I recently purchased a 14MXR. In the promotion for this product I heard it had a good 'soundcard' built in it, and I am indeed pleased with the sound that comes out of it when playing digital files.
The purpose I bought the 14MXR for was for music playback at dance events, mainly playlists, sometimes handpicked tunes, and only a minor bit of hand-mixing. I don't really need (many) effects.
Source of music: mostly digital audio and sometimes video files (FLAC if possible in anyway, or if not possible, WAV or MP3, MP4) and occasionaly DVD's, Blu-rays, CD's, grammophone records.
Since there is a good 'soundcard' or 'Digital/Analog Converter' inside the 14MXR, I thought I could use it as a 'DAC', at home or on the move. But here is where I encountered some problems. Not every software seems capable of finding the MXR, and even when it does, conflicts sometimes arise.
For the moment I found that the 14MXR works with this software:
- Virtual DJ LE (comes bundled with the item, but does not support playlists)
- Windows Media Player
- MIXXX
- Windows Sound (the sounds you hear that Windows makes when you click on something or when you make an error etc.)
- Real Player
Windows Media Player could be used as a player for music playlists, but when Windows Media Player is playing a song and I open a page in a browser, like FaceBook in Chrome, after a few seconds, there is a conflict and Media Player stops playing and I have to restart the computer to get it working again.
Software that I can't get to work with the 14MXR at the moment include:
- VLC media player
- browsers (like Chrome)
- games (like WOW)
Since I really need gear that can easily play playlists I decided to buy the cheapest DAC (and that could also serve as a backup for the MXR) I could find to see if and how things worked out. The Lexicon Alpha I got did all the things I expected from a DAC: it performed playback through USB of any file or application on my computer, just like an internal soundcard AND I could connect it to my powered speakers through balanced TRS outputs. But alas, the sound quality of the Alpha comes nowhere near that of the 14MXR.
So here is my question: is there a way you can get the 14MXR to work as a DAC (like the Alpha)?
Or does it need better and more stable software drivers to behave like a DAC?
I think it would be great if the MXR-series could be used as a DAC. You would have a good DAC with volume control and equalizer for only half the price of let's say a DacMagic Plus and have a fine mixer and controller on top.
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