Best dac on Reddit

238 reviews from r/HeadphoneAdvice, r/iems, r/BudgetAudiophile and 20 more subreddits

238 reviews from

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By Brand

By Product

FiiO

4.3

(36)

"If you don’t need it for your phone, the k11 is a great choice."

"Just get a dongle DAC like the fiio KA11 and a USB c to USB adapter."

"I'll second the ka15. I use it at home and on the go."

"Go for fiio ka 11 the best portable dac."

"The KA15 is a great and reliable DAC/AMP."

"Amazing little thing 🔥"

"I've had no problems with it. It was cheap and it's nice and small."

"Just get a Fiio KA11 or another dongle from their line-up."

"The 13 is pretty awesome for its price and small. But sounds powerful."

"Fiio KA15 is very powerful portable DAC + AMP with built in EQ."

Fiio

4.3

(24)

"Fiio k11 r2r would be a great option."

"I have a FIIO k7 and love it."

"I love my fiio btr7."

"My Fiio K7 works great with my HD800s."

"Fiio Bluetooth dongles are perfect. I run a BTR7 no problem."

"I love my FiiO K7 with the AKM4493 sequential chips."

"I've been using this combo for a year now. It's been an absolute pleasure for my ears."

"Decided on the FiiO KA1 based on the generally positive feedback."

"I bought the K7 right away to pair with the Arya's. I liked it a lot."

"Considering the Fiio K11 R2R, Qudilex 5K (mainly because of PS5)..."

SMSL

4.4

(21)

"If you want to stay around $30, the SMSL PS100 is an incredible value."

"I recommend the SMSL PS100! :) "

"The SMSL Su1 scored as good as any DAC up to $250 US."

"But if you want audiophile level sound for $67 at the moment, get the SMSL Su1."

"One of the best DACs under $100 is the SMSL SU-1."

"SMSL SU-1"

"SMSL-SU1. I have one with a BT20 pro and Paradigm bookshelves for my desktop."

"This is a perfect time for me to plug smsl su-1."

"You can't go wrong with this DAC for the price."

"SMSL PS200 around $80. Features the latest ESS dac chip."

Schiit

4.3

(18)

"Schiit Modi/Magni stack. Around $250, hard to beat."

"Schiit audio makes great DAC’s."

"Schiit Fulla everyday."

"Use Schiit modi. I'm using Schiit modi and Magni."

"Schiit Modi, JDS Labs Element, SMSL SU-1, or Topping E30 are all great choices."

"For 189 you can get the magni unity it’s a dac/amp that have plenty of power to drive the 600 i use it with my 6xx and they sound great"

"If you’re in the USA, Schiit Magni Unity."

"Over 100usd but it's a solid combo."

"WiiM Pro and a Schiit Modi+ DAC. Best to connect them with a quality coaxial cable."

"I'm running a Nitsch Magni Piety and Schiit Modi 3 in my stack."

Audiocular

4.1

(16)

"I would strongly suggest d07 as a dac, very cheap and a good build quality too."

"D07 is the best im using it currently."

"Audiocular D07."

"The audiocular D07 is best option at this price range."

"I'd also recommend the audiocular/abigail pro."

"Audiocular d10."

"Audiocular D07."

"I use d07 and infind no problem with the earphones."

"Or audiocular D07/D08."

"Audiocular d07 from conceptkart, Same DAC (CX31993) and AMP chip(MAX97220) as Headphonezone x DDHIFI DAC."

Apple

4.1

(15)

"Just go for the Apple dongle. You won’t find anything better that cheap."

"Apple dongle works great with PCs."

"Apple USB C dongle is all you need imo."

"Apple dongle has an output impedance if 0.9."

"Buy an apple dongle and call it a day cuz its surprisingly competent for a dac"

"The Apple USB-C dongle (which is actually a DAC) should be enough."

"The apple dac dongle should be enough."

"A 10$ apple dongle will be more than enough to power the s2."

"The Apple dongle should be enough for you."

"No need to spend on an expensive dongle. Apple dongle or fiio ja11 drives these nicely."

Topping

4.2

(14)

"Nothing competes with it in terms of SE output you get on 3.5mm."

"When it comes to DAC+Amp combo I would say likely Topping DX3 Pro+ is the best for the money."

"Under 200 dollars topping dx3 pro plus is the most analytical."

"The DX1 is a fairly simple DAC+Amp combo, it is powered from host USB so you just connect it to a PC."

"As for decent DACs in the price, Topping DX1 comes to the mind."

"Topping dx3 pro+"

"Look at the brands Topping, SMSL, Fosi Audio, Nobsound."

"Nah just get one one those cheap ass chifi dacs like topping."

"Put a balanced r2r or chord dongle dac into a topping L70."

"Go for the toppiung beacuse it has the most neutral sound."

Qudelix

4.8

(9)

"I recently got Qudelix 5k and it's awesome."

"Great for its software and PEQ capabilities."

"Some options I like are the Qudelix 5k."

"The 5k previously mentioned is awesome."

"The EQ features are awesome."

"Qudelix 5K."

"Qudelix 5k."

"Definitely look at Qudelix 5k."

"I[https://www.qudelix.com/products/qudelix-5k](https://www.qudelix.com/products/qudelix-5k) "

Moondrop

4.2

(9)

"I recommend the Moondrop Dawn Pro. Sounds great, has 3.5 and 4.4."

"I recently bought moondrop dawn pro as I heard that it is the best dac at around 50$."

"Moondrop dawn pro is good sounds almost natural but just little warm sounding for me."

"Moondrop Dawn Pro. In theory it should have an app (Moondrop Link) on iOS."

"The moondrop dawn pro or the ka11."

"Moondrop dawn pro will be more than enough."

"The dawn pro can have a rattling noise due to one of the hardware components."

"The Moondrop Dawn Pro is pretty neutral for a Cirrus Logic DAC."

#10

iFi

4.7

(7)

"You could just get the iFi ZEN DAC 3 and be set."

"The iFi Air DAC is only like 100 bucks and amazing at the price."

"Terrific quality and well priced"

"ZenDac3 is pretty awesome with my xs."

"IFi Air Dac works wonders."

"IFi go link. New MAX version has a 4.4mm jack too"

"3) iFi Zen DAC 3 (balanced out)."

#11

JDS Labs

5.0

(5)

"Its marked down to $59 apparently"

"I personally couldn't recommend it enough."

"The JDS Labs Atom stack is pretty much one of the best measuring devices on the market."

"JDS Labs Atom DAC 2 and Atom Amp 2"

"Dac = JDS Labs Atom Dac 2"

#12

Fosi

4.0

(5)

"Get a fosi za3 and a cheap smsl dac"

"DAC with USB input - https://www.amazon.com/Fosi-Audio-ZD3-Converter-ES9039Q2M/dp/B0DHXH9RLZ"

"Fosi Q4?"

"It definitely has more power and in my subjective opinion a bit better sound."

"Fosi DS2 2024 is really good."

#13

Shanling

4.5

(4)

"I love my shanling ua1 plus because it’s so small you barely notice."

"It sounds freaking amazing for the size and price."

"Great sound, touch screen sometimes it’s not very responsive"

"I have the shanling UA1 Plus , it amazing so far."

#14

iBasso

4.3

(4)

"Nenu ibasso dc03 pro dac vadtuna excellent undi."

"Something like the iBasso DC01 or Shanling UA1 would pair nicely with your IEMs."

"The ibasso dc03 looks like a better choice overall."

"Check out Fiio K11 iBasso DC03PRO."

#15

Jcally

4.0

(4)

"Jcally JM6/6 pro is very popular, and provides more power than the Apple dongle."

"Probably the Jcally JM6Pro. It outputs 60mW@32ohm, more than enough power for your planar."

"If you want something decent and cheap, check the Jcally JM6 pro."

"Jcally jm6 pro would be perfectly adequate."

#16

Fiio KA11

5.0

(3)

"I think I will buy the Fiio KA11, do you recommend some other Fiio products similar?"

"Ye that's bad, I had similar MSI before with same audio, it's alc897 or something, KA11 would be a massive upgrade"

"Yeah you mean this trash DAC is not attached to my headphones, so i can use my headphones way better with a Fiio KA11 for example, and that would be a MASSIVE difference compared to the cooler master dongle and sound from my motherboard."

#17

Tempotec

4.7

4.0

(1)

"These are some good options but do your research."

#53

K5 Pro

3.0

(1)

"K5 Pro, DX3 Pro+ etc sound the same as an Apple dongle."

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