Photo of an iPad Pro connected to a FiiO K3 DAC with Sony 1000XM4 headphones streaming Hi-Res Lossless audio from Apple Music.

Picture Post: Yes, you can use a USB-C DAC with an iPad Pro for Apple Music Hi-Res Lossless. Have fun.

Photo of an iPad Pro connected to a FiiO K3 DAC with Sony 1000XM4 headphones streaming Hi-Res Lossless audio from Apple Music.

Taken on Jun 09, 2021 @ 12:21.

About The Setup:

The iPad shown is an 11in iPad Pro from 2019.

The DAC is a FiiO K3 connected via a USB-C to USB-C cable. I recommend the shortest one you have on hand.

Note: You will need a USB-C cable that supports at least USB-C 3.1 Gen 1. The DAC will not turn on if your cable is USB-C 2.0.

The headphones are the Sony WH-1000XM4 connected via the included standard cable (non-remote).

The iPad is set to maximum volume (yes, it will complain about this), and the FiiO is set to about 25%. The Gain is set to High. I had much better luck with this than putting the FiiO at max volume and adjusting the volume on the iPad.