Agree, but using Beats as a reference for sound quality really made me shiver 🥶
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Seemingly Discontinuing Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter Introduced Alongside iPhone 7
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The Apple adapter is well-known for producing excellent sound quality. Other adapters might not have the same quality DAC Apple uses.
This also applies to Apple's USB-C to 3.5mm adapter: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...pple-vs-google-usb-c-headphone-adapters.5541/
All the time. Better sound quality, no connectivity issues, no batteries running down, can’t lose them and they cost half of what comparable wireless headphones do.
Also, because they last much longer, they produce less e-waste and the waste is less hazardous because of the lack of a battery. Batteries can overheat when they get old and them overheating in recycling is the best case scenario. Hearing loss is the worst case, which thankfully is extremely rare.
Last edited:
The 3rd party ones are not generally better or cheaper. Here's a great review of the adapter: https://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/lightning-adapter-audio-quality.htm
If you want comparisons of Apple's USB-C to 3.5mm versus other similar products: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...pple-vs-google-usb-c-headphone-adapters.5541/
"It is time for us Android users to crawl under a rock.
Apple showed us that a bit more thought and engineering put in a dirt cheap and small audio product can produce respectable performance. The objective performance gap with Google dongles especially with their regression to version 2 is vast. This is both on objective front and subjective listening tests."
I use one of the Apple adapters for two main reasons:
- I don't want more batteries to charge every day
- Ear buds fall out of my ears a lot (I know headphone styles exist but those are less compact)
Oddly enough the adapters don’t seem to work with the new Bose QC headphones.
I tried 3 original Apple Adapters with 2x Bose QC (2024) headphones on iPhone 13 Pro and 14 Pro. Every 2 seconds I get a disturbing clicking noise, no matter if the Bose QC are turned on or off and no matter if music or sound is playing or not.
I tried 3 original Apple Adapters with 2x Bose QC (2024) headphones on iPhone 13 Pro and 14 Pro. Every 2 seconds I get a disturbing clicking noise, no matter if the Bose QC are turned on or off and no matter if music or sound is playing or not.
I still use wired headphones.
What forced change? No one forced you to buy a phone without a headphone jack. No one forced you to buy an iPhone. You made that choice. It wasn’t a secret.
No one was forced to buy an iPhone. People chose to. If you didn’t like what Apple was offering don’t buy it. Quit blaming others for your lack of self control or post purchase regret.
Remember when Apple included optical-out with Mac's headphone jack ?? I keep an old 16 inch Macbook alive for this very feature. The HPJ connects optically with my Monarchy DAC optical in, and the sound quality is amazing using iTunes. One feature I wish they would bring back for audiophiles.
My 136 year old great grandmother is. Evil Apple!
The audiophiles still yammer about Bluetooth audio being crap. Whatever. Some just prefer living in the past. Luckily Apple doesn’t often kowtow to that crowd.
As a guy who loves hifi audio, I actually am not bothered by this product being discontinued. On the go it makes more sense to be wireless. Apple’s focus should be on higher quality wireless audio since that isn’t supported by the current Bluetooth standard. In the meantime, reducing waste by discontinuing another accessory that easily breaks isn’t a bad idea.
Side note - as a guy who makes music, I anyway need to double check what my mix sounds like on crappy earphones with no bass (AirPods pro 2) since that is what a lost of listeners are using.
Side note - as a guy who makes music, I anyway need to double check what my mix sounds like on crappy earphones with no bass (AirPods pro 2) since that is what a lost of listeners are using.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
At the time of the "courage"(ous) change, defenders argued that Apple needed to "force" the change from the "antiquated" 3.5mm to "the future" bluetooth... implying that by Apple "forcing" such a change, the world would move on... presumably soon. Here we are not so far from a decade later and very little seems to have changed: 3.5mm is still everywhere and bluetooth is still mostly limited to computing devices. Is it on that M4 Mac Mini just released? Is it on those M4 MBpros just released? Is it on that M4 iMac just released? Yes, yes and yes.
Those of us who argued that we could/should have both since a DAC is in every iDevice anyway (including latest models) and that those ready to embrace "the future" could already do so while those who prefer benefits like higher quality, no latency, easy sharing, etc (and, of course, getting to use buds or headphones they already owned without having to buy a dongle) could get what they wanted too.
Ironically, a few years later, Apple rolls out lossless audio which can NOT fully fit within the bandwidth of "the future" and thus is only able to be heard to its fullest with a WIRED connection.
Nevertheless, the defenders defended (as always), ridiculing 3.5mm with the tired SCSI/Parallel port/floppy disk cliche. It's nearly 2025 and not much beyond the Appleverse and/or computing devices have switched or even added "the future." Most airlines/trains/etc still have a 3.5mm jack but no bluetooth for seat-back live entertainment. If one is flying and wants some live TV, they better bring or borrow wired options/dongles too because "the future" likely won't be an option.
Nothing against those happy with "the future" and the compromises therein. The wired crowd has their own compromises such as the wire and also the dongle so it can be used with Apple devices too. However, my own argument has always been for BOTH, since an Apple quality DAC is built into every iDevice anyway (we just need a way to directly tap into it).
BOTH (all 3 options actually (direct link to Lightning too)) ALREADY existed when Apple found that "courage" to SUBTRACT a higher quality (audio) benefit and spin it as something good for users. And that "the future" play turned out to be so very profitable for the CORP which- IMO- was what that "courage" was all about. 💰💰💰
Last edited:
I wish people would realize that Apple doesn't make moves like "port removal" to "move us towards the future"
They do it to cut their own costs
Full stop
If there's every any consumer benefit, it's usually mostly coincidental and/or disingenuously marketed that way
They do it to cut their own costs
Full stop
If there's every any consumer benefit, it's usually mostly coincidental and/or disingenuously marketed that way
I use it to stream music from my iPhone to the stereo system in my gym.
Yes. My wired headphones (with the dongle) make podcasts, music and phone calls sound better on my iPhone SE 2022 compared to wireless options in my opinion.
I’ve read that the USB-C dongle isn’t as good soundwise as the lightening one, but haven’t heard one yet myself (yet).The 3rd party ones are not generally better or cheaper. Here's a great review of the adapter: https://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/lightning-adapter-audio-quality.htm
If you want comparisons of Apple's USB-C to 3.5mm versus other similar products: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...pple-vs-google-usb-c-headphone-adapters.5541/
"It is time for us Android users to crawl under a rock.
Regardless, I’ll buy a couple of extra lightening ones from Best Buy (already have a couple) along with a couple of usb-c ones for my next iPhone next year ($35 for free shipping in Canada). Sold out on Amazon.ca.
And yeah, they’re flimsy, but I tend to lose mine before I break them lol. Always gotta carry around an extra one, in its box, just in case.
As for ASR, I listen to music, I don’t measure it.
This. Got tired snagging the cords on knobs, handles, my hands (when doing cardio), etc and ruining another set of wired earbuds.
Still have a pair that are nice for long phone calls (don’t want to use speaker for some privacy and courtesy sakes, don‘t want to hold a phone for long amount) but it’s been probably four years since I last broke those out.
The number of users who want wired is miniscule compared to the number of users who use wireless. It made sense to remove the port out because relatively few people would ever use it. Also, it probably helped improve the water resistance of the iPhone.
That’s a whole lot of words to still not provide a single way in which you were forced to buy an iPhone (or any phone without a headphone jack).
Well, until the EU decides they are gatekeeping our ears and forces them to add a headphone jack to iPhones.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I didn't write I was forced to buy an iPhone. I don't even own an iPhone. I clarified what I meant by "forced" (TWICE now) after you bent it into a very different meaning.
I 100% agree that no one is forced to buy an iPhone. But that has NOTHING to do what what I meant by "forced."
Last edited: