Better gaming sound: Six gaming DACs in testing

External sound cards (DACs) aren’t just gaining popularity in the HiFi community. It is also popular with gamers who want a better sound on gaming forums. Because DAC (English for Digital to Analog Converter) offers a quick and inexpensive upgrade to bad motherboard sound.

In this article we focus on gaming DACs. Their detailed sound should make it easier for players to spot their opponents’ pace. Thanks to the crisp bass, they should also be able to follow the individual sound effects on the game card: from the click of a drawn grenade pin to a buzzing bullet.

We deliver on the promises by testing six gaming DACs: Creative Sound Blaster Play! 4, Creative Sound Blaster GC7, Fosi Audio K5 Pro Gaming, Schiit Fulla E, Sennheiser EPOS GSX 300 and SteelSeries GameDAC. Test candidates cost between 20 and 175 euros a little. As an alternative to the Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S (USB stick format DAC), which is popular in Germany and unfortunately no longer in production, we chose the Creative Sound Blaster Play! 4 decided.

What makes a DAC

The basic structure of an external sound card consists of a digital-to-analog converter, amplifier, various inputs and outputs, and in some cases an internal equalizer. While plugging an internal sound card into the mainboard’s PCIe slot, you can connect the DAC to your PC, laptop, console, and smartphone via USB. This separates it from internal sources of interference in the computer that could cause crackling and popping.

There are three factors that differentiate gaming DACs from HiFi DACs: Gaming DACs typically provide a microphone connection – an important function for multiplayer gaming. Many models come with specially developed software with which you can adjust the equalizer according to your desires and thus set up the game mode. Additionally, gaming DACs are often cheaper than hi-fi DACs – apart from some outliers like the Mayflower Arc Mk2, which aren’t listed here.