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[max096]

Iīm not sure if such a device exists. Essentially, I currently have a PC with a Shiit Audio Jotunheim. Then also a Nintendo Switch. I would like to be able to listen to both of them simultaniously at times. Most of the time itīs just for discord. But sometimes itīs for playing songs instead of the ingame audio. But I still want to hear the other Sound effects. Most of the time you can turn off background music in games.

Currently, I achieve this by using the headphone out of my Monitor and pluggin that into a Line in of a PCIe Soundcard I also have. However, the results are somewhat sub-par. Especially, on the Linux side of things (Pulse Audio loopback devices are not great, plus you are forced to use pulse). On Windows it works a bit better. Still not great. It might just be that the HDMI sound splitter of my monitor is cr4p.

So essentially. Iīm looking for some kind of DAC or AV Receiver that I can use as a DAC only and takes at least two inputs that (can) be both active at the same time (but donīt have to be). I still would like to be able to use the headphone amp portion of the Jotunheim. I donīt really want some gigantic mixer board if I can help it. It should have one USB input for the PC and some RCA or possibly HDMI inputs for the sound of the switch. However, if it does have HDMI. It should not require an onscreen display for controls. Because the PC monitor for the PC side of things uses Display Port and I donīt really want to route that threw anything.

Does such a thing exist?

[mwillems]

I'm not aware of a DAC that allows two inputs to play at once, but have you considered just using a two to one analog cable leading into your jotunheim?  I.e. something like this for whatever connectors you need: https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-YXF-119-XLR3M-XLR3F-Cable/dp/B000068O58

That's how I solved this problem in my house (the problem of getting two audio sources playing at the same time) and it's a cheap relatively high fidelity solution.  You might still need a DAC just for your PC, but then you could easily sum the output of that DAC and the Switch's analog out leading into the Jotunheim, which would then work as the summed output amplifier.
 

[pschelbert]

Yes audio interfaces with a mixer.
RME UCX, RME Babyface, RME UFX II and many more.

RME UFX II can play 32 inputs to 32 outputs at the same time. Enough?

Focusrite, Tascam, MOTU etc. may work as well for that.

Common to them: ADC and DAC: have several inputs and outputs, analog and digital (USB, SPDIF, ADAT).
In the mixer (software) you can add togehter any input and direct to any output (RME I use, has great flexibility to do that).
Any input and output is working simultanious and independent of each other.

[max096]

Yes audio interfaces with a mixer.
RME UCX, RME Babyface, RME UFX II and many more.

RME UFX II can play 32 inputs to 32 outputs at the same time. Enough?

Focusrite, Tascam, MOTU etc. may work as well for that.

Common to them: ADC and DAC: have several inputs and outputs, analog and digital (USB, SPDIF, ADAT).
In the mixer (software) you can add togehter any input and direct to any output (RME I use, has great flexibility to do that).
Any input and output is working simultanious and independent of each other.

Seems to be the right direction. The RME UFX II is a bit too overkill (in both price and 32 in/out?!). But Iīll be looking into the others.

Thank you very much!

I donīt really want to go with a dongle solution, even if it might work.

[pschelbert]

thanks

here you have a shop with a great selection.
You can filter on price, input, outputs and so on

https://www.thomannmusic.de/usb_audio_interfaces.html

(you can switch language and currency of their website as you like)

[max096]

I got one of these (https://mackie.com/products/big-knob-series-monitor-controllers-interfaces) now. And later I'll get a JDS Labs OL DAC to plug into the switch (so no HDMI audio splitter) and a cable to actually use it (not sure when). The DAC selection was pretty much dictated by this reddit thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/b7r1dv/usb_dac_support_os_ver_70_edition/). Somebody out there made a list of DACs that work with the switch and that one is on the list. So far I can't really tell you much, other than when playing sound from the bigknob as a "dac" to the jotunheim. I can't really tell much difference to using the integrated dac. Witch is a great start. Just the second input part needs to work out... It's also plug and play on Fedora31 (so Linux in general, at the very least more recent Linux). Something worth mentioning, because things like this either "just work" on Linux or they "just really don't".

The big knob is still a bit more expensive than I'd like. There is a smaller version that would have plenty of inputs for me, but it does not have the dedicated amp output. It really seems to me looking for such a device as if I'm the only person in the world that needs it. Yet, I have friends with the exact same problem and usually when I ask them "How are you talking to me right now on discord and playing switch games with me?" Then their awswer is something like "What switch sound?" or "One earplug left ear, one earplug right ear". Öhm, ok... 

The OL DAC is the first standalone DAC I'm ever gonna own. So, even if at some point I no longer have a use for it for the switch. I'm sure there will be some use for it, pretty much always. It's just the big knob that seems a bit silly. Now, I have my huge block of a thing with what feels like a billion knobs that I'm gonna use two knobs off and 2 inputs and one output. It has so much more stuff that just so very much will be wasted for my purpose.