A DAC is also known as a digital-to-analogue-converter or a D/A converter. These handy, often compact audio tools simply convert a digital audio signal into an analogue audio signal, preparing it for gear like a set of headphones.
DACs and AD/DA Converters: Digital & Analogue Audio
An AD/DA converter is a device, or the part of a device, that's responsible for converting analogue signals into digital signals (AD) and back again (DA). DAC literally stands for digital-to-analogue converter, so DACs can only convert one way: digital signals into analogue signals. In use, a DAC is a little chunk of hardware that takes the digital signal of a computer, phone or tablet and converts it into an analogue signal so it can be sent to a set of headphones or speakers. All of these devices have internal converters, but an external DAC comes with some essential benefits, since they're designed to provide far higher quality conversion than the built-in converter chip of your computer, phone or tablet. So, combined with a good pair of headphones, the sound quality is noticeably better. Most DACs are also more powerful than the headphone output of most devices, so a set of headphones with a higher impedance can be hooked up and fed more power. Normally, you'd connect your DAC up via a USB port and then connect your headphones or a set of active studio monitors up to the output of the DAC.
Picking Out Your USB DAC
USB DACs are really popular since they can give the sound quality of the output of a computer, phone or tablet a significant boost. The internal converter chip of most mobile devices is usually not the best, so adding an external DAC can make a massive difference. External DACs often convert in 24-bit which, compared to the limited 16-bit conversion of most smart devices and computers, is a pretty big leap, and since it's this converter chip that translates the digital signal of a computer or phone into an analogue signal that your headphones or speakers can understand - if you want good sound - the quality of conversion is important. A lot of DACs will include an extra digital input for hooking up another external device, and since USB DACs are bus-powered there's no need for an external power supply - you can just plug it into your laptop or computer and go.
An Audio Interface or a DAC?
If you need to produce high quality recordings as well as boost the quality of the headphone output of your computer or phone, then an audio interface (sound card) will do both. Audio interfaces, just like DACs, offer far better digital-to-analogue conversion than standard computers and on top of that, come fitted with one or more inputs for hooking up gear like microphones, guitars or other audio equipment.
Frequency Asked Questions About DACs
What's a DAC used for?
A DAC is used to convert the digital audio signal of something like a computer, phone or tablet into an analogue audio signal so it can be sent to a set of headphones or speakers. The big advantage of using a DAC is that it offers far better conversion than the headphone output of any standard computer or device, resulting in better sound quality.
Why do you need an external DAC?
An external DAC offers far better sound quality than the built-in DAC of most consumer devices like laptops and phones. This means that the quality of sound sent to your headphones or speakers is given a significant boost.
What's the best DAC?
Even a cheap DAC will give the sound of your average laptop or phone a considerable boost in quality. More expensive DACs are generally better than cheaper DACs due to higher quality components, but the average listener probably wouldn't notice the difference.
What does DAC mean?
DAC stands for digital-to-analogue converter.
How do you plug in a DAC?
Depending on the model, you can connect a DAC up via USB or using a coax cable (S/PDIF or Toslink. Higher-spec DACs can often be hooked up via professional AES-3 ports.
