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What have you done with a PowerPC today?
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Anything USB should work out-of-the-box, since USB DACs do not require drivers for macOS, unless it is something super-archaic.
FireWire DACs will need drivers, but there aren’t many FireWire DACs around anyway.
Obviously, no drivers are needed for S/PDIF.
We just need to access the cloud service. I can log in and upload files through Aquafox, but we need an external player to play all the content. The images show the Windows version.
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Odd question but would you (or anyone) happen to know of a good cheap DAC or audio card for a pcie G5?
This is a very imprecise query. What is “good” and what is “cheap”? What requirements are there besides these two? (Inputs/outputs etc.)
I have/had a lot of DACs and DDCs. Perhaps of cheap ones I was very happy with “Breeze Audio” (essentially, a Chinese no-name from eBay seller) based on dual AK4399 chips (it was years ago, back then this was about their top of the line; schematics was likely copied from some Western brand). Eventually I came to a conclusion that going for a cheap DAC is not saving money over time, since there is always a desire to try something new and a bit better LOL
If you can spot a used Chord 2Qute at a decent price, that is a fantastic DAC. Hardly “cheap”, but you won’t regret. Depending on your geography, TEAC and CEC should be nice.
I would advise against anything installed inside the computer for high quality audio. DAC should be external, preferably on an isolated power source. BTW, the easiest way to isolate the DAC from the computer is to use optical connection – conveniently, PowerMac has an optical out. Just get a decent toslink cable.
I would have not gone the Soundblaster way with the MDD just to listen music. I did it because I wanted to see if it actually works. Somebody wrote a driver for it and I found a compatible card for 10€. So purely an exercise of let see what happens! 
I too have had and still have several DACs which support optical, coax and/or USB inputs. The oldest ones are SMSL brand from ebay, they were super cheap chinese stuff but IMO have produced decent audio quality. Then I have Aune, Lead Audio, Musical Fidelity, DSpeaker Anti-Mode and the Topping from our local hifi stores.
IMO they all produce good enough quality sound. One could nit-pick about tech specs or performance graphs by reading reviews but I would say its really hard to hear the quality difference by ear unless you are very proficient hifi listener. The amp and speakers are important here too.
The newer the DAC more features and capabilities it might have.
BTW. the second SMSL burned its op amps after a year of usage. I replaced them with better quality parts and drilled some holes to the casing to let heat out and cool air in. Its been solid for 10+ years since. Also, the Musical Fidelity V-DAC II broke after about 7 years of use. I haven't opened it and checked why it went silent yet. I just bought the Topping to replace it (100€). EDIT: made a quick test. It is the optical that is broken, USB still works.
Ps. in MacOS Audio Midi Setup (in Utilities folder) you can choose what quality sound you are sending to your DAC. There is a list of all connected audio and midi devices and you can chance settings for each.
Ps2. I would like to add that better Sony Minidisc players have good DACs too. You just need to put it into record-pause to use it as a DAC.
I too have had and still have several DACs which support optical, coax and/or USB inputs. The oldest ones are SMSL brand from ebay, they were super cheap chinese stuff but IMO have produced decent audio quality. Then I have Aune, Lead Audio, Musical Fidelity, DSpeaker Anti-Mode and the Topping from our local hifi stores.
IMO they all produce good enough quality sound. One could nit-pick about tech specs or performance graphs by reading reviews but I would say its really hard to hear the quality difference by ear unless you are very proficient hifi listener. The amp and speakers are important here too.
The newer the DAC more features and capabilities it might have.
BTW. the second SMSL burned its op amps after a year of usage. I replaced them with better quality parts and drilled some holes to the casing to let heat out and cool air in. Its been solid for 10+ years since. Also, the Musical Fidelity V-DAC II broke after about 7 years of use. I haven't opened it and checked why it went silent yet. I just bought the Topping to replace it (100€). EDIT: made a quick test. It is the optical that is broken, USB still works.
Ps. in MacOS Audio Midi Setup (in Utilities folder) you can choose what quality sound you are sending to your DAC. There is a list of all connected audio and midi devices and you can chance settings for each.
Ps2. I would like to add that better Sony Minidisc players have good DACs too. You just need to put it into record-pause to use it as a DAC.
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Yes, but the PM optical might be limited to 96KHz while USB usually supports higher sampling rates (192 or even 384KHz). Can you hear it? Maybe, it depends...but on principle if one has the optical and USB to choose from I choose USB for better potential quality. To take full advantage of this one would need high res source material though.
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The 16bit/44,1kHz FLAC/ALAC much enough for me. My problem isn't with hi-res. Most streaming services can't satisfy my taste, as it's very underground, so I made my own cloud with VOX. However, a good AAC is also perfect for me. Especially on the bus or at work, where you can't completely filter out external noise. So a 24/96 just takes up space unnecessarily.
To begin with, files are still typically 48 or 96KHz at best, and everything not too recent is redbook. So I don’t think this is too practical. (It is also not necessarily true that “the more the better” given hardware.)
Normally DACs have multiple input choices. Quality will depend on numerous factors, including the specific implementation of a given interface, power isolation etc.
Abstractly I would go for FireWire for quality. And then it depends.
I do use USB, but never directly to the DAC. It is always computer over USB with separated power to DDC, from there ST optical to the DAC.