Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Computer Audio › USB Speakers vs External Sound Card
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

USB Speakers vs External Sound Card

post #1 of 2
7/22/11 at 9:41am
Thread Starter 

Hi,

 

Am I correct to assume that USB PC speakers carry their own sound card and DAC? I'd like to get better sound out of my macbook, not just by plugging external speakers which still rely on the bad sound card. I'm not looking for real hi-fi, so I thought USB speakers would do it, since, as far as I know, USB can only carry digital data, not audio streams. Do bluetooth wireless speakers work the same way?

 

Any recommendation in a 100-150$ range?

 

Thanks!

 

mrgou

Reply
post #2 of 2
7/22/11 at 12:28pm

Correct.

USB audio requires a converter from USB to a format the DAC does understand like SPDIF or I2S.

BlueTooth is digital too but due to limitations in the bandwidth only lossy compression (MP3) can be streamed.

Simple USB solutions allows for 16/48 so CD quality.

The more expensive ones do hires.

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Computer Audio
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Computer Audio › USB Speakers vs External Sound Card