THE BEST DACS TO IMPROVE AUDIO QUALITY

A good DAC can really boost the audio quality on your Apple devices

- Cliff Joseph

Apple finally added lossless and high-res audio formats to Apple Music last summer. But it also admitted that AirPods – and other Bluetooth headphones – can’t actually play these highquality audio formats.

If you want the best possible audio quality from Apple Music or any other streaming service, then Apple recommends using wired headphones or speakers, along with an additional device known as a DAC, or digital-toanalogue converter. Using a DAC can be a little fiddly in terms of compatibility, though, so here’s our round-up of the best DACs that are suitable for use with Apple devices.

Astell & Kern USB-C Dual DAC

£109 FROM astellnkern.com FEATURES Portable DAC/amp, USB-C interface, supports 32-bit/384kHz audio, 3.5mm output, 25g

1 Some DACs are quite large, but the Dual DAC (PEE51) from Astell & Kern is so small that it just looks like a little cable that you can plug into your Mac or iPad.