Initial impressions: IQaudio DAC Pro
I recently bought an IQaudio DAC Pro for my Raspberry Pi 4B. It cost $28.35 plus shipping from The Pi Hut. I compared it against AKM 4490 and Bifrost 2 DACs via speakers, and used the Koss Porta Pro to check its headphone output (as also in the entry level price bracket).
In sum, the DAC Pro sounds like a $30 DAC. The treble is thin and one dimensional, it’s bright with scooped mids, and the bass isn’t full or deep. The headphone output is weak by audiophile standards, with a rough and jagged high end. However, the headphone output is far superior to the Pi 4B’s onboard audio jack.
For around $100 one can put together an entry level Pi audio system (mainboard, case, power supply, 64GB flash RAM, DAC). It’ll sound like a $100 system, but this includes a flexible PC with internet, WiFi, and music storage space. One could pair the Pi with a $25 to $75 Class D amp to drive passive stereo speakers. Similar audio quality would have cost a lot more a few decades ago, and the Pi’s functionality couldn’t have been purchased for any price.