Audiophile Setup with an Iphone 7

The digital outputs of the Apple Airport Express or Apple TV and of the Chromecast Audio are bitperfect, and hence have no sonic signature. That would come from the DAC that one uses. An external DAC may improve the sound, but the inbuilt DAC of these devices is actually pretty good. The question here seems to be how portable the system has to be.

I use an iPhone 6 (or iPad Air) in this configuration with great results:

iPhone 6 ➟ Apple Lightning to USB 3.0 Adapter ➟ UpTone Audio USB REGEN ➟ dB Audio Labs Tranquility DAC ➟ etc.

The DAC in the iPhone is bypassed with the Adapter. The REGEN does its re-clocking thing and, to my ears, contributes quite a bit to the equation. IMO the resulting sound quality would satisfy many audiophiles.

With virtually no budget limitations the OP is in an enviable position. Separates? Tubes? Balanced? Space constraints? 

I like the Chord Mojo DAC/amp.  Reasonably affordable and top notch sound  with headphones or even as DAC input to a high end system using a decent quality y-connector.   I use mine with Iphone and IPAD  (Apple lightening adapter required) as source with various headphones and as DAC into my full size hifi setup.  

The Hegel integrated/DACs have special circuitry for IPhone. I believe my Peachtree Nova 150 integrated also has special iPhone circuitry, but I have never tried it.

The Peachtree is a pretty good unit. I am loving it in my office setup.

You guys are all way off in your methodologies.

There are a ton of great amp/dac/streamers.

The op has mentioned headphones that doesnt mean the Op dosent have or will have a set of speakers in the future or has a set now.

Also Tidal is important but with Tidal built into the device doesnt mean you have the phone streaming to the device the phone acts as a remote control for the device.

Also useability isnt being discussed.

Products by Naim have a fantastic app and allow all types of streaming to allow for youtube via airplay or android via chromcast plus built in headphone amp, also allows direct blue tooth streamIng.

Naim uniti atom covers all bases.

Also Roon integration isnt being mentioned.

Nor is Mqa.

Nor is how important is sound quality which level of Audize.

Also budget to some people even when they say is open isnt really, many newbies dont really know pricing and what it can go up to.

For example a cary dms 500 streamer is $5000 plus $1500 Cary headphone amp plus cable would be great is $7000 what the op will spend or is $3000 for an Naim Atom or something cheaper really desirable.

You have to ask the right questions nobody mentioned portability is a factor either.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ