# Do I really need a DAC? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 5, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-really-need-a-dac/761887 "2016-08-05T22:08:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davey77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@davey77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davey77)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-really-need-a-dac/761887/1 "2016-08-05T22:08:57Z")
I found a 35 year old integrated amplifier (Technics V-95 with a super-cheesy 80s vintage look) at Goodwill for 10 bucks. It’s perfect for me because: 1. I like vinyl, 2. I appreciate a “loudness” control, and 3. I don’t need a remote control because I mainly use it mainly for TV sound and streaming services which each have remotes already. (If anybody DOES have a remote-control turntable, I’d appreciate photos.) My question is" Will an aftermarket digital to analog converter improve anything at all or is the DAC in my Roku 3 just fine? Would appreciate any tips or recommendations ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-really-need-a-dac/761887/2 "2016-08-05T22:20:50Z")
Put your money into your transducers. In other words, what kind of speakers are you using? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-really-need-a-dac/761887/3 "2016-08-05T23:12:00Z")
BTW - I once helped someone set up a Burson DAC on a Mac Mini. With my headphones, a quick A/B test showed that it had minor sonic benefits over the built-in Mac audio, but not anywhere enough to make me want to spend what those things cost. Maybe 30 years ago, when I had better hearing and more money to waste… ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-really-need-a-dac/761887/4 "2016-08-05T23:39:46Z")
OTOH, what do you think about the inexpensive DACs? Like this FiiO version for $40 - > **[Amazon.com: Fiio K1 Portable Headphone Amplifier&DAC and USB DAC, Titanium :...](https://www.amazon.com/K1-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-DAC/dp/B0189EVGAG)** > > Amazon.com: Fiio K1 Portable Headphone Amplifier&DAC and USB DAC, Titanium : Electronics Or this Creative version for $50 - > **[Amazon.com: Creative Sound Blaster E1 Portable Headphone Amplifier with...](https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Headphone-Amplifier-Integrated-Smartphones/dp/B00J2JATL0)** > > Buy Creative Sound Blaster E1 Portable Headphone Amplifier with Integrated Mic and Dual Headphone Jacks for PC and Smartphones: Amplifiers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases Are the cheap ones even worth bothering with? I have a Realtek onboard sound chip and also my nvidia 750ti GPU seems to have sound controls. Do you think a low-end DAC would be an improvemnt on that? ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-really-need-a-dac/761887/5 "2016-08-06T15:58:56Z")
The only remote control turntable I’ve seen is a “wallbox” which connected to a jukebox. The jukebox played records automatically and you could select what to play via a wallbox mounted at the table in the drive-in restaurant you were eating at. [![](https://assets.catawiki.com/image/cw_normal/plain/assets/catawiki/assets/2015/7/20/2/3/d/23d97330-2f35-11e5-943d-aae48ae90987.jpg) ](https://assets.catawiki.com/image/cw_normal/plain/assets/catawiki/assets/2015/7/20/2/3/d/23d97330-2f35-11e5-943d-aae48ae90987.jpg) Seeburg Jukebox Wallbox > **[WELCOME TO THE ORIGINAL JUKEBOX COMPANY WALLBOX AND STEPPER PAGE](http://www.originaljukeboxcompany.nl/en_3wallboxen.html)** > > Original Jukebox Company Jukeboxes for sale page- Always more then 80 jukeboxen in stock restorted and unrestored. We are a full time jukebox restoration company [http://www.originaljukeboxcompany.nl/en\_1jukeboxen1.html](http://www.originaljukeboxcompany.nl/en_1jukeboxen1.html) ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2016, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-really-need-a-dac/761887/6 "2016-08-07T04:26:12Z")
I wandered through the Electronics Dept/ at a Target. I saw what I had guessed were permanently dead: Record Players. Cheap turntables on top of a box with an AM/FM radio on it. Instead of honest plastic over pressboard, this had fake wood grain. It looks like GoodWill may be making a killing on the large speakers which were dumped years ago. I still have my 1968 vintage Sony Open Reel recorder - think the youngun’s will discover real tape? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-really-need-a-dac/761887/7 "2016-08-08T03:42:30Z")
I’d set aside some money to have that puppy re-capped. Electrolyte capacitors rarely last 30 years - the caps are cheap enough and it’s an easy project for someone with good soldering skills.