Unfortunately I’ve not been in the market for one in ages.
What I ended up getting years ago was a FiiO M5. It’s a portable music player, except it can function as a USB DAC, as a BT transmitter or receiver, OR as a player on its own. I don’t think you can get one anymore.
At the cheapest, a USB DAC will just look like a usb adapter cable to a 3.5mm jack, with the electronics hidden in one of the plug ends. Watch out for ones that say they only work with certain phones. These don’t contain a DAC, they are just an adaptor, and actually use the DAC in the phone they are for. That means they are fine for use with that phone, but wont work with anything else.
It looks like FiiO sells the KA1 USB C DAC now. It’s just a little cable, too, but with room for some more serious electronics. Might still be pricier than it has to be, tho.
USB headphones are just headphones, but with a DAC built-in. Often a crappy one.
You could simply get a decent USB-C DAC, and pair that with whatever headphones you like. Then simply use the DAC whenever you need audio via USB.
can you link a ‘decent usb c dac’. ive no idea what to look for
Unfortunately I’ve not been in the market for one in ages.
What I ended up getting years ago was a FiiO M5. It’s a portable music player, except it can function as a USB DAC, as a BT transmitter or receiver, OR as a player on its own. I don’t think you can get one anymore.
At the cheapest, a USB DAC will just look like a usb adapter cable to a 3.5mm jack, with the electronics hidden in one of the plug ends. Watch out for ones that say they only work with certain phones. These don’t contain a DAC, they are just an adaptor, and actually use the DAC in the phone they are for. That means they are fine for use with that phone, but wont work with anything else.
It looks like FiiO sells the KA1 USB C DAC now. It’s just a little cable, too, but with room for some more serious electronics. Might still be pricier than it has to be, tho.
You can definitely still get similar FiiO devices, but not sure about that one. They’re still great devices too