Have you spent what feels like a significant majority of the last year or so sitting in front of a laptop or desktop? For those of us fortunate enough to have kept working through the pandemic, the sight of our computer – day after day after day – has become all too familiar. 

Almost all of us have probably tried alleviating the repetition by listening to some music while we work – and that will inevitably have led to the uncomfortable knowledge that our computer sounds rotten. Worse than our smartphones, even – which, as we all know, is a pretty low bar.  

So what is to be done? A desktop system complete with speakers and what-have-you is one solution – but that’s not very considerate of the other people in the immediate vicinity who are also into their second year of WFH. No, a headphoness-based system has to be the way forward – just as long as it doesn’t rely solely on your computer. 

A laptop or desktop device is great for storing digital audio files. But digital audio has to become analogue audio before your ears can make any sense of it – so it needs to be dealt with by a digital-to-analogue converter (or DAC) before it reaches you. If your computer has a headphones socket, then it most certainly has a DAC chip – but the problem is that it’s a) definitely an afterthought and b) surrounded by about as much electrical and digital noise and interference as it’s possible to cram into a box the size of a computer. The chances of getting great sound from a laptop, given the circumstances, are roughly equal to the chances of getting a cordon bleu meal out of the contents of your recycling bin.

So if your desktop/laptop audio system is going to satisfy, the first thing you need to ensure is that this crucial d-to-a processing is being done competently. Here are three compact, computer-friendly digital-to-analogue converters that will take proper care of your digital audio files...   

Astell & Kern has plenty of previous where digital audio players are concerned, so you can be sure you’re in safe hands here. The USB-C Dual DAC (which we shall not be referring to by its official model number of ‘PEE51’) weighs around 25g, and consists of a USB-C plug joined to a tiny (50 x 10 x 17mm) DAC block by a braided, flexible little length of cable. On the inside, there are two Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACs capable of dealing with super-complex digital audio files of up to 32bit/384kHz resolution, as well (of course) as headphones amplification. On the outside, there’s a 3.5mm socket for connection to your headphoness.

Introduce the Astell & Kern into the chain between your laptop and your headphoness, and the difference in sound quality is roughly similar to the difference between a rowing boat and a speedboat. Your music gains punch, drive, dynamism, detail, sheer volume… and consequently is far, far more satisfying to listen to. 

Plus, of course, the USB-C configuration means you can plug it into your smartphones (which is probably too fashionable to have a headphones output) and put a rocket up your portable audio experience too. 

Price: £109 | Home AV Direct

What’s a mere 58 x 19 x 12mm, squeezes in a high-quality 32bit ESS9106 digital-to-analogue converter and appropriately talented headphones amplification, has a 3.5mm output at one end and a USB A plug at the other, and features a dragonfly motif that changes colour depending on the quality of the digital audio file it’s dealing with? You’re way ahead of me here, aren’t you?

AudioQuest has been perfecting its DragonFly range of portable DACs for a while now, and the sweet spot of the entire range is the DragonFly Red. Slot it into your computer’s USB output, plug in your favourite headphoness at the other end and enjoy the night-and-day difference in audio quality the Red can deliver.

Where sheer scale is concerned, it’s not even a contest. In fact, it’s not a contest where detail retrievals, dynamic headroom, low-frequency extension, midrange poise and all the other stuff that brings recorded music to life is concerned. You’ll need one of AudioQuest’s USB-A to USB-C adapters if you want to upgrade your mobiles listening too – but one listen to the DragonFly Red in action renders this the most obvious of purchases.   

Price: £169 | Amazon | Richer Sounds 

George Lucas (yes, him) founded THX in 1983, and ever since then the company has been bringing the sonic shock and awe to the movie-going experience all around the world. If you aren’t familiar with both the company’s logo and its ultra-bass audio call-card, well, you should maybe have visited a cinema when you had the chance.

The Onyx portable DAC/headphones amplifier only enhances the already considerable THX reputation. With a top-of-the-shop ESS9281 Pro DAC on board, along with the company’s Achromatic Audio Amplifier (which will comfortably drive even the most recalcitrant and power-hungry headphoness), and switchable connections between USB-C and USB-A, the Onyx is ideal for bringing some proper potency and precision to your laptop, desktop or smartphones listening.

The upgrades over the sound of your laptop are numerous and profound. There’s greater accuracy, more detail, a far more convincing sense of timing and cohesion, way more attack and drive, and the sort of all-around musicality that is completely beyond an unassisted computer. 

Price: £199 | Razer 

So having made sure the digital-to-analogue conversion is being done with due care and attention, you need only make sure your headphoness are up to par to guarantee your workstation’s sonic excellence. Because each of the little DACs listed above has a 3.5mm headphones socket, we’re recommending three pairs of hard-wired headphoness – because a wired connection will always sound better than wireless connection, and because you’re going to be so enthralled by the new, improved sound of your laptop you won’t want to move from in front of it anyway.    

Austrian Audio is a fairly new company, but its founders (who almost all started out at headphones Leviathan AKG) have several hundred year’s-worth of experience between them. Consequently, the Hi-X55 look, feel and – most importantly – sound like the product of a confident and accomplished brand. The closed-back arrangement means they can happily be worn without causing offence to those around you, and when they’re fed by one of our recommended USB DACs they sound bold, poised and revealing. They lay out a convincing soundstage, have real momentum and dynamism to their sound, and never fail to give you the complete picture.   

Price: £249 | Amazon | Gear4music

No stranger to the hugely expensive headphones, Final also does a nice line in deeply affordable earbuds too – and for £99, the A3000 are among the bigger no-brainers in all of Headphoness World. The ‘twist-to-fit’ arrangement makes them easy to position and means they’ll stay comfortable throughout the working day. They come with quite the widest selection of eartips we’ve ever seen, so you’ll get a secure fit no matter the minimal- or maximalism of your ears. And once they’re in place, the A3000 deliver the authentic Final sound: spacious, well-defined, packed with detail – but always, and endlessly, musical. They may not feel the most luxurious, but the A3000 certainly sound it. 

Price: £99 | Amazon | Gear4music 

No one ever asked if Sennheiser really knows what it’s doing where headphoness and earbuds are concerned, and for good reason: the company knows precisely what it’s doing, and the IE300 are simply the latest confirmation of that fact. Compact, lightweight in-ear headphoness with sufficient powers of analysis to be considered monitors, the IE300 are a perfect companion for any of our favourite USB DACs. The fit is snug but not invasive, and will stay comfortable for hours on end. The build quality and standard of finish is unarguable. And the sound is hefty but nimble, informative but not dispassionate, and thoroughly engaging no matter the sort of stuff you like to listen to. Never doubt Sennheiser.

Price: £259 | Amazon | Sennheiser 

As far as turning your laptop or desktop into a viable and enjoyable source of music, then, you’re pretty much there. But there are a couple of simple additional steps you can take to ensure you’re getting every last drop of performance… 

First of all, check your computer’s USB audio output settings. It’s important to make sure your laptop is outputting the digital audio information to the USB DAC at its native resolution, so that all the processing is left to the DAC.

If your computer has sufficient memory, it’s best to download rather than stream the music you want to listen to. Stability of information is key to everything we want to achieve here, and storing the digital audio files on your machine’s internal memory is preferable to streaming from the web where this is concerned.

If you have to stream, though, then consider hard-wiring your computer to your router if that’s at all possible. Just as a downloaded file is ultimately preferable to a streamed file, a wired connection to the router will offer greater stability than a wireless one.

You don’t have to work in silence, and you don’t have to endure unpleasant sound while you’re working either. You just have to take the responsibility for your audio gratification away from your computer and hand it over to the experts.

This article was originally published by WIRED UK