rharv,

You're correct that both the USB headphones and powered speakers I use in my examples have embedded D/A convertors so the computer audio circuit is completely bypassed. So what? The computer's audio circuit also gets completely bypassed when a user attaches an audio interface. Bypassing the computer audio playback circuit doesn't automatically make whatever is used instead better. Truthfully the requirement to playback audio is not that high. The weak link in a computer audio connection is the headphone jack. Connecting any audio playback device through a USB port and the weak link is bypassed. A way to minimize the headphone jack is to keep a cable always plugged into the jack so wear and tear happens to the cable and not the jack.

The gaming and podcasting markets have broadened the audience for getting sound in or out of a computer. Devices intended for those markets likely are made from the same components as audio interfaces. If you're comparing devices that are comparably priced the D/A convertors likely are comparable. Audio interfaces use to be the only avenue to consistently get high quality sound in or out of a computer but that's not true anymore.

Most USB devices marketed for podcasting or gaming are Windows compliant and use built-in Window drivers. That means they are plug and play and are automatically recognized by the operating system when connected. No set up is needed, they just work. Even USB mixers by mainline audio companies like Mackie are starting to drop ASIO drivers and use built in Windows drivers for their USB mixers.

Compare that to downloading, installing, setting up and maintaining the ASIO device drivers most audio interfaces require. Ever have an ASIO driver quit working after a Windows update?

Now give me some convincing reasons an audio interface is better for audio playback than what comes built-into the computer.

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