# Usb c to headphone jack **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2026, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267 "2026-04-14T13:00:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/21 "2026-04-14T19:15:58Z")
Way back when, one of my Pixel phones came with a USB-C to headphone adapter, and another came with USB-C wired earbuds. They also used to come with 18 watt USB-C chargers… USB-C can supports analog audio out, so your phone does all the work, and the adapter doesn’t have any smarts in it. That old adapter works on my much newer Pixels, and every phone I’ve ever tried it on. Currently that adapter is off living its best life doing exactly what you intend, but for a fusion belly dance group, instead of square dancing. Just buy whatever cheap adapter is available at your favorite mega retailer, and then throw it in your dance bag. If you’re one of those people who is constantly out of phone battery, then get one that can also do USB-C power-in, and you can charge your phone while it is playing music. Playing music will use barely any battery, so as long as you aren’t near empty, you should be able to play for hours. I also have a bluetooth to aux-input adapter that looks like a USB charger (it is that, too), so it plugs directly into an outlet, and then has a 3.5mm jack and a USB-A port on it. It works fine, and I offered it to the dance group as a way to let someone control the music from their phone while dancing, but I was told that wasn’t necessary due to fear it was too complicated. It’s not, though, just pair your phone to it at home, and then next time you plug it in, it will reconnect to your phone, and be ready to go. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/22 "2026-04-14T21:25:51Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > You might also consider a simple MP3 player or laptop for this, with a built in headphone jack, especially if anyone else is going to be operating the playback. I just checked and MP3 players are sold for as low as $4.99. They have headphone jacks and even take SD cards if you need more memory. If all you need your setup for is a backup, an MP3 player is much simpler solution, and you won’t have to worry about incoming texts and calls. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/23 "2026-04-14T22:47:20Z")
I’m not going to carry around an additional thing. And in particular, the files aren’t actually on my phone, they are in Dropbox. Actually maintaining files in a new place is a non-starter. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/24 "2026-04-15T00:12:32Z")
Hagibis and others sell Bluetooth dongles with aptX Low Latency and a 3.5mm jack; the quality is satisfactory as far as plugging in some dance music. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/25 "2026-04-15T02:27:28Z")
Do you just mean something like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Headphone-Samsung-Android-Devices/dp/B0DKJLWW7G/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3D4D2CG71GEED&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZWNosqVrzG0_r91t7NtyoYMZliljyQpjSTC4HGSb5PcpYWq1mb65yBsCWZb5HhcNCLRjLioTMMFolBx-iOIgEN8CRBrG62PRMlzeaqKeC6hR7M5Z7VNfOrmWaRsWdAI7OFU3FG7TWxZ4OXb1P3UwKeyE14QMFavw8Z2Ix6hE9QRRAZO3hMdj30PCaepYT4e4j2HXCM-9EUIpwwRneS5S6b1bIkwtlUDzt9aKrOmLlro.7B3KS_XBWalHMOP31LEMLDDI56Y-BHOrOWyS8WcFC9w&dib_tag=se&keywords=usb%2Bc%2Bto%2B3.5mm%2Bmale&qid=1776219979&sprefix=usb%2Bc%2Bto%2B3.5mm%2Bmale%2Caps%2C322&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1)? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/26 "2026-04-15T03:13:06Z")
Yes. There are hundreds of them on the market, and they aren’t very expensive. I was just looking for advice on shopping for them. And i have gotten a bunch of useful advice. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/27 "2026-04-15T05:32:45Z")
Note not to get the wrong kind of adapter by mistake: > **[DAC vs. DAC-less USB-C Adapters - Which One Do You Actually Need? - Tech...](https://techtactician.com/active-dac-vs-passive-usb-c-headphone-adapters-guide/)** > > Times when the 3.5mm headphone jack was a part of every modern smartphone are sadly long gone. Luckily, on many modern mobile phones that support audio output ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/28 "2026-04-15T11:32:49Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Note not to get the wrong kind of adapter by mistake: Reading an article like that always makes me feel like electronics engineers need to be taken out and shot. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/29 "2026-04-15T13:52:07Z")
> [@sunacres](#): > > Reading an article like that always makes me feel like electronics engineers need to be taken out and shot. Those decisions are made by the financial people, not the engineers! ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/30 "2026-04-15T14:02:08Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Note not to get the wrong kind of adapter by mistake: Geeze, I was always a bit wary about this. The reality is _much worse_ than I thought 😨 Maybe puzzlegal should just sing the songs herself instead 😅 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/31 "2026-04-21T19:18:55Z")
The main thing you need to think about is whether or not you need an active one or can get by with a passive one. Passive ones are a lot cheaper, but they depend on your phone supporting analog audio through the USB-C port. The active ones are basically a DAC (or sound card) in a tiny package, and there quality is a bit more an issue. The little cable is actually mixing the sound, not your phone. The way you can tell is to either look it up, or try one of those cheapo headphones with USB plugs–they’re all passive. If you go active, I’d pay a bit more for a higher qualigy one if you’re plugging it into speakers. I have one that has a splitter for charging myself, but that was so I could use it in bed and never worry about not charging while I’m listening. Up to you whether you’re concerned you’ll use up your battery for your use case. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/32 "2026-04-21T20:14:49Z")
The active ones aren’t very expensive these days. I ended up buying two, at the advice of Reply, one that can charge, and one with fewer things to go wrong. > [@Reply](#): > > The dongles make sense then. Just get one of each or a couple of one kind in case one of the dongles flake. They’re not always super reliable in my limited experience, especially if you keep them in a bag with other stuff. I haven’t had the opportunity to test them, yet. I might tomorrow, if I’m feeling energetic though to go out in the evening. (And if i don’t need to work late.) ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/33 "2026-04-21T20:17:39Z")
You can test them with some old eighth-inch headphones if you have any of those lying around. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/34 "2026-04-21T20:40:09Z")
I want to test them with the speaker we use when we dance. One thing i learned while researching this is that different speakers do best with different adapters. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/35 "2026-04-21T21:15:10Z")
One thing you might want to specifically test for is how it sounds when it’s plugged in and charging. Sometimes you’ll hear mains noise (like a whine) if it’s not electrically isolated or grounded enough, especially at higher volumes with nothing playing. And if that is an issue, you can either charge it from a portable battery pack instead, or get a [3.5mm ground loop isolator](https://www.amazon.com/ground-loop-isolator-3-5mm/s?k=ground+loop+isolator+3.5mm). It might not be an issue though, depending on the equipment. Or if your audience is old enough, they might not be able to hear the whine anyway 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/36 "2026-04-21T21:32:08Z")
My audience includes college students, but my audience also isn’t too picky about sound quality, so long as the words are clear and you can make out the beat. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267/37 "2026-04-21T21:35:07Z")
It’s more that if the whine is present and loud enough, it can be really annoying — like a persistent background buzzing sound. You’d still be able to hear the music over it, but it’s really off-putting to some people (like myself… I have to leave a room when it’s bad enough). Doesn’t bother others though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-c-to-headphone-jack/1029267.md?page=1)