Axagon ADA-HA USB-A to 3.5mm jack Hi-Res DAC Audio Adapter, 384kHz/32bit, Stereo

The AXAGON ADA-HA Hi-Res DAC AUDIO ADAPTER is a practical accessory for a laptop or desktop computer with a USB-A connector, which provides better sound than the built-in audio connector. The adapter works as an external USB sound card with a DAC converter supporting Hi-Res Audio with sampling up to 384 kHz / 32 bits, which ensures clean and detailed sound.

This adapter is an ideal solution for laptops equipped with a headphone connector with average sound quality or for devices where the sound card is missing or not working. The integrated USB DAC converter improves sound quality when listening to music, watching movies and during online calls.

This external sound card is suitable for playback of lossless audio formats such as DSD, FLAC, WMA, WAV, APE, AAC or ALAC. You can also use maximum sound quality when listening to music on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music or Amazon Music Unlimited. The adapter can also be used when watching streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime or Apple TV+.

It will also serve well as a replacement for a non-functional original sound card in a laptop and will expand the computer with a headphone output and a microphone input. It is thus easy to connect headphones, a headset or active speakers and use it also for communication services such as WhatsApp, Messenger, FaceTime, Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet or Discord.

For connecting headphones, a stereo 3.5 mm 4-pole TRRS jack connector with automatic detection of CTIA or OMTP standards is used. The durability of the 10 cm long cable is ensured by a resistant nylon braiding.

Installation is very easy thanks to Plug and Play, so no drivers need to be installed. The adapter also supports Hot Plug, so it can be connected during operation.

Input:
• 1x USB 480Mbps male connector (USB 2.0)
• connecting USB connector type A male

Audio output:
• 2-channel analog 32-bit output (3.5 mm TRRS stereo jack)
• stereo output for headphones or active speakers

Audio input:
• analog 16-bit input (3.5 mm jack)
• microphone input and input for recording analog signal

Sampling rate, resolution and output converter (DAC) noise:
• analog - 44.1 - 384 kHz @ 16 / 24 / 32 bit (PCM) for playback
• Signal-to-Noise ratio (Output SNR) ≥ 101 dB (0 dBFs, 1 kHz, A-weighted)
• Harmonic distortion (Output THD + N) ≤ -85 dB (0 dBFs, 1 kHz)

Sampling rate, resolution and input converter (ADC) noise:
• analog - 48 kHz @ 16 bit (PCM) for recording
• signal-to-Noise ratio (Input SNR) ≥ 90 dB (100 mVrms, 1 kHz, A-weighted)
• Harmonic distortion (Input THD + N) ≤ -85 dB (80 mVrms, 1 kHz)

Other features:
• Built-in headphone amplifier 27.5 mW @ 32 ohm.
• Impedance range of connected headphones 16 - 300 ohm.
• Frequency range 20 Hz - 20 kHz.
• Support of lossless formats: DSD64, DSD128, FLAC, WMA, WAV, APE, AAC, ALAC.
• Easy installation thanks to full Plug and Play support.
• Possibility to connect your device while running thanks to the Hot Plug support.
• 3.5 mm jack, TRS, TRRS (CTIA & OMTP autodetection) compatible.
• Compliant with the USB Audio Device Class specification v1.0 / 2.0.
• Adapter power supply via USB (bus power) - no auxiliary power supply required.
• Miniature dimensions 25 x 7 mm, cable length 10 cm.
• Weight only 8 g.

Setting up a sound card in Windows allows:
• adjusting volume and balance of speakers
• settings for listening to the microphone
• extended speaker features: virtual surround sound, Dolby Atmos support
• Setting the sampling rate and bit depth for reproduction

Supported OS:
• Windows 10 / 11 and later, macOS, Linux.

Package contains:
• USB-A audio adapter,
• packed in foil packaging with hanging hole.

How to use

Plug the AXAGON ADA-HA into a free USB-A port on your computer or compatible device; the operating system should detect the adapter as an audio output device. Select the adapter in your system or application audio settings as the output device. Connect headphones or the analogue input of powered speakers using a standard 3.5 mm stereo cable. Playback of high-resolution audio files will be handled by the adapter’s internal DAC up to the supported sample rate and bit depth.

Recommendations

For best results, use high-quality headphones or powered speakers and select the adapter as the primary audio output in your operating system. When playing Hi-Res files, confirm your audio player is configured to output at the file’s native sampling rate and bit depth to utilize the adapter’s full 384 kHz/32-bit capability.