hip-dac3 - Portable Hi-Res DAC/Headphone Amp - True Balanced Circuit, 400mW Output, Dual USB-C, PCM 384kHz/DSD256/MQA Decoding, XBass Analog Enhancement, PowerMatch, iEMatch & up to 12hrs Playtime

I own a pair of Sennheiser HD 600 Open Back headphones and the power and clarity from this little DAC flask is phenomenal. It has plenty of clean power to push these cans. Many people use this on their desktop, however the portability was what helped me make my purchase decision. The fact that it has a battery makes it perfect for me to use while walking on my treadmill, hanging out on the couch or relaxing outside on my deck. I easily get up to 8 hours on it at pretty high volume, then charge it. Full charge is takes only a few hours. I was reluctant to spend $200 but after stellar reviews on the internet I decided I needed this. It did not disappoint. Built extremely well, small compact and you have several options for volume control including Power Match & XBass, which works great with my headphones. Also has IEM capability, which I don't use. If you are on the fence, search the internet, plenty of great reviews. Great addition for any avid audiophile.

I had been researching portable DAC/amp solutions that would allow me to stream Tidal high resolution audio and Spotify audio from my iPhone 14 Plus. I seriously considered a Chord Mojo 2, but kept reading about intermittent white noise problems with iOS devices using Lightning connections. I wanted something compact and light to carry as I listen to music therapeutically when I am at home or on the road for work. I read about the iFi hip-dac3 and wondered how much I would give up in audio quality selecting this over the Chord Mojo 2. I decided to purchase this as I read on Web forums that this DAC/amp worked well with iOS devices. I also like the simple, yet elegant, industrial design with intuitive controls. Better, it has a 4mm TRRS balanced output along with a 3.5mm unbalanced TRS output. My Sony MDR-MV1 studio monitor headphones have a 24 ohm impedance and can be used in unbalanced or balanced modes, so they're not difficult to drive. I really love them because they are light and comfortable. I can literally wear them all day, they fit that well. They are Sony's first open back professional headphones with a neutral presentation for professional monitoring use, so I wanted something that was smooth and able to drive these headphones that have an exceptional bass response for open back headphones. For reference, I listen to a wide range of music from jazz to classic rock to large orchestral classical music. I also purchased a Miter case to protect the beautiful Shadow Titanium anodized Aluminum enclosure of the hip-dac3. When I opened the package for the hip-dac3, I was pleasantly surprised to find a 5-6 length Apple Lightning-to-USB-C OTG connection cable. iFi's product description does not state that this cable is included, so that was a bonus. It also came with a USB-A-to-USB-C cable and a USB-C-to-USB-C cable. I also discovered just how compact the hip-dac3 is relative to my iPhone 14 Plus. I can hold my iPhone and hip-dac3 in one hand while I carry it around with my Sony's on my head. It really is a nice portable combination that I can take with the Sony's when I am on extended business trips or tooling around the house. As for sound quality, I love this combination when playing high resolution tracks streaming from Tidal. The hip-dac3 also decodes MQA streams. This was not a requirement for me as I am not an MQA fan. I prefer the high resolution FLAC tracks, but it is kind of neat to see the LEDs around the volume knob change colors depending on the digital source. Prior to receiving the hip-dac3, I used a Sonic Unity mDSD USB dongle DAC that takes power and audio from my iPhone through the bulky Apple iOS Lightning Camera Connection Kit. Apple's CCK works reliably, but it looks like a Rube Goldberg apparatus when everything is connected. This was more cumbersome to handle, and not very rugged. The Encore mDSD is an ESS DAC-based device that can be a bit dry sometimes and even harsh when pushed. The hip-dac3 is smooth as silk with its Burr-Brown Multi-Bit DAC and iFi's custom op amps in a full-balanced circuit driving my Sony's. Since it runs on batteries, I definitely have more clean and smooth headroom. Listening to classical scores by Holst and Stravinsky, this amp can reproduce the symphonic fireworks. Playing Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Animals" at high resolution really fleshes out the engineer's mixes. The pace and rhythm really got my head to bobbing, feet to tapping and had me singing along. When music listening engages me in this way, I know I have a great thing going. I played Wayne Shorter's remastered "Speak No Evil" at high resolution, and the interplay and flow between Wayne Shorter and his ensemble really stirred me. This device faithfully reproduces tone and timbre. I am sure the Chord Mojo 2 is a fine DAC/amp, but I am really pleased that I purchased the iFi hip-dac3. I highly recommended this.

I normally don’t write reviews, but after tens of hours of exhausting research, buying and returning multiple DACs, I had to share my experience. I hope this saves others from the long, frustrating process I went through. I wanted a DAC to use with my Ipod Touch 7 (my beloved music source.) DACs I Tried (And Returned) FiiO BTR7 You're paying extra for Bluetooth, which I didn’t want—I will only use with wired for best sound quality. Quality is lost with bluetooth. The app wouldn't connect this DAC to phone/ipod, and the menu was impossible to understand. Chose English language and still every screen showed multiple languages- I had no idea what I was doing. Manual is useless. Email to the company for assistance- after a week no reply. Sound quality improvement with Etymotic ER-4P and other headphones IEM and over the head- meh. Returning it. Chord Mojo 2 Did tons of research, bought a special cord for my iPod—nowhere does it say this DAC is NOT compatible with Apple ipod/phone. Even with the battery charged, my iPod said: “Device not usable—more power needed”. Returning it—huge disappointment. Nothing worked well for my needs—until I found this one. The Game Changer: iFi Hip DAC 3 💥 WOW. This blew me away! Here’s why: ✅ Works perfectly with my iPod Touch 7 (and Apple devices) ✅ Massive sound quality improvement—I was shocked! ✅ Simple, intuitive design—no confusing menus ✅ Great build quality—not bulky for on-the-go use ✅ Fantastic volume knob—easy to adjust without accidental changes Unexpected Surprise I have a Marshall Stockwell II portable speaker. I didn’t expect any improvement using the DAC with it. (Wired to Ipod touch 7.) Plugged it in—sound level boosted & quality was night and day. Final Thoughts After all the frustration, this was the only DAC that truly impressed me (wish I could have at least heard the Mojo 2). Absolutely worth the price—I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it again. Highly recommended for anyone looking for great wired sound quality without the hassle! This does not have blue tooth- which I didn't want as the degrades the sound quality- but if that's what you're looking for this is not for you.

A great little pocket-sized DAC for me. Gives me that extra boost in sound, volume, and bass with the added power option. Pretty good battery life and was perfect for a cruise I took it on.

si le prix ne vous fait pas peur, c'est un bon appareil

Genial atencion del vendedor Supersonido. Gracias Chema Nieto!!!. Creo que la buena atencion se demuestra cuando las cosas no salen como uno quiere. Compre el ifi dac 3 y tras varias pruebas no funcionaba. Me puse en contacto con supersonido (el vendedor) a traves del correo el jueves 27 de marzo y han atendido mi problema en seguida. El mismo dia me han contactado por correo y me han mandado un mensajero que lo ha recogido el mismo viernes 28. El lunes 31 marzo lo han recibido . Han contactado con el servicio tecnico y me han confirmado que estaba estropeado. El martes 1 me han mandado un nuevo aparato y hoy miercoles 2 abril estoy disfrutando de el. Asi que creo que mejor no se puede hacer!! . Impecable, Gracias!!!. Por cierto el ifi genial!!

This dac amp combo is very portable. It’s very small, and it has a built in battery, and has a usb-c connection to the output device. I liked that a lot since I mainly use my phone as an audio source. I’m not an expert in the hifi-audio hobby, but I can tell you that it sounds pretty great to me. I tried using the Sennheiser IE600 and the Sennheiser HD660s2 (I tried the 4.4mm cable on both), and they both sound very decent on it. My only complaint is that the power match option is pretty much useless, as the audio gets very distorted and I only hear static. I’m not sure if it’s a manufacturing issue with the one I have, but it’s my only complaint. Otherwise, I’d recommend this product to anyone who likes to listen to music for long hours on their phone.

Ich benutze den Verstärker zusammen mit einem Sennheiser HD25 70 Ohm. Die Leistung ist wirklich überragend. Ich höre gern Bassstarke Musik und mit der Funktion xBass ist der Bass schon fast zu stark. Hätte nicht gedacht das so ein kleiner Verstärker so viel Leistung hat. Der Akku hält sehr gut und man kann durch den zweiten usb-c Anschluss gleichzeitig hören und laden. Preis / Leistung 100% gut 👍

Excelente producto