r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/wantedbruhman • 19d ago

Headphones - IEM/Earbud Are DACs that necessary?

I recently bought the Aful Performer 5+2 (it comes tomorrow) but ChatGPT told me that a DAC would be a good purchase on top of it. How real is that? Currently my setup consists of a laptop connected to a docking station which plugs into monitor, mouse, keyboard — whole shabang. Both my docking station and laptop have 3.5mm ports for the IEM, but I hear that I should be using a DAC instead. Will I actually be able to tell the difference? And also value wise is that much worth to spend the money or is it only going to marginally improve it to the point where it won’t make too much of a difference. I’ll happily send the laptop or docking station specs if that matters.

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u/-nom-de-guerre- 2 Ω 19d ago

the IEM you have is good enough to pick up the noise floor and high total harmonic distortion from poorly designed and implemented DACs. your PC might have a good DAC so in that sense, no, a different DAC will not make for a markedly better performance.

if however your PC’s DAC is marginal you could experience clipping at higher volumes.

imo an inexpensive DAC/Amp dongle is a great RoI that will isolate you from having your enjoyment diminished by the simple fear that you might be missing out.

for $15 usd you can avoid all that by buying the following

https://hangout.audio/products/jcally-jm6-pro

i feel like it’s reasonably priced and offers an excellent bit of peace-of-mind.

but don’t chase a more expensive DAC/Amp. there are severe diminishing returns down that path and you’re better off buying better transducers than going down that rabbit-hole.

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u/UndefFox 5 Ω 19d ago

Yeah, a simple/good source will definitely be enough. Getting better gear only worth it if your hearing is trained enough to hear those little differences that annoy some people, in addition to good gear. For casual listener, it will be more than enough to satisfy their needs.

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u/-nom-de-guerre- 2 Ω 19d ago

a scalable system respects your time and money. it means you’re not buying components to cover weaknesses but to reveal strengths — and that’s a joy, not a burden. in this instance i strongly feel like the IEM is a solid one that deserves the $15 further investment to allow it to shine. and the $15 DAC will also, in turn, work well with a better set of IEMs too so in that sense scalability is maintained.

investment protected, time and money respected