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SPECIFICATIONS Inputs: USB Type A Outputs: 3.5mm Bluetooth: No Native sample rate support: 24bit96kHz PCM Dimensions (hwd): 1.2 x 1.9 x 5.7cm Weight: na Reasons to Buy Clear, insightful sound Excellent timing and dynamics Extensive file support Reasons to Avoid Not the most relaxed sound Adaptor can be tricky to fit Todays Best Deals 268.99 View at Futureshop 269 View at Amazon 269 View at Sevenoaks See all prices (6 found) Want all the benefits of the DragonFly Red (2.1v headphone output, bit-perfect digital volume control and MQA renderer) with more detail, greater dynamics and an even better sense of timing Then you should try the latest instalment in AudioQuests line of portable DACs - the DragonFly Cobalt.

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Any device that delivers digital sound be it a Blu-ray player, digital TV box, games console, portable music player or smartphone requires a DAC to convert its audio to an analogue signal before it is output.

Without a DAC, your digital music collection is nothing but a sizeable collection of 0s and 1s (more on that shortly) that makes sense only within the digital domain.

In short, DACs play a large part in making digital music worthwhile.

The best DACs will make your system sing, but something sub-optimal - or sticking to the ones used in some components - might prevent you getting the most from your set-up.

Whether youre after a cheap USB DAC for your laptop, a high-end device to slip into a home hi-fi system, or a hybrid of the two, youre sure to find a contender on our list of the best DACs.

Chord Qutest Pound for pound the best DAC on the market right now.

SPECIFICATIONS Inputs: Coaxial digital, optical digital, USB Type-B Outputs: RCA phono Bluetooth: No Max sample rate support: 32bit768kHz PCM, DSD512 Dimensions (hwd): 4.1 x 16 x 7.2cm Weight: 770g Reasons to Buy Clear, precise and subtle performer Excellent timing Well equipped Reasons to Avoid No Bluetooth Todays Best Deals 1,194.99 View at Futureshop 1,195 View at Richer Sounds Low Stock 1,195 View at Audio Visual Online See all prices (4 found) Chord continues to light up the premium market for DACs and the Qutest is the proof.

Its the product that lesser rivals look up to at this price point.

The DAC delivers a crisp, clean and concise sound, with Chords now familiar neutral tonal balance.

As with all decent hi-fi gear, itll take a bit of running in time before the Qutest really starts to sing.

But when it does youre in for a treat: songs are imbued with a great sense of scope, and theres warmth and texture in abundance.

The Qutest boasts Chords trademark colour-denoting buttons which tell you which source its drawing on: they glow white for USB-Type-B (capable of accepting 32-bit768kHz PCMDSD512); yellow for the first BNC coaxial and red for the second (24-bit384kHz); and green for the optical (24-bit192kHzDSD64).

Given theres no Bluetooth connectivity or headphone amp on-board, the Qutests sole purpose is to be the digital-to-analogue bridge between your digital source and amplifier.

Audiolab M-DAC nano The best portable DAC weve heard recently.

SPECIFICATIONS Inputs: na Outputs: 3.5mm Bluetooth: Yes Dimensions (hwd): 44 x 44 x 14mm Weight: 28g Reasons to Buy Sonic punch and refinement Compact and lightweight Wireless operation Reasons to Avoid Battery life could be better Todays Best Deals 139 View at Sevenoaks 149 View at Amazon 149 View at Richer Sounds See all prices (6 found) 27 Amazon customer reviews A great way to improve the sound of your phone or laptop, we cant think of a better alternative for portable use.

The M-DAC nano is a tiny unit, barely bigger than a custard cream biscuit.

Its light, weighing in at just 28g, and theres a built-in rechargeable battery, too.

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Being small and light are major plus points for portability, but the nanos biggest advantage over rivals such as the Cyrus Soundkey or the AudioQuest Dragonfly (below) is that the connection with your device is done wirelessly, in this case by aptX Bluetooth (v4.2).

Sonically, its just as sweet as the custard cream we mentioned earlier: this is an impressively solid performance, giving a marked improvement in bass punch and power.

Not only that, it also adds volume while still managing to refine the sound.

Overall, its an exciting and entertaining performance that will improve your music on the move with minimum fuss.

What could be better Read the full review: Audiolab M-DAC nano (Image credit: Audioquest) 3.

AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt Another brilliant portable DAC from AudioQuest with a clever design.

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