USB-C to 3.5mm adapters (DAC) - Let's find the best

[cappuchino]

Hey, guys!

I just posted my review of the HUD100 MK2. It's currently on sale for 119.99 USD on Radsone's website with free DHL shipping on most countries.

TL;DR: I have a good feeling I'm set for a few years with this DAC/Amp as I'm staying with portable audio for the foreseeable future

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/earstudio-hud100.24281/review/25834/

 

[LaughMoreDaily]

You're right. I've started off with Odyssey HD at $13 it's worth the gamble. You're correct chip data is not available but it's fine at that price range if it is able to drive my gear effectively then it's not a bad deal

I think that dongle is best for earbuds. Iems, so-so. Either way, you need to start somewhere and it's a great one!

 

[MundoHiFiOz]

TempoTec Sonata E35 arrived: Warm-Neutral sounding device with big soundstage, fast bass and detailed mids. It has better performance than Beam 2se in terms of sound but worse design and construction

 

[TheVortex]

TempoTec Sonata E35 arrived: Warm-Neutral sounding device with big soundstage, fast bass and detailed mids. It has better performance than Beam 2se in terms of sound but worse design and construction

I received the E35 and I don't have the Beam but I do like the E35 and it's bigger than I expect.
Volume levels are very linear as well.

 

[baskingshark]

TempoTec Sonata E35 arrived: Warm-Neutral sounding device with big soundstage, fast bass and detailed mids. It has better performance than Beam 2se in terms of sound but worse design and construction

Nice, how does it compare to the regular Tempotec Sonata HD Pro? Does it get hot with use?

I'm a bit concerned that the cables are non detachable (unlike the sonata HD Pro), so not sure if it can be a point of failure down the line with repeated bending.

 

[TheVortex]

Nice, how does it compare to the regular Tempotec Sonata HD Pro? Does it get hot with use?

I'm a bit concerned that the cables are non detachable (unlike the sonata HD Pro), so not sure if it can be a point of failure down the line with repeated bending.

Mine doesn't get hot in the brief time I have used it and the cables could be an issue but only time will tell.

 

[Barusu Lamperouge]

Got my VE Odyssey HD yesterday. OOTB they have decent build quality, the 3.5mm connector is sturdy, and the cable too is of good quality.

Sound-wise, they're decent for driving IEMs, will try with them with my power hungry AKG K92. So far have tried them with Sony MH1, Smabat NCO, BQEYZ KB100, and Tin T2+.

Didn't find any hiss with IEMs and they do what they're supposed to i.e play music. Can't comment on SQ as mostly I heard what I usually hear from my IEMs. So probably they're neutral i.e. without any colouration to SQ. So that's a big plus. So far what it's worth, it is a great entry level dongle if anyone like me is looking for something to enter a new rabbit hole

 

[MundoHiFiOz]

Nice, how does it compare to the regular Tempotec Sonata HD Pro? Does it get hot with use?

I'm a bit concerned that the cables are non detachable (unlike the sonata HD Pro), so not sure if it can be a point of failure down the line with repeated bending.l

Nice, how does it compare to the regular Tempotec Sonata HD Pro? Does it get hot with use?

I'm a bit concerned that the cables are non detachable (unlike the sonata HD Pro), so not sure if it can be a point of failure down the line with repeated bending.

Heat control is good, it just gets little warm. Compared to hd pro, the e35 has weightier sound, more body, mids sound more natural thanks to the added warmth and bass hits harder but overall maintaining a neutral sound.

 

[Squall88uk]

I have been reading through this thread and it would seem that the iBasso DC03 is a good choice for a quality usb dac for portable usage. So I am thinking of getting it.

I will be using it with my BGVP DMG IEMs that I have had for a couple of years now and I absolutely love.

I'm aware that they're a little lower impedance than some IEMs (18 ohm) with a 110dB/mW sensitivity.

I was wondering if someone could confirm for me as to whether the BGVP DMGs are/would be OK to use with the iBasso DC03? With my IEMs being quite easy to drive with their low impedence, I wanted to make sure that the iBasso DC03 wouldn't be too loud or powerful for my DMGs

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[Barusu Lamperouge]

Got my VE Odyssey HD yesterday. OOTB they have decent build quality, the 3.5mm connector is sturdy, and the cable too is of good quality.

Sound-wise, they're decent for driving IEMs, will try with them with my power hungry AKG K92. So far have tried them with Sony MH1, Smabat NCO, BQEYZ KB100, and Tin T2+.

Didn't find any hiss with IEMs and they do what they're supposed to i.e play music. Can't comment on SQ as mostly I heard what I usually hear from my IEMs. So probably they're neutral i.e. without any colouration to SQ. So that's a big plus. So far what it's worth, it is a great entry level dongle if anyone like me is looking for something to enter a new rabbit hole

I forgot to add one thing, the dongle also defaults to 100 volume steps on Neutron MP which is a great plus tbh, as it enables me to enjoy music at optimum levels, it gets very robust that I haven't gone beyond 11 so far. I used to use this on my previous rooted devices by editing build.prop files.

My device and Neutron both recognise it as an external DAC. And, volume buttons work perfectly fine, now I can use my MH 750 as all-in-one office IEM, attend calls and enjoy sublime music when not on calls

24 hours later, I feel the gamble was very much worth it. I'd very much recommend this to anyone who is looking for something simple and no frills dongle at dirt cheap prices. AKG test is still pending, but I don't these are meant to drive such gear. For IEMs and basic earphones, they're very very good.

 

[jagujetas72]

Hi everyone, I'm currently eyeing on Jcally JM20 dongle because it uses the cs43131 chip. Just curious if anybody here tried it already?

I just got it here's a quick review (late to the party lol), pretty new to the audio game so ymmv but sounds pretty much exactly like a tempotec sonata/all others with the cs43131 chip.

Compared to my previous usb DAC (random Ugreen) it sounds a bit fuller, and I think it pushed the vocals forward a bit and the imaging seems somewhat better now.

Build seems pretty good, the usb c male and 3.5mm female housings are metal with pretty thick strain reliefs. Ports look good with reasonable (although not 'incredible' there are still seams in between and mold marks on the strain relief) tolerances.

The cable is your typical interwoven/braided cable, it's quite soft and it looks pretty good, although it does splay out the individual wires when pushed together: likely because the braiding isn't very tight.

My only concern with it is that the usb c male piece seems to heat up extremely quickly and it feels pretty weird touching it from a neutral state. (for reference my already warm, deezer hifi playing phone is at ~38-39° C and the jm20 gets to ~43-45° C in maybe 2-5 mins of use) It's not that big a deal for me but you may want something where the chips are further away if you're sensitive to that.

Overall for me this was a really good buy, it was more than half the price of the standard non-balanced tempotec sonata (bought it at <16$, tempotec was at about 32$) and ~6$ cheaper than any other cs43131 dongle in my country.

 

[BOTAK WAI]

Hi all,

Does anybody has this? I can't find any review on it.
I am considering this and TempoTec Sonata HD. (or other options in this price range, i prefer detachable cable)

Thanks.

 

[cqtek]

Hello to all.

Here is my humble opinion on the Tempotec Sonata E35.
I hope you like it!

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/tempotec-sonata-e35.25153/reviews#review-25855

 

[TheVortex]

Hi all,

Does anybody has this? I can't find any review on it.
I am considering this and TempoTec Sonata HD. (or other options in this price range, i prefer detachable cable)



Thanks.

Do you have a link for that?

 

[brazy001]

Question for all dongles.: Will they damage the female USB-C port on a phone?

Primary case use when using on public transport and dongle would be not be resting flat and dangling from the port.