The DAC Paradox: What Everyone Forgets About Amplifiers with Digital Inputs

The Forgotten Conversion

In high-end audio, digital-to-analog converters (DACs) are usually a subject of intense scrutiny. From standalone DACs to processors and streamers, their specifications are examined line by line.

Yet when it comes to power amplifiers with digital inputs, accepting Dante®, AES67, or AES/EBU, the DAC stage often disappears from the conversation. The signal must still be converted to analog before driving loudspeakers, but this last and most critical conversion is rarely documented.

This blind spot is what we call the DAC paradox: the stage most likely to affect what you hear is also the one most often overlooked.

Clearing Up the Confusion

Class D ≠ Digital

Much of the confusion begins with Class D amplification. The “D” simply followed Class A, B, and C in amplifier taxonomy. It never meant “digital.”

Class D amplifiers use pulse-width modulation (PWM) to switch their output stage. To the eye, PWM may resemble digital on/off behavior, but the result is still a time-varying analog voltage and current. In other words, the loudspeaker is always fed an analog signal.

A few projects in the 1990s tried to create so-called “power DACs” by directly converting PCM into PWM. These designs remained rare because the challenges of the power stage and output filter were still very much analog problems.

Amplifiers With Digital Inputs

Another source of confusion comes from amplifiers that accept digital audio inputs (Dante, AES67, AES/EBU, or S/PDIF).

The Amplitude16 and its optional Dante input board

These units give the impression of “keeping the signal digital.” But before any speaker terminal, a DAC must still convert that digital stream into an analog waveform. This conversion happens inside the amplifier, just ahead of the output stage.

Unlike source components or processors, manufacturers of such amplifiers rarely highlight this DAC or publish detailed performance specifications.

Why It Matters

The Hidden DAC Defines the Final Sound

In PA and live sound reinforcement, priorities often lean toward power output, reliability, and integration rather than maximizing specifications like signal-to-noise ratio or THD+N. In those contexts, absolute transparency is less critical than robustness.

But in high-end listening environments, the DAC stage inside the amplifier becomes decisive. Any noise, distortion, or loss of resolution introduced here shapes the final sonic result, and unlike earlier parts of the chain, it cannot be corrected downstream.

Resolution at Risk

Many power amplifiers with digital inputs also perform internal DSP processing. When this processing is done in fixed-point rather than floating-point, effective resolution is reduced.

Combine a limited internal DSP with an average DAC stage, and the result is a double compromise, one that undermines the fidelity of the entire system.

(Suggested image: side-by-side comparison table of floating-point vs. fixed-point DSP, showing loss of resolution.)

Trinnov’s Consistent Approach

Same DAC Architecture, Anywhere in the Chain

At Trinnov, we take the opposite approach: we make the conversion stage transparent.

Our Altitude processors and the optional Dante input board of the Amplitude¹⁶ amplifier share the same DAC architecture.

That means you can design your system in two ways:

• Analog outputs from the Altitude into the Amplitude¹⁶ (traditional).
• Dante outputs from the Altitude^CI into the Amplitude¹⁶ Dante board (networked).

In both cases, the DAC stage delivers almost identical performance. The only difference is its physical location in the chain. Performance, tonal balance, and transparency remain the same.

AoIP Without Compromise

Audio over IP adds routing freedom and simplifies cabling in modern installations. With the Altitude^CI and Amplitude¹⁶, integrators can design fully networked systems while maintaining reference-grade conversion quality.

A single cable is needed to connect the AltitudeCI directly to the Amplitude16

To ease integration, we recommend DirectLink, a method of dedicating a separate network path for audio between processor and amplifier. But DirectLink is not a replacement for proper network design. Best practice remains:

• Separate control and audio traffic where possible.
• Use managed switches with QoS.
• Invest in training for reliable AoIP deployments.

Takeaway: Every DAC Counts

There is no such thing as a truly “all-digital” amplifier. Class D amplifiers are analog, and power amplifiers with digital inputs always include a DAC, whether acknowledged or not.

That final conversion stage is as important as any other in the signal path. With Trinnov Altitude processors and the Amplitude¹⁶, conversion quality is consistent across the chain, ensuring that system performance is never compromised by a hidden weak link.

For integrators and enthusiasts alike, this resolves the DAC paradox: every DAC matters, especially the last one