Improve the DAC
Skill Level Needed: Pretty Easy
Cost: $129.95 and Up
First, we need to tell you what a DAC is. This is the device that takes the digital music signal coming from your computer and changes it into music. DAC is short for digital to analog converter. DAC’s are in everything we use, from cell phones to TVs. Since they are used everywhere, there is a huge range in quality and price. All computers have a DAC inside and it may be you are sending the sound from your computer to your powered speakers with an analog cable, using the DAC inside the computer.
Or, some computer speakers have a DAC built-in where you run a USB cable from your computer to your powered speakers.
As high-performance headphones have become super popular for many people, the better headphones showed how bad the DAC’s in computers sounded. A whole new category of tiny USB DAC’s that sound great has emerged in the last few years. These little devices simply plug into a USB port on your computer and have a small mini plug connection for an audio cable or headphone cable. All you have to do is plug one of these into your computer, connect a cable and plug the other end into the analog input on your powered speakers.
The difference between the computer DAC or the DAC built into your speakers will astound you. We have had many customers write to us to tell us how much better things sounded with an external DAC. The better your speakers are, the more you will appreciate it too.
Our favorite DAC for the money is the AudioQuest DragonFly Black. At only
Regular Price
$129.95
$129.95
this is a great upgrade for any pair of computer speakers!