New user here so apologies if this has been raised before. I cannot find anything useful after exhaustive searching, especially on Apple forums. Upon opening the tiny box, it becomes pretty obvious that the build quality on this product is top notch. It’s not overly heavy and despite is small stature, it feels robust and superbly built. With dimensions of 23 x 54 x 8mm and weighing in at just 18 grams, it’s hard to envisage what to expect from this headphone DAC. I guess the only thing to do is to set it up and hear for ourselves.

AVRS7.2 Remote in used condition for use with historic Cyrus products such as the Cyrus 3 amplifier and DAB 8 Tuner The midrange is generally very clean, clear, well textured, and a bit on the analytical side. The soundstage of the Soundkey is wider than it is deep, but it has a really good width for the 150 USD price range. There is a good amount of texture, so instruments that are textury, like trumpets, really shine with it. The upper midrange is not enhanced in a special way, so you don't get a hot or metallic tinge with your music. Fiind un aparat micut si destul de ergonomic, este usor de recomandat, in special pentru ca nu mananca mult curent din telefonul la care este conectat. If you’re looking for a high quality portable DAC, this iFi is well worth a place on the shortlist. The hip-dac’s combination of battery power, fine build and easy-going sound quality makes it one of the front-runners at this level.

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It’s affordable, compact and high-performance – only iOS-fanciers, with their convoluted method of attachment, will be less than all-around thrilled by the difference it can make to mobile listening pleasure. iFi’s products rarely disappoint on the compatibility front, and this one is no different. The hip-dac will work with up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 files. MQA is also on the menu. In short, there's a great chance that the hip-dac will play whatever you want it to. Well, it is pretty portable. It doesn't get hot during usage, only barely warm. Furthermore, it doesn't have a lot of battery drain from your smartphone, so you don't need to worry if you're running low on bat, the Soundkey isn't going to kill your day. No, it’s not a replacement for a full-sized headphone amplifier for extremely hard-to-drive headphones. But it’s certainly good enough to drive nearly any pair of IEMs. It works excellently and sounds superb for this type of device. Where to buy

The sound can be described as neutral, slightly bright, clear, clean, fun, well extended, detailed and slightly analytical. Inexpensive; sweet-sounding audio signature, great for instrumental or vocal-based music; three types of connection cables included. Volume has to be cranked up to drive larger cans; 24-bit/96kHz ceiling resolution; no DSD compatibility. The Helm Audio BOLT offers fantastic build quality, MQA and THX certification, small size, high-power output, and clean, clear sound. What’s not to love?

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But let’s get the hard truths out the way first. This small device is not meant to drive large headphones. It will do the job somewhat, but you’ll have to turn the volume up to the brink of its amplification capabilities and the results are not always pleasing.