DownHomeDigital DAC What is a DAC used for

What is a DAC used for

There is no music without the DAC if your music files are stored digitally. You may not know how they are arranged, but most of us use at least one digital-to-analog converter, better known as a DAC, daily.

They are embedded in devices such as computers, tablets, smartphones. DAC is the fundamental basis for decoding conventional digital music, turning it back into an analog signal that can hear the human ear.

Any device that produces a digital signal — whether it’s a CD or Blu-ray player, DAB (digital radio), game console, or music player — requires a DAC to convert a sequence of zeros and ones back to an analog signal before sending it to play.

Traditional amplifiers do not amplify, and loudspeakers do not reproduce a digital signal, and your ears cannot hear it. They perceive only sound waves. Without a DAC, your digital music collection is worthless. This is a simple set of “0” and “1”, which is necessary only for the operation of digital devices. In short, DACs play a large role in the process of playing digital music.

Digital audio is very different from analog. Digital music files, as a rule, are created by pulse-code modulation (PCM) and are created by constantly, strictly periodically measuring the amplitude of the analog signal.

Then, the amplitude value is encoded as a binary number (set 1 and 0), and the bit depth of this number is often called the bit depth. The time interval between measurements is determined by the sampling rate.

When recording a standard CD, measurements are taken 44,100 times per second (44.1 kHz). Each measurement is recorded for storage in binary format with an accuracy of 16 bits. When recording audio tracks with high resolution, bit depths of up to 24 bits are used, with a sampling frequency of 192 kHz or with higher values.

The Bottom Line

Generally speaking, digital audio data can be encoded with different bit depths and sample rates, and then into different file formats with varying degrees of compression to reduce volume. But no matter how they are created, the DAC’s job is to recognize all this and translate it from the binary format as accurately as possible and as close as possible to the analog original.

Categories DAC
Related articles
our rating | 24 Jan 2021 Best DACs Under $50 Best DACs Under $50
our rating | 19 Jan 2021 Best DAC Under $500 Reviews Best DAC Under $500 Reviews
our rating | 18 Jan 2021 Best DAC Amp Combo Reviews Best DAC Amp Combo Reviews
our rating | 18 Jan 2021 Best DAC Under $1000 Reviews Best DAC Under $1000 Reviews
our rating | 6 Jul 2020 Best DAC Reviews Best DAC Reviews
our rating | 6 Jul 2020 Best USB DAC Reviews Best USB DAC Reviews
great to know | 29 Jun 2020 Is a DAC worth it for gaming? Is a DAC worth it for gaming?
great to know | 29 Jun 2020 Does a receiver have a DAC Does a receiver have a DAC
great to know | 29 Jun 2020 Does DAC work with Bluetooth Does DAC work with Bluetooth
great to know | 29 Jun 2020 What is more important DAC or amp What is more important DAC or amp
great to know | 29 Jun 2020 Will a DAC improve Spotify? Will a DAC improve Spotify?
great to know | 29 Jun 2020 Do you need a DAC with an amp? Do you need a DAC with an amp?
great to know | 29 Jun 2020 Does a DAC improve sound quality? Does a DAC improve sound quality?

If you click a link on this page and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

About Frederick Douglass
Want to read more like this?