Portable DACs & Dongle DACs

The quickest upgrade to your music is a dongle DAC: a converter and headphone amplifier the size of a USB stick, plugged into your phone, tablet or laptop. The FiiO KA11, Tiny and JIEZI, and the Shanling UA Mini and UA1II, cost less than a takeaway and sound far better than the socket they replace. Spend a little more and the FiiO KA15, Cayin RU3 and RU7, iBasso DC07 Pro and Shanling Onix XI1 add balanced outputs, more power and finer DAC chips.

Portable DAC and amplifier

For headphones that want serious power on the move, a portable DAC/amp such as the FiiO QX13, iBasso Nunchaku or IKKO ITM05 has its own battery and bigger amplification, and often doubles as a desktop unit.

Which to choose

• Phone or laptop? All work over USB-C; iPhones need the Lightning or USB-C version noted on each page.
• 3.5mm or 4.4mm? Balanced 4.4mm gives more power for demanding IEMs and headphones.
• Battery or bus-powered? Dongles draw from your phone; portable amps carry their own battery.

Pair with our in-ear monitors or headphones. For your desk, see desktop DACs and amplifiers.

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