[SeeSax]

It's a well laid out thought.

Still some engineer who knows that the Lightning port setup has ¡already explained us that it's just not possible to pump analog stuff through the Lightning port. I'd like him to be wrong but i am afraid his view is on the money.

Is that in this thread? Sorry if I missed it but this is literally make our break for me on the 7. If there's some tiny DAC in that adapter rather than passing analog through to my headphones then I'm out for sure.

-Collin-

 

[crabwalker]

Is that in this thread? Sorry if I missed it but this is literally make our break for me on the 7. If there's some tiny DAC in that adapter rather than passing analog through to my headphones then I'm out for sure.

-Collin-

Yes it is. It's a few pages back but there was a lengthy discussion/argument over the topic. It appears pretty clear though that you cannot pass an analog signal through the digital lightning port and so the adapter actually has a built in dac/amp. Believe it was actually confirmed when looking at the specs for the adapter that apple posted.

 

[SeeSax]

Yes it is. It's a few pages back but there was a lengthy discussion/argument over the topic. It appears pretty clear though that you cannot pass an analog signal through the digital lightning port and so the adapter actually has a built in dac/amp. Believe it was actually confirmed when looking at the specs for the adapter that apple posted.

Damn, that's terrible. I don't even want to imagine what kind of DAC comes in a $9 adapter. Probably about the same as that in my $17 BT workout earphones. Ugh.

 

[shotgunshane]

Yes it is. It's a few pages back but there was a lengthy discussion/argument over the topic. It appears pretty clear though that you cannot pass an analog signal through the digital lightning port and so the adapter actually has a built in dac/amp. Believe it was actually confirmed when looking at the specs for the adapter that apple posted.

The discussion was about USB-C, which does allow for it and is in the propaganda Intel is pushing but has yet to be brought to market.

I agree there is nothing published saying it's possible with lightning and having a dac/amp makes the most logical sense in a lightning to 3.5mm adapter from what we know, but from the picture of the adapter, it looks to small. From what I can tell, the lightning end is the same size as current lightning cables which just has enough room for the authentication chip. The other end only looks big enough to be a female 3.5mm connector. To fit a dac/amp (from Cirrus Logic I presume), I would think one of the ends would need to be a little bigger. For instance, consider the lightning to 30 pin adapter with Wolfson chip (although part of the reason it's big is to put the 30 pin connector in it). If it has a dac/amp, it will be the smallest on the market, by far, that I've seen. Shrugs.

 

[SeeSax]

The discussion was about USB-C, which does allow for it and is in the propaganda Intel is pushing but has yet to be brought to market.

I agree there is nothing published saying it's possible with lightning and having a dac/amp makes the most logical sense in a lightning to 3.5mm adapter from what we know, but from the picture of the adapter, it looks to small. From what I can tell, the lightning end is the same size as current lightning cables which just has enough room for the authentication chip. The other end only looks big enough to be a female 3.5mm connector. To fit a dac/amp (from Cirrus Logic I presume), I would think one of the ends would need to be a little bigger. For instance, consider the lightning to 30 pin adapter with Wolfson chip (although part of the reason it's big is to put the 30 pin connector in it). If it has a dac/amp, it will be the smallest on the market, by far, that I've seen. Shrugs.

This was exactly my thought, how can a DAC be in that connector.

 

[crabwalker]

posted in error

 

[RugbyPlayer]

Because DAC/Amp Combos can be EXTREMELY small? I work in embedded design currently, and can absolutely gaurantee you there are DAC/Amps small enough to fit. Especially because in this design it wouldnt need any other design work behind it, you would just directly wire the the data+power into the pins on the DAC.

As far as powering the internal speakers, yes, there is likely a DAC in both the phone and the amp. DAC/Amps with orders of 1k+ are typically less than $10 per unit, dropping a cheaper DAC/amp into the phone for the internal speakers without increasing the cost whatsoever is completely feasable especially if it only has to power the internal speakers

for example, this DAC/Amp is only 5mm X 5mm

 

[Sylmar]

I remain sceptical. Apple's promises of breakthroughs are often over-exaggerated. I'll await the GSMarena no-nonsense review.

 

[elfary]

This June article leaves me very relaxed and lesves my bank account shivering:

https://9to5mac.com/2016/06/29/cirrus-logic-mfi-dev-kit-lightning-headphones-iphone-7/

If Cirrus Logic is at the steering wheel i expect another day at the office with the dongle plugged in. It's gonna deliver...


If the tonality it's not right, then nothing else really matters.

 

[trellus]

This June article leaves me very relaxed and lesves my bank account shivering:

https://9to5mac.com/2016/06/29/cirrus-logic-mfi-dev-kit-lightning-headphones-iphone-7/

If Cirrus Logic is at the steering wheel i expect another day at the office with the dongle plugged in. It's gonna deliver...


If the tonality it's not right, then nothing else really matters.

Yeah, I've seen some pretty small DAC/amps with Lightning connector already, but the trick usually is they put them in the housing for a remote control (like Audeze's Cipher "cable").

This tiny Apple dongle would have to put it in the little end with the connector itself -- I'll be (pleasantly) surprised if it has the same quality and power as the DAC/amp in my iPhone 6s Plus -- and they sell it for $9. They don't even sell Lightning cables for that little.

 

[shotgunshane]

This June article leaves me very relaxed and lesves my bank account shivering:

https://9to5mac.com/2016/06/29/cirrus-logic-mfi-dev-kit-lightning-headphones-iphone-7/

If Cirrus Logic is at the steering wheel i expect another day at the office with the dongle plugged in. It's gonna deliver...


If the tonality it's not right, then nothing else really matters.

Nice find. So maybe these new CL chips allow the space to be much smaller. Specs look decent and double the power of a ZX Walkman too.

 

[csglinux]

Nice post!

What has dismayed me most about this whole debacle has been the lack of empathy from those that believe we should all just man-up, get with the times, move on, progress, leave that 100 year dinosaur connector behind and fully brace the audio revolution that Apple has been courageous enough to start. Sorry, I just don't want to carry dongles or swap my SE846 for a pair of Bluetooth Beats headphones. This is about more than just a headphone socket. It's about a company I no longer trust. Yes, today it's just a headphone jack. What will Apple do tomorrow in the name of making even more money by gouging its customers progress?

I'm done with Apple and this thread. Time for me to move on. Good luck to all you folks with the dongles and the bluetooth.

 

[trellus]

Nice find. So maybe these new CL chips allow the space to be much smaller. Specs look decent and double the power of a ZX Walkman too.

Yes, smaller, but notice that the enclosure is the body of the remote, which is still significantly larger than the end of the Lightning connector by a factor of about 4x.

 

[shotgunshane]

Agreed. Without controls it would be much smaller though, however still looks to big to fit in with the authentication chip in a normal lightning connector.

What would be nice is a case no thicker than the Apple silicone cases that have a nice competent dac and amp baked in, plus 3.5mm port. Many (most?) use a case anyway.

 

[colonelkernel8]

Damn, that's terrible. I don't even want to imagine what kind of DAC comes in a $9 adapter. Probably about the same as that in my $17 BT workout earphones. Ugh.

Let's be real, probably the same quality of DAC that's built into an iPhone to start with.