what to consider when choosing

Although we live in a world in which wireless headphones have become not only the preferred way for many users to listen to music with their mobile, but also a standard, many of us continue to prefer wired headphones for a reason : good wired headphones outperform in audio quality to (basically) any model of Bluetooth headphones.

However, we also live in a world in which the majority of mobile manufacturers have decided get rid of the headphone port (3.5mm Jack) on your devices, especially on the most premium range of mobile phones. But all is not lost, there are ways to listen to music in the best possible audio quality using USB adapters for mobile phones, even if your mobile phone has a headphone port.

What is this thing called DAC and why do I need it?

First of all: no, you don’t need a so-called DAC, you can continue to listen to music with your usual wireless headphones. But if you are looking for the best audio qualityenjoy high-resolution and so-called high-fidelity files, or hi-fi audioyour mobile cannot offer it by default.

I know, many wireless headphones have a sticker that says “Hi-Res” and technically they support high-resolution files, but Bluetooth transmission still hurts audio quality, especially if we also use sources with highly compressed files (like Spotify, for example). Qualcomm already has a codec that promises lossless audio, called aptX Lossless, but there are still very few phones and devices that support it.

So, what is a DAC? The acronym DAC stands for “Analog digital converter”, digital-to-analog signal converter, and your cell phone already has one. Essentially, every electronic device that produces sound has a DAC, because it is responsible for “translating” digital signals into analog, so that we can listen to music or any sound through speakers and devices.

But when we talk about using a DAC for mobile, or a USB adapter, we are actually referring to use an external DAC/Amp, which will replace the internal DAC of the mobile phone to give us better sound quality.

There are high-quality wired headphones at many price points, including many models that, for $100 or less, provide excellent audio quality when paired with a USB adapter.

Being a DAC/Amp, it not only converts digital signal to analog, but also also amplifies it to be able to bring it to headphones with more power and less distortion, which is particularly useful when we are talking about “demanding” headphones, with high impedance or very low sensitivity (we will come back to this later).

Even the little Lightning port to 3.5mm jack adapter included in the iPhone is, in essence, a DAC/Amp, a fairly basic model but still effective. However, there are many options on the market, to suit all tastes and needs.

What you need to know about USB adapters (also called “DAC dongles”)

There are several types of USB adapters for cell phones, which are not exclusive to cell phones but can also be used on tablets or even laptops. But we are in Xataka Android, so let’s focus on mobile devicesOf course.

In the image above we can see three USB adapters that can basically do the same thing, but they have significant differences in terms of audio, headphone support, and operation:

• The model on the left (called iFi Go Blu) has a cable that attaches to the adapter and a 3.5mm headphone port unbalanced connection
• The central model (Fosi Audio DS1) has a disconnectable and replaceable cable, and two headphone ports: an unbalanced 3.5mm connection and a 4.4mm balanced connection
• The model on the right (iFi hip-dac3) has a cable that can be removed and with internal batterybuttons for different “modes” (or equalization) and two headphone ports: 3.5 mm (unbalanced) and 4.4 mm (balanced)

Let’s start with the most fundamental difference: the model on the right It has an internal battery, so when using it it will not consume the cell phone battery. and also, This allows you to have even more power than the rest. The other two models must be powered by the smartphone to work.

For other reasons, we have the song and the type of ports: the fact that some of them include earphones does not mean that they are playing on the headphones at the same time (but many people can play audio at any time simultaneously, but not at all). it is recommended).

The bone 3.5mm and 4.4mm ports The main difference is that the first is an asymmetrical connection and the second is a balanced connection. In summary, a balanced connection provides a stronger, cleaner signal (with lower noise floor), ideal for high impedance or low sensitivity headphones that typically require higher power to deliver the true sound quality of these headphones.

It is ideal to use an application that supports high-resolution files when we use a USB adapter to enjoy maximum audio quality, or a streaming service that offers lossless audio.

USB adapters have higher quality DACs than those included in virtually every mobile phone on the market. LG was the exception to the rule, offering a good quality internal DAC in many of their phones, but unfortunately they no longer make smartphones. These external DACs can process high-resolution and high-quality files, including audio from up to 32-bit and 384 kHz, as well as formats such as DSD and MQA. A mobile phone is generally limited to a maximum quality of 24 bits and 48 kHz.

With an external DAC, that is, a USB adapter, we overcome this obstacle and can take full advantage of the quality they offer streaming services like Qobuz and Tidalor music stored on the mobile purchased in high resolution files.

What to keep in mind when buying a USB adapter for your mobile

In summary, when purchasing a USB adapter to listen to music with the best possible audio quality, we must consider the following aspects according to our needs and preferences:

• Which app will you use to listen to music?: If it comes to music streaming, ideally choose a service with Lossless quality like Tidal, Qobuz or Apple Music. If these are files stored locally on your mobile, they are preferably of high quality (FLAC, WAV, DSD or similar files).
• Which headphones will you use?: For “monitor” style in-ear headphones or closed-back over-ear headphones with an impedance of up to 50 Ohms, a lot of power is usually not necessary, but if you plan to use technology-enabled headphones magnetoplanar or high impedance (150 or 300 Ohms for example), you will need an adapter with enough power to really enjoy the sound quality of your headphones.

• What devices will you use the adapter with?: if only with the mobile phone on the go, a small external DAC/Amp and some in-ear headphones are usually enough in most cases, but if you also want to connect it to the laptop at home or working with more demanding headphone power, you may need to opt for a model with more power output.

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