Is a DAC a necessity?

[Grant]

Hey everyone,

 

I'm pretty new to the entire audio field. I recently decided that I was interested in music professionally and am now pursuing training in the audio engineering field through an intensive class. I've enrolled to start in the next two months, so I'm just using my time now to buy all of my needed equipment (payed for graciously by a small-medium sized trust appointed for school purposes).

 

I purchased a MacBook Pro, Pro Tools + Mbox combo, and am about to purchase a set of Shure (1540) headphones. I've also read as much as I could about impedance, and I realize now that I need to get a headphone amplifier as well. My question, however, is about whether or not I need to purchase some sort of a DAC. I've searched as much as I can and I've seen some threads quoting 'Headphone amp or DAC', and then on the opposite side I've also seen a lot of people talk about using an amp with a DAC. My question is, do I need one? Is there some kind of connector that comes with an amp that connects from the amp to my output (computer, interface, etc.), or is that where I need a DAC? Basically, can I buy an amp as a standalone and be okay?

 

Thank you guys so much for all of your input, sorry if I posted this in the wrong thread.

[rhmmmm]

I'd say this is posted in the right place. For your purposes a DAC and headphone amp combo or even separates would be nice. There are some great pro audio units like the Grace m920 and some others that I'm sure people will chine in on, as well. It depends on your budget, too. Another great place to post for advice specifically on headphone amps/DACs is over at Head Fi.

[Grant]

Thank you very much. I've been looking all over for whether or not it was needed. I'd put a higher budget, but I'm already spending $500 on the headphones, so I'll probably go with a cheaper model that will have an okay lifespan for the time being.

[stan2]

short answer is that you need a DAC and there's one in your macbook. It converts the digital data of the music to analog your headphones can deal with. An external DAC will bypass the one in the computer and do a better job. If you're investing in decent headphones, you'll want to get around the cheap stock DAC for a better one. You'll be able to tell the diff.

[krass]

stan2 says it already, but in case the message is not 100% clear you do not NEED to buy a separate DAC because you have one already.

 

Only if you want to improve the sound quality should you buy one.

 

As you are embarking on an audio engineering course you could therefore wait until you have learned sufficient to make a more informed choice. When you have a few weeks of the course behind you you may well look back at your question and wonder why you asked it !

 

My advice ? if you're not sure if you need a (separate) DAC at the moment then don't buy one. Wait.

 

mike

[Sam Lord]

Are you a musician who wants to record or do you want to record others, or both? Since you bought closed cans I though you might perform.

[Grant]

Are you a musician who wants to record or do you want to record others, or both? Since you bought closed cans I though you might perform.

 

At the current point in time my interest is learning so that I can record others. I realize that open, or semi-open, cans are a great idea for recording/mixing. Well more that both are a good idea when recording. I'm definitely going to be getting a pair of open backs in the future, but for now I'm just going to stick with a nice pair of closed backs.

 

 

 

As for the DAC, thank you guys for the info. I found a decently priced DAC+Amp combo online and just decided to go ahead and order that. Even if it isn't the most important thing to have right at this moment, I just wanted to utilize this little fund as much as I could and get some stuff that would help for the next year or so. The combo I found has pretty good reviews and sounds as though it will last a decent amount of time. Fortunately it is a cheaper item, so when it does crash I'll just get a more expensive one when I'm purchasing with my own income.

[Paul R]

Like other's have said, I would save the budget for a bit. If you are dead set on buying a DAC, get one that matches your headphones well. Perhaps an iFi Nano or Mico would be a good start. High quality DAC, and will play back just about any kind of recording.