Headphones

Sound:
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

If you’re one of the classy few who still prefer wired earphones and headphones even on the go, you’ve no doubt considered or purchased a portable USB DAC-amp to go with them. With annoyingly few phones having headphone jacks, and with cheap dongle converters offering little power, it’s definitely the way to go. However, how do you manage the phone-to-DAC and DAC-to-headphones nest of wires that inevitably get tangled in your pocket?

Campfire Audio has a clever solution. The Portable DAC Mag Wallet (US$59, £59, €65, as of late December, 2025) is less a wallet and more a stylish flat backpack that secures to your phone or case and holds a small DAC-amp while helping to keep the various cables well managed. It’s designed to work with Campfire’s own Relay DAC-amp, but thanks to elastic straps, it can fit other thumb-sized DACs as well.

Speaking of which, I figured this was also a good chance to check out the Relay (US$229, CA$319, £229, €239), which uses an AKM4493SEQ chip and has both 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm outputs. It connects via USB‑C to your phone and computer and can accept PCM audio up to 32‑bit/768kHz.

In the boxes

You get two accessories with the Mag Wallet accessory. The first is a custom dual-angle USB‑C cable with the connectors at each end at 90 degrees to the other. Theoretically, you can have it flat to the Mag Wallet where it comes out of the DAC, and then unobtrusively connect to the bottom of your phone without it sticking out too far. With my phone and case, the connector intended for the phone wasn’t deep enough to connect correctly, so I flipped the cable around the other way. Not quite as elegant in this configuration, as the DAC end now sticks out a bit, but USB cables are cheap, so I’m sure you can find an alternative if this doesn’t work for you. Plus, a standard USB‑C cable comes with the Relay anyway.

Also included with the Mag Wallet is a thin magnetic ring with an adhesive back. If your phone or phone case isn’t magnetic, you can attach this so the Wallet, and really any other magnetic mount, can secure easily.

With the Relay, you get the aforementioned USB‑C cable as well as a carrying pouch and a microfiber cloth.

Use

The Mag Wallet slaps onto the back of your phone or case just like any other magnetic, well, anything. Assuming that your phone or case is magnetic. With my Peak Designs case, it felt quite secure, more than enough to hold the lightweight DAC in place. With just my Pixel 9 Pro, it felt a little less secure, moving around more on the smooth surface. If you’re one of those lunatics without a phone case, keep that in mind. The DAC slides into the larger of the two-piece elastic holder sections of the Mag Wallet, while the USB cable, and optionally, your headphone cable, goes through the other side for a neat and tidy little bundle.

The Relay connects like any other USB DAC. It started working immediately upon connection to my Pixel 9 Pro, but if you’re using an iPhone with a Lightning connector, you might need the Camera Adapter to supply enough power. The Relay has only three buttons. The two on one side function as both volume and filter selection (more on that in a moment). The single button on the opposite side controls play/pause (single click), next track (two clicks), and previous track (three clicks). Holding this button switches between low gain (1.35Vrms for 3.5mm and 2.7Vrms for 4.4mm, claimed) and high gain (2Vrms and 4Vrms, respectively). The Campfire logo changes color with each gain mode.

There are six filter modes to play around with, if you’re so inclined. Mode 1 features “Short Delay, Sharp Roll-Off”; Mode 2 is “Sharp Roll-Off”; Mode 3 is “Short Delay, Slow Roll-Off”; Mode 4 is “Slow Roll-Off”; Mode 5, which is what Campfire recommends for “optimal performance,” is described as “Super Slow Roll-Off”; and Mode 6 is “Low Dispersion, Short Delay.” I didn’t find one I liked better than Mode 5, so I left it.

Sound

The sound of the Mag Wallet is rich, almost Corinthian, in its leatherness. Great inner detail (of the stitching).

The Relay DAC had no problem driving the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 MkII headphones well above an acceptable and safe listening level. With Fatboy Slim’s “Acid 8000” (You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby, 16‑bit/44.1kHz FLAC, Astralwerks / Qobuz), the Relay helped maintain decent bass at higher volumes, though some slight harshness edged in at extreme volumes. Maybe that was just my brain rattling.

With the even bass-heavier “Salted Caramel Ice Cream” by Metronomy (Metronomy Forever, 24/44.1 FLAC, Because Music / Qobuz), the Sendy Audio Peacock planar-magnetic headphones via the 4.4mm balanced output remained well controlled, even at too-high-to-listen-to volumes.

“All I Need” from Air’s Moon Safari (24/192 FLAC, Virgin / Qobuz) let Meze Audio’s Advar IEMs shine, with great attack to the percussion, clean treble, and tight, deep bass. So basically, unless your headphones are especially difficult to drive, you should be able to get plenty of volume with the Relay.

Conclusion

I like the Mag Wallet a lot. It looks great and is an elegant solution to the inevitable cable clutter of wired audio on the go. It’s probably a little expensive at US$60, but it was sold out as I was writing this, so apparently many people disagree with me about this.

At US$229, the Relay seems a bit high as well. There are a lot of small, powerful headphone amp/DACs for a lot less money. For comparison, that’s more than the Schiit Audio Magni (which isn’t portable, to be fair) and the iFi Hip‑Dac 3 (which is much larger, but has its own battery, so it doesn’t drain your phone’s). The Relay does sound good, though, and had no issues driving the variety of headphones I threw at it.

. . . Geoffrey Morrison
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Associated Equipment

• Smartphone: Google Pixel 9 Pro
• Headphones and earphones: Beyerdynamic DT 1990 MkII, Sendy Audio Peacock, Meze Audio Advar

Campfire Audio Relay DAC–headphone amplifier and Portable DAC Mag Wallet case
Price: US$229, CA$319, £229, or €239 for Relay; US$59, £59, or €65 for Mag Wallet
Warranty: Two years

Campfire Audio
2400 SE Ankeny
Portland, Oregon
97214
Phone: (971) 279-4357

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.campfireaudio.com