Samsung USB-C Headphone Adapter Review

[Alfie]

And the fact that you can't use the Apple dongle on Android devices (but maybe you can now with series 10 Samsung devices?), means there is a real alternative on Android now.

Actually using Apple dongle on Xiaomi phone. Select usbHQ in HibyMusic to avoid power limit. I can also get volume control with my old iPhone compatible Sony earbuds

 

[Rja4000]

Could you please specify exact model?
There is a risk that they ship different models to different zones/countries, as Apple is doing.

Does it look any stronger than the so-fragile-and -easily-broken Apple dongle?

 

[Alfie]

Could you please specify exact model?
There is a risk that they ship different models to different zones/countries, as Apple is doing.

Does it look any stronger than the so-fragile-and -easily-broken Apple dongle?

Xiaomi A2, Android One (Pie) phone. I got the Apple dongle in Spain (Official Apple store) and it looks the same that the one was reviewed here.

 

[Degru]

It is inevitable evolution as with other electronics.. wireless headphones trend/sleaker design/cost cutting/.. Maybe in the near future we will be left with no phone with 3,5mm jack, or there will be only some exotic models for "audiophile comunity", like Onkyo Granbeat DP-CMX1, that is "DAP with added phone calls function" .

What's funny is they didn't even get sleeker or thinner.. the thinnest iOS device is still the iPod touch, and that has a headphone jack.

If you look into newer iPhone you will also find that the place where they used to have the headphone jack is taken up by a piece of plastic now.

 

[SegaCD]

It is inevitable evolution as with other electronics.. wireless headphones trend/sleaker design/cost cutting/.. Maybe in the near future we will be left with no phone with 3,5mm jack, or there will be only some exotic models for "audiophile comunity", like Onkyo Granbeat DP-CMX1, that is "DAP with added phone calls function" .

Exactly.

Having a 3.5mm jack also makes waterproofing/IPX(58) certification more difficult which is a near requirement on high-end phones these days. Removing it makes life easier for manufacturers. It's half the reason why most high-end phones don't have removable batteries these days.

That's certainly not to say its not possible. A few years back I had a Japanese phone which was waterproof/IPX certified and had both a removable battery & 3.5mm headphone port, but there were rubber seals all over & would overheat super easily. A few manufacturers have IPX-certified phones with 3.5mm headphone ports but they must have to coat the PCBs in a sealant which is a pain to inspect post-production.

Honestly, the mass-majority of people who own the high-end Samsungs, Apples, etc that don't have 3.5mm headphone jacks wireless headphones/earbuds or listen to music over their car bluetooth...but lots of these people are business men that get caught in the rain. Many, many mid-tier and low-end phones still have headphone jacks...because in the end its all about the targeted income range that each phone manufacturer sets for their products.

 

[AudioSceptic]

What's funny is they didn't even get sleeker or thinner.. the thinnest iOS device is still the iPod touch, and that has a headphone jack.

If you look into newer iPhone you will also find that the place where they used to have the headphone jack is taken up by a piece of plastic now.

Yes, really stupid, and they *still* need to have a DAC-amp inside for the speaker so they don't save on that either. Could it be anything to do with making it more waterproof?

Edit: I see that SegaCD answered the last point.

 

[Dana reed]

Yes. And internal one can be more powerful than the little one in these dongles. Sadly, Apple screwed us all by starting to eliminate the headphone jack and stupid Android vendor blindly started to follow them. This, after Samsung bragging initially that they wouldn't.

That's why you'll pry this iPhone SE from my cold dead hands. I'll buy another one refurbished if this one dies

 

[dorirod]

Where does the Speaka/XtremProX1 USB DAC fall into these ratings (or was methodology too different to include in these lists)?

Thanks

 

[bobbooo]

Where does the Speaka/XtremProX1 USB DAC fall into these ratings (or was methodology too different to include in these lists)?

Thanks

I'd like to know this too - it would be great if Amir could re-measure it using the new analyzer for a proper comparison, as some full-sized headphones need more power than these dongles can output so it would be good to know if the XtremPro X1 / Speaka would be a good alternative.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I only use headphones with my phone when travelling, ie on bus or train since I don't fly often any more. The quality of the headphones is less important to me than the convenience of wireless. I would never have learned this without the loss of the socket on my phone since I am too tight to have bought wireless if I could still have plugged my ER4S in but I hated the dongle even more than the cable so now I use B&W PX and wouldn't ever bother with the irritation of anything plugged into my phone on the move ever again.
If my main source of music was my phone and I listened to it in the quiet environment at home knowing these dongles are so good is brilliant.

 

[dc655321]

That's why you'll pry this iPhone SE from my cold dead hands. I'll buy another one refurbished if this one dies
View attachment 37462

Amen to that. Same here.

 

[amirm]

@amirm Have you measured the performance of the S8?

The SINAD is in the wide graph. The rest of the measurements are hard to do since my Windows Measurement App can't control it like a DAC.

 

[amirm]

Could you please specify exact model?

I think there is only one available from Samsung. Here it is:

 

[bobbooo]

The SINAD is in the wide graph. The rest of the measurements are hard to do since my Windows Measurement App can't control it like a DAC.

Does your S8+ have the Exynos or Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset? As they use different audio chips.

 

[amirm]

Does your S8+ have the Exynos or Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset? As they use different audio chips.

It is US issue so it uses Qualcomm Snapdragon.

 

[Degru]

Exactly.

Having a 3.5mm jack also makes waterproofing/IPX(58) certification more difficult which is a near requirement on high-end phones these days. Removing it makes life easier for manufacturers. It's half the reason why most high-end phones don't have removable batteries these days.

That's certainly not to say its not possible. A few years back I had a Japanese phone which was waterproof/IPX certified and had both a removable battery & 3.5mm headphone port, but there were rubber seals all over & would overheat super easily. A few manufacturers have IPX-certified phones with 3.5mm headphone ports but they must have to coat the PCBs in a sealant which is a pain to inspect post-production.

Honestly, the mass-majority of people who own the high-end Samsungs, Apples, etc that don't have 3.5mm headphone jacks wireless headphones/earbuds or listen to music over their car bluetooth...but lots of these people are business men that get caught in the rain. Many, many mid-tier and low-end phones still have headphone jacks...because in the end its all about the targeted income range that each phone manufacturer sets for their products.

What makes a USB/lightning port easier to waterproof than a headphone jack? It is easy to see how waterproofed headphone jack design could be achieved just by looking down the barrel of an apple dongle.

 

[Jimster480]

My view is this is more likely to be aligned with "programed obsolescence" that with any other reason. In this particular case Evolution (wireless) can be perfectly match with high audio quality (3.5mm) as being demostrated by Samsung up to S9/Note 9 (what according with Anandtech the Snapdragon version has one of the best audio quality output en 3.5mm ever).

Changing the way means more sales and lowering the phone costs:
1. A dongle (cheap but a new piece),
2. A new high quality headset (new buy, and if wireless life time dependend on battery whereas my old Sennheiser 650 is being "eternal")
3. Lowering the phone costs (but maintaning or even increasing price as we see in Note 10 or Tab S6)

So: Samsung, Apple, etc WINS, users LOSE.

I think

You hit the nail on the head here.

Dongles like this one shouldn't even need to exist.

 

[Jimster480]

What makes a USB/lightning port easier to waterproof than a headphone jack? It is easy to see how waterproofed headphone jack design could be achieved just by looking down the barrel of an apple dongle.

IT has nothing to do with this. Its just another bogus defense on the part of the greedy mfgs removing headphone jacks.

 

[AudioSceptic]

IT has nothing to do with this. Its just another bogus defense on the part of the greedy mfgs removing headphone jacks.

Will it backfire, though? It might mean that people hang on to older phones with headphone sockets for longer, or buy used instead of new.

 

[Frank Dernie]

IT has nothing to do with this. Its just another bogus defense on the part of the greedy mfgs removing headphone jacks.

I doubt it. Not much profit in a $9 dongle or supplying the ear buds with a built in DAC/amp included rather than just the socket.