Is a dac for a pc build worth the money in your experience?

[superninja12]

I have got a pc with some general logitech speakers and A steelseries arctis pro headset for gaming.

I also like to play rpgs like the witcher 3 and dark souls.

do you hear a difference from good a seperate:
- Dac (like audioengine)
- speakers audioengine A2+
- subwoofer (no clue which one)
- perhaps anything else im missing?

or am I better off buying an all in system.

the budget well, im just buying the speakers for now , im adding a dac and subwoofer later so dont worry about that

so in short, do you guys think a seperate dac for your speakers is worth it?

 

[InvalidError]

IMO, it is only 'worth it' if you aren't happy with built-in sound.

 

[superninja12]

IMO, it is only 'worth it' if you aren't happy with built-in sound.

I just wonder if it really enhances the sound experience, for instance like going from a tn to a ips panel

 

[justin.m.beauvais]

Generally, for just gaming, the built in audio is good enough. If you are an audiophile or doing audio work a DAC is a great idea. Now, I'm an audio snob... but when I am gaming the audio just isn't as important to me. It is hard to focus on it with so many other things going on. When I'm just watching videos or listening to music I'll notice the difference between my onboard audio and my Audigy. I don't have an external DAC, but I'm told that they are even better than the Audigy.

I feel like if you don't have high end speakers or headphones that you won't be able to tell the difference. Your speakers and headphones need to be able to actually output with enough fidelity to tell the difference. I use a set of the Sony VR6 studio monitors as my daily driver headphones. They aren't super high quality, but they are good, and I can hear the differences with them on. If I am using my Logitech gaming headset, Sony earbuds, or speakers, it is somewhere between impossible and way harder to hear the difference.

In your case, with your audio devices, the primary use of the DAC would be to eliminate noise introduced by the internal amplifiers and EMI from within the case. If you notice the noise, the DAC will benefit you. If you don't notice the noise, then there is no reason to get one. I notice the noise from the onboard audio, which is why I got the Audigy. There is now a LOT less noise. An external DAC would reduce that noise further. If you don't notice the noise, you don't need a DAC.

 

[superninja12]

Alright cool justin thank you

 

[therealduckofdeath]

I concur with the above. Since those speakers has a built-in amp you'll only need a DAC if you hear issues, like distortion or interference, with the one on your motherboard.
For suitable subwoofers, Audiogene does make a matched subwoofer for their speakers. If you don't like the price of that one I guess you'll have to search for one with similar specs to theirs. In the something else category I guess you can put cables. Computers, displays and everything else around a PC tends to be electronic noise polluters, so in worst case scenario you might have to look for better shielded cables than what you get bundled.