1 / 17
BrightSide Choice
MPS ES9281AC USB-C Headphone DAC Dongle
Only 10 left
A compact USB-C “dongle DAC” for wired headphones — ESS Sabre decoding in a short, premium cable. Plug into phones, tablets, or laptops with USB-C and drive 3.5 mm, 2.5 mm, or 4.4 mm headphones without a separate amp brick.
Built around the ESS Sabre ES9281C PRO (listed as ES9281ac) with MPS Q-9 single-crystal copper, silver-plated conductors. Choose cable length (3 cm or 8 cm) and female jack: 3.5 mm TRS (single-ended), 2.5 mm TRRS (balanced), or 4.4 mm Pentaconn (balanced).
Cable length measurement
Listed cable lengths (3 cm / 8 cm) refer to the flexible cable section only. They do not include the USB-C plug housing, the female jack housing, strain reliefs, or connector pins. Overall end-to-end length is longer than the selected cable option.
Select the female jack that matches your headphones or IEM cable plug (3.5 mm TRS single-ended, 2.5 mm TRRS balanced, or 4.4 mm Pentaconn balanced).
Why it stands out
- Hardware DAC decode — not a passive adapter
- Up to 768 kHz / 32-bit PCM and native DSD512
- MQA support
- ~2 Vrms @ 600 Ω · ~100 mW @ 32 Ω · ~130 dB SNR (seller specs)
- Three jack options: 3.5 mm TRS (single-ended), 2.5 mm TRRS (balanced), 4.4 mm Pentaconn (balanced)
- Works with USB-C Android devices and USB-C iPhone models that accept external DACs
Details
| Brand | BrightSide Choice |
|---|---|
| DAC chip | ESS Sabre ES9281C PRO (ES9281ac) |
| Input | USB-C (male) |
| Output | 3.5 mm TRS · 2.5 mm TRRS (balanced) · 4.4 mm Pentaconn (balanced) |
| Cable | MPS Q-9 single-crystal copper, silver-plated |
| Cable length | 3 cm or 8 cm (flexible cable only; connectors excluded) |
| Sample rate | Up to 768 kHz / 32-bit |
| DSD | Native DSD512 |
| Output level | ~2 Vrms @ 600 Ω |
| Power | ~100 mW @ 32 Ω |
| SNR | ~130 dB |
| MQA | Supported |
Price includes shipping to supported destinations — no separate delivery fee at checkout for standard delivery. Ships from BrightSide Store.
