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 amp/DAC 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 amp/DAC (digital-to-analog converter). The only way to hear true lossless audio from your phone is via a wired connection. The bad news is that, no matter how awesome your wireless headphones or true wireless earbuds may be, lossless audio and Bluetooth remain fundamentally incompatible.
Now that pretty much every major streaming music service - except Spotify - offers lossless audio options at CD-quality or better, you may be wondering how you can hear that extra level of sound quality for yourself.
