- Ultra-affordable USB-C to headphone adapter with DAC
- 32-bit/384kHz Hi-Res Audio support in a tiny body
- About $26 – but we’re waiting on a global release
Getting the best sound from your smartphone causes a bit of a conundrum: the best wired headphones deliver higher quality audio, but on most phones there’s nowhere to plug them in. But there’s a solution: enter the dongle. (Ah, my favorite Bruce Lee movie – Ed.)
A USB-C headphone dongle can give your audio a big upgrade without a big expense, and the newly launched Qlink-C from Questyle looks like it could be a good budget buy. The Q-link-C hasn’t made it to the brand’s Amazon US page just yet, but it’s launched in Japan with a price tag of roughly $26, and will hopefully be available to US buyers very soon.
Although dongles are generally used for headphones, you can also use them for anything that takes a standard aux input.
And while at this price you won’t get a super-elite audiophile experience or enough power to drive the most demanding headphones, moving from compressed Bluetooth to uncompressed wired audio will make a noticeable difference on decent headphones – especially with the Hi-Res Audio-capable DAC at the heart of this one.
Questyle Qlink-C: what does this dongle do?
Questyle is one of those audio brands that aims to have a product for every kind of buyer, and its product range includes budget buys such as the QCC Dongle Pro for wireless headphones and the premium Sigma Pro amp and DAC.
The Qlink-C is at the budget end of the range but that doesn’t mean it isn’t delivering a decent specification. Its CX31993 DAC delivers Hi-Res Audio at up to 32-bit/384kHz, and it has a signal to noise ratio of 100dB. It’s extremely small (12cm / 4.7inches) and very light, coming in at just 4.5g (0.17 oz), but it should be fairly tough: its cable is braided to withstand everyday use and has been tested to survive 15,000 bending cycles.
The challenge for Questyle is to stand out in what’s already a very crowded market sector of the best portable DACs, with affordable dongles from the likes of UGREEN and Moondrop offering similar specs for similarly low prices – or lower if you don’t mind topping out at 24-bit/96kHz.
The best headphone DACs for all budgets
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