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DAC USB - Better Audio Wanted?

thedonkey68

thedonkey68

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 16, 2022
2
0
Hi all and apologies in advance if this has already been discussed previously.

I'm looking at upgrading my sound system and have been recommended getting a USB DAC device but unsure if it will give me a better sound from what I currently have. Does anyone have any ideas/ recommendations they could offer me as I don't want to splash out the cash and feel deflated. Is this the right way to go or is there something better? Or should I stick with what I have?

Currently have:
iMac 27 (late2014)
PreSonus active 4.5 speakers via Berhinger mixing desk from headphone socket on iMac.

Don't get me wrong, the sound is reasonable but would like to improve on it if possible.

Any pointers would be appreciated.

Cheers!
 
I strongly recommend a DAC. I no longer have a dedicated audio system, so all my music is from my iMac, which is not an audio system. I have a Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus. It's pricey, but I am pleased with it. I also run my Blu-ray player through it. Less expensive alternatives are available.
 
Whirlwind PCusb; USB to 2 balanced XLR outputs. Pretty much industry standard for live events (if you want to hook up via USB); it really all depends on where said audio is going. I would not recommend this if you do not have a audio mixer.
 
I 100% recommend a quality externally powered DAC. I use a Dangerous Music Source and Emotiva DC-1 across my NUC and iMac systems. They have USB inputs as well as AES/coax/BNC/toslink.

You can look for a DAC/preamp combo, such as the one that I have. So you connect them to your computer and then analog out from that box to either active speakers or power amp (then to passive speakers). I'm running fully balanced here in both my active and passive systems.

You definitely want to get the digital out from your computer and then do the analog conversion externally.
 
If you really want to improve your setup start with the speakers, you can do a lot better than Presonus. I say sell the Presonus and the Behringer, get JBL 305p (x2) and a Focusrite solo for the DAC.
 
slainbabyyc said:
If you really want to improve your setup start with the speakers, you can do a lot better than Presonus. I say sell the Presonus and the Behringer, get JBL 305p (x2) and a Focusrite solo for the DAC.
Click to expand...
The JBLs have volume knobs; so not a bad suggestion. Very good speakers are still going to sound good even if you use a 1/8" stereo mini output.

I prefer to have a mixer though, it is a lot easier to control the volume going to the powered speakers. Although Behringer would not be my first choice; I have a Mackie 1402; and although it is good, it is old. For monitor speakers I have Tannoy Actives (I don't think they make them anymore); but they sure are nice sounding.
 
avkills said:
The JBLs have volume knobs; so not a bad suggestion. Very good speakers are still going to sound good even if you use a 1/8" stereo mini output.

I prefer to have a mixer though, it is a lot easier to control the volume going to the powered speakers. Although Behringer would not be my first choice; I have a Mackie 1402; and although it is good, it is old. For monitor speakers I have Tannoy Actives (I don't think they make them anymore); but they sure are nice sounding.
Click to expand...
You can control the speakers with the volume knob on the focusrite, and you get a dac.
 
slainbabyyc said:
You can control the speakers with the volume knob on the focusrite, and you get a dac.
Click to expand...
Cool, that might not be bad then. I have a bunch of other stuff which is why I have the mixer and just decided that Whirlwinds were good enough for me (I have 1 on my MacPro and 1 on my PC)
 
avkills said:
Cool, that might not be bad then. I have a bunch of other stuff which is why I have the mixer and just decided that Whirlwinds were good enough for me (I have 1 on my MacPro and 1 on my PC)
Click to expand...
you can def get an interface w AD/DA conversion and as many channels as your mixer, if you ever want to upgrade.
 
Last edited:
I guess a Focusrite (which I recall was one of my top choices) is like my Presonus Audiobox USB and a lot of other units in that, yes, it has a volume knob…but you can't control the volume using the Mac's system controls or the corresponding keyboard sound keys.
 
BrianBaughn said:
I guess a Focusrite (which I recall was one of my top choices) is like my Presonus Audiobox USB and a lot of other units in that, yes, it has a volume knob…but you can't control the volume using the Mac's system controls or the corresponding keyboard sound keys.
Click to expand...
yes that's typical of any audio interface
 
slainbabyyc said:
you can def get an interface w AD/DA conversion and as many channels as your interface, if you ever want to upgrade.
Click to expand...
Yeah that idea has crept into my head every so often; but I am mostly a video guy so new video trinkets usually wins out.
 
If you’re looking for only a DAC, then I recommend Centrance
If you're looking for an interface to connect to the mixing desk, well, you have a ton of choices (I have a Tascam 4x4HR as well as a Centrance Mixerface interface).
 
Thank you all for the comments/ suggestions - I'm going to be looking at the set up shortly and make a decision on whether to start from scratch and invest in new speakers & DAC.
Appreciate the help again ?
 
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