[watchnerd]

It seems like head-fi people get an external DAC almost by default, regardless of whether using a mobile device, a computer, a streaming server, or pretty much anything else.
 
I'm curious as to why people bought their DACs.

 

[441879]

I bought a DAC because it included an amplifier. I really just needed a lower impedance amp.

Originally I also thought I might be able to hear the difference between the 44 kHz DAC in my smartphone and the 96 kHz DAC in the amp, but have since concluded that any difference is inaudible to my ears

 

[watchnerd]

I bought a DAC because it included an amplifier. I really just needed a lower impedance amp.

Originally I also thought I might be able to hear the difference between the 44 kHz DAC in my smartphone and the 96 kHz DAC in the amp, but have since concluded that any difference is inaudible to my ears

 
So I'd put that in the 'wanted something better' category of the poll.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I bought a $99 Schiit Modi 2 DAC because I thought it might make my $1,400 Alienware M11x R2 laptop sound better. Sounded the same. (More often than not, though, laptops have worse sound than mine, so others have experienced improvements with that particular DAC.) This doesn't mean that higher-end DACs won't sound better. I find it suspicious that those who make such claims have typically never heard high-end DACs, while those who have heard them swear they're in a different galaxy of sound quality. (Uh-oh. Just noticed this thread is in the Sound Science section. Flame suit: on!) Anyways... For now I just connect the laptop directly to an amp. The next DAC I want is the JDS Labs The Element amp/DAC, mainly for the amp. If I ever strike it rich, it would be interesting to get the most expensive DAC ever made ($130,000+ with the upgrades) to test it with the best headphones and compare to affordable DACs (measurements and ABX tests too) instead of living in a fantasy world of theory.

 

[watchnerd]

  The next DAC I want is the JDS Labs The Element amp/DAC, mainly for the amp.

 
If you want a better amp, want not just get a dedicated amp so all your funds go into the analog side of things?
 
On my desktop system, I'm currently running my Mac Mini straight into my Schiit Mjolnir 2 from the audio out jack without a DAC in between.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  If you want a better amp, want not just get a dedicated amp so all your funds go into the analog side of things?
 
On my desktop system, I'm currently running my Mac Mini straight into my Schiit Mjolnir 2 from the audio out jack without a DAC in between.

 
The Element is more than sufficient for driving nearly all headphones. It's pretty affordable, and sexy too! The DAC may or may not sound better than my laptop. Doesn't matter to me either way, since this—along with a few headphones—is just something to tide me over until I transition to the best gear available regardless of price. For the time being, most of my planned budget is for headphones; don't wanna spend more than $400 on an amp or amp/DAC, because I need to reinvest funds for future glory.

 

[castleofargh]

I answered the half silly answer. just so you all know.

  because there is no way on my computer to get a line out so my problem was indeed the analog output, but not the DAC's analog part(not that I would have any way to be sure of that).

 

[watchnerd]

  I answered the half silly answer. just so you all know.

  because there is no way on my computer to get a line out so my problem was indeed the analog output, but not the DAC's analog part(not that I would have any way to be sure of that).

 
I'm totally confused!
 
Your computer has a built in DAC, but no way to get the analog part out???

 

[castleofargh]

 

  I answered the half silly answer. just so you all know.

  because there is no way on my computer to get a line out so my problem was indeed the analog output, but not the DAC's analog part(not that I would have any way to be sure of that).

 
I'm totally confused!
 
Your computer has a built in DAC, but no way to get the analog part out???

I only have a headphone out. so it's like dac+amp stuck together, no way to judge only the DAC or only the analog part of the DAC.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I only have a headphone out. so it's like dac+amp stuck together, no way to judge only the DAC or only the analog part of the DAC.

 
I wonder how you can tell whether a laptop's headphone outputs can act as line-outs. I also wonder whether connecting my laptop (via the headphone output) to my amp counts as double-amping, and whether it's degrading the sound. (Doesn't seem to be doing so.)

 

[watchnerd]

 
I only have a headphone out. so it's like dac+amp stuck together, no way to judge only the DAC or only the analog part of the DAC.

 
Ah, okay.
 
I have the same situation on my Mac Mini, but I looked up the specs and it can put out 1.5V from the headphone jack.  So I got mini-jack to RCA cables and run that into the Schiit Mjolnir 2.  With the volume maxed on the computer (i.e. putting out 1.5 V), there is no noise in the circuit and I use the Mjolnir 2 for active preamping / gain control.

 

[watchnerd]

   
I wonder how you can tell whether a laptop's headphone outputs can act as line-outs. I also wonder whether connecting my laptop (via the headphone output) to my amp counts as double-amping, and whether it's degrading the sound. (Doesn't seem to be doing so.)

 
Just find out the voltage output of the headphone jack. If it's close to line-out, you're probably fine.
 
(that's what I do, although it's not a laptop)

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Just find out the voltage output of the headphone jack. If it's close to line-out, you're probably fine.
 
(that's what I do, although it's not a laptop)

 
Line-out bypasses the internal amp and/or DAC of a device. And voltage output is irrelevant as far as I can tell, because I'm connecting the computer to an amp like you do.

 

[watchnerd]

   
Line-out bypasses the internal amp and/or DAC of a device. And voltage output is irrelevant as far as I can tell, because I'm connecting the computer to an amp like you do.

 
Well it can't bypass the internal DAC entirely.  The digital has to get turned into analog somehow if it's a line-out.
 
Voltage output isn't irrelevant, but there is a lot of acceptable slop.  If it's too low then you won't be able to reach max gain on your amp and/or you'll have noise.

 

[RRod]

I know chipsets that follow the HDA standard can have jacks re-tasked. On Linux there's an ALSA package that lets you do it, so I can for instance change my headphone out to a line out and a line out to another line in, etc.