An improved headphone amplifier, on the other hand, helps ensure that the amplified signal accurately reflects the decoded analog data provides more power for power-hungry headphones and provides more exacting control of the headphones’ mechanical movements due to electrical characteristics such as damping factor. The second is the device’s headphone amplification circuitry, which takes the analog waveform and amplifies it so that it’s sufficiently powerful to drive your headphones to volumes suitable for listening.Īn upgraded DAC pieces the digital signal together into a more-accurate representation of the original analog signal, and it also isolates the easily-distorted analog signal from the electrically noisy environment of your computer, giving a cleaner signal. The first is the digital-to-analog converter (DAC), which takes a digital audio signal-say, one provided by your computer’s software-and converts it from digital data to an analog electrical signal that represents recorded audio waveforms. Two primary components of a device’s audio circuitry determine how that device sounds and how well it works with a set of high-quality headphones. While the headphone jack and associated audio circuitry found in most computers work fine, those components were likely chosen to meet specifications related to power, space, and cost, rather than for their audio performance. This is especially true if your headphones represent a substantially higher investment.
If you’ve bought a pair of headphones for your computer and spent more than $50 or so, you’re probably not hearing those headphones perform to their potential.