Apple Music Lossless, Amazon Music HD, Spotify Premium, Tidal Masters – But Your Phone Doesn’t Have a Headphone Jack? DAC Buying Guide!

It’s been one of the most frustrating trends in tech over the last several years.

Instead of improving the built-in headphone jacks on premium phones, manufacturers removed them to encourage more accessory sales. Bluetooth audio only became more popular when cabled audio was made more difficult to use.

Recently however, consumers have shown more interest in higher quality streaming. Despite all the tech reviewers claiming you “can’t even hear a difference”, or downplaying the audiophile community, it seems enough folks out there ARE interested in better audio and the gear to play that audio properly.

We know this market is real when Apple offers a streaming solution that their own phones can’t properly support.

Apple worked aggressively to make cabled audio a pain point, other manufacturers followed to make more sales, LG left the smartphone market, so now it’s up to us!

Here’s a (not so) quick primer on some different solutions for hooking up some headphones to a smartphone! Better music! Better movies! Better gaming!

Your ears will thank you!

DACs and Amps

Two terms you’ll see a lot in these conversations, “DAC” and “Amp”.

Digital audio works kinda the same way across most gadgets, and the cost of audio gadgets depends on the quality of the components.

A DAC is how we create an audio signal that our headphones can play. It’s a Digital to Analog Converter. D.A.C.

An audio file on your computer or phone is digital information, a series of one’s and zeros. We need to convert that info into an analog signal that can be sent over cables to our headphones. A DAC reads the digital info and converts it into electrical pulses.

The electrical output from the DAC is pretty low though, and if we’re going to drive our headphones, we need some piece of gear which can AMPLIFY that signal. The second part of our combo is the Amp.

To oversimplify:

• A better DAC will deliver ALL the audio information included in higher quality audio files.
• A better Amp will put out more power, drive nicer headphones, but won’t add any distracting noise or hiss.

We casually refer to DACs and Amps almost interchangeably. Often a single gadget will contain both pieces. Most of the solutions discussed in this article are both a DAC and an Amp. I find it’s still educationally relevant to discuss the two pieces separately, as some solutions might have a great DAC, but a weak Amp.

Someone might want to start with a simple dongle, but then add a standalone Amp for better output.

A little explanation should help someone better dial in the right solution for their budget.

With that primer out of the way, let’s get into the gear!

USB Pass-Through Dongles

Maybe your phone already has some solid audio processing inside, but it just lacks the hole to plug in your headphones?

A pass-through dongle does exactly what it sounds like. The audio signal is generated in the phone, and the dongle simply PASSES that signal to a connector which ends in a headphone jack input.

This is one of the most confusing aspects of smartphone audio.

A pass-through dongle will probably look exactly the same as a USB DAC Dongle. Plus, the phone has to support the pass-through, and there’s no way to know that until you try. It’s entirely possible people might try one kind of dongle, won’t get any output, decide their phone just can’t play back any cabled audio, give up, and turn to Bluetooth.

Worse still, some phone manufacturers include surprisingly good audio hardware, but you can’t know that until you connect a dongle and try it.

In 2019, the best headphone jack audio quality generated by a phone would have been found on the LG G8 and V50. What most people didn’t know was the second-best headphone audio quality of that year (generated internally by a phone) was on the Nokia 9 PureView with a pass-through dongle.

In 2021, Samsung phones don’t support pass-through dongles. OnePlus phones have surprisingly high-quality DAC output, but have weak internal Amps using a pass-through.

You might already have everything you need INSIDE the phone with the right adapter, but there’s no way to know until you try.

USB DAC Dongles

The next step is to generate an audio signal INSIDE the dongle or adapter.

This became the primary strategy for Apple when they removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7. The phone stores the music file, and sends that data out through the data port. A little chip lives inside the dongle’s connector, and when plugged into your phone, it uses the phone’s battery to power the audio processing.

USB DAC Dongles run a WIDE gamut of quality and power, and even at similar prices, DAC dongles are not created equal.

Apple’s USB-C dongle for the iPad is surprisingly good. It’s a steal at $8, and can easily output higher than CD quality audio, especially when connected to laptops and desktops.

By comparison, the Microsoft Surface Dongle is a fairly poor solution at $11.99. Average sound quality, and a weak amp for driving headphones or earbuds. It’s inexpensive, but Apple’s solution is cheaper and better.

These kinds of small DAC Dongles are the easiest to find, and they’re inexpensive. You can usually find the Apple adapters inside stores like Target or Best Buy. They’re generally good “all rounder” performers, but stepping up to higher prices, we can often deliver higher quality, louder output, and lower noise.

They won’t look much different, but the DAC Dongles from Hidizs or Periodic Audio will be properly rated for Hi-Res playback. Climbing into the $50 territory, quality improves and noise is reduced.

There are numerous challenges to balance with components this small. A little chip inside has to process information, which can draw more power from your phone battery AND produce more heat. We can keep the form factor small, but we have to worry about interference from the cellphone radios. Better shielding requires more space.

We can certainly improve the Amp over most laptop headphone Amps, but we start running into limits on how powerful we can make a TINY Amp.

As a brief tangent, Periodic Audio sells a $50 DAC Dongle called the Rhodium. It’s a decently loud DAC+Amp, built to power premium earbuds and nicer consumer grade cans. They also sell a TINY portable amp to help power even thirstier headphones called the Nickle.

The Nickle is ONLY an Amp, so you would need to pair it with a DAC of some kind. The Nickle is surprisingly powerful for its shockingly small size, but making something louder AND keeping noise to a minimum in such a petite shell is a costly manufacturing exercise. The Nickle is a $299 portable Amp.

After a point, when it comes to portable audio, costs don’t scale linearly with a consumer’s expectation of “quality”. The jump from a laptop headphone jack to a $50 USB DAC should bring a noticeable step up in tone, clarity, color, and loudness. As prices climb from there, audio fans are more likely listening for specific differences in processing, tone, distortion, and noise.

At higher prices, quality doesn’t necessarily keep getting “better” per dollar, but it should get more specific. As you get a better handle on what you prefer, you can target your spending on the products that satisfy your taste.

This holds true for USB DAC Dongles and adapters.

THX has started a certification process for portable Amps, and they sell a first party DAC+Amp called the Onyx. It’s bigger than the previously mentioned DAC+Amp dongles but still relatively sleek compared to many other adapters and players.

The THX Onyx is roughly four times the price of Periodic Audio’s Rhodium, it’s larger, and it runs a warmer to the touch after a couple of songs. For those compromises however, THX’s focus is on reducing noise and distortion. A THX AAA certified amp should deliver some of the “cleanest” output possible, so it’s no surprise an Onyx would excel in that regard.

Comparing the Onyx and Rhodium, at significantly different prices, the Onyx has a much louder Amp, a lower noise floor, and produces less distortion. Not only can the Onyx put out more signal to your headphones, it generates less noise in the process.

All audio devices contribute some noise or distortion to the act of playing back your music. We want to reduce anything which might alter your music file or distract from what you’re listening to. On a cheaper headphone jack, you’ll likely hear hiss or hum, especially as you turn the volume up. Details in your audio might be dull or muddled.

Even a $8 Apple USB-C adapter should improve playback over the audio stapled on to a laptop or tablet motherboard.

Lastly, smaller USB adapters can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are built more for phones and will feature audio input when using headphones that have a microphone or headset connection. Some adapters are built more for laptops and might be inconvenient to keep in a pocket.

AudioQuest deserves a lot of credit for popularizing these smaller DACs with their Dragonfly line of adapters.

Apogee is known for making sleek recording gear, and their new Groove DAC+Amp is one of the most powerful solutions in its price tier. It’s an incredible achievement for a small USB Audio device, and the Amp on board is one of the most powerful I’ve yet tested.

Helm Audio was one of the first to sell a THX AAA certified Amp, and now offers a small DAC Dongle called the Bolt to go with their Amp.

Ikko makes a small Lightning connector DAC+Amp for iPhones called the Music Patch. It adds a bit of a lump to a phone, but replaces the ability to plug in headphones WHILE charging an iPhone. Truly, a courageous accessory.

There are NUMEROUS solutions, at a variety of price points, for smaller discrete adapters that draw power from their host computer.

Battery Powered DACs

But maybe you DON’T want your audio adapter to draw extra power from your phone or computer?

Maximizing play time, keeping performance consistent, and adding additional features or controls, the current crop of battery powered external DAC+Amps is formidable. New technology has trickled into more accessible price tiers. The timing is wonderful for all the new streaming services offering improved audio quality.

There’s a small concern with DACs that are powered by another host device. They draw additional power from that host. While almost all new phones use a USB-C port to charge, not all of those USB-C ports are the same.

Some phones have a USB 2 connector. Some phones have USB 3. Some phones support power output better. Some phones struggle with connecting accessories.

To maximize the performance of a portable audio adapter, some folks prefer taking power management out of the equation. If the DAC has its own battery, you don’t have to worry that it will be powered properly by any host.

The newest Battery Powered DACs borrow some of their look and feel from classic portable Amps. One of my personal favorites to showcase is the Fiio Q3, and there are many fans for the competing iFi Hip-DAC.

They look like tiny little pocket flasks. They’re fun.

The cases are larger to include the extra components and battery. The extra space can also be put to good use, including extra hardware controls, volume dials, switches, and multiple connectors.

The Q3 has three different analog connectors for different kinds of headphones. The traditional 3.5mm connector is the most popular, but some headphones use a “balanced” cable with a different arrangement of pins. I’ll have to save balanced connectors for a future guide. The general idea is to give the user more options for dialing in a specific sound and using their favorite kinds of headphones.

Like the Q3, the Hip-DAC also features multiple connectors and offers hardware buttons for bass boost and to change up the Amp power for the headphones connected. Both the Q3 and the Hip-DAC have tactile volume knobs to precisely dial in the volume of your audio.

Another brief tangent, older smartphones are miserable to use for serious music listening because of the lack of control. It wasn’t that long ago that an expensive phone would only offer 10-12 volume “steps”. Only ten “clicks” would cover the range of audio from silence to maximum volume. Those are REALLY big steps, and you would regularly find yourself in-between two clicks. One click up would be too loud. One click down would be too quiet. It was a revelation when LG delivered SEVENTY-FIVE volume steps on their phones, and more modern phones regularly support 25-30 individual volume steps.

Phones have gotten better, but there’s a satisfying tactile feel on these DAC+Amps. A smooth dial can slide into the exact volume you want.

There are fewer options for these kinds of solutions. They’re larger. They’re another gadget you need to charge. They’re less “convenient”. However, they offer greater control and more capabilities than a simple Dongle DAC.

Hybrid USB / BT DACs

An offshoot of the battery powered DAC, new Hybrid DACs might offer a more flexible approach to consumer audio.

There are some audio consumers who will want the best possible cabled quality at all times. There are some folks who might want a mix of wired and wireless listening. A Hybrid DAC includes high quality audio processing hardware and will connect to a host over a cable OR over Bluetooth.

Some of the top options in this tier would be the BTR line of Fiio DACs, the EarStudio ES100, and the Qudelix-5K.

Around $100, these DACs are often smaller than the previously mentioned Battery Powered DACs. They might not offer exactly the same level of sound quality or Amp output. They make up for those shortcomings by offering better flexibility.

On Android phones, using Bluetooth, these DACs can connect using higher quality codecs. APTX and LDAC help a phone send more information over Bluetooth than an iPhone can send over AAC. You still deal with some conversion and some compression though, so audio fans still rightfully feel that Bluetooth can’t achieve a true lossless listening experience.

With good line of sight, at a close distance, and maximizing the connection of LDAC, we can achieve a much higher quality signal over Bluetooth.

Of course, if you want to get EVERY byte of audio you’re paying for, you can always connect over a USB cable. Moving from phone to laptop, or from tablet to PC, Hybrid DACs offer some of the best audio quality, in a petite form factor.

In years past, we’d trade significant audio quality to get this kind of flexibility, but in the modern audio age, Hybrid DACs often flip the script on “jack of all trades” concerns. The compromises rarely overshadow the benefits of these little adapters.

Standalone Music Players?

Or maybe you just don’t want to mess with any of this!

It might seem silly to return to the bygone days of sporting an iPod, but there are some good arguments for rocking a standalone Digital Audio Player, or DAP for short.

Some people like the separation of communication gadget and media gadget.

There’s less wear and tear on your phone. There’s less distraction from notifications and alerts. If you switch from headphones to speakers, you don’t need to “dock” your phone when you use a separate player.

Obviously, there are some REALLY inexpensive options available. We bought a $30 MP3 player for my five-year-old daughter, and we’re not expecting audiophile grade reproduction. DAPs can range in price pretty significantly, often costing more than decent mid-range smartphones.

Like other audio solutions in this list however, investing in a good DAP should be an audio solution which will satisfy for YEARS of use.

The list of available options is too broad for me to sum up here, but you have numerous choices for features, quality, and form factor. Tiny little pucks, all the way up to significantly larger bricks.

As prices climb, we should expect improved audio quality, and we should also benefit from better computing power. A premium DAP will likely run some kind of operating system similar to a phone, and should support installing apps for multiple music streaming services. We think of “MP3 Players” as little hard drives that only store MP3s. The modern reality of a DAP, it can often be used to store playlists from a streaming site, just like your phone.

Like the other hardware and cabled features found on DACs, DAPs can also include WiFi and Bluetooth for wireless syncing and wireless playback. It’s an extra gadget to manage, but it’s a flexible POWERFUL solution for the discerning audio consumer.

Which One is Right for You?

Wrapping all of this up!

Audio conversations are never as simple as “buy” or “don’t buy”.

Audio is one of the oldest and most personal forms of wearable technology. There’s a TON of nuance in how you build and support YOUR audio chain. Over time you learn more about what you like, and that helps you craft a more personal experience.

I’ve resisted including more info on headphones in this article, as that could be a whole book of information all on its own. I feel the better place to start is with some kind of improved audio “source”.

If you buy better music files or upgrade your streaming first, your current DAC and headphones likely won’t showcase that improved audio quality.

If you improve your DAC first, it will probably do a better job of driving your current headphones, even if your audio files are compressed or lower quality. A better DAC+Amp SHOULD improve your current audio chain. From there you can improve the quality of the data and the headphones you wear.

I think the best audio experience is one grown over time with experience. Buying in at a really high level for premium AUDIOPHILE grade DACs and Headphones BEFORE you learn what you’re listening for is a really good way to burn a lot of cash.

I don’t want to dismiss the budget concerns of people who will find a $200 DAC purchase out of reach. Audio should be a joy, not a burden. It’s exciting though, to hear how much improved consumer gear has become. A $30 to $50 purchase today can outperform some of the solutions that would have cost significantly more in years past.

A $200 DAC today is easier to use, more accessible, more convenient, and delivers noticeably higher quality than earlier generations of more expensive portable gear. Portable gadget quality used to be significantly more compromised for the benefit of being portable, but today there’s a healthier overlap. This one premium purchase might satisfy audio consumption on the road AND at home.

It’s an exciting time. It’s a LOT of fun.

Your ears will thank you.

Dive deeper into audiophile tech and hearing health! My #2020Hearing Playlist of audio topics, and a playlist for all my audio tech reviews!