ARC Mk2 - Headphone Amplifier & DAC

I bought this to pair with my DT900 ProX headphones and ModMic Uni to make an audiophile gaming headset. I wanted the external volume control so I didn't have to switch out of game to adjust volume settings. I also wanted a fast switcher between headphones and speakers without having to plug and unplug stuff.Pros:1. DSP bass boost button. The DT900 ProX has a flat bass. This button helps add a little bass boost but not overwhelmingly too much.2. Volume knob. This thing can get LOUD. I had to do a little tweaking with my sound settings to get the right balance. My output sound setting is 80%, which is a comfortable volume when the ARC volume knob is set to halfway.3. RCA passthrough button. It allows me to switch to the RCA connectors on the back connected to my powered desk speakers using a 3.5mm to RCA splitter. The volume knob also controls the volume on my speakers. Like with my headphones, I had to tweak the settings between my speakers and the ARC to find the right balance. I have my desk speakers volume turned up to 100%.4. USB power. I'm currently using the USB to power it with. There is the option of using an adapter and digital cable. USB power is fine for me.5. Microphone jack. I wanted a microphone jack, and this one works pretty good. I compared the sound of my mic when plugged into the ARC as compared to plugged into the system. Plugged into the system, I could hear more air noise talking into the mic, as well as very prominent S and P sounds. Plugged into the ARC these annoyances were eliminated, giving me a clean sound.6. Microphone passthrough jack. I haven't tried the mic passthrough though, which also acts as either a mic output to another device, or a device input (like through an AUX port) you can plug your phone into. Don't really need it at the moment, but nice to know it's there. NOTE: It doesn't auto-switch, so when a phone is plugged in and playing music, and music on the system is running, both can be heard simultaneously.7. Linux compatible. I run Linux Mint as my operating system, and it's 100% plug-and-play compatible. As soon as I plugged it in and fired it up, it was recognized immediately by name, and not just a generic sound device.Cons:1. I had to turn my microphone input settings on the system to 100%, so it doesn't get louder than "normal" talking volume level. I'm not sure if this is because of some built-in normalization, but the mic does get quieter if the input settings are turned down.2. No volume control for the mic. I'm glad the volume knob for the headphones doesn't also affect the mic volume, but a separate volume control for the mic would be a nice feature to see in the future models.3. You do have to use powered speakers with this unit. While not a deal breaker (I've always used powered desk speakers), this would be another nice-to-have on future models.Overall, they've packed a lot of features into this little box. While it is a tad on the expensive side, you get excellent build quality (metal casing) and fantastic sound, which makes it very worth the price. I did a lot of research of many of these little amps, and this one came out on top of all the reviews. I was not disappointed.

Why would I want the volume knob to affect the headphones and rca output ? Switching is annoying. As I understand this was as a request from buyers but a better solution would have been a switch.In linux mint with an AMD platform you can not select the mic input and the audio output at the same time.Starting the pc with the volume knob maxed out results in garbage sound even on windows. You have to switch the unit off from the knob and then back on, but this also related to AMD.The sound quality is quite good.

I use this Mayflower ARC amp with Sennheiser HD600 headphones and an Antlion ModMic and it works awesome. It can handle any EQ I throw at the HD600's and gives me the ability to control everything right in the front which is a huge plus.The reason I love this particular amp so much is because it has the ability to receive a mic input and also give audio output. This lets you use headphones with a separate mic and still be able to plug both of them in at essentially the same place on your desk instead of way back behind your PC.10/10 highly recommend!

When I got the fact/amp it sounded great was even able to play a couple games with it. Then a couple hours later no sound came from it. I did every trouble shoot that was recommended online and I came to the conclusion the one I got was defective. Returned it and got my money back. Was really looking forward to this based on the reviews.Update: Got contacted by Mayflowers customer service and decided to give it another shot. Bumping up my review since they really were trying to make sure that i would get a working unit.Update: 10/16/20Replacement unit arrived and for the last couple of days has been working great. Really appreciate the company going out of their way to make sure I got a working unit. Sound is amazing with V-moda M200 cans. Highly recommend for it's quality but most importantly for their customer service.

I'd been toying with the idea of buying this for a couple months now. I wasn't sure how big of a difference it would make in audio, but one day I decided to pull the trigger and I'm so glad I did.It's really hard to explain why it makes such a big difference, especially because I'm a pretty big noob in the audio world, but everything sounds so much cleaner and sharper. I'm hearing things in music and games that I never have before and it's blowing my mind.If you're reading this and wondering if it makes a difference, trust me... it absolutely does.

Wow. That’s how I can put this amp in one word.The quality difference in music, not just quality itself. But, clarity, sound stage is a bit wider, and it supports almost every headphone you’ll purchase and test on this amp. And it’s the most portable you’re gonna get before going to the premium grade amps or dac’s.And for the studio people: this has a mic port! It’s perfect. Don’t cheap out. Save for this and buy it!Warranty is 10 years too. I’ve never seen that much for most electronic products.

Hooked it up moments ago to my Beyerdynamic MMX300s and man am I blown at the drastic change. The bass is rich and bumping when DSP is engaged with no compromise to the clarity of the full listening range. Love it!!! A must have for anyone gaming on console.

I purchased the Arc Mk.2 with a new HD 660 s. At first the sound was very canned or with DSP turned on blown out. After a 10 hour session with it playing music at a high but listenable level it evened out.