What is a DAC?

acronym for digital to analog converter

digital converter. from USB (computer) or iRiver h100 optical signal to analog.

Digital-to-analog conversion is a process in which signals having a few (usually two) defined levels or states (digital) are converted into signals having a theoretically infinite number of states (analog). A common example is the processing, by a modem,of computer data into audio-frequency (AF) tones that can be transmitted over a twisted pair telephone line. The circuit that performs this function is a digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

Basically, digital-to-analog conversion is the opposite of analog-to-digital conversion. In most cases, if an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is placed in a communications circuit after a DAC, the digital signal output is identical to the digital signal input. Also, in most instances when a DAC is placed after an ADC, the analog signal output is identical to the analog signal input.

Binary digital impulses, all by themselves, appear as long strings of ones and zeros, and have no apparent meaning to a human observer. But when a DAC is used to decode the binary digital signals, meaningful output appears. This might be a voice, a picture, a musical tune, or mechanical motion.

Both the DAC and the ADC are of significance in some applications of digital signal processing. The intelligibility or fidelity of an analog signal can often be improved by converting the analog input to digital form using an ADC, then clarifying the digital signal, and finally converting the "cleaned-up" digital impulses back to analog form using an DAC.

from: http://searchsmb.techtarget.com/sDef...213875,00.html

a dac is necessary in any music system where the source is digital, whether you use the one that is integrated in your mp3/cd player or buy an external one. it takes all those digital bits and converts them into analog wave signals.

all electronics that allows for digital playback has a dac.. The better ones seem to have less jitter..less artifacts in the music for a smoother listening experience..

At some point in creating a musical work using real-world people and instruments, there is a conversion from analogue to digital. The DAC reverses this conversion, either straight from a CD or from a file on your computer. All computers and cd players that translate music to your ears have some form of DAC. If your stereo translates Dolby Digital or DTS, it also has a DAC. They're very common in other words.

External DACs are discrete components that in most cases do a better job with lower distortion and noise than your average component does. They sometimes cost a lot, but an accurate one won't set you back much.

A couple of reasons:
* Improve sound quality. A dedicated DAC is most probably better sounding than the built in DAC.
* Add features. Example, the ability to have balanced outputs to the amplifier.

It is a special subspecie of ducks.

Picture of a duck for reference.

How would you like it if we all took the piss out of you when you we're new at this? He didn't ask a stupid question, just seeking knowledge.

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To put it simply, the information on a CD, DVD or MP3 isn't actually music. Not like vinyl. It's all digital. Ones and zero's.

EVERY CD, DVD, MP3 player, Sound card, video card... they all have in-built DAC's. The DAC's job being to convert those ones and zero's into an analog current stream. And when that current is run through a speaker or headphone, we have sound.
Now the problem with hi-fi audio is that not all the standard DAC's are good or properly implemented in just your everyday K-Mart brand CD player.

Have a look behind your DVD player. Chances are you'll see a "Coaxial Output" or "S/PDIF" (Sony Philips Digital InterFace)
If you have an external dedicated and professional DAC, you would use this connector to connect your Source (DVD player) to your DAC. Some Sources even have a fibre optic connection.

When you do this, the crappy internal standard DAC of your DVD player will be bypassed and instead you'll be using a professional grade and dedicated DAC.

Needless to say, there's a remarkable improvement in sound.

By far, the two most popular and talked about DACs here is the Benchmark DAC1 and the Lavry DA10.
Some other popular ones are the Stello, Zhao Lu, Musical Fidelity X DAC, Entech. And Headroom also make a few to compliement their headphone amps.

A good analogy: Albums contain grooves stored in analogue, which is closer to what we actually hear after the head 'picks up' the signal. CDs contain bits which, when streamed together at the right speed (44.1kHz) provieds a waveform very similar to the album's grooves. That's what a DAC does.

Sorry, but this is actually open to debate, I have added an external DAC (Entech 203.2) to my Crappy DVD player and frankly apart from volume (the DAC has a higher level output signal) the sound is as far as I can tell is the same. Of course you may get a remarkable improvement in sound with some external DACs but it is in no way guaranteed that you will always hear a difference in simply adding any external DAC.

I posted that after 10 serious posts and you really think that the OP would be dumb enough to not realize I was just kidding?

Christ, relax your anal sphincter and stop taking everything so seriously.