Indeed - this happens all the time with the 3.5mm connector. always getting snapped off and stuck in the phone.
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iPhone 7 and the Audiophile Case For Lightning Headphones
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I question how good a DAC can be, with the size, voltage and current limitations imposed by a headphone cable and lightning connector. I have to admit I rarely listen from an iDevice with headphones and then only on aeroplane journeys using a set of AKG 490NC noise cancelling phones where the main aim is just to drown out the background noise, not high quality reproduction.
Where I do care about reproduction, I have an iPod Classic on a Pure digital dock feeding to an external mains power DAC (a Russ Andrews). My main system uses a Mac Mini with all my music stored as ALAC files, feeding out at 192kHz/24 bit to a Benchmark DAC2L, which uses 4 x 32 bit ESS Sabre DAC chips per channel. You are not exactly going to be able to get that in a cable DAC.
I feel the whole exercise is commercially driven to try and monetise Apple's very expensive Beats purchase by getting folks to buy new headphones. Also what if you need to charge and listen at the same time?
Where I do care about reproduction, I have an iPod Classic on a Pure digital dock feeding to an external mains power DAC (a Russ Andrews). My main system uses a Mac Mini with all my music stored as ALAC files, feeding out at 192kHz/24 bit to a Benchmark DAC2L, which uses 4 x 32 bit ESS Sabre DAC chips per channel. You are not exactly going to be able to get that in a cable DAC.
I feel the whole exercise is commercially driven to try and monetise Apple's very expensive Beats purchase by getting folks to buy new headphones. Also what if you need to charge and listen at the same time?
Then you misunderstood - it clearly found that a Lightning connector can allow for better audio quality. What it didn't do (and what might be confusing you) is that it didn't say Lightning is better than the 3.5mm connector overall.
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The whole point is that the 3.5mm port takes up space and restricts how thin the phone can be, so apple are rumoured to want to remove it. Similarly the optical drive/floppy drive in the computers etc.
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Why do people have such poor comprehension? the $800 headphone may not be for you but arguing that there's no point due to the audio quality from an iPhone when the whole point of the article is that Lightning headphones allow the use of an external DAC, thereby potentially vastly increasing the quality just shows a lack of understanding.
Lightning is an Apple standard... you'll have to carry and adapter or cable to use head phones with other devices. What next will other companies adopt USB-C and now you have to device if you want to spend $250 for a lightning only headphone or a USB-C headphones that will only work with one set of devices. This is silly to push a standard that is only for one ecosystem... i'll pass, limitation like this is silly makes no sense for the average consumer.
I use Bluetooth to listen to music from my iPhone 5 via Beats headphones and have no reason to complain whatsoever and I wouldn't go back to cable. Those Beats were expensive back then, but maybe prices went down in the meantime so they are affordable.
I think this 'case for lightning headphones' is weak, and fundamentally dishonest, because you're essentially making comparisons between DACs/amps, not headphones.
Spend enough money on an external DAC and guess what: it sounds better than the cheaper internal one Apple uses. This is not news people!
But buy integrated lightning headphones and you are lumbered with some proprietary headphones that work only with iOS devices.
Alternatively, buy a lightning DAC with a 3.5mm headphone jack and continue using high quality headphones of your choice. Like you could do already.
There is nothing in the case argued that can't be done NOW with current iOS devices and the lightning port, if you want to (as the examples prove!). The choice of buying a better DAC/amp for the iPhone is a good one to have, whether integrated into the headphones or not. But it isn't an argument for dropping the built-in headphone jack, which is what I find misleading about it.
Removing the option of using the built-in headphone jack would only be for Apple's benefit - not consumers, many of whom are not going to want to spend the increased cost on headphones with integrated DACs that they can only use on one manufacturer's devices - they will buy bargain-basement adapters that sound no better than the iPhone's DAC, only now they will have to carry an adapter or buy superfluous proprietary headphones they never wanted to.
By all means extol the benefits of having the option for external DACs and amps for audiophiles. But don't imply Apple is doing the world in general a favour if it removes the bog-standard 3.5mm headphone jack from its devices and forces what is now a great option into being literally the only way to use wired headphones with a new iPhone.
Spend enough money on an external DAC and guess what: it sounds better than the cheaper internal one Apple uses. This is not news people!
But buy integrated lightning headphones and you are lumbered with some proprietary headphones that work only with iOS devices.
Alternatively, buy a lightning DAC with a 3.5mm headphone jack and continue using high quality headphones of your choice. Like you could do already.
There is nothing in the case argued that can't be done NOW with current iOS devices and the lightning port, if you want to (as the examples prove!). The choice of buying a better DAC/amp for the iPhone is a good one to have, whether integrated into the headphones or not. But it isn't an argument for dropping the built-in headphone jack, which is what I find misleading about it.
Removing the option of using the built-in headphone jack would only be for Apple's benefit - not consumers, many of whom are not going to want to spend the increased cost on headphones with integrated DACs that they can only use on one manufacturer's devices - they will buy bargain-basement adapters that sound no better than the iPhone's DAC, only now they will have to carry an adapter or buy superfluous proprietary headphones they never wanted to.
By all means extol the benefits of having the option for external DACs and amps for audiophiles. But don't imply Apple is doing the world in general a favour if it removes the bog-standard 3.5mm headphone jack from its devices and forces what is now a great option into being literally the only way to use wired headphones with a new iPhone.
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The first iPhone model without the 3.5 audio jack and lightning only headphones option will sink!
Mid-year or next change will bring back the 3.5 audio jack, located at the top of the iPhone!
The next model may look like the iPhone 4s anyway, with front and back glass - so the headphone jack at the top will be great.
Mid-year or next change will bring back the 3.5 audio jack, located at the top of the iPhone!
The next model may look like the iPhone 4s anyway, with front and back glass - so the headphone jack at the top will be great.
Wireless suffers from problems with interference. Those of us who listen to music while traveling in crowded public transit are going to have a hell of a time pairing and keeping a good connection while standing nose to armpit with 250 other people in a single subway car. Plus there's the whole problem of keeping your headphones charged. Who wants to have to worry about that?
So now I've got a choice between charging my headphones every night and hoping they stay connected on the train; carrying a dumb overpriced adapter that's going to get lost/damaged and won't let me listen to music or make a call or watch YouTube while recharging the phone as I do every day while on the way from work to evening activities; or buying an overpriced pair of headphones that have all the same problems as the adapter (except the likelihood of damage/loss) while also carrying around either another adapter or an entirely separate set of headphones to use with my computer or my friend's phone or any other device.
Right, those are all awesome options.
Damn, to agreed with this you need to have mental issues to say the least.
1. They want you to pay extra money for a pair of expensive headphones that will be around as long the port is around.
2. To listen to super compressed audio, you can tell a cheap mp3 when listening to a DJ.
That is another excuse to make you buy things you do need and no one is asking for.
What about better battery life?
What about a version of iTunes that actually work and is more professional?
1. They want you to pay extra money for a pair of expensive headphones that will be around as long the port is around.
2. To listen to super compressed audio, you can tell a cheap mp3 when listening to a DJ.
That is another excuse to make you buy things you do need and no one is asking for.
What about better battery life?
What about a version of iTunes that actually work and is more professional?
That article is a ****ing joke right?
It paints audiophiles as trigger-happy when it comes to "pricey but it's decent quality".
I know an audiophile and I doubt he'd buy a set of headphones for 800 to make him forget about 3.5. (to paraphrase)
More than likely he's quite happy with decent 3.5 when on-the-go and the noise around you degrades the listening experience anyways.
The proper listening mostly happens at home and often from vinyl.
Don't give me this BS.
As if this was a move to be supportive of a niche demographic.
Remember Aperture? Probably similarly niche and they don't ****ing care.
The Verge found one nice use case, but here we are, people can already, if they really want to, get those headphones and they work on today's devices.
There is no progress involved here if Apple were to drop 3.5 as an option.
("it'll push Lightning headphones" → this is what's going to happen: many people like 3.5's flexibility. They already have either proper headphones or just go with whatever ships with the iPhone. There'll be these groups of people dominating: 1) keepers: buy an adapter and keep your old pair 2) Apple buds users: toss the old ones away, use new ones that ship with iPhone. DONE. Some will buy Lightning headphones, but I assume most won't like the thought of a set of headphones that work with merely one of their devices.)
Glassed Silver:ios
It paints audiophiles as trigger-happy when it comes to "pricey but it's decent quality".
I know an audiophile and I doubt he'd buy a set of headphones for 800 to make him forget about 3.5. (to paraphrase)
More than likely he's quite happy with decent 3.5 when on-the-go and the noise around you degrades the listening experience anyways.
The proper listening mostly happens at home and often from vinyl.
Don't give me this BS.
As if this was a move to be supportive of a niche demographic.
Remember Aperture? Probably similarly niche and they don't ****ing care.
The Verge found one nice use case, but here we are, people can already, if they really want to, get those headphones and they work on today's devices.
There is no progress involved here if Apple were to drop 3.5 as an option.
("it'll push Lightning headphones" → this is what's going to happen: many people like 3.5's flexibility. They already have either proper headphones or just go with whatever ships with the iPhone. There'll be these groups of people dominating: 1) keepers: buy an adapter and keep your old pair 2) Apple buds users: toss the old ones away, use new ones that ship with iPhone. DONE. Some will buy Lightning headphones, but I assume most won't like the thought of a set of headphones that work with merely one of their devices.)
Glassed Silver:ios
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Seeing as iTunes doesn't even natively support FLAC, and iPhone storage starts at 16GB, they'd have some nerve to justify this move as being for audiophiles.
Change is good and has to happen at some point if we're to evolve. I've hated 3.5mm for so long and so I'm glad if we can get a new digital standard to finally kill it off.
That said I prefer wireless now any ways, at the point now where it's almost as good.
That said I prefer wireless now any ways, at the point now where it's almost as good.
The iPhone already supports Lightning headphones and has done for over a year. If they are already so much better why has it taken the threat of removing the 3.5mm socket for them to get noticed?
The iPod nano is as thin as the 3.5mm port, metal-casing aside. The current iPhone is a lot thicker by comparison. So removing the port for the sake of thinness is not a valid excuse they could use.
If that is the case, I want a SCSI port back in my Mac Mini...I have some legacy hard drives I would like to connect.
+1 ON THAT!!!!
I have several headphones from 50$ to 500$ with 3.5mm and I am not going to throw them away or use ****** and expensive adapter.
Since Steve Jobs died Apple is slowly going down, no new Mac Pro since 2013, Mac mini is now a toy, OS X new versions is coming to closely before app makers has released their update and bugs are sorted out.
If the iPhone DAC/amp is so in need of help then improve it and make every headphone better. Don't just shuffle it into the cable and call it "audiophile."
Please Apple drop the stupid lightning cable and adopt USB-C. It's superior plus it's a standard port.
As a bonus you could connect those fancy headphones to the new MacBook.
As a bonus you could connect those fancy headphones to the new MacBook.
They won't do that because it will mean losing out on MFi licensing fees.
If it was based on an open connector, and all other manufacturers were being allowed and encouraged to implement it, then this wouldn't be such a problem.
But there is no way that I am spending a lot of money on high quality headphones that I can only use with Apple equipment, and nor should anyone else.
People need to take a stand against this kind of unnecessary and anti-competitive vendor lock in.
But there is no way that I am spending a lot of money on high quality headphones that I can only use with Apple equipment, and nor should anyone else.
People need to take a stand against this kind of unnecessary and anti-competitive vendor lock in.
Tim Cook on stage:
After extensive tests in our secret underground labs we discovered that you DON'T NEED to charge and listen at the same time. Revolutionary battery of iPhone 7 holds charge for 25 hours, that's more than a day. Music listening and talk time is 8 hours but as the latest research say listening or talking more than 8 hours a day is dangerous to your health. And we at Apple care about our customers. So all you need is just talk less and plug your iPhone 7 to charge overnight and that's all. That's all! See how it's simple?
Only we at Apple could do such innovation.
And now please welcome to the stage Taylor Swift! Thanks for attending guys, keep purchasing iPhones.
The phone's thicker for the cellular/wifi radio and the additional battery needed to power the screen and radios and processor. Looking at a teardown of the 6s and plus, there's literally no more room inside the phone for anything at this point. The only way to get more space is to either shrink internal components or remove components.