Gold isn’t the only metal that can be used to resist corrosion, but when it comes to audio equipment, it’s one of the best and easiest to identify. These kinds of things aren’t always easy to identify without actually handling the DAC in question.ĭepending on how long you plan on making use of your DAC, you might also want to look gold plated connection terminals. And it helps to know that your connection headers won’t fall off when placed under the slightest bit of horizontal force. But it helps to know that your equipment isn’t going to stop working the first time it gets bumped. You won’t have to ruminate too much on this criterion. Cheaper DACs will typically not be able to accommodate these formats, but it’s sometimes possible to find some affordable ones that still get you there. You may also need to look specifically for 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound support. In fact, the amplifier is what gives a speaker its own unique characteristics - you could call it a voice. Because when your audio equipment reaches a certain level, you can start to hear the difference between one amplifier and another. You’ll have to think less about whether or not 24-bit sound is supported because that’s become somewhat universal, even on the cheapest and least noteworthy DACs out there.ĭepending on the quality of your speakers or headphones, the DAC can be even more important. Typical support starts down around 32kHz sampling rates, and then pushes out towards 96kHz. You may want to pay attention to the resolution supported by the adapter. But how many of each port, and in what ratio will you find them? What kind of devices are you hoping to connect? Are you trying to connect your game console or a television? Answering those kinds of questions can help point you in the right direction. It’s also quite easy to find adapters with 3.5mm audio jacks and RCA connections. You’ll have no trouble finding DACs which provide both coaxial and optical input/output options. In any case, you’re probably only going to have to think about three selection criteria: Type of Connections Especially if you’re someone who’s more interested in connecting the DAC to your television than you are to a massive surround sound stereo system. But the good news is that picking a DAC can be a bit of an exception. Choosing the Best DAC Digital Toslink to Analog RCA ConverterĪsk any audiophile - picking audio equipment can be insanely complicated. Because when you’re moving an audio signal, even minor alterations in the signal could end up affecting the way things sound.

But DACs are actually far more sophisticated than that. In other words, no different than changing one type of connection port into another type of connection port. So when people start looking for one, they often think that they are no more complicated than an ordinary signal converter. Your best option is to track down a proper amplifier with an input that meets your needs and has the ability to decode the formats you are going to send to it.Most people don’t know much about audio converters. Read the reviews and you'll see the decoder sometimes cuts out, injects pops and clicks, has a high noise floor, and loses sync when used for long periods of time. Unfortunately it appears to be a piece of junk and there are multiple copies of the same unit floating around on Amazon for the same dirt cheap prices, just with different branding slapped on the top. The only other device I see that comes close to what you're asking for is what kerberos_20 linked to. If your TV can not be configured to decode audio streams into PCM audio, this is not the device for you.

This device takes a digital PCM signal and converts it to the respective analog outputs. Https /Here is an HDMI audio extractor, and no, it does not support decoding, but your TV probably does, which would serve your purpose. The OP needs a decoder, not an encoder, for the updated purpose, and he's not going to find a decent one for a low price.

Optical to rca audio