Music, movies and even those podcasts you hear while you are on their way to work daily are in digital format, a madness of zeros and some that needs to be translated so that our brain understands it as sound.
This translation does not make it a human – it is not as if a translator was in charge of – but it is performed by a device that is really vital and few know what it is and what it is for: the Dac or Digital Converter to analog. Simply, if this you would hear would be simply incomprehensible data.
Although almost all current devices have an incorporated DAC such as your mobile, computer, television, console … Not all those converters are the same. The quality, speed and precision with which they transform these data can vary greatly and directly affect how music or audio of any content sounds.
Therefore, for music lovers, gamers who are looking for the best or people who want to perceive differences, Understand what is a DAC and how it works more important than you think.
What is a DAC?
DAC are the acronym in English of Digital-to-Analog Converteror analog digital converter. If we translate it into simple language, it is a device that takes the digital information – the bits with which the songs or sounds are stored on your mobile or PC— and It transforms it into analog signals that can be read by your speakers or headphones. That is, what contains a CD/DVD/Blu-ray, the MP3, FLAC, AAC, WAV …
It seems very technical, but think about this: the music that you download or listening to streaming is nothing more than numbers. You want to listen to a guitar, a voice or the sound of a voice commenting on a specific issue, not a binary code.
The DAC is the one who converts that series of numbers into electric waves that then the speakers become vibrations inside your ear. Without a good DAC, that process can lose quality or have rare noises.
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For example, when you press ‘play’ in Spotify, for example, the digital data of the song travel online until you reach your mobile. There, the DAC reads that data and makes them the electrical signal that your headphones transform into sound.
If you are watching a series on your Smart TV, the process is the same. Television downloads digital files and your DAC makes them audio so you can listen to it for the integrated speakers or by a connected sound bar.
And be careful, because Not all DAC are equal. The one who carries your mobile can be designed to economize battery and space and, therefore, not give such a rich or detailed sound as a dedicated music team or in an external DAC that connects to your computer.
Why do some sound lovers use external DAC?
With this as a base and if all devices have DAC, why are there so many people looking to buy an external one? The answer is in the sound quality and the limitations that integrated chips can have.
An external DAC is usually larger and have specialized components. It is an independent device, the size of a small box or even a pendrive, which connects your digital music source – for example, your computer, mobile, television or music player – with your speakers, headphones or amplifier.
This separate device allows the process of converting the digital signal to analog is more precise and clean, and what you will receive will be a better sound, with less noise and with greater wealth in general.
For example, if you are a musician or a fan of high fidelity, use an external DAC with your high -end headphones will make a big difference. Similarly, gamers who seek maximum immersion connect external DAC to avoid those annoying hum or distortions that sometimes appear with the basic DAC of their PC or console.
In a nutshell, which makes an external DAC special compared to what your computer or mobile already brings is the quality with which it conveys. Internal DACs are usually basic, because they are designed to occupy little space and save energy, but that can make sound quality the best.
It is as easy to use as connecting the digital cable from your source apparatus to the DAC, and then another cable from the DAC to your headphones or your speakers. There are also those that work with Bluetooth.
Are the DAC and the amplifier the same? No, but they work together
It is quite normal to confuse the DAC with an amplifier. Although both are born with the aim of listening well, they have different functions. The DAC turns digital data into an analog signal, but that signal is usually weak and insufficient for large speakers or headphones.
Here the amplifier comes into play, which takes the analog signal and the power enough to reach the speakers with force and quality. In some devices, DAC and amplifier are integrated into the same device; In others, they are used separately to further improve quality.
For example, a professional music team usually has DAC and amplifier separately to maximize quality and get pure and powerful sound.
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