The third generation of iFi’s line of flask-shaped DACs has a lot to live up to. The original hip-dac earned our full five-star haul in 2019, winning us over with a classy, refined performance to match its equally tasteful exterior. Any doubts that 2021’s much-anticipated sequel couldn’t match this rather impressive marker were soon assuaged, as the hip-dac 2 bowled us over with its zealous, agile sound housed within an even slicker exterior.
This, then, leaves the iFi hip-dac 3 with a lot to live up to. The same flask-shaped body remains, albeit with a new “Titanium Shadow” grey finish, so you’ll once again have to suffer the occasional glance of a bemused commuter when you pull out what appears to be your own personal supply of whisky from your jacket pocket on the morning tube commute.
