[pk4425]

Hi all:

I want to buy a DAC/amp to drive my Meze 99 Classic, Moondrop Starfield and the probable upcoming purchase of either HiFiMan Sundara, HiFiMan HE400i (2020) or Sennheiser 560s. Yes, I know the 99 Classics and Starfields don't NEED amplification, but I think both would benefit from it.

Anyways, I'm looking for something small that I can use to drive those cans with Spotify at 320 kbps (CD Hi-fi soon!) from an iPhone 12, MacBook Air and Lenovo ThinkPad laptop. I'm trying to stay at $150 USD or lower. I want something that doesn't color the sound that much and has low noise, enough power to drive some hungrier cans I may buy in the future.

I'm not wed to either the dongle or small, portable box form factor. Bluetooth capability isn't essential, either, but would be nice. Here are the models I'm considering, and why:

iFi Hip: Excellent reviews from numerous professional and consumer sources. The ability to run balanced, if desired. But not as truly portable as a dongle. Will need to buy USB-to-Lightning adapter cable or Apple Camera Connector to use with iPhone. No app. Most expensive on list.

Zorloo Ztella: Good reviews from numerous professional and consumer sources. Love the small form factor and that you can buy with Lightning adapter. Can't run balanced, though. No app. Moderate price.

Tempotec Sonata HD Pro: Good reviews from numerous professional and consumer sources. Cheapest price on list. Love the small form factor and that you can buy with Lightning adapter. Quality control problems reported, though. No app. Enough power for higher-impedance cans?

Qudelix 5K: Excellent reviews from numerous professional and consumer sources. The ability to run balanced, if desired. Plenty of power. Great app with parametric EQ. Will need to buy USB-to-Lightning adapter cable or Apple Camera Connector to use with iPhone. Does Bluetooth work that well with AAC -- iPhones don't have LDAC. A bit quirky with setup? Toward the high end in price.

Which of these models do you think would suit me best, all things considered? Any other models I should consider?

Thanks for your help!

 

[PurpleAngel]

Schiit Fulla 3 DAC/amp.

 

[iFi audio]

iFi Hip: Excellent reviews from numerous professional and consumer sources. The ability to run balanced, if desired. But not as truly portable as a dongle. Will need to buy USB-to-Lightning adapter cable or Apple Camera Connector to use with iPhone. No app. Most expensive on list.

Let me just chime in and say that, although it's not a dongle, hip-dac pairs with Mezes really well. Those cans are awsome for their price btw.

 

[doctorstrobe]

I have the Qudelix 5K and got the ifi hip dac a few days ago.

My vote would be for the hip dac. I think it’s in a whole tier above the 5K for sound quality.
To me the 5K has kind of an odd “hollow” sound - like it’s trying to simulate room acoustics. I’ve given up on it now and will probably just use it as a bt receiver for some speakers...

For wireless portable use I use the Fiio btr3k. It’s cheap, sounds good enough for walking around, etc.

 

[iFi audio]

My vote would be for the hip dac. I think it’s in a whole tier above the 5K for sound quality.

Out of curiosity, can you use Qudelix 5K as a BT receiver for hip-dac?

 

[doctorstrobe]

Out of curiosity, can you use Qudelix 5K as a BT receiver for hip-dac?

No, it doesn’t output the bt stream to the usb connection, just the headphone output.

 

[iFi audio]

No, it doesn’t output the bt stream to the usb connection, just the headphone output.

Understood, thanks!

 

[pk4425]

I have the Qudelix 5K and got the ifi hip dac a few days ago.

My vote would be for the hip dac. I think it’s in a whole tier above the 5K for sound quality.
To me the 5K has kind of an odd “hollow” sound - like it’s trying to simulate room acoustics. I’ve given up on it now and will probably just use it as a bt receiver for some speakers...

For wireless portable use I use the Fiio btr3k. It’s cheap, sounds good enough for walking around, etc.

Thanks for the impressions. I'm really enjoying the sound of the Hip Dac. Just suits my desired signature well. Plus I'm really impressed with the amount of power from a battery-driven device that doesn't break the bank, and it doesn't require any adapter "tricks" to fool the unit into high-gain mode with certain headphones like my TempoTec Sonata HD Pro. You just press a button with the Hip Dac.

The Sonata HD Pro is a VERY nice DAC-amp for $40/60. But the trickery required for the auto-gain mode to switch to high gain for certain headphones is a pain in the ass, especially since it reverts to low gain every time my phone gets a notification. Plus the Hip Dac just seems so much more durable and well built, especially when using the Apple Camera Connector, which looks like a suspension bridge cable compared to the spindly Sonata HD Pro Lightning cable.

 

[collegeboi97]

I have the Qudelix 5K and got the ifi hip dac a few days ago.

My vote would be for the hip dac. I think it’s in a whole tier above the 5K for sound quality.
To me the 5K has kind of an odd “hollow” sound - like it’s trying to simulate room acoustics. I’ve given up on it now and will probably just use it as a bt receiver for some speakers...

For wireless portable use I use the Fiio btr3k. It’s cheap, sounds good enough for walking around, etc.

How’s Fulla 4? It’s not as portable as hip dac but it looks quite well transportable and it looks like portable usb charger would be enough to power it when working in coffee shop.