Achieving high definition audio.

[ornulv]

Hello.

 

Somewhere I read that a dac, for instance a Cam. audio Dac magic, will bypass the laptops sound card.

Is this correct?

Does one not need an external soundcard to bypass the laptops own card?

I mean, the dac is only plugged in, there are no drivers installed.

 

I would like to be able to stream and play audio files in 24/ 96, I gather that my computers sound card will not reproduce this definition(Hp 8560p),

I have three dacs, the Cambridge, Creative Soundblaster Hd, and Music Fidelity V-Link.

 

As I am running a Linux distro, I cant install drivers for the Soundblaster.

So, will any of these three be able to reproduce for instance 26/96?

 

I dont really see how, but would very much like to be enlightened in this matter.

[Apesbrain]

Yes, the external DAC will take audio data directly from the PC via USB. For the DacMagic you do not need a driver on Windows or Mac; not sure about linux but probably depends on the distribution.

 

With the DacMagic connected via USB to your PC and its analog outputs connected to a suitable input on your receiver/amp, you will be able to play files up to and including 24/96.

 

In all likelihood, your HP laptop can also play these files. Connect a "stereo mini-plug to dual RCA plugs" cable from the laptop to your hifi and give it a try.

 

[mansr]

Yes, the external DAC will take audio data directly from the PC via USB. For the DacMagic you do not need a driver on Windows or Mac; not sure about linux but probably depends on the distribution.

 

If it works on Mac without drivers, it's standard USB audio and should work on any Linux as well.

[ornulv]

So, you say that a dac without any drivers will play the files or streaming with the same bit rate and upsampling-

 

The dac magic has indicator lights for sampling rate for the files/ streaming playing, it never shows more than 48, even though I know that the upsampling is 96.

All three dacs works ok in Linux.

So one may as well use a dac instead of an external soundcard, but what is then the point with an external soundcard?

Yes, the external DAC will take audio data directly from the PC via USB. For the DacMagic you do not need a driver on Windows or Mac; not sure about linux but probably depends on the distribution.

 

With the DacMagic connected via USB to your PC and its analog outputs connected to a suitable input on your receiver/amp, you will be able to play files up to and including 24/96.

 

In all likelihood, your HP laptop can also play these files. Connect a "stereo mini-plug to dual RCA plugs" cable from the laptop to your hifi and give it a try.

 

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