Questyle's tiny wireless DAC is the Bluetooth audio upgrade your phone so desperately needs
Date:
Mon, 22 Sep 2025 20:30:00 +0000
Description:
Bluetooth audio is convenient, but if theres a mismatch between the codecs your phone and your headphones support, you wont hear your musics full quality. Questyles tiny dongle fixes that by adding leading high-quality codecs to any phone or, for that matter, PC
FULL STORY ======================================================================Questyle
QCC Dongle Pro: Two-minute review
You may not realise it, but your phone and your wireless headphones dont always agree on how good your music should sound. Its a question of compatibility, and it can be a thorny issue.
Bluetooth audio codecs are the invisible lines of code that translate your music (whether streamed from a subscription service or stored locally on your phone) into something that can be transmitted wirelessly to your headphones, earbuds, or portable speakers.
All Bluetooth products support SBC, a codec that provides basic 'vanilla' audio quality, but when it comes to high-quality advanced codecs, like LDAC and aptX Adaptive (which preserve far more of your musics detail), its the wild west out there. Some Android handsets support both. Some just support one. iPhones (in fact, all Apple devices) support neither. Support on the headphones/earbuds side of the equation can be equally messy and it doesn't always follow that the more you pay, the more codecs your buds (or cans) will support.
So wouldnt it be nice if there were a tiny, simple (yet powerful) gadget you could plug into any phone, tablet, computer, or game console that would
assure youve always got support for these codecs? Behold the Questyle QCC Dongle Pro.
Plug it in, open the app, and pair your headphones. Done. Youre now listening wirelessly at the highest possible quality (perhaps even losslessly) and you didnt even have to mess around in Androids Developer Options.
All of this makes the Questyle QCC Dongle Pro a very attractive little accessory for anyone who wants to maximize their listening experience.
One of the best portable DACs around and more specifically, one of the best wireless Bluetooth DACs we've tested? Let's get to it. Oh, it's red and no mistake (Image credit: Future) Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Price and release date Release date: August 29, 2025 Price: $99 (around 70; AU$150)
$99 may seem like a lot for what you get. After all, it is tiny and this device doesnt make music or even play music; it just makes the music you already have access to sound better, with no guesswork.
Ive also tried the $50 FiiO BT11 , a nearly identical-looking product that,
on paper at least, does all the same things. But its so maddeningly difficult to use, Id happily pay the difference for the QCC Dongle Pro.
Still, there is another option. If you dont need LDAC (perhaps because your Android phone already supports it), you can get the aptX-family-only QCC Dongle for $69 and save yourself some cash.
Elsewhere (and if you've got hard-to-drive headphones and a little more to spend), we love the FiiO BTR17 for its amplification powers on top of its codec mastery, and TR's audio editor still uses the FiiO BTR7 both around $200 / 175 / AU$279. Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Specs Questyle QCC
Dongle Pro: specs
Dimensions
25mm x 10mm x 15mm
Weight
2.5 grams
Supported codecs
SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive (including aptX Lossless), LDAC
Supported interfaces
USB-C, USB-A (UAC 1, UAC 2)
System compatibility
WinXP/Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10/Win11/Linux/Android/HarmonyOS/macOS/iOS/iPadOS
Bluetooth version
5.4
Power draw
37mA Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Features Excellent codec support Easy, intuitive app Works with almost all USB-equipped devices
A helpful app lets you control the dongles two main functions: getting it paired with your headphones and picking which codec and optional settings you want to use. An LED on the QCC Dongle Pro gives visual feedback on its
pairing status as well as which family of codec is currently in use a reassuring feature.
Better yet, as long as your headphones or earbuds support Bluetooth Multipoint, its possible to connect them to the dongle and your phone simultaneously. Doing so maintains your ability to adjust the headphones settings via their mobile app (if any).
Oh, and one more thing: the dongle also supports USB Audio Class 1 (UAC 1), which is a spec-speak way of saying you can use it as a wireless audio transmitter with gaming consoles like Nintendo Switch and PlayStation
families devices that dont play nicely with run-of-the-mill USB Bluetooth dongles. Full disclosure: I didnt test this feature.
You can use it as a transmitter for a PC or Mac, too, though with one caveat: theres no Windows or macOS app, so youll need to initially pair your
preferred headphones using the mobile app on a phone, then move the dongle over to your PC. It will automatically re-pair with your headphones and then you simply need to choose the Dongle Pro from your computers sound output menu.
Worried about the Dongle Pro sapping your phones battery life? Dont be. With
a 37mA draw, Questyle estimates that even if you used it intensively (e.g., with LDAC) for 10 hours straight, youd only dent an iPhone 16s full battery capacity by about 10%. Using aptX Adaptive would consume less juice. I didnt notice any impact on my day-to-day use of my iPhone. The bulk of my testing was done with the Sennheiser IE900 or the Austrian Audio 'The Composer'
(Image credit: Questyle)
The QCC Dongle Pro is so easy and effective that its hard to find flaws. But if I were to nitpick, Id point to the fact that the Questyle app doesnt give audio nerds as much control over codec behavior as, say, Androids Developer Options, or the uber-handy Bluetooth Codec Changer app .
For instance, purists often want to avoid additional resampling between their source of digital music and the output that gets to their headphones. With
the apps/settings I mentioned above, you can set LDACs bit-depth and sampling rate to match that of your source. The QCC Dongle Pro doesnt provide this level of control. The same goes for LDACs bitrate; however, you can nonetheless choose to favour sound quality over connection stability, which should accomplish the same thing.
I might also note that the dongle cant support simultaneous Bluetooth connections. So if you were hoping to connect a set of wireless earbuds using LDAC and a set of headphones using aptX HD so you can hear the difference, Im afraid youll have to find another way of satisfying your inner scientist.
Features score: 4.5 / 5 Note the 'wings' (Image credit: Future) Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Design Tiny and featherweight Fits most phone cases Might block adjacent ports
The QCC Dongle Pro can plug directly into any device that can output audio over USB. At 2.5 grams, it weighs less than half as much as a single AirPods Pro earpiece. On its own, it will snap into USB-C ports, and a small ledge lets it protrude about two millimeters, making it compatible with many 3rd-party protective phone cases. It also comes with an adapter for gadgets that are still rocking USB-A ports. The only devices it cant support are
older iPhones/iPads with Lightning ports.
Its a phone-friendly design, as long as you dont mind using wireless charging while its plugged in. For laptops, especially those like the Apple MacBook
Air with just two, closely spaced USB-C ports, the Dongle Pro forces the same choice, but without the fallback of wireless charging: You can have better Bluetooth audio or you can charge your computer, but not both.
Design score: 4.5 / 5 Everything in its right place (Image credit: Future) Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Sound quality Perfect match for LDAC/aptX devices Lets you choose which codec to use when more than one will work
How does it perform? Brilliantly. Which is to say, when I use it on an iPhone 16 in either LDAC or aptX Lossless mode, with a compatible set of headphones, and then compare it to a phone with these codecs built in (e.g., Motorola ThinkPhone), they sound the same to me. Im not sure I could ask for anything more.
Sonys WH-1000XM6 (LDAC) revealed the subtle details in Dire Straits You And Your Friend that tend to go missing when listening via AAC. Similarly, Sennheisers aptX Lossless compatible Momentum True Wireless 4 Earbuds were able to tame the blurry bass notes and crunchy highs that I typically hear when playing Bob Dylans Man in the Long Black Coat .
Given how convenient it is to pop the Dongle Pro into the bottom of my
iPhone, I can easily see it becoming a permanent fixture in my daily
listening life.
Sound quality score: 5 / 5 This white light (for aptX Lossless) was oddly hard to come by when using sources able to handle it (Image credit: Future) Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Value Pricey compared to other transmitters Unmatched codec support Perfect size/shape for mobile use
Though a pricey little device, you need to look at the QCC Dongle Pro in the context of your other options.
Most companies that make USB-C Bluetooth transmitters that sell for between $25-$55 on Amazon come with one or more compromises. Theyre primarily
intended for PC use, so theyre often equipped with a USB-A interface. Even
the ones with USB-C tend to stick out too far and could easily snap off
during portable use. The Dongle Pros one direct competitor, the $50 FiiO
BT11, is a bargain by comparison but I found it much harder to use.
Value score: 4/5 Note the new 'rails' on the casework to help with cooling (Image credit: Future) Should you buy the Questyle QCC Dongle Pro?
Attribute
Notes
Rating
Features
Gives any phone or PC the most popular hi-res Bluetooth audio codecs.
4 / 5
Sound quality
Works as well as any phone with these codecs built in.
5 / 5
Design
Tiny, lightweight, and elegant. If only it were a tad narrower, it would be perfect.
4.5 / 5
Value
Pricey, but worth it.
4 / 5 Buy it if...
Youre the kind of person who wants to maximize sound quality
For now, wired connections are still better than Bluetooth, but with the Questyle QCC Dongle Pro (and compatible headphones), you may not hear the difference.
You own a recent iPhone
iPhones don't come with LDAC or aptX baked in, and this is arguably the easiest (and smallest) way to get those onboard. View Deal Don't buy it if...
You dont know (and dont care) about codecs
If you're not bothered about lossless/hi-res audio, or compression as long as your headphones just work
the QCC Dongle Pro isn't for you. Its only reason to exist is to serve those who care deeply about sound. If thats not you, great! Youve got one less device in your life.
Youre an iPhone 14 (or older) owner
Without Lightning compatibility, the QCC Dongle Pro only works with USB-C-equipped iPhones (and iPads). Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Also consider
Product
Questyle QCC Dongle Pro
FiiO BTR11
Dimensions
25mm x 10mm x 15mm
28mm x 9mm x 21mm
Weight
2.5 grams
3 grams
Supported codecs
SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive (including aptX Lossless), LDAC
SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive (including aptX Lossless), LDAC
Supported interfaces
USB-C, USB-A (UAC 1, UAC 2)
USB-C, USB-A (UAC 1, UAC 2)
System compatibility
WinXP/Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10/Win11/Linux/Android/HarmonyOS/macOS/iOS/iPadOS
WinXP/Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10/Win11/Linux/Android/HarmonyOS/macOS/iOS/iPadOS
Bluetooth version
5.4
5.4
Power draw
37mA (LDAC)
22mA (static)
FiiO BTR11
On paper, this very affordable ($50) dongle is a carbon copy of the QCC
Dongle Pro, so why wouldnt you just buy it instead? Well, if youre only interested in using it with an Android phone, its definitely worth considering.
Thats because, unlike the QCC Dongle Pro, the BT11 isnt Apple MFi certified. Im not saying a product has to be MFi certified to work with iPhones, but in this case, it seems to make a big difference.
Whereas the QCC Dongle Pro just works when you plug it into an iPhone, I
found the BT11 suffered from lag and, at times, couldnt communicate with its companion app at all.
This is unfortunate since the BT11 has one skill the QCC Dongle Pro lacks:
the ability to connect to two or more audio devices simultaneously.
Its construction and design arent as nice as the Dongle Pro, nor is it as sleek (it sticks out further from the USB-C port). Still, for half the price, maybe that doesnt matter.
Read more about FiiO BTR11 and FiiO's other DACs iFi makes strong design choices and you love to see it (Image credit: Future) How I tested the Questyle QCC Dongle Pro Tested for 2 weeks Used it at home and while at the gym Predominantly tested using Apple Music on an Apple iPhone 16, but also: Google Pixel 7 Pro, Apple MacBook Air M1
Testing the Questyle QCC Dongle Pro was primarily a case of comparisons. In other words, how easy was it to use, and how did the sound quality compare to a smartphone with the same Bluetooth Codecs built in?
To do this, I paired the Dongle Pro first with the Sony WH-1000XM6 (to test LDAC performance) and then with the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Earbuds (to test aptX Adaptive/Lossless), with the Dongle Pro plugged into an iPhone 16.
Since both devices support Bluetooth Multipoint, I was able to pair them simultaneously with a Motorola ThinkPhone, which supports both codec
families.
While using the same Apple Music Playlist on both the iPhone and the ThinkPhone, I swapped back and forth between these two sources, listening for any perceptible differences. I couldnt detect any.
For additional testing, I swapped the dongle over to my MacBook Air and a Google Pixel 7 Pro. Both performed without issue. Read more about how we test
First reviewed September 2025
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/audio/dacs/questyle-qcc-dongle-pro-review
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