To get things up and running only takes 3 simple steps. You would just need to first connect the included USB-C cable from your device's USB port to the DAC3; then you'll need to connect the mini-jack output of your DAC3 to headphones, or any audio input of your powered speakers, stereo system, etc.

Next, if using a Mac, you will need to go to System Preferences/Sound, and select "Audioengine DAC3"; if you're using a PC, no setting changes are needed as the computer will automatically find the USB driver. Finally, you'll just need to adjust the volume on your device and DAC3 to medium and you’re ready to play music from iTunes or your favorite media player and that's it! Setup really is that easy!

The DAC3 will work with Android or any device that can operate as a USB-C host, can provide enough power via USB, and includes generic drivers for standard USB audio playback.  A device with Android 5.0 or later should have both USB host mode and native plug-and-play functionality for USB audio, so you could connect the two together using the included USB-C cable.

The DAC3 is essentially a very high-end external sound card. Its components and implementation of those components make it more capable than what might be built into a computer, not to mention the benefit of moving those sensitive components outside and away from the potentially noisy interior of your computer. All of this means the signal your speakers or wired headphones receive will be clearer, with a lower noise-floor, and with a more pronounced dynamic range over your internal sound card.

The DAC3 includes a headphone amplifier based on the ES9281A PRO Ultra DAC delivers 32-bit precision, high dynamic range and ultra low distortion. This headphone amp is able to provide low-impedance, high-fidelity audio to a wide range of wired headphones.

In order to stream Spotify to the Audioengine B-FI or A1-MR, Spotify requires a paid Premium account. This unlocks the Spotify-Connect feature within the app to send the audio to your Audioengine B-FI/A1-MR.

A single device using a personal (1 user only) Spotify Premium account cannot play multiple songs simultaneously. However, this would be possible with a family plan and more than 1 device (B-Fi or A1-MR) though.

The following troubleshooting tips can help diagnose and correct most concerns with the DAC3. We have attempted to make this list as comprehensive as possible. So, even though some of these may not apply to your issue, please still go through each one.

1. Restart your phone, tablet or computer and make sure your computer’s OS and all related apps are up-to-date.
2. Verify that the audio cable (or headphone) connection out of the DAC3 is complete and in working order. You can do this by unplugging the cable and then reconnecting.
3. If using a computer, disconnect all other USB devices temporarily to see how this affects DAC3 playback.  Audio over USB and bus powering a device can both be somewhat demanding.  USB ports can share a bus internally and can also share their bus with devices internally as well.  Because of this, some ports may not perform as well as others; so be sure to try each USB port one at a time.
4. If using Windows, uninstall the USB driver from your computer.  Then disconnect D3 from your computer and plug it back in to allow the driver to re-install automatically.  You can find complete instructions from Microsoft on how to reinstall a plug-and-play device under Windows here.
5. If you are using a Mac, try a NVRAM/PRAM reset.  This resets the system configurations for some audio and video related items and can many times help clear up problems related to audio.  See Apple’s support page for information on how to do this. Also, be sure to check the App store to see if there's a newer version of Mac OS you could be running.
6. Try music with different bit depths and sample rates.  On a Mac these settings are under Applications --> Utilities --> Audio MIDI Setup.  Try using both 16-bit and 24-bit, as well as 32-bit settings.
7. Experiment with using a different media player (iTunes, Songbird, WinAmp, Cog, etc) and different audio file types (MP3, ALAC, FLAC, etc).  And if your media library is located on an external drive or network attached storage (NAS), try playing audio files on your internal local hard-drive.
8. If possible, try your DAC3 with a different device to see if something is causing an issue in the current setup.

The following diagrams show the most common configurations for connecting your DAC3 from a computer' USB port to wired headphones or any music system.

Step 1: Connect the DAC3 to your phone, tablet or computer's USB-C port using the included cables. (Lightning to USB-C for iOS devices and USB-C for MacOS, Android and Windows).

For PC, the DAC3 should be recognized automatically.

For Mac, under System Preferences/Sound, select "Audioengine DAC3" as the sound output.

Step 2: Connect the mini-jack output of your DAC3 to wired headphones, or any audio input of your powered speakers, stereo system, etc.

Note that the audio cables to connect your DAC3 to a stereo system are not included with the DAC3.

Step 3: Adjust the volume on your device and DAC3 via the side panel control to a medium level and start playing music.

For the full setup guide, download the attached PDF:
DAC3 Quickstart Guide

Yes!  As long as your speakers have an analog output (either RCA outputs or a 3.5mm stereo mini output), you can absolutely connect the S6 to your powered speakers.  With the exception of the B2, all of our powered speakers will have the outputs needed to connect the S6, this includes the original A2 and A5 models.

You can simply use RCA cables to connect the S6 to the A2+, HD3, HD4, A5+, A5+Wireless, and HD6 speaker models.

For the A1 and A1-MR speakers, you can use one side of your stereo RCA cables. Just use the left/white RCA cable, and leave the red RCA disconnected to prevent an accidental ground loop.

** Please note:  a 3.5mm/stereo mini cable will not work with the ‘Subwoofer’ output on the back of your A1/A1-MR speakers. **

No, there are no firmware updates or special drivers needed unless you own our A1-MR multi-room speakers or our B-Fi multi-room wireless streaming device.

If a firmware update is released for the A1-MR or the B-Fi, you will be notified of the update the next time you open the Audioengine Control App.  If an update is needed, simply click "update" on the DEVICES page next to the product that needs to have the firmware update applied.  The app will handle the rest of the process from there!

Standard plug-n-play drivers that are provided by your computer's OS are utilized when using the USB input on our A2+, HD3, and HD4 speaker models.

And all of our Bluetooth speakers/products are compatible with any device that supports Bluetooth, and the A2DP profile for streaming stereo audio. This includes most smartphones, tablets, and computers. For computers that don't include Bluetooth support out of the box, you can simply add a USB Bluetooth adapter.

When using the optical input of the D1 DAC or the HD6 speakers, you'll need to make sure your TV's audio output is set to PCM (not Dolby, DTS, or 5.1/surround).  Special hardware is needed to process Dolby audio signals.  If your TV is set to Dolby, it's likely you'll hear some audio but it will be intermittent in nature with dropouts.  Once the output is set to PCM, this should resolve the issue.  Check with your TV manufacturer for directions on how to make this adjustment.

If you have recently purchased a B2 and you cannot find the antenna or antenna post on the back of the unit, don't worry! Starting in 2021, we made some updates to the B2 cabinet.  One of those changes was mounting the antenna inside of the speaker cabinet.  So if you do not have an antenna nor see a way to attach one, then rest assured knowing that the antenna is mounted to the inside of the cabinet of your B2.

                                          Applicable to our A2+, HD3, HD4, A5+, A5+Wireless, and HD6 speakers.

Start with power cycling your speakers by turning them off and then back on.  From there:

1. Determine if the distortion is due to your source by disconnecting all source devices from the speakers.
2. Please make sure all of your connector cables are in working order. Try different cables as well as a different source device.
3. Please try using each input available (mini-jack, RCA, USB, as well as Bluetooth), one at a time, to see how the speakers react. If the distortion is unique to one speaker, when testing via RCA switch the RCA jacks (red to white and white to red) to see if the issue remains in the same channel.
4. Make sure it is not a power issue by trying a power outlet that is on a different circuit.

If the issue persists, please click on the following link and then click on the dropdown to submit an email to our Support team:

Support Page

When doing so, please copy and paste the above troubleshooting steps along with the results of each and include this information when contacting us.

                                                           Applicable to our HD3 and HD4 speakers

Turn on the speakers using the power switch located on the rear panel.  The speakers will automatically go into Bluetooth "pair mode" and the Pair button on the front panel should start flashing.

1. On your source device (phone, tablet, laptop, etc), turn on Bluetooth and go to Bluetooth preferences.
2. Select "Audioengine HD3 (or HD4)" to pair and connect.  The Pair indicator on the front panel should be solid. Play your music and adjust the volume levels on the speakers and your device.

To add additional devices put the speakers back into pair mode by disconnecting them from your device or by pressing and holding the Pair button on the front panel until the pair indicator starts flashing.

Our speakers can wirelessly connect to only one device at a time, however it will remember up to six different devices.