A place for making the right decision when purchasing new headphones. Here you can ask which headphone is better, which amp you should buy, which gear best fit your budget and anything related to headphone comparisons and purchasing.
[PA] DAC/Amps with mic input option (<$150)
Looking for a DAC/Amp combo to power my headphones. Used for music, but also online gaming, which means I need a mic in. I've been looking at the Schiit Fulla; doesn't seem like it's a super common setup for DAC/Amps. Are there other options I should be considering?
Budget: $150 USD (can be stretched if worthwhile)
Source: PC
Use: Home listening, gaming, music
Current Gear:
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KRK KNS-6400 (potentially looking to upgrade in the nearish future, as well)
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External mic
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Fulla3/Hel or astro mixamp (vastly inferior to the other two)
Not a lot of options with mic in.
Thanks--what would be the benefit of jumping from the Fulla to the Hel? Obviously improved quality/features/power, but is that something I would be able to notice?
Any reason at all that I would choose the Astro Mixamp over the Fulla (which is cheaper)?
Honest question, why would you need your dac/amp to have a mic input? Why cant you connect direct to your PC?
Apple USB-C to 3.5 mm (has mic monitoring and out performs its size and price)
Syba Sonic
Schiit Hel
Mayflower Arc
And more...
Why not an audio interface, like Focusrite Scarlett solo?
I looked at that, and it looks like a quality piece of gear, but as I mentioned to another commenter who rec'd a couple of audio interfaces, I don't have any serious recording needs, so it's probably not necessary.
Following
this is a great source: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-12-3-2020-audeze-penrose-review-added.534479/
many headphones with many amps reviewed
Comment deleted by user
Definitely looking at that. If it was cheaper, it'd be an easy buy since it seems to be a well reviewed and convenient little package.
Also Sennheiser GSX1000 and audio interfaces that have built in headphone amps (Audient Evo 4, motu m2, etc.)...
The Motu M2 looks like a phenomenal product, but is there any reason to choose that over the Fulla/Hel, given my needs--i.e. I won't be doing any serious recording. Obviously the Fulla is much less versatile, but are there other purely qualitative reasons to choose these?
Between the Fulla/Hel and the GSX1000, which would you choose?
Thanks all, tons of great input here. Based on a number of suggestions, sounds like the best course of action is to not worry about in input for the mic (since it actually needs an ADC, which is the exact reverse process of the DAC) and to just plug it into the mainboard, and instead get a better DAC/amp combo. So that's what I will look at doing! The Hel and the Mayflower Arc both look like solid products, but since I don't really have serious recording needs, sounds like better value is found in prioritizing the headphone DAC/amp.
Going to try to find a Magni/Modi combo used, or save a bit and pay full price.