Does anybody know about DACs? I want to get some high impedance headphones and in the future run run passive speakers off an amp coming off the DAC. I'm having a hard time telling what's better than what. I can tell some difference between my pc audio and the DAC in my microphone. Is a $200 DAC noticeably better? I don't want to spend money and have it sound the same
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The only reason to buy an expensive DAC is if it offers a feature you need that isn't available at a lower pricepoint (being able to output to headphones and speakers at the same time, being able to switch between the two without touching your computer, extra inputs, etc.)
so you're saying that there is no difference between different sound processors?
there is VERY minimal difference and without $1000+ hardware it's not enough of a difference to matter.
Unless you're getting buzzing or other audio issues with your normal DAC, there is little reason to upgrade to a different DAC unless again, it provides some feature you can actually use.
I personally have a $250+ DAC because I wanted a balanced DAC with a balanced XLR headphone output and XLR outputs for speakers AND Bluetooth input on top of normal USB input. But the actual sound quality itself isn't any different than my previous $50 DAC.
Bullshit, you smell like a jeet. DACs have measurable differences.
I'm british/american white.
But whatever helps you feel better about yourself.
And measurements don't = audible difference.
>measurements don't = audible difference
They don't? Or "sometimes" they don't?
With 99% of DACs?
They don't.
Sure they do.
I don't. I do happen to be a high-end audio appreciator and I own about ten different DACs. Currently I am listening to my Parasound P5.1 which has a Burr-Brown DAC. Just the chip alone cost half as much as your typical headphone amp / outboard DAC combo.
Lol
Lmao even
I don't own any headphone amp / DAC combos. I'm counting the DACs in my various audio equipment here in my rack. I have TDA1540, TDA1541, PCM65, D20400, so I can compare and contrast the same music on the same speakers using different players. Some DACs completely fail to reproduce certain sounds.
>old shit from the 90s
Ok yeah no wonder you can hear differences kek
Things have changed, even cheapshit DACs are now audibly transparent unless you look in the random bargain bin of a Best Buy. The ones included in 99% of smartphones are audibly transparent.
>old shit from the 90s
As I said I also have other newer things too. Since the 1990s, the focus on DACs has been to make them able to cope with a huge variety of bit depths and sample rates, and making them cheaper. They actually peaked, quality-wise, over 30 years ago.
Stop watching youtube shill videos ya dumb consoomer
no they don't. 24bit pwm DAC is pretty much peak anything more than that has no benefits
nope, all dacs sound the same
only difference is in amplification, which should sound all exactly the same if its not distorting
SMSL D-6S is basically the state of the art at the $200 price point ($175), it might be a marginal improvement over your motherboard audio but its mostly placebo.
If you want a dac and headphone amplifier with an output for speakers the SMSL C200 is quite nice at $200. Plenty of power for high impedance headphones and clean audio. This will probably be a more noticable improvement over motherboard audio because the amplifier is better.
See for more info
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/aoshida-smsl-c200-review-dac-amp.36850/
>with an output for speakers
To be clear that's a line level output for speakers, it's not a speaker amplifier, but you will probably be using powered speakers anyway.
>high impedance headphones
Buy good headphones instead.
Yeah like IEM
On the cheap
>Apple usb-c to 3.5 dac
>Plug that into an amp with a headphone out
>Done
But I went with an smsl m6 headphone dac amp way back in the day and was happy later, for speakers, I use the Apple dac to a cheap Fosi amplifier which powers my passive speakers.
I guess I'll just have to find out for myself
You will not notice a difference with a DAC. You might want an amp for a pair of high impedence headphones
Get the JDS Labs Atom 2 stack.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/jds-atom-amp-2-headphone-amplifier-review.49795/
Don't listen to these poorgay morons, buy the Schiit Bitfrost 2/64 and never have to buy another desktop DAC for your lifetime. You want 32 bit 192 kHz right Anon? It does sound better btw..
>$800
I'm not spending that on a magic puff box
>high impedance headphones
Useless, but will need higher voltages to drive.
Imagine wasting money for device that does the same as your pc does already.
Because it does it better
Honestly, no not really, or at least not to any point that is actually audible. Any even remotely decent DAC will pretty much sound just like any other and the one on your mobo may very well fall into this category. There IS one aspect of this in which the DAC can make a difference though and that is the background noise level, where your integrated sound card may end up being noisier than an external DAC due to its proximity to components which generate a lot of EMI like the graphics card and CPU.
Other than that any decent DAC is a DAC as far as sound goes, but external DACs may come with other features that some may find useful like extra inputs / outputs, a convenient volume control, integrated headphone amp and so on.
Chifi chip dacs under $600 all sound the same. Clinical, flat and harsh. They match headphones at that level.
If your headphones are >$1000 then a quality mutibit or R2R dac (along with a reputable class A amp) can only bring out the best in them in realistic timbre, layering, separation, holographic sound and depth. Things that Reddit/ASR mid-to-lofi copers have sour grapes about.
worth every cent.
youll need a decent amp too and some speakers.
All I know is that they consume power, introduce distortions and that the audio chip on your mobo is more than enough.