DACs: what is a DAC? And do you need one?

[What Hi-Fi?]

Got digital music? You should probably learn about your digital-to-analogue converter and what it brings to the party.

DACs: what is a DAC? And do you need one? : Read more

 

[Corpus_Chain]

Investing in a DAC many years ago was one of the best hi-fi decisions I ever made. My chosen variant was the Beresford TC-7520 (now superseded by the Caiman). I have used this as a consistent audio point across all manner of digital devices, including CD players, my PC and DVD/blu-ray players. One of the more fun things about owning a DAC like this is that it opens up the possibility of trying out older devices that have outdated DACs in them but have other positive features, such as Pionner's infamous stable platter CD players of the late 80s/early 90s, or a vintage CD changer.

In my living room, I make use of the Marantz PM-6006 2-channel amplifier to act as a DAC for my blu-ray player, my media centre PC and even my vintage Playstation 2. The PS2 is particuarly fun to connect up, as it allows me to play games that have very dated graphics but yet fully immersive sound that is being pumped out of my modern hi-fi. It is a massive upgrade for that device, and a useful addition to the other devices.

Recently I have started working from home and connect my work-provided laptop to my Beresford DAC, giving unprecedented sound quality this tiny laptop that would otherwise have awful sound quality. These devices really are worth the investment if you have any number of budget digital devices.