[trellus]

If the pre-release/rumor article I posted early is the real dongle, this is how they say it worked:

"When the Lightning to 3.5 mm adapter is plugged into a device running iOS 9 or lower, the software displays an incompatibility message to the user, but when used on devices with a beta of iOS 10 installed, the dongle appears to work "immediately" without any issues. The author also notes that if headphones are plugged into both the standard headphone jack on a current iPhone and the adapter connected to Lightning, the device gives priority to the Lightning port for audio output. "

That requirement for iOS 10 for this adapter -- which is stated already on the product information page for the replacement adapter at Apple's web site -- is definitely curious, perhaps suggesting that this dongle isn't using the same standard USB Audio interface, given that other DACs work with iOS 9 (and earlier versions, maybe iOS 8?) already through the CCK adapter (I have a couple, the older without Lightning pass-through charging, and the new one with it), or directly with a regular Lightning cable to MFi certified devices like my SoundBlaster E5 DAC/amp.

 

[trellus]

   
because installing ios10 suddenly adds more traces on the pcb for analog audio?

 
Or because iOS 10 adds support for a non-standard digital interface to talk to the mini-DAC in that adapter?  It does seem strange that this DAC requires iOS 10 but other DACs do not.  
 
I use a regular ol' Lightning cable to directly connect my SoundBlaster E5 to my iPhone 6s Plus running iOS 9, and a number of other DACs that support standard USB Audio, by using the CCK.

 

[shotgunshane]

If indeed a dac/amp, the immediate next question I have is, what is the output impedance?

 

[trellus]

If indeed a dac/amp, the immediate next question I have is, what is the output impedance?

I have a feeling that such information is not forthcoming from Apple.

I think for most of us on Head-Fi, we won't likely rely on that adapter when we are concerned about audio fidelity, and some of us already use third-party DACs anyway with our iOS devices, and in all likelihood, they are better than the $9 adapter.

 

[Currawong]

Originally Posted by trellus /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
It does seem out of character for Apple to sell a DAC/amp, however cheap it is to them, for $9.   Even their Lightning-to-USB cable costs more than that, which at least suggests that Apple perhaps worked out a solution to carry analog audio over Lightning.
 
Granted, the other possibility is that the DAC in that little thing is just so very mediocre, or that they're not making the same profit margins they make on normal cables -- it just seems very "un-Apple" to me, though perhaps they could be doing it to reduce the inevitable grumbling about needing an adapter in the first place.

 
Not out of character at all. The Lightning to 30-pin adaptor, which has been around for years now, has a DAC in it. 

 

[trellus]

Not out of character at all. The Lightning to 30-pin adaptor, which has been around for years now, has a DAC in it. 

The out of character aspect is the price - that Lightning-to-30 pin adapter is something I have and it cost me a lot more than $9.

I bought one of those in May 2013 for my iPhone 5, a genuine Apple one, and it cost me $31.99.

That's why this $9 DAC seems strange to me.

 

[Currawong]

I can guess why they decided to sell it at that price: To make it impractical for Chinese companies to make knock-offs. Why? Because people tend to blame the phone manufacturer rather than the accessory maker if something goes wrong. 

 

[trellus]

I can guess why they decided to sell it at that price: To make it impractical for Chinese companies to make knock-offs. Why? Because people tend to blame the phone manufacturer rather than the accessory maker if something goes wrong. 

It doesn't appear they have lowered the price of plain ol' Lightning - USB charging / data cables, which are more expensive than this 3.5mm adapter, so perhaps it truly is just because it is a bare-bones solution and because they realize this is a bigger deal than getting rid of a floppy drive or an optical drive - so they wanted to at least partially shush the crowd who might complain bitterly about not only losing this very established port but also having to pay the usual Apple tax for a replacement.

 

[elfary]

 

At 9$ it is gonna be cheap to find out about its performance. I will be buying one on as soon as is on sale and will compare how does it drive the SE846s against the iPhone 6 hpo.
 
Quotes by Jos Wosniak and Dan Riccio (Apple hardware SVPs) make me rather pessimistic though. Apple is all in for wireless so i don't know the amount of resources they have put into that cheap dongle. Apple and cheap don't mix well together. Still there is a window for hope because depending on the quality of this dongle the irk from many customers across the world could just vanish.

 

[raptor18]

Don't you guys believe in yourself that you can learn and get used to Android? The OS is easy to use with many benefits over iOS. As someone mentioned here, iOS is still better as an overall experience but it's only minor. I will definitely not buy a handset without headphone out and it doesn't matter if it's an iOS or an Android. I know that Android units were among the first to ditch the headphone output. HTC Magic (yes it's old) and there was this motorola released recently.
 
I like the iphone i use becuase it has a really good builtin DAC and there is for sure Android units that has similar quality. 

 

[raptor18]

I too start to believe it has a DAC inside. Also if it didn't have a DAC inside it would be slimmer i guess? Something like this?
 
http://www.image-tmart.com/images/C/CL064BL/2.5mm-Male-to-3.5mm-Female-Headphone-Adapter-03.gif
 
Now it's way bulkier than it could be if it was just thin wires?

 

[ronnel0918]

No aptX HD capability like the G5? I thought they are all in for wireless? Not even bluetooth 5.0? Just curious.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[elfary]

No aptX HD capability like the G5? I thought they are all in for wireless? Not even bluetooth 5.0? Just curious.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

It seems to me like Apple has built his own wireless audio transmission protocol via the W1 chip that will be mounted into the Airpods and some Beats stuff.
 
As skeptical as i am about the 3.5 dongle performance, i a m sure that if Apple is switching to wireless is because they have figured out how to fix all the Bluetooth audio shortcomings with a propietary chip.
 
Apple puts billions of dollars into R&D and it is gonna show on their wireless audio take.

 

[catspaw]

This is a guess or a fact?
I ask because it sounds like an ad...
 
The problem is not that we need better dacs in headphone cables but that iPhones have crap dacs in their overpriced devices.
The only benefit is going to be for headphone makers who will benefit from finding a good synergy between their HP and the DAC they make.
 
I dont like this, but lucky for me, I never liked apple products anyway.

 

[elfary]

  This is a guess or a fact?
I ask because it sounds like an ad...
 
The problem is not that we need better dacs in headphone cables but that iPhones have crap dacs in their overpriced devices.
The only benefit is going to be for headphone makers who will benefit from finding a good synergy between their HP and the DAC they make.
 
I dont like this, but lucky for me, I never liked apple products anyway.

 
If you look into idevices DAC measurements the truth will shine on you.
 
FTR iPhone 6 dac/amp is the only dac/amp over the face of Earth that is pitch black with my Shure SE846s.