iFi’s USB-C hip-flask DAC in ‘Titanium Shadow’ is your iPhone 15’s new best bud
Oh, USB-C ports and titanium finishes are so hot right now.
No sooner has Apple rolled out four iPhone 15 series – a series of handsets that you can be sure have finally ditched the Lightning port in favor of the more ubiquitous and simply better USB-C for both charging and audio – than a series some of the best DACs with USB-C connectivity are also covered and aim to turn your new iPhone into a Hi-Res Audio music player.
And nothing looks better next to your iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max in natural titanium than iFi’s gloriously brutal hip-flask-shaped Hipdac 3. It now comes in a finish the British makers call ‘Titanium Shadow’, because it apparently “changes its tone” in different types of light, with hints of bronze and vintage gold.”
I loved iFi’s original 2019 hip-dac in Petrol Blue, as well as the hip dac 2 (which I helped review for TechRadar’s sister publication, What Hi-Fi?, and which looked for all the world like the color of a good single malt, but was actually called ‘Sunset Orange’). But the warm, subtle gray tones of the hip-dac 3 not only make the understated audio amplifier look even more like a hip flask, but also match a new iPhone perfectly.
And it’s not just looks! Closer inspection reveals further changes to the specification of the hip-dac 3. There are now two USB-C ports – one for audio, the other for charging (the previous two hip-DAC generations used USB -A for audio – and because it was a fairly deeply recessed male USB, not all the spare cables played well.
There is now also an extra switch on the bottom of the hip-dac 3, which enables iFi’s IEMatch technology. That’s a proprietary circuit designed to optimize the amplifier’s output to better suit high-sensitivity headphones and earphones – especially useful for in-ear monitors (IEMs), aka some of the best wired headphones we’ve tested.
Opinion: iFi DACs shoot from the hip – and I like it
Why would you want the Southport UK company’s IEMatch technology? It promises to reduce background noise and improve detail and dynamic range, while increasing the usable range of the volume control. Therefore.
More changes have been made under the hood too, with several circuit improvements including new metal film capacitors. The DAC section also features an improved version of iFi’s GMT (Global Master Timing) circuitry, including a new crystal oscillator in an effort to further reduce phase noise, contributing to a cleaner and clearer sound.
Aside from these changes, the hip-dac 3 retains all the features that made the hip-dac 2 such a popular portable USB DAC/headphone amp – and one that I still love.
The slim, robust aluminum housing measures only 10.2 x 7 x 1.4 cm and therefore fits easily in a pocket or bag. And it will easily replace the inferior DAC (digital-to-analog converter) and amplifier circuits in even the latest phones, tablets, PCs and Macs.
To get detailed, Hi-res PCM and DXD audio data are supported at sampling rates up to 384 kHz, in addition to DSD from 2.8 MHz to 12.4 MHz (DSD64, 128 and 256). Full MQA decoding is also supported, performing the full ‘three unfold’ decoding process (as opposed to just the final unfold in the manner of an MQA ‘renderer’). While my picks of the three best wireless DACs can improve the quality of music from your phone, they can’t support these kinds of top-end, high-resolution figures over Bluetooth.
On either side of the hip-dac 3’s rotating volume control are a pair of LEDs that change color to also indicate the size and sampling rate of the incoming audio.
The hip-dac 3’s USB-C audio input processes audio data up to 32-bit/384kHz and is asynchronous, meaning the data rate is controlled solely by the hip-dac 3’s specialized audio clock circuitry for precise, jitter-free data transfer from the source device.
Adding a separate USB-C port (just to clarify, you’re getting two USB-C ports here) for charging also provides a dedicated audio input for the cleanest signal path, which also means you can use the hip-dac 3 while connected to the mains. And that’s rare, even among the best portable DACs we’ve tested.
iFi hip-dac 3 is available from select retailers today (October 6, 2023) at a suggested retail price of £199 in Britain, which is around $240 or AU$380 – and I definitely want to hear what it can do. Watch this space…