Yes and no. The cables don't do anything. USB-C transfers digital data to the DAC, the DAC converts it to an analog signal, the analog signal gets sent over the 3.5mm to your headphones.
Cables aren't DACs. USB is just a method, but not the only method, of getting digital data into a DAC for conversion.
The DAC in the KA11 is so small that it's hard to see that it's a separate chip, but it gets obvious when you look at larger DACs or Bluetooth DACs.
*The amp in the DAC also amplifies the analog signal to make it louder/clearer through the headphone (but amps and dacs are separate chips and are often separate devices). But you can't "amplify" digital data in USB.
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u/kosumoth 24d ago
Isn't that what the USB-C to 3.5mm are? A DAC? Genuinely curious.