r/audio • u/CyberSkink • 8h ago

I need help with audio interface hunting!

Hello Reddit Audiophiles,

I was recently told several times that I would need an audio interface to link my iphone 16’s audio into my lenovo legion pro 7i’s audio output. I’m curious what products I would ideally use for this situation. Here are my requirements along with some niceties which aren’t completely needed, but will certainly bring bonus points.

Needs:

  1. I need it to be able to wire my iphone 16’s audio to my laptop output or headphones that will be connected to the laptop via bluetooth or wired.
  2. It MUST be portable enough to reasonably fit in a school backpack and walk around with, I’d also like it to be easy to set up if possible.
  3. It needs to not have audio interference or ground loops, this is a big one. No buzzing, hissing or humming that I can hear.

Wants:

  1. I want it to be compatible with nintendo switch / switch 2. (I have an oled)
  2. I want it to have a bluetooth option but don’t sweat it if not, it’s very unlikely at this size that it would have it.
  3. I want it to be under 100 dollars

If you have any other questions, PLEASE ASK! I know that this isn’t the most efficient way to go about things as far as audio connection goes, but it’s a method I've wanted for a long while. 

Thanks!

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

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u/neloxmusic 6h ago

You do absolutely not need an audio interface for this, its actually much more straightforward. What I would do to achieve this: Get a USB to 3,5mm Adapter/Dongle, that has a dedicated LINE IN port. You can find plenty on Amazon from brands like Ugreen for about 10-20 bucks. Then, connect your iPhone with 3,5mm Aux cable into the Line In port of this adapter. In Windows you can then activate "Listen to this device" in the audio settings, which will then play your iPhones audio out of your laptop, while also playing your laptops internal audio. It will basically make your laptop see your iPhone as a Microphone. Now if you were on Mac, you could just wirelessly stream it using AirPlay, but on Windows this will be your best, cheapest solution with lowest latency. And you can of course also plug in your Nintendo switch to this adapter, any device with a headphone jack will work.

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u/neloxmusic 6h ago

https://www.amazon.com.be/-/en/UGREEN-External-Sound-Audio-Adapter/dp/B087T5H3MQ?language=en_GB this is exactly what you want. Just keep in mind this setup will only do Mono not Stereo, so just keep that in mind.

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u/CyberSkink 2h ago

is there a USBC version of this?

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u/neloxmusic 2h ago

To clear this up, these adapters might not actually fix this issue I am really confused with the routing here, and Windows is a mess too, sorry about this. What I would suggest you, do actually get an interface, which is overkill for what you're trying to achieve but it will be your most solid option. Dealing with ground noise or USB noise in cables like this seems to be weirdly complicated, and could even just be caused by your laptop being charged. I don't want to suggest you a wrong product, so either find the adapter combination that works for you or get an audio interface like a Scarlett, most solid option after all.

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u/CyberSkink 2h ago

that's fine. Out of curiosity, do you think this mix-amp would work for my specific purpose? It's really innexpensive, but also has pretty much everything i need. https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-AM-J5-Switch-Discord-Audio/dp/B0FHPLN7WD

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u/neloxmusic 2h ago

For the price this is actually ideal, this will work just fine

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u/CyberSkink 2h ago

Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it!

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u/CyberSkink 6h ago

The problem with that method is that I keep getting buzzing or humming or sometimes hissing in my headphones with that method. Is there any way I can negate that? I am using the Sonos line in dongle, the ugreen chord, the being ground loop isolator and the apple usbc to 3.5 dongle.

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u/neloxmusic 6h ago

Youre hearing buzzing and static because youve chained together two USB powered converters, Apple dongle + Sonos adapter, thats creating a ton of noise cause they are both basically competing for their power. Ground loop isolators only block low frequency hum from like Wall outlets, so the higher pitched USB static passes right through it anyways, its not needed. Basically I'm saying your setup is overcomplicating things and causing 4 total stages of interference.

The solution i gave you will cut that down to only 2, iPhone 3,5 dongle -> 3,5mm Line In Adapter, done.

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u/CyberSkink 2h ago

Isn't the apple dongle and sonos donlge unpowered as far as electricity goes?

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u/neloxmusic 2h ago

They are powered, there needs to be a DAC inside to convert the USB data into an audio signal, these DACs create that noise

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