I think I found the perfect USB C headphone dongle...

[DanielT]

Everything with that short cable will not last very long.. the quality is too poor

Such a dongle that does not withstand, breaks if you have it with you when you are out and about, for example, is then a complete waste of money. For me anyway. It should withstand a little rough treatment.

 

[rarewolf]

Such a dongle that does not withstand, breaks if you have it with you when you are out and about, for example, is then a complete waste of money. For me anyway. It should withstand a little rough treatment.

I agree with the concern for a fixed cable. My L&P W2’s cable is not fixed, and I’ve gone thru 2 Lightning OTG cables already, but I didn’t have to replace the dongle. When used for portability the cable an see a lot of stress. I probably should’ve ordered an extra.

By the way, if I were in the market for a dongle today, the HiBy FC4 would get my most serious look, and if I wanted Bluetooth it would be the Fiio BTR7.

 

[DanielT]

Everything with that short cable will not last very long.. the quality is too poor

Maybe you can solve that by reinforcing it with a little super glue where the cord goes into the UBC connector and the surface between the cord and the DAC?

Addendum. Regarding using it in slightly tougher circumstances than completely sedentary listening, if you are out and about for example.

 

[Rja4000]

The Moondrop Dawn - https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/...cm-768khz-dsd256-type-c-headphone-amplifier-1

These specifications sound amazing! ...better than my Activo CT10 DAC. The CT10 DAP also has 2v output. I know the specs are A-Weighted, but I still have hope and ordered one.

Frequency response range: 5hz 87Khz(-3dB)
Port: USB Type-C
Background noise: 1.1uV(AES17 20Khz)
THD+N: 0.0002% (AES17 20kHz, without load）
SNR: 127dB(AES17 20Khz,A-weight)
Firmware upgrade: Support (Connect PC)
Gain: High/Low (Software switching)
Line out: 2Vrms(High),1Vrms(Low)

With specifications this good being commonplace in audio market, especially from Chinese companies, can we confirm that 2 headphone dongles or 2 DACs that measure well above the level we listen at sound 100% identical? Therefore, the only difference would be more ports and features/functionality. Of course, a headphone dongle has very limited functionality. I'm talking about the output from the DAC - it should be flawless anyway, right?

I plan to use the Moondrop dawn with two 32 ohm headphones. These headphones reach comfortable listening levels easily....so it shouldn't be a problem.
I think it's safe to say that all we need is a $100 DAC or any headphone dongle that measures very well for perfect sound quality. Measurements clearly tell us everything we need to know.
Sorry for the long post. I am just excited and curious. I plan to use the Moondrop dawn with my Android smartphone. After it arrives, I plan to sell my Activo CT10 DAP.

Does it work with Android ?

 

[Rja4000]

Do you think it will do, goes reasonably well with this IEM?

Amir:
"The low impedance means many amps and sources can drive it but it is very low. Sensitive is on the low side as well for an IEM:"
View attachment 231685

TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero IEM Review

This is a review, listening tests and measurements of the Truthear Crinacle Zero IEM review. It was sent to me by @crinacle as he has been a consultant on the project. It costs US $50. I like that it has a bit of "bling" but not too much. The cord is just the right length for me (many IEMs...

audiosciencereview.com

Given the power they it pushes into 32 ohm, I don't see why not.

 

[staticV3]

Does it work with Android ?

Yes.

 

[Blorg]

@DanielT it will be more than enough power for the Truthear Zero. You'll have to get a balanced cable. It's maybe hard to drive for an IEM but it's still an IEM and not that hard to drive in the scheme of things, you're more likely to have issues with the volume range being very small (stuck down the bottom) than not having enough power. You can set it to low gain (2V, quarter power) in the Android app which will help for IEM use. Also consider just getting the 3.5mm version if you only want it for IEM use though, the benefit of this is it can drive many moderately hard to drive overears.

 

[NymPHONO]

ok....i adore this dongle so so intensely, its my no1 under 100$. it have this special magical power to open soundstage of any IEM i pair it with and offer clean crisp presentation with realist and dense timbre enough. im talking about Balanced version. its super versatile too since we can select 4vrms or 2vrms gain....

yet, i try to find impedance output spec and couldnt find it anywhere...i even ask Moondrop and they give me vain answer about power output and never answer back...so, this will drive me crazy since i do feel its rather low and i want to confirm if its lowest impedance output in budget dongle game...with high power...

anybody have this info? if not, i do feel its urget that Amir measure this...like, very urgent before another better dongle come out!

 

[PatientEmber]

...
By the way, if I were in the market for a dongle today, the HiBy FC4 would get my most serious look, and if I wanted Bluetooth it would be the Fiio BTR7.

Been lurking for a few months, just registered today so I could thank you. Bought a Google Pixel 7 Pro recently which is my first phone without a 3.5mm. Planning to pickup the HiBy FC4.

 

[Peterinvan]

I have the Cayin RU6 USB-C, 4.4mm balanced R2R DAC and amp. I use this out of my iPad Pro with all my phones. Really enjoy the sound profile.
My iPhone 6 will not power it. I use a FiiO KA3 on the iPhone (USB-C to Lightning cable). It's also fully balanced 4.4mm out. Not quite as good sounding as the RU6, but fine for out and about.

 

[gfinlays]

After reading this diiscussion, I bought the 4.4 mm balanced version to use with a pair of Sennheiser IE 500 Pro IEMs (I had to butcher the original cable to fit a 4.4 mm Pentaconn TRRRS jack plug). I also bought a Pentaconn to 4 pin XLR adapter so I can use the IEMs with all of my other headphone amps.

The 4V output, selectable via the Moondrop App can drive the IE 500 Pro to ear shattering levels. The Google Play Store Android App is buggy, so it's best to download the App direct from Moondrop's website.

Using Roon ARC with its (beta) USB driver option, I've got proper Hi-Fi quality sound on an Android phone that's indistinguishable from my office Topping E50/L50 combo and the main rig Benchmark DAC3/HPA4 with the same headphones.

I'm seriously impressed with this little DAC. At its price/performance ratio, it's an absolute steal!

 

[jasonhanjk]

Cannot drive 32 ohm properly. There are others which will perform better.

 

[gfinlays]

Cannot drive 32 ohm properly. There are others which will perform better.

What makes you say that? The IE 500 Pro is 16 ohm and it can drive them well beyond hearing damage levels.....

 

[Blorg]

What makes you say that? The IE 500 Pro is 16 ohm and it can drive them well beyond hearing damage levels.....

He might mean it doesn't meet the spec of [email protected]Ω, and it doesnt, from Wolf's measurements on L7AudioLab it looks more like ~150mW. More than enough power for any IEM though, and the other measurements are very good. If you were specifically looking for a dongle to drive a low sensitivity low impedance planar over ear there might be better options... although probably not at $65.