Best USB-C to Audio Jack Adapter for FP4

Hi there,

so there is a lot of controversy about Fairphone dropping the 3.5mm audio jack, like here:

As it often gets mentioned, we can just use a USB-C to audio jack adapter. I will need one, because I still use the 3.5mm jack. Among other reasons, a lot of small bluetooth headphones don’t have the battery capacity I require.

I would like to collect some ideas for good adapters. I did not order the “official” adapter along with my FP4, because it beeing out of stock made me unsure: USB-C to Mini Audio Jack Adapter (3.5mm) - Accessory | Fairphone

Are there differences to audio quality with these adapters?

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If you are looking for something smilier to that sold by Fairphone then it should be a straight through wired contact and there should be no noticeable difference amongst the plethora you find…
EDITED 3rd Nov
See note by @incanus in post 5 below RE:

(Digital to Analog Converter chip) to allow for listening to audio with earphones with a mini jack connector.

UPDATE 4th Nov
Given the valid critique noted above I tried searching for an adapter without DAC and didn’t find one, not say someone will more will to so couldn’t ??

Dont know what is best, but the FP adapter is just not yet in the shop and not out of the shop due to bad quality, if this what made you unsure…

One Option without knowing anything about quality

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Don’t know about “best adapter” or if it makes a difference if used with an FP4 compared to other devices, but I own this one and am quite happy with it.

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That’s not the full truth, as stated on the Fairphone product page:

the adapter includes a DAC, it’s not just a straight through cable:

This adapter includes a DAC chip (Digital to Analog Converter chip) to allow for listening to audio with earphones with a mini jack connector.

So there are possible quality differences between the available adapters.

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I was recommended to get the Apple USB C to 3.5mm adapter, apparently it has a better DAC than the built-in one in a Samsung Galaxy S8+, for example.

The review is a few years old, maybe someone has recently tested a different USB C DAC to be even better. :slight_smile:

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I don’t know which product is of higher quality, but here are some criteria to consider:

  • Does the DAC support 24 bit or 32 bit?
  • To what frequency does the DAC support 96KHz? 192 KHz? Other?
  • How well are the cables insulated, affecting possibly the signal to noise ratio
  • Is the cable constructed to support the bending and twisting that it will undergo over years?
  • Does the device support charging of the phone while you listen?
  • Maybe you want to attach more than one device (e.g., two people listening at the same time)
  • Is the cable manufactured in an environmentally sustainable way
  • Maybe you don’t need an adapter, but rather a direct USB-C to 35mm jack connector
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I was recommended the Apple DAC. Apparently better signal to noise ratio than the internal DAC in a Samsung S8+ (but not better than LG’s old audiophile flagship phones), power level equivalent to some thumb sized dedicated amps, and 2 channel 24 bit depth/48kHz sample rate, and all for €10.
I imagine a decent splitter would allow two people to listen through this DAC very well.

I am looking at different models of USB-C to audio jack adapters. One model claims compatibility with:

  • Samsung S21, S21 +, S21 Ultra, S20, S20 +, S20 Ultra, Note 10, Note 10+, Note 20, Note 20 Ultra, A80, A90
  • iPad Pro 2020, 2018
  • Google Pixel 4, 4 XL, 3, 3 XL, 2, 2 XL
  • OnePlus Nord, 8, 8 Pro, 7T, 7T Pro, 7 Pro, 7
  • Huawei P40, P40 Pro, P30 Pro, Mate 30 Pro, Honor 20 Pro

The other model claims compatibility with:

  • Huawei P40 / P40 Pro / P30 Pro / P20 / P20 Pro / Mate 20 Pro / Mate 10 Pro / Nova 5 Pro
  • Xiaomi Mi 10 / Mi 10 Pro / Mi 9 / Mi 8 / Mi 6 / Note 3 / Mix 2 / Mix 2S
  • OnePlus 8/8 Pro / 7T / 7T Pro / 7 Pro / 7
  • Does n’t work with new iPad Pro, Google Pixel, Samsung Note 10, 10+

Otherwise, both models have the same DAC chip and physical specs. Of course, the model compatible with the Apple products costs 50% more.

So, is it possible to say which model will work with the FP4 based on the supposed compatibility with other phones?

Thanks!

Hello

Why? I bought an original apple pice for 6,-€ incl. shipping and it works great.
The headphone is much more important, if the bad, the most expensive adapter is useless :wink:
Sharcoon DAC also works well, but costs “a bit” mor. :money_with_wings:

I apologize for making a pointless dig against vendors that raise prices because of perceived demand rather than objectively measured quality. I hope to get here an answer here to my question about whether any of the listed compatible devices are indicative of compatibility with FP4.

May be useful if you name the adapters you are looking at.

No, especially without knowing, which DACs you are talking about.

Here is what I know about the DAC chip, according to the vendor’s copy:

  • 24 bit / 96 kHz output capacity
  • 100dB noise reduction
  • 0.05% frequency range loss

There is no indication of the DAC chip model or manufacturer.

The adapters may be found at u-green.ch

You mentioned two adapters is that all that is available at the url you posted.

One model claims compatibility with:

The other model claims compatibility with:

if there are only two are you hoping someone has bought either or both to give you info.

UPDATE:

Could you please name the adapters rather than have people try to find the ones you are referring. I’ve just has a look at the site and have no idea to which you are referring to

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Do you happen to talk about these two:

The first does not at all mention a DAC and is compatible only with some phones without a dedicated audio jack, so I suppose its just a mechanical adapter and works only, if the phone sends an analogue output to the USB-C connector.
The more expansive one is a DAC for sure.

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No, I was not referring to those headphone adapters, even if the second has similar characteristics. Check out:

as well as:

They look basically like the same adapters to me, just adding an USB-C charging port.

I ended up buying the “GOOGLE GA00477-WW USB-C” adapter, simply because it was available at a local retailer:
https://www.mediamarkt.de/de/product/_google-ga00477-ww-usb-c-digital-an-3-5-mm-2486175.html

So far I am quite happy with it. All media controls are working, as well as my headset’s microphone. Using this headset on my FP2, I often heard a hissing noise during soft parts of a song (e.g. in a intro). Now with the adapter on the FP4, this noise seems to be gone. Yay! (Maybe this means that the digital-to-analog converter is of a better quality than in the FP2?)

I thought you buy the adapter as there is no digital to analogue going to the USB :blush: