The very best DACs for Apple Music Lossless in 2025

Fiio’s affordable KA11 dongle accommodates 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 may 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 a better quantity output than Apple’s on headphone adapter (extra on this under). At round $30, this dongle is the perfect bang to your buck in relation to upgrading the audio expertise in your iPhone, Android, PC or Mac. There’s even a Lightning model obtainable 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 larger than a typical headphone adapter and it comes with a rugged, woven cable, so it might deal with a number of put on and tear. There’s even a small LED on the entrance that permits you to know when you’re listening to plain, excessive, or higher-resolution recordsdata so that you may be assured you’re getting probably the most out of your music in actual time.

Sure, it’s the Apple headphone adapter and (perhaps) love, nevertheless it’s price contemplating in order for you one thing tremendous light-weight and much more reasonably priced. Apple’s dongle doesn’t help the bigger, Hello-Res recordsdata obtainable on its music service, however it might deal with the usual lossless (24bit/48kHz) format no drawback. As you’d count on, it’s obtainable in Lightning and USB-C variations relying on which Apple machine you’re connecting it to.

Positive, probably the most demanding listeners may lament the shortage of help for the upper resolutions, and it may be a bit quiet with some headphones which are high impedance (usually dearer “audiophile” fashions). For the overwhelming majority of customers, although, Apple’s dongle will do the job. In the event you’re undecided, examine the handbook to your headphones and search for Impedance (typically listed as Ohms) — something under round 150Ohms and you ought to be wonderful. Something above that, and also you may wish to contemplate Fiio’s dongle as an alternative.

Whereas this information is primarily centered 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 is likely to be aware of the MQA codec, which the corporate used for its high-resolution audio till finally switching to FLAC in 2024. MQA may not be as widespread in streaming anymore, however when you nonetheless wish to ensure you can take heed to music from shops or companies that present it, the iFi GO Link can have you coated, 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 telephone, upgrading its Bluetooth capabilities with the newest high-resolution codecs comparable to Aptx Adaptive and Aptx Lossless. iPhones don’t help any of those natively, however with this small dongle, you may unlock the total potential of Bluetooth audio and the upper bitrates (and in principle audio high quality) Aptx Lossless affords. There’s a small caveat, although: you will want Bluetooth headphones that additionally help one among these codecs such as these or these (or examine 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 telephone’s (or different machine’s) USB-C port, pair your headphones to it and off you go. An LED on the dongle lets which of the six completely different Bluetooth “qualities” (codecs) you’re having fun with so you’ll know whenever you’re listening to lossless audio. The useful half? When you’ve paired your headphones with the dongle, you gained’t must re-pair when you join the BTD700 to a PC or Mac. This little adapter successfully provides something with a USB-C port an audio improve, and there’s even a low-latency mode for gaming. Notice, there’s no Lightning possibility right here, so when you’re on an older telephone you might need to dwell with utilizing an adapter.

In the event you’re trying to take issues to the subsequent stage with out spending “high-end” cash, there’s loads to like in regards to the Melody DAC from Snowsky. In contrast to a easy dongle, the Melody has onboard controls and two headphone jacks. A kind of is for normal 3.5mm headphones, however the different is for 4.4mm “balanced” headphones, which implies the Melody can develop with you in case your audio journey takes you deeper into the world of audiophilia.

The wooden end provides 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 help for 384K/32bit pattern charges, which covers every little thing 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, comparable to help for inline microphones — so you may nonetheless deal with calls and take conferences in your telephone. We additionally love you can tailor the sound to your desire through the Fiio Management companion app.

When you can squeeze a formidable quantity of audio tech right into a headphone adapter, a barely larger 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 appear to be a boring, generic dongle.

Importantly, the Moonriver T2i builds on the success of the corporate’s Moonriver 2 DAC. The “2” partly refers to the usage of 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 normal 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 wonderful with 3.5mm headphones, however some desire the 4.4mm connector because it offers extra energy and potential sign advantages, particularly when you’re utilizing a headphone amp.

With the Moonriver T2i you might have a pair extra sensible benefits. For one, there are bodily quantity controls on the machine itself. In the event 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 (through companion software program) get rid of any worries about setting the music to the right stage. In case your headphones have an in-line microphone, the excellent news is that this dongle will cross that by means of to your telephone or PC so that you gained’t want a separate machine for calls.

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

Who stated a DAC must be a dongle? In the event you’re searching for one thing a bit extra all-in-one then the SP3 BT active speakers from Fiio are a fantastic possibility. We like that, for a similar worth as many standalone DACs, you might have every little thing you have to decode high-resolution music from virtually any supply with USB-C and Aux inputs for telephones together with commonplace Hello-Fi connections comparable to 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 inexpensive worth. For Bluetooth listening, there’s help 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 house workplace or workspace, they’ll simply discover a house in your lounge or den connecting to another music gamers you might need (for vinyl you’ll nonetheless want a pre-amp).

In the event you’ve had some expertise with DACs and wish to ratchet issues up a notch or three, then the Mojo 2 from British firm Chord desires to have a phrase. At $650, that is positively within the high-end worth vary, however the expertise and options it affords 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 cell gadgets first, the Mojo 2 is extra of a hybrid machine. The cell dongles above all take their energy from the participant you join them to, which is handy, however clearly is much less sort to your telephone’s battery life. The Mojo 2 has an inner cell so gained’t tax the one in your telephone or laptop computer. It’s sufficiently small to be moveable, however substantial sufficient to dwell in your desk.

In contrast to most DACs that use off the shelf chips to deal with the digital-to-audio conversion, the Mojo 2 makes use of subject 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 recognition in gaming circles for its capacity to mimic varied consoles, however that very same flexibility is what makes it attention-grabbing to the audio engineers at Chord.

In the event you want one thing that’s capital L loud, then the Mojo 2 won’t disappoint. Proceed with warning right here. It’s truly highly effective sufficient to drive two pairs of headphones on the identical 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 commonplace 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 you can solely cost the Mojo 2 through microUSB. In fact, there’s a cable offered for this, however when you’ve totally made the change to USB-C, it’ll imply it’s important to guard the charging cable intently.