How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want one compact adapter that turns a phone, tablet or laptop into a small hub for headphones, USB accessories and charging, choose MTAKYI 2-in-3; if you need to pull digital audio out of a TV's optical port and send it to a wired speaker or pair of headphones, choose Tackston 192KHz.
• MTAKYI 2-in-3 — biggest strength: it is a genuine multi-tool. One connector gives you a USB OTG port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Type-C charging/headphone port, and it works with both Lightning and USB-C devices.
• MTAKYI 2-in-3 — biggest trade-off: it is a jack-of-all-trades. The two headphone options cannot be used at the same time, and it does nothing for optical audio.
• Tackston 192KHz — biggest strength: it converts an optical/TOSLINK signal into a 3.5mm analog output at sample rates up to 192KHz/24-bit, which is exactly what a modern TV without a headphone jack needs.
• Tackston 192KHz — biggest trade-off: it is strictly one-directional and needs external 5V USB power, and your TV remote will no longer control the volume.
• Who each pick is for: MTAKYI for phone, tablet and laptop users who want headphone audio plus USB extras in one small adapter; Tackston for TV owners who want quiet listening through speakers or headphones.
The MTAKYI 2-in-3 is best understood as a pocket-sized dock rather than a single-purpose cable. Its five ports cover three jobs at once: a 3.5mm AUX jack (with a built-in DAC chip, compatible with both CTIA and OMTP headsets), a Type-C port that handles either charging or a Type-C headphone, and a USB OTG port for peripherals. The USB side is more capable than people expect — it handles file transfers at up to 480 Mbps / 5 Gbps and works with keyboards, mice, USB microphones, flash drives, card readers, cameras and even a digital piano.
The compatibility list is the real selling point: it covers Lightning devices like iPhone 15/14/13/12/11/XS/XR/8/7, iPad 4, iPad Air and iPad mini, and USB-C gear including Samsung Galaxy S10/S9/S8/Note 9/8, LG G5/G6/V20, Google Pixel and Nexus 5X/6P, MacBook Air/Pro, Surface Pro 9/8, Huawei P9/P10, Lumia 950/950 XL and Moto Z. Plug and play, no app needed. The white body is tiny and light (about 0.03 kg), so it disappears into a purse or backpack, and it carries a 12-month warranty.
Who should buy it: anyone whose phone has lost its headphone jack and who also wants to plug in a keyboard, mouse or flash drive without carrying a separate dongle for each. Students typing notes on a phone, commuters listening with wired IEMs while charging, and people moving files off a camera card will get the most out of it.
Tackston 192KHz: Who It's For
The Tackston 192KHz does one job and does it specifically: it takes the optical/TOSLINK digital output from a TV and converts it into a female 3.5mm AUX output for a speaker or headphones. That is the whole point. Signal flow is strictly unidirectional — optical in, analog out — so it cannot be reversed to send a 3.5mm signal back into an optical input, and there is no USB-C or Lightning function here at all.
The audio spec is the headline: sample rates up to 192KHz with 24-bit data streams, and support for optical inputs at 32, 44.1, 48, 96 and 192KHz, with stereo output. For watching TV that is more than enough headroom, and it means the converter is not the weak link in a simple TV-to-headphone chain.
Two practical details matter more than the numbers. First, the USB cable must be plugged into a 5V USB power port during use, or nothing works — this is a powered converter, not a passive cable. Second, once you are running through it, the TV remote will no longer control playback volume; you adjust volume on the speaker or headphones instead. You also need to set your TV's digital audio output format to PCM or Stereo, or you will get silence or noise. Tackston even documents the Samsung TV menu path for this. The included cable runs about 5 ft (162 cm) to the 3.5mm end, and the package contains the converter itself.
Who should buy it: anyone with a TV that has an optical output but no headphone jack — a very common situation — who wants to watch late at night through wired headphones without waking the house. It is also genuinely useful for hearing-impaired viewers who need the audio louder and closer than TV speakers allow.
Who should skip it: if your source is a phone, laptop or tablet, this does nothing for you. If your TV only outputs over HDMI ARC or Bluetooth, it is not the right part. And if you refuse to run a USB power cable to the converter, look elsewhere.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for TV and home-theater audio → Tackston 192KHz. Optical-to-3.5mm conversion is exactly what it is built for.
• Best for extra ports → MTAKYI 2-in-3. Five ports, USB OTG, keyboard/mouse/storage support — the Tackston has none of this.
• Best for high-resolution audio specs → Tackston 192KHz. Up to 192KHz/24-bit is a far more explicit audio specification than the MTAKYI's built-in DAC, which is described only in general terms.
• Best for travel and portability → MTAKYI 2-in-3. It weighs about 0.03 kg and needs no external power.
• Best for hassle-free setup → MTAKYI 2-in-3. Plug and play with no app; the Tackston requires 5V USB power and a TV menu change to PCM.
• Best for quiet late-night TV listening → Tackston 192KHz. That is its single strongest use case.
• Best for charging while listening → MTAKYI 2-in-3. Its Type-C port lets you charge and listen at once (but not two headphone types simultaneously).
In my opinion these two products are not really competitors — they solve opposite problems, and the right answer depends entirely on which problem you have. If I were buying for myself and my problem were a phone or laptop with no headphone jack plus a need for USB accessories, I would buy the MTAKYI 2-in-3; it is the more versatile object and the one I would actually carry every day. If my problem were a TV with optical out and no headphone jack, I would buy the Tackston 192KHz without hesitation, because the MTAKYI simply cannot do that job. Buy for the port you have, not the port you wish you had.
Very likely, yes — it covers Lightning models from iPhone 7 through iPhone 15 series plus iPads, and USB-C devices including Galaxy S8 through S10/Note 9, Pixel, LG, Huawei, MacBook and Surface Pro. Check your exact model against the compatibility list before buying.
Yes, you can listen over the 3.5mm jack or Type-C headphone port while charging through the Type-C port. One important limit: the 3.5mm and Type-C headphone outputs cannot be used at the same time.
No. The USB cable must be connected to a 5V USB power port during use, or the converter will not operate. Budget for a free USB port or wall adapter near your TV.
The converter expects a PCM/Stereo digital stream, so Dolby or other formats may produce no sound until you change the setting. And because volume is handled downstream, you adjust it on the speaker or headphones rather than the TV remote.
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