I need something to use with a pair of Yamaha HS8's and to be able to use with a pair of high quality headphones and a gaming headset they need to have balanced outputs for the speakers. I'm getting a bunch of nice stuff and don't want to have a crappy signal that doesn't allow them to live up to their potential.
Well, assuming you aren't getting any crazy hard to drive headphones, the first things that come to mind are the O2/ODAC w/RCA and the Uber Schiit stack (Modi/Magni Uber).
http://schiit.com/products/modi-2
http://schiit.com/products/magni-2
Both sets come with RCA outs (O2/ODAC can be switched between a powered analog out, and a preout, the Schiit Magni 2 Uber is strictly preout for powered speakers/a secondary amp). They also both deliver nice, accurate sound and can power power most headphones without issue. I've listened to both, and honestly can't tell a difference between them they sound so similar.
So if you are looking for something high quality to deliver good clean sound to your speakers and cans, these are both good choices. And, if you get the Uber model of both the Modi 2 and Magni 2 (the Modi 2 Uber gives you optical and coax connections in addition to the standard USB, as well as external power vs USB power for the standard Modi 2), the price vs the O2/ODAC are pretty similar.
edit: I somehow missed that you want balanced outs. Neither of those sets will give that to you, sorry. For that you'd need to go with something like the the Gungnir and the Ragnarok.
http://schiit.com/products/gungnir
http://schiit.com/products/ragnarok
Of course, they will cost you a crap-ton more than a Modi/Magni stack. You're looking at over $2,500 for the stack. But, you did say you were getting a bunch of nice stuff : )
Get a used Benchmark Dac. Practically indestructible and very good headphone amp build in. If Benchmark generation 1, make sure the pot isn't scratchy and that you can live with not having an on/off switch on the device itself. Balanced/unbalanced only really matters if you are using long cables (5+ meters) but your speakers are active and take XLR, so just hook them into any dac that has that and you're golden on that front. XLR is by definition balanced, but maybe that's what you meant?
I'm looking at the Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 and maybe something from Focusrite external sound cards for recording and stuff then looking at a high end Fiio DAC thats portable to use with headphones because it doubles as a amp so I can take it to school and use it with my phone.
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/audio-interfaces/komplete-audio-6-migrated/included-software/
And there is a dock that is also a DAC that I can get to go with that to make it permanent.
Any one recommend a Focusrite that isn't red because everyone is telling me that they are one of the best besides MOTU but they are super pro and stupid expensive.
Focusrite have some great products and a good philosophy carried over from the godfather of the business. Rupert Neve. I think all their midrange stuff is red, isn't that like...their tell-us-apart thing? Though it has to be said most dac's these days are pretty good. It's hard to go wrong if you find something that meets your needs and expectations without trying really hard. I know NI from software I use, I have never touched their hardware but have not heard anything bad about it either, which is even more telling. MOTU and Benchmark are industry standards, there is no doubt about that. But for that level of precision you get to bleed.
Nope. I was wrong. Red is just focusrites thing altogether now. Even the high end stuff is red, you just can't see it from the rack side. Except for some apple exclusive stuff and the 'Forte' which looks good, is portable unless you want to record, but I am not too keen on breakout cables. I see them as another link in the chain that can easily break and at that price I would start to look for used Benchmark or MOTU products.
Forte
Solo
I hate RED and it seems to be the most popular color in PC components. Is it safe to assume that the monitor outs on these are in stereo and not mono? Meaning if I'm playing games I'll hear stuff from the left and hear stuff from the right?
I don't think any of those you listed will work I need balanced outs either 1/4 in or XLR.
Unless otherwise specified that's usually a safe assumption to make. The expensive Schiit WhiskeyRanger posted does have XLR. And it looks like the Focusrite solo is white because its made with apple products in mind, but does extend to PC too. MOTU always look like what it is, industrial gear and Benchmark is pretty anonymous looking.
Like Growling_Behemoth said, the Gungnir and Ragnarok I listed at the bottom have balanced XLR outs. Though, considering the components you are listing, they are probably out of your price range.
As far as Focusrite, they are more focused (no pun intended) on recording than audio output. I have one of their lower models (Scarlett Solo). For recording, it's great. Delivers clean audio. The built in amp also runs my HD598s decently well (it compares well in terms of power with most sub $100 amp/dacs), though the sound is pretty flat. They tend to use Cirrus DAC chips, which are very good at delivering low distortion audio (depending on the components around them of course), though can be a bit analytical for some, but their op amps leave something to be desired (which shouldn't be surprising, since they are intended to be used for recording, not driving audiophile headphones). So if you are just going to use one as a dac, it'll probably be fine assuming you get one with all the connections you require.
The Fiio E17k you mentioned is a good choice if you want a portable amp/dac. It's relatively neutral, though a bit warm (much less so than the last version which used a Wolfson chip) and somewhat bass focused. At the price point, for a portable amp/dac, it's hard to beat. And you can plug it into a dedicated dac and use it purely as an amp when sitting at your desk too. So long as you aren't trying to drive anything crazy, it should work fine.
Though, if you are only going to be using it as an amp with your phone, then something like a CMOY can be had for quite a bit less and will give you similar power, and can come with many different op amps (mayflower, jds labs and lucid labs all use different op amps in their CMOYs, and there are dozens that are compatible if you diy), so you can find one that suits your listening preferences. Of course, that may be a bit too down the audio rabbit hole for you, but I thought I'd bring it up lol.
Obviously, audio is subjective though. So when possible, test out equipment before buying. What I like may not be what you like. So, you know, take all this with a grain of salt.
Any opinions on the Komplete Audio 6 by Native Instruments (it also comes with some free native instruments software always a plus point), because I like the design and look a lot and have always like Native Instruments but have never tested any of their hardware. I'm also looking at 2 M Audio products The M-Track Plus and the M-Track Plus II. I'm more focused on sound quality but wouldn't mind being able to record. My hardware list of stuff I'll be using is pair of HS8's Audio Technica ATH2020 Mic and Audio Technica m50x headphones that I'll mainly use for going to school and my traveling headphones and a pair of V-moda for gaming headphones maybe, don;t really need them but really want to check them out because you can get a mic to add on them and you can get them laser etched and I think it would be super badass to have the Guy Fawkes mask with pirate swords crossed underneath etched on the side.
Also this is my upgrade parts list to build my battle station these parts mixed with the build I have listed on my profile.
I've never even seen a Komplete Audio in person, let alone listened to one. So I have no first hand experience with them. I also couldn't find much on what components it uses. I found one source that claimed it uses a Cirrus dac chip (CS4270), but I couldn't confirm it. Obviously though, that's not the only component that matters in terms of audio quality, but it can be a good indication.
My GUESS would be that it is similar in performance to the Focusrite stuff. Fairly good ad/da, low to mid tier headphone stage (just enough juice for you to monitor your recording with a low to mid impedance set of cans). Again, these are intended for use in recording, so they aren't specifically geared toward audiophile listening. You can use them in place of an amp/dac, but you may or may not like the sound you get. Using one as a DAC with a separate headphone amp isn't a bad idea though. So if you paired that NI with a CMOY or a Fiio (or a dedicated desktop amp), the result would probably be pretty good. But again, I've not listened to any NI products, so I don't really know how they perform, and there's surprisingly little online about their performance in this regard. So ymmv.
Also, one thing to keep in mind that I failed to mention above, is that while these audio interfaces have balanced outputs, they aren't balanced DACs. A balanced DAC has a DAC chip for each channel, and utilizes the same noise cancellation throughout. These audio interfaces only have one single ad/da (analog to digital/digital to analog) chip. To my understanding, a balanced output without a fully balanced circuit is relatively pointless unless you are running long cables. Reason being that your dac is going to be subjected to much the same "noise" as your cables in a short run, and since it's not balanced, it negates a lot of the noise cancellation of the balanced outputs/cables. Just a heads up.
edit: Oh, and both the headphones you listed should be relatively easy to drive. The V-Modas I hear benefit from an amp that has a focus on bass though. Also, you can add a mic to any headset. The AntLion ModMic can be attached to pretty much anything, or you can just grab a cheap Zalman clip on mic. So don't feel like you need to go with a V-Moda to get a decent sounding gaming headset : )
If NI's software is any pointer towards the quality of their hardware, I'd think it would be ok. Everybody in EDM uses at least one or more of their software, almost without exception. They are just that damn good. Would they cripple their own reputation as an industry standard by releasing crap hardware to control it with. Somehow I don't think so. German engineering brah.
At the $200 price point, maybe? It's not exactly high end, so you never know. But, like I said, it probably performs similarly to the Focusrite stuff in the same price range. So, decent dac, passable headphone stage. But again, just a guess.
Yeah, but also consider what the final output is. Yamaha HS8. You can have the best signal chain in the world from your source to your speakers but at the end of the day they dictate what you hear more than anything along the route to them. IMO.
Arguable, but sure. You can't have good audio without quality at each step in the chain. One weak link will ruin the final result. The best speakers, amp, and dac wont make a low quality MP3 sound good. In fact, they will likely make it sound worse by accentuating every little imperfection... so it could be argued that is the most important piece. But, no one stage will make up for the shortcomings of the rest. Those HS8s will only sound as good as the rest of the components will allow them.
So id I got the desktop dock for the E17K DAC and got the Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 how would I use them together for the monitors??? Because all the DAC's I've seen seem to be just for headphones so I'm not understanding how to have balanced outs and use a dac. I mean both pieces of equipment get their source through USB. I just don't understand. Also I'm not looking for audiophile quality sound just looking for quality. The Native Instruments not having much info about them for some reason makes me want to check them out even more, or should I just go with the one of the M-Audio I listed just because they are known. Also it kind of sucks I'm kind of looking for a all in one solution not something I have to daisy chain but will If i need to.
You need to use balanced jacks (TRS), or a balanced jack to XLR if you want to use XLR, the speakers will take both. It does however reveal that the Audio 6 is aimed directly at bedroom producers who are more likely to use hifi equipment or cheap monitors. The KA6 has both DA/AD converters. You plug it into your computer via USB, put the HS8's in its outputs and music will play. It might need some drivers. It can take headphones too. I thought you wanted the other dac for being on the road. The KA6 is an all in one solution, there is nothing missing from it that you need to hear sound. Essentially balanced means "better shielding and grounded" in the context.
edit.
What happens after the dac chip also matters. Behind it is an analogue circuit. The less clutter here there, the better. Like Neve said, the optimal route from instrument/mic to speaker and recording equipment would be a thick copper wire and nothing else.
Yeah I know how to hook that up what I was asking was how to use a dac inline with that. because I thought that is what you were saying I need to do. The dac for on the road I was meaning to just use with my headphones when listening to the music while at school or wherever else I go but was just saying that with that I have the option to use it with my desktop too. I'm just not understanding how to use recording sound card with a DAC like we were talking about because 1 I haven't seen a DAC for speakers and how would you put the balanced outs into the dac or vice versa?
Unless I am misunderstanding something, what you want to do is essentially to use a dac to convert between the computer and the KA6? The KA6 IS a dac (two of them no less afaik). There is nothing to win by doubling up.