Pros

Strong for a dongle: up to 320 mW at 32 Ω from the 4.4 mm jack (maker's figure)
Measured very clean and quiet, per Audio Science Review's results as summarised by Frieve
10-band EQ through TRN's Walkplay app
Buttons on the dongle, and headset mics work through it

Cons

The EQ software needs an account, and some buyers report problems with it
Early units had distortion with a power-saving feature until a firmware update (August 2025)
One-year warranty, main unit only

Updated 27 October 2026

The TRN Black Pearl is a headphone dongle for phones and laptops with USB-C, in a black metal body with a glass top. It has a 3.5 mm jack and a 4.4 mm balanced one, and through the 4.4 mm jack it’s strong for its price. Measurements published by Audio Science Review (summarised on Frieve’s review database) put it among the cleanest, quietest dongles around, and Frieve found nothing cheaper that measures as well with the same features.

The EQ runs through TRN’s Walkplay software, which needs an account; some buyers report trouble with it. Early units had distortion tied to a power-saving feature (DRE), which a firmware update fixed in August 2025. Buttons on the dongle control volume and playback, a coloured light shows the audio format, and a headset mic works through it.

Two Cirrus Logic CS43131 DAC chips
320 mW at 32 Ω from the 4.4 mm jack, 125 mW from the 3.5 mm jack (maker’s figures)
3.5 mm and 4.4 mm balanced outputs
Up to 32-bit/384 kHz PCM and DSD256
10-band EQ through the Walkplay app
Buttons on the dongle; headset mic support
Light shows the format: blue standby, green PCM, red DSD
Metal body with a tempered glass panel
USB-C