Using a DAC, quality of recording?

[admin_exported]

I'm on the verge of buying an external DAC - but do I also need a decent sound card in my pc?

Using a DAC to bypass a laptops inferior sound card solves the problem of the quality of the output. But surely, with the exception of downloads, you have to go through the onboard sound card for recording. Especially when recording from an external device, if my laptop is anything to go by, means going through a stereo microphone input socket. The quality of the external device then makes no odds - its limited by the ability of the sound card.

Irrespective of bit rates isnt it "rubbish in, rubbish out"? Dont I need a good sound card to ensure a decent microphone - or whatever it equivalent in a sound card would be?

 

[John Duncan]

Only if you're actually recording material (in which case you'd want a pro audio interface anyway). If you rip CDs to your hard drive (far preferable to downloads as a means of getting music on it to, by and large), you bypass that part.

 

[nads]

I have to ask what are you going to play the music with?

 

[Anonymous]

Computer programme - to be decided, possibly just Windows Media Player. Or do you mean amp, speakers?

By external device, was thinking of vinyl or tapes, or that my Marantz CD player might be better than the PC's DVD player.

 

[The_Lhc]

desestimo: By external device, was thinking ... that my Marantz CD player might be better than the PC's DVD player.

Better for converting from digital to analogue perhaps but if you're ripping a CD in the PC you aren't doing that anyway, you're staying entirely digital, so it doesn't matter and you'd be better off using your PC's DVD player.