# Apple USB-C to 3.5mm adapter



## phower

https://www.apple.com/ca/shop/product/MU7E2AM/A/usb-c-to-35mm-headphone-jack-adapter

Anyone tried this DAC? Only $10 and is supposed to output 1V which is sufficient to drive even high impedance cans. I am surprised it is only $10


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## RobbS

It works and it's short; but keep in mind, this thing feels super flimsy (basically the same as their included lightning > 3.5mm included with news iOS devices). I suspect that it will be problematic within a few months of regular use.


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## Leeco

I bought it and use it with my HTC 11 Life. It does the job, but it's kind of week. There is no way it pushes 1V... more like 10mV.

With moderately sensitive earbuds / Meze 99 Neos, the volume is one or two steps from max. In comparison, same earbuds/headphones are 3/4 clicks from the max on my old Galaxy 6 Edge through normal headphone jack. My iPad Pro 10.5 sits around half or 2/5 to get the same volume.

It is actually cheaper than if you buy a Google or HTC one, so that is nice.


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## phower

Leeco said:


> I bought it and use it with my HTC 11 Life. It does the job, but it's kind of week. There is no way it pushes 1V... more like 10mV.
> .


I bought it too. The volume level seems to be dependent on the actual smartphone. On my Zenfone 3, it is sufficient for IEMs. It might be possible to set the digital and analog gain if the phone is rooted.


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## phiemon

Is there a fix for to increase the volume level? I use the Pixel 3 and the volume is just "ok".


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## luedriver

just was wondering if anyone knew what dac this has?


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## phiemon

luedriver said:


> just was wondering if anyone knew what dac this has?



It has the same sound signature of the iPhone's DAC Adapter, so it must be Cirrus Logic, and it sounds a just bit better.


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## luedriver

phiemon said:


> It has the same sound signature of the iPhone's DAC Adapter, so it must be Cirrus Logic, and it sounds a just bit better.



with this in mind, I googled it and found it was 46L06-CWZR Chip from Cirrus Logic

https://www.cabledo.com/apple-usb-c-digital-to-3-5-mm-headphone-adapter-teardown/

I have been using this from my desktop pc even with stereo bookshelf speakers (old kenwood amp and jbl scs178 bookshelf speakers), it seems fine for such a small and cheap usb dongle


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## phiemon

luedriver said:


> with this in mind, I googled it and found it was 46L06-CWZR Chip from Cirrus Logic
> 
> https://www.cabledo.com/apple-usb-c-digital-to-3-5-mm-headphone-adapter-teardown/
> 
> I have been using this from my desktop pc even with stereo bookshelf speakers (old kenwood amp and jbl scs178 bookshelf speakers), it seems fine for such a small and cheap usb dongle



… that "small and cheap usb dongle" sounds almost like the "big and expensive dap" Sony NW-ZX300; I mean, there is not such a big difference…


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## luedriver

phiemon said:


> … that "small and cheap usb dongle" sounds almost like the "big and expensive dap" Sony NW-ZX300; I mean, there is not such a big difference…



I know sony is overpriced, but I doubt they would measure the same

here are some apple measurements

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...pple-vs-google-usb-c-headphone-adapters.5541/


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## luedriver

also found this review on a1749

https://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/lightning-adapter-audio-quality.htm

I wonder what the differences would be between a1749 and the a2049 that I have


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## luedriver

looking at pc properties, today I noticed "Signal Enhancements"







as you can see it says it allows "extra signal processing" by the audio device

a simple A/B testing seems like it makes the sound more seem less stereo, less separation between left and right

this was tested probably on a mono video from youtube

I have windows 10 pro, I don't remember seeing the option before, but mostly I just change the sample rate and bit rate, according to the music (just because, no real reason)

does anyone know if apple has stated that it has any "extra signal processing"?


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## The Socialist Nerd

I am going to be upfront here. As much as I favor Apple products, I would lean towards a "better" choice here.

https://www.hidizs.net/products/dac-cable

This sucker actually looks way more solid and more able to drive huger ass headphones with a phat impedence.

In any case, I am going to pick up a few of these later on to use with my iPad Pro I am getting in 1-2 weeks.


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## halcyon

I've started a separate thread about USB-C to 3.5mm (digital DAC) adapters here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/usb-c-to-3-5mm-adapters-dac-lets-find-the-best.908839/

I'd concur with The Socialist nerd on this: Hidizs is probably a better adapter than the Apple one, for sound quality, for versatility (you get your inline mic working on your phone) and for output power. See the separate thread for more info.


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## luedriver

luedriver said:


> looking at pc properties, today I noticed "Signal Enhancements"
> 
> 
> 
> ...




replying to my own post for reference

since then I haven't been able to find the setting again, its as if apple remotely turned it off or perhaps Microsoft's drivers removed it, either way, it's gone, not that I got much chance to use it


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## tmb821

Anybody know if they make a cable like this, lightning to 3.5 mm male? Short like the one that comes with the phones, or used too. 
Tia.


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## luedriver

tmb821 said:


> Anybody know if they make a cable like this, lightning to 3.5 mm male? Short like the one that comes with the phones, or used too.
> Tia.



do you mean the same but with a longer cable or a different brand that has lightning?


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## tmb821

Probably the wrong thread, but I’m looking for lightning to 3.5mm male about 4” long.


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## luedriver

I don't think apple makes them, I don't know any to recommend


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## alexfry

Actually, they seem to do one now (in black no less)


Lightning to 3.5mm Audio Cable (1.2m)

https://store.apple.com/au/xc/product/MR2C2FE/A


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## orl2222 (Aug 10, 2020)

I am using this apple dongle with a Kano kids tablet (cheapest laptop at best buy I could find during the days of this human malware as a music server) to my Yamaha SR 202 stereo receiver. I am using musicbee as my player. I also have a One TB WD portable ( my library on it)  drive hooked up to Kano laptop. I loaded the Alexa app on it, and I am currently using a hacked amazon 10HD tablet ( to install the Google Play Store), casting amazon musie HD, and installing the musicbee remote app on the tablet. All playing thru Sony CS5 speakers. Now, I am a ancient member here haven't posted in years, and have bought several amps, DAC, even the old SACD players in my day, but to my old ears(60 years young) this is probaby the cheapest and best solution out there. Does it do crazy out HZ or bit rates no, but even casting amazon HD music it sounds great! at 24 Bits. 48000HZ it is way better than spending hundreds of dollars for audio equipment today(I guess everybody staying at home has increased demand) . Now you young folks here still have ultra golden ears, but to me this sounds amazing. Oh almost forgot. I bought a gender changer USB C female to USB male, to hook up the apple dongle to the Kano laptop's regular USB port.


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## diggygun

tmb821 said:


> Probably the wrong thread, but I’m looking for lightning to 3.5mm male about 4” long.



I am using a JSAUX and a UGreen Lighting to 3.5mm DAC Dongle. They both perform better than the Apple version. I got them them both from Amazon. 

JSAUX Headphone Adapter for iPhone,【Apple MFi Certified】Lightning to 3.5mm Female Headphone Jack Adapter Apple Earphones Adapter 3.5mm Jack Dongle Compatible with iPhone 7 8 11 X XR XS Max SE -Red https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B086MKLBWW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_GRzmFb5WJ2QDZ

UGREEN Headphones Adapter for iPhone, [MFi Certified] Braided Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter iPhone Earphone Adaptor 3.5mm Dongle Compatible with iPhone 7 7P 8 8P X XR XS Max 11 Pro SE 2020 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Q6K37BD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_ZSzmFb382PQ4G


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## CK Moustache

luedriver said:


> looking at pc properties, today I noticed "Signal Enhancements"
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I would assume that it's probably some added crossfeed.


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## Star Mastering

Apple Dongle Forever! The Ancestor audio dongle alongside Meizu Hifi and Tempotec's HD Pro!


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## luedriver

CK Moustache said:


> I would assume that it's probably some added crossfeed.


still weird how it disappeared shortly after like apple sent a secret update to erase it from peoples USB dac's


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## Akhanaton

phower said:


> https://www.apple.com/ca/shop/product/MU7E2AM/A/usb-c-to-35mm-headphone-jack-adapter
> 
> Anyone tried this DAC? Only $10 and is supposed to output 1V which is sufficient to drive even high impedance cans. I am surprised it is only $10


I have two Apple DAC's, a lightning jack for iphone and a USB-C for iPad Pro. Both work fine but sound is weak, not hi-fi quality. Sound quality is same as using Bluetooth, no better. As this is head-fi.org, I hope we can compare all headphone options to top end audiophile headphone solutions, some of which use vacuum tubes for maximum sound quality. I'm not interested in vacuum tube headphone amps but use them as a reference for quality. Dongles have two distinct elements that effect sound quality: the DAC and the Amp. A futuristic best-case solution would include an excellent DAC paired with a high power headphone amp with a perfect impedance match. For the distant future, we could discuss headphones that have multiple speakers for each ear - a complete surround sound system for material recorded in DTS HD or Dolby Digital.


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## Eagle_Driver (Aug 21, 2022)

phower said:


> https://www.apple.com/ca/shop/product/MU7E2AM/A/usb-c-to-35mm-headphone-jack-adapter
> 
> Anyone tried this DAC? Only $10 and is supposed to output 1V which is sufficient to drive even high impedance cans. I am surprised it is only $10


Nope. While 1V is the peak maximum, it is not an RMS continuous maximum. Realistically, it only outputs about 8 mW with 32-Ohm headphones. That's only 500 mV RMS. And even 1V is equivalent to only 31 mW into 32 Ohms. And considering that most high-impedance cans require much greater than 1V just to attain a satisfactorily high listening volume level, this dongle won't cut it.

For some strange reason the Ligntning-to-3.5 adapter from Apple is much closer (RMS voltage/power-wise) to the claimed 1V maximum than the USB-C to 3.5 adapter is.

And the Apple dongles are, surprisingly, better suited for medium-impedance (50 to 150 Ohms)/high-sensitivity headphones than low- or high-impedance headphones of any sensitivity level.


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## Ilomaenkimi

If you own low impendance cans and iPhone/iPad Apple dongle is good choice, it also measures good.
With Grado Hemps i got more than enough loud listening levels.

And sound is pretty darn good.


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## Akhanaton

Ilomaenkimi said:


> If you own low impendance cans and iPhone/iPad Apple dongle is good choice, it also measures good.
> With Grado Hemps i got more than enough loud listening levels.
> 
> And sound is pretty darn good.


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## Akhanaton

All the Apple headphone dongles sound very weak with my Sennheiser headphones. My oscilloscope shows clipping starts at half volume. I can say from my own design experience with op-amps that a tiny microscopic op-amp chip running on 5 volts won‘t ever be audiophile quality. I like the convenience of the tiny dongles from Apple for podcasts but never for music. I could definitely design and would prefer something that sounds more like the vacuum tube headphone amps but in a portable form factor. I can imagine something powered by 3 Li-on cells for 10+ volts to work with. Probably still use an op-amp (bigger one) but I could be convinced to try something with discrete Mosfets.


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## Ilomaenkimi

Akhanaton said:


> All the Apple headphone dongles sound very weak with my Sennheiser headphones. My oscilloscope shows clipping starts at half volume. I can say from my own design experience with op-amps that a tiny microscopic op-amp chip running on 5 volts won‘t ever be audiophile quality. I like the convenience of the tiny dongles from Apple for podcasts but never for music. I could definitely design and would prefer something that sounds more like the vacuum tube headphone amps but in a portable form factor. I can imagine something powered by 3 Li-on cells for 10+ volts to work with. Probably still use an op-amp (bigger one) but I could be convinced to try something with discrete Mosfets.


I said ”If you own low impendance cans”. Sennheiser is not easy to drive.
It’s all about matching also. 
With Grados Apples dongle sounds very good; powerful and transparent sound. Very lifelike. 50% of volume is enough.


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## Akhanaton

Ok then. Noted. More efficient headphones could make the difference. I have no experience with the brand you mentioned. This whole site is dedicated to headphone enthusiasts so its not surprising that there’s a greater variety of headphone products discussed here. Perhaps my experience with Class A amplifiers has led me to believe smaller is never better. Convenience is another valid metric.


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