[h-man]

I've been researching DAC's that are highly regarded in reviews, so far I've researched Fiio i1, but it seems that DAC is limited to 48Khz, and also I've read very good review of either the AudioQuest Dragonfly red (which I like for the price but do not like since it is a USB and I'd need a lightning to USB adapter which is to me too much hassle) and the other one is the OPPO HA-2 SE that one I really liked since it's lightning native but it's pricey.

Do you know of an affordable version that is lightning native and highly regarded in reviews?

I'm afraid I don't have any experience of lightning DACs - the chord mojo needs the usb to lightning adapter

 

[shigzeo]

Thank you for your input, let's see how this all works when I finally get my z5s and the Ha2se, I've been downloading hi res sources and been storing them in my NAS, that way I don't have to load the heavy tracks on my phone.

I'll post a reply after making some tests with the Z5s directly to the iphone jack vs the DAC jack.

We're waiting.

Hey there. I've been at this for many years and I'm not 100% convinced hi rez files are the way to go. You can get the same amazing sound quality from Spotify Premium and a mix of premium audio equipment plugged into your iPhone SE lightning port or via its headphone jack. Spotify Premium provides the source (music variety) and you fine tune sound quality by going with great equipment for home, office and travel. At home I connect my iPhone SE via lightening connector into an Oppo HA1 DAC and Beyerdynamics T1 2nd Gen open headphones. On the road I prefer travelling lighter and will just plug into the iPhone SE's headphone jack (SE already has a great standalone DAC) with a vintage pair of monster turbine gold IEM's or Beyerdnamics T51i headphones. I like Beyerdynamics Tesla headphones. Thanks, Victor

Hi-res mainly is marketing. Hi-Resolution is 100% about volume: how many decibels of dynamic range, noise, stereo separation, etcetera. If you don't listen to music louder than 90dB not only will 16bit more than suffice, most music, produced for hi-res or not, hasn't anywhere near the requirements to saturate 16bit.

Hey there, you are absolutely correct, you will need an external DAC to get bit perfect hi Res output from your iPhone. There are many DACs that can handle these files, I use the chord mojo which is a popular and great sounding little portable box. You will need a lightning to USB connector which Apple sells at exorbitant prices! You also need a software player other than iTunes (which doesn't handle FLAC). I use onkyo high Res player.

Hope that helps!

What do you mean by bit perfect? You can use ALAC with Apple's player, but there are many other software players as you suggested. In the end, what floats your boat is probably best, but again, hi-res is essentially a clever marketing gimmick.

 

[Jogim]

The iPhone SE has simply become an integral part of the audiophile world. The sound is phenomenally good. The two Cirrus logic chips do a very good job. I use the iPhone SE without an additional amplifier. I don't use a separate dac either. The output power is enough to drive a Sony 7506. These headphones and the iPhone SE make a very good team. I have only heard one high-res player so far, which sounds better than the iPhone SE (or the iPhone 6s Plus) it is the colorfly c3. There may be many players that have more output power. But I haven't heard a player that produces a better sound than the C3. As I said, the iPhone SE comes very close to it.