iFi has released their Hip-DAC, a $149/£149 portable DAC with S-Balanced 3.5mm single ended and a 4.4mm balanced output.
The DAC, a Burr-Brown DSD1793, is capable of supporting native playback up to DSD 256/DXD 384/PCM 384kHz and MQA.
It utilizes quad J-Fet OV4627A OPamps and can output 2.0V/400mW @16 Ohm. It's powered by a li-po 2200mAh battery, and weighs 125g. Charging is via a separate USB-C input, and battery is stated to last up to 12 hours.
It's got the iFi treatment, with a male USB-A inset input, connecting to the V.4 AMR XMOS chipset for a stable, quality connection. It's got an XBass bass boost, as well as switchable gain in their Power Match toggle.
Oh, and this little thing is able to plug into a PC and work as a USB DAC from your Window or Mac computer.
I'm currently using it as a portable DAC for an iPod and Pixel 4. With UAPP on the Pixel 4, I can get MQA, but otherwise Tidal will suffer the Android SRC and output 16-bit 44.1kHz. Honestly, I can't tell the difference on the go, so I'm a happy camper!
One thing I will note: on the iPod, volume is maxed out, and on low volumes, the Hip-DAC has a noticeable channel imbalance, which can be corrected in the iPod accessibility settings. However, out of the P4 (with or without UAPP) I can control the volume output on the phone. Reducing volume on the phone and raising it on the Hip-DAC will eliminate the imbalance and allow for a very enjoyable experience.
What do the rest of you think about this little offering from iFi?