PC Audio - Analogue or Digital?

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I have a Fujitsu ESPRIMO C5730 PC connected to my Denon integrated amp so that I can play my collection of FLAC files.
Audio Codec - Realtek ALC663

At the moment it is connected using the analogue speaker jack directly to the aux inputs on the amp. The sound is OK, but a bit dull when compared to listening to a CD through the same amp.
Am I likely to get any better sound using a digital connection from the PC and then converting this to analogue?
I can send audio out from the PC using the DVI connection and a DVI/HDMI adapter and I have seen devices than can separate two-channel analogue audio from the HDMI signal. Is this likely to produce better sound?
Alternatively, should I get a sound card with digital output and connect this to a DAC and then the amp?
Or, should I just leave things as they are?
 
Solution
The general problem with computer analog output is that there are a lot of electronic "noise" inside the computer. So any solution that allows the digital to analog (DAC) conversion outside the computer is usually the best solution. I would use a external DAC, but try out first you AMP digital input. It is cheaper (because you already have it). There are quite big differences among DAC conversions, so if you are not satisfied with you AMP dac part, it is easy to replace it by using good quality external DAC.

hannibal

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Apr 1, 2004
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The general problem with computer analog output is that there are a lot of electronic "noise" inside the computer. So any solution that allows the digital to analog (DAC) conversion outside the computer is usually the best solution. I would use a external DAC, but try out first you AMP digital input. It is cheaper (because you already have it). There are quite big differences among DAC conversions, so if you are not satisfied with you AMP dac part, it is easy to replace it by using good quality external DAC.
 
Solution

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