Anker USB C to 3.5mm Audio Adapter

[corgis_rule]

Hey everyone,

Curious to see what people think of this Anker dongle (https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Adapte...7&sprefix=anker+ub+c+to+3.5m,aps,173&sr=8-3)? Do you guys think Amir will ever want to do measurements for it? I know that the Apple dongle usb c got high praise essentially, but I wonder if this Anker dongle can beat it! (I think it's cool that it advertises a DAC chip with transmission rates of up to 96kHz/ 24bit.)

 

[Kachda]

Ping amir and send it to him

 

[Matias]

I would be skeptical since no specs and no DAC chip is mentioned... Adapters that have better chips and specs are usually proud to show the specs in their marketing material.

 

[corgis_rule]

I would be skeptical since no specs and no DAC chip is mentioned... Adapters that have better chips and specs are usually proud to show the specs in their marketing material.

"Anker says the DAC and headphone amp chip is a CX21986"
This is what I found in the Q/A section of Amazon after typing "DAC"

 

[Shangri-La]

Just bought one,,, very curious...

 

[Achim1812]

As long as you drive headphones, let's say up to 60 Ohm, which do not need amplification all these dongles do what they are supposed to do. The chips are mostly 24/192 capable and work fine with all my now and before Android phones. The brands change every 2nd day, the dongles survive.
My "travelling setup" is a Samsung A22, Qobuz, UAPP, an iNassen 10 € dongle and a Sony MDR-1AM2. Do not need more and hell of a lot better than all the praised bluetoth stuff. And still small enough to be comfortable.

 

[Shangri-La]

^^^ That's probably true. And it makes me wonder why the Anker dongle is almost twice as expensive as many other dongle DACs.

 

[Achim1812]

"Anker" was f.e. here in Germany a well known and respected brand. Maybe they want to label it as high standard that way. I tried and own a lot of dongles/mobile dacs in price ranges up to 350 €. As long as you do not need an amplification for a 300-600 Ohm headphone it makes, in my opinion, no sense to spend more than 20 €. My old ears cannot hear any difference...

 

[dasdoing]

^^^ That's probably true. And it makes me wonder why the Anker dongle is almost twice as expensive as many other dongle DACs.

they are probably all the same product....read OEM

pretty sure you could find it for a fraction of the price on AliExpress

 

[Shangri-La]

Because of delivery delay, I bought 2 dongles and received both today.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Y7YXHSB?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z3B5QL3?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Did a quick test on Macbook pro with HD6XX. Difference is minor and doesn't make much difference for what I intend to use (with my phone). The Anker may have a slightly fuller sound. Both are inferior to Motu M2 but that's expected. https://motu.com/en-us/products/m-series/m2/ The Anker is slightly worse than the MacBook Pro (2021, 16") onboard DAC.

I then tested the mic quality. And Wow.. what a night and day difference. The MCSPER sounded muddy, as if my mic was wrapped with a few layers of cloth! The Anker in comparison is cryscle clear. I didn't compare it to the Motu M2 and dont expect the Anker to perform at the same level. But I was really surprised to discover the mic performance difference.

I'm keeping the Anker and don't intend to order other dongles to compare.

 

[Shangri-La]

I was courious to compare the dongles on a 4k desktop listening system. Not my primary floorstanding setup but still good enough to make the comparison easier.

I cannot tell the difference between the Anker dongle and MCSPER. Mac built-in DAC is slightly better, but only barely. On Motu M2, I feel finally I can call this music. On recording side, the MCSPER is unlitenable. Anker is much better, but the Mac built-in DAC is a lot better than the Anker, and louder. I used a lav mic for comparison. Motu M2 is clearly another level up.