I'm basing my opinion on 1 of 2 pairs of Lightning headphones that even exist. But that's not where I'm basing my opinion on sound quality in general. I record and mix audio for movies, as well as movie scores. I do that work on professional monitors, but I also own MANY pairs of monitor headphones. I've returned far more than I own for not cutting it. I've returned or shelved several pairs of Sony headphones absolutely. But also Sennheiser, Shure, Klipsch, AKG, etc. I own IEMs, open, closed, and on-ear sets. The Sony MDR-1adac are great daily drivers for me because they sound good, are comfortable, and block out a lot of sound. The $40 MDR-V55s I mentioned are a damn miracle... Not accurate but a great sound signature that is more "fun" (bass) without being muddy like Beats used to be (I haven't heard recent models, but they used to sound terrible). It was just a coincidence that both models I mentioned were Sony.
There will surely be high end DACs built into expensive headphones in the future if Apple removes the jack. But the current DAC is very, very good. Removing the jack is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. TRS is not a quality bottleneck in any way. There are analog cables recording albums at ridiculously high resolution. There are analog cables inside Bluetooth headphones.
Nothing about this will be about quality... It will be about making the phone ever slimmer, and at the cost of removing functionality.
This is no different than if Apple removed the sound card from all future Macs. Something they should probably do to make room for a lightning port for those new $300 Beats.
Fair enough, but now you've emphasized that yours is a niche professional opinion, with far higher standards than the average Apple user as well. And audio quality is a highly subjective opinion as well, professional or not. I am very familiar with the world in which you work on a daily basis, and audio in those circumstances is very subjective. While I respect your opinion, you're using one set of headphones to inform a rumored decision which may be made by Apple, without taking into account why, or what Apple intends to do to improve the deficiencies of a single set of headphones from one manufacturer.
And the reality is, the DAC is only a part of the equation. The amps used are going to have a far more important effect on the sound reproduction than the DAC. As for not being able to control the headphones volume and EQ through the iPhone, I'd say Apple will have to offer a solution to that, and one that immediately comes to mind as individual headphone makers start customizing the DAC & amp to their products, is an integrated app that allows the built-in Apple audio controls to sense the headphones installed and allow their control via the parameters specified by the app. Hopefully seamless for the user.
In the end, this meme of "Removing the jack is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist" is tiresome, because none of us know what problem exists that is driving Apple to potentially drop a universally used standard. If they do it, there's obviously a good reason, especially with Apple poised on the precipice of declining profits and stock devaluation. If the competition can keep the headphone jack and offer point for point the same tech as well, Apple will take a huge hit. I'm still not convinced that the 3.5mm jack is that widely used anymore (another reason Apple might chose this time to do this), but it's still widely used, and will be hard to overcome with Apple's usual marketing spin, without a damn good justification, or at a minimum, a flagship phone industry also posed with the same dilemma of removing the jack or not and following suit.
The other meme that this move
will not be about quality, and only about making the phone slimmer, is also tiresome. As if Apple is foolish enough to shoot themselves in the foot, and give the competition a strong foothold merely to make a slimmer phone, as if there is no other possible reason. It's cynical at best, unrealistic at worst. If Apple is truly just making a money grab, or elitist design, and has no concern about the quality, then this will absolutely fail, just like if they are doing it in a market where their competition does not have to likewise remove the jack. Assuming even one of those things are true, then the other is necessitated by default or Apple loses it's shirt, as well it should.
And the final cynicism, r
emoving the sound card from all future Macs, is likewise just as ridiculous. With the exception of the rMB which would require removing the 3.5mm jack to add a Lightning port in it's current design, but with the added advantage of a second USB 3 capable data and charging port; most Macs could probably retain the 3.5mm jack while also adding Lightning -- something that actually makes sense as USB-C takes over and a dedicated charging method is desired. But, just like the iPhone, there will always be a need to include a DACs, ADCs and amps to drive speakers and mics. But those are no replacement good quality remote speakers and headphones, just a convenience when higher quality devices aren't available. Even professional studios who do install much higher quality sound cards, or outboard gear, in their Macs, still rely on the built-in speakers every now and then.