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How bad does the USB-C to AUX dongle ruin audio quality? (slrpnk.net)

submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/asklemmy

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Hi there, I'm thinking about getting my first pair of IEMs, as I've never had any before and would like to have a wired option that is easy to travel with. I'm specifically looking at the Moondrop Chu 2 as they seem quite affordable and a good starting point.

However my phone does not have AUX anymore (Pixel 7A) and I doubt I'll get a phone that has one in the future as I want to continue to use GrapheneOS.

Does anyone have any experience regarding the use of these dongles. Is there something I should be aware of before doing a purchase?

Thanks in advance!

Edit: I see on the pictures(website link) that it's possible to purchase this with an adapter between the dongle and the IEMs. Is this one in specific strictly necessary or can I go with a smaller/cheaper one?

Edit 2: Further investigation, it seems like these can come in two variants: 3.5jack and USB-C.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago

The USB C to 3.5mm dongles out there are plentiful and to be honest you can't really go wrong with any one. At the end of the day, they all behave pretty similarly as they contain a DAC and an amp built them. At this point, the world of audio has gone far enough that decent audio chips are pretty cheap and it's not all that likely you'll actually hear any significant differences between different dongles.

If you are an Android user, be wary of which dongle you get if you're looking at the Apple ones. Depending on the region the dongle is made for, some users report issues where the dongle chooses not to amplify the signal properly. I ran into this problem with the model MU7E2AM/A and it's just annoying. Android and external DACs can be kinda hit or miss for some reason, and the dongle only functioned properly using a specific music player app that kinda overrides the system and forces it to use the DAC (the app is USB Audio Player Pro).

You can buy dongles pretty cheap on the cheapo sites like Aliexpress, which isn't a terrible idea. You could buy a few cheaper ones and be fine for a long while. I've had issues with the longevity of certain dongles, daily use can sometimes put physical stress on the USB connector if you're not careful, which is why I would just keep a few different dongles and chew through em as needed.