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How to connect Headphone amp to PC?

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So I recently aquired the HA-200 and I wonder if there is any way to connect it to my PC? I figure I might need another peice of tech for that but I'm not sure what in that case... Thanks in advance!
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Mist_x
88
Jan 8, 2019
Personally as someone who used a fiio e10k as a dac and a JDS labs atom amp. I didn't notice a difference using them with the e10k as dac or my onboard audio as a dac. I would just get a RCA to 3.5mm to the back of your PC honestly. If you don't hear any hissing/distortion in your music with your headphones then I doubt your dac is bad at all from the PC to run it.
Thelampgamer
3
May 7, 2022
Mist_xStupid question but which audio jack should I plug it in? (Which color)
druck21
7
Jan 5, 2019
If you have an amp but haven't gotten a DAC yet and just want to use the motherboard DAC for now, should you have the sound output of your computer cranked all the way up to 100 going into the amp?
phoenixsong
1055
Dec 11, 2017
Simplest way is a cable/adaptor from your pc's audio/headphone out to the input jacks of the amp, but through this you will not get good sound. My advice is to use some signal purifier (look at some Ifi products, for example) before feeding it into a dac then lastly to your amp and headphones/speakers. That way you can get clean audio instead of converting all the noise and amplifying it :)
Napostrophe
56
Dec 10, 2017
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You're gonna need a DAC to connect it. You could use an adapter to just use the 3.5mm output of your computer, but that's cheaping out and effectively negating the benefit of a good amp because you're still going through the cruddy DAC in your computer. If you only want to get it working, you only need an adapter, but if you want quality, you need to buy a DAC
Napostrophe
56
Jan 2, 2021
Alright fine, want the simple answer? Just buy a 3.5mm to RCA adapter. I said this in both my original post and the follow-up, not to mention that other people also said the same thing in the thread. Now as metacommentary, I understand what you're trying to get at, xehs. Reason I went with what I said is (a) other people have already answered his question extensively and (b) I did explain exactly what to do; just get an adapter and an amp and be done with it. I was trying to be genuine and give the information to them that I thought would be beneficial. I've been in the exact place they are before. I explained in my original post and first thing in my second comment that he could just use an adapter. It's not my problem that someone fails to read what's right in front of them. I gave a perfectly valid answer with multiple solutions, in addition to commentary explaining the merits of each. I don't intend to be aggressive, but I don't really tolerate people ignoring assistance just because it includes minutely tangential information. I was trying to help, but clearly trying to give an extra penny for thought isn't appreciated by some people. If someone doesn't care to read a response for assistance, why ask for it in the first place? Another reason I gave all the information I did is because from my experience most on-board amps are generally powerful enough to drive most reasonable headphones perfectly fine unless you're trying to destroy your eardrums. Putting two and two together, if what they're trying to drive can't be driven by their computer, then either (a) they have a really bad sound card and should still get a separate DAC and amp or (b) they're driving really hungry headphones which arguably should have their own DAC and amp in the first place because there's no way they're getting the full performance of those cans out of a built-in sound card. Lastly, I won't lie, there's definitely a portion of this which is just me being an elitist. Someone comes into the audiophile community and asks a question where the answer for most people already dug deep into the hobby is "throw money at it." I don't intend to gatekeep, but when someone is visibly new to the hobby it hurts myself and others to see them handicapping themselves. Why are you spending hundreds of dollars on equipment if you can't even fully drive it? It's just a waste of money. I want people to get their money's worth and hopefully initiate them into the community rather than have them waste money and then go "what is this crap? why does this cost so much?" because they don't know what they're doing. Sorry this became an essay, but I hope this gets my point across.
(Edited)
rastus
1391
Dec 10, 2017
Good straight explanation here; you will also see why you want a good player app and to get quality music files,, a guide to spending more;) http://m.us.marantz.com/DocumentMaster/US/Marantz_DAC_White_Paper_4_5_2016.pdf
cu2983
7
Dec 7, 2017
The HA-200 is an amp only, you need a DAC to convert the digital computer file to an analog signal to send to the amp. The cheapest (quickest) option is on board DAC on the computer, use headphone jack with a 3.5 mm to RCA cable (https://www.walmart.com/ip/ONN-3-5-MM-Aux-to-RCA-Stereo-Cable-Audio-Y-Adapter-Cable-4-Feet/829969025). But with this nice of amp/headphones--this is a subpar option. I highly recommend looking at Schiit Modi 2 or the amps companion DAC--the NuForce DAC80 or their less expensive options.
emadwolf10
0
Dec 23, 2018
cu2983I have Beyers DT1990 and my PC DAC is good so i guess ill buy the  Massdrop THX\AAA\789 and im good to go right?!
cu2983
7
Jan 20, 2019
emadwolf10um, like I messaged the OP, you can use your computer DAC. But with the level of equipment you have, it is a subpar set up. Spend another $100 or so and get dedicated DAC. See Schiit, NuForce, and Topping for some entry level DACs. If you didn't buy the amp, look at https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-cth-sdac-dac-amp.
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