Hi Trevor,
There are a lot of excellent DACs on the market and more to come. Most of our customers rely on the internal DACs found in the iPad or iPod itself and connect to an amplifier using an adapter cable like our Mini Stereo 3.5mm to 2 RCA adapter. This cable is connected to the headphone jack (3.5mm) then connected to the analog input (right and left RCA) of an amplifier, receiver or pre-amplifier. The digital signal is converted to analog internally then output through the headphone jack. Also make sure your music has a bit rate of 256 or higher (less compression).
TL/MA 1423