These typically take the form of metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) mixed-signal integrated circuit chips that integrate both analog and digital circuits.ĭiscrete DACs (circuits constructed from multiple discrete electronic components instead of a packaged IC) would typically be extremely high-speed low-resolution power-hungry types, as used in military radar systems. The audio DAC is a low-frequency, high-resolution type while the video DAC is a high-frequency low- to medium-resolution type.ĭue to the complexity and the need for precisely matched components, all but the most specialized DACs are implemented as integrated circuits (ICs). These two applications use DACs at opposite ends of the frequency/resolution trade-off. They are also used in televisions and mobile phones to convert digital video data into analog video signals. Digital-to-analog conversion can degrade a signal, so a DAC should be specified that has insignificant errors in terms of the application.ĭACs are commonly used in music players to convert digital data streams into analog audio signals.

There are several DAC architectures the suitability of a DAC for a particular application is determined by figures of merit including: resolution, maximum sampling frequency and others. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) performs the reverse function. In electronics, a digital-to-analog converter ( DAC, D/A, D2A, or D-to-A) is a system that converts a digital signal into an analog signal. ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ĩ-channel Cirrus Logic CS4382 digital-to-analog converter as used in a sound card. You can help by converting this article, if appropriate. This article is in list format but may read better as prose.

Top digital to audio converter