DAC equivalent for microphone IN?

[nicolas2465]

Hi all,

 

so I just read recently that plugging in a DAC to your PC and plugging in your headpones to that instead of the motherboard gives clearer, higher-quality sound with no interference.  I am interested in this for music, but my worry is that I also game and I need to use a headset and speak with a microphone on discord as well during some games.  Are there DACs with a MIC in and audio in, or would you need a separate equipment piece for the microphone?  Obviously you can use a USB microphone separate from your headphones (no mic on them) but using an audio/mic combo headset is more convenent.

[KarathKasun]

A USB sound card with input and output ports is technically a DAC (output) and ADC (input).

[Tz000]

43 minutes ago, nicolas2465 said:

Hi all,

 

so I just read recently that plugging in a DAC to your PC and plugging in your headpones to that instead of the motherboard gives clearer, higher-quality sound with no interference.  I am interested in this for music, but my worry is that I also game and I need to use a headset and speak with a microphone on discord as well during some games.  Are there DACs with a MIC in and audio in, or would you need a separate equipment piece for the microphone?  Obviously you can use a USB microphone separate from your headphones (no mic on them) but using an audio/mic combo headset is more convenent.

Get a Focusrite Scarlett they have many models ranging from $100ish--$1000 these provide a small headphone amplifier, microphone inputs, XLR combatibility and a range of other options heres there entry level unit on amazon check out there site for more detailed info about each product.

 

https://www.amazon.ca/Focusrite-Scarlett-Solo-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=focusrite&qid=1554081133&s=gateway&sr=8-1&th=1

 

https://focusrite.com/scarlett

 

Cheers

[jake9000]

The term you're looking for is Audio Interface. The focus solo posted earlier is popular but you can also get a Behringer U-Phoria for half the price if you're on a budget and aren't going to actually be producing music. I have a v-moda boompro plugged into one right now because both my onboard and the lil usb-3.5mm doodad I had were both making a lot of noise. 

One nice thing about going this route is you can get zero-latency microphone monitoring if you're into that kind of thing. 

[KarathKasun]

If the OP is just talking about getting around buzzy onboard audio, they do not need to spend more than ~$50 on an external USB "sound card".

[dalekphalm]

3 hours ago, nicolas2465 said:

Hi all,

 

so I just read recently that plugging in a DAC to your PC and plugging in your headpones to that instead of the motherboard gives clearer, higher-quality sound with no interference.  I am interested in this for music, but my worry is that I also game and I need to use a headset and speak with a microphone on discord as well during some games.  Are there DACs with a MIC in and audio in, or would you need a separate equipment piece for the microphone?  Obviously you can use a USB microphone separate from your headphones (no mic on them) but using an audio/mic combo headset is more convenent.

Assuming you're using a Headset with a breakout cable (1x 3.5mm for the drivers, 1x 3.5mm for the mic itself), you could just pick up a 3.5mm audio extension cable, and run the Mic directly into your motherboard.

 

That's the easiest solution. I would test that before spending money on anything else. You might be satisfied with the audio quality on your mic by just plugging it in directly.

 

 As others have mentioned, definitely have a look at USB sound cards. You can also go the crazy route of getting an Audio interface/mixer/input board/box, etc. But that's in all likelihood massive overkill.