FORUMS
Hey all, I just got a NAD D3020v2 and I'd like to connect my PC (which only has a 3.5mm, a HDMI and of course USB ports) to it with a digital connection, instead of converting it to analog with a DAC. What is the best way of doing this? Is a soundcard the way to go? If so, which options are the best in your opinion?
Thanks!
If you don't want to incorporate another DAC, you have a couple of options:
A. Get yourself an HDMI audio extractor that supports optical and/or coax out
B. Get a sound card that supports passthrough via optical and/or coax out
Keep in mind that the DAC in your desktop amp supports only up to 24/96, so keep your purchase options in scale.
Thanks! I'll try going the HDMI route.
Is 24/96 the standard output bit depth/sample rate for motherboard amps?
Is 24/96 the standard output bit depth/sample rate for motherboard amps?
No standard, per se - but I have noticed onboard DACs with higher bits/sample freq in desktops vs. laptops. Only one way to find out what your specific hardware profile supports.
The output format will be determined by the sound card in the computer, the specific music player program it is running and, of course, the format of the music file being played.
Is the signal still processed by the onboard DAC if you aren't outputting to analog at all?
The PC's DAC is not involved if the PC is sending digital to an external DAC.
Is the signal still processed by the onboard DAC if you aren't outputting to analog at all?
The signal will be processed by the DAC you specify to perform the task. Assuming you're using Windows, check the audio settings to see which playback device is selected as the default.
There are some applications where you can specify the playback device without having to change the default in Windows. As an example, JRiver Media Center - Kal's favorite - is one such application.
;-)
Got an HDMI audio extractor and it's working great. It is selected as the output device in Windows, which I'm assuming means that it isn't actually being processed by the DAC on my motherboard's sound card since it's a digital signal from end to end, and not being converted to analog until it gets to the DAC on the D3020. Am I wrong to make these assumptions?
Echo Kal's last post.
The PC's DAC is not involved if the PC is sending digital to an external DAC.
Think about the delivery stream and the components & connections being used...
If you specify the audio extractor as the playback device for the digital signal, you shouldn't hear a sound coming from the computer's analog outputs.
Quiz #1: What do you think the mobo DAC is doing in the scenario above?
Quiz #2: If you specify a digital signal to go from PC to extractor to amp, where do you think the conversion to analog happens?
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