The most effective DACs for Apple Music Lossless in 2025

Fiio’s affordable KA11 dongle comprises a DAC with a most decision of 32bit/384kHz — which is nicely above Apple Music’s top-tier “Hello-Res” lossless format (24bit/192kHz) — so you possibly can make sure that you’re getting each final little bit of high quality out of no matter you’re listening to. Better of all, the KA11 is highly effective, too, with the next quantity output than Apple’s on headphone adapter (extra on this beneath). At round $30, this dongle is the perfect bang to your buck in the case of upgrading the audio expertise in your iPhone, Android, PC or Mac. There’s even a Lightning model out there for these with older iPhones and iPads.

We notably just like the simplicity of Fiio’s KA11 because it’s plug-and-play without having to cost it. It’s solely barely greater than a typical headphone adapter and it comes with a rugged, woven cable, so it could actually deal with a number of put on and tear. There’s even a small LED on the entrance that permits you to know should you’re listening to plain, excessive, or higher-resolution recordsdata so that you could be assured you’re getting essentially the most out of your music in actual time.

Sure, it’s the Apple headphone adapter you understand and (possibly) love, but it surely’s price contemplating if you need one thing tremendous light-weight and much more reasonably priced. Apple’s dongle doesn’t assist the bigger, Hello-Res recordsdata out there on its music service, however it could actually deal with the usual lossless (24bit/48kHz) format no drawback. As you’d anticipate, it’s out there in Lightning and USB-C variations relying on which Apple machine you’re connecting it to.

Positive, essentially the most demanding listeners may lament the shortage of assist for the upper resolutions, and it may be a bit quiet with some headphones which might be high impedance (usually costlier “audiophile” fashions). For the overwhelming majority of customers, although, Apple’s dongle will do the job. When you’re unsure, verify the guide to your headphones and search for Impedance (typically listed as Ohms) — something beneath round 150Ohms and try to be superb. Something above that, and also you may need to contemplate Fiio’s dongle as a substitute.

Whereas this information is primarily targeted on Apple Music, a lot of the gear right here will unlock lossless audio regardless of the place you hear. If Tidal is your platform of selection, you could be accustomed to the MQA codec, which the corporate used for its high-resolution audio till finally switching to FLAC in 2024. MQA may not be as frequent in streaming anymore, however should you nonetheless need to ensure you can hearken to music from shops or providers that present it, the iFi GO Link could have you lined, together with the usual Apple Music excessive decision audio codecs, and the rest, as much as 32-bit/384kHz.

Sennheiser’s BTD700 is a wi-fi adapter that plugs into your cellphone, upgrading its Bluetooth capabilities with the newest high-resolution codecs resembling Aptx Adaptive and Aptx Lossless. iPhones don’t assist any of those natively, however with this small dongle, you possibly can unlock the complete potential of Bluetooth audio and the upper bitrates (and in idea audio high quality) Aptx Lossless presents. There’s a small caveat, although: you have to Bluetooth headphones that additionally assist one in all these codecs such as these or these (or verify the product web page of the set you personal or are contemplating).

The BTD700 is straightforward to make use of, simply plug it in to your cellphone’s (or different machine’s) USB-C port, pair your headphones to it and off you go. An LED on the dongle lets you understand which of the six completely different Bluetooth “qualities” (codecs) you’re having fun with so you’ll know if you’re listening to lossless audio. The useful half? When you’ve paired your headphones with the dongle, you received’t have to re-pair should you join the BTD700 to a PC or Mac. This little adapter successfully offers something with a USB-C port an audio improve, and there’s even a low-latency mode for gaming. Be aware, there’s no Lightning choice right here, so should you’re on an older cellphone you might need to dwell with utilizing an adapter.

When you’re seeking to take issues to the following stage with out spending “high-end” cash, there’s so much to like concerning the Melody DAC from Snowsky. Not like a easy dongle, the Melody has onboard controls and two headphone jacks. A type of is for normal 3.5mm headphones, however the different is for 4.4mm “balanced” headphones, which suggests the Melody can develop with you in case your audio journey takes you deeper into the world of audiophilia.

The wooden end offers it an aesthetic really feel and though it’s gentle, it nonetheless delivers that high quality “Hello-Fi” really feel. As for sound high quality, there’s assist for 384K/32bit pattern charges, which covers every part Apple Music can ship. The built-in amplifier can simply go louder than you must in all probability ever hear and there are different luxuries, too, resembling assist for inline microphones — so you possibly can nonetheless deal with calls and take conferences in your cellphone. We additionally love that you could tailor the sound to your desire by way of the Fiio Management companion app.

When you can squeeze a powerful quantity of audio tech right into a headphone adapter, a barely greater machine affords an honest step up in each specs and options. Moondrop’s Moonriver T2i DAC is barely bigger than a pack of gum, and it has a classy design that doesn’t seem like a boring, generic dongle.

Importantly, the Moonriver T2i builds on the success of the corporate’s Moonriver 2 DAC. The “2” partly refers to using twin DAC chips right here, which delivers a “balanced” sign. Every channel can deal with as much as 32bit/384KHz decision and there are two headphone ports. One for traditional 3.5mm headphones and one other for 4.4mm connections — making use of that balanced output. If that is your first step into the world of Hello-Fi DACs, you’re completely superb with 3.5mm headphones, however some favor the 4.4mm connector because it supplies extra energy and potential sign advantages, particularly should you’re utilizing a headphone amp.

With the Moonriver T2i you’ve gotten a pair extra sensible benefits. For one, there are bodily quantity controls on the machine itself. When you ever felt that the 16 ranges of loudness on the iPhone (I simply counted) weren’t sufficient, then the 100 steps of adjustment on the Moonriver T2i (by way of companion software program) eradicate any worries about setting the music to the proper stage. In case your headphones have an in-line microphone, the excellent news is that this dongle will move that by means of to your cellphone or PC so that you received’t want a separate machine for calls.

Most significantly, the sound that comes out of the Moonriver T2i is shiny and daring. You’ll hear audiophiles discuss sound stage, element and width, all you could know is that this DAC ticks off all of the buzzwords and serves up shiny, strong sound that’s going to make any lossless/hi-res music actually shine.

Who mentioned a DAC must be a dongle? When you’re on the lookout for one thing a bit extra all-in-one then the SP3 BT active speakers from Fiio are an amazing choice. We like that, for a similar worth as many standalone DACs, you’ve gotten every part you could decode high-resolution music from virtually any supply with USB-C and Aux inputs for telephones together with normal Hello-Fi connections resembling optical, RCA and coaxial.

These audio system didn’t make it to our testing bench, however the SP3 BTs commonly obtain reward for his or her sound and premium construct high quality at an affordable worth. For Bluetooth listening, there’s assist for each Aptx Adaptive and HD together with Sony’s rival LDAC making these audio system one thing of an audio swiss-army knife. Whereas these audio system will make an ideal companion to your property workplace or workspace, they’ll simply discover a residence in your lounge or den connecting to every other music gamers you might need (for vinyl you’ll nonetheless want a pre-amp).

When you’ve had some expertise with DACs and need to ratchet issues up a notch or three, then the Mojo 2 from British firm Chord needs to have a phrase. At $650, that is positively within the high-end worth vary, however the expertise and options it presents make it price contemplating for severe audiophiles. However the brains behind the Mojo 2 have been making digital to analog converters just about since there was digital music to even convert. That have is what makes the Mojo 2 a favourite amongst music followers.

Most choices on this information are designed for cellular units first, the Mojo 2 is extra of a hybrid machine. The cellular dongles above all take their energy from the participant you join them to, which is handy, however clearly is much less form to your cellphone’s battery life. The Mojo 2 has an inner cell so received’t tax the one in your cellphone or laptop computer. It’s sufficiently small to be transportable, however substantial sufficient to dwell in your desk.

Not like most DACs that use off the shelf chips to deal with the digital-to-audio conversion, the Mojo 2 makes use of discipline programmable gate array (FPGA) expertise to create its personal customized “chip.” It’s additionally highly effective sufficient to behave as each a DAC and a preamp, driving even power-hungry headphones with ease. We’ve seen FPGA achieve reputation in gaming circles for its capability to mimic numerous consoles, however that very same flexibility is what makes it attention-grabbing to the audio engineers at Chord.

When you want one thing that’s capital L loud, then the Mojo 2 won’t disappoint. Proceed with warning right here. It’s really highly effective sufficient to drive two pairs of headphones on the similar time and has two 3.5mm ports so you are able to do precisely that. The curious round buttons will also be used to vary sound profiles with an excruciating stage of element.

The Mojo 2 has normal USB-C, microUSB, optical and coax inputs so it’s extra versatile than a number of its competitors on this regard. Though it’s price noting that you could solely cost the Mojo 2 by way of microUSB. In fact, there’s a cable supplied for this, however should you’ve absolutely made the swap to USB-C, it’ll imply it’s important to guard the charging cable carefully.