DAC AND AAC - YOU NEED BOTH

[♔Chello]

DAC AND AAC - YOU NEED BOTH

Everyone knows what a DAC is - Digital Audio Converter.
This converts digital signals into analog signals and is necessary for you to play digital files with your analog audio system.

AAC is, in a sense, an opposite DAC - Analog Audio Converter, which converts analog signals into digital signals.
This is known by the term Sound Card/Audio Interface, and is used eg between your keyboard and your analog audio system.

Some would argue that we do not need any of these two today, because more and more equipment has both DAC and AAC integrated.

However, this is not the case, because the most critical compo in a DAC and AAC is which chip is used - one of the best chips for DACs is, for example, the AKM 4495S, which is used in the most expensive models on the market; but this is also used in the AUNE S6, which costs only a fraction of what others with the same chip cost.



The same goes for AACs, and one of the best chips for AACs, for example, is the ESS Sabre32 Ultra, which is used in the most expensive models on the market, but this is also used in the MOTU M4, which costs only a fraction of what others with the same chip costs.

Most people mistakenly believe that digital data is absolute - that if two different models have identical digital resolution, this will result in identical sound quality.

This is totally misleading and incorrect, as it is the used chip that determines the actual sound quality.

More recently I have done many tests with the Steinberg UR22C sound card, and saved files in the highest resolution.
I have done the same tests with MOTU M4, and when A/B tests the files from both, the files created with MOTU have a dramatically more detailed soundscape, along with a larger content of higher frequencies.

A good AAC is as important as a good DAC, and if possible, you should check which chip is used before deciding to pet.


I consider myself very lucky, which has AUNE S6 DAC and MOTU M4, both of which use some of the best chips on the market.