FiiOKA11 USB C to 3.5mm Audio Adapter 32bit/384KHz, USB Type C Dongle HiFi DAC Amplifier for Android/iOS/Windows/Mac (Silver, TC)

Before now, I might've told you that this was fine, but a bit overpriced. "Just get the Apple one," I might've told you, "I just can't justify the extra price without really being able to hear much of an improvement." But now it seems Apple isn't selling these in the US anymore, and I really doubt that any of the cheap ones that are like $7 and below would work consistently and last any length of time. This one fills the gap. I can't give a super in-depth review of this, as I don't really have a reference point to the original adapters, but this will be great for most people. It doesn't feel cheap, it sounds fine, it works as consistently as the original did, it doesn't have an obnoxiously high noise floor, and it's only a little larger than the original. If you just need something you know will work, I'd recommend this one, as it was completely reliable for me for the time that I used it, and probably the best option for casual users.

After trying three Lightning to 3.5mm dongles in the $15 to $20 range and being appalled by the amount of volume loss, I decide to try the FiiO KA11. It is double the price though still affordable but more importantly, to works really well. The sound quality is MUCH improved over the mid-priced dongles and instead of causing a volume reduction of about 50%, which is a huge problem with the UGREEN and JSAUX dongles, the KA11 is significantly louder than the original Apple dongle. The distortion levels are much improved and the sound is simply cleaner. If you don't care about the quality of the music you are listening to then the cheaper dongles will work. If you prefer to listen to music that sounds really good then skip two stops at Starbucks and spend the money you saved on the KA11 to get an earful of pleasure.

KEY TAKEAWAY, good sound and power BUT cable is starting to die at 6 months.I really like how much power this thing packs for its size and portability, to get that much power it does get a bit toasty and it does take a chunk of your battery life as well. A major flaw is that the cable is not replaceable so when it goes like mine is right now, the whole dac is toast.Overall I think it was a good spend, lasted about 6 months of rough use (probably longer than an Apple dongle) and is more capable than similar products.

Highly recommend this DAC. When the CD changer in my 2008 Honda Accord quit reading CDs I wanted to be able to listen to something other than just the radio. I have Spotify premium and an iPhone 15, and this is how I listen to music 99% of the time. Only problem, the car stereo was made just before Bluetooth became standard, so I couldn't stream to the stereo that way. The solution? Simply use the Aux jack, but OF COURSE the headphone jack had been retired a long time ago by Apple. The solution? A DAC that could convert the digital signal from the phone's USB C port the analogue signal to be sent to the Aux jack (or you could use your favorite wired headphones if you want to do that.)This worked GREAT...as a church cantor, sometimes I'll listen to a recording of the music I'm going to be singing that week in the car, and the choir vocals are clear, the pipe organ rich and full. Keep in mind this is simply being sent to the OEM stereo of a 2008 Honda. I can imagine how awesome it would sound if I actually had a quality aftermarket stereo in that car. It also reveals that car manufacturers often cheap out on the DAC portion of their sound system. Anytime you stream Bluetooth, play a CD or plug your phone in using USB to your car's sound system, that sound system has to do the conversion from digital to analogue requiring a DAC inside the unit to perform that job. If that DAC is poor quality, you the sound will be lot thinner, not as detailed and less balanced. However, you can skip the car's DAC if you do that conversion from your phone into a device such as this and then plug an aux cable into the aux jack of your CAR. This means you're only making use of the CARS analogue amplification, but you fed that system a much higher quality sound to begin with. Sure, you can get the one of the el cheapo DACs that sell for $5 but you'll get what you paid for. Bass will be weak, sound far less detailed. Your car's DAC may even be better in this scenario (assuming you can plug your phone into a USB port in your car, an option that is not available in the 2008 Accord.) Get this device and find out what you've been missing in your recordings. Oh yeah...I also recommend this Aux cable if using in your car: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BFRFJQJ?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1

Initially had trouble connecting via USB C to Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. Eventually worked. App support is woeful as the app back and setting icon buttons do not work because the app full screens overlapping notification bar. Less than one month after (purchased mid December, now January 8th) device stopped connecting to the phone. And if it does connect it connects and disconnects over and over again. Reinstalling the app has no effect on the connection issues.While it worked it powered my IEMs and headphones admirably. Strong enough power, great soundstage, and detailed. It's on the clinical side of balanced as highs are crisp though it's production can be fatiguing over certain frequencies, but this issue can be EQd out. Bass is strong and powers headphones bass output fast and accurately without out bloat. The dongle is fairly neutral and receives EQ well. To my knowledge there are no EQ settings, in the FiiO app for this particular product, only filters which functions as narrowing or widening soundstage, giving more presence and weight, filter to filter.Overall it sounded good, while it worked, for it's size and purpose and price. But it's stopped working, so I can't recommend this product.