Windows 10: Using Xonar DX DAC and an external headphone amp?

I'm trying to use my Xonar DX sound card just as a DAC with my external headphone amp. My headphone amp (Cavalli Liquid Carbon) doesn't have TOSLINK input, only RCA, 3.5mm and XLR. There is a 3.5mm to RCA cable, and I've plugged that into the line out jack but I'm not hearing anything I had to plug the 3.5mm into the 'front' headphone jack.

I was having problems getting the card to work again. It didn't seem to power up, but re-seating the power cable a couple times seems to have at least allowed me to install and open the driver. *sarc

I have the software setup like this




:)

 

Use Windows Phone 7 with an external DAC/headphone amp

I know a number of audio nuts (I count myself among them). Unlike me, they use iPhones, connect the iPhone to a small, portable external unit that includes a USB DAC and headphone amp. Their headphones are then plugged into the external unit.

I currently use an external unit (USB DAC/headphone amp) with my laptop: Laptop USB out --> external USB DAC/headphone amp --> headphones. This bypasses the DAC built into the sound card of the laptop and dramtically improves sound quality.

Question: can I use an external USB DAC/headphone amp with the Windows Phone 7 using the micro USB out on the bottom of the phone to a mini USB in of my external unit? I am assuming using the 1/8" jack at the bottom of the phone next to the micro USB out
would not bypass the internal.

Thanks.

 

Internal & External USB DAC

Hi. Thank you for your reply. I tried what you suggested, but I think we are talking about two different issues. My music plays just fine, that is not what I am having trouble with. This is hard to explain but I will try my best: A MP3 file usually goes
from the hard drive-->the computer's integrated digital-to-analog converter(DAC)--->the computer's headphone socket-->my headphones.

What I am wanting is to get the MP3 to go from the hard drive-->USB Port-->external DAC(in my case it is the Fiio Alpen 2)-->headphone socket in the external DAC-->my headphones.

I am wanting to bypass my computer's integrated DAC entirely. Right now, I have the latter setup. However, when I adjust the computer's volume control, it still adjusts the music volume coming out of my headphones.

I want to make sure that the audio file is bypassing the computer's integrated DAC and not taking the following path: MP3 on the hard drive-->computer's integrated DAC-->USB Port-->External DAC-->Headphone socket on the external DAC-->my headphones.

Is there a way to check this?

Thank you for your help.

 

Is the Xonar set as the default audio playback device? If not, that could be the problem. (Windows only allows one default audio playback device).