- Ultra-affordable USB-C to headphone adapter with DAC
- 32-bit/384kHz Hi-Res Audio support in a small body
- Around $26 – but we’re waiting for a global release
Getting the best sound from your smartphone causes a bit of a conundrum: The best wired headphones deliver higher-quality sound, but on most phones, there’s nowhere to plug them in. But there is a solution: enter the dongle. (Oh, my favorite Bruce Lee movie – ed.)
A USB-C headphone dongle can give your sound a big upgrade without breaking the bank, 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 yet, but it has launched in Japan with a price tag of around $26 and will hopefully be available to US buyers soon.
Although dongles are generally used for headphones, you can also use them for anything that requires 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 to 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 amplifier and DAC.
The Qlink-C is at the budget end of the range, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deliver 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 is extremely small (12 cm / 4.7 inches) and very light, weighing only 4.5 g (0.17 oz), but it should be quite tough: its cable is braided to withstand daily use and has been tested to survive 15,000 bending cycles.
The challenge for Questyle is to stand out in what is already a very crowded market sector of the best portable DACs, with affordable dongles from the likes of UGREEN and Moondrop, which offer similar specs at 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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