I found that the Onyx was particularly good at rendering MQA files, offering a slightly smoother overall sound than some of the other MQA-capable DACs. The Sennheiser HD 560S have a higher impedance (120 ohms) than most headphones, and thus they require more power to drive them correctly, but the Onyx had no problem at all. By contrast, the Questyle M12 outputs 26.71 milliwatts at 32 ohms. It mostly succeeds, especially when it comes to power, thanks to its Achromatic Audio Amplifier (AAA), which can output up to 350 milliwatts when paired with a set of 32 ohms headphones. Headphone mic compatible: Yes (except iPhone)Īs the most expensive headphone DAC/amp we tried, the THX Onyx has a lot to live up to.No DSD tracks were used for this comparison.

We also listened to MQA tracks from Tidal on all of the devices except the A&K USB-C Dual DAC. As a music source, we listened to Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music, with a mix of lossless tracks - some at CD-quality (16-bit/44.1kHz) and some at hi-res quality (24-bit/48kHz/96kHz/192kHz). We tested each one using a set of Sennheiser HD 560S open-back headphones, with a Google Pixel 5, and, when possible, an iPhone 11. Here are five headphone DAC/amp dongles we think are worth a look at. These tiny devices may not look like much, but they’re packed with technology and offer a better audio experience than you might get with a simple $15 headphone dongle from your favorite online retailer. And if your phone lacks a headphone jack - as most do these days - how do you get around this obstacle? The answer: A dongle-sized portable headphone digital-to-analog converter plus amplifier (DAC/amp). The only way to hear true lossless audio from your phone is via a wired connection.

Questyle M12 Portable Headphone DAC and amp, $140.

Lossless cut review