Wireless headphones with an external DAC?

[TN1]

Hi folks,

I'm pretty savvy when it comes to PCs, and I know a reasonable amount about sound (former hi-fi nerd) but weeks of googling have garnered nothing but confusion. I'm hoping someone can help me out with a little advice, please.

My aim is to have high quality sound for gaming. This breaks down into two goals:

a) Wireless headphones to receive a signal from an external DAC or external soundcard

b) An external DAC or external soundcard

Part a) is done - I own wireless headphones.

Part b) is where I'm struggling. Is there a reasonably priced (preferably under £100) external DAC or soundcard that will output Bluetooth to my headphones? It seems like a simple question, I know, but I haven't been able to find an answer.

 

[siumatfung]

Sorry ignore

 

[JollyJamma]

Do you mean like the Ifi Zen Blue?

Edit: there’s a new Blue 3 DAC that adds lossless support.

ZEN Blue V2 by iFi audio - The Ultra-Affordable Bluetooth DAC from iFi audio

The art of ZEN A stunning hi-res Bluetooth streamer. Relax at home or in the office. Listening to music has never been as hassle-free. Bluetooth® from your laptop or smart device and let the ZEN Blue improve your music enjoyment.

ifi-audio.com

 

[arknor]

DO dacs actually connect to bluetooth headphones?

I always thought the purpose of the bluetooth on dacs was to create a distance between you and the object playing music but you still had to physically plug into the dac

 

[JollyJamma]

DO dacs actually connect to bluetooth headphones?

I always thought the purpose of the bluetooth on dacs was to create a distance between you and the object playing music but you still had to physically plug into the dac

No.

A DAC just converts analogue to digital and vice versa (depending on which way round you need to change the audio signal).

A Bluetooth DAC can take an analogue signal and convert it to a Bluetooth signal.

I’m not sure that a dedicated Bluetooth DAC would make a huge difference to the sound quality over your motherboards onboard Bluetooth chip but it really depends on a lot of factors including signal quality.

 

[arknor]

I’m not sure that a dedicated Bluetooth DAC would make a huge difference to the sound quality over your motherboards onboard Bluetooth chip but it really depends on a lot of factors including signal quality.

Realtek junk probably doesn;t support high resolution bluetooth audio protocols like LDAC/aptx-HD etc I'd imagine.

I own a DAC that can do bluetooth but never enabled BT on it or even attached the antenna, same with my motherboard

 

[JollyJamma]

Realtek junk probably doesn;t support high resolution bluetooth audio protocols like LDAC/aptx-HD etc I'd imagine.

I own a DAC that can do bluetooth but never enabled BT on it or even attached the antenna, same with my motherboard

Sure, Realtek stuff is often really average at best.

Try using the BT DAC over your regular source if you can make use of it.

I have both wired momentum 2.0 OE headphones which I use with an Ifi Zen V2 and pair of XM5 Sonys, and I much prefer the momentum’s, especially with the Zen DAC.

 

[ODuffer]

Perhaps add a Hiby R1 via USB C, this has BT out. You can also use it on the move.

 

[Yaayuh!]

Hi folks,

I'm pretty savvy when it comes to PCs, and I know a reasonable amount about sound (former hi-fi nerd) but weeks of googling have garnered nothing but confusion. I'm hoping someone can help me out with a little advice, please.

My aim is to have high quality sound for gaming. This breaks down into two goals:

a) Wireless headphones to receive a signal from an external DAC or external soundcard

b) An external DAC or external soundcard

Part a) is done - I own wireless headphones.

Part b) is where I'm struggling. Is there a reasonably priced (preferably under £100) external DAC or soundcard that will output Bluetooth to my headphones? It seems like a simple question, I know, but I haven't been able to find an answer.

The DAC is in your headphones. No matter how you transmit the audio over Bluetooth, you are stuck with whatever the headphones use.