Alternative to iPhone + Dongle

[wacomme]

At work my pc is controlled by my employer. So, for my music headphones setup I use my iPhone 14 Pro + camera adapter + Qudelix 5k. The setup is great and I can play lossless music to either iems or headphones. But, I use my iPhone a lot at work, and using it with the long dongle connection is unwieldy. Thus, I’m seeking a better solution. I also don’t want to wear out the lightning connector on my phone.

Should I consider a dap, a raspberry pi, or a cheap iPad? Or something else? The work Internet is restricted, so I’d likely have to listen to downloaded music or use my iPhone as a hotspot. I subscribe to Apple Music and Tidal, though I’d like to drop Tidal and just use Apple Music.

Suggestions?

Thanks.

Michael

 

[voodooless]

Get a new job?

But seriously, have you tried the Bluetooth functionality? That may be good enough for work?

Lossless Apple streaming needs airplay support, so something like pi would support that with the right software stack. It will need power however.

You could also buy a cheap Android phone, and use that as a DAP.

 

[LTig]

I second that. Get a headphone with Bluetooth like the AKG K317bt. I got one for a very good price (135 €) after @amirm tested the K371 and use it mostly via Blutooth because the cables are too microphonic. SQ does not suffer via Bluetoth as far as I can tell.

 

[Jimbob54]

I second that. Get a headphone with Bluetooth like the AKG K317bt. I got one for a very good price (135 €) after @amirm tested the K371 and use it mostly via Blutooth because the cables are too microphonic. SQ does not suffer via Bluetoth as far as I can tell.

Even better- the Bluetooth on the Qudelix- then he can EQ etc and not have to buy anything else.

 

[wacomme]

The Bluetooth on Qudelix is the easiest and cheapest (no cost) solution. However, maybe it's a placebo effect, but music sounds better when the Qudelix is connected lossless (USB) to my phone. That is why I'm trying to find a lossless solution without a long dongle connected to my iPhone.

1) Android phone as DAP - Could I connect wirelessly with ldap connection? With Apple Music on an android phone, would I be able to download albums and play them at work without a wireless or wifi connection?
2) iPad - I belief I could play downloaded music on the iPad without a wireless or wifi connection, but cheap iPads often have 32GB of memory and no SD slot for additional memory (I believe).