Headphones connected via Lightning adapter keep disconnecting

Hi,

One of the main uses for my iPhone is listening to music while outside. Until recently, I was using an iPhone SE (the first one) with wired earphones - usually Sony stereo headphones for smartphones (several different models that feature in-line mic and button control) and the Spotify app on iPhone - I generally had no issues.

Due to the iPhone SE getting old (battery life diminished and proximity sensor stopped working) I decided to update to one of the newer iPhones - I went for the iPhone 13 mini. I was aware that the newer iPhones do not have a 3.5 jack and that I should have a Lightning adapter to use with my wired earphones, so I purchased one as well (the Apple official one).

Connecting the adapter and earphones works OK (I am asked if the adapter is connected to headphones and I confirm) and I can listen to Spotify and also have phone calls via the earphones fine. However, after an indeterminate amount of time (seemingly random - sometimes quite long, other times mere seconds), the music will stop as if the earphones were disconnected. At this point, several things are possible:

1. The music continues playing through the iPhone's speakers - the earphones cannot be activated until I physically remove and reinsert the Lightning adapter.
2. The music stops completely - as if the earphones were physically removed. Pressing the earphones' in-line control restarts the music, but in most cases it only plays for a couple of seconds before stopping again.
3. The music stops completely (same as above) but pressing the earphones' in-line control does nothing. At this point I need to physically remove and reinsert the Lightning adapter for the earphones to work again.

I have tried the following to determine more about the issue:

1. Wiggling the Lightning adapter and/or the 3.5 headphone jack to check if the issue is with the physical connections between the devices - the connections on both ends (Lightning and 3.5 jack) seem tight enough and moving them around did not reproduce the issue.
2. Using a different set of earphones - this did not have an effect, i.e. the issue persisted.
3. Using a different Lightning adapter: a CellularLine adapter used with the same earphones as before - the issue persisted.
4. Plugging the Lightning adapter the opposite way (tried this with both adapters) - no effect, the issue persisted.
5. Changing the Lightning Adapters setting under Headphone Safety, turning off the Connected to Headphones setting for the current adapter - this does not appear to affect the issue as far as I can tell.
6. Using Apple's wired EarPods with Lightning Connector - no effect, the issue persisted.

Some observations:

1. The disconnections always seem to happen while using the adapter/earphones with the Spotify app for listening to music. I have had no disconnections while e.g. using the adapter/earphones to make or receive phone calls or while using the YouTube app to watch videos, but since I do both of the above for much shorter times than listening to music, I cannot be certain if this is correct or not.
2. In several cases, the disconnection seemed to coincide with another event, e.g. receiving a notification while listening to music, which caused the phone to vibrate (it was set on Silent mode), caused the adapter/earphones to disconnect. In some other cases the disconnections seemed to coincide with a song beginning or ending, but these could be just coincidences.
3. In almost all cases when there is a disconnection, I can hear a slight popping sound via the earphones - this is the same sound I hear when connecting them for the first time. When using the earphones' in-line control to try and restart the music, if the music fails to start I hear the same popping sound.
4. The disconnections seem to happen more often when I am outside and walking - this initially led me to believe the issue was with the physical connections, but as stated above I have failed to reproduce the issue by wiggling the adapter and/or the earphone jack. Also, the issue has happened while I am outside and NOT walking as well. However, since I very rarely use the phone to listen to music at home, I cannot be sure if the above applies.

I would appreciate any comments or advice on this issue. It is really frustrating as listening to music is one of the main uses for my iPhone. Please note that I do NOT want to use AirPods or other wireless earphones - I was not happy when it was decided that newer iPhones will not include a 3.5 jack, but I adapted (pun intended), so I simply want the adapter to work as intended.

For reference, the devices mentioned above are:

Apple iPhone SE 32 GB - model A1723

Apple iPhone 13 mini 256 GB - model A2628

Apple EarPods Lightning Connector - model A1748

Apple Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter - model A1749

CellularLine Music Enabler L Lightning (adapter) - model MUSICENABLERLMFIW

Sony Stereo Headphones for Smartphones - models MDR-EX15AP, MDR-EX110AP, MDR-EX155AP

Thank you in advance!