> Astell & Kern USB-C Dual DAC

$149.00 From astellnkern.com

Features Portable DAC/amp, USB–C interface, supports 32– bit/384Khz audio, 3.5mm output, 0.88 oz

Some DACs are quite large, but the Dual DAC from Astell & Kern is so small that it just looks like a little cable that you can plug into your Mac or iPad. It’s light, too. However, it manages to squeeze in two DAC chips that handle the left and right stereo channels separately, in order to capture every little detail in your music, along with an amplifier to give your music an extra kick as well. There’s also a USB–C connector for Macs and iPads, but it doesn’t have a rechargeable battery of its own, and unfortunately its twin DACs do draw a fair bit of power from that USB–C connection. Ultimately, this means that the Dual DAC is really best suited for use with desktop Macs or MacBooks that have got decent battery life — rather than iPhones or iPads with smaller batteries.