Using headphones, I can tell the difference between Realtek MB audio, HDMI digital audio via TV's DAC (worse background noise, less bass) and a chinese USB DAC and preamp (less background noise, more bass). I hate the extra cables the USB DAC requires.
On my previous PC I used a Terratec DMX 6fire 24/96 with it's own heaphone preamp. It was better than onboard, but worse than USB DAC/preamp (more noise).
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Using headphones, I can tell the difference between Realtek MB audio, HDMI digital audio via TV's DAC (worse background noise, less bass) and a chinese USB DAC and preamp (less background noise, more bass). I hate the extra cables the USB DAC requires.
On my previous PC I used a Terratec DMX 6fire 24/96 with it's own heaphone preamp. It was better than onboard, but worse than USB DAC/preamp (more noise).