[Hawson]

I'm a student and am trying to get some portable dac for when I'm using my laptop on campus. I bought the starfields and an Xduoo XD-05 basic as my source. While the starfields sound fine, I am hearing a slight hiss from the XD-05. It's not audible when listening to music but extremely annoying when I'm not. Also, it's annoying having to plug in two cables to the XD-05 when using my laptop (one for data and one for charging). Does anyone have any recommendations for a portable dac/amp that I can use easily with my laptop? My budget is around $150 but I could go slightly higher if necessary. Just looking for something to get a clean signal out of my laptop. I don't really need anything to use on the go because the dac in my phone is actually pretty nice. Thanks!

 

[gimmeheadroom]

El-cheapo recommendation could be audioquest dragonfly or something similar. I have not heard them.

Just the fact anybody responded will now lead to thousands of pages of opposing posts

Don't thank me, just throw money...

 

[dounuts97]

you could go for the ddHiFi TC44B or the Zerda ITM03 based on the reviews in HeadFi.

 

[3Putter]

Look at Earmen, Dragonfly Black, Periodic Audio has a small dongle that produces great sound. There are many great choices out there. And as soon as you select one you'll want another. And another...

 

[will1am]

Even if you don't need anything on the go I would still go Qudelix 5K, you can use it as a desktop dac, it is quite powerful and you can move around your computer more freely if you go with bluetooth. Bonus : you get a parametric equalizer with it.

 

[kadinh]

https://andyaudiovault.com/100-dongles-battle-royale/

 

[3Putter]

https://andyaudiovault.com/100-dongles-battle-royale/

Dude, that's some righteous work there! Well done. I still use my Radsone Earstudio amp from my phone to any IEM and wonder how much I truly gain by buying other gear.

 

[silent-circuit]

Hidizs DH80S. Been very happy with mine. Zero issues with hiss. Plenty of power for any IEM and most over-ears. Supports MQA if you care about that. Has its own battery so it doesn't drain your phone. ~$125

 

[IDrinkLava]

Apple dongle is more than enough for Moondrops.