Headphones As We Know Them Will Soon Become Obsolete
Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 7:21 pmhttp://www.businessinsider.com/headphones-as-we-know-them-will-soon-become-obsolete-2015-1?utm_content=buffer623ce&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
"At its developer conference last year, during a talk on designing accessories for the iPad and iPhone, Apple announced it was working on headphones that connect via the Lightning port. That odd, proprietary socket that replaced the original 30-pin iPod connector now provides audio as well as power.
The latest version of Google's Android operating system, known as Lollipop, also includes support for USB audio. This is effectively the same thing as Apple's new feature but with a universal USB plug rather than proprietary connector.
What do these features mean for audio? Unlike a traditional headphone wire, which carries the analog signals produced by a chip inside the phone, the new headphones will take digital audio and convert it to an analog signal only when it reaches the speakers next to the ear.
In theory, if you buy decent headphones, this will provide better quality: not only will that DAC (digital to analog converter) most likely be better quality, but there will be less degradation along the wire thanks to digital error correction."
"At its developer conference last year, during a talk on designing accessories for the iPad and iPhone, Apple announced it was working on headphones that connect via the Lightning port. That odd, proprietary socket that replaced the original 30-pin iPod connector now provides audio as well as power.
The latest version of Google's Android operating system, known as Lollipop, also includes support for USB audio. This is effectively the same thing as Apple's new feature but with a universal USB plug rather than proprietary connector.
What do these features mean for audio? Unlike a traditional headphone wire, which carries the analog signals produced by a chip inside the phone, the new headphones will take digital audio and convert it to an analog signal only when it reaches the speakers next to the ear.
In theory, if you buy decent headphones, this will provide better quality: not only will that DAC (digital to analog converter) most likely be better quality, but there will be less degradation along the wire thanks to digital error correction."