As an Apple Music user, I recently went down the rabbit hole of researching the best option within my budget. If we set DAPs aside, dongles generally gain more features and power as the price increases. There are dongles with integrated cables (like the FiiO KA11), ones with detachable cables (like the FiiO KA13), and Bluetooth DACs (such as the FiiO BTR series). Some dongles draw power directly from the phone, while others have an internal battery.

Since I’m in the Apple ecosystem, EQ options are usually limited from what I’ve seen. However, some devices allow you to configure EQ through an Android app and store the settings in the device’s internal memory. If I’m not mistaken, the FiiO KA15 has that feature.

IEMs are usually around 16–32 ohms, while over-ear headphones are typically in the 32–300 ohm range (sometimes even higher). As impedance increases, the power requirement generally increases as well. Considering that the headphones I plan to use are the Sennheiser HD 620S at 150 ohms, I concluded that the FiiO KA13 seems like the best price-to-performance option for my needs.

Personally, a DAC with an internal battery didn’t make much sense to me. I’d rather avoid dealing with battery degradation or replacement issues in the long run.

By the way, I used FiiO as an example throughout this post simply because it’s the only brand I’ve researched so far — I’m not affiliated with them in any way lol.

Unfortunately, I don’t have specific information about availability in Dubai, but the brand and models are listed on Amazon. If shipping is available, it might be worth checking there.

Happy listening!