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thefitz
375
Oct 24, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Adequate
There's some cringe in the reviews and comments section, largely from Lightning users comparing it to the OEM adapter and from people thinking this is just some sort of regular extension cable. They all seem to ask "how can this thing improve my sound?" or "how is this better than the stock Apple product?" A lot of people complained when the headphone jack went the way of the dodo, but I saw this as a great opportunity for the industry to start churning out high-quality, compact USB/Lightning DACs, giving everyone the best quality audio whether they want it or not. At a very high level: The Alpha & Delta Type-C adapter is handsome and well built, however its performance trails some of its slightly more expensive counterparts. Pros:
  • Well built
  • Sturdily clicks into the USB-C port
  • Unpretentious packaging and carry case
Cons:
  • Tops out at 24/96
  • Output could be better
  • Output impedance seems to be fairly high, affecting balanced armature IEM performance (Drop Plus, NuForce EDC3, Etymotic, Shure, Noble)
That last point was a real deal-breaker for me - output impedance is arguably the most important (and definitely among the most important) specs that something that may be used with IEMs can have, as it can drastically impact the performance of balanced armature IEMs. I could not find the output impedance of this device anywhere in the listing, and to my ears it is likely over 2-3 ohms. The "golden rule" says that impedance should be no more than 1/8th of the impedance of the unit. If this unit imparts >2-3 ohms of output impedance, anything with less than 16-24 ohms will be audibly impacted. Most BA IEMs specify the impedance at 1kHz, but unlike dynamic drivers, the impedance of BA IEMs isn't remotely linear. In fact, particularly with multi-driver units, the impedance looks like a crazy squiggly line, with parts of the curve going down to the low single digits. The Shure SE846 has an impedance of 5 ohms at 5kHz, 8 ohms at 10kHz, and 16 ohms at 100Hz. The Final Audio Heaven II has an impedance of 17 to 20 ohms all the way to 3kHz, but then it shoots up to 50 ohms at 10kHz. If a devices output impedance is greater than 1/8th of the lowest possible impedance, you'll start to hear those frequency ranges become impacted: the SE846 will have this odd lower-treble suck-out, and the Heaven II will sound like an ice-pick to the ear. The Campfire Andromeda sounds like a freakin' laptop speaker if the output impedance of what it's plugged into isn't approaching zero. I used the Alpha & Delta with a Drop Plus IEM and an Etymotic ER-4XR - two exceptional BA IEMs that aren't in flagship territory. What's great about these two BA IEMs is that the sound signature doesn't become unusable if the output impedance is too high, although the impact is indeed audible. Plugging those to sets into the A&D, the Plus became appreciably warm and perhaps a little too muted on the top end, and the ER-4XR became somewhat leaner than usual (with the ER-4XR having an impedance of 42 ohms up to 1kHz, the A&R's OI could even be 6-7 ohms). There is absolutely no detriment to having an output impedance of 0.5 ohms or lower on a portable listening device, and I don't know why companies release products that have anything above it. While the perceptible differences between 24/96 and 24/192 can be discussed till the cows come home, many similarly-priced alternatives to the A&D have access to the full 24/192, and that's slightly disappointing. Not a big deal in a practical sense, but worth pointing out. I also felt that the A&D had about as much volume on tap as any old phone with a headphone jack - not particularly lacking, but not particularly copious either. While I was perfectly happy with the A&D, how my Plus and ER-4XR reacted to it had me pull the trigger on an Hidizs S3. My freaking god. While I'm not positive what the output impedance is on the S3, my Drop Plus sang like it does when plugged into my Chord Mojo. Incredible. The ER4-XR did not have a hint of leanness. The S3 also had 4 or 5 "extra clicks" of power in reserve as well. The A&D was built better than the S3 however - in particular, the A&D clicked nicely into my phone's USB-C port, whereas the S3's a little wobbly. The cable and both jacks seem much sturdier on the A&D than they do on the S3. Other than build quality, the S3 smokes the A&D in every way, and it's not even close. How, the A&D is $25 plus whatever the shipping charge is, plus a considerable wait. The Hidizs (what a stupid name) S3 is currently $45 with a coupon and Amazon Prime shipping. I'd say for the extra $20, you'd be nuts not to go for the Hidizs S3. That said, the extra $20 is about twice the price of the A&D, so it's a considerable jump in price if you look at it like that. Is the Hidizs S3 worth twice as much as the Alpha & Delta Type-C adapter? I'd say yes. But you get what you pay for in either case. This may come across as an overly negative review and/or an add for the S3, but a lot of my complaints are about industry practices as a whole and not the A&D in particular. For $25, you're going to get a decently performing USB-C mini-DAC that's well built. If you're willing to double your investment, you're going to be able to get something exceptional. Do with that what you will.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
9P_M
22
Jun 10, 2020
thefitzHoly smokes Batman! Impedance matching with IEMS is so bad. My Campfire Polaris 2 sound so muddy and veiled in the lows and top end. The Apple product for 9$ is far superior for IEMs without any sort of impedance matching gadget.
thefitz
375
Jun 10, 2020
9P_MIt's really wild. I remember plugging an Andromeda into my phone (when that was a thing) before I figured any of this out, and it sounded like a laptop speaker. Never did get to hear it properly....
9P_M
22
Nov 5, 2020
thefitzIts even worse with the Andromeda gold hahah.
thefitz
375
Nov 5, 2020
9P_MI asked about the output impedance in their Mk. 2 drop, and they said it was.... thirty-two ohms. That is approaching OTL tube amp levels. Pono's 6-ohm OI made BAs useless. At 32-ohms, I'd recommend against using BAs at all. The fact that the ER4XR sounded a little lean should have been a giveaway.
9P_M
22
Nov 5, 2020
thefitzFinally the stats! Yeah I got the Qudelix 5K for OTG. LDAC streams just fine off my Note 20 Ultra and the pig tail is nice at work on the desk.
thefitz
375
Nov 5, 2020
9P_MFor me, the "extension cable" form factor is crucial and the Hidisz S3 nails it for me. I'd pay $10 more for it if the company had any other name than "Hidisz", it's like they rolled the letters dice from a game of Scattegories 6 times and went with the result.
9P_M
22
Nov 5, 2020
thefitzI feel that. I was looking at the dragon fly red/cobalt for a while but then saw there was DOA QA issues and the price was wild. The 5K is about the size of a 9V battery so its really not that bad (and has balanced DAC/output!). The new Hidizs pro DAC looks promising.
thefitz
375
Nov 5, 2020
9P_MIf I didn't have two Reference 8 single ended cables, you'd have had me at balanced haha
9P_M
22
Nov 5, 2020
thefitzALO? Nice. It does both for 109$ ;). 3.5 and 2.5. USB C input data/charge.
thefitz
375
Nov 5, 2020
9P_MNot in the mood to carry around a little box in my pocket, but if I ever feel the need, I'll check out that one!
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