2023 really has been the year of the portable headphone amp and DAC combo. iFi led the charge with the five-star iFi Go Link, the excellent hip-dac 3 and the recently unveiled iDSD Diablo 2, while the FiiO KA13 and the Earfun UA100 only added competition to an increasingly busy market. They're everywhere right now.
Astell & Kern is getting in on the act as well this year. The South Korean audio manufacturer has unveiled its new HC4 DAC as the successor to the brand's HC3 model, featuring a new internal DAC chip and a host of connectivity options – to compete in this market, you need to bring out the big guns.
