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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-27 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
• Bolle & Raven Thore — biggest strength: a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter cable with a genuine inline mic and volume remote, so you get audio, call control and playback buttons in one braided cord.
• Bolle & Raven Thore — biggest trade-off: it's built for the USB-C port on a specific list of devices, so anyone on a plain 3.5mm jack, an iPhone with Lightning, or an unlisted phone should double-check compatibility first.
• Cubilux Headphone Splitter — biggest strength: two outputs with independent volume wheels and a combo jack that also passes a microphone, so two people can share one screen without one of them being stuck at the wrong loudness.
• Cubilux Headphone Splitter — biggest trade-off: it doesn't create sound, doesn't amplify, and the dials only lower the headphone volume — it's a passive sharing adapter, not a booster.
• Who each pick is for: the Bolle & Raven cable is for one person with a USB-C device who wants a reliable wired connection; the Cubilux splitter is for two people sharing a seat, a tablet or a laptop.
The Thore is best understood as a bridge. Modern phones and tablets keep deleting the headphone jack, and this cable puts it back. One end is USB-C, the other is a standard 3.5mm jack, so any ordinary pair of wired headphones — the sheet names Beats, Sony, Audio Technica and Sennheiser as typical fits — plugs straight in. That alone makes it useful for anyone with a good pair of wired cans who refuses to buy wireless just because their phone changed ports.
What separates it from a no-name dongle is the inline remote. You get a microphone plus volume and playback control built into the cable, which the data sheet describes as covering music, volume, play/pause, and answering or ending calls. In practice that means you can take a call or skip a track without touching the phone — the kind of thing you only miss once it's gone on a cheaper adapter that's audio-only.
On build, it's a 14.2 g round cable in black with a nylon outer that Bolle & Raven describe as proprietary, anti-fraying, tearing and fluffing. The stated compatibility list is specific: iPad Pro 2018, Pixel 2/2XL/3/3XL, Moto Z3 Play, Razer Phone 2, Essential PH-1, OnePlus 6T/7 Pro, and Note 10/10 Plus, with "and more" leaving room for other USB-C audio devices.
Who should buy it: Android and iPad Pro owners who want one durable cable for wired listening and calls. Who should skip it: iPhone users on Lightning, anyone with a phone that still has its own headphone jack and wants a simple extension, or anyone hoping to connect two headphones — this cable has one output, not two.
The Cubilux solves a very specific, very real problem: one screen, two listeners. Its two 3.5mm outputs let you and a friend both plug in, and each output has its own numbered volume wheel. That's the detail that matters. Anyone who has shared a flight seat or a train ride knows the pain of one person finding the audio deafening while the other can barely hear it — two independent dials settle that argument instantly.
The audio path is done properly for the category: gold-plated plug and OFC (oxygen-free copper) wire, with shielding designed to reduce signal degradation and interference. That's the difference between a splitter that sounds clean and one that introduces hiss or dropouts. The housing is aluminum alloy and the cable is nylon braided, so it's meant to survive being tossed in a bag on every trip.
There's a combo jack angle too. The splitter supports both audio output and microphone input, so you can connect headphones and a 4-pole TRRS mic at the same time — handy for calls or recording, not just music sharing. Two honest limits from the manufacturer: the dials control only headphone volume, not the device's, and the splitter does not amplify. It can lower volume from the device's maximum, never exceed it. It's also physically small — about 2.56 by 2.4 by 0.59 inches — so it disappears in a pocket.
Who should buy it: travelers, couples, siblings on a tablet, or anyone pairing a headset with a separate mic. Who should skip it: solo listeners who never share audio, and anyone expecting a volume boost — this won't deliver one.
• Best for port-free phones → Bolle & Raven Thore USB-C Headphone. It restores a 3.5mm jack on USB-C devices.
• Best for sharing audio with a second person → Cubilux Headphone Splitter. Two outputs, two volume wheels.
• Best for calls and voice control → Bolle & Raven Thore USB-C Headphone, thanks to its built-in mic and inline remote.
• Best for pairing headphones plus a separate microphone → Cubilux Headphone Splitter, via its combo TRRS jack.
• Best for travel and packing light → Cubilux Headphone Splitter. It's a small adapter that fits any bag and works with whatever 3.5mm gear you already own.
• Best for durability you can feel in the cable → Bolle & Raven Thore USB-C Headphone, with its nylon anti-fray outer rated for daily flexing.
• Best for use with a laptop or in-flight entertainment screen → Cubilux Headphone Splitter. Those jacks are standard 3.5mm, so the splitter drops right in.
• Best for someone who owns one great pair of wired headphones → Bolle & Raven Thore USB-C Headphone, if their source device is USB-C.
If I had to pick one for myself, it would be the Bolle & Raven Thore USB-C Headphone — but only because my daily driver is a USB-C device with no jack, and a cable that also handles calls and playback is genuinely more useful to me than a sharing adapter. That's a personal answer, not a universal one. If your problem is two people, one screen, and two different preferred volumes, the Cubilux Headphone Splitter is the right tool and the Thore cable can't do that job at all. Decide which problem you actually have, then check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
FAQ
No. Per the manufacturer, it doesn't amplify sound. The dials adjust volume within your device's output range — you can turn things down, but you can't push past the device's maximum.
It depends on your port. It's designed for USB-C audio devices, and the listed models include iPad Pro 2018, Pixel 2 through 3XL, Moto Z3 Play, Razer Phone 2, Essential PH-1, OnePlus 6T and 7 Pro, and Note 10/10 Plus. iPhones with Lightning are not on that list.
No. They control only the connected headphones. If you also want to adjust the source device's volume, the manufacturer notes you can plug a headphone with its own inline control into the combo jack. Microphone volume is likewise not controlled by the dials.
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