The best portable DACs 2024: top headphone amps to make your music sing

One of the best portable DACs will make a major difference to the way you listen to music. But if you're not sure what a DAC is, you're not alone. A DAC (a digital to analog converter) is a device that translates the digital audio information from a phone or laptop into the analog sound that you hear when you listen to music. 

Of course, you don't need a separate DAC to get music from your device (read: phone, laptop, tablet, digital music player). There's one already built-in – there needs to be because humans can't hear digital signals. It enables you to hear the analog sound made by your favorite bands and artists instead of the digital file that lets you store it on a device in file formats such as MP3, FLAC, Sony's DSD or Apple's Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) – but not all DACs are created equal. 

Converting digital to analogue is a big job, and one which the built-in DAC in your device might not do well. When you consider the cost of your phone and the sum of all its parts, the value of the DAC inside can't amount to much. That's why a dedicated device, like one of the portable DACs in this guide, is a good idea. The music you hear through your headphones will bypass the converter in your device and head straight to the standalone option. The result is music that sounds crisper, clearer, more agile and just better compared to leaving this crucial converting process in the hands of the inexpensive DAC chip in your phone, tablet or laptop.  

In our list below, you'll find our pick of the best DACs, which we've spent time testing to make sure they offer audiophile-grade sound and some handy features, too, such as driving two headphones at once or offering wireless capabilities. If you're serious about music, keep reading.

The quick list

Looking for a simple way to find the best portable DAC with the features and price range you want? Use our quick list below and click to see a longer write-up of each product for more in-depth information.

Best portable DACs of 2024

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The best portable DAC overall

The Chord Mojo 2 portable dac

(Image credit: TechRadar)
The best portable DAC overall

Specifications

Inputs: Five digital inputs: coaxial, dual-data coax, optical, Micro-USB and USB-C
Outputs: 2 x 3.5mm
Bluetooth: No
Dimensions: 23 x 83 x 62mm / 185g
Sample rate: Up to 768kHz

Reasons to buy

+
Eloquent, engaging and endlessly listenable sound
+
Extensive specs and lots of input options
+
Can drive two pairs of headphones at once

Reasons to avoid

-
Staggeringly unintuitive interface
-
A bit big and heavy to be a truly mobile device

The original Chord Mojo DAC was at the top of our best portable DAC list for a long time, but it's been replaced by the Chord Mojo DAC 2. Replacing a product that’s borderline iconic can’t be easy - which is maybe why it’s taken Chord Electronics seven years to replace its original Mojo DAC / headphone amp. 

The Chord Mojo DAC 2 is very easy to use. All you need to do is hook a digital source into one end of the device, and some wired headphones into the other. 

During testing, we found this to be a brilliantly accomplished device, able to deliver all the musicality, all the detail, all the refinement and all the excitement hidden in what previously sounded like quite humdrum digital audio files. In pure performance terms, the Chord Mojo 2 almost constitutes a bargain. 

But there are several drawbacks, too. The Mojo 2 is bulky (the same size and weight as the original it's replacing) and it doesn't have wireless connectivity. What's more, its control interface can be confusing. 

Read our full Chord Mojo 2 review

The best budget portable DAC

The iFi Uno portable DAC on top of a laptop

(Image credit: Future)
The best budget portable DAC

Specifications

Inputs: USB-C
Outputs: 1 x 3.5mm
Bluetooth: No
Dimensions: 88 x 81 x 26mm (150g)
Sample rate: Up to 384kHz

Reasons to buy

+
Robust, confident and informative sound
+
Excellent specification for the money
+
Usefully compact

Reasons to avoid

-
Lopsided output at very low volumes
-
Can sound slightly edgy at bigger volumes

The iFi Uno DAC is one of the most affordable options on our list, but during our testing we were surprised to find that the improvements it makes to your sound experience are massive. 

We learned that, as long as you don’t intend to listen at either very quiet or very loud volume levels, the sound of your laptop once the Uno is plugged in is improved dramatically. We think even those who don't consider themselves audiophiles will recognize the improvement and agree that it's up there with the best portable DACs. 

In our iFi Uno review we commended this portable DAC for its detail retrieval, low-frequency extension, sound staging, transient response and stereo focus. These are all essential qualities that go towards delivering a genuinely enjoyable and convincing sound reproduction.

Read our full iFi Uno review

The best mid-range portable DAC

The Helm Audio Bolt portable DAC

(Image credit: Future)
The best mid-range portable DAC

Specifications

Inputs: USB-C
Outputs: 1 x 3.5mm
Bluetooth: No
Dimensions: 101.6 x 6.4 x 6.4 mm (28.35g)
Sample rate: 32bit/384kHz

Reasons to buy

+
Punchy and deft audio performance
+
As portable as can be
+
Properly made

Reasons to avoid

-
Minimal user interface
-
Can get shouty at volume

The Helm Audio Bolt USB DAC/headphone amp is a device that we found to be both small and elegant in its simplicity when we tested it. Like most of the DACs in this guide, it's designed to make the sound coming out of your laptop or smartphone far better than it otherwise would be. The good news with this option from Helm is that it's priced to make its talents available to as many people as possible and our best mid-range choice. 

The Bolt is in its element when it comes to high-resolution audio content. It can handle 32bit/384kHz, DSD256 and MQA stuff easily, generating enough power to drive most headphones we tested to workable level. It’s also genuinely portable, with a design that's small and light enough to slip in a pocket.

Overall, it delivers an enjoyable listen. Push up the volume to extremes and it can sound a little hard and two-dimensional, but otherwise we found it a pleasure to test. The levels of details are high here, frequency extension is impressive at either end of the range, and the soundstage it creates is convincing, not to mention fun.

Read the full Helm Audio Bolt review

The best premium portable DAC

The iFi xDSD Gryphon on a stool

(Image credit: Future)
The best premium portable DAC

Specifications

Inputs: USB-C, 3.5mm digital coaxial
Outputs: 3.5mm and 4.4mm
Bluetooth: Yes
Dimensions: 123 x 75 x 19 mm
Sample rate: 32bit/768kHz

Reasons to buy

+
Eloquent, informative and entertaining sound
+
Thoroughly specified and then some
+
Appropriately well made and finishedEmpty List

Reasons to avoid

-
Interface is not exactly intuitive
-
Needs decent headphones
-
Doesn’t really look like the money’s worth

The iFi xDSD Gryphon widens the operability and relevance of audio company iFi's DAC and headphone amp range by offering wireless, as well as wired, connectivity in a design that's small, light and portable. No, the xDSD Gryphon is not cheap, but the way it performs justifies the price.

The iFi xDSD Gryphon brings you major flexibility in terms of connectivity and digital audio content. It'll happy work with digital files of many types. In fact, we bet there’s no chance it can’t deal with what you give it. From there, it delivers what we described as "a completely confident and convincing sonic attitude" in our review – just make sure you use headphones that are up to the iFi xDSD Gryphon's high standards. 

If you're looking for a device that’s more than capable of doing the audio business, regardless of which digital film you're using and whether you want desktop or portable listening, it’s a no-brainer.   

Read our full iFi xDSD Gryphon review

The best portable DAC for design

iFi hip-dac 3 held in hand on white background

(Image credit: Future)
The best portable DAC for design

Specifications

Inputs: USB-C
Outputs: 3.5mm and 4.4mm
Bluetooth: No
Dimensions: 101.6 x 71.12 x 15.24mm
Sample rate: 384kHz

Reasons to buy

+
Classy and refined audio
+
Looks stunning next to your phone
+
Useful gain and XBass features add value

Reasons to avoid

-
Volume can be tweaked accidentally 
-
Rival options sound marginally more punchy

If want want a DAC that doesn't just sound good, but looks great too, then meet iFi's hip flask-esque hip-dac 3. 

It may look a little dull in the static photos from our review, but it comes in a shade called 'Titanium Shadow', because it was purported to "change tone in different lights, with hints of bronze and vintage gold." And, in real-life, it looks just as special as that description sounds. We think it'll pair fantastically well next to your shiny new iPhone 15.

Looks aside, how does it sound? Fantastic. In our iFi hip-dac 3 review we wrote: "once you've heard it, you'll struggle to go back to listening without it for detail, neutrality and clarity." We were right, this is one extremely enjoyable listen, delivering a classy and refined audio experience.

Read our full iFi hip-dac 3 review 

The best portable DAC for small pockets

the ifi go blu portable dac

(Image credit: iFi)

6. iFi Go Blu

The best portable DAC for small pockets

Specifications

Inputs: USB-C
Outputs: 3.5mm, 4.4mm
Bluetooth: Yes
Dimensions: 54 x 34 x 13mm / 27g
Sample rate: N/A

Reasons to buy

+
Wired or wireless connectivity
+
Big, bold sound

Reasons to avoid

-
We'll have to get back to you

Don’t let the picture fool you: the iFi Go Blu is actually minuscule. At 54 x 34 x 13mm and 26g, it’s small and light enough to forget all about and our top pick if you want a device small enough to slip into a pocket. Unless you’re paying attention to the music it’s serving you, of course, in which case it becomes impossible to ignore.  

iFi products show up in this list time and time again, and with good reason. The company is an absolute master at taking digital audio information and converting it to analogue information, intact and in full. And even when it’s doing so in an enclosure barely larger than a DAC chipset, it finds room to separate Bluetooth connectivity, DAC and headphone amplification into separate, discrete blocks - and the sonic results are startling.

Attach your Go Blu to your smartphone wirelessly. Attach your favourite headphones. Play one of your favourite songs. And then revel in the wide-open nature of the iFi’s sound, its rock-solid soundstaging, its lavish detail retrieval and its outright punch. 

The best portable DAC for desktops

Audioquest Dragonfly Red portable DAC

(Image credit: AudioQuest)

7. Audioquest Dragonfly Red

The best portable DAC for desktops

Specifications

Inputs: USB Type B
Outputs: 3.5mm
Bluetooth: No
Dimensions: 12 x 19 x 72mm / 22g
Sample rate: 24bit/96kHz PCM

Reasons to buy

+
Very portable
+
No battery to charge

Reasons to avoid

-
Lacks nuance
-
Little volume control

Audioquest basically invented the USB DAC with the original Dragonfly back in 2012, but until now the device's power demands limited it to desktop use, thanks to the iPhone's 100mAh limit on power draw through its lightning port.

But Dragonfly's latest devices completely change that. By using an all-new USB microcontroller, Audioquest's Dragonfly Red/Black's DACs now consume closer to 25mA, and can now be used happily with any iOS device - though you will need to shell out for an Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter.

This makes the Dragonfly a pretty compelling iPhone DAC. With a total size smaller than most USB sticks the Dragonfly fits easily into a pocket alongside an iPhone.

Dragonfly Red is the more premium offering. It contains a better DAC chip, and outputs 2.1 volts of power as opposed to the Black's 1.2 volts. That mean the Red is a better choice for driving high-impedance headphones.

With my headphones plugged directly into my iPhone I was comfortable listening to music with the volume set halfway, but with the Red I could listen at just a quarter and with the Black this was strangely reduced to just one volume bar.

In effect this means that you have a lot less control over the listenable volumes – turning the Black up just one volume notch meant that music was too loud, and turning it down one muted the iPhone completely.

Both versions, however, added a good amount of heft to the bass without sacrificing the clarity of mid frequencies. A play through of Daft Punk's Get Lucky didn't shimmer in the same way without the DAC than with it.

Whether you'll want to pay extra for the Red version depends entirely on how difficult your headphones are to drive – there's far more of a difference with power-hungry over-ears than budget in-ears.

Neither the Dragonfly Red or Black can match the sophistication of the Chord Mojo 2 at the top of this list, but their budget price and much more practical form-factor make for a far better portable listening experience.

The best portable DAC for USB-C devices

the astell & kern ak usb-c dual dac

(Image credit: Astell & Kern)

8. Astell & Kern AK USB-C Dual DAC

The best portable DAC for USB-C devices

Specifications

Inputs: USB-C
Outputs: 3.5mm
Bluetooth: No
Dimensions: 27g
Sample rate: PCM 32-bit/384kHz, DSD256

Reasons to buy

+
 Tidy dimensions for supreme portability
+
 Vigorous, convincing sound 

Reasons to avoid

-
 Seems like a lot of money for so little actual stuff 

As one of the biggest names around where portable music players are concerned, Astell & Kern has already demonstrated just how profoundly it knows its way around a DAC. And for its first stand-alone, off-board DAC, the company has (in relative terms) knocked it out of the park.

The USB-C Dual DAC is basically two little blocks (a USB-C plug and a DAC) joined by a flexible, braided length of cable. Lined up against any of the other DACs here (even the EarMen Sparrow) it’s tiny, and it weighs around 25g. But A&K has found room for two DAC chipsets capable of handling audio files of up to 32bit / 385kHz resolution, as well as headphone amplification. 

Make the connection between phone and headphones using the A&K, and stand by to be impressed. Your music gains attack and control, enjoys far greater detail levels... heck, it’s even across-the-board louder.

And while it’s not a wireless solution à la Audiolab, the USB-C configuration means you can even use it with those smartphones that are too fashionable to have a headphone socket. Well, not Apple of course, but then Apple always was determined to make things difficult.

Read more about Astell & Kern's USB-C DACs 

The best portable DAC for portability

the earmen sparrow portable dac

(Image credit: EarMen)

9. EarMen Sparrow

The best portable DAC for portability

Specifications

Inputs: USB-C
Outputs: 3.5mm, 2.5mm balanced
Bluetooth: No
Dimensions: 42 x 8 x 22mm
Sample rate: DSD, DXD, PCM (up to 384kHz), MQA (up to 384kHz)

Reasons to buy

+
Small, light, and supremely portable
+
Great specifications

Reasons to avoid

-
Big money for such a little object

At a trifling 8 x 22 x 42mm, the EarMen Sparrow is hardly a burden to carry about, making it our top pick for portability. But despite its negligible size, it’s full of the right stuff. It can handle most digital file types, from PCM and DSD to DXD and MQA, and it’s got both 3.5mm unbalanced and 2.5mm balanced headphone outputs. So good luck trying to find audio files or headphones it’s not compatible with.

And even though it’s hard to make a product of these dimensions seem like value for money, the glass-and-steel construction make it feel good too. Even the cables it’s supplied with look and feel quite expensively braided.

Best of all though, is the fact the difference the Sparrow can make to your smartphone-derived sound is out of all proportion to its, um, proportions. Detail levels, the definition of the soundstage, the extension and control of bass sounds... heck, even something as fundamental as volume gets a boost. 

The EarMen Sparrow, then, is further proof – as if any were really needed – that it's not the size of your DAC that counts.

The best portable DAC if money is no object

the ifi idsd diablo portable dac

(Image credit: iFi)

10. iFi iDSD Diablo

The best portable DAC if money is no object

Specifications

Inputs: USB A, S/PDIF digital and optical audio inputs
Outputs: 6.3mm, 4.4mm
Bluetooth: No
Dimensions: 25 x 160 x 72mm
Sample rate: PCM 32 bit / 768kHz, DSD512, and MQA (decoder)

Reasons to buy

+
Supports all hi-res formats
+
Profoundly accomplished sound

Reasons to avoid

-
Relatively large
-
Much pricier than similar rivals

Yes, we’re stretching the limits of the word ‘portable’ here, but because the 25 x 72 x 166mm iFi is a) battery-powered, b) weighs 330g and c) is supplied with a nice little carry-case for it, the iDSD Diablo qualifies for a place on this list. Which is just as well, because it’s one of the best-sounding DACs around – but you'll have to pay for that sort of premium.

No matter if you want to put an intense rocket up the sound of your smartphone, your laptop or an entire music or home theatre system, the iDSD Diablo is talented enough to make your hair stand on end. Its powers of analysis – the way it peers deep into a recording and returns with every scrap of information – are staggering, and it has the sort of dynamic headroom that can make the distance between ‘very quiet’ and ‘very loud’ very wide indeed. It’s controlled, it’s insightful, it’s tonally impeccable and, above all else, it’s musical. No recording is too dense, too complex or too tricky to wrong-foot it.

In fact, the iFi iDSD Diablo could well be all the DAC you’ll ever need. Which, when you have another glance at that price-tag, is probably just as well.

The best portable DAC for phones

The earmen tr-amp portable dac in red

(Image credit: EarMen)

11. EarMen TR-Amp

The best portable DAC for phones

Specifications

Inputs: USB-C
Outputs: 6.3mm, 3.5mm
Bluetooth: No
Dimensions: 129 x 66 x 30mm / 240g
Sample rate: DSD 128 Native, DSD 256, PCM (up to 384kHz), MQA (up to 384kHz)

Reasons to buy

+
Adaptable
+
Chunky, convincing sound

Reasons to avoid

-
Bulky dimensions

Much like the Chord Mojo 2 at the top of our guide, the EarMen TR-Amp is a cuspy product. Its dimensions (30 x 66 x 129mm) and weight (240g) mean it’s far from big or heavy in and of itself, but there’s no denying it’s bigger and heavier than almost any smartphone. Which means you might think twice about whether it’s suitable for your ‘portable’ purposes. But then you hear what it can do, and all the digital audio file types it can do it with, and those considerations become quite a lot less compelling.

At one end of the boxy little frame, a couple of USB-C inputs deal with data and charging - and they can be used simultaneously (the battery’s good for around 10 hours of playback). There’s also a pair of RCA outputs, allowing for connection into a static system. At the other end there’s a big volume control, and 6.3mm and 2.5mm headphones outputs (which can also be used simultaneously).

And in between, the TR-Amp takes your digital audio information and spruces it up considerably. Where rhythmic expression, dynamic headroom and soundstage definition are concerned (just for starters), the EarMen outperforms your smartphone (and that’s any smartphone) comfortably, making it our top choice for use with phones. As long as you can accommodate it, the TR-Amp will do nothing but pamper you.

The best portable DAC for wireless

Audiolab M-DAC Nano portable DAC

12. Audiolab M-DAC Nano

The best portable DAC for wireless

Specifications

Inputs: N/A
Outputs: 3.5mm
Bluetooth: Yes
Dimensions: 44 x 44 x 14mm / 28g
Sample rate: 32-bit/384kHz

Reasons to buy

+
Easy to use
+
Adds wireless capabilities to wired headphones

Reasons to avoid

-
Battery life is so-so
-
Not as versatile as some options

Don’t be fooled by the tiddly dimensions, the M-DAC nano is a powerful, pocketable piece of audio excellence that we recommend if you're looking for an option to add wireless capabilities to wired headphones. 

A portable headphone DAC and amplifier at a reasonable price, it’ll boost the audio performance of any device with Bluetooth connectivity. It’s about as simple as a gadget like this can be: just connect the Audiolab to your smartphone or MP3 player wirelessly, plug a pair of wired headphones in and away you go.  

In effect, your headphones have a wireless connection to your phone, with a dedicated volume wheel on the M-DAC nano. An ‘F’ button on the unit enables 32bit/384kHz upscaling, bringing critical clarity and depth to your source’s sound.

You’ll get eight hours of playback under regular circumstances, and a still-respectable six hours with upsampling turned on too, and the Audiolab will drive headphones as demanding as 3000ohms with 7.5mw of power. It supports Bluetooth 4.2 (with aptX, aptX Low Latency and AAC codecs covered), which is more than enough to squeeze extra performance from a portable player.

The headphone jack is going the way of the dodo. The headphone amplification of smartphones is improving at a pace best described as ‘glacial’. So the M-DAC nano makes an awful lot of sense.

How to choose the best portable DAC for you

OK, we'll level with you. This isn’t the most glamorous tech purchase you'll ever make. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t demand for it and that you shouldn't buy one. Au contraire, if you care about the quality of your music, you should! 

New DACs are released all the time – large devices, smaller ones, those that are mains-powered and others that are battery-powered. You can get DACS for iPhones, as well as models with wired or wireless connectivity, too. We've explained all below, because we want you to make the right purchase for you and one you'll love for years to come. 

In this guide we’re focusing on the best of the most portable DACs around. If you give any one of these fine items a listen, then we guarantee your ears will thank you. 

What do I need a portable DAC for?

If you're serious about sound and have the headphones or speakers to match, a portable DAC is a serious audio upgrade. 

The DAC is the bit of your phone (or other audio device) that takes the bits and bytes of a digital audio file and turns it into audio for your headphones or speakers to play. In most smartphones, the DAC's sound quality is not the only criteria: there's size, and performance, and battery usage, and all kinds of other considerations. And that means while the sound quality from a device's own DAC is never less than acceptable, it isn't always brilliant. An external DAC improves your audio experience considerably.

Of course you could just get used to how your phone plays music. But if you're an audiophile (or even if you shy away from that term but you just love music) that just won't do. So, if your music isn't sounding quite as spectacular as it should – and the only thing you've changed recently is the source – it's likely that your new device (a new laptop, desktop, phone or tablet) has a poor quality DAC built-in.

The second reason to shell out for a better system is the fact that some of the more premium headphones on the market are 'high-impedance' headphones, which require more power through the headphone jack on your music source in order to work properly. (Impedance, for the record, is measured in a unit called ohms, and less than 50 ohms is considered to be low-impedance.)

As a rule, the harder a pair of headphones need to be driven, the better they will eventually sound when paired with the right equipment. An external DAC helps with these headphones as it can work as a headphone amp to provide the extra power needed to drive a high-impedance pair of 'phones.

Do DACs improve the sound quality of phones?

Yes. Very much so. 

There's already a DAC in your phone, but chances are it hasn't been designed solely for great audio: it's usually part of a balancing act for things like battery life, how much space is available inside the device, cost and other considerations. So you'll often find that even high priced phones have DACs that are good rather than great.

With an external DAC you're using hardware that's been designed with sound quality as the single most important feature. Flabby bass is tightened and tuned; abrasive treble is smoothed; mids punch more and the soundstage is more expansive. DACs usually support much higher bit rates than phone DACs do too, which is important if you're listening to hi-res audio.

Do DACs work with iPhones?

It's worth bearing in mind that some portable DACs won't work with iPhones – you may find that when you plug them in, you get an error message that says "the attached accessory uses too much power". If that's the case, you'll need to purchase a Lightning-USB 3 adaptor, and plug it into an outlet while using the DAC to give it the power it needs.

Alternatively, some DACs, like the Audioquest's Dragonfly Red, can be used with an iPhone without being plugged into an outlet - but you will still need an Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter.

Do DACs work with Android phones?

As with iPhones, the answer is yes with a caveat: you'll need the right connector – many modern Android phones have USB-C but many DACs haven't moved to that connector yet, so you'll need to check what cables come with it – and you'll need sufficient power to drive it, something that's not always possible with some phones. For those you'll need an additional power source such as a powered USB hub.

Latest Updates

December 8, 2023
Added the iFi xDSD Gryphon, iFi Uno, Helm Audio Bolt to our rankings. Removed the iFi Zen and iFi hip-DAC, replacing it with its successor the iFi hip-DAC 3, and adjusted the format of this guide to include more easy navigation elements like the quick menu. 

Becky Scarrott
Senior Audio Staff Writer

Becky is a senior staff writer at TechRadar (which she has been assured refers to expertise rather than age) focusing on all things audio. Before joining the team, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.  

With contributions from