Veri
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Here linearity eventually falls apart though, on the DX3 it's "just" noiseGo Apple! Vastly better linearity than the DX3 Pro.
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Review: Apple vs Google USB-C Headphone Adapters
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
@amirm Do you have an Android phone with USB-C you can test this with? I've read that Android phones only recognize one sample rate on the built in driver and that the volume was quite low. Folks were unsuccessful at having any applications with a built in bit-perfect driver properly recognize the Apple dongle.
derp1n
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He mentioned the volume issue in the initial post when testing with his Samsung S8+.
I know you are being tongue in cheek but I do a lot of work with Microsoft and they are long over any issues with other technologies. I think it's a key reason for their massive success of late. There are more Linux servers in Azure than Windows and I just installed the latest version of Visual Studio for Macintosh yesterday It is one of the dirty secrets of audio that many devices have audibly transparent DACs and that if they are up to driving your headphones to the volume you want (and not all are with high impedance and inefficient headphones) then you really don't need a separate DAC. I use my Sony Xperia XZ Premium phone connecting headphones directly into its headphone jack and the sound quality is excellent. To be honest, when I've compared it with various external DACs I've never felt there was any need to get a separate unit although the volume can be a bit anaemic with less efficient headphones.
Teardown? Please....?
aleksander
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Would pairing this with JDS Atom better than most dac/amp combo such as E10k, DFB etc?
Veri
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The E10k just got upgraded to the K3 which I'm sure will be no slouch. An all-in-one is always handy in terms of footprint on your desk.
But in raw performance? Atom + decent DAC will be best value yes. You could use the apple usb-c until you buy a topping D50 or Khadas tone board or better if you ever feel like doing that
the annoyance would be the 1V output rather than the average DAC's 2V line-out. You will need to go for high-gain mode much more quickly.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #30
I have not. Is there a free one to try? Don't feel like spending money on USB Audio Player right now.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #31
It only has 1 volt output instead of usual 2 volts. So your gains on the amp will go down and won't be able to achieve maximum power on Atom.
Note everyone: you need USB 3.0 to use this. At least I couldn't get them to work with USB-2 ports.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #32
Unless you can show me how I can get that one to run on Windows, it will be a pain to test.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #33
Indeed. I was just having lunch with a Microsoft person and he was explaining the same to me.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #34
It would be fully destructive as I have to cut it open and likely damage it. So let's wait to make sure there are no other questions and then I might explore that.
dc655321
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Or just see if someone else has done it - https://www.cabledo.com/apple-usb-c-digital-to-3-5-mm-headphone-adapter-teardown/
Just sayin'...
OP
- Thread Starter
- #36
Good deal. I was not looking forward to doing this.
I have not. Is there a free one to try? Don't feel like spending money on USB Audio Player right now.
HibyMusic is free, albeit a bit buggy when I last tried it. It supports bit perfect, but didn't work when someone tried it with the Apple adapter. Myabe you will have better luck with your specific phone.
rebbiputzmaker
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It really should be the exact same dac/amp chip inside both Apple convertors.
@amirm would it help you if the iOS device was a Roon endpoint?
https://community.roonlabs.com/t/iphone-and-ipad-capabilities-with-and-without-attached-dac/42437
Thanks for the review.
This dongle is my first Apple product that I ever bought, and I found the sub-bass to be better than my Android phone. The max. volume that can be achieved seems to vary with the phone.
On my Zenfone 3, the volume is sufficient. If your phone is rooted, you can probably edit the mixer_paths.xml file and increase volume.
P.S. Even though SQ is good, the adapter seems to be fragile. Many have reported that the old non-USB to 3.5mm adapter doesn't last long because the cord is very thin. I have put tiny amounts of super glue around every joint in the adapter. Let's hope it survives atleast a year.
This dongle is my first Apple product that I ever bought, and I found the sub-bass to be better than my Android phone. The max. volume that can be achieved seems to vary with the phone.
On my Zenfone 3, the volume is sufficient. If your phone is rooted, you can probably edit the mixer_paths.xml file and increase volume.
P.S. Even though SQ is good, the adapter seems to be fragile. Many have reported that the old non-USB to 3.5mm adapter doesn't last long because the cord is very thin. I have put tiny amounts of super glue around every joint in the adapter.
Let's hope it survives atleast a year.
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