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If you want a simple, universal way to add a physical volume dial to almost any existing 3.5 mm wired headphone, choose Stellar Labs Inline Volume Control; if you need a complete pair of USB-C wired earbuds with a built-in mic, remote buttons and a DAC chip, choose iMangoo USB C Headphones. They are not really rivals — one is an accessory you add to headphones you already own, and the other is the headphones themselves.
• Stellar Labs Inline Volume Control — biggest strength: it turns any 3.5 mm headphone into a locally controllable one, plugging between the sound source and your existing cans.
• Stellar Labs Inline Volume Control — biggest trade-off: it is a control only. No drivers, no mic, no cable beyond the short in-line section, and it is limited to 3.5 mm jacks.
• iMangoo USB C Headphones — biggest strength: an all-in-one USB-C earbud set with a 13 mm dynamic driver, a built-in DAC chip, an in-line remote with play/pause and skip, plus a mic for calls.
• iMangoo USB C Headphones — biggest trade-off: it only works with USB-C devices, so anything with a 3.5 mm socket is off the table, and the volume control method is a remote rather than a dial.
• Who the Stellar Labs is for: anyone with good 3.5 mm headphones and no local volume control — especially travellers dealing with loud airline seat-back audio.
• Who the iMangoo is for: anyone whose phone or tablet has dropped the headphone jack and who wants a cheap, wired, mic-equipped everyday earbud.
Think of the Stellar Labs unit as a small adapter with a dial. You plug it into the sound source, then plug your own headphones into its 3.5 mm jack. That is the whole idea, and it is a genuinely useful one: a lot of headphones ship with no local volume control at all, which means every adjustment happens on the device. If the device is a phone in your pocket, a laptop across the desk, or a seat-back screen you can't reach, that gets old fast. The Stellar Labs puts the adjustment right on the cable, where your hand already is.
Who should skip it? Anyone expecting headphones. There are no drivers here — the "in ear" and "supra-aural" fields in the listing describe the headphone category it's made for, not what's in the box. There's also no microphone and no noise control, so it won't help with calls or with blocking out a noisy commute. And if your headphones are already USB-C, this is the wrong product entirely. It's a plastic-bodied, single-item accessory with a 1-year warranty, and it's best understood as a fix for a specific annoyance rather than a piece of audio gear in its own right.
iMangoo USB C Headphones: Who It's For
The iMangoo set is the opposite approach: everything in one cable. You get 13 mm dynamic drivers in an in-ear design, a 32 ohm impedance, a 20 kHz frequency response and 114 dB sensitivity — numbers that describe an easy-to-drive, loud-capable earbud that a phone should handle without trouble. The 1.2 metre cord ends in a metal-plated USB-C connector, and there's a built-in DAC chip, which matters because USB-C audio is digital: the DAC is what converts the signal to something the drivers can actually play. That's also where the promise of clean bass without buzzing or popping comes from.
The controls are the other half of the pitch. There's an in-line remote for play/pause and track skipping, and a microphone for hands-free calls — the kind of thing you want on a work call or while walking with the phone in a bag. The listing also mentions the remote as the control method for volume, so you're adjusting through the phone's own volume steps rather than a dedicated dial. The package includes silicone ear tips and a protective carrying case, which is more than you'd expect from a basic wired earbud, and the warranty runs 8 months.
The clear limitation is compatibility. This is a USB-C product, aimed at USB-C devices — recent iPhones, Galaxy models, Pixel phones and similar. If your player has a round 3.5 mm hole, this won't fit, full stop. The other thing to weigh is that "sound isolation" is listed under noise control, which means passive sealing from the tips, not active noise cancellation. If you want to silence a plane cabin, neither of these products does that.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for airline and hotel seat-back audio → Stellar Labs Inline Volume Control. Loud, badly behaved sources are exactly what an in-line attenuator is designed to tame.
• Best for a phone with no headphone jack → iMangoo USB C Headphones. USB-C plug, DAC inside, done.
• Best for calls and remote control → iMangoo USB C Headphones. The mic and the play/pause and skip buttons are built into the cable.
• Best for sound quality potential → iMangoo USB C Headphones. 13 mm dynamic drivers, a DAC chip and a 20 kHz response give it an actual audio chain; the Stellar Labs has none.
• Best for a dial you can find by feel → Stellar Labs Inline Volume Control. A physical volume control on the cable is a different experience from pressing remote buttons.
• Best for portability and travel kit → iMangoo USB C Headphones. Tips and a carry case are included, and there's nothing extra to lose.
• Best for people who hate adapters → iMangoo USB C Headphones. One cable, no dongle chain, no extra connector to misplace.
In my opinion, most people reading this should buy the iMangoo USB C Headphones. It's a complete, self-contained product: drivers, DAC, mic, remote, tips, case — one purchase solves the whole wired-audio question on a modern USB-C phone. I'd only steer you to the Stellar Labs Inline Volume Control if the problem you actually have isn't "I need headphones" but "I have headphones and I can't control the volume where I sit." If that's your situation, it's a neat, cheap-to-own fix for a very specific irritation. Check the current price on Amazon for both before deciding — the accessory and the earbuds live in completely different budget brackets, and that gap should shape your call.
FAQ
how to disable volume control on wired headphones
do earbuds have volume control
Sometimes, and it depends on the design. The iMangoo USB C Headphones list volume control under their controls, handled through the in-line remote rather than a rotary dial, and they also add play/pause and skip buttons plus a mic. Many wired earbuds, by contrast, ship with no local volume control at all — which is precisely the gap the Stellar Labs inline unit exists to fill.
No. The iMangoo earbuds already include their own controls and connect over USB-C, while the Stellar Labs inline unit is a 3.5 mm accessory. They don't connect to each other in any useful way, because the Stellar Labs uses a 3.5 mm jack and the iMangoo uses a USB-C plug. Pick one based on what you already own.
No. It's a wired, 3.5 mm in-line device that sits between a sound source and a pair of corded headphones. Bluetooth headphones have their own internal controls and no 3.5 mm connection to insert it into. If you want volume control without wires, this isn't the product.
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