iFihip-dac3 - Portable Hi-Res DAC/Headphone Amp - True Balanced Circuit, Dual USB-C, PCM 384kHz/DSD256/MQA Decoding, XBass Analog Enhancement, iEMatch & up to 12hrs Playtime

As someone who relies on his iPhone to stream music, I’ve always accepted the limitations Apple impose on users with their total commitment to AAC as their codec of choice. Unfortunately, lossy digital audio compression has its limits, so after the demise of the cellphone jack and with the joys of aptX only an option for less constrained Android users, I’ve never looked beyond mid-range BT headphones for my auditory entertainment.Enter the iFi hip-dac 3. Now, I’m no musically trained audiophile and don’t pretend to understand the physics behind this box of delights but what I do know is this sublimely constructed little beauty makes a world of difference to my listening pleasure.Once connected to my iPhone 13 and aging Bose QC35s, playlists that frankly bored me suddenly spring to life. Bland tuneless grey songs are suddenly rich, colourful, and spacious. Blended instruments and vocals now occupy distinct and precise positions in space as if on a stage that surrounds me. Previously muddied notes are crisper and clearer, resolving further as the drivers in my tired old cans have their cobwebs blown away by a tsunami of sound I’d never experienced in headphones before. It’s like sitting in the best seat of a concert hall with the added bonus of volume and base control. Without doubt, the iFi hip-dac 3 has given me somewhere I can just be still and listen to musical nuances I never realised existed outside of live performances.I realise it’s quite an investment but the sound difference it brings to a mid-range pair of discontinued headphones connected to an iPhone is incredible. I also no longer need to consider trialing alternative premium solutions that probably won’t make as much difference. The only slight downside for me is while HD3 is portable in the sense you don’t need a plug, it’s not something I plan walking around with much. But then my trusty QC35s have got BT and very effective ANC for that. In lieu of being gifted a pair of T+A Solitaire T BT headphones, it’s a compromise I’m prepared to make. Am I a happy hic? You bet I am.

I've had the Hip Dac 3 for a week now. It’s solid, well built, looks fabulous and feels lovely in the hand. I get great sound out of it streaming lossless CD quality and Hi-res audio. It’s the only DAC I’ve ever had so I can’t compare it to anything else. However before I bought it I looked at endless reviews and videos and this does seem to be well regarded.There are smaller portable DACs out there but as I will be mainly using it around the house and with over ear headphones this is ideal for my needs. It has plenty of power to feed my headphones and I don’t need a smaller DAC that might be more portable but would make some compromises.The LEDs behind the volume control indicates the quality of the music stream. This works well with Qobuz and Apple music but with Amazon music it constantly shows the white LED indicating a 24/192 streaming. This apparently isn’t a fault of the Hip Dac but with Amazon who upsample everything to 24/192.The stated max battery life is said to be up to 12 hours. I’m getting about 8 hours, but that’s driving my over ear headphones which take a bit more juice than IEMs etc. But at least it’s not draining my phone’s battery.The listing said you only got a USB C - USB C and a USB C - USB A cable so I was pleasantly surprised to find I also got a USB C - Lightning cable. The supplied Lightning cable in braided bronze looks really nice but the plug is a loose fit into my iPhone and with the cable being short and quite stiff, the slightest movement breaks the connection and stops playback. Fortunately, not expecting to get a Lightning cable, I had already bought another cable that works just fine (FiiO LT-LT3 cable).The volume knob feels good and gives reliable control over the volume but I expected the on-off click to feel a bit more pronounced. Having separate sockets for USB data and for USB charging is a good feature.The change to a USB C socket for data input would seem an improvement over the male USB A connections of the previous versions. These required a cable with a bulky USB A female socket on the end, which apparently could be difficult to fit.I bought this neat little case to store my Hip Dac along with all its cables, which should also be great for travelling …..https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07967GR9Z?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_detailsOverall, well pleased and it’s just great for my needs.

Let's start by saying this DAC is awesome.The iFi Hip DAC 3 has much more control, it's easy to use and the features on it are amazing. I also feel that the volume control that IfI Hip DAC 3 uses is really nice. It's easy to turn and that makes it convenient in my eyes. The sound quality stays the same, regardless of how loud or quiet the audio is.The iFi Hip DAC 3 has a pretty wide soundstage depending on what settings you use with it. Using Power Match and IEMatch both did a great job at keeping my IEMs stable and sounding great. It widened the soundstage of my IEMs and it gave me the feeling of actually being in a live performance and the studio.The iFi Hip DAC 3 has great imaging and separation. You would be able to hear the exact locations of the instruments being played in classical and jazz music, other genres too. The great thing about this DAC is that it works with a wide range of speakers, as I have tested.I upgraded the DAC to the latest firmware and I found that it had much better control and had better sound quality overall. The instrument separation improved and the sound got louder and actually made everything more vibrant and bright. I like vibrant and bright because it really adds to the overall sound quality that this amazing DAC is packed with.MQA decoding is actually amazing, using this with Tidal and tried an MQA track. Compared to MQA renderers, full decoders like this one give you much better sound quality. I think the iFi Hip DAC 3 sounds great with both, MQA and FLAC playback.

Amazing sound quality. Excellent value well worth the money. Solid build quality and a joy to use.