When buying a smartphone nowadays, most people expect it to do everything perfectly. Well, we are not there yet as smartphones are capable of dozens of things but not at top level. One of the biggest complaints of users is the fact that most smartphones have limited performance DAC chips and audiophiles have to resort to other, more expensive, solutions to get the sound they want.
This is the problem that IKKO, a Chinese manufacturer, is trying to solve with its new product, IKKO-ITM05 Music Patch. What the music patch does is connect to your phone’s or computer’s USB or lightning port and convert the digital signal to analog. Also, it has 2 audio out ports, one 3.5mm and one 2.5mm so that you can connect your headphones or other equipment. According to the company, the Music Patch sports two CS43198 DAC chips and has a distortion rating of only 0.0008%.
This isn’t an easy market to compete in as portable DACs and amps market has been growing in recent years, but the ITM05 looks to be the smallest one yet. It weighs only 30 grams (comparable to a AAA battery), and features both USB-C and Lightning support.
The IKKO-ITM05 will go live on Indiegogo next month and it is expected to draw much attention from audiophiles as the way it attaches to the back of the phone makes it easy to carry around. You can check out the early information posted on Indiegogo as well as on their official website.
