Breaking Update: Here’s a clear explanation of the latest developments related to Breaking News:This is a portable Hi-Res Audio headphones DAC you’ll actually want to take everywhere, thanks to its smart MagSafe design– What Just Happened and why it matters right now.
- 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-res and lossless audio is now widely available, it’s a shame that it’s hard to get that music quality out of your iPhone, requiring a dongle of some kind if you want to connect most of the best wired headphones – and that extra device can be unwieldy to have in your pocket.
A new MagSafe-mounted DAC from Khadas can solve both problems, though – expanding your headphone choices quite dramatically. And it’s compatible with a wide range of devices, not just iPhones.
The Khadas Tea Pro is a clever little thing. It snaps to the back of your iPhone 12 to 17 (and future models, presumably) so there’s no dongle to dangle – although you’ll need to connect it via USB still if you want Hi-Res Audio.
It can receive sound either using USB-C, an aux in, or over 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 features 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 – though it only receives this, and can’t transmit, which seems like an oversight. A few of our picks of the best headphone DACs offer this flexibility.
The design is simple and attractive enough: it’s a compact rectangle with rounded corners and a little 0.95-inch AMOLED status display. It also has its own internal battery with a promised life of up to 11 hours over wireless and 8 hours with wired Hi-Res Audio. Power output for wired headphones isn’t specified.
I think this is an attractive bit of design and I certainly like the neatness of the concept, but with a price of $199 / £175 it’s up against some pretty serious competition from respected brands, such as the Fiio BTR17 and the 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.
Neither of those devices is as elegant-looking as the Tea Pro, however, so if style and tidiness matters as much as sound, it could be an interesting iPhone upgrade.
The best headphone DACs for all budgets
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