If you’re an Apple loyalist, even the word “dongle” is probably enough to make you shudder. With years of Lightning to USB-C whiplash and disappearing and reappearing HDMI ports on the MacBook, I can’t blame you. I, too, like loads of older iPhone users, was caught in the wake of the unceremonious execution of the 3.5mm audio port and was forced to tote around one of these bad boys.
Who’s still rocking a headphone jack dongle? © AppleBut times have changed. The Lightning port is dead (hooray), and HDMI ports on some MacBooks are, just like that gum you like in Twin Peaks, back in style. With these shifts, the dongle has been reborn. That’s right, folks, phone dongles are good now—at least if you’re into wired earbuds/headphones and hi-fi audio.
I’m talking specifically about DACs (digital-to-analog converters), which are little devices designed specifically to boost audio quality. There are all kinds of DACs in this world, but increasingly, there are more of a mini variety meant to hook into your phone via USB-C. Why on earth would you want one of these? As I mentioned, you have to be an audio snob. DACs are technically in every phone, but a dedicated one is much better at converting signals and can vastly improve things like sample rate, leading to fuller and higher fidelity audio. The fact is, Bluetooth connections may be convenient, but they lose a ton of digital information upon transmission to your wireless earbuds or headphones, and audio quality suffers as a result.
Anecdotally, I’ve been seeing quite a few DAC dongles as of late, like this one that attaches magnetically to your phone or this one that looks like a little MP3 player. It may seem out of the blue, but their sudden uptick in popularity is no coincidence. Pushing the desire for little hi-fi dongles is a renewed interest in wired earbuds. As we’ve claimed previously—and as you may have noticed already on your own—wired earbuds are so back, and they’re bringing DACs along with them. Both of the tiny dongles I just mentioned actually come as a companion to wired earbuds, which means you can use their 3.5mm jack, but also get the most out of the benefits that wired audio provides once it’s plugged in.
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Dongles are so trendy, in fact, that even some wireless titans are getting swept up in the trend. Sennheiser just launched its HDB 630 wireless headphones, which come with a tiny USB-C dongle that transmits more digital information between the wireless headphones and your phone compared to regular Bluetooth. I haven’t gotten to try the HDB 630 for myself, but I’m going to assume the headphones sound a lot better when you use them in dongle mode.
Don’t get me wrong; dongles aren’t for everyone. If you’re fine with a regular Bluetooth connection on your wireless earbuds or headphones, then you don’t have to use one. And that’s the beauty of this new trend of hi-fi dongles—no one is being forced into them. If wired audio is your thing and you want to get the most out of your chosen pair of earbuds or headphones, DAC dongles are at the ready. If not? Well, Bluetooth is there to make things easy. I never want to go back to the days of Lightning-to-3.5mm adapters, but I’ll be honest, I’m ready to give the dongle a do-over if DACs are in the equation.
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