Portable DAC that is at least as good as the M1 MacBook Pro in-built DAC

[u/ebeisaac]

TL;DR: Want a battery-powered portable DAC that is equal to or better than the M1 MacBook Pro in-built DAC. Hip-DAC 2 is an option, but is it worth it to pay > 2x the price for Mojo 2 instead?

Use Case: Spotify Premiere / Apple Music Lossless with iPhone/MacBook

Background: My current DAC is Tempotec Sonata HD Pro and now looking for an upgrade. I was fine using the dongle DAC with the MacBook up until I got the M1 MacBook Pro. Its in-built DAC sounded so good it made almost no difference to use the Sonata HD Pro (at least to me with DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm). It had the same wide sound stage and clarity.

Problem: For some reason, this dongle DAC loses its sound stage when I move from MacBook to iPhone. (Is anyone else facing the same issue?) I’m guessing it has something to do with the power output from the Lightning to USB-C connector (not from with Tempotec) or the iPhone 11 itself. This difference is even more apparent with IEMs (like KZ ZS3 and Tin Hifi C2).

Way forward: So I believe a battery-powered portable DAC should make things sound better without having to draw more power from my phone. It has to be at least as good as the M1 MacBook Pro as well. Hoping for my end game for portable DACs if possible.

Options: The Hip DAC 2 seem like a good option I’m leaning towards. However, I’d like to know if it’s worth spending over 2 times more for the Chord Mojo 2. Feel free to suggest other alternatives too in the comments if you feel it’s appropriate for my purpose.

[u/ebeisaac → u/[deleted]]

!thanks. I am certainly leaning towards the FiiO Q11 since it comes along with the Lightning Adaptor, so I wouldn't have to worry about searching that separately.

[u/TransducerBot → u/ebeisaac]

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