?
Finally, since the audio going to the amp is going to be Voltage, my original plan of using TPA's IVY III seems silly as half the cost in that kit is the I/V stage. So my final question (and topic) becomes what kit should I use for my amp? O2 Desktop? The Wire? Suggestions please
.Thank you all for the help. Trust me, I resisted making an account and posting my questions for as long as I could. But I hit a wall with my Google-fu. And if you have any other suggestions/questions please feel free to chime in. But my main goals here are to improve upon my Xonar STX, have it be relatively future proof, and be the best bang-for-the-buck in terms of price/performance.
Took me a second to figure out what you were trying to ask.
I plan on everything being balanced. My current headphones are HD598s which I plan on converting to a balanced 1/4" as well.
If you want to go balanced, then go with TheWire, since it probably is the best bang for the buck amp around. Since there are balanced in/out versions of TheWire, it would be a much more elegant solution. Since you don't say if the $800 is just for the amp, or for other parts also, I'm not sure how much you want to spend on the amp itself.
I'm looking to spend ~$800 total for everything (which so far looks to be very feasible).
After doing some more Google searching on both here and Head-Fi, I agree that Wire seems to be the way to go. Especially since I don't need an I/V, and that both the Wire and the BIIIse seem to measure equally in voltage performance (which are numbers higher than anything humans can hear even compared to the still higher current numbers).
I greatly appreciate your help.
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