I added a cheap DAC to my PC's audio setup. Here's how it changed my sound.

This DAC costs less than $100, but will it elevate my listening experience? (Image credit: Future)

Many audiophiles say you need a DAC to get your system's best sound quality. And while I don’t consider myself an audiophile, I love listening to music and appreciate the fine detail you hear in every track. So, I decided to bite the bullet and get a DAC to see how it will affect my listening pleasure.

I bought the Wimlim i510B DAC on AliExpress for this experiment, which cost around $70. It connects to my PC via Bluetooth, and then I tested it on both my Edifier D12 Integrated Tabletop Speakers and ANC headphones. I know these aren’t top-of-the-line sound equipment, but they should be good enough to represent the average desktop PC.

What is a DAC in the first place?

The Wimlim i510B DAC accepts Bluetooth and USB thumb drive inputs. (Image credit: Future)

A DAC, or digital-to-analog converter, is a piece of hardware that processes digital data and turns it into an analog signal that a speaker understands. Every piece of electronic equipment that outputs sound has a built-in DAC, but those who are quite particular about sound quality usually recommend getting an external DAC.

That’s because modern devices, like laptops and smartphones, are often so tightly integrated that you might get some interference when relying on internal systems.

A standalone DAC would be distant enough from other electronic components that it should theoretically be unaffected by static from other electromagnetic sources. Furthermore, it would have proper shielding to prevent errant electromagnetic or radio frequency signals from messing with your sound.

Does a DAC improve the listening experience?

The RCA and 3.5 mm audio jack outputs at the back for the i510B DAC. (Image credit: Future)

I did my test in three phases — in my first test, I used RCA cables to plug my speaker into the DAC and then played some random tracks on Spotify. Afterward, I reattached the speakers directly to my dock via a 3.5 mm to RCA cable and then played another set of random songs.

For the second test phase, I connected my headphones directly to my laptop via Bluetooth and played "Talk It Up" by Sammy Rae & The Friends for my wife. I then plugged the headphones into the laptop via the 3.5 mm jack and replayed the song for my wife again.

About DACs: If your laptop or computer's built-in DAC is too noisy for your liking, investing in a portable DAC that bypasses your built-in hardware is an excellent solution for crispy, detailed audio.

About this DAC: The K5 Pro ESS Desktop USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier from FiiO is a best-seller at B&H and features high-fidelity sound at up to 768 kHz. It also reduces distortion by up to 50% and better separates audio channels. The K5 Pro also has RCA analog line inputs and coaxial digital inputs, a USB-B port, RCA line outputs, and a headphone jack.

Lastly, I played Michael W. Smith’s rendition of "In Christ Alone" with my speakers attached to the dock so that my wife and I could hear it together. After doing that, I played the same song on the same speakers, but through the DAC this time.

After this series of tests, we concluded that the DAC actually delivered slightly worse quality than connecting my speakers and headphones directly to my computer. Sure, you can hear the details of the songs that we listened to, but they were slightly crisper without the DAC.

Aside from that, the vocals were marginally weaker when the audio was played through the DAC, with the background instruments overpowering the singer.

A cheap DAC is not enough

The Wimlim i510B streaming music from my phone to my desktop speakers. (Image credit: Future)

I’m sure audiophiles would say I’m doing it wrong, and I probably am. For starters, my Edifier speakers and TaoTronics headphones aren’t designed for high-fidelity listening.

If I wanted the best audio quality, I would have to replace my sub-$200 speakers with some nice tower speakers, like the ones we used to convert an office into a personal concert hall. After that, you also need a proper amplifier and a good USB-C to Optical Audio cable to help ensure data signal integrity.

Aside from all of those, you also need a proper audio subscription (or your own CDs or vinyl) to use your hardware. After all, I only use Spotify, which is limited to 320 kbps.

If you want to get the best possible audio quality, you should invest in services offering CD quality (1411 kbps) or Hi-Res (9216 kbps) audio. Examples include Tidal and Apple Music, which also use lossless audio formats like FLAC and ALAC.

It’s better to invest in a good pair of speakers

The Edifier D12 speakers I use every day. — (Image credit: Future)

You need to spend thousands of dollars on equipment, records, and subscriptions to get the gold standard of audio entertainment on your computer. This will give you a listening experience that’s better than what most users have.

However, you don’t have to drop that amount of money just to get a decent experience listening to music. One of the best budget speakers should be more than enough to more than double your listening pleasure over the stock speakers you have on your laptop, even if you have a 13-inch MacBook Air M4.

If you don’t want to disturb the people around you with your listening choices, we recommend picking out one of the best wireless headphones instead of relying on cheap knockoffs from Amazon.

Although these won’t cost thousands of dollars, they’re more than enough to get you a decent listening experience. But if you’ve tasted what the very best sound equipment can bring to the table and crave hi-fi audio quality daily, please, don’t settle for a cheap DAC.

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Jowi Morales is a writer and journalist who has been interested in technology since his father brought home a Windows 95 PC. He’s always been the go-to tech expert for his family and friends and primarily uses a Windows workstation and an Android phone. Still, he bought into the Apple ecosystem with the 6th-gen iPad, iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the M1 MacBook Air. Today, Jowi covers hardware and software from Redmond and Cupertino while also looking at the tech industry in general.