Audio Setup Help

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whatsinaname

whatsinaname

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The image above, produced using my l33t MS Paint skills, is my current audio setup. I am looking to improve it by replacing my DAC and Phono stage. (Speakers are fairly new and I quite like them. Not looking to make any changes there. The same situation with the record player as well.)

I am looking for suggestions on how to set this up. (Not looking for individual component suggestions, I can decide on budget and specifics later).

Basically, I want to be able to pipe audio from my computer and from the record player at the same time to the same set of speakers. No source selection involved. My current setup does do this, but my computer has to be turned on for me to play music from my record player. Is there a way to get around this? What components will I need?

A receiver? Will that take two sources and send them to the same output?

Will I need a separate DAC + phono stage + Mixer?

Is there any one device that will do this?

My speakers are active monitors, so I don't think I specifically need an amp.

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

If my components have any bearing on what the answer would be, they are

Record player - Rega Planar II

Phono Stage - Some cheapo one I had bought just to get my setup up and running. This one, to be exact.

On-board sound card - Realtek ALC889A

USB DAC - nuForce uDAC 2

Speakers - Yamaha HS50m
 
sarang said:
Can't you get a USB DAC that also has a line-input? Something like the TubeMagic D1?
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But then I will still have to select source, correct? Can I have both sources sending sound to the speaker at the same time?

cyber_cat said:
any specific reason you are routing the TT thru dac ?
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No particular reason. At that time, it seemed easiest to plug my record player into my computer's line-in and then output that. Am open to any other options.
 
^^ i thot you are into vinyl ripping, so was wondering

i would suggest you go thru the mixer route,

try and go for the yamaha ones, they are totally vfm, try to get a demo if possible

what cables are you using to connect the dac to the monitors ?
 
whatsinaname said:
But then I will still have to select source, correct? Can I have both sources sending sound to the speaker at the same time?
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You are kidding right? Do you want two sources feeding your speakers simultaneously? If I am not wrong the HS50M has 2 inputs and one of them is Balanced. Neither does your uDAC produce anything balanced. So how exactly do you plan to connect two sources?

I'd still recommend you look at DACs cum pre amps which take a USB input and an Analog one and then feed that into your speaker. e.g. TubeMagic D1, Beresford Cayman etc.
 
Vinyl to Computer then thru uDAC2? Oh man that is the worst insult to Vinyl I've seen in years.

If you want switchable sources, get 4/8 RCA plugs, 2 DPDT switches and do it. If you want to play and record, get a RCA splitter, connect one to computer and one to speakers.
 
sarang said:
You are kidding right? Do you want two sources feeding your speakers simultaneously? If I am not wrong the HS50M has 2 inputs and one of them is Balanced. Neither does your uDAC produce anything balanced. So how exactly do you plan to connect two sources?
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That was why I started the topic. Wanted to know if there was a way to connect two sources without switching necessary.

As for the balanced part, that is one of the reasons I want to get a new DAC. The HS50m does accept unbalanced inputs as well through 1/4” TRS/TS jacks.
SunnyBoi said:
Vinyl to Computer then thru uDAC2? Oh man that is the worst insult to Vinyl I've seen in years.

If you want switchable sources, get 4/8 RCA plugs, 2 DPDT switches and do it. If you want to play and record, get a RCA splitter, connect one to computer and one to speakers.
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I am looking for a solution where I don't need to switch sources.
 
Sure it can be done. A Y-cable or two will do what you need. There will be significant loading distortion cased by two low-impedance outputs seeing each other through the Y-cable. Whether this is audible or not depends on how bad the current setup is, given the double conversion (unneeded) it is going through for vinyl right now.

Apologies if I seem offensive, but did you lose a few fingers in an accident and find it irritating to use a switch?
 
cranky said:
Sure it can be done. A Y-cable or two will do what you need. There will be significant loading distortion cased by two low-impedance outputs seeing each other through the Y-cable. Whether this is audible or not depends on how bad the current setup is, given the double conversion (unneeded) it is going through for vinyl right now.

Apologies if I seem offensive, but did you lose a few fingers in an accident and find it irritating to use a switch?
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No offense taken.

I just like having the convenience of hearing my IM notifications, any incoming calls, email notifications when I have my computer monitor switched off. I don't really want to use a separate set of speakers.

If there is no way to do this with minimal loss in quality, I guess I will need to resign myself to the fact that I have to switch sources.
 
In that case do what I've done. Get a set of Logitech S10? USB speakers. I have them connected to the computer for notifications/crap whereas the proper music portion is dealt by W5000/ProAcs. Speakers cost me 340 IIRC, they are USB powered and have a DAC in them.
 
I just like having the convenience of hearing my IM notifications, any incoming calls, email notifications when I have my computer monitor switched off.
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Use a small mixer. If you are handy at DIY it is as simple as hacking a few resistors into the series signal path. The resistors will ensure each output is looking into a reasonable impedance. About 10k will do. There will be some reduction in maximum output level, but I'm guessing there's plenty in reserve.
 
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