If you already have a CAC reader and it isn't Mac friendly, you could update the firmware, however, for the non-tech savvy people out there, it's probably better to just purchase a new one and save the headache – they're only $11-13 dollars. Best Mac Compatible CAC USB Readers. MAC. Most people familiar with discretionary access control (DAC) - Example: Unix user-group-other permission bits - Might set a file privateso only group friendscan read it. Discretionary means anyone with access can propagate information: - Mail sigint@enemy.gov Mandatory access control. Best streaming DACs 2020: add Sonos, Bluetooth, AirPlay, Chromecast and hi-res audio to your home speakers Add new-fangled wireless streaming to your sturdy hi-fi or mini system with these AirPlay.
Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS
$74
About the size of a small box of wooden matches, the Cambridge DacMagic XS is one of the smallest and lightest portable DACs reviewer Steven Stone has seen. It measures approximately 2 1/8' by 1 1/8' by 3/8' and weighs under 4 oz. On one end you'll find a micro-USB input and on the other end is a 3.5mm stereo output. Although it doesn't handle every audio format, and isn't DSD-capable, the DacMagic XS delivers a lot of functionality and sonic goodness for under $200. For audiophiles looking for a road-warrior-worthy DAC that will be at home hooked up to any computer, portable, or desktop, and successfully drive most headphones, the Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS DAC is a savvy and very affordable option.
AudioQuest DragonFly Black and DragonFly Red
$100/$200
AudioQuest practically invented the low-cost, high-performance USB DAC in stick form with the original DragonFly. It was a massive success. But these two new models greatly improve on the sound of the original, and the $99 Black version comes at a lower price, to boot. The Black is smoother than the original, with more extended bass. Although both DACs sound superb and are amazing values, the Red at $199 delivers striking sonic quality, with exceptional transparency, resolution, timbral realism, and wide dynamics. Add AudioQuest's $49 JitterBug USB isolation device to either and take the performance up another notch. The Red with a JitterBug is good enough to use as a front end in a budget high-end home-based system. Recent production adds MQA rendering; older units can easily be updated.
Ideon Audio 3R USB Renaissance
$212
This inexpensive device simply takes in an audio signal from a computer via USB and outputs a cleaner USB signal to your DAC. The '3R' in the model name refers to the device's three functions: 'redrive,' 'reclock,' and 're-generate.' The Ideon 3R USB Renaissance will step up the sound quality heard through the USB outputs of most rendering computers, and at a very affordable price.
Resonessence Labs Herus
$350
The Canadian-made Resonessence Labs Herus is one of the most flexible USB-powered DACs in sample- and bit-rate capabilities. This lipstick-sized unit supports PCM up to 352.8/24 as well as DSD64, DSD 128, and DXD files. So, regardless of how you like your high-resolution files, the Herus will play them. Machined out of a solid block of aluminum, the Herus measures 2.5' x 1.25' by 0.75' and weighs less than a pair of CD jewel cases. On native DSD128 sources, it offered a level of sound quality that rivaled that of any DSD DAC Steven Stone has heard, regardless of price.
NuPrime DAC-9
$795
More than a DAC, the DAC-9 can serve as a system controller, since it has several digital inputs, an analog line-level input, balanced and unbalanced outputs on XLR and RCA jacks, and most importantly, a remote control. It provides 99 volume settings in 0.5dB increments—impressive at any price. DSD decoding up to DSD256 is becoming pretty standard via asynchronous USB inputs. The DAC-9 played back all non-MQA formats at their rated speeds with no problem at all. It sounded very smooth and pleasant, and presented a wide soundstage. In reviewer Vade Forrester's opinion, this is the best value in the NuPrime 9 series gear.
Rotel RDD-1580
$799
If you're in need of a high-quality DAC capable of PCM audio up to 192kHz/24-bit at an affordable price (and who isn't?), Rotel has designed a DAC capable of producing audiophile-quality sound at big-box-store prices. With six digital inputs, including USB, coax, and optical, plus the ability to stream Bluetooth audio from your favorite portable devices, the Rotel RDD-1580 is a DAC that will blow you away without blowing the budget.
Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2v2
$2299 ($1500 for SE boards)
The Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2 combines a rich feature set with remarkable performance at a price that makes it hard to beat. Its overall sound has a solidity and weight that are both arresting and involving. While SS hasn't heard every available DAC in its price range, he has yet to hear any USB DAC under $2500 that outperforms the Wyred 4 Sound. Factor in the basic DAC-2's 192kHz high-resolution capabilities, small upcharge for DSD support, and the ability to convert to SE anytime you wish via built-in circuit-board upgradability, and you have a DAC that will remain au courant long enough to make it a savvy and satisfying purchase, regardless of how much more you can afford to spend.
Schiit Audio Yggdrasil
$2399
Designed by industry legend Mike Moffat, the Yggy DAC sounds very much like the famous Theta Digital DACs that Moffat designed in the 1980s and 1990s—but better. Like the Theta DACs of yore, the Yggy has a bold, assertive, vibrant, even vivid presentation. Because of this startling clarity, individual musical lines within complex arrangements are spatially and timbrally distinct. This has the effect of revealing each musical part with greater precision, as well as the intent of each musician—and with that comes a fuller, richer, and more complex presentation of the composition and arrangement. Transient attacks, from a hard-hit snare drum to the most delicate tap on a cymbal, are startlingly fast, defined, and vivid. If you're looking for a DAC that does quad-rate DSD, decodes MQA, offers a volume control, and includes a headphone amp, look elsewhere. But if the very best reproduction of PCM sources is your goal, the Yggdrasil is the ticket. It's a spectacular performer on an absolute level, and an out-of-this world bargain.
Bryston BDA-3
$3495
The new Bryston BDA-3 enhances the functionality of the 2013 Product of the Year Award-winning BDA-2 by adding a second asynchronous USB input and four HDMI inputs. PCM sample rates up to 384kHz are now supported, as are DSD rates up to DSD256. Most significantly, not only can DSD signals be received by the BDA-3's USB inputs, but also from suitably equipped HDMI sources. The evolutionary development of Bryston's DACs from the original BDA-1 to the BDA-3 has been an object lesson in digital progress. Bryston's BDA-3 DAC surpasses the high-value performance standard set by the BDA-2, enables inexpensive HDMI-equipped disc players to function as premium source components, and adds exceptionally engaging DSD playback to its potent mix of virtues.
Legacy Audio Wavelet DSP Room Correction System
$4950
Legacy designed the highly sophisticated Wavelet DSP speaker and room-correction processor to bundle with its own speakers, but this newly upgraded version can be used with any speaker. Functionally, the Wavelet is a preamp with integral DAC, digital crossover, and multi-band digital equalizer. It will correct for speaker and room frequency-response variations, as well as change the time-domain behavior of the wavelaunch from the speaker to reduce the deleterious sonic effects of room reflections.
Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Series 2
$4995 (user-installable MQA Rendering Upgrade for Alpha DAC Reference Series 2, Alpha DAC Reference Series, Alpha DAC Series 2 and Alpha DAC, $595)
The Product of the Year Award-winning Alpha DAC is not only one of the best-sounding digital-to-analog converters, it's also an amazing bargain. In addition to world-class decoding of CD sources, the Alpha DAC can handle any sampling rate up to 24/192. Its robust analog output stage and variable output level allow it to drive a power amplifier directly. This feature is significant, because the Alpha DAC is capable of such resolution, timbral purity, and dynamics you'll want to hear it without the limitations of a preamp in the signal path. When used at its best—fed by true hi-res sources from a music server, and driving an amplifier directly—the Alpha DAC delivers stunning resolution of the finest musical detail, throws a spectacularly large and well-defined soundstage, and plays back music with gorgeous tone color and purity. It lacks a USB input, but you can add Berkeley's Alpha USB converter for the capability. A user-installable update adds MQA decoding and improves PCM sound quality.
PS Audio DirectStream
$5999
Sometimes it's good to start from scratch when designing a new component. That's what software guru Ted Smith did—he started from the premise that DSD recordings sound good and built a DAC around that premise. Using a field programmable gate array (FPGA)—the digital equivalent of a blank slate—he created a DAC that converts all incoming PCM files to DSD128, then decodes them with a 24dB-per-octave low-pass filter (LPF) with far less harmful sonic impact than typical brickwall PCM filters. The transformer that's part of the LPF filter is also the output section, so there are no tubes or transistors to be seen (or heard). PS Audio's Paul McGowan heard a prototype, loved it, and agreed to build it. VF thought it was easily the best digital sound he'd heard, but the DAC needs lots—probably 500 hours—of break-in. Recently available is the PS Audio MQA Bridge Card for MQA-unfolding at $899 (see Music Servers).
dCS Debussy
$11,999
The least expensive DAC from England's dCS, the Debussy nonetheless makes use of virtually the same circuitry and technology as its far more expensive stablemates. Further, its generous feature list includes plentiful source-format options, single-ended and balanced outputs, and a front-panel sample-rate display. Most importantly, the Debussy's sound is great, with a density of musical information that sets it apart from the competition. Nor is there any sense of frenetic digital machinations; AT found that sound winds out of the Debussy like thread from a spool. Moreover, this DAC's USB interface is one of the industry's best-sounding. Despite being the 'cheapest' model, the Debussy boasts a sonic and musical imprimatur that unquestionably identifies it as a true dCS. Recently updated to support DSD on USB and all other digital inputs.
Brinkmann Nyquist
$18,000
Brinkmann may be best known for its 35-year track record of making exceptional turntables, but its new Nyquist DAC immediately establishes the company as a major contributor to first-rank digital playback. The Nyquist is brimming with advanced features, including MQA decoding, high-speed DSD support, Roon-ready operation, UPnP connectivity, and upgradeable digital circuitry. Yet for all of its cutting-edge digital prowess, the Nyquist's output stage is built around that most ancient and venerable of audio technologies, the vacuum tube. This marriage produces a sound that is very 'non-digital,' embodying all the qualities that analog is famous for—dimensionality, treble smoothness, bloom, timbral purity—but coupled with digital's strengths of image solidity, pitch stability, and bass impact. The combination of analog-like warmth, bloom, and ease along with the state-of-the-art in digital connectivity makes the Nyquist an extremely compelling package.
Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Series 2 MQA
$19,995
Berkeley took what was the finest-sounding DAC extant, its Alpha DAC Reference, and significantly improved it with the new Series 2 MQA version. The Series 2 MQA has a smoother and more natural rendering of timbre, finer resolution of detail, greater transparency, and, perhaps most importantly, a dynamic openness that increases musical engagement. This new DAC's smoothness doesn't come at the expense of liveliness or timbre through the brilliance range; it somehow manages to combine liquidity with resolution, transient speed with an absence of etch, and information density without fatigue. And it does this even with CD-quality files. Note that the Alpha DAC lacks a USB input; you'll need Berkeley's Alpha USB converter ($1895). The original Alpha DAC Reference was priced at $16,000; the Series 2 is $19,995. Owners of the original can upgrade for the $3995 difference. The latest software update ($595) not only adds MQA rendering but also realizes a surprisingly large improvement in PCM sources. But play an MQA file and you'll hear the absolute state of the art in digital playback. Digital doesn't get any better than this.
MSB Technologies Reference
$39,500 (and up)
JV is an analog man and always will be. But when it comes to ones and zeroes, things have taken a rather dramatic turn for the better chez Valin since the arrival of the MSB Reference DAC and Reference transport. On physical media such as CD or SACD and on streaming sources, the Reference DAC is the most realistic-sounding digital source-component JV has heard in his home, including the dCS stack he reviewed years ago. It is weird that this DAC has turned his head, since it doesn't do three-dimensional imaging and bloom quite as well as record players do. And yet, on select cuts from select discs the thing has the colorless neutrality, speed, detail, presence, dynamic range, and delicacy that still make voices and instruments sound 'real' enough to raise goosebumps. As a bonus, the Reference DAC renders and decodes MQA, is Roon-ready, and includes a built-in volume control that is absolutely superb and that, at least with digital material, can be substituted for whatever preamp you're currently using. JV's reference.
'Upgradeitis' is a term bandied about the audioworld to describe the desire to buy new gear that you technically don't need.Sure, an extra HDMI input or a slightly better room correction system would benice, but they are rarely necessary. When a person is frugal enough to denythemselves major replacement purchases for incremental upgrades, they oftenstart looking at other gear that is less known. An external DAC is a popularchoice.
A Digital to Analog Converter, or DAC, takes your digitalcontent and transforms it into analog so that your system can amplify it andplay it through your speakers. If you think you already have DACs in yoursystem, you would be correct. Anything that can accept a digital signal andoutput sound must include a DAC. This includes your phone, MP3 player,receiver, AV processor, computer, laptop, CD/DVD/Blu-ray player with analogoutputs, wireless speakers, clock radios, and more.
But Do You Need a DAC?
If all of these devices already have DACs, why would youneed an external one? More to the point, could you actually use it and would itmake a difference? Here are the two main conditions that would necessitate theaddition of an external DAC to your system:
1) Noise floor problems (i.e. background hiss)
2) Sound quality issues related to the digital to analogconversion
The first is pretty easy to detect. If you can hear a hissduring the quiet sections of your music, or if your playback is disrupted bynoise, you need an external DAC. We've had noise problems that originate fromeverything from fan noise to hard drives spinning to changes on our computerscreen. A poorly designed layout on the sound card (or problematic placement inregards to its proximity to other parts of your computer or device) can add allsorts of noise into your playback. If you are hearing noise there is verylittle you can do to eliminate it. But that doesn't mean there isn't anything.Here are a few suggestions:
1) For phones, put them in 'Airplane Mode' orsimilar to turn off the cell antenna. If you need WiFi, you can turn that backon after you switch to Airplane Mode.
2) For computers, shut down any unnecessary programs. Don'tforget to check the Task Manager for any programs you might have missed thatare running in the background.
3) If you have more than one output or input, try switchingto different ones.
4) Check the quality of your cables and connections - noisecan come from damaged wires as well.
5) Try a different song. It could be that the recording you areusing has a high noise floor.
6) Check your settings for different processing modes. Ifyou have the option of different playback programs, try downloading a differentone in case your program is adding distortion or noise.
Sound quality issues are much harder to diagnose. If you arehearing warbling (where it sounds like the music is being played on a slightlywarped vinyl record) you may be having clock issues (we'll get into whatexactly these are in a moment). If you've downloaded some high quality filesand your computer won't play them back, you may need an external DAC (thoughyou'll want to check your settings to make sure you have everything configuredproperly).
Some DACs are portable like the Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS
What You Need to Take Advantage of an External DAC
Can you just plug any device into any DAC and experiencesonic bliss? Of course not. These are the things you need:
1) High quality (CD or better) digital content
2) Player or source with digital outputs
1) For phones, put them in 'Airplane Mode' orsimilar to turn off the cell antenna. If you need WiFi, you can turn that backon after you switch to Airplane Mode.
2) For computers, shut down any unnecessary programs. Don'tforget to check the Task Manager for any programs you might have missed thatare running in the background.
3) If you have more than one output or input, try switchingto different ones.
4) Check the quality of your cables and connections - noisecan come from damaged wires as well.
5) Try a different song. It could be that the recording you areusing has a high noise floor.
6) Check your settings for different processing modes. Ifyou have the option of different playback programs, try downloading a differentone in case your program is adding distortion or noise.
Sound quality issues are much harder to diagnose. If you arehearing warbling (where it sounds like the music is being played on a slightlywarped vinyl record) you may be having clock issues (we'll get into whatexactly these are in a moment). If you've downloaded some high quality filesand your computer won't play them back, you may need an external DAC (thoughyou'll want to check your settings to make sure you have everything configuredproperly).
Some DACs are portable like the Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS
What You Need to Take Advantage of an External DAC
Can you just plug any device into any DAC and experiencesonic bliss? Of course not. These are the things you need:
1) High quality (CD or better) digital content
2) Player or source with digital outputs
3) External amplification
If all of your digital content is stored in 128kbps MP3s,then your problem isn't your DAC. It is the file size compression you used tostore you music. MP3 and other file size compression solutions reduce the sizeof your music files by removing content that the MP3 algorithm determines youcannot hear. If the original file was already of low quality (or alreadycompressed), the MP3 conversion process can add all sorts of audibledistortions to your music. To take advantage of an external DAC, you'll wantcontent that is at least CD quality. Currently, there are a number of losslessfile size compression codecs including FLAC, WMA Lossless (Windows), and AppleLossless (Mac) that will somewhat shrink your music files while keeping all thecontent intact.
If you really want high quality music, you can use anynumber of download sites (HDTracks is our favorite) to get music that is betterthan CD quality. Remember, CD quality is 44.1kHz, 16-bit. The highest qualityyou can buy currently (outside of very specialized places) is 192kHz, 24-bit.These high quality files are the equivalent of studio masters and should be thevery best quality music you can own. Of course, their file sizes are very largeso you'll want to be wary of how much space you have left on your hard drivebefore you start downloading a large number of these.
If your player only has analog outputs (RCA red and white orsimply a headphone jack), you can't add an external DAC. Well, sometimes youcan but the external DAC is simply taking the analog signal from your player,re-converting it to digital and then back to analog, before sending it through.If the DAC in your player is the problem, this re-conversion process isn'tgoing to help.
Those working with phones or portable players with USBoutputs should also be wary before adding an external DAC. Some phones doconversion even over the USB connection so you won't hear a difference byadding a DAC. You'll want to make sure that the DAC is connecting digitally toyour device (they should say this in the specifications of the DAC).
Lastly, you'll need some sort of amplification. If the DAChas a headphone output (and you will be using only headphones), then theamplification is built right in. But if you are connecting a set of speakers,you'll need either self-powered speakers (like many studio monitors) or anexternal amplifier to power passive speakers.
But Seriously, Do I Need an External DAC?
In our opinion, you rarely 'need' a DAC. DACs area fairly mature technology and most mid-level receivers and other sources haveperfectly adequate DACs. If you are having sound quality issues, make sure youeliminate every other possible source of distortion (including yourspeakers/headphones) before you decide that the DAC is to blame. The mostcommon 'real' reason to need a DAC (outside of a high noise floor) isbecause of clocks being out of sync.
Dac For Macbook
In your source (your CD/Blu-ray player, portable device,etc.) there is what's known as a digital 'clock.' This tells your DAC (in thesame device or in another, like a receiver) the timing of the content. Now, thereis also a clock in your DAC. Your content is encoded with a specific frequency(you might remember from above when we talked about 44.1kHz up to 192kHz). Ifthe clocks in your source and DAC don't exactly line up, your music might sounda bit off - like the warped record we talked about earlier. We call this'jitter.'
DACs sometimes have two modes of operation: Synchronous or asynchronous.The easiest way to think of the difference is that, with synchronous, the DACuses the clock in the source. Asynchronous, on the other hand, uses the clockin the DAC. Most DAC aficionados say that asynchronous is better at eliminatingjitter than synchronous.
A last point about jitter: Jitter doesn't always happenbetween your source and your speakers. Jitter can enter a system between themicrophone and the ADC (Analog to Digital Converter). So if you areexperiencing jitter with only one or perhaps a handful of recordings, it may bethe recording and not your system. In that case, an external DAC will do you nogood.
Dacs Machine
One situation where we often find DACs recommended is withheadphones. When you are connecting to a computer, often with a stocksoundcard, noise and jitter can be real problems. Adding an external DAC can bea good solution but not always the cheapest. If the soundcard is the problem,check into upgrading that before you add a DAC. You may find that you can getnot only better audio performance, but more options (like surround sound) forabout the same money, or less, as a DAC. If you are using a laptop however, youmay find that a USB DAC is your only real option.
Mac Dac Abac Rbac
For headphones in particular, loudness can be an issue. Ifyou have expensive and hard to power headphones, you might find that the outputof your computer or device just isn't loud enough, even at full volume. In thatcase, what you need is a headphone amplifier. Many USB DACs have headphone ampsbuilt in so you can experience the best of both worlds.
Conclusion
There are lots of reasons people buy external DACs, but themost common is because they are pretty cool. You are unlikely to find many ofyour friends that have a DAC. Nothing screams, 'I know more about audiothan you,' than having a device that has your friends scratching theirheads. While there are a number of reasons to buy a DAC, the best two are toeliminate noise from your source and to combat systemic jitter. If these areyour issues, an external DAC is the solution.
