Now that pretty much every major streaming music service — except Spotify — offers lossless audio options at CD-quality or better, you may be wondering how you can hear that extra level of sound quality for yourself. The bad news is that, no matter how awesome your wireless headphones or true wireless earbuds may be, lossless audio and Bluetooth remain fundamentally incompatible.


The only way to hear true lossless audio from your phone is via a wired connection. And if your phone lacks a headphone jack — as most do these days — how do you get around this obstacle? The answer: A dongle-sized portable headphone amp/DAC (digital-to-analog converter). These tiny devices may not look like much, but they’re packed with technology and offer a better audio experience than you might get with a simple $15 headphone dongle from your favorite online retailer.