Audiophile 101: Essential Gear Overview
Image credit @zhugunic https://drop.com/talk/67372/gl-2-k Do I need an amp? What are these acronyms like DAC, DSP, or DSD? What even are all the components that make up an audio chain? Let’s take a beginner’s look at the core, essential building blocks of a digital audio chain, and lay it plain what each piece does. We can cover the major pieces separately, but I’ll still include a few tips to optimize playback here. Please hit the little bookmark button and feel free to check and share this guide whenever you need a reference! For people who need a visual and audible explanation, or are worried it would take too long to get a working knowledge of the audio chain, here is my YouTube video on this subject that is just 7 minutes long! I like writing though, so let’s get started with an overview, then break it down into what each piece does and how an upgrade would benefit the final sound quality. Signal Path Image credit @SpeleoFool https://drop...
Mar 22, 2023
What is a DAC? A DAC, or digital-to-analog converter, converts digitally-stored information into the analog sound that we can hear. A USB DAC is like an external sound card that can easily be plugged into your PC, laptop, tablet, phone or other music player. Why does a signal need to be converted at all? The original analog sound made by our favorite bands is recreated in a digital format, for storing convenience. While computers can understand these digital signals, we humans (I'm making an assumption here about our readership) cannot, nor can your speakers or headphones. So before we can listen to it, the digital signal needs to be returned to analog. A standard DAC is built into laptops and music players. However: the better the DAC, the higher quality the conversion, and therefore the better sound you’ll hear from your speakers or headphones. I’ve never used a DAC before, so why should I get one now? You may not have realized it, but you’ve used a DAC every time you have played music through your laptop or smartphone. The DACs built in to these products are poor quality, because they are designed to do one small part of a device's total functions, and on a budget. So if you’ve invested in some nice speakers or headphones, you’re not going to make the most of them unless you use a separate DAC which has been designed and optimized specifically for making high fidelity sound. Investing in superior headphones or speakers and not investing in a high-quality DAC is like buying a Porche and filling the gas tank with water. How does a DAC fit into my current setup? A DAC can be connected to your existing receiver, pre-amp, amp, powered speakers or headphones. If you want very high-performance in a compact size, look no further than our PecanPi® USB. Not only is it a high performance and quality DAC, but it also has a built-in headphone amplifier. The PecanPi® USB will bypass the DAC inside your PC, laptop, tablet or phone. You'll immediately experience greater sound quality and clarity, with instruments and vocals standing out from each other to occupy their own distinct space.