I use my PC for gaming, streaming, and music production. Currently I just use a Scarlet 2i2 Gen 3 with powered PreSonus Eris E4.5 speakers, which is fine but I have an idealised audio setup I’d like to build which I’m struggling to put together without compromising on some aspect. The audio world is such a rabbit hole of snake-oil and bullshit it is hard to find genuinely good products I can trust to be what they claim, and not just overpriced distractions. I’m no audio expert (which is probably obvious) but I think what I’m trying to achieve is interesting enough to see what people recommend, and help me decide if my goal is unrealistic.

Here are my requirements and what I’m trying to achieve.

  1. Volume controlled entirely from Windows. No external volume knobs unless they can be bypassed/overridden in software.

  2. Audio Interface for my Mic and guitar.

    So at least 2 XLR inputs and 1 TRS (Combo ports are also fine).

    Include 48v Phantom Power for my Dynamic mics (RØDE PodMic and RØDE M3)

    Might need a pre-amp to boost gain on the Dynamic mic’s

  3. A Good USB DAC

  4. A Good AMP for passive speakers, with a port for my wired headphones.

  5. Passive Stereo speakers

  6. Sound quality should be natural and true to life as possible. I don’t want any silly audio enhancements, like base boosts or clear voice, but a good EQ control would be OK.

  7. I’d like separate units for DAC/AMP/Mic Interface but I’d be happy with good combo devices.

Here is a diagram of what I’m hoping for. https://i.imgur.com/shzA8bn.png

I welcome your thoughts and pointers. Thx.