CES 2015

Think hi-res audio has to stay planted indoors? Think again. With these portable DACs, you can plug into your mobile device and enjoy audio quality as good as your headphones permit. Onkyo's DAC-HA200 and new DAC-HA300 digital-to-analog converter/amplifier combos are bite-sized and they sound awesome.

The DAC-HA200 digitally connects to a iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad. The DAC connects to Lightning-equipped iOS devices, and a USB-A input supports AOA 2.0-compliant Android devices; a USB Micro-B input lets you plug into laptops. When connected via USB, you can access Onkyo's Player Pack app; this lets you load your iOS device with 96kHz/24-bit and 5.6 MHz DSD content. Inside the aluminum case you'll find a Burr-Brown PCM5102 D/A converter, MUSES 8920 op-amp, and a discrete Class AB push-pull output stage.

The new DAC-HA300 ups the ante. It can play back 192kHz/24-bit PCM and DSD 5.6 MHz files as well as more lowly ones. It also features microSD card storage. Like the DAC-HA200, it is multiplatform for connection to iPhone, Android, Mac and PC. Of course, it also features discrete circuitry.

The DAC-HA200 is available now for $399. Prices and availability of the DAC-HA300 will be announced.