Astell&Kern’s dongle will level up your subpar smartphone sound

Disappointed with the DACs built into your smartphone or laptop and seeking a sonic boost? An external DAC could be the answer, and Astell&Kern’s AK USB-C Dual DAC Cable (£109, available from April) is one of the more affordable examples we’ve seen. Hooking up to an Android device, Mac or Windows PC via USB-C, this chewing gum pack-sized dongle funnels your audio through two Cirrus Logic CS43198 MasterHiFi DACs, then out via a 3.5mm headphone port. Those twin DACs promise hi-res audio up to native DSD256 and 32bit/384kHz quality, which should make those audiophile albums you’ve been hoarding infinitely more pleasing to your lugholes.

Sam Kieldsen Contributor

About

Tech journalism's answer to The Littlest Hobo, I've written for a host of titles and lived in three different countries in my 15 years-plus as a freelancer. But I've always come back home to Stuff eventually, where I specialise in writing about cameras, streaming services and being tragically addicted to Destiny.

Areas of expertise

Cameras, drones, video games, film and TV