Apple Seemingly Discontinuing Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter Introduced Alongside iPhone 7

[Newgoblin49]

Ironically, the reason I bought my USB-C to audio jack dongle was so I wouldn't have to plug my computer speakers into the front of my new Mac mini, cuz that just looks awful. However, in the end, I just plugged the amp into the audio jack on my monitor instead. However, I will use this dongle with my iPad Pro on the plane with my Etymotics.

And it still bugs me to this day that the 12" MacBook has two ports, but Apple chose to make one of them audio. I would have much rather have had 2 USB-C ports instead of 1 USB-C and 1 audio. Cuz with this US$9 dongle, you can convert USB to audio, but you can't audio to USB (iPod shuffle notwithstanding).

That's a very bad idea. Take it from an audiophile.

Monitors use cheaper DAC's , you will not be getting the full capability of your speakers by connecting it to your monitor.
The Lows would sound trash there will not be any depth to it , the highs will sound very high pitched rather than enjoyable

 

[Newgoblin49]

That's great. I wasn't aware of that. Thx.

BTW, UGREEN is on the list and their 30756 adapter is listed.

View attachment 2452641

It's currently $12.74 at Amazon USA, so I guess it's priced only $3.74 more than the Apple one was.

I didn't know 3.5mm to lighting was allowed on an MFI level. I distinctly remember Apple hadn't handed that privilege to anyone.

 

[Royksöpp]

Not a loss. There are literally thousands of other options people can buy.

 

[Newgoblin49]

Not a loss. There are literally thousands of other options people can buy.

not true

 

[EugW]

That's a very bad idea. Take it from an audiophile.

Monitors use cheaper DAC's , you will not be getting the full capability of your speakers by connecting it to your monitor.
The Lows would sound trash there will not be any depth to it , the highs will sound very high pitched rather than enjoyable

I figured someone would bring that up... cuz well... it's not wrong... However, it sounds fine for what I use it for, which is mainly YouTube and news and that sort of thing. Music is OK, but it's more for background music, not intent listening. I tried it briefly with the Apple USB-C adapter and it wasn't a big difference, at least the way I was using this. I don't get the tinny highs from the monitor's audio jack, but I haven't really examined the lows that much, since the lows aren't actually there to begin with. The speakers are NHT SuperZero 2.1. I will try more detailed listening again later when I have more time, but that this point I was more concerned about losing a rear Thunderbolt port to the dongle than I was about the finer details of the sound quality. There is no way I'm using my M4 Mac mini's front audio jack or one of the front USB ports for this, just because of aesthetics, so ultimately if I wanted to use the dongle, I'd have to run it through my Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 hub. I also think the amp itself could be a bit of a limiting factor here, because it's one of those tiny desktop "Class T" amps that I bought mainly because of the size and cost.

I should mention though that in the same room I do have a better system for music, with NHT C-3 speakers and SVS SB-1000 subwoofer hooked up to an Apple AirPort Express via a Sony AV receiver. Not exactly high end but the sound quality of that setup is obviously noticeably better, and I can route music from my Mac mini directly to that system.

 

[Velin]

Anyone still using wired earbuds/headphones via 3.5mm jack?

Absolutely. Using a quality wired Senheiser headset with boom mic on iPhone 15. The quality of wired over wireless is significant. I ask people, and every single one can hear the difference. Wired is crystal clear. Wireless, not so much.

 

[victorvictoria]

Yes. Connection doesn't drop, battery doesn't run out, audio quality vastly superior.

You forgot "cheaper!" But if you have an iPhone 15 or later, a better choice would be USB-C earbuds, instead of outdated 3.5mm plug.

 

[svish]

With newer iPhones having USB C, Apple will be slowly phasing it out. Anyway good to see that USB C to 3.5mm adapter is available.

 

[Newgoblin49]

I figured someone would bring that up... cuz well... it's not wrong... However, it sounds fine for what I use it for, which is mainly YouTube and news and that sort of thing. Music is OK, but it's more for background music, not intent listening. I tried it briefly with the Apple USB-C adapter and it wasn't a big difference, at least the way I was using this. I don't get the tinny highs from the monitor's audio jack, but I haven't really examined the lows that much, since the lows aren't actually there to begin with. The speakers are NHT SuperZero 2.1. I will try more detailed listening again later when I have more time, but that this point I was more concerned about losing a rear Thunderbolt port to the dongle than I was about the finer details of the sound quality. There is no way I'm using my M4 Mac mini's front audio jack or one of the front USB ports for this, just because of aesthetics, so ultimately if I wanted to use the dongle, I'd have to run it through my Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 hub. I also think the amp itself could be a bit of a limiting factor here, because it's one of those tiny desktop "Class T" amps that I bought mainly because of the size and cost.

I should mention though that in the same room I do have a better system for music, with NHT C-3 speakers and SVS SB-1000 subwoofer hooked up to an Apple AirPort Express via a Sony AV receiver. Not exactly high end but the sound quality of that setup is obviously noticeably better, and I can route music from my Mac mini directly to that system.

Got you , if it doesn't bother you then who am I to judge.

Also , if you don't want to run a cable from the front of your Mac mini, you can buy another DAC and hook it to the back of your Mac mini , that's what I will likely do if I have the need for it.

I've got my M4 Mac mini hooked to Bowers and Wilkins Zepelin. since the PS5 doesn't have an Aux out or any such , I have to connect it to the speakers via the monitor , the sound is definitely compromised if you give it a careful listen but I am not an avid gamer so I don't really care , as long as I am getting the full quality out of my Mac

 

[EugW]

With newer iPhones having USB C, Apple will be slowly phasing it out. Anyway good to see that USB C to 3.5mm adapter is available.

Yes of course, but there are a ton of Lightning iPhones and iPads out there that have not yet been declared Vintage. I had figured we would have several more years before they discontinued this dongle.

Got you , if it doesn't bother you then who am I to judge.

Also , if you don't want to run a cable from the front of your Mac mini, you can buy another DAC and hook it to the back of your Mac mini , that's what I will likely do if I have the need for it.

I've got my M4 Mac mini hooked to Bowers and Wilkins Zepelin. since the PS5 doesn't have an Aux out or any such , I have to connect it to the speakers via the monitor , the sound is definitely compromised if you give it a careful listen but I am not an avid gamer so I don't really care , as long as I am getting the full quality out of my Mac

Yeah at most I'd just use the Apple dongle, but as mentioned, the issue here is the lack of rear ports. There's only three, and currently they're all populated - monitor*, external SSD, and Thunderbolt hub. I was originally planning on connecting a Time Machine drive to one of the rear ports, but I guess I'll have to run it off the Thunderbolt hub instead.

*The monitor having to be connected here is a little bit of a downer. With my M1 Mac mini, I could connect the monitor to the hub and it worked fine. Well, occasionally the monitor would not go to sleep, but it would never fail to wake up when it did sleep. I was good with that since it didn't take up a USB port on the Mac.

With the M4 Mac mini, the monitor often does not wake up when plugged into that same hub. It only consistently wakes up properly when directly connected to the Mac mini. OTOH, the good news is it does sleep properly now every time.

 

[v0lume4]

I use AirPods every day at my work computer. But I use my Sennheisers (cans) at night to watch content on my Apple TV and use my Etymotics on the plane (IEMs for sound isolation). I also use the Etymotics when mowing the lawn.

IMO it's not really about the whether or not Bluetooth can handle the quality. It's more about the design intent. Regular AirPods are not designed for top audio quality. Most are designed for "good enough" quality at a reasonable price and maximum convenience. OTOH, AirPods Max reviews generally say they have excellent sound quality, but they also cost a lot more money than decent wired cans. If you just want quality you can spend a lot less and get nice cans. But the AirPods Max are convenient because they are wireless.

Thank you for the reply. You have some very nice toys. 😁 So it sounds like you're saying the answer is: No, Bluetooth headphones aren't inherently inferior in 2024 just due to the fact of them being wireless. Is that correct?

I'll throw this out there. How many people are using wired over ear cans without adequate power from their aux port? And how many of them would benefit from wireless headphones for that reason alone? I reckon a lot. At least with wireless headphones, you know you were getting proper power and signal since that the power supply and DAC Is controlled by the manufacturer and not left up to the end user.

 

[Royksöpp]

not true

Excuse me? You wanna say that again? 🤡

Amazon.com: Lightning To 3.5 Mm Headphone Jack Adapter

Amazon.com: lightning to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter

www.amazon.com

Lightning to 3.5mm Adapter for sale | eBay

Get the best deals for Lightning to 3.5mm Adapter at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!

www.ebay.com

 

[EugW]

Thank you for the reply. You have some very nice toys. 😁 So it sounds like you're saying the answer is: No, Bluetooth headphones aren't inherently inferior in 2024 just due to the fact of them being wireless. Is that correct?

Yes, but perhaps most important here is cost. For the same money, wireless will indeed usually be inferior. You usually have to spend a lot more money with wireless to get the same quality.

I'll throw this out there. How many people are using wired over ear cans without adequate power from their aux port? And how many of them would benefit from wireless headphones for that reason alone? I reckon a lot. At least with wireless headphones, you know you were getting proper power and signal since that the power supply and DAC Is controlled by the manufacturer and not left up to the end user.

Honestly, I think the vast majority of people are fine since most people skew toward the lower priced range, where decent headphones don't necessarily require a ton of power. But to get that level of quality in wireless often means spending twice as much.

Excuse me? You wanna say that again? 🤡

Amazon.com: Lightning To 3.5 Mm Headphone Jack Adapter

Amazon.com: lightning to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter

www.amazon.com

Lightning to 3.5mm Adapter for sale | eBay

Get the best deals for Lightning to 3.5mm Adapter at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!

www.ebay.com

He's correct. The vast majority of those dongles are junk. You have to be very careful since a lot of them simply don't work properly, or else break easily, etc. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier in the thread, a lot (or indeed, probably most) that claim to be MFi certified are not actually certified. The manufacturers just lie because nobody on eBay or Amazon ever polices them on that claim. However, the UGREEN is truly MFi approved, and according to reviews is pretty reasonably well built. (I don't own the UGREEN though, since I've only ever bought the Apple ones.)

 

[Newgoblin49]

Excuse me? You wanna say that again? 🤡

Amazon.com: Lightning To 3.5 Mm Headphone Jack Adapter

Amazon.com: lightning to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter

www.amazon.com

Lightning to 3.5mm Adapter for sale | eBay

Get the best deals for Lightning to 3.5mm Adapter at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!

www.ebay.com

LOL . Read the rest of the thread. That’s embarrassing

almost all of those are fake. There’s only one legit one that is the ugreen

 

[JosephAW]

Hopefully they continue a USB-C to HDMI adapter, I’m still using the lightning one regularly.

 

[EugW]

almost all of those are fake. There’s only one legit one that is the ugreen

Most are probably fake, but the UGREEN is not the only legit one. There are others as well, such as the Syncwire.

https://www.amazon.com/Syncwire-Adapter-Lightning-Certified-Converter/dp/B0865VZHNH/

But this one reflects what I was saying before. At eighteen bucks it's twice as expensive as Apple's dongle.

 

[Newgoblin49]

Most are probably fake, but the UGREEN is not the only legit one. There are others as well, such as the Syncwire.

https://www.amazon.com/Syncwire-Adapter-Lightning-Certified-Converter/dp/B0865VZHNH/

But this one reflects what I was saying before. At eighteen bucks it's twice as expensive as Apple's dongle.

oh is that right ? Wasn’t really aware of this one. It’s not available in my country.

I think we should check the Apple MFI website if this one is real or not

 

[mannyvel]

I just bought 3 more of them. Keep losing them.

 

[EugW]

oh is that right ? Wasn’t really aware of this one. It’s not available in my country.

I think we should check the Apple MFI website if this one is real or not

BTW, the Apple dongle is CA$10, which is US$7.10. The Syncwire is $21 in Canada, which is over 2X the price of the Apple dongle. The UGREEN is $22 in Canada.

 

[Newgoblin49]

View attachment 2452683

BTW, the Apple dongle is CA$10, which is US$7.10. The Syncwire is $21 in Canada, which is over 2X the price of the Apple dongle.

Gotcha , but honestly it may be worth the asking price.

I think apples dongle is terrible , since my very first iPhone X I’ve would’ve gone though maybe some 15 of such dongles.

They die quite quickly and I remember last time around when I looked up this topic , Apple wasn’t giving MFI certifications for 3.5 MM to lightning.

I’m glad that’s not the case anymore and I’ll definitely be picking up the Ugreen when my current cables go

 

[PhoenixAnhart]

The "Lightning to Headphone Jack", AKA the most annoying damn thing in the world, that frankly never should have existed, and I still think Apple should go back and return the headphone jack.

 

[oryan_dunn]

The Apple Adapter is legitimately quite good. I doubt most 3rd party adapters for anywhere near the same cost would measure close to it.

Apple Lightning Adapter Audio Quality Measurements

Let’s hope it’s a temporary hiccup like the EarPods a little while back. Lightning devices are still sold and millions (billions?) still in use. Apple not supporting these perfectly capable devices would fly in the face of their environmental claims.

 

[1738]

Okay, its official. Apple’s doomed.

 

[Pinchdaw]

Anyone still using wired earbuds/headphones via 3.5mm jack?

I am.

 

[v0lume4]

Yes, but perhaps most important here is cost. For the same money, wireless will indeed usually be inferior. You usually have to spend a lot more money with wireless to get the same quality.


Honestly, I think the vast majority of people are fine since most people skew toward the lower priced range, where decent headphones don't necessarily require a ton of power. But to get that level of quality in wireless often means spending twice as much.

I understand what you're saying. Thank you for the answers. 🙂