might just get a fiio k1

What's a DAC?

insert let me google that for you link

Thanks

digital to analog converter

I get that

What is it for?

Like as opposed to not having one

memes

Ffs

i just ordered a benjie s5

@systemxd it converts 0 and 1's to an analogue waveform

without one you can't play digital audio

I get that

But, why would you want one. Most speakers have one inside.

every phone has one

I get that an external one means that its better

they're just of varying quality

and as such

if people want something that's good quality

most good speakers don't

they use an external one

i can't think of many speakers that do actually

shitty "computer speakers" might

it's not rocket surgery

Bluetooth speakers mostly

I need it for my thinkpad

the internal dac suuuuuuuucks

I can hear hissing and whining and everything sounds like it has a vocal fry

@ultimate-drawmaster buy a cheap pcm2704 dac then

theyre decent

@systemxd doesnt even mean its better tbh, external dac is 9/10 times just placebo

only asctual improvement you get is if you have a _really old_ pc with super-shit onboard sound, or if you have some like ultra-retarded motherboard with a super shitty amp section after the onboard dac

any vaguely competently designed computer or phone is gonna have a perfectly fine dac, may need amp but the dac itself you gotta _try_ to fuck up

DAC/amps aren't useful for portable listening, but they're great for when you know you'll be in a relatively quiet room where noise floor is actually noticeable.

noise floor will never be noticeable

16 bit has a wider dynamic range than any music recording i have ever seen

i have seen a lot of music

an awful lot of audiophile hi fi 24 bit and higher music

literally no advantage for listening, the information just isn't there to notice

i'd prolly want one if i were using the dac as a function generator but i mean, i'd just use a function generator