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If you want a pair of wired USB-C earbuds you can drop in a bag and use for calls, music and commuting with a MacBook or a USB-C phone, choose ASKUBSKU USB C Earbuds; if you need to plug several pairs of headphones into one laptop so a group can listen at the same time, choose Cubilux 5-Way.
• ASKUBSKU USB C Earbuds — biggest strength: a complete, self-contained listening setup. Dynamic drivers, a 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range, a built-in mic, in-line volume and track controls, and a 45° in-ear shape with a silicone body and rounded ear-canal tip.
• ASKUBSKU USB C Earbuds — biggest trade-off: it is a single pair of wired buds with no wireless mode, and the sound-isolating in-ear fit means you are cut off from the room around you.
• Cubilux 5-Way — biggest strength: it turns one USB-C port into five 3.5mm outputs, so up to five headphones can share the same source at once, in a lightweight aluminum-alloy body with a 1-year warranty.
• Cubilux 5-Way — biggest trade-off: it makes no sound on its own. It is a splitter with no drivers and no microphone, and volume can only be adjusted from the source device, not per listener.
• Who each pick is for: ASKUBSKU for one person who wants to listen and talk; Cubilux for a household, classroom, car trip or co-working desk where several people need the same audio.
The ASKUBSKU set is a straightforward answer to a very modern problem: laptops and phones keep dropping the headphone jack. It terminates in USB Type-C, so it plugs straight into a MacBook, an iPad, or a USB-C phone without an adapter dangling off the side. On a MacBook specifically, that is the whole appeal — one cable, one port, no dongle to lose.
What it does best is the everyday stuff. There is a microphone built in, and the brand claims no noise interference during calls, so video meetings and phone calls are covered. The remote on the cable handles volume, play/pause and track skipping, plus picking up and hanging up calls — the kind of thing you miss the moment it is gone. The audio side is a dynamic driver covering 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, which is the standard full-range span you would expect at this tier. Nothing exotic, just the basics done properly.
The fit is where the design earns its keep. The 45° in-ear angle is meant to reduce the soreness that comes from wearing buds for hours, and the silicone body keeps weight down. A rounded tip shaped for the ear canal, plus sound isolation, means background noise gets pushed back — good on a bus, on a run, or while climbing stairs. A protective case and eartip are included.
Cubilux 5-Way: Who It's For
The Cubilux 5-Way is not headphones. It is the thing you buy when headphones are not the problem — sharing is. It takes a single USB-C port and fans it out to five 3.5mm jacks, so up to five pairs of headphones or speakers can run off one MacBook, tablet or phone at the same time. Five people, one movie, no passing earbuds back and forth.
Two details matter more than anything else here. First, there is no independent volume control. Each listener cannot dial in their own level; volume is adjusted only from the source device, uniformly for everyone. If one person has sensitive ears and another likes it loud, that is a real limitation, not a footnote. Second, the splitter makes no sound by itself — it needs headphones, and those headphones need to be 3.5mm, not USB-C. If your household is all USB-C buds, this hub will not help you.
The build is the other half of the pitch. The shell is aluminum alloy, finished in black with a metallic look, which should shrug off the daily knocks of being carried in a backpack. It is lightweight and compact, so it travels well, and it carries a 1-year warranty. Compatibility is broad: USB-C and Thunderbolt 4/3 computers, iPhone 17/16/15 series, iPad Pro 13/12.9/11, iPad Air 13/11, Galaxy S25/S24/S23 and Z Fold/Flip, Galaxy Tab S11/S10/S9/S8, and Pixel 10/9/8/7.
Who should buy it: families on long drives, teachers running a listening station, friends watching a film on one laptop, or anyone with a pile of old 3.5mm headphones and one USB-C machine. Who should skip it: solo listeners, and anyone who needs per-person volume or a microphone — there is no mic on this device.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for group listening → Cubilux 5-Way. Five outputs from one USB-C port.
• Best for MacBook use without an adapter → ASKUBSKU USB C Earbuds. Native USB-C termination, no dongle.
• Best for MacBook use with existing 3.5mm headphones → Cubilux 5-Way. It bridges USB-C and standard 3.5mm gear.
• Best for commuting, running and workouts → ASKUBSKU USB C Earbuds. Lightweight silicone build, sound isolation, 45° in-ear angle.
• Best for durability of the hardware itself → Cubilux 5-Way. Aluminum alloy shell and a 1-year warranty.
• Best for call quality and controls → ASKUBSKU USB C Earbuds. Microphone plus volume, track and call buttons on the cable.
• Best for per-listener volume control → neither, strictly. Cubilux adjusts volume only from the source; ASKUBSKU is a single-listener product.
• Best for mixed households with old wired headphones → Cubilux 5-Way. It gives legacy 3.5mm gear a second life on a modern laptop.
If I had to pick one, I would buy the ASKUBSKU USB C Earbuds — but only because most people are shopping for headphones, not for a hub. In my opinion it is the more useful object for a single MacBook owner: it plugs in, it plays, it takes calls, and the controls save you reaching for the laptop. The Cubilux 5-Way is the better buy for a specific job — sharing audio across up to five headphones — and it does that job without pretending to be anything else. Decide which problem you actually have. If it is "I need to hear my laptop," take the earbuds. If it is "we all need to hear my laptop," take the splitter. Before you commit, check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page, since that is the one variable I cannot weigh for you.
FAQ
how to use headphones for macbook
Plug the headphones into a USB-C port on the MacBook. The ASKUBSKU earbuds terminate in USB Type-C, so they connect directly with no adapter, and macOS should switch audio output automatically. If sound stays on the speakers, open the sound settings and select the USB-C device as output.
For wired USB-C headphones like the ASKUBSKU set, just insert the connector — there is no pairing step. For 3.5mm headphones on a USB-C MacBook, you need an adapter or a hub; the Cubilux 5-Way is the reverse case, taking one USB-C port and giving you five 3.5mm jacks. Set the input device as the output in your sound settings either way.
how to connect headphones macbook air
It works the same as any other USB-C Mac. The ASKUBSKU earbuds go straight into the USB-C port. If you want to run several pairs of 3.5mm headphones at once, connect the Cubilux 5-Way to the USB-C port and plug each pair into its own jack, then control the level from the Mac.
how to use headphones macbook pro
Connect the earbuds to any USB-C or Thunderbolt port. The ASKUBSKU cable's remote handles volume and track skipping, and its microphone covers calls and meetings. Remember that with the Cubilux splitter, volume is set only on the Mac and applies to all five outputs equally — there is no per-headphone adjustment.
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