Get Yourself A Portable DAC
Computers and smartphones are the
cornerstones of modern hi-fi, as fundamental to the digital music revolution as
vinyl was to the Golden Age of Stereo. But then again, they’re still computers
and therefore sonically compromised compared to a dedicated music player such
as a stereo.
That’s not to say they’re hopeless. Put in
the effort to coddle your content and you’ll get decent sound quality from even
a dirt-cheap laptop or phone these days. It doesn’t even take that much effort,
really: store your tunes using lossless or uncompressed encoding, and use
error-busting accurate-rip software such as Max (for Mac) or EAC (PC) and
you’ll see immediate improvements. And if you want to be really flash, high-res
music files – 24-bit/96kHz or 24-bit/192kHz quality will take your digital
listening to the next level. But there’s still one weak link in the chain: your
laptop’s soundcard or smartphone’s DAC. That’s not a problem at home, where you
can fling your tunes to a high-end streamer or feed them to an external DAC,
but what happens if you’re listening on the train?
Well, if you’ve got any sense, you get
yourself a portable DAC. Alright, so it may add a little complication to your
listening, but the sonic returns are well worth it. Simply plug your device
into your computer or portable music player via a USB port, hook your
headphones up to the device’s 3.5mm input socket, and settle back for your
audio upgrade. You’ll hardly even notice that an ultra-compact component such
as the AudioQuest DragonFly is there until you spin your first track, that is.
And the result? How’s improved clarity, detail, dynamics and spaciousness sound
to you... Plus, the better your headphones, the greater the benefits will be.
Sound good? It sure does. Plus, there’s the
added satisfaction of garnering knowing nods from fellow DAC converts and
perplexed looks from people who think you’re listening to two MP3 players. And
of course most USB DACs will connect to your home hi-fi too, so you can get two
sonic upgrades for the price of one. Now that’s geekery worth knowing about.
Fiio E17 Alpen + AKG K 451
$150 + $120 | fiio.com.cn + uk.akg.com
Fiio’s headphone amp and USB DAC is
beautifully made, with a built-in display that makes it easy to switch between
audio sources. The battery will last for about eight hours of continuous use
between charges, too. Sound-wise, the E17 can support up to 24-bit/96kHz files
via USB and works a treat when teamed with AKG’s K 451 headphones. These portable
cans are forgiving of lower-bitrate material but revealing enough to do justice
to higher-quality files, covering all bases for would-be audio connoisseurs on
a budget.
Fiio
E17 Alpen
Fiio’s
headphone amp and USB DAC is beautifully made, with a built-in display that
makes it easy to switch between audio sources.
Sound-wise,
the E17 can support up to 24-bit/96kHz files via USB and works a treat when
teamed with AKG’s K 451 headphones.
AudioQuest DragonFly + Philips Fidelio
M1
$322.5 + $240 | audioquest.com +
philips.co.uk
The DragonFly is the most convenient of USB
DACs. Despite being the same size as a USB stick, it’s packing a 24-bit ESS
Sabre DAC, usually seen in high-end Blu-ray players. It supports asynchronous
transfer, plays nicely with files of up to 24-bit/96kHz, and the DragonFly logo
lights up in different colors to indicate the current sampling-rate. Add the
excellent Fidelio M1 headphones and you’ve got a near-perfect set up: the comfy
M1s are sound-tight and their refined treble, imaging and weighty bass will do
justice to any music.
Furutech ADL Cruise + AKG K3003i +
Vertere Pulse D-Fi USB cable
$697.5 + $1500 + $105 | furutech.com +
uk.akg.com + vertereacoustics.com
The Cruise is a thing of beauty. Curvaceous
carbon fiber and stainless steel end caps lift it well above the herd, an
internal battery delivers 80 hours of listening, and it’s incredibly
transparent to your source material – so much so that a hyper-clean,
super-neutral Vertere USB cable is a worthwhile upgrade for better sound
transfer. With its powerful amp, the Cruise is great with high-end buds such as
the AKG K3003is. They’d be wasted on an iPhone but paired with this DAC, they
come alive.
The
Cruise is a thing of beauty.
AKG
K3003i
Vertere
Pulse D-Fi USB cable
Jargon Buster
DAC
A digital to analogue converter unpacks
streams of binary code and translates the signal into an audible analogue
output.
24-bit audio
CD-quality files have a bit depth of 16
bits and sample rate of 44.1kHz. 24-bit/96kHz high-res files offer vastly more
data and sound much better, while ultra-rare 24-bit/192kHz files are the
audiophile holy grail.
Asynchronous transfer
The DAC overrides your computer’s data
‘clock’, taking control of the audio transfer process in order to reduce
digital timing errors.
Lossless encoding
The minimum standard for audio storage if
you want to justify that DAC.
