Gamers, What's Your Audio Set Up?

dirtybeatfreak · 2025-01-17T18:44:31+0000

hornetstinger said:
If you get passive speakers you'll need a stereo amplifier as well. I think the Topping DAC is variable pre out option? If so a stereo power amp will work. Or if you want a stereo amp so you have a actual volume control and multiple inputs/outputs etc.

ahh thanks. that is good to know! It does have a pre-amp mode yes. Does that mean it still does it's DAC thing too when in pre-amp mode or does it switch functionality completely? As you might be able to tell, I am clueless with the audio stuff

hornetstinger · 2025-01-17T18:59:30+0000

dirtybeatfreak said:
ahh thanks. that is good to know! It does have a pre-amp mode yes. Does that mean it still does it's DAC thing too when in pre-amp mode or does it switch functionality completely? As you might be able to tell, I am clueless with the audio stuff

yes it'll be a dac & pre amp. Make sure you have it in pre amp mode and it's a low volume otherwise you'll blow your speakers.

dirtybeatfreak · 2025-01-17T19:16:04+0000

hornetstinger said:
yes it'll be a dac & pre amp. Make sure you have it in pre amp mode and it's a low volume otherwise you'll blow your speakers.

thank-you, I will keep that in mind. Weirdly in pre-amp mode it goes from 0 to minus 99 rather than 0-99 lol. Confused me even further. So just to make sure I understand, because it has a pre-amp mode, I could go with just set of passive speakers in pre-amp mode. But if I bought active speakers, I would use the DAC mode. And if I wanted for some weird reason to use DAC mode with passive speakers, I would then need a pre-amp as well.

I think I might watch a newbie video or two later lol.

Thanks for the advice good Sir

hornetstinger · 2025-01-17T19:21:57+0000

No, if you buy passive speakers you'll need a stereo amplifier or two monoblocs ie the fosi monos.

If you bought active speakers you can connect the topping straight into the them

The topping will always act as a DAC, any digital signal will be converted from Digital to Analogue - that is what a DAC is. Some DAC's are just DAC's only, with line output, but some have pre amp output, which is variable so then you connect that into power amplifier.

You will need one pre amp somewhere long the chain, ie if you have active speakers they typically have their own volume control, so feeding those fixed level is fine.

dirtybeatfreak · 2025-01-17T19:27:56+0000

hornetstinger said:
No, if you buy passive speakers you'll need a stereo amplifier or two monoblocs ie the fosi monos.

If you bought active speakers you can connect the topping straight into the them

The topping will always act as a DAC, any digital signal will be converted from Digital to Analogue - that is what a DAC is. Some DAC's are just DAC's only, with line output, but some have pre amp output, which is variable so then you connect that into power amplifier.

You will need one pre amp somewhere long the chain, ie if you have active speakers they typically have their own volume control, so feeding those fixed level is fine.

ahh ok. The clue was in the name of 'pre-amp' not 'instead-of amp' lol. I think for simplicities sake (and so I don't mess it up), I will look for active ones haha.

edit: after your helpful post and watching a video (from Badseed Tech), I get it now

thanks again mate, appreciated!