does MacBook Pro need a DAC?

petar3

And other Mac book(Pro)  experts- I am interested in an older model that has the Super Drive (CD/DVD playback). And suggestions?

Happy Listening!

Any outboard DAC will likely be better than the internal one.  I’ve found that a good DAC is key to having the music converted properly. Even with cheap speakers you’ll likely hear a quite noticeable improvement.  When I moved to an outboard DAC on my Mac Mini, a Meridian Director,  I was amazed at the improvement. So much that after a couple weeks I upgraded to the Schiit GUNGNIR Multibit. It was crazy how much better the music was.  Two hours into the GUNGNIR and I knew I couldn’t live with it. I had to have the Yggdrasil. All three upgrades within a six week period.  The DAC is extremely important. It’s where the music starts. 

If money is an issue, you can get Audirvana for $79.00  It is a vast improvement on the built in DAC.  

I have an external DAC in my main system and use a Innuos Roon core, but when I travel I can even hear a huge difference using my MacBook Pro and a bluetooth speaker

I use this for my digital files in an otherwise high quality analog system:

MacBook Pro >  USB (C TO MICRO USB CABLE) > Chord MoJo > Black Dragon (MINI PHONO TO RCA CABLE) > Preamp

This is a reasonably low cost solution providing very good sound for me. Depending on the quality of your receiver, this may provide a substantial increase in SQ. Good luck.

Not using a DAC with a Macbook is like not using a decanter with a fine red wine. f1status above has it right. Your learning curve may not be as steep as his, but every step will be a big one. Start with any of the cheap DACs mentioned above.