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Audio Newbie Introduction and Questions Please Help.

Mar 6, 2018

Heya! I joined this community a little over a year ago I'd say, mainly for the deals, but I'm also a your avid music lover, and I'm delving into music production as well. As such, I don't have a lot of extensive knowledge, though I do know the bare basics such as the specs of a headphone. So, I do have a few questions, and I hope you guys can help me out!
1. What does a DAC Amp do? I know amps boost the current of the audio signal coming out, so you can boost the audio sound in general, but also if your headphones have a higher rated impendence. I have purchased the Fiio A1 Portable Headphone Amp, as my recent purchase of the AKG K181 DJ UE Reference Class headphones have a bit of a high impendence, and a lot of people said in general audio is better with an amp. I do know that DAC stands for Digital Analog Converter, but the research I've done on it so far has generally confused me. Like what is it used for? How does it improve audio output? How can this maybe better my music production? If you can explain it in a way a newbie can explain that wold be great.
2. Besides the general specs and comfort, what else should I be looking for in a headphone? For example, what's the difference between the closed back, open back, and (I think I've heard this somewhere) Semi Open headphones? Is noise cancellation worth it with the current technology? Any other concerns you guys have when you're buying headphones would be nice to know too
3. What does it mean when an amp is "linear"? I know this is a very general question, but I am generally quite confused as to what it means.
4. Does a USB audio output have advantages and/or disadvantages to just your regular plug?
5. What is the difference between different plugs and cables? My AKG's have this triple prong (idk what it's actually called), and I've seem IEMs with a special plug/wire, what is the difference and what are their advantages/disadvantages?
Thanks for reading, and thank you for the community!

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