Gear & technology
DAC
Also called digital-to-analog converter, D/A converter
A DAC, or digital-to-analog converter, turns the numbers in a digital file or stream into the analog voltage an amplifier and headphones or speakers can use. Every phone and laptop has one built in; a separate DAC aims to do the job better.
The DAC chip at the heart of the device, from makers such as ESS, AKM, Cirrus Logic or Texas Instruments, is only part of the result; the clock, the power supply and the analog output stage matter as much. The catalog lists the chip where the maker names it.
Most modern DACs measure well past audibility, with SINAD figures above 100 dB, so much of the debate is about whether differences between competent DACs can be heard at all. Objectivists say no beyond a certain point; others report differences in Soundstage or Timbre. Both camps agree that a DAC cannot fix a bad recording.
Inputs are usually USB, optical and coaxial, sometimes I2S or Bluetooth. Designs are either delta-sigma, which is almost all of them, or R2R. Many DACs include a headphone Amplifier, and a DAP and many streamers have one inside.
Where you’ll see this on tonistry.
- Browse every product in the DACs category.