Review: Apple vs Google USB-C Headphone Adapters

[amirm]

HibyMusic is free, albeit a bit buggy when I last tried it.

I tried this. Worked fine with internal DAC. WIth Apple dongle it plays at low volume like google player. When set to exclusive mode, it just makes a strange swishing sound that moves from one channel to the other. I have some other random player and that one produces super loud static. So no good options on my phone to use the Apple dongle.

 

[amirm]

Interesting test, but I'd still hope theses things become a footnote in history, and we continue using 3.5mm jacks.

Unfortunately if rumors are right, Samsung S10 may not have the jack either and with them going there, that will be our future....

 

[ILovePhonon]

It would be fully destructive as I have to cut it open and likely damage it. So let's wait to make sure there are no other questions and then I might explore that.

I think the innards will be more or less the same as the regular Lightning version one on iFixit. I see no point in doing this when iFixit already did a teardown: https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Apple+Lightning+to+Headphone+Jack+Adapter+Teardown/67562

 

[maxxevv]

I tried this. Worked fine with internal DAC. WIth Apple dongle it plays at low volume like google player. When set to exclusive mode, it just makes a strange swishing sound that moves from one channel to the other. I have some other random player and that one produces super loud static. So no good options on my phone to use the Apple dongle.

You can try the Onkyo player too.

 

[nebula]

Unfortunately if rumors are right, Samsung S10 may not have the jack either and with them going there, that will be our future....

From what I've seen in various leaks, it seems that the S10 will have it, but the rumor is that its successor will not.
I hope that at least the dongle tech can keep up with whatever "innovation" is coming at the cost of the 3.5mm...

 

[mindbomb]

@amirm
How is the signal to noise ratio test done? Is it the aes17 dynamic range test? I am concerned the apple dac was only able to reach such numbers because it switched itself off for the noise measurement.

 

[pwjazz]

The sound was OK but bass is week and dynamic range just not there. Here my reference is more powerful desktop and battery operated portables.

What's the technical explanation for these sorts of differences? Is this impression based on level matched listening, or does the dongle just not drive these very loud and so the bass seems week due to equal loudness contours and the dynamic range poor because there's less gap between your listening volume and ambient noise floor?

 

[Veri]

What's the technical explanation for these sorts of differences? Is this impression based on level matched listening, or does the dongle just not drive these very loud and so the bass seems week due to equal loudness contours and the dynamic range poor because there's less gap between your listening volume and ambient noise floor?

Once you get too close to the threshold of its max capacity, performance can tend to get a little fuzzy/uncontrolled. No breathing room.
Compared to a Neurochrome or THX AAA where the headphones keep shining no matter the load.

 

[bennetng]

@amirm
How is the signal to noise ratio test done? Is it the aes17 dynamic range test? I am concerned the apple dac was only able to reach such numbers because it switched itself off for the noise measurement.

Dynamic range test uses a -60dBFS signal so no switch off cheating.

 

[pwjazz]

get a little fuzzy/uncontrolled

What does this mean exactly? Are we talking about electrical damping somehow not working well at max volume, increased distortion (didn't see this in the measurements), or something else?

 

[Roen]

Can you overlay the lightning to 3.5 vs the apple C to 3.5 over each other?

 

[Veri]

What does this mean exactly? Are we talking about electrical damping somehow not working well at max volume, increased distortion (didn't see this in the measurements), or something else?

I think it's just the notion of the driver of the headphone not being pushed as needed (while the amplifier is at its very maximum).

Maybe distortion creeps in, yes, maybe damping. not sure, maybe amir can elaborate.

 

[mindbomb]

Dynamic range test uses a -60dBFS signal so no switch off cheating.

idk, 113db in dynamic range for a $9 1vrms dac seems much beyond what you would expect.

 

[wiggum]

What's the technical explanation for these sorts of differences? Is this impression based on level matched listening, or does the dongle just not drive these very loud and so the bass seems week due to equal loudness contours and the dynamic range poor because there's less gap between your listening volume and ambient noise floor?

Working from first principles, to reproduce bass frequencies, the diaphragm has to oscillate slowly which implies the magnetic field strength reproduced by the voice coil has to be sustained for a longer period of time.

Magnetic field strength is proportional to current flowing through the voice coil. And the Sennheiser HD650 has an impedance of ~ 500 ohms near its primary resonance. Since I = V/R(1.03/500) is very low when compared with driving low impedance headphones, there is not sufficient juice(current)?

P.S. My explanation is very crude. A graduate/PhD in EE might be able to explain the theory behind it.

 

[bennetng]

idk, 113db in dynamic range for a $9 1vrms dac seems much beyond what you would expect.

Then how about an IMD+N vs level test, Amir didn't do that yet.

 

[SiW]

Seems the lightning to headphone cable has a different DAC chip

Would a usb A to C converter work with this dongle and the lightning camera usb dongle?

Simon

 

[amirm]

Seems the lightning to headphone cable has a different DAC chip

Makes sense since these are single chip devices so they had to use one with lightning support or one that could work with a lightning interface chip.

So has anyone figured out how to connect a lightning DAC to a PC? Is there lightning interfaces you can add that work plug and play?

 

[Silou]

Pretty cool to see devices in this formfactor do so well in comparison to other formfactor DACs that are far more expensive.

BTW: Any news about the Loxjie P20 measurements? I hope the review comes out soon so I could send it back, if it measures even worse than the CTH and buy an Atom for the money.

 

[Roen]

Makes sense since these are single chip devices so they had to use one with lightning support or one that could work with a lightning interface chip.

So has anyone figured out how to connect a lightning DAC to a PC? Is there lightning interfaces you can add that work plug and play?

I don't even know any female Lightning ports available.

 

[Tircuit]

I don't even know any female Lightning ports available.

I don't even know any female Lightning ports available.

I can loan/trade Amirm an iPhone and lightning cable. (Edit: I messaged host.)

There's rumors that audio performance isn't controlled soley by the DAC in the dongle - - in other words that different model iPhones might have differing performance using same dongle. I think the newest iPhone I can part with is a 7.