{"id":166805,"date":"2021-01-30T09:40:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-30T06:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-is-an-external-dac-and-do-you-need-one-for-a-pc\/"},"modified":"2021-01-30T09:40:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-30T06:40:00","slug":"what-is-an-external-dac-and-do-you-need-one-for-a-pc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-an-external-dac-and-do-you-need-one-for-a-pc\/","title":{"rendered":"#What Is an External DAC, and Do You Need One for a PC?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2884ae4549c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2884ae4549c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-an-external-dac-and-do-you-need-one-for-a-pc\/#Sound_vs_Graphics_Hardware\" >Sound vs. Graphics Hardware<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-an-external-dac-and-do-you-need-one-for-a-pc\/#What_Is_a_DAC\" >What Is a DAC?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-an-external-dac-and-do-you-need-one-for-a-pc\/#Why_You_Might_Want_an_External_DAC\" >Why You Might Want an External DAC<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-an-external-dac-and-do-you-need-one-for-a-pc\/#What_to_Look_for_in_an_External_DAC\" >What to Look for in an External DAC<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-an-external-dac-and-do-you-need-one-for-a-pc\/#Is_Your_PCs_Audio_Good_Enough\" >Is Your PC\u2019s Audio Good Enough?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#What Is an External DAC, and Do You Need One for a PC?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_710423\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-710423 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/iFiProiDSD-1.png\" alt=\"An external DAC with silver chassis and circular LCD display.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-credittext=\"iFi Audio\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">iFi Audio<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>High-quality sound on PCs from drop-in sound cards and external DACs is a weird subject. It\u2019s not as necessary as it once was. In fact, nobody even thinks about it much anymore. There\u2019s no song or <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> that you won\u2019t be able to listen to because of underpowered gear.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sound_vs_Graphics_Hardware\"><\/span>Sound vs. Graphics Hardware<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Your computer\u2019s built-in sound is pretty good for most tasks. Contrast that with gaming, where if you want to play the newest AAA games at high frame rates, you need a graphics card. A CPU\u2019s integrated graphics processor simply isn\u2019t up to the challenge.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, some people still want better sound than a motherboard can offer. When that\u2019s the case, it comes down to two primary choices: a sound card or an external DAC (digital-to-analog converter).<\/p>\n<p>A quality listening experience needs a minimum of electrical interference, which is a problem because a PC motherboard is a hotbed of electrical activity. That\u2019s why onboard motherboard audio has shielding to protect itself as best it can from the rest of the board.<\/p>\n<p>A better alternative, however, is to move your audio delivery device (be it a sound card or external DAC) away from the source of all that interference.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Do You Need a Dedicated Sound Card for Your PC?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_a_DAC\"><\/span>What Is a DAC?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>DAC stands for digital-to-analog converter. A DAC takes digital audio information and converts it to an analog signal. That signal then <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>s to an amplifier, and then to your speakers or headphones where you hear it.<\/p>\n<p>A DAC is an essential component of any PC\u2019s audio system. Motherboard audio has one, as do soundcards, smartphones, USB headphones, and other digital devices. You cannot get sound out of a PC or other digital device and into the human ear if there isn\u2019t a DAC somewhere along the line to convert digital audio signals into analog.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_You_Might_Want_an_External_DAC\"><\/span>Why You Might Want an External DAC<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_710424\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-710424 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/FiiO.png\" alt=\"A small black external DAC with large volume knob.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-credittext=\"FiiO\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The FiiO E10K <span class=\"imagecredit\">FiiO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you already have a DAC, why do you need another one? First, an external DAC is typically of higher quality than the DAC in your motherboard or USB headphones, offering better audio potential.<\/p>\n<p>But we also have to go back to our original issue with the motherboard: All that electricity running through the board creates a high potential for what audiophiles call \u201cnoise,\u201d which basically means interference that reduces the quality of the sound reproduction. If you have a good pair of headphones\u2014or crank up the volume on an average pair during heavy computing loads\u2014you can probably hear some of this interference. It sounds like a hiss or static.<\/p>\n<p>Some interference or \u201cnoise\u201d is inevitable since you\u2019re dealing with electrical equipment, but reducing the noise as much as possible is key for a better listening experience.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why many people favor an external DAC for their PC.\u00a0It\u2019s removed from all that electrical noise around the motherboard, thereby improving the audio quality. A sound card, by comparison, is raised just above the motherboard but is still inside the case, which some audio geeks think is just as bad.<\/p>\n<p>Some people are so concerned about interference that they try to put their external DAC as far away as they can from their PC case. For most of us, however, simply putting it on the desk next to or above the PC is enough.<\/p>\n<p>An external DAC is not a magical solution to your audio problems, however, and it\u2019s good to understand what to expect. If we\u2019re talking about gaming, an external DAC will help bring quieter sounds to the fore. In some cases, your positional audio may get better, making it easier to locate stealthy NPCs and other players.<\/p>\n<p>If we\u2019re talking about music, however, everything from the quality of the recording to the mastering by the engineer to the file size to the quality of your headphones comes into play.<\/p>\n<p>Most external DACs connect to your PC via a USB cable and have a volume knob on the front as well as a jack for headphones and speakers. Many external DACs have just 3.5mm jacks, but some will also have 6.3mm. It really depends on the device. But, as always, you can pick up an adapter to work with either.<\/p>\n<p>One great thing about an external DAC is that it\u2019s not tied to one machine. So if you spend most of your time on a desktop PC but would like to improve your audio experience on a laptop, you can move it between devices.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_to_Look_for_in_an_External_DAC\"><\/span>What to Look for in an External DAC<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_710425\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-710425 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/iFiHip-DAC.png\" alt=\"An aqua marine portable DAC resting on top of a smartphone.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-credittext=\"iFi Audio\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">iFi\u2019s portable hip-dac <span class=\"imagecredit\">iFi Audio<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>First, your external DAC should have a built-in amplifier to make it more economical and to take up less space. Most options for PC do have an amplifier, but you will find high-end audio DACs that require a separate amplifier.<\/p>\n<p>You may also see discussions about bit depths and sample rates for each DAC. We explain bit depths and sample rates in our explainer about all the various audio formats. Many DACs you find online will support 24- or 32-bit depths, while sample rates vary between 96 KHz to 768 KHz.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>What Are the Differences Between MP3, FLAC, and Other Audio Formats?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re just looking for a DAC that improves your gaming experience and other listening, then something like the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black\/dp\/B00LP3AMC2?tag=hotoge-20\">FiiO E10K<\/a>\u00a0is a good option. Someone looking for higher-end hardware might want to look at <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.schiit.com\/products\/modi-1\">Schiit\u2019s Modi DAC<\/a>, which requires the purchase of a separate amplifier. Creative also produces <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/BlasterX-External-Headphone-Surround-Sidetone\/dp\/B07FY45F2S\/?tag=hotoge-20\">external sound cards<\/a> that some PC users may prefer.<\/p>\n<p>One final consideration is your personal use case. If you\u2019d also like to improve your listening experience on a mobile device, a portable DAC might be more to your liking. However, without a quality set of headphones, a portable external DAC\/amp isn\u2019t likely to do much for your listening experience on a phone.<\/p>\n<p>As always, a good rule of thumb is to read consumer and professional reviews of the DAC you\u2019re interested in to give you a sense of what to expect.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>What Are the Differences Between MP3, FLAC, and Other Audio Formats?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_Your_PCs_Audio_Good_Enough\"><\/span>Is Your PC\u2019s Audio Good Enough?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Whether or not your PC\u2019s current audio situation is good enough is very subjective. There are no real numbers to show how much better a listening experience is with a given device. It either sounds better to you or it doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re unh<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y with motherboard audio\u2014or if you notice moments of background noise, like static during game loads or other CPU-intensive moments\u2014then upgrading to an external DAC is worth considering.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/710420\/what-is-an-external-dac-and-do-you-need-one-for-a-pc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#What Is an External DAC, and Do You Need One for a PC?&#8221; iFi Audio High-quality sound on PCs from drop-in sound cards and external DACs is a weird subject. It\u2019s not as necessary as it once was. In fact, nobody even thinks about it much anymore. There\u2019s no song or game that you won\u2019t&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":166806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/iFiProiDSD-1.png?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}