--From James Trew / Engadget (https://www.engadget.com/the-best-dac-for-lossless-high-resolution-music-iphone-android-160056147.html)
Best for super high resolution: Fiio Q3
Price: $150
Max resolution: 32-bit / 768kHz
Fiio has been a popular name in the portable DAC scene for a while now, and for good reason. The products deliver solid audio quality, support all manner of resolutions and are compatible with a wide range of devices. The
Q3 is bigger than the previous options on this list (it’s about 1cm shorter than an iPhone 4), but remains fully portable. There are even some goofy silicone bands so you can strap it to your phone, rather than have a flappy, heavy appendage.
For users on the go, the Q3’s built-in battery (good for about eight hours) means you won’t need to drain the power on whatever you’re plugging it into. It also means mobile users won’t need a dreaded second cable. Throw in support for
three different size headphone jacks (sadly, ¼-inch isn’t one of them) and you have a DAC that will serve you souped-up sounds wherever you are and whatever you’re listening to.
There isn’t a display, which you might expect for something this size, but there is an LED that changes color when you’re listening to something higher than 48kHz, so you can tell which tracks in your streaming service’s library really are higher-res. The dedicated volume control doubles as a power knob and there’s also a “bass boost” switch just like the good old days. On top of the USB-C input, there’s also the option for analog audio sources via the 3.5mm port.
Even if you’re not listening to high sample rate music, the Q3 sounds fantastic. The difference in volume, punch and dynamic range that comes through in songs that sounded flat and dense when listening directly through a phone or laptop was remarkable. Throw in support for all the hertz and bit-depths that you’ll likely ever need and what’s not to like? Especially as the Q3 comes in cheaper than some of the less capable options in this guide (the slight extra heft will be a key factor here).