iPhone Dongle recommendation

Equipment / Electronics / Gear / Accessories Portable DAC/AMPs & Dongles
21

Hello again,
Massdrop offer acttually the ALPHA & DELTA MK 2 for 28$ maybe an Option for the Apple.
It give for Android too and in Balanced version.

22

Tempotec Sonata HD Pro. Comes with USB-C and Lightning cables. $60. Not a ton of power, but itā€™s clean. Would be fine with lower-impedance, higher-sensitivity cans.

23

much cheaper than that on aliexpress actually, 31ā‚¬ ~= 37$

1 Like
25

Maybe I gave you bum advice, Juan? If so, sorry.

I bought the Tempotec Sonata HD Pro today to drive my Sennheiser HD 560s (120 ohm impedance, 110 db sensitivity), and I must admit Iā€™m underwhelmed so far.

I know this is a dongle and not a nuclear substation for power, but it seems like the Sonata HD Pro only gives me about two more clicks of volume than driving the 560s straight from my iPhone 12 and the Apple Lightning DAC dongle. The sound isnā€™t really cleaned up THAT much, either. I expected more considering the praise here and other audiophile lairs online.

Am I doing anything wrong? Or were my expectations too high? Or does this prove again that the Apple Lightning DAC dongle is the best $9 bargain in hi-fi?

Thanks.

26

Juan:

A very helpful dude at Audio Science Review just gave me a tip that transformed this thing.

The Tempotec Sonata HD Pro recognizes the HD 560s as low impedance cans and switches automatically to its low gain mode. You need to follow these steps to fool the Sonata HD Pro into thinking the HD 560s need max power:

  1. Connect the 3.5-mm adapter that comes with the HD 560s into the Sonata unit. (The HD 560s come stock with a 6.35-mm plug)
  2. Connect the Sonata with the 3.5-mm adapter to your source (phone or laptop) with the provided cable so the source recognizes the connected HD Sonata.
  3. Connect your headphone cable into the 3.5 mm adapter connected to the Sonata and your source.

Wonky as hell, part of the charm and frustration of Chi-fi devices. But damn if it didnā€™t work. Iā€™m listening comfortably to my 560s from my iPhone 12 at half-volume, with better fidelity because of the additional power.

I donā€™t need to do this trick with my Meze 99 Classics and Moondrop Starfield because theyā€™re both low impedance and high sensitivity and donā€™t need the high-gain power. Hell, they both really donā€™t need amping, but they sound better with the Tempotecā€™s amplification.

One of the reasons I like the Tempotec is that it comes with a MiFi (Apple)-certified adapter. No need for the Apple USB Camera Connector. I wish the Tempotec cable was sturdier, but thatā€™s the price of a $58 Chi-fi device, I guess.

2 Likes
27

Hi OP! What did you end up getting? Iā€™m planning to get a similar setup( TC35i + BLON BL03, cable upgrade w/mic). Iā€™m worried about the compatibility and if the mic will work.

28

Hello people, I too am curious about an iPhone Dongle. I like the form factor of the provided Lightning Dongle, and after searching the web, I stumbled upon one on HiFiGo:

29

If you looking for recomendations iā€™ll leave this here. I got TC35B and it arrived today. Built like a beast, sounds amazing, powers fine. Also very small form factor.

https://www.ddhifi.com/ProductInfoCategory?categoryId=37594&PageInfoId=0

Credits to @Resolution for the Rec

1 Like
30

Thanks for the trust.

31

I think the TC35B is for USB-C only. Upon further search, the TC35i is for lightning/iOS, so Iā€™ll give it a look.

Edit: found another dongle adapter, but this time itā€™s made by DD HiFi:

32

yeah, thereā€™s both versions. Also 2.5 and 4.4 :slight_smile:

33

Okay, I think I found a new rabbit hole:

DDHiFi sells this adapter:

And in my mind, perhaps it can be used for the THX Onyx?

I know for a fact that the Apple Camera Adapter should be used with the THX Onyx, but the Onyx needs to use itā€™s USB C to A adapter. So I was thinking that maybe this DD HiFi adapter can expedite that process, and let the Onyx use itā€™s USB-C?

34

Sorry, no clue there. Havent use ios in 10 years :stuck_out_tongue:

1 Like
35

Hello,
I have use the ddhifi tc28 i after use it a but the socket holding not the cable on it,great crap shit.

I have buy after this the Nuprime hi mdac and now all are be fine.It cost a but more but is really fine.

1 Like
36

Lmao no problem. This was mostly me rambling out loud.

37

Good to know, I will stick to buying this for my iphone: