Best portable dac on Reddit
219 reviews from r/HeadphoneAdvice, r/iems, r/inearfidelity and 8 more subreddits
219 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Fiio
4.2
(53)
"Amazing little thing 🔥"
"The fiio q3 just brought my 325s to life."
"I love my fiio btr7."
"Fiio ka11 perfect form factor for my windows pc."
"In the $100 range I'd recommend the Fiio BTR5 over eversolo."
"I used a BTR5 daily for a few years, its a great sounding and reliable device."
"Got the same in combo with Fiio FH9, amazing sound quality!"
"Fiio is the best in terms of raw numbers and quality."
"BTR5 is truly magnificent."
"BTR5 for bluetooth, just of the top of my head."
#2
Qudelix
4.9
(29)
"The Qudelix 5K is great for its software and PEQ capabilities."
"Definitely look at Qudelix 5k."
"I like the qudelix 5k or even the shanling M0 pro."
"A common one will be the Qudelix 5K."
"Qudelix 5k, look into it."
"I bought a quedlix 5k and it is worth it."
"The answer is the qudelix 5k and it's not even close."
"Qudelix 5k"
"A qudelix is like the perfect tool for iem’s."
"Qudelix 5k is usually around $100 especially on sale."
#3
Apple
4.2
(24)
"Still last after 2 years and sound exceptional."
"Apple dongle!"
"You don't need a DAC, if anything just use the apple usb-c dongle. It's a better DAC than youll ever need."
"Get Apple dongle."
"The normal Apple headphone adapter is remarkably good quality and more than fine for something like this."
"For most consumer headphones the Apple dongle is enough (USB-C version for Android and PC)."
"I vote for the Apple dongle."
"Apple dongle is enough for iems to perform the best they can."
"Apple one is decent."
"If you are spending <100 for a portable DAC/Amp, then just go with the Apple dongle."
#4
iFi
4.1
(22)
"My go to is ifi go blu but some other solid choices are 5k, fiio btr5/7."
"I'm using the IFI Go Blu the most at the moment."
"Best piece of kit I’ve bought this year."
"I just got the ifi hip dac and really like it."
"Better than the Apple dongle, nor power, better DAC chip."
"I use the Hip-dac and it works pretty good."
"I’d look at the ifi zen air dac."
"Other good option is ifi go link."
"If MQA is a requirement, then the iFi Go is a good option..."
"IFi GO Blu."
#5
Tempotec
4.4
(13)
"I use mine with Tempotec Sonata BHD Pro, plenty of power with independent volume control..."
"Just as other people have recommended already, go for the Tempotec Sonata HD Pro/Hidizs S8."
"The Tempotec version is only $54 on Amazon."
"A $39 Tempotec Sonata HD Pro dongle measures more accurate than even the $300 Dragonfly Cobalt."
"Get the Tempotec Sonata HD Pro iPhone version."
"It's cheap, very well built and have a detachable cable."
"If you want better build quality, a Tempotec Sonata HD Pro."
"*Tempotec Sonata Pro HD* will drive the 6XX to almost 110dB."
"A tempotec sonata hd will run them comfortably."
"Tempotec sonata hd pro is the cheapest good dongle."
#6
Moondrop
4.2
(10)
"Best for portability."
"Bought it when it first came out and it competes with many more expensive options."
"Moondrop Dawn Pro as well."
"Moondrop dawn pro is good sounds almost natural."
"The new Moondrop Dawn Pro and Fiio KA13 are little powerhouses."
"[Moondrop Dawn pro](https://www.amazon.com/MOONDROP-Pro-Protable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B0CFQS2B6L/)"
"If not, something like the Moondrop Dawn Pro will go a long way."
"Been thinking of the Moondrop dawn pro."
"I've heard good things about the Moon drop Dawn Pro."
"Moondrop Dawn, Qudelix 5k or BTR5."
#7
Topping
4.0
(5)
"Something bigger and more powerful like a Topping G5 will drive them with authority..."
"I got the topping G5, its got all the power for hd6xx and more."
"Topping NX4DSD gets my vote."
"Topping NX4."
"NX4 Dsd, it's a good portable amp and dac."
#8
BTR
5.0
(4)
"They sound phenomenal especially the soundstage is so expansive."
"A hell of a beast!"
"I run the BTR5 and I love it to bits."
"A good dac/amp like the BTR3/5 or ES100 will make a whole differenc in sound"
#9
Audioquest
4.3
(4)
"Sounds great, portable, great build quality."
"The Cobalt is superb however that’s very pricey."
"Use Tidal and a Dragonfly Cobalt but only if you have USB-C."
"There’s also the AudioQuest Dragonfly Black."
#10
Hiby
4.3
(4)
"I use it with HiBy Fc4 and Tripowin 4.4mm balanced cable. Sounds awesome."
"For Wired connection I recommend Hiby FC4."
"Probably, your better option is the Hiby FC4 when on sale."
"You can also check Hiby FC3, iBasso DC04 and the hidizs DH80/Dh80s."
#11
Chord
5.0
(3)
"Chord Mojo 2 is the portable DAC pinnacle."
"The previous gen is drop dead brilliant."
"I prefer my Chord Mojo."
#12
AudioQuest
4.0
(3)
"The last one is stunning and is the perfect companion."
"Better sound quality than a FiO."
"I notice a decent bump in sound quality with spotify."
#13
iBasso
4.0
(3)
"I am using iBasso DC03 Pro and find it very portable and adequate."
"The iBasso DC04 Pro is also a good alternative."
"An iBasso DC05 drives them fine with EQ."
#14
Questyle
5.0
(2)
"Questyle M15. You won’t be disappointed."
"Questyle m15 is another good option."
#15
Khadas
5.0
(2)
"Go for Khadas Tea, you won’t look back!"
"Khadas Tea is fucking based for iPhone and general LDAC Bluetooth use."
#16
ES100
4.5
(2)
"A good dac/amp like the BTR3/5 or ES100 will make a whole differenc in sound"
"If you don't need USB DAC there is ES100 for 99$."
#17
Astell & Kern
4.0
(2)
"That costs around 40 to 80 dollars."
"Get the Astell and Kern AK XB10 Bluetooth DAC."
#18
Drop
4.0
(2)
"$35 https://drop.com/buy/ddhifi-tc35b-usb-c-to-3-5-mm-adapter"
"There's a couple of good options on Drop at the moment: $25 https://drop.com/buy/alpha-delta-mk-2-usb-c-and-lightning-adapters"
#19
CEntrance
4.0
(2)
"Check out CEntrance DACPort or DACPort HD (I have the original and love it)"
"What about CEntrance DACPort HD?"
#20
Hidizs
4.0
(2)
"I recommend hidizs s3 pro. Nice and small too."
"Hidizs S9 and Audirect Beam 2 SE."
#21
Meizu
4.0
(2)
"A Meizu Hifi dongle will do just fine as a DAC."
"Meizu Hifi Pro is also a pretty good option."
#22
Apple Dongle
2.5
(2)
"The Apple Dongle will be fine."
"Just dont do it, dont spend more than the $9 for a apple dongle."
#23
Quedelix
5.0
(1)
"The Quedelix 5k is more than capable of powering them."
#24
Tanchjim
5.0
(1)
"I went with a Tanchjim Space for my nice but pocketable dac/amp ($90usd)..."
#25
Belkin
5.0
(1)
"Belkin Rockstar! *Way* better then Apple Dongle!"
#26
Ifi
5.0
(1)
"Another one in budget: https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/ifi-xcan-bluetooth-amp-dac.38242/"
#27
xDuoo
5.0
(1)
"XDuoo XD05 plus"
#28
Cayin
5.0
(1)
"Cayin RU7 is insanely good for a price/size/weight."
#29
Mayflower
5.0
(1)
"Works great with SR225x, RS2E, and everything else."
#30
Denon
5.0
(1)
"Finally received my Denon. I use it with HiBy Fc4 and Tripowin 4.4mm balanced cable. Sounds awesome."
#31
Meze
5.0
(1)
"Those sound great on almost anything. It's something Meze is known for."
#32
Earstudio
4.0
(1)
"Earstudio es 100 mk2"
#33
Audiocular
4.0
(1)
"Audiocular or Kinsound are good budget 32 bit dacs that I'm using. Costs less than $20"
#34
Q5K
4.0
(1)
"The Q5K is a good option if you need PEQ otherwise the Dawn Pro should suffice as well."
#35
OpenHeart
4.0
(1)
"Take a look on OpenHeart CX-31993"
#36
JCALLY
4.0
(1)
"JCALLY AP10 or FIIO KA13"
#37
Shanling
4.0
(1)
"Shanling UA2."
#38
Dragonfly
4.0
(1)
"I tried my Dragonfly Red/Airpod Max with the official aux to lightning cable."
#39
Ikko
4.0
(1)
"It sounds great, it's small and pocketable."
#40
Helm
4.0
(1)
"I use it at work with my DT880's and have been happy with it."
#41
ddHiFi
4.0
(1)
"DdHiFi makes some made out of aluminum."
#42
FiiO
4.0
(1)
"Quite nice for what it offers"
#43
HiBy
4.0
(1)
"I just ordered a HiBy FC1, and it seems to have more/better reviews on Amazon."
#44
Earmen
4.0
(1)
"I prefer the Eagle over the other 2 because it’s the smallest form factor."
#45
Audirect
4.0
(1)
"Audirect Atom2 has a version with iPhone connector."
#46
HipDAC
3.0
(1)
"I have a hipdac. It sounds great, feels high quality."
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