the apple usb-c to headphone only works on their phones since it sees the adapter, and turns the usb port signals to audio, it is not a usb sound card, just an adapter

get the mobo chipset, audio, lan, wifi/bt, drivers from the mobo mfg site, not windows update
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/A520I-AC-rev-1x/support#dl

having the correct drivers, instead of 'compatible' drivers will be able to run the sound card properly for all of its features

it was probably running line level to its headphone jack, not speaker/amplified level

I'm confused as to why there is usb c involved with 3.5mm hack.

No way a budget in ear headphone needs an amp to run, why aren't you just connecting to the 3.5mm jack if they have one or using a USB a to c adaptor if thry are usb c?

I get the feeling it's the adapter causing the issue.

Originally posted by Monk:

I'm confused as to why there is usb c involved with 3.5mm hack.

No way a budget in ear headphone needs an amp to run, why aren't you just connecting to the 3.5mm jack if they have one or using a USB a to c adaptor if thry are usb c?

I get the feeling it's the adapter causing the issue.

Because of the low volume.

From what I understand, in order to get the fullest potential (in my case louder volume) for my IEM's, I need more power into the IEM's. Just plugging in the IEM's into the 3.5mm jack of my PC doesn't bring in enough volume for me (I play competitive games so louder volume is essential to me).

And I was told a 3.5mm to USB-C dongle would do the trick but apparently it doesn't. That's why I'm looking for a budget alternative. But seems like the only option for me is to buy a mixer.

Or buy better headphones? If you are trying to be competitive, using cheap in ears is not really the way I'd go.

They are only 18 ohm's no way they are not getting enough power, id guess you just have something setup wrong or a driver needs updating.

But, if you want to go with the fancy looking in ears (not where I'd want my money spent on budget headphones), what you are looking for is a dac/ amp not a mixer, fiio makes some good budget options and I love my schiit audio magni/modi 2 stack.

Originally posted by Monk:

Or buy better headphones? If you are trying to be competitive, using cheap in ears is not really the way I'd go.

They are only 18 ohm's no way they are not getting enough power, id guess you just have something setup wrong or a driver needs updating.

But, if you want to go with the fancy looking in ears (not where I'd want my money spent on budget headphones), what you are looking for is a dac/ amp not a mixer, fiio makes some good budget options and I love my schiit audio magni/modi 2 stack.

I wouldn't call these IEM's cheap 😂

They go for $60 USD each and I've seen professional players use these IEM's. Hence why I bought them in the first place.

But I'll give the driver update a try and check out some Fiio products if that doesn't work out.

Thanks!

When you can spend hundreds to thousands on iem's and way more on headphones, yes, id call them cheap.

Cheap doesn't mean bad though, well, not always, but, budget price paired with fancy aesthetics is rarely a good combination as you really want the money spent on the hardware not the looks.

Professionals are often sponsored or use what they are used to as changing can mess with their game while they adapt, it is not a sign that they are the best option.

Though, chances are that they are atleast equal to most normal gaming headsets, but that isnt exactly a high bar.

People spend hundreds/thousands on their pc's and screens then pair it up with budget headphones all the time and it always seems crazy to me, they will last you years, it's worth investing in a dac / amp and a solid pair of headphones, it can transform gaming.

I understood why he wanted use IEM, it's lightweight, better noise canceling
For chu 2 moondrop they gave type C connector to adjust stuff, best cheap Ci-fi you can get, tho i still preffer salnote zero, why? I dont need adjusting things, all perfect balance ** just randomly knowledge passing by

Headphones are very personal as to what works, but, generally, they are an area where price dictates performance, where generally doubling the price tends to get you a notable better sound, though once you get to the £500-1000 mark you are going to be into subtle differences and needing equally fancy dacs / amps to appreciate not just the headphones.

Breakout price points tend to be around £50, 100, 250, 500 and £1000 and you should probably consider a dac/ amp by the £250 mark.

Chi-fi really game changing, i tried 200usdollar Earphone, headset from Shure, Sennheiser, iam all about the price, but then when so many chinese brand with under 50dollar but have so amazing quality of sound made me questioned , did we being scammed by those corporate dumpsters
You should try

It depends heavily on where it's made, Chinese labour is very cheap for both the r&d (if not just a copy) and production, this alone can hugely increase the cost, but you also pay for the name and peace of mind it should bring.

You can get both extremely good and extremely bad stuff out of China.

For example my fiio ft1's are amazing headphones and very good value and reviewed as so, as with everything, it's important to research your purchases.

Check your sound level in windows and make sure it's turned up, this sounds more like the master volume is too low.

Maybe just a simple headphone amp - these are for quiet practice with electric guitars but might work?

https://voxamps.com/product/amplug-2/

or

https://derringers.com.au/audio/recording/headphones/headphone-amplifiers

Originally posted by Jerry:

(Please note, I have an ITX build, so there isn't a USB-C slot at the back of my PC, but only the front. I've tried plugging in an Apple USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter to my IEM's at the front panel USB-C slot but my PC isn't recognizing it.)

Your forgot to mention what version of Windows you have. That device is supported in Windows 11 and Linux .The driver should be supported in the kernel of both and not require a download. Apple's USB adapter should also work on Android. If it does not it may be genuine.

The problem isn't an incompatibility with the hardware.

0. Make sure your BIOS is up to date, assuming you are running a recent version of Windows 10/11 then you need to update that BIOS after the most recent updates. Your computer may not have automatically updated the BIOS, if not, it's up to you to update the BIOS to retain full compatibility with Windows. Not doing so means you will run into odd instability and other issues that are not common with everyone else.

Most of these BIOS updates went out in March and are required to maintain compatibility with Windows because they fix a severe security issue that still has not been publicly disclosed.

1. Does that USB C port actually work with other devices ? If not, skip to 4.

2. Did you disable USB power saving on the port? USB ports that have wifi adapters, sound cards, USB graphics adapters, etc. should always have power saving off on the port to prevent issues.

3. What does device manager show? Does it show it as an unknown device or nothing at all?

4. Do you have your Windows install in UEFI or not?

Some USB controllers support a legacy ROM and others don't. If they don't then you have to turn off xhci/ehci handoff or the port can malfunction or fail to operate properly in legacy mode.

If you are not running your computer in UEFI, then XHCI/EHCI may not be usable on your board if your board is not a true dual BIOS board or does not have a legacy ROM for the USB controllers.

NOTE: Some USB C controller CANNOT operate in legacy mode, meaning you will need to install Windows in UEFI

For more information on XHCI:

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/what-is-xhci-hand-off-in-bios-of-windows


Still having trouble? Can always seek additional help here:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows

usb has limited bandwidth
the onboard sound card is on the sb, a pci-e lane offers way more than it needs

onboard sound has been very good for the last 15+ years

Was able to boost my audio volume by buying a 3.5mm to USB dongle, hope this helps someone