We recently tested 15 DACs – and here are 6 we highly recommend

You may not realize this, but you probably use a DAC as much as you use underwear. Every day, right? (Right?) Digital-to-analog converters, to use their unabridged name, can be found in most audio sources today, including phones to laptops, and perform the vital role of transforming digital music (a bunch of ones and zeros) into the analog form (an audio waveform) that headphones and speakers can understand. (Want to learn more about DACs? Head this way to our DAC explainer).

So if you already have DACs in your devices, why even consider buying another one? Well, for better sound quality. DACs – essentially small chips that convert the audio before it is output through, say, the device’s 3.5mm audio port – are often not of great quality in such multitasking devices, so get a good, dedicated external DAC device that more accurately converting from digital to analog, and thus enjoying a stored music file or streaming data more in the process, will make a huge difference to the music listening experience.