USB-C to 3.5mm - Music Quality Problems!

[Henry Hong]

With this trend to remove the 3.5mm Audio Jack, I thought that music playback with the USB-C would remain consistent in music quality.

However, by using the USB-C to 3.5mm converter provided with the Essential PH-1, I noticed significant issues in music playback.

With sorts of white noise / static would be extremely audible only during quiet segments in the music, in particularly classical piano music.

Does anybody know if this is an issue with the current analogue earphone I am using? (Requiring me to throw away all analogue earphones?)
Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[modifier]

The adapter from Essential has a Cirrus Logic DAC chipset inside the USB-C end. In theory it should output clean sound. I listen to FLAC, WAV and MP3 files using custom IEMs and occasionally notice small amounts of static in the MP3 files, not the lossless.

I typically listen using an external DAC/AMP combo since I've never been happy with SoC DACs used in phones ever since companies stopped using discreet Wolfson / Burr-Brown / Ti DACs.

Have you tried listening to the same files via a different source to confirm that it's the phone and not noise in the files themselves?

Also, what app are you using? What headphones, earbuds or IEMs are you using?

 

[andrew_ackley]

Could it be you have a bad adapter?

 

[Mdbills484]

used mine for the first time today and it was flawless. very clean and loud output.

 

[joewoo]

The adapter from Essential has a Cirrus Logic DAC chipset inside the USB-C end. In theory it should output clean sound. I listen to FLAC, WAV and MP3 files using custom IEMs and occasionally notice small amounts of static in the MP3 files, not the lossless.

I typically listen using an external DAC/AMP combo since I've never been happy with SoC DACs used in phones ever since companies stopped using discreet Wolfson / Burr-Brown / Ti DACs.

Have you tried listening to the same files via a different source to confirm that it's the phone and not noise in the files themselves?

Also, what app are you using? What headphones, earbuds or IEMs are you using?

How would you rate the dac?

 

[modifier]

How would you rate the dac?

Short of digging out old BlackBerry and iPod devices with Ti/Burr-Brown/Wolfson DACs for a direct test with lossless audio files, I'd say it's comparable. I'm happy enough with it that I'd use it for portable use without hesitation.

I use earbuds with a mic for phone calls and the DAC sounds great on both ends.

Sensitive IEMs might benefit from an external DAC/amp unit. I have one pair of custom IEMs that don't play well with anything but a DAC/amp with 100% clean power output from the USB source. For that I use a Schiit Wyrd. Without it I get static/noise that doesn't show up otherwise. That's why it would help to know what headphones/earbuds/IEMs @Henry Hong is using since that could help point to his issue. It might be his headphones and not the USB-C to 3.5mm adapter.

 

[calebisaac808]

Yups- I just bought an Essential PH-1.. Turned on Soundcloud and the sound was crap. I was bummin.. Then I try Mixcloud.. Bumping properly?? Going to do more research when I'm off work...