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

[headstef]

I am sorry to ask but I haven't been following this thread. What are the 2-3 best sounding dongles (dac+amp) at the moment (irrelevantlly of price)?
I have a FiiO KA3 for my android cell phone but I don’t know if there are any meaningful upgrades for dynamic headphones driving. Thank you for any answers, my best wishes for 2025!

 

[marekm]

Plenty of good info here

 

[rocketron]

1. Ibasso DC Elite
2.Ibasso DC Elite
3. Ibasso DC Elite

Oh I forgot one Ibasso DC Elite.

 

[HifiFrog]

I am sorry to ask but I haven't been following this thread. What are the 2-3 best sounding dongles (dac+amp) at the moment (irrelevantlly of price)?
I have a FiiO KA3 for my android cell phone but I don’t know if there are any meaningful upgrades for dynamic headphones driving. Thank you for any answers, my best wishes for 2025!

The FiiO KA3 is a bit old model so it should be easy to find an improvement.
My recommendations to take a closer look at reviews would be:

• iBasso DC Elite (of course)
• FiiO KA15: imho sound wise a very strong DAC for its price (not even considering features like EQ)
• iBasso DC07 Pro: excellent sound and technicalities, but a bit special stage presentation
• Dunu DTC 800: a smooth all-rounder that is easy to like

Other dongles that could be interesting (but I have not listened to yet):

• Luxury & Precision W2 Ultra
• Questyle M15i: very clean and technical sound with ESS DAC
• Questyle M15c: a bit more forgiving and musical sound than M15i using a Cirrus Logic DAC
• Questyle M12i: complete opposite to M15i: analog sound like Hiby FC6

I hope that helps as a starting point

Edit: added DTC 800, typo fixed

 

[Jmop]

M15c sounds up my alley. Was thinking about 12i but I want balanced, seems like I good midway between that and 15i.

 

[Brain Damage]

Got to add the Cayin RU7 on that list. Fully discrete 1-Bit DAC Amp with:

- fully balanced architecture
- H Gain/L Gain
- DSD64/128/256
- LO function.

 

[Jmop]

Got to add the Cayin RU7 on that list. Fully discrete 1-Bit DAC Amp with:

- fully balanced architecture
- H Gain/L Gain
- DSD64/128/256
- LO function.

Does it stay cooler to the touch in LO mode? I hear RU7 runs warm as is.

 

[Brain Damage]

Does it stay cooler to the touch in LO mode? I hear RU7 runs warm as is.

Runs warm during both modes; however, that's not unique to an electrical device comprised of discrete components (ladder of resistors in the RU7's case).

 

[headstef]

Thank you all for your replies!

 

[Viper780]

Qudelix T71 is one of the best portable DAC+AMP I've listened to.

The smaller 5k has Bluetooth and is also pretty decent.
As a budget solution I'm recommending the Fosi DS2

 

[sofastreamer]

The FiiO KA3 is a bit old model so it should be easy to find an improvement.
My recommendations to take a closer look at reviews would be:

• iBasso DC Elite (of course)
• FiiO KA15: imho sound wise a very strong DAC for its price (not even considering features like EQ)
• iBasso DC07 Pro: excellent sound and technicalities, but a bit special stage presentation
• Dunu DTC 800: a smooth all-rounder that is easy to like

Other dongles that could be interesting (but I have not listened to yet):

• Luxury & Precision W2 Ultra
• Questyle M15i: very clean and technical sound with ESS DAC
• Questyle M15c: a bit more forgiving and musical sound than M15i using a Cirrus Logic DAC
• Questyle M12i: complete opposite to M15i: analog sound like Hiby FC6

I hope that helps as a starting point

Edit: added DTC 800, typo fixed

to me the elite also has a special and not too convincing stage presentation. i am very much into deep soundstages but the elite somehow only mimicks dephth in a weird way, slightly cavernous. also i found the layering and grandness of the presentation pretty dissapointing, after reading all the praises.
compared to the topping g5 the elite looses in every single regard by a mile. the topping sounds like a decent dekstop dac amp with proper 3d presentation, much better dynamics, separation and details. let alone natural timbre. sure its apples and oranges as the g5 is much larger and got its own battery. on the other hand its only 2/3rds of the price and you get excellent bt functionality on top. you also dont have to carry an additinal battery pack as you will have to with the elite at least if you need a battery life of more than 4 hrs. it really is a night and day difference. not only with planars but even with high end earbuds.
Next level i have at hand is the xd5pro which totally destroys the g5, but thats another story and wouldnt litterly fit into the usbc adapter catergory finally

 

[Ichos]

Last review for 2024.

ddHiFi M130B review

A well made and beautiful looking USB type-C cable with great sound quality.

Happy New Year to everyone

 

[Ichos]

The Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini is an exceptional value at $24 and maybe the best entry level USB DAC dongle.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/kiwi-ears-allegro-mini.27505/review/36693/

 

[Ichos]

The ddHiFi M130B review is now uploaded at Headfi.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/dd-ddhifi-m130b-coffee-cable.27637/review/36712/

 

[Comrade Penguin]

In sad news for my pocket, my Moondrop Dawn Pro has bit the dust after only just over a year's service. First it was not outputing any sound and now won't even be recognised as a USB device despite the lights coming on. We mourn the loss.

Lot's of exciting new options seem to have come up in the budget end though! I liked the sound of the Dawn Pro if not the durability so any thoughts on replacements? In general I'm looking for:

• Enough power for a HD800 (don't mind if that needs a balanced connection) for background listening when I'm away from my desktop but the main use will be IEMs.
• Works with Roon ARC on Android (It seems picky. Works with the Dawn Pro and Dragonfly Red but not the Apple USB-C dongle or my ancient Fiio K1)
• Seperate volume controls as the steps on my phone are often too large with IEMs.
• Probably less than £100 (~$120) but always happy with cheaper
• Not an inbuilt cable as that seems the first point of failure
• Pocketable or clippable onto a jacket

Inbuilt PEQ would be nice but not sure how often I'd use it over the interface in Roon. A quick read of the thread suggests the Fiio KA15, Qdelix 5k or another dual CS43131 of which there seem to be many (any winners here for durability?) but open to the wisdom of the thread.