Portable DACs / Dongles
Dongle DACs that turn any phone into a real source. The $10 Apple adapter is the floor — and the ceiling isn't as far above it as the price gap suggests.
Sheet 34 · Portable DACs / Dongles5 SKUs · Rev 2026-07
| Link | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AppleUSB-C to 3.5mmTOP VALUE |
30 mW | Cirrus Logic | 3.5mm | 74 | $9.00$0.12/pt | 100 | Check price → |
MoondropDawn Pro |
230 mW | 2×CS43198 | 3.5 + 4.4mm | 85 | $59.00$0.69/pt | 18 | Check price → |
HidizsS9 Pro Plus Martha |
210 mW | 2×ES9219MQ | 3.5 + 4.4mm | 87 | $109.00$1.25/pt | 10 | Check price → |
QuestyleM15 |
300 mW | ES9281AC | 3.5 + 4.4mm | 90 | $249.00$2.77/pt | 4 | Check price → |
ChordMojo 2 |
600 mW | Custom FPGA | 3.5mm ×2 | 93 | $650.00$6.99/pt | 2 | Check price → |
Sheet note: The $10 Apple dongle is genuinely clean; past ~$150 you're paying for power to drive hard headphones, not fidelity.
MMX score: editorial bench, 0 to 100, per channel. Value index: points per dollar, scaled so the channel's best ratio = 100.