The Best Dacs For Apple Music Lossless In 2025

Fiio’s affordable KA11 dongle contains a DAC pinch a maximum solution of 32bit/384kHz — which is good supra Apple Music’s top-tier “Hi-Res” lossless format (24bit/192kHz) — truthful you tin beryllium judge that you’re getting each past spot of value retired of immoderate you’re listening to. Best of all, nan KA11 is powerful, too, pinch a higher measurement output than Apple’s connected headphone adapter (more connected this below). At astir $30, this dongle is nan champion bang for your subordinate erstwhile it comes to upgrading nan audio acquisition connected your iPhone, Android, PC aliases Mac. There’s moreover a Lightning type disposable for those pinch older iPhones and iPads.

We peculiarly for illustration nan simplicity of Fiio’s KA11 arsenic it’s plug-and-play pinch nary request to complaint it. It’s only somewhat bigger than a emblematic headphone adapter and it comes pinch a rugged, woven cable, truthful it tin grip a batch of deterioration and tear. There’s moreover a mini LED connected nan beforehand that lets you cognize if you’re listening to standard, high, aliases higher-resolution files truthful you tin beryllium assured you’re getting nan astir retired of your euphony successful existent time.

Yes, it’s nan Apple headphone adapter you cognize and (maybe) love, but it’s worthy considering if you want thing ace lightweight and moreover much affordable. Apple’s dongle doesn’t support nan larger, Hi-Res files disposable connected its euphony service, but it tin grip nan modular lossless (24bit/48kHz) format nary problem. As you’d expect, it’s disposable successful Lightning and USB-C versions depending connected which Apple instrumentality you’re connecting it to.

Sure, nan astir demanding listeners mightiness lament nan deficiency of support for nan higher resolutions, and it tin beryllium a small quiet pinch immoderate headphones that are high impedance (typically much costly “audiophile” models). For nan immense mostly of users, though, Apple’s dongle will do nan job. If you’re not sure, cheque nan manual for your headphones and look for Impedance (often listed arsenic Ohms) — thing beneath astir 150Ohms and you should beryllium fine. Anything supra that, and you mightiness want to see Fiio’s dongle instead.

Sennheiser’s BTD700 is simply a wireless adapter that plugs into your phone, upgrading its Bluetooth capabilities pinch nan latest high-resolution codecs specified arsenic Aptx Adaptive and Aptx Lossless. iPhones don’t support immoderate of these natively, but pinch this mini dongle, you tin unlock nan afloat imaginable of Bluetooth audio and nan higher bitrates (and successful mentation audio quality) Aptx Lossless offers. There’s a mini caveat, though: you will request Bluetooth headphones that besides support 1 of these codecs such arsenic these aliases these (or cheque nan merchandise page of nan group you ain aliases are considering).

The BTD700 is elemental to use, conscionable plug it successful to your phone’s (or different device’s) USB-C port, brace your headphones to it and disconnected you go. An LED connected nan dongle lets you cognize which of nan six different Bluetooth “qualities” (codecs) you’re enjoying truthful you will cognize erstwhile you’re listening to lossless audio. The useful part? Once you’ve paired your headphones pinch nan dongle, you won’t request to re-pair if you link nan BTD700 to a PC aliases Mac. This small adapter efficaciously gives thing pinch a USB-C larboard an audio upgrade, and there’s moreover a low-latency mode for gaming. Note, there’s nary Lightning action here, truthful if you’re connected an older telephone you mightiness person to unrecorded pinch utilizing an adapter.

If you’re looking to return things to nan adjacent level without spending “high-end” money, there’s a batch to emotion astir nan Melody DAC from Snowsky. Unlike a elemental dongle, nan Melody has onboard controls and 2 headphone jacks. One of those is for regular 3.5mm headphones, but nan different is for 4.4mm “balanced” headphones, which intends nan Melody tin turn pinch you if your audio travel takes you deeper into nan world of audiophilia.

The wood decorativeness gives it a prestigious consciousness and though it’s light, it still delivers that value “Hi-Fi” feel. As for sound quality, there’s support for 384K/32bit sample rates, which covers everything Apple Music tin deliver. The built-in amplifier tin easy spell louder than you should astir apt ever perceive and location are different luxuries, too, specified arsenic support for inline microphones — truthful you tin still grip calls and return meetings connected your phone. We besides emotion that you tin tailor nan sound to your penchant via nan Fiio Control companion app.

While you tin compression an awesome magnitude of audio tech into a headphone adapter, a somewhat bigger instrumentality affords a decent measurement up successful some specs and features. Moondrop’s Moonriver T2i DAC is somewhat larger than a battalion of gum, and it has a stylish creation that doesn’t look for illustration a boring, generic dongle.

Importantly, nan Moonriver T2i builds connected nan occurrence of nan company’s Moonriver 2 DAC. The “2” partially refers to nan usage of dual DAC chips here, which delivers a “balanced” signal. Each transmission tin grip up to 32bit/384KHz solution and location are 2 headphone ports. One for modular 3.5mm headphones and different for 4.4mm connections — making usage of that balanced output. If this is your first measurement into nan world of Hi-Fi DACs, you’re wholly good pinch 3.5mm headphones, but immoderate for illustration nan 4.4mm connector arsenic it provides much powerfulness and imaginable awesome benefits, particularly if you’re utilizing a headphone amp.

With nan Moonriver T2i you person a mates much applicable advantages. For one, location are beingness measurement controls connected nan instrumentality itself. If you ever felt that nan 16 levels of loudness connected nan iPhone (I conscionable counted) weren’t enough, past nan 100 steps of accommodation connected nan Moonriver T2i (via companion software) destruct immoderate worries astir mounting nan euphony to nan cleanable level. If your headphones person an in-line microphone, nan bully news is that this dongle will walk that done to your telephone aliases PC truthful you won’t request a abstracted instrumentality for calls.

Most importantly, nan sound that comes retired of nan Moonriver T2i is agleam and bold. You’ll perceive audiophiles talk astir sound stage, item and width, each you request to cognize is that this DAC ticks disconnected each nan buzzwords and serves up bright, robust sound that’s going to make immoderate lossless/hi-res euphony really shine.

Who said a DAC needs to beryllium a dongle? If you’re looking for thing a small much all-in-one past nan SP3 BT progressive speakers from Fiio are a awesome option. We for illustration that, for nan aforesaid value arsenic galore standalone DACs, you person everything you request to decode high-resolution euphony from almost immoderate root pinch USB-C and Aux inputs for phones on pinch modular Hi-Fi connections specified arsenic optical, RCA and coaxial.

These speakers didn’t make it to our testing bench, but nan SP3 BTs regularly person praise for their sound and premium build value astatine a reasonable price. For Bluetooth listening, there’s support for some Aptx Adaptive and HD on pinch Sony’s rival LDAC making these speakers thing of an audio swiss-army knife. While these speakers will make a cleanable companion to your location agency aliases workspace, they tin easy find a location successful your surviving room aliases den connecting to immoderate different euphony players you mightiness person (for vinyl you’ll still request a pre-amp).

If you’ve had immoderate acquisition pinch DACs and are looking to ratchet things up a notch aliases three, past the Mojo 2 from British institution Chord wants to person a word. At $650, this is decidedly successful nan high-end value range, but nan acquisition and features it offers make it worthy considering for superior audiophiles. But nan brains down nan Mojo 2 person been making integer to analog converters beautiful overmuch since location was integer euphony to moreover convert. That acquisition is what makes nan Mojo 2 a favourite among euphony fans.

Most options successful this guideline are designed for mobile devices first, nan Mojo 2 is much of a hybrid device. The mobile dongles supra each return their powerfulness from nan subordinate you link them to, which is convenient, but evidently is little benignant to your phone’s artillery life. The Mojo 2 has an soul compartment truthful won’t taxation nan 1 successful your telephone aliases laptop. It’s mini capable to beryllium portable, but important capable to unrecorded connected your desk.

Unlike astir DACs that usage disconnected nan support chips to grip nan digital-to-audio conversion, nan Mojo 2 uses section programmable gross array (FPGA) exertion to create its ain civilization “chip.” It’s besides powerful capable to enactment arsenic some a DAC and a preamp, driving moreover power-hungry headphones pinch ease. We’ve seen FPGA summation fame successful gaming circles for its expertise to imitate various consoles, but that aforesaid elasticity is what makes it absorbing to nan audio engineers astatine Chord.

If you request thing that’s superior L loud, past nan Mojo 2 will not disappoint. Proceed pinch be aware here. It’s really powerful capable to thrust 2 pairs of headphones astatine nan aforesaid clip and has 2 3.5mm ports truthful you tin do precisely that. The funny information buttons tin besides beryllium utilized to alteration sound profiles pinch an excruciating level of detail.

The Mojo 2 has modular USB-C, microUSB, optical and coax inputs truthful it’s much elastic than a batch of its title successful this regard. Although it’s worthy noting that you tin only complaint nan Mojo 2 via microUSB. Of course, there’s a cablegram provided for this, but if you’ve afloat made nan move to USB-C, it’ll mean you person to defender nan charging cablegram closely.