I've bought a pair of Mackie MR5 which I plan to hook up to my laptop.
I don't want to use my Realtek HD onboard, what I'm trying to decide is whether it get a USB soundcard (x-fi HD) or a DAC (likely an Audioengine D1). Will the DAC provide any perceptible sound quality improvement over the X-fi? Will I actually I hear the difference in real world use?
This is mostly for flac audio, some film and games. I'm not too concerned about multichannel.
I don't want to use my Realtek HD onboard, what I'm trying to decide is whether it get a USB soundcard (x-fi HD) or a DAC (likely an Audioengine D1). Will the DAC provide any perceptible sound quality improvement over the X-fi? Will I actually I hear the difference in real world use?
This is mostly for flac audio, some film and games. I'm not too concerned about multichannel.