Khadas Tea Ultra-Slim Magnetic DAC & Headphone Amplifier

The Khadas Tea is the ultra-slim headphone amplifier that started the magnetic DAC trend: Khadas says it was the first portable DAC/amp to attach to an iPhone with built-in magnets. It snaps onto a MagSafe iPhone (iPhone 12 or newer) and lets you listen to high-definition music and lossless streaming straight from your phone through wired headphones, over USB or Bluetooth. Inside are an ESS ES9281AC Pro DAC for desktop-class audio and a Qualcomm QCC5125 Bluetooth chip with LDAC and aptX HD, with up to 165mW into 32Ω, dual microphones for calls and 8 hours of battery life, in a body just 7.95mm at its thickest point.

Magnetic and pocket friendly

MagSafe compatibility means the Tea attaches straight to an iPhone 12 or newer with no straps or bands; with an Android phone you can use a MagSafe-compatible magnetic case or ring. At 73.5g, 6.25mm at its thinnest and 7.95mm at its thickest, it slides into a pocket with your phone. A CNC-machined aluminium body and glass panel are designed to match the look of an iPhone, in teal blue or granite grey.

Desktop-class sound from your phone

The ESS ES9281AC Pro DAC, with an RT6863D buffer stage, decodes lossless audio, DSD, MQA and Apple Lossless. Over USB it plays PCM up to 384kHz/32-bit and native DSD256, and works as an MQA renderer. The 3.5mm analogue output gives up to 165mW into 32Ω, with output impedance below 0.3Ω, a 116dB signal-to-noise ratio on high gain and THD+N as low as 0.000355% (−109dB) into 300Ω. A professional audiophile crystal oscillator keeps the timing steady, on a four-layer HDI circuit board.

Wired to your phone or computer

Connected by USB-C, the Tea receives your music bit-perfect. It works with iPhones and iPads (Apple MFi certified), Android phones that support USB OTG, Macs, Windows 7 to 11 with Khadas’s USB ASIO driver, and Linux with a UAC2-compliant kernel. For an iPhone with a Lightning port, use the short USB-C to Lightning OTG cable in the box: an ordinary Lightning charging cable won’t work.

Bluetooth with LDAC and aptX HD

The Qualcomm QCC5125 receives LDAC, aptX HD, aptX, aptX Low Latency, AAC and SBC at up to 96kHz/24-bit, so you can leave the cable at home and stream from your phone to the Tea and your wired headphones. Dual built-in microphones let you take Bluetooth calls and use your voice assistant.

Simple controls and the Khadas Audio app

Buttons for power and volume (set in the DAC’s hardware) and an RGB status light handle everyday use, and the Khadas Audio app adjusts gain (low or high), EQ, digital filter and button functions.

Eight hours on its own battery

A 1,160mAh battery gives up to 8 hours of continuous music, so the Tea powers your headphones without draining your phone. It takes about 3 hours to charge.

Good to know

• It is a DAC and Bluetooth receiver for wired headphones; it cannot send audio to wireless earphones.
• Works with iPhone and iPad, Android phones with USB OTG, Mac, Windows 7 to 11 (install Khadas’s USB ASIO driver) and Linux with a UAC2-compliant kernel.
• With a 3.5mm headset, the Tea passes audio only (no headset microphone or inline buttons).
• In the box: Tea, 10cm USB-C to USB-C cable (data and power), 10cm USB-C to Lightning cable (data only), instruction manual, quick start guide and warranty card.
• Want a 4.4mm output, a screen and higher sample rates? See the Khadas Tea Pro.