If you’re an Apple loyalist, even the word “dongle” is probably enough to make you shudder. With years of Lightning to USB-C whiplash and disappearing and reappearing HDMI ports on the MacBook , I can’t blame you. I, too, like loads of older iPhone users, was caught in the wake of the unceremonious execution of the 3.5mm audio port and was forced to tote around one of these bad boys.

But times have changed. The Lightning port is dead (hooray), and HDMI ports on some MacBooks are, just like that gum you like in Twin Peaks, back in style. With these shifts, the dongle has been reborn. That’s right, folks, phone dongles are good now—at least if you’re into wired earbuds/headphones and hi-fi audio.

I’m talking specifically about DACs (digital-to-analog converters), which are little

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