Hi there, I’m thinking about getting my first pair of IEMs, as I’ve never had any before and would like to have a wired option that is easy to travel with. I’m specifically looking at the Moondrop Chu 2 as they seem quite affordable and a good starting point.

However my phone does not have AUX anymore (Pixel 7A) and I doubt I’ll get a phone that has one in the future as I want to continue to use GrapheneOS.

Does anyone have any experience regarding the use of these dongles. Is there something I should be aware of before doing a purchase?

Thanks in advance!

Edit: I see on the pictures(website link) that it’s possible to purchase this with an adapter between the dongle and the IEMs. Is this one in specific strictly necessary or can I go with a smaller/cheaper one?

Edit 2: Further investigation, it seems like these can come in two variants: 3.5jack and USB-C.

  • bitwolf
    16•2 months ago

    It depends on the dongle and the DAC inside.
    For example, the Meizu HiFi Pro dongle I use sounds better than the headphone jack in my Pixel 4a.

    I do know the Apple c-3.5 is the best value. It sounds balanced, has little distortion, and puts out decent power.

    If you want the end-all-be-all, the Nexdrive Spectra has a very similar audio chain to the popular Quad Amp LG phones.

    • @[email protected]
      1•2 months ago

      I’ve not noticed any issues using the included dongle that comes with pixel phones. What’s annoying is that when the type-c connector is bumped, the dongle can lose signal and the music stops completely. My current phone has a headphone jack for this very reason.

      • bitwolf
        2•2 months ago

        That should not happen under normal circumstances. It happens to me sometimes and I clean my USB port and it’s good.

        It could be the dongle connector also.

        I acknowledge it is an additional annoyance not present with just a straight 3.5mm connection.