this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2024
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looking for advice for USB DAC (lemmy.ml)
submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Hi linuxhardware gang

i've been having some issue on my headphone jack, and the sound quality has never been great. this is on a small mini pc running arch linux.

So what i'm looking for is a device i can plug into my usb (preferably usb-C) and Linux will use it to play audio. i plan to plug that device into my amp, which i can use headphone jack or those white and red plugs for.

I hope USB DAC is the proper term, i'm kind of struggling to find products that do this.

anyway, does anyone have experience with products like this on linux? i don't want to have to hack together the software side. even just a brand recommendation will help.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm currently in a similar situation to yours; this is what I've found so far:

  • Audiophiles recommend either the Schiit Modi or the Topping D10s. I've never heard of those brands before but they seem to be trustworthy, given the endorsements they receive.
  • There are many USB audio interfaces for musicians. Their main selling point is usually the input channels instead of the headphone output, but if it's good enough for musicians momitoring themselves while singing or playing an instrument, why wouldn't it be for me?
  • This is one of the cheapest I've found: https://www.thomann.de/intl/m_audio_m_track_solo.htm
  • I think if a device works with macOS you can assume it will also work with Linux.

By the way:

  • USB DAC is indeed the correct term.
  • The "white and red plugs" are called RCA connectors.
[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

That small M Audio interface doesn't look to shabby for the price, even seems to come with phantom power (power over ethernet but for instrument).