Will an external DAC improve music audio quality for me?

[PeterG]

I hate to disagree with our fearless leader, but it is an absolute no-brainer to buy an external DAC.  You, your wife, and even your philistine friends will all notice a difference.  The Schiit you mention is a great choice, and you can return it for a small restocking fee if I'm wrong.  The Audioquest Dragonfly line is also worth a look for a minimalist approach.  Probably not as good as the Schiit, but probably returnable with zero risk from Best Buy or Amazon.

 

Also, I sense from your question that you're new at this.  You should make sure the files you are playing are at least CD quality.  You can Google this, maybe also search terms such as Redbook, 16/44, FLAC, AIFF...