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  • USB-C to Jack DAC compatibility list

Are there dongles that work if they're plugged into the phone separately while the screen is unlocked and then the headphones are plugged into the already plugged-in dongle while the screen is locked? (Assuming that the user has kept the GrapheneOS default of denying new USB peripherals while the screen is locked.)

The one I've tried doesn't support this use case, so I assume it's reconfiguring itself depending on what it's hooked up to - a TRRS headset, TRS stereo headphones, TS mono headphones, or nothing at all - and it reappears as a "new" USB peripheral.

But I'd love to find a statically configured dongle, and be able to easily switch my headphones back and forth between my notebook and the media player on the lock screen of my phone with a plugged-in dongle.

    Brand: Venture Electronics
    DAC model: Abigail - Tested on Pixel 6a
    DAC model: AVANI - not owned, not tested
    Price: 10$ USD
    Store:
    https://www.veclan.com/
    https://veclan.aliexpress.com/store/group/Dac-amp/1924356_505051990.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.3c02743e8sO8ys

    Both these DACs are made by audiophile enthusiast company and not your run of the mill Chinese company that wants to make a buck on amazon. They are very capable and are said to beat anything in the competition. They both outperform (considerably) apple and other "major brand" dongles for lesser price. Both are quite similar, but have small differences in sound, Abigail is more natural and AVANI is the more clinical. Both are quite powerful.

    I have the Abigail and can confirm it works on Pixel 6a. It has a very robust sound. I am an audiophile type of guy and own 300$ DACs and other gear. I did not test this device thoroughly for sound but given a 5 minute listen I was impressed enough that I thought "no need for further inspection".

    The max volume is very loud and if you are not careful you could blow out your headphones and your eardrums the first time you connect it. Plugging and unplugging the 3.5mm jack on some headphones causes an electrical noise to the headphone which means loud noise in your ears. so make sure the volume is low when you do this, or don't do it while dongle is connected.

    Connecting the dongle to the pixel gives no notifications or indications that the device has been recognized and connected, so its a bit confusing at first.

    Follow this procedure for first connect:

    1. Enable the relevant USB settings so the DAC gets detected.
    2. connect the DAC to your phone without a headphone plugged in.
    3. Without connecting a headphone play a song on your device with the DAC connected. If the device has been connected then no sound should come out of the speaker. Now turn the volume down to very low.
    4. Now Connect your headphone. Or for extra safety, pull the DAC out, connect your headphone, then reconnect the DAC.
    5. Now play the music and slowly turn sound up to your desired level.

    While I would normally push the volume to 80-90% on most phones to get good volume on my headphone, with this one at 50% I am already beyond my loud listening limits.

    rustybird The Abigail that I mentioned works like you want I think. I can unplug the headphone while keeping the dongle connected, the music continues to play without being paused even though no headphone connected, and I can connect any headphone again to the dongle and the music has been playing all along.

      Devices tested: Pixel 6a
      DAC Model: FiiO BTR5 2021 (USB-C)

      Store link: https://fiio.com/btr52021
      Store link for french people : https://www.son-video.com/article/accessoires-distributeurs-et-transmetteurs-recepteurs-bluetooth/fiio/btr5-2021

      No problem.

      Probably the best DAC out there (quality/price). The battery is a bit not enough (the manufacturer say 9 hours). But I use it all the day, so yeah... You can use it while charging it though.

      Devices tested: Pixel 7
      Store link: https://ifi-audio.com/products/hip-dac2/

      Yes, not really a dongle but I was never happy with the audio quality of dongles. I run IEMs using a balanced cable. Works perfectly!

      I prefer the sound quality and value of this brand and model over the competitors but its all subjective.

      Devices Tested: Pixel 6 and Pixel 7
      Adapter Model: MOVO UCMA-1

      Not a DAC but an adapter: TRS input to TRRS output over USB-C which allow for the use of 3.5mm three-pole microphones from Rode/Sennheiser/Shure and others as audio input devices

      a month later

      • [deleted]

      • Post #24
      • Edited

      Device tested: pixel 6a
      -Dragonfly red work fine on pixel 6a
      -Google usbC to mini-jack adapter work fine on pixel 6a
      -sony wf xm4 work fine on pixel 6a.

      frickinchickin requires power pass through i.e. connect a usb-c power source to the dongle. have several of the same dongle and none will pass audio w/o power.

          I can unplug the headphone while keeping the dongle connected, the music continues to play without being paused even though no headphone connected, and I can connect any headphone again to the dongle and the music has been playing all along.

          tmp Interesting! Yep, that made it work. Unfortunately it shows as connected, but not charging -- but that's a separate issue I'm sure, Thanks for the heads up.

            Device: Pixel 6a
            Tested Huawei, Fujitsu and Apple cables. Huawei didn't work, Fujitsu was cutting off sound every few minutes, but Apple works great. It was also the cheapest. No issues with volume.

            • d4er replied to this.
              4 months later

              Devices Tested: Pixel 4a, 7a
              DAC Model: AK HC3 Dual DAC Cable - https://www.astellnkern.co.uk/hc3-dual-dac-cable.html

              Plug and play. Behaves as expected with "allow new usb peripherals when unlocked" in that the DAC and headphones must be connected while unlocked and unplugging either halts playback and they are not recognised while locked.
              Volume control works fine with or without the AK HC app and does not set to max on connection as warned in the manual.
              Noticeable battery drain in use, but not just when plugged in.

              Really broadens the soundstage and drives my V-moda m-100 masters hard. Loads of clarity and articulation. Strongly recommend.

              5 months later
              13 days later

              tmp Belkin Rockstar 3.5mm Audio + USB-C Charge Adapter does not work on my Pixel 7 Pro, even when powered. Tried rebooting/changing device settings/using different playback apps with no luck.

                  chipio Do you have USB peripherals disabled in Settings > Security? With the default setting, the headphones will only be recognized if you plug them in with the phone unlocked.

                    9 days later

                    Devices tested: Pixel 5, Pixel 7a

                    DAC Model: xDuoo Link

                    Result: Not working

                    Both 5 and 7a register that it is plugged in. Sound settings show wired headphones are available. A prompt message for Tidal is displayed letting the user know that calls may not be notified while using the device.
                    No sound plays.
                    Some apps freeze when trying to play video.
                    Newpipe even froze the phone and needed to be reset.
                    Audible pop can be heard when plugging in and out through the headphones.