Headphone makers quietly prepare for the iPhone 7

If it's just MMCX connectors, I wonder if it would work with other IEMs that also use MMCX.

 

oh yeah that's what I get by getting things of reddit

.......can I do a MoatsArt and delete that post because I feel kinda silly

 

Don't, it's still worth a read- especially since it'd nearly double the price of the SE215. Interesting times!

 

I'm also curious. My Westones use MMCX.

 

Boy I'd love to tear apart a Cypher cable to see if would be usable on my DT1350s. There's some magic going on in that thing...

 

Or you can just put the headphone socket back into your iPhone 7.
http://strangeparts.com/bringing-back-the-iphone-headphone-jack-in-china/

 

...I don't think I trust myself enough to even think about this.

In the other end of overengineered solutions to a manufactured problems spectrum, we've got this:
https://mspoweruser.com/microsoft-aims-defend-3-5mm-headphone-jack-new-patent/amp/

 

I'm skeptical. The connector looks really fragile while plugged in, and potentially rip apart if you bump the plug the wrong way.

 

I think I can live with a phone thick enough to fit a headphone jack. My pockets are already expandable enough to handle the extra thickness.

 

The reason to make phones thinner isn’t to make it a consumer feature. It’s to make it harder to service.

 

I see little point in keeping phones as slim as they are, even less in actively working to slim them down further. Unless we're talking about eventually making these things slim enough to wear as bangles or wrist computers with projectors, then I'm all for keeping them >8mm for added battery capacity or whatever. Too slim a phone, and you get BendGate.

Besides, a phat phone is perfectly usable. I currently use a Moto Z Play (excellent battery life) with the speaker mod thing clipped on at all times— the built-in kickstand is damn useful. That's roughly 20mm thickness and a combined weight of 310g, but it's perfectly pocketable still.

Besides, wires are convenient in that they make locating my cans and portable ear-thingies much easier.

 

The iPhone 6/7/8 is not too thin for a headphone jack. The iPod Touch is slimmer than those and still has a headphone port. Apple removed it because they believe that wireless is the future of headphones, and wanted to encourage the industry to adopt it (either Apple doesn’t have many prominent audiophiles or they want th industry to get wireless to the point where it is audiophile, I suspect the former). Even if the next iPhones are thicker, they still won’t have a headphone jack.

 

I do see the appeal of wireless, to be honest. Potentially better ergonomics and, if they can ensure perfect transfer of data, they reduce the need for expensive interconnects that could wear down over time. Also, speaking as a manifestly clumsy person, TRS plugs and jacks can be very easily damaged :|

I believe @zerodeefex has had nothing but excellent experience with LDAC? Gives me hope that wireless could surpass wired in terms of SQ someday.

... I'm calling it now: future audiophiles will have to buy personal field generators to shield their wireless transmissions from outward interference that could compromise the integrity of their data packets /s

 

It is funny to read some posts on this thread that are really trying hard to find some reasonable technical justification for what was plain and simple Apple commercial decision based on a shrewd understanding that their loyal base will pay whatever they ask them to pay, and some more.

 

No headphone jack makes meeting the IP67 or better waterproof standard a lot easier.

Can still be done with the 3.5mm jack (of course) but I'm under the impression that there are patents and licensing involved... (aka: $$$)

 

...and I'm sure owning Beats has something to do with the master plan.

 

Eliminating the headphone jack still leaves the USB port. It doesn't seem like a big deal to waterproof both at the same time. There are numerous phones with headphone jack and IP68 rating, including Galaxy S7, LG V30, etc. http://www.phonerated.com/waterproof_smartphones-listbycat

 

I think that is part of it, but a strong argument can be made for wireless ease-of-use (once you crack the pairing nut, which apparently they have). I believe that some engineers in Apple also think that doing sound over Lightning has technical advantages, and more importantly, it provides 3rd party companies to follow the semi-planned obsolescence pathway (*cough* Firewire, USB-A, Thunderbolt 2). The Apple faithful tend to be brand loyal, and also partner loyal. So while it costs a company to play in their walled garden, if they get it right, it pays off (e.g. I'd wager Audeze has a hit with Sine/Cypher). It essentially bifurcates the market - you're with with Apple or you're not, and both stances provide a mixed bag.

Killing the headphone jack follows the Apple pattern of creating new standards that become standards due to their market share. There usually is a technical rationalization for it, so it ends up being part tech and part business behind the decision. And I say that as someone who has owned/used Apple products since '80 (IIe).

 

Good points, but gutting out the 3.5mm jack is just a smart move for Apple. You only need a single dac/amp chipset to that's sufficient enough handle sound to the on-board speaker, freeing both valuable space and reducing cost.

For the user's that don't care for audio quality, the EarPods are still sufficient for them. An when if they fail, you only need to replace the EarPods. In gutting the 3.5mm jack they found a way to further simplify what is already one of the simplest cellular devices to own and create more of a need for their wireless products of which the Beats brand plays into.

Even better they open the way for 3rd party manufacturers to create an overall better experience for their users. When the buy a headphone built for Apple's Lightening Connection the manufacturer has built the transducer, the dac and the amp. You guys already know that the Dac/Amp topology built into the Cipher Cable only compliments the transducer it feeds into...

 

Some of the comments in this thread are truly hilarious...I'm a newer member so I'll try not to rock the boat too much...but I always do find it funny that people assume companies like Apple are getting rich on....free adapters. I had someone the other day tell me that carpeted floors in cars were a conspiracy because...then you'd buy floor mats. Because of course everyone wants hard plastic or metal floors instead, don't you know. I promise, not everyone in the world is out to get you. And, at the end of the day, no one is forced to buy any product they don't like.

The 3.5mm jack out of any phone is hardly an "audiophile-grade" connection...it's anything but. The capability of the Lightning jack is certainly vastly superior. Sure, they could waterproof it with a 3.5mm in there, but that's more work. Let me tell you - I used to work in the industry a while ago. The number of phones from all manufactures that people brought in with audio jack problems due to dirt, dust, moisture was more than I could possibly count. It's the most "analog" part of any digital device these days, and therefore is subject to all the problems analog devices have with wear & tear, careless use, a dirty environment, etc. It's hardly necessary for audio. Certainly not for high quality audio. And removing it doesn't make the device any "less serviceable" - in fact it's removing one more thing most people are too unintelligent to service themselves. If I had a dollar for every time I cleaned out an audio jack packed with dust, dirt & pocket lint, and the person watching had their mind blown that...f'ing dust, you know, from the construction site they work in, would get inside a big hole in their phone....I'd have enough to buy an iPhone 8 at least.

The biggest reason it was removed was to gain space inside the device...all the associated hardware for the headphone jack takes up quite a bit of space inside the device...space that's much better used for battery, SoC, etc. Why give up all that space to a crappy legacy port that has no real relevance for most users these days? Everyone uses the included earbuds, or wired headphones with the tiny, weightless adapter, or wireless. This was yet another example of "Apple does [insert literally anything at all], people decide they need to be angry about it, then it happens, everyone moves the f**k on with their lives" - it's quite humorous at this point.

As many of you have properly observed, the 8 and X are both thicker than the 7, which was thicker than the 6s, which was thicker than the 6...so I think it's quite clear they're more interested now in gaining space inside. And interested in making the device as impervious and foolproof as possible. And they're pretty close now. The bluetooth audio train was already full-steam ahead, this is just another log on the fire. And, bluetooth is pretty good these days for quality. The average person sure as hell isn't an audiophile even if it wasn't. We are .001% of the population. Most people just want sound to go into their ears in one way or another.

As for charging and playing at the same time....I've maybe done that a handful of times in 6.5 years of owning an iPhone...never really out of necessity. I can only think of one time with my 7 Plus that I would have liked to have done it.

All this will look very silly in about 2 years when most devices period won't have a 3.5mm jack at all. Many Android devices already don't, and more will follow soon. Might as well complain about the CD drive on laptops. Something else Apple saw long before anyone else.