My dongle search rabbit hole

[ZolaIII]

I live in a place with far worse availability then you in UK and by the way you had great both availability and prices about 7 years ago and now are on the another side regarding prices with still good availability. I have 20+ year's old Creative Audigy 2 Platinum in the attic and it is still in a working condition, don't use it for a long time now actually doungraded recently from AE-5 to Z SE for the optical input (not that it makes difference other than better and low self impacted headphone amplifier on AE-5 but I don't use it for headphones anyway). Creative whose always a bumpy ride regarding drivers but I don't mind much anymore.
Had a Tempotec flask it lasted me 6+ years before USB port felt off and it's my fault. Never had a issue with their ASIO driver, tho it's not great and needed relaxed latency settings but it just worked. By the way they are the OEM for many Hidizs products. Cable is the weakest link that regularly fails first so do go with one's with exchangable cable. I would say go for old Sonata HD Pro but I doubt it will get Windows 11 ASIO driver so better wait for something newer from them with drivers suport for Windows 11 and USB port and not wired cable. There are headphones with drivers without meaningful impact from amplifier self impedance (response remains almost the same). I got Denon AH-D5200 for that among other obvious reasons like FR, built quality and because they fit easy and achieve good seal without much effort (so you don't have to extensively adjust them when putting them on) and will work good even with not so good and anemic sources like most interfaces are. It whose recent purchase I do use them with DSP correction tho they don't sound bad and without it. They are rather on sensitive side (like sensitive IEM's) but I didn't buy a RME ADI-2 Fs first gen (AKM) with deticated output stage for such. Instead I drive them with Apple A2155 EU dongle and don't really care if and when it dies. Which by the way won't be anytime soon as there is no pressure or flex on the cable. Why would I for such a price? Windows generic WASAPI driver works fine and has a lower latency then most if any ASIO ones I ever used, small enough for use with low latency convolver @ 48 KHz trough WDM on almost real-time content (video). To say it more polite this time you are over thinking it. I am still more of a speakers kinda oh guy and don't believe that will change. Have a nice time and have fun!

 

[OK1]

I live in a place with far worse availability then you in UK and by the way you had great both availability and prices about 7 years ago and now are on the another side regarding prices with still good availability. I have 20+ year's old Creative Audigy 2 Platinum in the attic and it is still in a working condition, don't use it for a long time now actually doungraded recently from AE-5 to Z SE for the optical input (not that it makes difference other than better and low self impacted headphone amplifier on AE-5 but I don't use it for headphones anyway). Creative whose always a bumpy ride regarding drivers but I don't mind much anymore.
Had a Tempotec flask it lasted me 6+ years before USB port felt off and it's my fault. Never had a issue with their ASIO driver, tho it's not great and needed relaxed latency settings but it just worked. By the way they are the OEM for many Hidizs products. Cable is the weakest link that regularly fails first so do go with one's with exchangable cable. I would say go for old Sonata HD Pro but I doubt it will get Windows 11 ASIO driver so better wait for something newer from them with drivers suport for Windows 11 and USB port and not wired cable. There are headphones with drivers without meaningful impact from amplifier self impedance (response remains almost the same). I got Denon AH-D5200 for that among other obvious reasons like FR, built quality and because they fit easy and achieve good seal without much effort (so you don't have to extensively adjust them when putting them on) and will work good even with not so good and anemic sources like most interfaces are. It whose recent purchase I do use them with DSP correction tho they don't sound bad and without it. They are rather on sensitive side (like sensitive IEM's) but I didn't buy a RME ADI-2 Fs first gen (AKM) with deticated output stage for such. Instead I drive them with Apple A2155 EU dongle and don't really care if and when it dies. Which by the way won't be anytime soon as there is no pressure or flex on the cable. Why would I for such a price? Windows generic WASAPI driver works fine and has a lower latency then most if any ASIO ones I ever used, small enough for use with low latency convolver @ 48 KHz trough WDM on almost real-time content (video). To say it more polite this time you are over thinking it. I am still more of a speakers kinda oh guy and don't believe that will change. Have a nice time and have fun!

Thanks. Really enjoyed reading this. I also started with some Creative soundcards - had two of them, when I lived in a country with very little availability, Nigeria. 1996 or 97. I bought my 1st Creative soundcard, and that was a big deal - had to speak to a local company that was importing parts for computers, and it was a special order - they bought and imported it for me. That was very special.

Wow - good to know they are the OEM for HIdizs. Really interesting. Thanks for this info. The Sonata HD Pro is definitely on my shortlist. The only reason I have not ordered it, is I've changed my mind about dongles, and my priority is a desktop setup. You definitely make an interesting point on the possibility that dongle drivers for Windows 10, may become unsupported on Windows 11

Why am I bothering with all this. I am starting a new career as an audio engineer, mixing and mastering songs, so I want to take the effort to provide myself with the best possible gear within a reasonable budget. For listening, I think I'll be ok with my current Apple (US version) dongle using WASAPI Exclusive on Windows 10. But I simply want to give my customers the very best results from me.

I can't stop laughing! Standards are there, it's another question why most of OEM's are incapable of doing either drivers or device's properly. You are just spoiled and over thinking while not thinking at all. How will cheap "desktop" stereo DAC be better than dongle one or have better warenty & support? If you want those things you will have to pay and that still doesn't ensure good drivers or flow less functioning. Unrealistic expectations to begin with. I can't even guarantee the old proven and quality components will last you for 20 years and not something new regardless even if it's from companies with stellar build long lasting reputation like Yamaha or RME. Seven to 10 years probably yes but that's it. In the meantime people improving their setups with multichannel DAC's (adding sub's, doing digital crossovers and corrections) are less picky partly and because they have far less choice to begin with.

I've had a rethink.

Part of the problem is the measurements, e.g what difference does it make -114 SINAD or -108 SINAD.. I think the manufacturers use all these statistics to confuse those of us who may not really know what this means. If I have not had two devices with SINAD's in that range, I may not realise that in practice, it's not such a huge difference., and may be imperceptible. So without knowledge, one is tempted to want to get the best.

I did quite a bit of research over the last few hours, and one of these sources was the link below

DACS this time I mean it!

Digital to analogue converters they are everywhere, your CD player has one your phone has one, increasingly they are built into loudspeakers as part of the DSP chain.They are first and foremost 'converters' their job is simply that to take a digital signal and turn it into an analogue signal...

www.puriteaudio.co.uk

I agree with you, I have been overthinking this issue.

1. I am expecting that the desktop device will be more durable - and no - that is not true, they are using the same DAC chips, as the dongles, just putting a big box around it.

2. I was expecting the desktop devices to sound better, but in reality the difference may not be that much. Anything above 105(or below -105) in all of these parameters - SNR. DNR, and THD+N, should be more than good enough, to listen to Spotify, or mix a good song. i.e more(or less for parameters measured in the negative) is not better, just nice to have if you have the budget.

3. So instead of a desktop, I'll start with either a Sonata HD Pro or a Hidizs S8, whichever is cheaper and easier to buy.

I also used a headphone calculator to check that, and definitely either of these dongles should be more than loud enough for any headphones, I'm planning to get

Thanks.

 

[ZolaIII]

@OK1 well bigger box and separate power supply usually also mean better EMI rejection and performance but really not an issue with good designed DAC chips and CS43131 stands out regarding EMI rejection rate. If you want more power/voltage you could consider Creative SBx G6 as something in between. It has built in Dolby decoder for formats it supports.
Let's put it this way multi tone SINAD neads to retain to be above headphones/earphones SPL to call it transparent and you won't be listening above 100 dB that much is certain. Same goes and for the line out. All above 100 dB is so you may have some headroom to lose on cable connections (cuple dB).
It's not sum of the parts but weakest link in the chain in the worst operational conditions. In case of such electronic those are capacitors, capacitors around switching power supply which get most heat. The distortion (THD) of analog transcivers (driver's) will always be considerably higher even in case of very low distortion headphones compared to amp/DAC. Primary use speakers to mix especially highs and remember always to make mix cross compatible with headphones (no funny separation of instruments and vocals between chenels which sound horrible on headphones). Most normal headphones manufacturers state their sensitivity in dB/V and that's the best indicator of what you need to properly drive them.

 

[OK1]

@OK1 well bigger box and separate power supply usually also mean better EMI rejection and performance but really not an issue with good designed DAC chips and CS43131 stands out regarding EMI rejection rate. If you want more power/voltage you could consider Creative SBx G6 as something in between. It has built in Dolby decoder for formats it supports.
Let's put it this way multi tone SINAD neads to retain to be above headphones/earphones SPL to call it transparent and you won't be listening above 100 dB that much is certain. Same goes and for the line out. All above 100 dB is so you may have some headroom to lose on cable connections (cuple dB).
It's not sum of the parts but weakest link in the chain in the worst operational conditions. In case of such electronic those are capacitors, capacitors around switching power supply which get most heat. The distortion (THD) of analog transcivers (driver's) will always be considerably higher even in case of very low distortion headphones compared to amo/DAC. Primary use speakers to mix especially highs and remember always to make mix cross compatible with headphones (no funny separation of instruments and vocals between chenels which sound horrible on headphones). Most normal headphones manufacturers state their sensitivity in dB/V and that's the best indicator of what you need to properly drive them.

Thanks. I had been going through the desktop products, from Topping (was interested in the Topping DX1)and FiiO(K11), and today came across SMSL's desktop products with Headphone + DAC.

It appears that while more expensive, there seem to be a few local suppliers in the UK, of SMSL desktop products. Before I take a final decision, I'll review their Headphone + DAC combined products., and pick the one within my budget.

 

[OK1]

Bought a 3rd Samsung dongle, which was delivered today. details at this other thread, which focuses on the Samsung dongles.

Well intentioned reviews VS the real world with product revisions and substitutes(aka fakes) - Samsung Dongle version X?

This is specifically about the Samsung USB-C to 3.5mm DAC/Dongle. I bought this item three times Why did I want a Samsung dongle. It had been reviewed favorably on both the ASR and Julian Krause's Youtube website. Two credible sources. I'm about to listen to what the 3rd incarnation of this...

audiosciencereview.com

Dongle wise, I think I'd recommend the Apple dongle cos it seems to give me the most consistent sound, I'm happy with using this with a PC. I may delve into maybe one more dongle - maybe, definitely not Samsung ever again, for dongles. The only thing I need to sort out with the Apple dongle is - why am I not finding an input device so I can record from the microphone on my wired phone. No microphone devices are registered when I plug in the headphone into the Apple dongle. And if I change headphones on the Apple dongle, I have to get my DAW to restart the audio engine, cos the Apple device is disabled as soon as you pull the microphone plug out of the Apple dongle. For 90% of the listening public, for recreational listening, I highly recommend the Apple dongle. It's good enough. I'm using the US version. Checking in my DAW, with the JVC IEM, 17 Ohms impedance, I still have 30+ Decibels of headroom, i.e at the loudest that I could ever listen to commercial music, with these headphones, I'm peaking at no more than -30 dBFS. Listening to unmastered music - would eat into possibly 10 more dB, of that, leaving me with 20dB of headroom.

Cos I do mixing and mastering, I'd like to, for my own peace of mind, comfort and also to be absolutely sure I am working at the highest standard, I can afford, get a good measuring desktop DAC. So I have no excuses when working, knowing that my gear is not a limiting factor, affecting my results..

I've resisted purchasing Apple products, being a dyed in the wool Windows user. Never owned a Mac computer. The 1st two Apple products I've owned , bought in the most recent 10 months, a charger to charge my Samsung smartphone, and this Apple dongle, have impressed me. Well packaged, look great, and just work. Devices you never think about - they just work, with features that remind you - someone thought about this. Simple things, the charger has two indents that make it easier to hold, subtle things. and teh plugs fold in, Good design. Bought an Apple earpod a few weeks ago, still in the box. Their packaging is 1st class.

Started another thread to discuss my desktop DAC journey here :

Chinese or Non Chinese Audio Interface - USB device - DAC with digital inputs, or analog inputs (ADC) routable to ASIO/WASAPI inputs? Any out there?

This is for a home studio I wish to upgrade from some old audio interfaces by EMU and Echo Audio, which are no longer supported with current low latency drivers (WASAPI or ASIO), for Windows 10 and 11. The EMU drivers typically need workarounds @ installation and are broken by each major...

audiosciencereview.com

 

[OK1]

Ok. I finally succumbed, saw a good deal and ordered a Tempotec Sonata BHD. Did not need it but the offer was too good to ignore. Was a 1st purchase deal on AliExpress. Hopefully I can now close this dongle search, for good. Will post thoughts on it when it arrives and I have listened to it for a few weeks. This has the ASIO I need, balanced and unbalanced headphone outs, should I ever need one or the other, and the specs are more than good enough to meet and exceed the Audibility thresholds, where any noise and distortion from the device itself, would be inaudible, in normal use. I don't expect it to sound any different from the Apple dongle, but that's the whole point, you never know, until you try, and having two "transparent" dongles that represent the inexpensive and more expensive(and measuring much better) end of the dongle market will be an education, in itself.

This was the dream that caught my attention on dongles - Signal to Noise rivaling some of the best desktop DACs and audio interfaces ever made, and costing relatively peanuts, in a small portable almost invisible form factor.

Am enjoying the use of my Apple dongle and the only issue is - I do not seem to have a microphone input with the Apple dongle plugged into a USB-C socket on my laptop. Strange. These dongles, always something to deal with. I think the issue is maturity of whatever standards are in use. Does not help that Apple likes to do things their own way, and same with Android/Google. But what can we do. Dongles are a neat idea, if not universally implemented, in the same manner, by all dongles.

 

[OK1]

The Tempotec Sonata BHD arrived today, and I am very satisfied with it, and can imagine it will be my main listening companion for the next 5 to 10 years, and most of the time, I'll forget it is there. Very happy that it has ASIO drivers. Which to me sounds exactly the same as using these with the Windows driver in WASAPI Exclusive mode.

 

[mc.god]

The Tempotec Sonata BHD arrived today, and I am very satisfied with it, and can imagine it will be my main listening companion for the next 5 to 10 years, and most of the time, I'll forget it is there. Very happy that it has ASIO drivers. Which to me sounds exactly the same as using these with the Windows driver in WASAPI Exclusive mode.

Waiting mine to be delivered, glad to read you are satisfied.
Can you tell me if you change the volume wth the hardware buttons, do it remember it when you reboot your pc? Or do it reset always to some predefined value?
And is there a way to tell when you reach max volume with buttons?
Thank you.

 

[OK1]

Waiting mine to be delivered, glad to read you are satisfied.
Can you tell me if you change the volume wth the hardware buttons, do it remeber it when you reboot your pc? Or do it reset always to some predefined value?
And is there a way to tell when you reach max volume with buttons?
Thank you.

My audio path is a bit unusual. I use my DAC dongles, only with my PC (A Windows 10 laptop). With the following path

Youtube/Spotify/WhatsApp(or any other Windows app) --> VB HI-Fi ASIO Bridge -->Reaper ReRoute Virtual ASIO driver --> Reaper DAW --> TempoTec Sonata BHD - Via ASIO driver or Windows WASAPI Exclusive Mode.

Normally all my control of the audio volume is within my DAW. Therefore I leave the volume on the Sonata BHD at the maximum.

The BHD has two components of audio volume control.

1. Gain - so it has the button by the side, for toggling between three levels of gain - low, medium or high gain. For the CCA CRA IEM, the low gain is more than enough, so I keep it @ low gain. Low gain was the default, when the device was connected.

2. There are two other buttons, to adjust audio level, up and down, up to the maximum allowable by the current gain setting. To the best of my knowledge, by default, it starts up at the maximum level, for the current gain range. Within a few clicks, its easy to reset the volume to the maximum, using the relevant volume "up" button. These buttons the "up" or "down" buttons are NOT labelled, but pretty easy to know which is which, and one's finger memory remembers which is which...

I just did a test by disconnecting the BHD's USB cable from the computer. When reconnected, the state of the Gain and the Volume Level established via the buttons on the dongle, are retained.

 

[mc.god]

My audio path is a bit unusual. I use my DAC dongles, only with my PC (A Windows 10 laptop). With the following path

Youtube/Spotify/WhatsApp(or any other Windows app) --> VB HI-Fi ASIO Bridge -->Reaper ReRoute Virtual ASIO driver --> Reaper DAW --> TempoTec Sonata BHD - Via ASIO driver or Windows WASAPI Exclusive Mode.

Normally all my control of the audio volume is within my DAW. Therefore I leave the volume on the Sonata BHD at the maximum.

I'll also be using the dongle only with computers (mostly Linux) as I already do with Ugreen Hifi Pro \ Jcally JM 20 and controlling software volume with an usb rotary encoder and remote control (old Creative usb card that i managed to configure via Lirc just for this purpose), so I'll be keeping the dongle to max hardware volume (I advise to keep it to -1 db since most CS43131 dongles have problems at full 0 dbFs)

The BHD has two components of audio volume control.

1. Gain - so it has the button by the side, for toggling between three levels of gain - low, medium or high gain. For the CCA CRA IEM, the low gain is more than enough, so I keep it @ low gain. Low gain was the default, when the device was connected.

Since I almost exclusively use iems and my over ear headphones are sensitive anyway I'm going to keep the dongle in low gain, as I do with the Ugreen and Jcally autosensing. I'll try the balanced output just out of curiosity since I have a 4.4 mm cable at hand, but standard use will be via 3.5 out.

2. There are two other buttons, to adjust audio level, up and down, up to the maximum allowable by the current gain setting. To the best of my knowledge, by default, it starts up at the maximum level, for the current gain range. Within a few clicks, its easy to reset the volume to the maximum, using the relevant volume "up" button. These buttons the "up" or "down" buttons are NOT labelled, but pretty easy to know which is which, and one's finger memory remembers which is which...

My other dongles doesn't have the volume buttons so they always stay at max hardware volume, I wanted to know if there is some kind of indicator on the BHD that inform you when you reach the maximum with Vol+ button, like the led blinking but I suppose it's not the case.

I just did a test by disconnecting the BHD's USB cable from the computer. When reconnected, the state of the Gain and the Volume Level established via the buttons on the dongle, are retained.

Ok, it was what I wanted to know, so if I set it to max it will behave just like my other dongles in a way I am accustomed to.

Thank you again.

 

[OK1]

I'll also be using the dongle only with computers (mostly Linux) as I already do with Ugreen Hifi Pro \ Jcally JM 20 and controlling software volume with an usb rotary encoder and remote control (old Creative usb card that i managed to configure via Lirc just for this purpose), so I'll be keeping the dongle to max hardware volume (I advise to keep it to -1 db since most CS43131 dongles have problems at full 0 dbFs)


Since I almost exclusively use iems and my over ear headphones are sensitive anyway I'm going to keep the dongle in low gain, as I do with the Ugreen and Jcally autosensing. I'll try the balanced output just out of curiosity since I have a 4.4 mm cable at hand, but standard use will be via 3.5 out.


My other dongles doesn't have the volume buttons so they always stay at max hardware volume, I wanted to know if there is some kind of indicator on the BHD that inform you when you reach the maximum with Vol+ button, like the led blinking but I suppose it's not the case.


Ok, it was what I wanted to know, so if I set it to max it will behave just like my other dongles in a way I am accustomed to.

Thank you again.

No indicator when it gets to the max. Guess one just sets it until one is not hearing any more increase in volume, and leaves it that way. Guess if one wanted something like that, one would have to move up to a more expensive dongle with more features, such that the level is shown maybe on a digital screen display.

What headphones or IEMs are you planning to use with the BHD?

I am extremely satisfied with what I am hearing with the combination of the BHD and CCA CRA. It has been difficult to attempt to compare the BHD with the Apple Dongle. Pretty hard, cos one has to remove any bias from a change in volume, as one changes from one dongle to another. My appreciation for BHD is that - I see it as a reference dongle, rivaling much more expensive desktop DAC's. Does not overheat, and the technical measures are more than good enough. With the CCM CRAs, for casual listening, and I am in a quiet room, so have no need to listen loud. The main comfort I get from it is - having a device that I know is more than good enough, so I am not second guessing. If there is any issue or any thing strange I am hearing, I know - it is definitely not the BHD, which is super completely quiet, with absolutely no noise. And I have no need to look at or care about the specs of any other dongle or desktop out there, anything better will NOT be audibly better, just more expensive, and better for other reasons such as looks or for bragging rights, and these other reasons are NOT my priority.

Also ASIO on Windows is such an important factor for me - to be absolutely sure that there is nothing strange happening in the Windows subsystem, to my audio, albeit, I have come to trust the Windows WASAPI Exclusive Mode as being just as good as ASIO, from a bit perfect audio playback perspective.

Typically my peak coming out of the DAW to the BHD or Apple dongle is at least 40 dB below 0 dBFS, so it is impossible to hit the 0dBFS which introduces audio defects on CS43131 products. Very happy with the product, and the price - same specs technically as the BHD Pro (and only difference, which is not important to me - is the Pro has MQA). Seems MQA has lost the battle of credibility - which I think is a good thing - how the world ever believed in such nonsense, beats me.

 

[mc.god]

No indicator when it gets to the max. Guess one just sets it until one is not hearing any more increase in volume, and leaves it that way. Guess if one wanted something like that, one would have to move up to a more expensive dongle with more features, such that the level is shown maybe on a digital screen display.

Yes, It's the reason I generally don't like much dongle with volume buttons for desktop use but ok, if it maintains the last used setting it'll not be an issue.

What headphones or IEMs are you planning to use with the BHD?

You can see all of them in my signature, over ear headphones are now rarely used.

I am extremely satisfied with what I am hearing with the combination of the BHD and CCA CRA. It has been difficult to attempt to compare the BHD with the Apple Dongle. Pretty hard, cos one has to remove any bias from a change in volume, as one changes from one dongle to another. My appreciation for BHD is that - I see it as a reference dongle, rivaling much more expensive desktop DAC's. Does not overheat, and the technical measures are more than good enough. With the CCM CRAs, for casual listening, and I am in a quiet room, so have no need to listen loud. The main comfort I get from it is - having a device that I know is more than good enough, so I am not second guessing. If there is any issue or any thing strange I am hearing, I know - it is definitely not the BHD, which is super completely quiet, with absolutely no noise. And I have no need to look at or care about the specs of any other dongle or desktop out there, anything better will NOT be audibly better, just more expensive, and better for other reasons such as looks or for bragging rights, and these other reasons are NOT my priority.

Also ASIO on Windows is such an important factor for me - to be absolutely sure that there is nothing strange happening in the Windows subsystem, to my audio, albeit, I have come to trust the Windows WASAPI Exclusive Mode as being just as good as ASIO, from a bit perfect audio playback perspective.

As i said i already own two good measuring CS43131 dongles with extreme pleasure, so I'm expecting nothing less nothing more in terms of audible performance.
I didn't really need the BHD but i grabbed the very good price deal just for the convenience of detachable cable and manually switchable gain, plus the bonus of the 4.4 out with more power in the eventuality I will get a more demanding headphone one day.
Jcally JM 20 uses a very similar configuration with Savitech usb bridge so I already have the chance to use it in windows with Asio if needed, the only drawback of asio and wasapi is that you can't use software eq (eqApo), other way you have to use windows direct suond with it's fixed resample. Pipewire for Linux can play at every track native sample rate if the audio device supports it without needing exclusive direct access so you can eq at the same time.

Typically my peak coming out of the DAW to the BHD or Apple dongle is at least 40 dB below 0 dBFS, so it is impossible to hit the 0dBFS which introduces audio defects on CS43131 products. Very happy with the product, and the price - same specs technically as the BHD Pro (and only difference, which is not important to me - is the Pro has MQA). Seems MQA has lost the battle of credibility - which I think is a good thing - how the world ever believed in such nonsense, beats me.

Yes, clearly if hardware volume is set to max you have to low software volume, as i do. I generally stay between -35dB, -25dB in low gain mode wit my iems (i don't like high volumes).
BHD Pro has more advanced circuitry for usb bridge and clock that should give you even better jitter (very nice indeed from Amir review) and the ability to change filters and set gain via software flashing, that i don't like at all, BHD has just the few facilities I was looking for.

 

[OK1]

This is about subjective vs objective opinions.

DongleMadness Rank List.xlsx

docs.google.com

This is the dongle DAC ranking of DongleMadness (AndyAudioVault on Youtube), and I realise now that any subjective opinion, is just that - subjective. The TempoTec Sonata BHD is ranked lower than an Amazon Basic dongle. That cannot be right. So glad I stuck to focussing on measurements to take a decision.

 

[OK1]

Happy to note - I now have two dongles I am satisfied with. The Apple dongle US version - now dedicated to phone calls and meetings, and the Tempotec Sonata BHD for critical listening. My subjective opinion, the Apple dongle seems to have a rolled off top end, leading to a weightier heavier bass dominant sound. the BHD has more air.. crisper. more high frequencies at the extreme. They do not sound exactly the same.

Dongle search is definitely over and done with for the foreseeable future.

 

[1337wafflezz]

Happy to note - I now have two dongles I am satisfied with. The Apple dongle US version - now dedicated to phone calls and meetings, and the Tempotec Sonata BHD for critical listening. My subjective opinion, the Apple dongle seems to have a rolled off top end, leading to a weightier heavier bass dominant sound. the BHD has more air.. crisper. more high frequencies at the extreme. They do not sound exactly the same.

Dongle search is definitely over and done with for the foreseeable future.

Apple dongle should be transparent for low impedance transducers but hey weirder stuff has happened before I suppose ‍*shrug*

 

[staticV3]

Apple dongle should be transparent for low impedance transducers

Transparency for high impedance transducers is guaranteed for the Apple dongle, as it is artificially limited and cannot physically clip above 20Ω.

With low impedance transducers however (<20Ω), the Apple dongle can clip and compress, so transparency there is not guaranteed.

 

[OK1]

Happy to note - I now have two dongles I am satisfied with. The Apple dongle US version - now dedicated to phone calls and meetings, and the Tempotec Sonata BHD for critical listening. My subjective opinion, the Apple dongle seems to have a rolled off top end, leading to a weightier heavier bass dominant sound. the BHD has more air.. crisper. more high frequencies at the extreme. They do not sound exactly the same.

Dongle search is definitely over and done with for the foreseeable future.

I found one thing a bit irritating with the Apple dongle.

Spoiler: Details of issue with the Apple dongle

Everytime you remove the headphone/microphone from the socket, e.g cos I'm listening to the Tempotec Sonata BHD, and when I plug in the headphone/microphone back into the Apple dongle, because the device has been "disconnected", the reconnection needs to be re-recognised in Windows 10, and whatever app I need to use - e.g Zoom or WhatsApp, for voice conversations, has to be reconfigured to use the Apple dongle. i.e the Apple dongle device is only established in Windows, when a headphone/microphone is connected.

So for example if I want to compare two different IEMs using the Apple dongle, each time I change the IEM, I have to go into my app, or DAW, to re-select the Apple dongle device, as the output device, cos that registration was lost, every time I disconnected a headphone.

I can deduce one good reason for this, which would be to save power. No point powering the dongle, if nothing is connected.

So for this reason I bought this instead (see link below) - a GraveAudio DA06 CX31993 HiFi USB DAC

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005719157767.html

Spoiler: Subjective opinions on the CX31993 dongle

Subjective opinions on the CX31993 dongle.

1. It properly registered automatically in Windows as a CX31993 device, in both playback as well as recording. (i.e output and input devices)

2. For the first 30 minutes of use, I was experiencing cutouts where the playback through the device would stop, and I would have to go into my DAW to reselect the device, and sometimes, the device had disappeared. Leading to me needing to remove the dongle, and re-insert it.

I eventually narrowed the issue to a poor quality USB-C to USB-A adapter that was supplied with the CX31993 dongle, which does not fit well enough - wobbly, and is easily disconnected.

Swapping this out for another USB-C to USB-A adapter which I have - either one I bought or which came with the TempoTec Sonata BHD, fixed this issue. Relieved, no more audio cutouts.

3. I have nothing to measure the difference in sound, between the CX31993 and the TempoTec Sonata BHD, but the CX is louder than the low gain (max volume on device) setting which I use with the BHD. Definitely louder.

4. CX31993 is "sharper" than the BHD, even when I attempt to level match the BHD. It is so much easier to hear the vocals on the CX. I had been having a bit of difficulty on the BHD hearing the vocals of Lewis Capaldi's 1st album -

But the CX just opened up his vocals but the stereo image seems smaller, but it is night and day not the same presentation as the BHD. Now "sharper" could also be "harsher", and more fatiguing. The low frequencies seem compromised on the CX, and the sense of space is definitely lost on the CX.

The Spotify adverts leave the same impression. I'm not too bothered about the sound quality of the CX31993, cos it serves only one purpose - that is not needing the most critical accurate audio, for listening to speech on telephone calls and participate in meetings.

5. Definitely prefer the BHD, which does NOT have the sharp edges and shrillness, that the CX smears all audio with.

6. Pretty certain that the Apple dongle did not have the objectionable "screechiness" of the CX.

I conclude that unless one trusts and is perfectly happy with the opinions of others, there is no substitute for hearing devices for one's own self. None. I've spent about $85 to $90 approx, in total - purchasing 6 different dongles - 3 Samsung dongles which turned out all to be fake, an Apple dongle which became expensive cos I had to pay $20 approx on customs duties and customs admin processing fees, a CX31993, and a TempoTec Sonata BHD. Thankfully it's not a ridiculous amount of money. But it does add up.

Which of these sounds the best - no contest, it is the Tempotec Sonata BHD. And the lesson from this is - when it comes to DAC's, the specs tell you everything you need to know. If I may add the Tempotec Sonata BHD has exactly the same specs as the Tempotec Sonata BHD Pro, and the only thing missing is MQA, which I can imagine no one needs or bothers with any more. Same sound quality - exactly the same - opinion justified by comparing their published specs - exactly the same.

Wish I could apply the same approach to IEMs. That way just looking at the specs, would be sufficient to find what suits my listening preferences.

 

[mc.god]

Subjective opinions on the CX31993 dongle.

2. For the first 30 minutes of use, I was experiencing cutouts where the playback through the device would stop, and I would have to go into my DAW to reselect the device, and sometimes, the device had disappeared. Leading to me needing to remove the dongle, and re-insert it.

I eventually narrowed the issue to a poor quality USB-C to USB-A adapter that was supplied with the CX31993 dongle, which does not fit well enough - wobbly, and is easily disconnected.

Swapping this out for another USB-C to USB-A adapter which I have - either one I bought or which came with the TempoTec Sonata BHD, fixed this issue. Relieved, no more audio cutouts.

Same issue, it seems they collected crappy adapters from trashcans just to include them in the package, but it doesn't seem a god idea to me since you'll most likely think the dongle is faulty unless you have another adapter at hand to try.

 

[OK1]

Same issue, it seems they collected crappy adapters from trashcans just to include them in the package, but it doesn't seem a god idea to me since you'll most likely think the dongle is faulty unless you have another adapter at hand to try.

In a way, I can almost blame myself. I saw the item cheap on AliExpress. £3.90 (including postage and customs duties). That's less than half the price of the Apple dongle. I really hoped I has snagged a bargain.

But is a bit ridiculous.

1. Postage
2. Handling
3. A metal case for storage with foam in it
4. USB DAC with a short cable.
5. USB-C to USB-A adapter
6. AliExpress will take a cut from this sale. most likely.
7. Customs duties - in this case VAT

And I can return it if I do not like it, or if it becomes defective.

All of this for £3.90 - Thinking back, I am not surprised that there was something amiss. They had to cut corners somewhere. I do not think they are making any profit. probably running at a loss.

The lesson for me, from now on. I'll try to avoid the bargain basement products. If it is too good to be true. It is definitely too good to be true.

 

[Basic Channel]

The CX31993 is not "screechy" or lacking in bass. It has it's annoyances but it's not audibly bad.