What is the opinion of Reddit about the
HiFiGo Audirect Atom2 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier High Resolution MQA DSD512 32bit/768kHz HiFi Portable Amps/Pre-amp Compatible?

For iPhone, you mean this DAC?

Or something like it that connects directly to lightning port?

It’s a different product and slightly more expensive, but you could benefit from the Auddirect Atom2 USB DAC. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096VY7ZJD

At $79 it’s not cheap, but at the cost of those cables each time you replace them, it’s probably well worth it now. In addition, it supports 32-bit / 768kHz for providing even better “lossless” audio support than Apple’s own cable.

I’ve used one of these for a year now and it’s small/compact aluminum size makes it near indestructible.

This is the DAC I used, one less cable. Ends up costing less.

https://amazon.com/dp/B096VY7ZJD

Actually have a write up about the DAC, it’s impressive and does provide excellent audio experience. However watch out for… Placebo.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Airpodsmax/comments/paqupe/a_compact_approach_to_nearlylossless_airpods_max/

The answer is a depends.

#1 Not everyone can hear the difference between lossless and the high quality decode of the AAC Bluetooth that APMs provide. I’d argue that more will be amazed by Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio than Lossless and you get those with the Bluetooth connection.

#2 if you are convinced your ears fall into the “I’ll be able to tell” crowd then the following will apply.

First if you are using it with an iPhone, you’ll need two adapters unless you have an older phone that still has a headphone jack.

• Apple 3.5mm lightning headphone adapter about $9.00 Lightning to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter
• Apple 1.2m Lightning to 3.5 mm Audio Cable (white or black) about $35.00 Lightning 1.2 m 3.5 mm audio cable

What can you expect – mid level lossless “like” (digital/analog conversions in cable chain so no true lossless) that is about the same as some lower end DAC products with analog headphones. The 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter has support up to 24-bit/48 kHz lossless, about CD or slightly better quality.

The 1.2 m cable specifications are not listed, so it’s more difficult to determine what it’s DAC supports. Customers that have tried both the Apple headphone jack adapter and a much higher resolution DragonFly DAC have stated that the quality improves with a third-party DAC connected to the iPhone.

I can attest to this, I’ve both the Apple headphone jack that I use with the Apple audio cable and I’ve also tried the Audirect Atom2 USB DAC 32bit/768Khz with MQA adapter that is less expensive than the DragonFly. I definitely hear a difference.

Because the DAC in the audio cable does an additional conversion, Apple cannot claim “lossless”, but it’s as close as any result that is measured in my opinion. Audiophiles are guaranteed to argue with that statement, but unless you use true analog headphones of high quality, you’ll love it. I’d argue that Apple could apply for the Hi-Res Audio logo as that’s not necessarily a “true lossless” indicator.

Cons – cables and battery drain at a higher rate for that DAC hanging off the Lightning connector.

For day to day use, nah, I just use Bluetooth. As for the cables and Atom2 DAC, I may sell them in the future as it was more educational than for daily use.

I suspect Apple will work on a future APM replacement with a newer Bluetooth codec that provides sufficient speed to provide wireless 24bit/192Khz support, but that’s likely a few years down the road yet.