TANCHJIM Stargate 2 draagbare hoofdtelefoonversterker, type C naar 3,5 mm hifi-audioadapter, CS43131 DAC, 32 bit/384 kHz & DSD64/128/256 AMP met DSP-decoder voor smartphone, tablet en laptop, pc

This dongle is really nice for someone looking for a more mid-range dongle without breaking the bank. Sound clarity is fantastic and the adjustable PEQ bands in the app is definitely the selling point. It does get slightly toasty, but that is a given for most dongles. Also love the small little window to look at the chip.

I have an iPhone 16 Pro Max so I don't have a 3.5mm output. I wanted something that could drive my IEMs while having enough power for something a bit larger, line open-backed headphones. I decided to try this based off the chip being used and short dongle length (also the location of the chip and not being a larger box hanging off my phone).The build quality is excellent. It feels like machined aluminum and the cable has braded reinforcement. There's a cutout to see the audio chip, which is interesting. I'm not sure how long the clear plastic will last without being scratched, that's why I left the plastic covering on.The dongle performs well. It easily drives my IEMs without issues. I even tried my mainstream Bluetooth headphones that won't function right when plugged in without being powered on. I don't need to power them on with this dongle, I can just plug them in and they sound the same as if they were turned on. For the price, I think this is great performance and offers solid value.I haven't used these with more powerful headphones or IEMs yet, but I should be fine. My only complaints are that the white braided cable is likely going to get easily stained being in my pocket and the audio chips gets hot, hot enough to feel through my pocket and for me to not want it resting against my iPhone. When using my IEMs, which are easy enough to drive with a much less expensive dongle, I have to take this dongle out of my pocket so it gets air cooled. I'm not sure why the chip is getting hot, I'm just playing standard 16/44 audio and nothing high resolution or even lossless.That's the only thing that concerns me. It might be because the chip is enclosed in aluminum, which easily transfers heat instead of insulating like plastic. I would never have noticed it sitting on my desk, but I can feel it in my pocket.

This little thing is awesome. Provides good power for a small dongle. I use it for mobile use on a phone. Would recommend. Higher quality and resolution than the standard $10 dongles available.

The TANCHJIM Stargate 2 USB-C DAC is very small and portable, and appears to be well-made. I tested the DAC using my Google Pixel 7 Pro (Android) phone and my PC, and to my ears, the DAC sounded better on the PC, probably due to power. The CS43131 chip is one of my favorites, as it delivers rich, natural, clean, and well-balanced sound. During my testing, I used full-sized over-ear headphones (Mackie MC-350), and the TANCHJIM Stargate 2 was able to drive them quite well, sounding much better compared to my motherboard's onboard audio. The sound is significantly livelier, clearer, and more balanced. Overall, this is a great-sounding portable DAC that performs well and is priced very reasonably.

Soon as it arrived, plugged in and listening. Few minutes into listening it stopped working. No difference in fidelity sound 3.5mm vs USB-C. Garbage.