by Silver Music
How does audio work over USB-C? Built-in DAC, compatibility, sound quality: everything you need to know before buying USB-C earphones.
USB-C may be a universal standard, but the audio that travels through this connector is often misunderstood. Here's how it actually works, and what separates a good USB-C audio accessory from a poor one.
Unlike the 3.5mm jack, which transmits an analog signal directly usable by a speaker, the USB-C port only transmits digital data. For sound to come out of your earphones, a component is needed to convert that digital signal into an analog one: that's the role of the DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter).
On wired USB-C earphones like NovaChrome, the DAC is built directly into the connector, inside the small metal housing that plugs into your device. This is a different technical approach from Bluetooth earphones, which carry a wireless chip in addition to the DAC.
Two pairs of USB-C earphones with identical drivers can sound very different depending on the quality of their built-in DAC. A low-quality DAC can introduce background noise, distortion in the low frequencies, or lower-than-expected volume. This is often the real difference between a cheap product and a quality one, more so than the mechanical parts (driver, magnet) themselves.
Most USB-C earphones also integrate a microphone and a remote control (volume, play/pause, call answer) directly into the cable. These functions also run through the USB-C connector, which handles both incoming audio (music, calls) and outgoing audio (microphone).
Not necessarily. The USB-C port is primarily a physical and data-transfer standard — support for digital audio depends on the controller built into each device. The good news: since around 2017, virtually all recent smartphones and computers (iPhone 15/16, Android, MacBook since 2016) natively support USB-C audio with no special configuration.
With Bluetooth, digital-to-analog conversion also happens through a DAC, but only after an additional compression/decompression step for the wireless signal (SBC, AAC, aptX codecs...). Wired USB-C skips this step: the raw digital signal reaches the DAC directly, without the loss associated with wireless compression. This is what generally explains the better sound fidelity of wired audio.
Beyond basic compatibility (covered in our compatibility guide), the criteria that indicate a good built-in DAC are rarely listed on a product page — the best indicators remain customer reviews mentioning sound clarity and the absence of background noise, along with the brand's long-term reputation.
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Is your device failing to recognise the connector? Our guide to troubleshooting USB-C earphones with no sound checks the port, settings, and signal type in the right order.