Are most DAC's compatible w computers?

I would imagine it will work, BUT my experience has been that the sound of the DAC is extremely dependant on the level of timing jitter coming from the transport, unless the DAC reclocks the data. If your soundcard has low jitter and a good SPDIF interface it could work well. If the soundcard has high data jitter then the DAC alone may offer very little improvement.

Reclocking in DACs under $1000 is a relatively new phenomenon, but you can achieve the same by buying a Monarchy DIP or similar jitter attenuator. They are around $100 used.

So what I'm saying is that you might find that adding the DAC makes surprisingly little difference to the sound quality, but if you were then to add a jitter reducer ala Monarchy DIP between the computer and the DAC then the sound quality will be very much better.

The least expensive reclocking DAC I am aware of is the Benchmark DAC1 at $900. This DAC is said to be quite independant of transport quality.

Straightforward. The only problem can be hum due to ground loops between the computer and DAC ground, but will not happen with all systems.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
manufacturer/modder

The short answer is "yes". If your soundcard has an S/PDIF output then you should be able to hook it up to any DAC with an S/PDIF input and it should work. Sean's points about reclocking are to the point as well. You are using your hard drive as a transport when you use your computer. If the clocking is off when it sends the signal out, and it is not compensated for in the DAC or in some kind of jitter device in between, the effect on the music can be profound. Though it may sound OK (like actual music coming out of your speakers) the potential loss will be in the PRAT aspect of the music. You may find that your foot just ain't tappin' anymore!

Either get a DAC with superb clocking, or, perhaps one of the pro-DAC's with USB option like the Apogee DAC. Rumor is that Benchmark is working on that option as well. USB is a bi-directional interface which allows clocking information to move both ways. In some cases, as I understand it, this can be of tremendous benefit in eliminating jitter. I'm not sure if this is the case with S/PDIF. If you went with a USB DAC you would be bypassing your sound card altogether.

I've been experimenting with the same technology having ripped all my CD's to a 250 gig HD. I'm currently running my laptop to an ESI Waveterminal U24 USB device, digital out via S/PDIF to my Muse Model 2+ DAC. Results are superb. I do believe the Muse does have excellent clocking. I've never tried the DAC in the Waveterminal (it does have that option), but don't imagine it's going to compare well with the Muse. I'm not sure if the Waveterminal does any jitter attenuation at all via the digital throughput - does anyone know?

Marco