Pros

The cheapest way to get both a 3.5 mm and a 4.4 mm balanced jack
Clean, clear sound with earphones, according to reviewers
Small metal body that plugs straight into a phone
Low power draw from the phone

Cons

Low power: 30 mW at 32 Ω (maker's figure), only a little more than Apple's basic USB-C adapter in one reviewer's test
The 4.4 mm jack gives no extra power over the 3.5 mm one, by the same reviewer's measurements
Not for hard-to-drive headphones
Can be too loud for very sensitive earphones, leaving little room on the volume scale

Updated 27 October 2026

The Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini is a small headphone dongle from Linsoul’s Kiwi Ears brand. It plugs into the USB-C port of a phone or laptop and has two jacks: a standard 3.5 mm one and a 4.4 mm balanced one, which is rare at this price. Reviewers describe its sound as clean and clear, and it draws little power from the phone.

It’s built for earphones, not big headphones. Its rated power is low, and in one reviewer’s test it was only slightly louder than Apple’s basic USB-C adapter, with no extra power from the 4.4 mm jack. With very sensitive earphones it can go the other way: loud at low volume steps, with little room to fine-tune.

DAC chip not named by the maker
30 mW per channel at 32 Ω (maker’s figure)
3.5 mm and 4.4 mm balanced outputs
Up to 32-bit/384 kHz PCM and DSD128
Signal-to-noise ratio of at least 114 dB (maker’s figure)
Aluminium body
USB-C