# To DAC or not to DAC



## vjsanaiz (Oct 23, 2012)

So I've been reading about external USB DACs for my PC, but the question is, If I'm network streaming from a media server to a network ready receiver, then I'm leveraging the receiver's DACs, right? (Burr Brown 24 bit 192 KHZ limits) If I were streaming to my Oppo, I would be using the Oppo's DACs, or so I believe.

Any expansion on this subject would be appreciated. Seems to me that if I'm set up as described above, then an external asychronous DAC would be redundant.

Thank you for your comments!


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## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

Yes unless the external DAC did something that those others did not, e.g., DSD and/or multichannel.


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## fschris (Oct 31, 2009)

i am using a nice little dac from JDS LABS on my PC. check em out on the web. i find it is better than my integrated PC sound card.... is it better than the OPPO dac not sure what is in the OPPO but i am sure the oppo is good. i recently bought a sound card that I can swap OPAMPS into as well so i am going to try that vs the JDS labs.


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## Wardsweb (Apr 2, 2010)

Like anything else, you have to decide for yourself, how good is good enough. I run a Music Fidelity M1DAC with my server (USB) and also with my Shanling CD-T1500 SACD player (coax). The computer was a no brainer. The Shanling was a surprise. The internal DACs are nice but the M1DAC is just better. Could I live with the internal DACs, sure I could, but this is a case of ignorance is bliss. If you you have not heard better you don't miss it, but once you have, going back is not always an option.


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