- MagSafe for iPhones and compatible with all kinds of sources
- Hi-Res Audio over USB-C and receives LDAC/aptX Adaptive audio
- It costs $199 / £175
In a world where higher-resolution, lossless audio is now widely available, it’s a shame that getting that quality of music out of your iPhone is difficult, and requires a dongle of some sort if you want to connect most of the best wired headphones – and the extra device can be a pain to carry in your pocket.
However, a new MagSafe-mounted DAC from Khadas can solve both problems – expanding your headphone choices quite dramatically. And it’s compatible with a wide range of devices, not just iPhones.
Khadas Tea Pro is a smart little thing. It snaps onto the back of your iPhone 12 to 17 (and future models, presumably), so there’s no dongle to dangle – although you’ll need to plug it in via USB if you want Hi-Res Audio.
It can receive audio either using USB-C, an aux input or via Bluetooth, with LDAC, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive all supported (plus standard quality Bluetooth).
It has both 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm headphone outputs for your wired headphones and in-ear monitors.
Kadas Tea Pro: Key Features and Pricing
The Tea Pro has a Qualcomm QCC5181 Bluetooth module and an ESS ES9039Q2M DAC with support for PCM at up to 768kHz and DSD512 over a wired USB connection. It also has wireless support for SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD and LDAC – although it only receives this and cannot transmit, which seems like an oversight. A few of our picks for the best headphone DACs offer this flexibility.
The design is simple and attractive enough: it’s a compact rectangle with rounded corners and a small 0.95-inch AMOLED status display. It also has its own internal battery with a promised lifespan of up to 11 hours wirelessly and 8 hours with wired Hi-Res Audio. Power output for wired headphones is not specified.
I think it’s an attractive design and I certainly like the neatness of the concept, but at $199 / £175 it’s up against some pretty serious competition from respected brands such as the Fiio BTR17 and iFi Go Link Max, with the former costing roughly the same and the latter coming in at roughly half the price of the Tea Pro.
However, none of these devices are as elegant as the Tea Pro, so if style and tidiness matter as much as sound, it could be an interesting iPhone upgrade.
The best headphone DACs for all budgets
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