Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago

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A common audio question I see from beginners is, "Do I need a DAC for this?" referencing a headphone or an IEM in a review or a post on Reddit. It is a low-key tricky question to answer, because it reveals the beginner's limited understanding of audio and at the same time obscures the underlying question they're actually asking.

00:00 Intro
02:06 What is a DAC?
03:50 The problems
04:30 1: Hiss
06:04 2: Frequency response rolloff
07:52 3: Output impedance
10:26 The solution

I'm elaborating on this because I didn't unpack it in the video. But why this question is so tricky...

But first, some affordable DACs. If you don't know what you need, just get one of these to take the DAC out of the question:
- Jcally JM6E ($13): hifigo.com/products/jcally-jm6e?rfsn=8539789.379f98
- Moondrop Echo A ($22): hifigo.com/collections/portable-1/products/moondrop-echo-a?rfsn=8539789.379f98
- SoftEars S01 ($25): hifigo.com/products/softears-s01?rfsn=8539789.379f98
- Jcally JM20 Pro ($28): hifigo.com/products/jcally-jm20pro-3-5mm-to-type-c-earphone-adapter?rfsn=8539789.379f98
- Tanchjim Stargate II ($38): hifigo.com/collections/portable-1/products/tanchjim-stargate2?rfsn=8539789.379f98
- Tanchjim Luna ($130): hifigo.com/collections/portable-1/products/tanchjim-luna?rfsn=8539789.379f98

Ahem, back to the "Do I need a DAC?" question:

- Do you need a DAC? Well yes literally, it is an analog headphone, if you are trying to listen to digital music, you need a DAC to make it analog. But I don't think that's the underlying question...
- Do you need a DAC? What does "a DAC" mean to you? Do you already have a separate amplifier, or by "a DAC" do you mean a DAC+amp? (I assume yes.)
- Do you need a DAC? Probably you already have a DAC. Is what you have already sufficient? I don't know what you have.
- Do you need a DAC? What is the underlying question? That you know some hard-to-drive headphones don't run well off of headphone jacks on a phone, and you're wondering if this product is one of them?

Well I don't know what literally everyone means when they ask this question, but I don't think they do either. So I'm making the assumption that you're starting from a Windows desktop or laptop computer, and/or a smart phone with either no headphone jack, or a cheap one.

Want to diagnose these problems for yourself?
- Hiss test track: shop.squig.link/products/noise-floor-test-track
- Room EQ Wizard: roomeqwizard.com/help/help_en-GB/html/calsoundcard.html#calmeasure

Also watch:
- youtube.com/watch?v=EaoVlriOa74
- youtube.com/watch?v=MwXmrbG0fKo
- youtube.com/watch?v=CdHOji8FeUg
- youtube.com/watch?v=MirtN5L3k0A

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Thanks to HiFiGo for making Wave Guide possible.
- See what's new 👉 hifigo.com/collections/new-arrival?rfsn=8539789.379f98

Available on HiFiGo:
- IEMs: hifigo.com/collections/in-ear?rfsn=8539789.379f98
- Ear tips: hifigo.com/collections/eartips?rfsn=8539789.379f98
- Headphones: hifigo.com/collections/over-ear?rfsn=8539789.379f98
- IEM cables: hifigo.com/collections/headphone-cable?rfsn=8539789.379f98
- DACs & amps: hifigo.com/collections/amp-dacs?rfsn=8539789.379f98
- Portable audio players: hifigo.com/collections/portable?rfsn=8539789.379f98

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Disclosure: This video IS sponsored by retailer HiFiGo. Check them out at hifigo.com

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#DAC #headphones #amp #amplifier #digitalaudio #IEMs #PC #motherboard #audio #audiophile #SuperReview