I’ve been super disappointed with this $90 DAC/Amp due to its low power, even on boost mode. On a 3.5mm connection it barely gets loud enough to enjoy. Even the apple dongle is better and costs 1/10th of the price. To make things worse, I bought it on AliExpress and the seller is basically refusing to honor the free return policy without “proof that this isn’t driving the headphones loud enough”.

The Qudelix is fantastic and I should have gone with that from the start. It’s neutral, got plenty of power, and the EQ functionality lets you basically turn a good headphone into a great one.

Skip the Protocol Max and either go with Qudelix for EQ or the Apple dongle for cost.