Using a PC as a DAC

[BookshelfBob]

Thanks. Can you elaborate please?

Are there standards?

The reason I ask is that have seen outputs marked with a symbol of a pair of headphones, but that are labelled "audio out" on the manufacturers product diagrams.
Kinda confusing!

From the computers hardware perspective, it's just 2 channel 3.5mm output. Headphones vs whatever else don't really matter

 

[BookshelfBob]

Thanks for your answers, suggestion and comments!

HTPC does not seem to big thing, at least anymore but for me it´s practical with a do it all machine.

I´ve only had the Ampapa for a few days. The system sound good as is, but if things can be better... its better.

Leading the signal via the TV is probably a bad idea, have´nt thought much about it. Possibly i can connect the TV to the HTPC instead, then from HTPC to the Ampapa, so that music sound becomes nr 1 prio. Dont think ive tried that with the yamaha amp. Anyway, I Will try try to make an A vs B comparison with current setup using the HTPC:s CD-player vs a stand alone player directly to Ampapa to check how much the TV routing degrade the audio.

After realizing how old that device is. Definitely a cheap DAC is in order.

The modern realtek's are pretty good. But whatever you have in that HTPC is not the same as the ones they're putting out in 2026.

Cheap upgrade for large improvements. Have to find the specific Realtek DAC* that's in there to know for sure

 

[antcollinet]

I have occasionally used the 3,5 mm from HTPC to to RCA on my old yamaha pianocraft stereo that are beeing ditched for the moment. but now it´s complicated.

For convenience I now run:

• hdmi from HTPC into TV:s hdmi (since I use HTPC also for watching TV via antenna into TV-card).
• then from the TV:s 3,5mm jack it goes into to RCA on the Ampapa.

Would there be a better a better setup sound wise, with or without that the TV has be considered, for optimal sound?

Here is the backside to the Ampapa, So besides from BT there is only RCA and TRS balanced input. I´m not using the balanced input at the moment.

View attachment 553803

So HDMI to tv is a digital interface. So the DAC being used is the one in the TV.

Same thing applies as I stated above regarding output from PC - if you don't have audible noise, then you are unlikely to get audibly better sound with an external DAC. Keep the system you have, if you are happy with it.

 

[phofman]

The good thing is that amp seems to be Class II isolation (as marked on the back of its power adapter in https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/ampapa-d1-stereo-amplifier-review.69682/ ), hence should not be prone ground loops eventhough the TV has only single-ended outputs (the amp has both, very good). IMO it should be fine with any PC audio output. If it were class I, even the HDMI output to TV DAC could carry the ground-loop currents between the PC graphics card ground and the PC PSU ground, with a chance of them being audible.

 

[Pauli]

Just for fun ...
AI helped me to identify the DAC chips in my respective devices:

• TV: integrated in PNX85500-TV-SoC

• PC: integrated in Realtek ALC897

• Stand-alone DAC: ESS ES9039Q2M

AI seems to be certain that there can be an audible difference between the TV solution and the Stand-alone DAC

 

[antcollinet]

AI seems to be certain that there can be an audible difference between the TV solution and the Stand-alone DAC

And you should give it the same level of credence for it's statements about which chips are used - it is just not trustworthy with that sort of information, unless it is giving you citation links that you can check yourself.

 

[Thieluar]

From the computers hardware perspective, it's just 2 channel 3.5mm output. Headphones vs whatever else don't really matter

I´ve wondered about that line out. I bought it used about ca 6 years ago, and it has served me well. Before that i had another HTPC solution.. The Asrock that i have now was state of the art HTPC ca 2012, from what i read in the tests, and was designed to be connected to TV/amp but have no RCA out. It does have optic out though, but there no optic in on the Ampapa.

 

[BookshelfBob]

I´ve wondered about that line out. I bought it used about ca 6 years ago, and it has served me well. Before that i had another HTPC solution.. The Asrock that i have now was state of the art HTPC ca 2012, from what i read in the tests, and was designed to be connected to TV/amp but have no RCA out. It does have optic out though, but there no optic in on the Ampapa.

It will have 3.5mm on one end and RCA on the other. It will split passively

Can buy a cable off Amazon....Hopefully that answers the question.

 

[Flaesh]

I´ve wondered about that line out

You can easily measure this green Out. But together with the blue In)). Here is the old Realtek:

eg. And so on..
Pay attention to the Windows volume control; it can be poor at low levels, so it is better to use a different one.

 

[pablolie]

So HDMI to tv is a digital interface. So the DAC being used is the one in the TV.

Same thing applies as I stated above regarding output from PC - if you don't have audible noise, then you are unlikely to get audibly better sound with an external DAC. Keep the system you have, if you are happy with it.

I have been using the optical SPDIF output from my Samsung TV since times immemorial - going into the main rig, which is mostly for music (video is very secondary to me). I have always trusted my audio setup (and its DAC) to be infinitely superior to whatever audio capabilities get crammed into any TV. I honestly think TVs would be better without *any* audio capability other than pass-through of the digital audio signal, at least for me.
And my computer workstation(s) has an external DAC (JDS Labs Element 4).