A Tiny Matchbook-Sized USB DAC Will Make Your Headphones Sound Sublime

A Tiny Matchbook-Sized USB DAC Will Make Your Headphones Sound Sublime

If you’ve dropped a small fortune on a nice pair of over-the-ear headphones but are just connecting them to your laptop’s built-in headphone jack, you’re probably not hearing everything you paid for. For a better sonic experience, a dedicated DAC—or digital to analog converter—is the route you want to go. And Cambridge Audio has managed to squeeze its new DacMagic XS into a package as small as a matchbox—so it’s incredibly portable.

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Meridian Explorer USB DAC Review: Make Your Digital Music Sing

The Meridian Explorer takes the digital audio from your computer’s USB port, puts the code through some very fancy electronics, and spits out an analog signal to to your headphones or stereo. Yes, your computer’s sound card already has a built-in digital-to-audio converter that does this, but the Explorer is made by one of the most sophisticated manufacturers in the world. So in theory, it’ll make your music sound so good you’ll maybe almost forget the price tag. More »