Possible ways to damage a DAC?

Pouring water inside it.

(1) Plug in the wrong wall wart, a 28 volt one for a printer instead of the 5 volt one that it is supposed to be used with.

(2) Fry the coax input buffer with a massive static charge, near lightening hit, bad grounding problem.

(3) Fry the output buffers using the same methods as (2).

(4) Soak it with Coca Cola or other carbonated, sugared soft drink.

(5) Drop it into sea water while operating.

(6) Drop it off the top of a tall step ladder onto a concrete floor.

(7) Run it over with a fork lift truck

(8) Actually believe an audiophile subjective report about the latest model killobuck DAC - destroys its sound quality as well as (1) - (7)

Playing MP3s thru it

EMP pulse from a nuclear detonation.

Seriously though, a DAC is susceptible to the same things that damage electronics in general: Too high an ambient temperature, solder joint failure and all of the multitude of possible but unlikely issues electronics are prone to.

Send it 1s and 2s instead of 1s and 0s.

More seriously, the four big enemies are water, heat, chemicals, and physical impact. The fifth is stupidity.

1. Don't get it wet or keep it in an overly humid environment.
2. Don't overheat it by placing it near or on a source of excessive heat or cut off its access to air circulation.
3. Don't keep it near or expose it to corrosive chemicals and solvents.
4. Don't drop it, hit it, drop something on it, or set a heavy weight on it.


5. Dont take it apart, don't stick things through the air holes, don't drop candle wax in it, don't spray it with cleaners, don't dump sand in it, don't put peanut butter on it, don't twirl it by its power cord, IOW, don't be stupid.

Yes, it's also possible to fry it electrically, but most scenarios involving electricity would also fall into the don't be stupid category, and it really doesn't happen too often.

Only if its a 64kbps file.

Oh come on, stop perpetuating these audiofool myths Doug

Not quite that! Even iTunes mp3's can harm a DAC. I've fried two already with albums downloaded from Apple.

I once ruined one by hooking it up to the USB out on my Audio-Technica AT-LP240-USB Turntable!

At that bit rate the file is much too compressed. So much so that it can spontaneously combust inside the DAC.
Did they happen to be Justin Bieber records?? I heard those were SUPER compressed and very dangerous.

No, this is just fantasy.

Absolutely, much like people dozens of DACs spontaneously combust each year. It's just not really widely reported.

Well, how do you like them fried apples? Baked with brown sugar and cinnamon?

It's said that every time a DAC fries, an apple gets it wings.