Best headphone adapter? (USB-C / Lightning to 3.5 mm) Apple vs Google vs Samsung
Вставка
- Опубліковано 17 чер 2024
- In this video I compare a few USB-C and Lightning 3.5 mm headphone adapters.
Thomann EU | Apple USB-C 3.5 mm Adapter: www.thomann.de/intl/apple_usb... *
Thomann EU | Apple Lightning 3.5 mm Adapter: www.thomann.de/intl/apple_lig... *
Support the channel on Patreon: / juliankrause **
Follow me on Twitter: / thejuliankrause
00:00 Intro
00:18 Adapters
00:44 Hardware Overview
01:14 HP Performance Overview
01:37 Frequency Response
02:33 Output Impedance
03:27 Output Power
05:42 THD+N vs Power and Frequency
06:26 Noise
06:45 Channel Balance
07:02 Crosstalk
07:27 Mic Input Audio Comparison
08:51 Verdict
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** Patreon is a platform where you can choose to support the channel by purchasing a monthly subscription. - Навчання та стиль
The last two are probably passive, and I used to own a OnePlus 6t as a daily so can confirm at least that one is passive, i.e. it uses a DAC built into the phone instead of carrying one inside the cable itself.
Good point, that would also explain why the HTC and OnePlus adapter aren't even recognized when plugged into a PC.
@@JulianKrause now that I also finished watching, it seems fairly well documented online that the Apple dongle purposely puts out less power when used with Android, but for some reason runs at full power with a PC, the latter of which being how I use mine. Awesome reliable and simple DAC solution for most headphones
@@metal571 omg those Assholes. If only I knew about this
Are you sure that the last white one is HTC? I've never seen a white adapter from them and all the ones I've had were digital.
The Essential Phone adapter was the best one (in my experience) I've used and I am sad that I lost mine.
I hate those adapters😅 wish they just kept the headphonejack
I got one for my PC because it's better quality than the mobo's built in 3.5mm output.
@@dfcx1 which one us best for mic quality?
Agree they should bring back the headphone jack where you don't have to charge the bloody thing
Bought one from samsung, bloody bastard broke in less than a week, its been about 5 days and fucker doesnt wanna work anymore, and its yo be expected, its the shittiest most pitiful cable i have ever seen, I could snap this shit with my fingers.
The Apple ones DAC is able to provide CD quality. As far as I know only the new 14 and 16 in MacBook Pros get to that quality very few other laptop or desktops do that. I have also used the lightening DAC to connect high quality external mics to an iPhone 13 Pro rig set up and it worked brilliantly. For the money it is very good. Same for the USB3 one into my iPad Pro.
Vielen dank, Julian! I haven’t seen anyone else do such proper measurements and reviews of these gear. 99% are UA-camrs who read the specs sheets accompanied by loud music and jump cuts. I just wanted to let you know that we really appreciate your content
Warum deutsch?
so true comrade
Exaclty my thoughts.
Literally hands down the best comparison video on entire youtube!! Words are not enough to thank you
Julian I am a big fan of your videos. Thank you for all the effort you put into making your measurements, I really enjoy them!
Dude that's impeccable timing. I was just about to buy a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter and wondering which one to get. Thanks for the help!
Which one did you get?
@@jonahramirezmusic Prob got a pair of bluetooth headphones instead. Smart move. Screw the cable
I used your videos as reference before combining headphones with audio cards. I ended up with DT990 PRO 250ohm with Audient ID4 MK2. I am so happy about the end result. Thank you for engineering level details, charts and everything. ❤
I've been wondering this myself, with so many different generic ones on Amazon. Was looking for comparisons and wonder if they were all the same. Thank you for doing the research for us!
Hallo Julian, vielen Dank für dieses tolle Video! Ich bin sehr beeindruckt von deiner Vorgehensweise und werde deinen weiteren gerne Content verfolgen. Weiter so!
As always, impeccable test and review!
Aaaaand Julian Krause strikes again!! Fantastic-useful information as always! 🥳🥳 😄😄
Great video mate. I love the length you’ve gone to to review these adapters 👍🏻
Subscribed 😉
“Don’t worry about it” classic 😂
THANK YOU!. I really needed a detailed version of the affects of the usb c 3.5mm audio adapter. Especially needed the recording of the voice test that you did, so Thank you!..
Julian, this is what I've been looking for for years! I want to do the review of Apple dongle for quite awhile now and all I lack of is the scientific data to back-up my claim that why the dongle is better than people might think. Big ups to your effort and thank you for your hard work.
Geiles Video Julian, und sehr nice Graphen👍
subscribed. thank you for this. hope the channel grows.
Every time I look for some answers, I just reach for Julian's channel and bam! The answer is right here. Such an excellent details! I'm glad you include the mic tests because I wasn't sure about SNR implied from the chart (high power + low noise floor). The Samsung's noise floor seems to be best but it kinds of changing the sound tone.
Thanks for doing this particular video!!!!!
Julian thanks for your evaluation 👍
Thank you! This was very useful, and I appreciate the breakdown for audio laypersons. :)
Immer wieder interessant! Guter Mann!
Danke dir, echt präzise und hilfreich 👍
Great video Julian.
Great video. It's pretty random that a lot of entry level audio interface's can't handle that level of accuracy. But I understand that compensates that with a better preamp for inputs. Anyways love your channel and your graphs!
Thanks for taking the time to buy all those different ones 🤙
Great content. Keep doing it hard dude.
Dear Julian Krause, DANKE and thank you once again for an another top-class, easy-to-understand video clip. I lift my symbolic hat off every time I watch your videos.
For most people, the Bluetooth connection is enough. If somebody want or need a cable connection because they think it sounds better, then this clip is a really great help.
Exactly my opinion, the manufacturer's parts are usually the better choice. With cheaper goods from far east, you end up paying double, mostly. Although some of the manufacturer's parts don't have a long life either, maybe on purpose. Expensive doesn't have to mean more either.
But what is most important? Every person in the world hears differently!
Keep up the good work. Musical greetings and I say "Servus!" from Bavaria
Super helpful video! Thank you!
Thank you for the data driven comparison.
thanks for sharing this informative video on audio adapter
wonderful information thanks dude.
I am using a pixel and using IEMs so I need this! THANK U SO MUCH this channel is such a hidden gem I'm shocked at the production quality ! Subbed!!
Great video! Thank you for your AMAZING work Julian! I got a pair of HD600s and thought performance would be terrible on my iPad with the USB-C to 3.5mm dongle. In comparison to my Motu M4 it’s only a little quieter, and there’s no audible distortion. But then I’m using a US dongle, with an M1 iPad that provides plenty of power, so maybe that’s why. Either way, I can’t believe it works so well!
Very helpful. Thank you
This video reminded me of Sheldon Cooper's Fun with Flags :D
And I sincerely mean that as a compliment
Loved the video, it had all that I needed.
Thank you so much for your research!
Hell yeah great idea for a video
Great video JK! I suggest a follow-up that measures the mic input too.
My reasoning is the following: People use their phone for Discord, Zoom, Clubhouse, Tiktok and even UA-cam. For recording videos, from say from your phone, you can always use a portable/external recorder and sync in post, but I imagine that sometimes you just want to record as-is but wish to have better audio than the built-in mics.
Also the usb-c/lightning lapel mics are often limited in quality so some people might want to use their regular minijack lapel (or other connectors with an adapter).
I suggest using a well known and good lapel mic like the sennheiser mke2 and maybe one or two others (that requires plugin power), and one or more known dynamic lapel mics. (That don’t require plugin power). Maybe you could also include a normal dynamic mic as well. (Sm58/røde m1 etc)
And also compare their recording quality to say a consumer grade zoom h5, and with a good audio interface (Røde has a xlr/3.5mm phantom power/plugin power adapter). It would be great if you could test with both normal speech and maybe something noisier.
Would also be nice if you could upload the recordings so we could judge by ourselves.
And lastly, please include the Saramonic lightning or usb-c adapter since that is the only one that advertise plugin power combatibility. Maybe a few other adapters on the market might include plugin power without advertising it, so with an mke2 you could actually find that out.
I am about to order the saramonic adapter for my lapel mic and use it to shoot a few videos from my vacation and tbh I think it’s probably good enough for speech, but it would be really interesting if you could include the mic inputs in a follow-up. Cheers
Enlightening review! Only USB-C-3.5mm adapter I have is the stock unit that came with the Essential PH-1 phone, unsure of who manufactured it. It still sounds great with various TRRS buds and 32Ω Sennheiser HD-202 headphones on my Pixel 6. But it's really noisy with my 50Ω Fostex RP T-20 (v2) using a 3.5mm to 1/4" adaptor that otherwise works fine with a Cute II headphone amp and the Fostex off other equipment.
I do a lot of field recording, I am curious about the A/D converter also. Thank you for all the data!
Excellent, and most impressively, objective review as always - just what I have been looking for. However, I do agree with some that you might want to consider doing a deep-dive on the mic-input portion (mic-preamp and ADC stages) of these dongles though, in addition to the DAC and headphone amp portions. I am curious about how the dongle analog mic input can compare to full-fledged audio interfaces. More people are shifting to using portable devices such as smartphones or tablets over computers in their audio production nowadays. Wonder if these dongles can produce quality results for audio production like podcasts.
I have a fake Samsung adapter and the hiss is extremely loud through the mic input. Purchased it over Amazon and was told it's a genuine adapter but I don't believe so. I don't believe any of these will record in stereo either.
¡Has realizado un excelente trabajo!
Superb video! Thanks for the research. Always a pleasure to meet a nerd. ❤ Could you also test if volume rockers work? And the audio quality during calls. Sometimes the volume tends to jump around from music to calls. Cheers!
Hai, your review helped me to find a better option, i ended up using samsung usb-c for my 16 oHm headphones works fine
One of the biggest advantages of these dongles, is that the inline remote buttons work on pc too.
Don’t u just hate that the Beyerdynamic DT Siebenhundertsiebzig Pro won’t run well on the Apple ones
😂
Try the 880-600 wouldn't do it either ;)
Gesundheit.
Thank you so much Julian this video is end game for my dongle search ..i wish you compare OnePlus type c dongle also
Really helpful video!
I found this video searching for a solution to a problem I have with my adapter, I bought a Xiaomi phone and a samsung adapter.
It ended up sounding really low, I'll search for the Xiaomi one and test if there's any difference.
Thanks for yout video!
I listened a lot recently on my Iphone with lightning adapter on a Shure SRH840A and I was pleasantly surprised by the good sound of it. Off course using Spotify isn’t the highest quality, so all in all I think it is the best you can get when you are on the way.
I was in a hotel by the way, so far away from any decent gear I have at home, making this the best you can get and it works well. Thank you for confirming!
Works fine with Beyer DT 900 Pro X headphones too which is very much to Apple’s credit. It is limited to CD quality. I recently imported a very good value and high quality dongle from Amazon in the USA that is USB to phono. That goes to twice CD quality. Ailun I think - ‘DAC Hi-res Chipset 384KHZ/32Bit ,with high quality audio conversion chipset, it can convert Digital Audio Signals to Analog Audio Signals and maintain the original sound quality of your headphones. Sampling Rate up to 384KHZ/32Bit gives you Hi-res sound performance. ‘ for €13 an absolute bargain. Sounds good for the money.
Caught you slipping into German when you mentioned the Beyerdynamics DT Siebenhundertsiebzig 😁
Actually these adapters do get used with lav mics such as the Rode SmartLav+ or Sennheiser XS Lav Mobile, so maybe a more thorough investigation of their pre-amp and ADC performance could be interesting...
The amount of bias voltage would be interesting since some headset mics don't work too well without enough of it.
I would love a test of this!
@@dfcx1 Yeah, I've seen 1.0V (Interface supplied with Logitech analogue headset) to 4.5V (Rode VXLR+
3.5mm TRS to XLR Adaptor). 1.0V seems a bit low for the JFET amplifier. 7V is probably safe. Android specs say 2.8V max.
Yes, they can get used for ad-hoc podcasts.
Great video...
Please do one for mic/input jack adapter... thanks
Please do a review of the Apogee groove if you can and as always incredible content, I find it incredible we can have this quality of content for free!!
This is awesome video! Please give us better USB dongle options
Excellent video!
Please compare these to 3rd party adapters, so that we don't have to buy a phone for the adapter ;-)
I purchased a couple of dongles that pass through power and they had absolutely terrible noise floor!
Finally I purchased adapters with only headset but listed the frequency range of the chips and it was much better.
(unfortunately this means I can't charge . . thanks Apple . . and everyone who copied)
Recently I got a notebook without a jack that came with Asus MU3C-AD(M) USB-C->3.5jack dongle based on ESS ES9260(Q) SoC/DAC chip. In a quick test it showed to be capable of driving 150 Ohm headphones (Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic) to decent enough levels, no problems with driving 32 Ohm headphones really loud, and it was like more than +115 DNR and less than -100 dB THD+N. I mean, these little things I never took seriously became surprisingly good!
Such nice video
I wish companies would do a more clear job of marketing which of these adapters have their own internal dac and which are totally passive.
Nice! I just started googling for new info on this topic so glad you've just made this! I'm using a Google Pixel 3 and since it's been hard to find the Google adapter here in Finland, i've had instead the Apple adapter, but haven't really been able to use it because the volume is not enough even if cranked to full volume with any headphones. But because of your videos(!), i've attained new info on amp/headphones compatibility and thought to try again to find a better suited option.
I guess if the Google adapter still isn't available here, i'm gonna try the Samsung one since it looks to give better output to 32ohm (Ollo S4X), but apparently since it varies depending on the audio source, i'm already prepared to return it if/when it doesn't help :).
Ach, saw on Amazon reviews the Samsung one doesn't work nor get recognised as headphones with Pixel 3 and the Google one still isn't available here so i guess that's that - i'll continue using a separate bt receiver or a laptop...
hi! how does samsung adapter work? i have pixel 6 and also cant buy in croatia google adapter
@@bizovski See my above reply for Pixel 3, don't know about Pixel 6 unfortunately.
Great video. Thanks for testing. I was interested to know about Samsung adapter, because i have S22 Ultra
Nice intro B-roll lol 😂
HI Julian! In your opinion, would it make sense to get one of these to mix on low-impedance headphones instead of using an interface with high-impedance HP output (like UR22C)?
Nice video Julian. I think the problem with the adapters that you couldn’t get working is that they may be passive, the Apple and Samsung adapters definitely have converters. Cheers, Dave.
Hey David, I think you are right. They weren't even recognized by a PC. Pretty sure they are passive.
@@JulianKrauseyea because the OnePlus phones have a DAC built-in
Excellent video keep up the good work. I paired my Samsung adaptor with the s22÷ and some old cheap Sony earbuds with inline mic...I could hear constant rhythmic clicking and after a while screeching audio feedback...I was not sure what was causing this..I deduced that the inline mic was causing the issue either through its termination or diaphragm issues. I changed to earphones..jvc...that had no inline mic and this resolved my issue...do you have any comments on this?
Amazing video as always. I think this video shows that 'basic' specs don't give the picture anymore. I think you need to up the complexity of your quoted specs and educate your audience further. This would make more sense in general for your more expensive products you review. I want you to do really well and I want you to get great sponsorship. But to get that you need to be able to show why people should pay more for the more expensive kit. Often there is a justifiable reason, you just need to find it. For example.
- Intermodulation distortion
- Phase delay with frequency
- Waterfall
- Clock accuracy and stability
- RF noise susceptibility
- input power
- Clipped audio playback behaviour (beyond 0dBfs true peaks).
- Power droop with frequency.
- energy consumption
- Frequency response at different playback levels.
My experience is that many of these devices with 'is that real?!' specs have made other compromises which in an AB comparison are instantly audible but hide within the specs.
Thank you.
Well, you need to mention the price and hence, price performance ratio. In my place, the apple adaptors are selling at USD8 a piece, and the quality is so good. I even use them to drive a powered speaker (then, the not enough output power issue is gone), and compare with other dongles 10x the price, those 'cheap' adaptors are still performing so well.
I would love to know if I can record my next album using the mic input. Like you said, the DA output is fantastic, so now I’m curious to know about the AD input.
Please, always provide a table that ranks and summarizes the presentation. Thanks
1:29 I have a suggestion. The table would be more useful if there are columns somewhere around 60 and 80 ohm instead of 150. HD 280/300 PRO are 64 ohm. DT770 PRO can be 80 ohm. 32 to 150 is a big jump.
Just listening to/watching your review by using an Apple USB-C adapter, using quite low priced (about € 60) JVC HA-RX900 headphones with 64 Ohms. Can sound very loud!
I'm using the Samsung USB-C 3.5 mm adapter with the Galaxy S24 and Samsung EO-IA500 headphones and i'm surprised by the phenomenal sound quality. I've listened to many headphone amplifiers and none of them offered such a pure sound! All sound components are in their place, the instruments have their own space and air. The separation is just phenomenal! Definitely the best DAC i've ever listened to music on, and what's more, it's cheap!
Would you still recommend buying headphone adapters with external DAC for around 80 - 100€? Currently using the dt770pro 32 Ohms with a Samsung device via original Samsung Adapter and wondering if it's worth upgrading. Great video thanks ✌️
Ty
Many thanks Julian for a very interesting and in-depth look at these devices.
I have had problems with these adapters.
I have a set of headphones with an included boom microphone and they have a 3.5mm jack plug. If I plug them into my Samsung S10 phone or my laptop they perform very well for audio calls on WhatsApp - both devices have a 3.5mm socket.
But on my Samsung S21+ I have to use an adapter. I bought the Google and people said that my voice was muffled and I sounded like I was in the next room. So I bought the Apple adapter and people said the same thing. So, for me, using my S21+ neither adapter gives as good a result as a mobile or laptop with a 3.5mm socket. In fact I struggled to have a conversation over WhatsApp using an adapter.
Did you test this - your voice on the headset microphone going to someone listening to you on Whatsapp or Skype or whatever?
Thanks and best wishes
Hopefully you do a Audient Evo 16 review soon
About a year back with my pixel 6 I bought an apple usb-c adapter, it absolutely does not drive my M50x, surprisingly. I was curious if it's because of the phone or if it's the dongle. I ended up going for a Fiio BTR5 bluetooth adapter that I am very happy with.
I would love for someone to test the ADCs and mic input - mainly because nobody else is testing this and there are loads of podcasting and video mics that use the 3.5mm format
Podcasting mics are hot garbage. Just by a decent regular mic. The humble sm57 would sound better than 99% of them.
Would love to see these tests compared to the build in 3.5mm of samsung phones. I believe the s10 was the last phone with a 3.5mm jack though
It's pretty amazing tech wise, but the hassle of these is still a huge shame. I have a s22+ and the Apple one was too quiet so I got Samsung's own, and while it sounds fine after a while it starts increasingly bitcrushing the audio until the phone crashes...I miss the jack ;_;
Lagsung is a bit of a laugh..
I think it could be that Samsung didn’t bother to fix issues with the dongle on newer phones because a lot of people switched to wired buds. Just my guess though.
I used the dongle for 2 years with my iPhone 7, then put it back on the case after getting AirPods, Ive never ever seen someone using the dongle after the iPhone X’s release
Shit i need dongle to record audio with mic
Hi, I wanted to buy one adapter to use with my phone and a laptop which has even worse sound. How much quieter was the apple dongle? I rarely use more than third of the available volume and the terrible user reviews of the samsung unit are off-putting. When exactly does the bitcrushing happen? Does it heat up/run out of memory after some time/get more and more often with age of device or happen completely randomly? Does it do that when connected to pc too ?
@@milithemuffin4534 I have mine set typically around about 2/3 volume but the apple one just sounded very weak on Samsung. Regarding the crashes, I'm starting to believe there's something wrong with my phone as it is crashing about 6x per day since I got it. Was hoping it was something fixed by stability patches but as this isn't common I'll probably have to get warranty help, so wouldn't worry about that. The adapter is pretty good for £9 tbh - unsure how it works on laptops etc tho. Hope that helps
I love the Beyerdynamic "siebenhundertsiebzig" 😆
I use a Jabra 75t Bluetooth headphone for most of the time but the Samsung AKG USB C headphone I get with my S20ultra two years ago sound balance and brilliant on both phone and ipad pro, on the ipad it take a little time before it produce the sound
The audio is fine but the problem I constantly have with the Apple lightning dongle is disconnecting multiple times during a short walk around the block. It drove me to switch to bluetooth IEMs.
I also sometimes need to use it for mic input with video recording and never trust its going to stay connected.
I've been getting Facebook ads for a thing called Bolt by Helm Audio. A high-end version of these dongles. Worth a look?
If you're talking about the Lighting connector version, that sounds like what happens when you have dirt inside the socket and the jack doesn't go all the way in. My mother had a similar issue with the charging cable before I cleaned it up with a toothpick.
Or just but THX Onyx reference dongle
The Apple adapter is much more sophisticated than the Samsung. It detects if a headset is actually plugged in and under Windows 10 only appears as an audio device if one is present. The Samsung steals input and output even if there is nothing connected to it.
Will there be a possibility that u check out the performance of the IK Multimedia Axe I/O?
It might be a little more on the end towards guitarists but still offers the mic XLR in, line etc & I would like to know how it fairs up to current interfaces such as the one I previously was looking at (Audient ID14 MK2). Also they express that it should have as high DR as 117dB but I also wanna know about EIN, and other measurements for mics. Since it also comes with amplitube it also caught my interest as it would be a seperate expense otherwise.
$20 NZD for Apple USB C, $50 NZD for headphone amp, $25ish NZD for a raspberry Pi Zero W and accessories And you add some HD600's and you have a really really good playback device (stream and local files). Im a recovering Audiopile, Blind tested it with Some of my audiophile mates. Let's just say they were convinced it was some of the expensive audio gear they thought I still had (sold that stuff many years ago to some sukers). Either the Apple is better with the same IEM's than the dac on my S10 of years back...(was testing only a month ago)
I use my iPhone as a Audio recorder using lav mics. So microphone usability is important.
Some condenser mics like professional, tiny headset-microphones like “DPA” need plug in power. (similar XLR phantome voltage). Do you know if these adapters provide plugin power like a zoom H1 does?
3.5 mm socket in my tablet is somewhat unreliable (worn out). This adapter is a perfect solution to increase the lifespan of the tablet. The sound is better than ever now.
Hello Julian nice video , could you please offer your perspective on an issue , i have an ipad air 5 which i use to record my videos , i just wanna know if a non phantom no battery mic like a rode shot gun would work for recording audio on my ipad air if connected through apple usb-c to 3.5 mm doc , is it tssr certified will it my ipad able to detect the mic ?
Can't thank you enough!
These adapters can be used as AUX outputs for any audio amplifier with the AUX input.
Danke!
Danke für den Support Rainer!!
I’m hoping you’ll do a test of these specific adapters on actual computers as they may have better performance then when connected to a phone due to the computers having more power to drive them.
Use Kinsound one... The Hi-Res is no Joke.
The Best DAC adapter in my opinion at price
My comment got deleted for some reason... maybe because I linked some stuff I hoped you might compare? Anyway, I appreciated your review and data-backed conclusions. I hope you also end up reviewing the Anker dongle and maybe even the Periodic Audio Rhodium DAC adapter or adapters that combine 3.5mm and charging capability. I won't link them since maybe that was why my comment got deleted before. Thanks again.
I am Using UGREEN DAC ADAPTER for SAMSUNG A73 , and its working flawlessly.
Hallo, erstmal vielen Dank für die aufwändige Mess-Arbeit und Testen dieser Adapter. Auf MMarkt gibt es einen INF 3,5 mm 32 bit / 483 kHz. Würde mich interessieren, wieviel besser oder schlechter, im Vergleich zu den Apple / Samsung / Google Adaptern ist. Preislich sehr ähnlich d.h. wird sich auf ähnlichem Niveau bewegen.
Julian, when UAD Apollo or Steinberg AXR4 review?
Julian did you have a chance to try the OnePlus dongle, is 1+ dongle good as Samsung dongle?
I just got my Apple USB-C to 3,5mm adapter. Really quiet when connected to my Google Pixel 6 and Huawei P10 Plus, but it could even drive my HD 600 when connected to my ThinkPads USB-C port.
Is it quieter than build in 3.5 mm headphone jack of phone?