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Best cheap USB-C headphone dongles?

Vantavimeow

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It's just a converter, not a dongle because no chip DAC in it!!! These phone had a build-in DAC but a decent one.

IMO, Abigal and Avani just hyped too much, nothing special, Sonata HD Pro still a best out there
They're 1/8th the price of the S8. Portable audio on android is a fools errand unless you're downloading music for Hiby app like it's the 90s. Though if you want to support the MQA scam I think tidal supports exclusive mode too. Chifi is significantly more expensive in the UK after even stricter import laws.
 
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ZolaIII

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@Vantavimeow Sonata isn't best because it's half the price of same o S8 and mesured good but because you get normal driver's and it's long supported.
Same app (HiBy Music) on DAP's support much more including streaming but they don't have interest in bringing those to regular app store. You can always purchase and use UAPP.
 

Inhuman

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They're 1/8th the price of the S8. Portable audio on android is a fools errand unless you're downloading music for Hiby app like it's the 90s. Though if you want to support the MQA scam I think tidal supports exclusive mode too. Chifi is significantly more expensive in the UK after even stricter import laws.
OK, keep it for yourself and remember peoples can use iPhone not stick with android btw
 

Mrcrunch08

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The apple dongle has fuck all power, it's like half the volume of any dongle I've tried.
It's a shame so few phones work well with the apple dongle. It has just as much power as any other dongle in its price range but needs either Samsung devices or paid apps to get the full power. Even then it doesn't work for everything.

I really wish a review would be made for the JSAUX Hifi Audio Pro. It uses the CS46L41 and after spending time with it I wasn't surprised to find out the Apple dongle using a chip from Cirrus Logic as well. They come across more similar than different except the JSAUX seems to work well with everything.

It even has some strange behaviors in the Neutron player that makes me wonder if it has even more lower than I realize. The JSAUX is the one with the nice cable in the pic.

IMG_20220217_111927__01.jpg
 

Inhuman

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It's a shame so few phones work well with the apple dongle. It has just as much power as any other dongle in its price range but needs either Samsung devices or paid apps to get the full power. Even then it doesn't work for everything.

I really wish a review would be made for the JSAUX Hifi Audio Pro. It uses the CS46L41 and after spending time with it I wasn't surprised to find out the Apple dongle using a chip from Cirrus Logic as well. They come across more similar than different except the JSAUX seems to work well with everything.

It even has some strange behaviors in the Neutron player that makes me wonder if it has even more lower than I realize. The JSAUX is the one with the nice cable in the pic.

View attachment 198279
JSAUX has QC problem, try another one.
 

Mrcrunch08

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JSAUX has QC problem, try another one.
? You mean like every other dongle in it's price range including much more expensive ones like your beloved sonata hd pro that failed in a month and a half? "Try another one", did you not see other ones in the pic? What was the purpose of that comment anyway? A baseless claim and an empty recommendation. Very odd considering....lmao
 

ZolaIII

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? You mean like every other dongle in it's price range including much more expensive ones like your beloved sonata hd pro that failed in a month and a half? "Try another one", did you not see other ones in the pic? What was the purpose of that comment anyway? A baseless claim and an empty recommendation. Very odd considering....lmao
Are you sure it's not just (OTG) cable?
 

mouse

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Hi, I am happy with the audio quality plugging my US Apple dongle into my laptop, but I can hear a low humming sound through my IEMs when my laptop is plugged in. Both USB-C ports are right next to the power cable. I can mitigate the humming by covering the dongle with my hand. Is there something I can do to shield the Apple dongle? Or, should I try to find a different dongle DAC/amp, and if so, which ones are good at a similar price point?
 

staticV3

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I've had similar experiences with metal IEMs plugged into various dongles with my desktop PC.
I'm not very knowledgeable about mains power, but my theory is that mains bled from USB into the dongle, the IEM cable, then through the metal shell into my body, down into the ground, creating a GND loop, which allowed current to flow, which excited the driver and ultimately resulted in audible mains hum through the IEM.

I could break the loop by:
-touching the dongle->current took a shortcut through my arm instead of up the IEM cable
-using an IEM with plastic shell -> provided sufficient isolation to break the loop
-sitting on my chair and lifting up my legs ->sufficient air gap to again break the loop.

The mains hum was loudest when touching my room's walls with bare feet, which supports my theory I guess.

Bottom line is that I don't think using another dongle would fix your issue. At least in my case it didn't.
 

mouse

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I've had similar experiences with metal IEMs plugged into various dongles with my desktop PC.
I'm not very knowledgeable about mains power, but my theory is that mains bled from USB into the dongle, the IEM cable, then through the metal shell into my body, down into the ground, creating a GND loop, which allowed current to flow, which excited the driver and ultimately resulted in audible mains hum through the IEM.

I could break the loop by:
-touching the dongle->current took a shortcut through my arm instead of up the IEM cable
-using an IEM with plastic shell -> provided sufficient isolation to break the loop
-sitting on my chair and lifting up my legs ->sufficient air gap to again break the loop.

The mains hum was loudest when touching my room's walls with bare feet, which supports my theory I guess.

Bottom line is that I don't think using another dongle would fix your issue. At least in my case it didn't.
Hm, thank you for the feedback. Using a USB C->A adapter and plugging it in on the right side of the laptop helps though. If I find anything that works to fix it on the left side I will post again.
 

amanieux

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I have been looking for weeks and I still can't come to the right conclusion.
I am baffled and wondering between two USB dongles – CX31993 or CS43131 (I am not sure if CS46L41 is worth it, feel free to correct me). CS43131 is twice the price of CX31993 but everyone has a different opinion regarding the sound. Have you got any experience with these dongles and what would you suggest? Furthermore, could you rank them (CX31993, CS43131 and CS46L41) from worst to best and explain the difference based on your personal experience?
P.S. I am in Europe and I do not think the Apple dongle is worth it for my Android phone since the EU version is worse compared to the original.
it seems that CS43131 is 30mW and cx31993 is 65mW so if you need more power you may want to go with the cheaper cx31993. but again these ouput power on paper are questionable because my apple dongle is supposedly 30mW but it has the same loundness as my abigal (supposedly 65mW) at the same 25% volume level on my mac.
 
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rockrolla

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Fiio Btr3K , I think I pay 40 euros and it's great because you can use usb or bluetooth with LDAC/ lower codecs transforming your wired headphone/IEM on a Bluetooth device with very good quality audio
 

staticV3

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it seems that CS43131 is 30mW and cx31993 is 65mW so if you need more power you may want to go with the cheaper cx31993.
The CX31993 cannot physically output more than 1.0Vrms, so is limited to a little over 30mW per channel at 32Ω.
The 65mW spec must refer to combined output power, but that's usually not how you spec power.

The CS43131 on the other hand can output 2.0Vrms unloaded.
The built-in impedance sensing and auto gain control however will limit the voltage to 1.0Vrms under 32Ω load. Same voltage as the CX31993.
Luckily, this auto gain can be defeated with an adapter like this:
b0b4cf3306a3a027f4cd7a5d34a0537c.jpg
It's a simple male to female extension cable, no special resistors or anything.
Plug the extension into your dongle, then your headphones into the extension and the auto gain is defeated.

Using it, you can get a clean 70mW per channel out of the CS43131. That's an increase of 3.5dB or 30% louder than the CX31993.

Here are fresh measurements of the Meizu HiFi and Mblu HiFi to show this:
_b_CS43131 vs CX31993 under 32Ω Load__b_ (BW_ 20Hz - 20kHz)_br_ (4).png _b_CS43131 vs CX31993 under 32Ω Load__b_ (BW_ 20Hz - 20kHz)_br_ (2).png

As you can see, the CX31993 is a lot noisier than the CS43131.
The CX31993 also has a distinct increase in noise once the input signal amplitude exceeds -56dBFS. That's the step you can see just below 2mV.
Conveniently, the industry standard -60dBFS test tone that is used to measure Dynamic Range falls just below that threshold, so doesn't trigger the noisier high gain.
Meaning that whatever SNR/DR numbers you see for the CX31993 are fake and don't accurately reflect the DAC's performance under real-world use.

Conexant, you scum!

Edit: updating REW reset my output settings to single channel, which I only noticed after the fact.
That means that the graphs above are with only the Left channel driven.
 
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MCH

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The CX31993 cannot physically output more than 1.0Vrms, so is limited to a little over 30mW per channel at 32Ω.
The 65mW spec must refer to combined output power, but that's usually not how you spec power.

The CS43131 on the other hand can output 2.0Vrms unloaded.
The built-in impedance sensing and auto gain control however will limit the voltage to 1.0Vrms under 32Ω load. Same voltage as the CX31993.
Luckily, this auto gain can be defeated with an adapter like this:
View attachment 257788
It's a simple male to female extension cable, no special resistors or anything.
Plug the extension into your dongle, then your headphones into the extension and the auto gain is defeated.

Using it, you can get a clean 70mW per channel out of the CS43131. That's an increase of 3.5dB or 30% louder than the CX31993.

Here are fresh measurements of the Meizu HiFi and Mblu HiFi to show this:
View attachment 257791 View attachment 257792

As you can see, the CX31993 is a lot noisier than the CS43131.
The CX31993 also has a distinct increase in noise once the input signal amplitude exceeds -56dBFS. That's the step you can see just below 2mV.
Conveniently, the industry standard -60dBFS test tone that is used to measure Dynamic Range falls just below that threshold, so doesn't trigger the noisier high gain.
Meaning that whatever SNR/DR numbers you see for the CX31993 are fake and don't accurately reflect the DAC's performance under real-world use.

Conexant, you scum!
Hey @staticV3 , is that for the Meizu non pro? If yes, how come that amir measured 49mW @33 Ohm? I understood that the review measurements are somehow flawed but I didn't think that would affect the power results (i have no idea though)

What a great little dongle, if it wasn't the dropouts i get with most of my sources.... :/
 

staticV3

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Hey @staticV3 , is that for the Meizu non pro? If yes, how come that amir measured 49mW @33 Ohm? I understood that the review measurements are somehow flawed but I didn't think that would affect the power results (i have no idea though)

What a great little dongle, if it wasn't the dropouts i get with most of my sources.... :/
Yes, that's the unbuffered non-Pro in the graphs.
I don't know why Amir measured less.
 
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staticV3

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@MarcosCh I now know why my measurements are better.
Before measuring I upgraded to an early access build of REW and that reset my output to single channel.

Here's single channel vs dual channel of the Meizu HiFi into 32Ω:
_b_Meizu HiFi non-Pro_ THD+N vs Power at 32Ω Load__b_ (BW_ 20Hz - 20kHz)_br_.png
 
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