Thanks for this. I just plugged in the included DAC cable to my laptop and into a brand new set of speakers. The difference is quite noticeable. With the DAC the sound is smoother and easier on the ears. Using it means I'll have an extra visible cable on my desk but the tradeoff is worth it. I'd never heard of the term so your explanation is much appreciated.
From my limited experience, the sound difference that DACs bring is often overexaggerated in reviews. They made it seem like your Headphone would sound entirely different or improved significantly. But in reality you'd have to A/B them and listen really closely to even tell a difference
Thank you very much for explaining it to me, I have watched so many videos on youtube to understand the whole purpose of DAC but they all failed to put that into my head, you nailed it. Thank you again.
Thank you for this! I have a 2018 Razer Blade laptop. It's powerful, but it has had many issues with drivers, etc. For months, it drove me mad with a subtle, occasional clip or click sound. The audio driver has issues, so I was waiting for an opportunity to factory reset the computer and reinstall everything from scratch (a difficult, time-consuming chore in my world). But then I saw this video! I decided to buy a relatively cheap USB DAC, and now the audio is perfect! So glad I don't have to overhaul my computer (and I don't even know if that would have fixed it). The videos from this channel lately have been excellent.
That's fantastic news, doing a factory reset is a painful thing for most people to do! Glad you got the audio fixed with buying a DAC, and it sounds better. Thank you so much for the compliment, let us know if there are topics you'd like to see us cover.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters hey i was wondering what is the main significant differences in different dacs that are pricier but less than a thousand dollars do they make a difference in sound for music overall?
@@xxgamerxxchrischris2325 They can certainly make a difference, but it all depends on what you are comparing to. Using the analog or headphone output on your laptop or tablet would certainly benefit from a better DAC connected via USB, for instance.
Most competent dacs are so good these days so any further improvement would be very minuscule. You would see much more improvement on a better speaker or headphone
This is very true, but implementations of better DACs can result in performance benefits in both noise floor and distortion. But in many cases people will not be able to tell those subtle differences.
I guess it depends on what kind of connection you require to the PA. In some cases external sound cards will have more connectivity options than a basic USB DAC.
Check that the output from the Xbox is set for multi-channel output and not stereo. Also check to see if there is a similar setting in your DAC. It might be called downmix. Hope that solves your issue.
Good day, I hope someone can answer, Can a DAC improve video's audio quality? I am using my MAC playing video from Tidal. Connected to my mac is a Cambridge audio DAC via USB. then using an HDMI cable, cambridge audio dac is connected to my TV. I am asking because, using this setup, sounds are delayed when playing a video. What's wrong in my set up? Thanks in advanced!
An external DAC can certainly improve sound quality, depending on the DAC in your source. The delay is likely normal as both the USB connection and the DAC itself will have some latency, delaying the sound signal slightly. Some TVs have a lip-sync setting in the menu which can help with this issue.
Hi, I'm using an old Bose Lifestyle 3 set up and play music on my handphone thru a Bluetooth receiver connected to the Bose. It sounds rather flat these days. I wonder if an external Dac could boost the bass and treble and how should i set it up? Thanks
If you can find a DAC with tone controls it could certainly help. There might also be EQ software packages that could do the same thing without having to buy new hardware.
Yes, I absolutely would. The signal grounds in laptops and desktops are typically very noisy, and Toslink will not suffer from this. There is also the questionable quality of the sound card/DAC in an average computer compared to those typically found in receivers.
Absolutely you can. In some cases your phone can use an adaptor cable, sometime called OTG or “on the go” that will give you a USB connection that can output audio to a USB-capable DAC.
I have a pair of Monitor Audio speakers RCA just wondering are these external DACS good for analogue speakers? The one's I see always say Headphone Dacs. Thank you for this content.
Certainly a good external DAC will improve the sound of any system. I think that many so-called headphone DACs are external DACs with built-in headphone amplifiers.
I have one optical port and one 3.5 port in my tv .. so , by using this converter does it improve my sound quality? Or same as 3.5 mm port . Please reply
Hi, i am new to the whole Speakers world, i just bought a set of Logitech Z333, and i noticed they have a sound when they are on, will a dac fix that problem? They also do a really loud kinda static noise when i turn off my pc, i can control the sound with the volume wheel and it stops when i turn the speakers off, is it normal or can i do something about it? It’s pretty annoying to always turn them off
It sounds like the output of your PC is causing the noise. Are you using the line level output instead of the headphone output (if you have both on your soundcard)?
@@AxiomHomeTheaters i only have a jack entrance in my laptop, i don't have a soundcard, is the static sound when the pc is off normal? i tried to search online and it seems that there aren't many things you can do, luckily i can control it with the volume wheel and it stops when i turn the speakers off
Hello Axiom Audio, i use a 1more triple driver earphone for phone and my laptop. i need something which can give my crisp clear audio with excellent audio layer separation. basically i should be able to recognize the various music instrument being played. What all should i include may be a DAC or new earphones or may be both. please suggest. Thanks in advance.
It's hard to say what will give the best improvement, but if you like the sound of your earphones I would look into a combination DAC/headphone amplifier.
hi mate, I m from india and currently i m using a 6th gen intel i5 pc and I m also using Asus rog 2 mobile which is laid in a premium smartphone category and my question is that my headphones which r from oneodio pro 50 , sound excellent on my mobile but they suck on my pc very badly and i didnt like their sound on my pc and these headphones cost me around 50 dollars usd with 32oms and with sensitivity level of 110 and i wanted bit better experience with them on my pc and also planning to buy new set of 2.1 sound system for pc again around 50 dollars, so can u guide me, is adding a DAC or sound card can enhance the sound quality of headphones and speakers on my computer, also sir I m on very tight budget, i can only spend 20-25 dollars on like new purchase, so whats ur pick✌✌
The only video which explains the DAC for Joe Normalo. I got an Logitech 5.1 Speaker system for PC around 45 Watt outlut and that allways gets an humm and hiss from any laptop I plugged that in. My other Speakers and Genius shelf PC speaker 2.0 and an Thonet & Vander Klavier 2.1 do not give any humms or hisses. Those 2 later speakers are connected to AM4 tower PCs. I gues the built in DAC of the motherboards are much improved compared the 2 Dell laptops DACs. I seethecableof the hissing 5.1 Logitech system be very thin which goes to the 3.5mm jack of the laptops. Using the laptops with these 2 other speakers which do not present interference causes no humm or hisses. So definately its the 5.1 Logitech speaker system whatcauses that. Jt didthat from new on.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters He's talking about lossless audio and the answer is 1) no you wouldn't but 2) the loss would be so small that you couldn't hear it in the 20 to 20 audio specturm.
Thanks for this. I just plugged in the included DAC cable to my laptop and into a brand new set of speakers. The difference is quite noticeable. With the DAC the sound is smoother and easier on the ears. Using it means I'll have an extra visible cable on my desk but the tradeoff is worth it. I'd never heard of the term so your explanation is much appreciated.
From my limited experience, the sound difference that DACs bring is often overexaggerated in reviews. They made it seem like your Headphone would sound entirely different or improved significantly. But in reality you'd have to A/B them and listen really closely to even tell a difference
I agree 100%.
Thank you very much for explaining it to me, I have watched so many videos on youtube to understand the whole purpose of DAC but they all failed to put that into my head, you nailed it. Thank you again.
Ironically this video has unredeemable sound quality.
probably they used built-in computer DAC in editing/mixing the audio of this video.
@@typical_watcher4599 Even your common phone can do better. They just messed this up.
yeah, I always find this little fact quite amusing. It's always the audio channels with crappy sound quality
I was interested in a DAC for a CD or DVD player for improved sound quality but you never mentioned that.
Thank you for this! I have a 2018 Razer Blade laptop. It's powerful, but it has had many issues with drivers, etc. For months, it drove me mad with a subtle, occasional clip or click sound. The audio driver has issues, so I was waiting for an opportunity to factory reset the computer and reinstall everything from scratch (a difficult, time-consuming chore in my world). But then I saw this video! I decided to buy a relatively cheap USB DAC, and now the audio is perfect! So glad I don't have to overhaul my computer (and I don't even know if that would have fixed it). The videos from this channel lately have been excellent.
That's fantastic news, doing a factory reset is a painful thing for most people to do! Glad you got the audio fixed with buying a DAC, and it sounds better. Thank you so much for the compliment, let us know if there are topics you'd like to see us cover.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters hey i was wondering what is the main significant differences in different dacs that are pricier but less than a thousand dollars do they make a difference in sound for music overall?
@@xxgamerxxchrischris2325 They can certainly make a difference, but it all depends on what you are comparing to. Using the analog or headphone output on your laptop or tablet would certainly benefit from a better DAC connected via USB, for instance.
Most competent dacs are so good these days so any further improvement would be very minuscule. You would see much more improvement on a better speaker or headphone
This is very true, but implementations of better DACs can result in performance benefits in both noise floor and distortion. But in many cases people will not be able to tell those subtle differences.
sir.. external DAC or external sound card which is better for PA systems..?
I guess it depends on what kind of connection you require to the PA. In some cases external sound cards will have more connectivity options than a basic USB DAC.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters thanks sir🙏
Thank you for this!!! Well done on the explanation. Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed this enough to comment, thank you! Cheers.
would something like a schiit modi 3 be noticeable upgrade from your standard laptop dac?
If the source material is of high quality (not MP3) and if your headphones or speakers are of good quality, I think you will hear an improvement.
I'm using a dac for my x box one.now I've got a box one x and the dac only works for the front speakers not the rear
Check that the output from the Xbox is set for multi-channel output and not stereo. Also check to see if there is a similar setting in your DAC. It might be called downmix. Hope that solves your issue.
Good day, I hope someone can answer,
Can a DAC improve video's audio quality? I am using my MAC playing video from Tidal. Connected to my mac is a Cambridge audio DAC via USB. then using an HDMI cable, cambridge audio dac is connected to my TV.
I am asking because, using this setup, sounds are delayed when playing a video. What's wrong in my set up?
Thanks in advanced!
An external DAC can certainly improve sound quality, depending on the DAC in your source. The delay is likely normal as both the USB connection and the DAC itself will have some latency, delaying the sound signal slightly. Some TVs have a lip-sync setting in the menu which can help with this issue.
If I connect my I pod to my Amp. will it give the same quality as my Cd player gives, for listening to music?
It depends on the quality of the DAC in the iPod compared to the one in your CD player, but they both should be very good.
Hi, I'm using an old Bose Lifestyle 3 set up and play music on my handphone thru a Bluetooth receiver connected to the Bose. It sounds rather flat these days. I wonder if an external Dac could boost the bass and treble and how should i set it up? Thanks
If you can find a DAC with tone controls it could certainly help. There might also be EQ software packages that could do the same thing without having to buy new hardware.
how to convert analog audio from CD or DVD player to digital audio in soundbar system using TOSLINK port?
Some CD/DVD players had digital outputs…maybe you can still find one?
Great video. Would you say that a Toslink cable from your desktop to a receiver is better than a 3.2mm audio jack in terms of audio quality?
Yes, I absolutely would. The signal grounds in laptops and desktops are typically very noisy, and Toslink will not suffer from this. There is also the questionable quality of the sound card/DAC in an average computer compared to those typically found in receivers.
That’s an empty speaker 🔈…you can see though the port.
I think my phone has low quality audio output can i use dac to improve the quality?
Absolutely you can. In some cases your phone can use an adaptor cable, sometime called OTG or “on the go” that will give you a USB connection that can output audio to a USB-capable DAC.
I have a pair of Monitor Audio speakers RCA just wondering are these external DACS good for analogue speakers?
The one's I see always say Headphone Dacs. Thank you for this content.
Certainly a good external DAC will improve the sound of any system. I think that many so-called headphone DACs are external DACs with built-in headphone amplifiers.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters Thank you for the reply - very confusing the naming of these gaming dacs etc
@@TheHchee and no good reason for the naming to be confusing, and yet, it's still done.
Very well explained. Thanks from Antonio Goa, India
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you for watching!
I have one optical port and one 3.5 port in my tv .. so , by using this converter does it improve my sound quality? Or same as 3.5 mm port . Please reply
It will probably be nearly identical in sound quality.
Hi, i am new to the whole Speakers world, i just bought a set of Logitech Z333, and i noticed they have a sound when they are on, will a dac fix that problem? They also do a really loud kinda static noise when i turn off my pc, i can control the sound with the volume wheel and it stops when i turn the speakers off, is it normal or can i do something about it? It’s pretty annoying to always turn them off
It sounds like the output of your PC is causing the noise. Are you using the line level output instead of the headphone output (if you have both on your soundcard)?
@@AxiomHomeTheaters i only have a jack entrance in my laptop, i don't have a soundcard, is the static sound when the pc is off normal? i tried to search online and it seems that there aren't many things you can do, luckily i can control it with the volume wheel and it stops when i turn the speakers off
@@matteo4908 I can’t say if the issue is with the speakers, or the output on your laptop, but it’s possible an inexpensive USB DAC would help.
Hello Axiom Audio, i use a 1more triple driver earphone for phone and my laptop. i need something which can give my crisp clear audio with excellent audio layer separation. basically i should be able to recognize the various music instrument being played. What all should i include may be a DAC or new earphones or may be both. please suggest. Thanks in advance.
It's hard to say what will give the best improvement, but if you like the sound of your earphones I would look into a combination DAC/headphone amplifier.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters please suggest me one keeping instrument separation as priority.
@@Bachwaa I’d suggest you head over to head-fi.org and ask your question on their forums. I don’t have much direct experience with headphone amps.
hi mate, I m from india and currently i m using a 6th gen intel i5 pc and I m also using Asus rog 2 mobile which is laid in a premium smartphone category and my question is that my headphones which r from oneodio pro 50 , sound excellent on my mobile but they suck on my pc very badly and i didnt like their sound on my pc and these headphones cost me around 50 dollars usd with 32oms and with sensitivity level of 110 and i wanted bit better experience with them on my pc and also planning to buy new set of 2.1 sound system for pc again around 50 dollars, so can u guide me, is adding a DAC or sound card can enhance the sound quality of headphones and speakers on my computer, also sir I m on very tight budget, i can only spend 20-25 dollars on like new purchase, so whats ur pick✌✌
I don’t have any direct product recommendations, but I’d look for a good quality USB DAC/headphone amp. Maybe ask on the Head-Fi forums?
You from Coenada?
Clear and helpful. Thank a lot.
Glad you enjoyed it enough to take the time to comment, cheers.
I really enjoyed the video, thank you for the information!
Glad it was helpful, and thank you for watching.
The only video which explains the DAC for Joe Normalo. I got an Logitech 5.1 Speaker system for PC around 45 Watt outlut and that allways gets an humm and hiss from any laptop I plugged that in. My other Speakers and Genius shelf PC speaker 2.0 and an Thonet & Vander Klavier 2.1 do not give any humms or hisses. Those 2 later speakers are connected to AM4 tower PCs. I gues the built in DAC of the motherboards are much improved compared the 2 Dell laptops DACs. I seethecableof the hissing 5.1 Logitech system be very thin which goes to the 3.5mm jack of the laptops. Using the laptops with these 2 other speakers which do not present interference causes no humm or hisses. So definately its the 5.1 Logitech speaker system whatcauses that. Jt didthat from new on.
Do I require an external DAC for an iPhone / IPad or is it good enough on it’s own?
The internal DAC is pretty good, but not excellent, so it can be improved upon. Thanks for watching, and for commenting.
ty
A good dac is a transparent dac, lots are.
Most pc dac are not very good.
For 100- $€ you find excellent ones
I agree 100%...many good external DACs are available today for very little cost.
If you put 1 gallon of water in a bucket then transfer it to another bucket would you get the same 1 gallon in the 100th bucket or not..
I see what you’re saying, but not getting the analogy as it applies to DACs?
@@AxiomHomeTheaters He's talking about lossless audio and the answer is 1) no you wouldn't but 2) the loss would be so small that you couldn't hear it in the 20 to 20 audio specturm.
It wouldn't improve the sound on this video
I don’t know if people really know that all music ends in analog. Cd or vinyl. The speakers are playing an analog signal.
Sure…but you need to get that digital signal into something analog in order to amplify it for your speakers.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters I was just saying I didn’t even understand this until I starting watching videos of dacs. Got a topping dac and love it.
Yes, I've heard of Dak Prescott...
Im a dac