USB Dac/headphone Amp with optical out?

LazyManc

LazyManc

LazyManc

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Joined
21 May 2003
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1,365
I've just upgraded to a B550-I ITX board and in the process failed to check it had an optical out.

With my old PC I was using active Kef LSX speakers via optical along with a gaming headset (GSP 500) connected via the rear headphone/mic jack, and switching between outputs in windows when required.

I'm looking to find a USB DAC/Headphone amp (with mic input) that I can also use as a digital pass-through to the speakers, or if that's not an option a device with a line out I can put into the aux jack instead.

It looks like there are a couple of creative options (x3, x-fi hd, x-fi surround) but they seem a bit plastic-y. Is there anything slightly better (£100-200ish)?
 

Marsman

Marsman

Marsman

Soldato
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18 Oct 2009
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11,175
I think it's pretty much impossible to avoid plasticky feel external sound cards. Many DACs have a more substantial build and quality feel, but a DAC in general is only an output device. To have a microphone input, it would need an ADC as well, and thus would no longer be just a DAC; it would act more like a sound card.

It's as if the two product types (sound cards and DACs) are made for different markets, even though there is a crossover, where some people want something with a higher quality feel that can serve as a good DAC, but also have functions that would make it more like a sound card. Very few of the companies make a higher quality feel DAC, also make a higher quality feel sound card type product.

Creative G6 is a good product, but I did see someone post in another thread that he thought it felt plasticky and light.

Schiit are the only company I know of that have made a DAC/amp that is more like a sound card, in that it has a microphone input and is marketed more as a gaming product; and that's the Fulla 3. No optical connection, but it does have an auxiliary 3.5mm output.

One thing I should mention about the Fulla 3 and any other products that are seen as more a DAC than sound card, is that you'll get no surround sound effects. You'd specifically need a sound card for that, which means something from Creative. You can use software do do that though, such as Dolby Atmos for Headphones, which has a trial with Windows 10.
 
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