Newbie to audio

[torifile]

I’m just getting into the audio scene and I’m trying to figure out how all my pieces should fit together. I currently have my TV connected to an AVR. My AVR powers my speakers and I’m using it for my headphone amp. The headphones need moar power so I’m getting a tube amp (the Schiit Lyr 2).

I’m thinking of returning my AVR and getting an integrated stereo amp. I’d run all my video through the TV and the audio to the amp through an optical cable.

My other audio sources will go through the integrated amp.

I want to use the tube amp for my headphones and the integrated amp for my speakers. Would that work or do I need something else in the mix?

[leonski]

What kind of headphones and why do you think you need 'more power'?

Careful you don't damage your hearing.

[torifile]

Jan 23, 2018 18:05:27 GMT -5 leonski said:

What kind of headphones and why do you think you need 'more power'?

Careful you don't damage your hearing.

Sennheiser 660s. It’s not more volume I’m after. It’s more range. They’re very flat and polite with my current setup. Everything I’ve read makes me think that a better amp will give me the texture I’m after.

[garbulky]

Jan 23, 2018 18:34:22 GMT -5 torifile said:

Jan 23, 2018 18:05:27 GMT -5 leonski said:

What kind of headphones and why do you think you need 'more power'?

Careful you don't damage your hearing.

Sennheiser 660s. It’s not more volume I’m after. It’s more range. They’re very flat and polite with my current setup. Everything I’ve read makes me think that a better amp will give me the texture I’m after.

Get the A-100 for your HD660. I have the HD600's and they CRUSH those things. That whole flat, laid back, polite thing is a side effect of not enough control. They are a fantastic match with the basx a-100 especially with the jumpers engaged to provide direct drive. Prepare to have those headphones just open up to ya!

[cwmcobra]

Welcome! Many of us in the Lounge have tried and love the Emotiva BasX A-100 amp as a superior match with the high resistance of the Sennheiser phones. I have the Massdrop 6XX's (650's) and it made a huge difference in dynamics and sound quality for me. The amp was purpose built to drive headphones and can even be run in full power mode if your headphones can handle it.

Check it out here: emotiva.com/product/a-100/

Cheers,

Chuck

EDIT: Garbulky beat me too it, but his post reinforces my recommendation!

[torifile]

Thanks guys. So the Lyr 2 is unnecessary? And my AVR can be returned (just purchased from Costco because it has pre-outs to run to the Lyr).

Edit: looks like the A-100 isn’t a DAC, just an amp, right? It would be in place of my Lyr and not my AVR.

[garbulky]

Jan 23, 2018 18:48:26 GMT -5 torifile said:

Thanks guys. So the Lyr 2 is unnecessary? And my AVR can be returned (just purchased from Costco because it has pre-outs to run to the Lyr).

You are going to need a DAC. That optical output on your tv puts stuff out in digital. You need a reasonably high quality converter to convert it to analog so your A-100 can understand it. That's what your AVR was doing. It was being a DAC - digital to analog converter. If you are working in stereo, you can get a used DAC like a used XDA-1 or XDA-2 to be your DAC. It also has a volume control with remote.

[klinemj]

Jan 23, 2018 18:48:26 GMT -5 torifile said:

Thanks guys. So the Lyr 2 is unnecessary? And my AVR can be returned (just purchased from Costco because it has pre-outs to run to the Lyr).

Just to be clear...are you not using multichannel speakers? If you only have 2 channel, then you don't need an AVR at all. If you have more than 2 speakers - you need something that can handle that, whether it's an AVR or pre/pro w/separate amps.

As for headphone amps - Emotiva's little BasX A100 is a GREAT headphone amp AND stereo amp to power speakers.

Mark

[torifile]

Jan 23, 2018 18:52:57 GMT -5 garbulky said:

Jan 23, 2018 18:48:26 GMT -5 torifile said:

Thanks guys. So the Lyr 2 is unnecessary? And my AVR can be returned (just purchased from Costco because it has pre-outs to run to the Lyr).

Well hold on. You are going to need a DAC. That optical output on your tv puts stuff out in digital. You need a reasonably high quality converter to convert it to analog so your A-100 can understand it. That's what your AVR was doing. If you are working in stereo, you can get a used DAC like a used XDA-1 or XDA-2 to be your DAC. It also has a volume control with remote.

Got it. I thought the A-100 was a different product. The A-100 would run my speakers and headphones, the AVR would be my DAC. Got it. But it seems that the AVR does way more than I need since I’m using next to none of its AVR-ness. So a better DAC could be gotten with the money.

[torifile]

Jan 23, 2018 18:53:17 GMT -5 klinemj said:

Jan 23, 2018 18:48:26 GMT -5 torifile said:

Thanks guys. So the Lyr 2 is unnecessary? And my AVR can be returned (just purchased from Costco because it has pre-outs to run to the Lyr).

Just to be clear...are you not using multichannel speakers? If you only have 2 channel, then you don't need an AVR at all. If you have more than 2 speakers - you need something that can handle that, whether it's an AVR or pre/pro w/separate amps.

As for headphone amps - Emotiva's little BasX A100 is a GREAT headphone amp AND stereo amp to power speakers.

Mark

Just 2 channels. But how would I run audio into the A-100 from my tv for when I need audio to go with my video? And I’ve got a turntable and either my iPhone or computer to connect to the system, too.

[klinemj]

Jan 23, 2018 18:58:46 GMT -5 torifile said:

Jan 23, 2018 18:53:17 GMT -5 klinemj said:

Just to be clear...are you not using multichannel speakers? If you only have 2 channel, then you don't need an AVR at all. If you have more than 2 speakers - you need something that can handle that, whether it's an AVR or pre/pro w/separate amps.

As for headphone amps - Emotiva's little BasX A100 is a GREAT headphone amp AND stereo amp to power speakers.

Mark

Just 2 channels. But how would I run audio into the A-100 from my tv for when I need audio to go with my video? And I’ve got a turntable and either my iPhone or computer to connect to the system, too.

For us to help best, perhaps what would make most sense is for you to list every source you have/want to have, what gear you have, and how you want to use it. From what you say so far - it sounds like you have analog sources (TT) and at least a video source (presume it's from a cable box and/or a BluRay/DVD player?) and at least 1 other digital source (your computer) that you want to at least supply audio but also possibly video (?) to your system. Correct?

If so, you could run analog into a DAC (like the DC-1 or soon to be released DC-2 or other unit) AND also run digital audio into that, and use it as the input switch and volume control. Your video source(s) can bypass that and go direct to your TV. That would handle your video. The digital and analog audio could be run from your sources to the DAC, and all analog out could go to an amp. Which amp you choose depends on how much power you need...which depends on how efficient your speakers are and how loud you like to listen and how big your room is. And, if you want to have headphones in the mix, then one of your units has to have a sufficient headphone amp.

Mark

[torifile]

Jan 23, 2018 19:08:35 GMT -5 klinemj said:

Jan 23, 2018 18:58:46 GMT -5 torifile said:

Just 2 channels. But how would I run audio into the A-100 from my tv for when I need audio to go with my video? And I’ve got a turntable and either my iPhone or computer to connect to the system, too.

For us to help best, perhaps what would make most sense is for you to list every source you have/want to have, what gear you have, and how you want to use it. From what you say so far - it sounds like you have analog sources (TT) and at least a video source (presume it's from a cable box and/or a BluRay/DVD player?) and at least 1 other digital source (your computer) that you want to at least supply audio but also possibly video (?) to your system. Correct?

If so, you could run analog into a DAC (like the DC-1 or soon to be released DC-2 or other unit) AND also run digital audio into that, and use it as the input switch and volume control. Your video source(s) can bypass that and go direct to your TV. That would handle your video. The digital and analog audio could be run from your sources to the DAC, and all analog out could go to an amp. Which amp you choose depends on how much power you need...which depends on how efficient your speakers are and how loud you like to listen and how big your room is. And, if you want to have headphones in the mix, then one of your units has to have a sufficient headphone amp.

Mark

Good point.

Sources:
Samsung tv with about 5 hdmi ports
AppleTV (our primary way of watching things)
PS4 for games and disc-based video
Nintendo Switch
Debut Carbon turntable
iPhone/iPad for other audio
Planning to get a computer at some point to play lossless audio

Devices:
Yamaha 7810 - the Costco version of the 781
Schiit Lyr 2
DJ something or other TT preamp
KEF Q100 bookshelf speakers
Sennheiser HD660s

Right now, all my digital sources run into the tv which connects to the AVR via ARC. The AVR also has a phono stage which I’m testing now. (I have a dedicated preamp for the TT but I’m trying to reduce the number of devices I need to deal with.)
My room is fairly small (12x15 or so) and volume through the KEF speakers is more than sufficient.

[torifile]

So what I’m looking at now is a DAC like the DC-1 run into an amp like the A-300.

Analog sources and optical audio into the DAC which connects to the A-300 for my speakers/headphones. Is that right?

Edit: there’s no headphone jack on the A-300. Hmm.

[jlafrenz]

Just curious about returning the AVR for an integrated amp. An AVR is essentially an integrated amp as it has the processing/preamp and amplifier in the same chassis. Will you only be using a stereo setup? Going optical from the TV can simplify things, but you may be missing out on some of the audio formats. You could also just go optical from the TV to the AVR since it is already in place.

[torifile]

Jan 23, 2018 19:49:27 GMT -5 jlafrenz said:

Just curious about returning the AVR for an integrated amp. An AVR is essentially an integrated amp as it has the processing/preamp and amplifier in the same chassis. Will you only be using a stereo setup? Going optical from the TV can simplify things, but you may be missing out on some of the audio formats. You could also just go optical from the TV to the AVR since it is already in place.

I’m not planning on going beyond the 2.0 or maybe a 2.1 setup for this particular setting. We have a projector and 10’ screen with a 5.1 setup downstairs.

So I’d rather put the money into better components and audio than the AVR will give me especially since I’m not going to be using an AVR to its full capabilities.

[klinemj]

Jan 23, 2018 19:40:14 GMT -5 torifile said:

So what I’m looking at now is a DAC like the DC-1 run into an amp like the A-300.

Analog sources and optical audio into the DAC which connects to the A-300 for my speakers/headphones. Is that right?

Edit: there’s no headphone jack on the A-300. Hmm.

So, the DC-1 has a decent headphone amp in it. From my experience, it's not as good as the A100's headphone amp - but it's good. The DC-2 (rumored to be coming in late March, I think) is supposed to have an even more awesome headphone amp than the DC-1 plus a lot of other good stuff.

The PT-100 has what many report to be excellent sound from its DAC, switching capability, and a headphone output. It requires an outboard amp, but the amp doesn't have to have a headphone output as the PT-100 does. If you are on a budgets, the PT-100 could be a great volume control/switching device and decent DAC/headphone amp all in one. If budget and time are on your side - if it were me, I'd wait for a DC-2 and get a kicking amp also.

Mark

[garbulky]

yes please tell us your entire setup including speakers. the a100 is also a decent speaker amp at least as good as most avrs

[torifile]

Jan 23, 2018 20:01:57 GMT -5 klinemj said:

Jan 23, 2018 19:40:14 GMT -5 torifile said:

So what I’m looking at now is a DAC like the DC-1 run into an amp like the A-300.

Analog sources and optical audio into the DAC which connects to the A-300 for my speakers/headphones. Is that right?

Edit: there’s no headphone jack on the A-300. Hmm.

So, the DC-1 has a decent headphone amp in it. From my experience, it's not as good as the A100's headphone amp - but it's good. The DC-2 (rumored to be coming in late March, I think) is supposed to have an even more awesome headphone amp than the DC-1 plus a lot of other good stuff.

The PT-100 has what many report to be excellent sound from its DAC, switching capability, and a headphone output. It requires an outboard amp, but the amp doesn't have to have a headphone output as the PT-100 does. If you are on a budgets, the PT-100 could be a great volume control/switching device and decent DAC/headphone amp all in one. If budget and time are on your side - if it were me, I'd wait for a DC-2 and get a kicking amp also.

Mark

The DC-2 sounds interesting.

Let’s explore the PT-100 option a bit. Would you pair it with the A-300 for the speakers?

[torifile]

Jan 23, 2018 20:10:49 GMT -5 garbulky said:

yes please tell us your entire setup including speakers. the a100 is also a decent speaker amp at least as good as most avrs

See my response above. Thanks for all the help. This stuff is remarkably confusing to me for some reason.

[klinemj]

Jan 23, 2018 20:12:40 GMT -5 torifile said:

Jan 23, 2018 20:01:57 GMT -5 klinemj said:

So, the DC-1 has a decent headphone amp in it. From my experience, it's not as good as the A100's headphone amp - but it's good. The DC-2 (rumored to be coming in late March, I think) is supposed to have an even more awesome headphone amp than the DC-1 plus a lot of other good stuff.

The PT-100 has what many report to be excellent sound from its DAC, switching capability, and a headphone output. It requires an outboard amp, but the amp doesn't have to have a headphone output as the PT-100 does. If you are on a budgets, the PT-100 could be a great volume control/switching device and decent DAC/headphone amp all in one. If budget and time are on your side - if it were me, I'd wait for a DC-2 and get a kicking amp also.

Mark

The DC-2 sounds interesting.

Let’s explore the PT-100 option a bit. Would you pair it with the A-300 for the speakers?

If I were sticking to a tight budget, I would indeed. If budget were not limited, I'd go a bit higher up. What kind of speakers do you have? (Sorry if I missed that...)

Mark