from FAQ page of the Schiit Bifrost DAC:

" if you trust your music to be faithfully reproduced by a $2 floor-sweeping D/A IC that the overworked laptop designer threw in as an afterthought on a motherboard swimming in gigahertz noise, more power to you."

Of course, some, possibly many, may chalk up such statements as pure rubbish & nothing more than marketing gibberish considered so common in the audio industry.

But, then you also have the millions of folks who have spent their money on external DACs whom, for the most part as far as I can tell, are quite happy with the results.

Bill - on the Hill
Practicing Curmudgeon & Audio Snob
- just an “ON” switch, Please –

I have an Audioquest Dragonfly and a Centrance Dacport. Both connect via USB. I have a new MacBook Pro, which has an SSD drive. The internal jack comes nowhere close to either of them. Both are in the $200 ballpark.

If you listen to using speakers, you are unlikely to notice the difference. However if you listen using "good-quality" headphones, you will hear significantly better sound. By better sound, it means better accurate sound. This is especially true when you use high-definition contents. Note that the purpose of using external DAC has two advantage. First is hiss-noise elimination. Headphone jack sound contains hiss-noise. With good external DAC, this will disappear. Second is to play high-definition contents in high-definition DAC for high quality sound. With good headphones, you will definitely enjoy better sound.

The downside is that when you play CD-level definition music, you will hear shortcommings of recorded sound!

This means that you should consider buying high-definition music tracks as well. CDs and MP3 songs sound terrible when played on high-definition DAC, because it produces sound more accurately as they are records on tracks. Bluray disks normally have 24bits 96khz tracks. They are very good match for external high-definition DAC.

a purpose-designed DAC will not produce "sound" (as an integrated soundcard does), but rather non-fatiguing, musical audio. here's another endorsement for the Dragonfly. it's with me at all times and travels for me so i can enjoy music everywhere.

i want FLAC for well-recorded music in truly enjoy. for entertainment purposes and a lot of indifferently recorded music (and there's a lot of the latter out there) 256k VBR and 320k CBR will do just fine.

even with 192k Pandora you will be able to notice a difference. either you'll simply enjoy listening to music more, or if you listen closely you will detect the harsher edge of the build in "sound" gives way to something more well rounded.

they really do make a difference. For that budget, the HRT Micro Streamer seems to be king, but if you plan to use with amp+speakers, you should try stretch to something like Micromega MyDac (maybe used if new is too expensive). Btw, what is the rest of your system?

Your computer has a crappy sound card. It was not made for audio. The sound is much improved with a Audioquest Dragonfly V2 and also check out the Meridian brand also.

I am a musician (by hobby, not for a living), and have a "serious" audio system; both of which combine to mean I know what "good sound" is....My musical collection also ranges from Mahler to Deadmau5...mono LP's of the Beatles, and 192/24 House...and Miles Davis... etc etc.. all styles..I also embrace Vinyl with equal enthusiasm as I do digital..so i like to think of myself as a neutral "judge" on this topic; and so can speak from honest experience.

I also own a 2014 Macbook Air, and a Dragonfly 1.2., with Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 headphones. Not highest end, but not too shabby.
I also have music files ranging from MP3 to 192/24 FLAC. (no dsd)

Having said all of this, I notice very very very *VERY* little difference when I do A/B tests of the dragonfly vs. Macbook's 1/8" headphone jack.

I would challenge *anyone* to correctly distinguish the MacBook Air's internal jack vs. the Dragonfly on any music file with any consistency. Seriously.

HOWEVER, and this may or may not be a big "however", I do find that if I keep the dragonfly plugged in and listen through it over extended periods, it really is less "fatiguing".... therefore I am inclined to say it does in fact have a very slight positive effect on the sound of the music. Just don't expect any "wow!" moments.

Though this is slightly off topic, I do notice "WOW!" moments and an obvious improvement in sound overall when listening to my laptop through my PS Audio NuWave DAC on my main system vs. the Dragonfly and/or internal card of the MacBook Air.

To conclude, and back on topic, I think Apple did a good job on their own audio with the MacBook Air from current and recent production. I would hazard to guess all the claims of significantly improved audio quality vs. a different brand of laptop probably w.r.t. the Dragonfly are just a result of the vast majority of laptop manufacturers skimping more on the overall design of the audio circuitry than Apple does. So for your particular situation, I would seriously only recommend the Dragonfly if you plan on getting a lot of use out of it...the more you listen, the more you'll appreciate the lack of fatigue. That alone is a very esoteric topic. But I think it is in favor of the Dragonfly and it's only redeeming quality when comparing to the Macbook Air 2014 and recent.

If you really want an appreciable upgrade in sound with your macbook air, I can recommend the Halide HD DAC around $450.... based on other reviews.. as well as any DAC of course near the $1,000 mark. Long story short, you really do get what you pay for; which no doubt lead you to your decision to buy an Apple laptop! . I have heard positive reviews of Sony laptops and their good audio; but I'm not sure of model and that's off topic. Just stating Apple isn't the only game in town as far as superior built in laptop audio.

Hope my input helps.

After coming back a few days, my critique seems a little harsh.. to be fair, the OP asked if he would be able to tell a *significant* difference. In short, from my personal experience with the exact equipment or level of equipment he mentioned, I was not able to tell very much of a difference at all; let alone significant. Though to repeat, if you plan on very high hours on your laptop/headphones, the Dragonfly IS recommended. It also received decent reviews here in Stereophile. I myself listen to my home system much more though, and slightly regret letting the 30 day return policy lapse on my dragonfly.

As Ric Schultz of Electronic Visionary Systems and Steve Nugent of Empirical Audio, who are in the business of modifying and designing Digital Audio circuits, say: it all depends on how the DAC is implemented. I find myself that there are other variables involved, just as in most anything, including use of RFI/EMI absorbing materials such as 3M AB5100S and how well isolated from local vibration, for example the transformer, the DAC Chip is, I.e. use of Vibration Isolation and (careful) damping. I also use the WA quantum chips to good effect on all semiconductor chips including the DAC. From my experience recently with really(!) inexpensive portable CD Players with what 20 year old DACs in them, remember 1 bit DACs?, even those old DAC can sound very open, neutral and detailed. Not to mention dynamic. So there are a lot of ways to look at it. It's a brave new world.

Geoff Kait
Machina Dynamica

Great article ! Thanks for the information

Buy Targeted Twitter Followers

...total and utter nonsense.

Re the long comment about a cheapish DAC not improving the sound on a MacBook - I think low-end DACs are really aimed at Windows laptops, the majority of which have crappy audio drivers. MacBook audio drivers are way better and to see an improvement you'd need to spend on a more serious DAC, as per your post