USB-C Audio Is "Dead"

[likeman]

My plantronics Legend headset seems to be relatively clear

yes it's only in one ear but clarity seems pretty good to me

I had a number if bluetooth stereo ones and they have not been that grate

 

[BloodyIron]

Chromecast Audio doesn't involve audio from android devices at all. The android phone acts as the remote control, and the server sends directly to the Chromecast Audio. The phone never receives the audio data whatsoever.

That doesn't take a DAC out of the equation and they most certainly are not all created equally especially on cheap Android phones.

Lets get it straight, the headphone jack on it's own isn't the savior of every audiophile's issues. It's a start but definitely not the end all on audio quality when it comes to mobile devices. People act like you can pair any set of fantastic headphones with any device and get phenomenal audio quality just because the headphones can be physically plugged into the darn thing but source audio is always being altered by either the onboard software or onboard DAC, or both, even through your magical 3.5mm headphone jack.

Before I get quoted to hell and back for being wrong, I'm speaking within the context of mobile devices such as phones.

 

[BloodyIron]

Well, if I break it, I repair it. It's a rather repairable phone fortunately.

Most definitely not under LG warranty anyways, so wouldn't even try to send it into them. But tough luck on your end friend

Don't break or lose it. I did and they sent the v30 which has a non user removable battery. At least it has a 3.5 mm.

 

[Crystoff]

I voted with my wallet. Just bought a top Samsung phone, rejecting comparable phones specifically because they don't have 3.5mm. Others are free to debate technical and convenience merits, but that's a feature I want and will pay for.

 

[nilepez]

Real audiophiles don't use a phone as the audio source. Some even complain CD is not as pure as a vinyl record, and anything that is not tube amp is not pure.

Yes, but those complaining either have 20 grand (or more in audio equipment) or it's all placebo (assuming the same master for both CD and Vinyl). I've never owned a tube amp, so I don't know, though I do recall a guy I worked with brought in his tube amp (when I was not working) and it was apparently very good, but unless it's a double blind test where all variables but one are unchanged, you can't know.

For Vinyl vs CD, that testing has been done for decades. the first one Is aw was in, I believe, Musician magazine and only 5 (maybe 10) percent of listeners could consistently pick CD vs Vinyl and the group included everyone from average listeners to Audiophiles to studio engineers and the test was done on Studio grade equipment. I'll wager virtually none of us have the equipment to tell the difference, unless you play the vinyl enough times that you hear all the pops and clicks that inevitably surface after a few months of regular listening (or even just from pulling it in/out of the jacket).

But hey for those with 5 or 10 grand in their turntable, maybe there's something they detect. CD's are better than most can hear. Go ahead and see if you can hear over 22khz (or even hear that). I might have been able to in my 20s, but I couldn't afford a 20k stereo

 

[zkostik]

Bluetooth isn't an answer, it compresses the audio even more and reduces the sound quality. And for USB-C headphones I presume they offload the DAC work and amplification for headphones. I do not have high hopes for how good DAC and AMP and battery that gives them enough juice they can fit inside a headphone while still leaving enough room for the driver.

Yes, bring back 3.5mm jack. It is so universally used, not only for headphones but AUX inputs aswell. Dropping it was always a stupid idea.

Not all BT codecs are lossy, some like Sony MDAC are lossless and are very good. Of course, not quite as good as a hardwired DAC but I can say I've found something I'm very happy with. I've been using a EarStudio ES100 BT receiver/DAC and have been very happy with it (volume, audio quality, battery life are all great). My Sammy S9+ does have a physical port but I've grown on using wireless now that it meets my standards as it is more convenient and saves my ports any Otterbox Defender case from wear. Granted that I wouldn't buy headphones with a USB-C port as then you'd be limited to specific devices and no respectable vendor of Hi-Fi headphones (real Hi-Fi) would makes a USB-C set. So yeah, not surprised this hasn't caught on...

 

[focbde]

It's not 2008 anymore. Read up about aptX HD and Bluetooth 5.0.

It's lossless compression. Nothing is lost. It's literally the same 24 bit audio you can listen to through a cable.

Try that on a plane though with 4296290862098 other people using Bluetooth. There's no way that full 2mpbs is going to be available to you.

 

[stashix]

What's wrong with a plain old 3.5mm jack? Not hip enough anymore?

 

[spugm1r3]

Most of the Bluetooth headphones I have tried sound like crap. Even the m50bt dont sound as good at the th200.

Settled on a quiet comfortii because of the sound stage, but my plug in cans just can't be beat.... Good try wireless options.

I have the same for maintaining sanity on 18 hour flights. I think they are more than sufficient, but I also have no illusions of getting an audiophile experience on the go.

 

[gamerk2]

What's wrong with a plain old 3.5mm jack? Not hip enough anymore?

1: Space; you can't make a phone cheaper then then the 3.5mm port.
2: Cost; you have to spend about $5 to install a hardware DAC in the phone.

I can't use BT at work, so any phone that doesn't have 3.5mm is dead to me.

 

[Mohonri]

1: Space; you can't make a phone cheaper then then the 3.5mm port.
2: Cost; you have to spend about $5 to install a hardware DAC in the phone.

I can't use BT at work, so any phone that doesn't have 3.5mm is dead to me.

1) I think you meant to say "you can't make a phone thinner than the 3.5mm port." You are incorrect. The iPhone 7, which was the first iPhone without a headphone jack, is actually thicker than the iPhone 6 (7.1mm vs 6.9). Also, manufacturers finally realized that nobody cares about how thick phones are any more. The iPhone 8 is 7.3mm, the iPhone X is 7.7. The Galaxy S6 was 6.9mm, the S7 is 7.9, the S8 is 8mm, the S9 is 8.5mm, and the S10 will be 9mm including the camera bump.
2) All phones already have DACs in them, since they have speakers. The part cost of a headphone jack itself is in the single-digit-pennies range. Given all the other ways you could cut cost on manufacturing a phone, the headphone jack is waaaay down the list of effective ways to save cost.

So, to sum up the invalid reasons people try to claim for removing headphone jacks:
1) it's not about space, and never has been
2) it's not about waterproofing, because there are plenty of waterproof phones with headphone jacks
3) it's not about cost
4) it's certainly not about audio quality
5) it's not because Bluetooth is "the future"

Why do I think Apple did it? Well, call me cynical, but I put it down to:
1) additional revenue from wireless heaphones and earbuds and dongles
2) Apple really don't like Human Interface things to be visible, whether it's buttons (originally just the one Home button, now even that's gone) or ports. It's the triumph of the designers over the engineers.

 

[greenman]

Since when is it that people are "Audiophiles" when they don't want crappy quality (bluetooth) audio? It doesn't take an audiophile to tell that sound via bluetooth is not so good.

 

[N4CR]

Spent quite a bit of time 'calling' with various bluetooth setups over the last week. I was shocked at how hard it was to hear clearly, unnatural voice, distortions etc, users seem to just crank the volume to 'hear better' and it just amplifies the distortion. This is not just one manufacturer but multiple brands, apple phones, android phones, different headunits from cars that are 1-4 years old etc etc all of them sounded far, far worse than a 90s brick car phone install. I don't know how people don't notice this but I hadn't really been exposed to that rubbish until now.
I'll gladly stick with my 15 year old IXOS DJ1002 cans. I bet they beat every current bluetooth device even today.

USB-C Audi-what? Lol yeah lets use a flimsy connector for wired headphones. Great idea! Headphone jacks are tiny anyway (not much bigger than the headphone male 'appendage' anyway), removing them is just a joke to inconvenience and upsell shitty dongles that break more ports and cost you more.

SOUND IS ANALOGUE AT THE TRANSDUCER, WHY OVER COMPLICATE IT /rant

 

[copy_run_start]

For Vinyl vs CD, that testing has been done for decades. the first one Is aw was in, I believe, Musician magazine and only 5 (maybe 10) percent of listeners could consistently pick CD vs Vinyl and the group included everyone from average listeners to Audiophiles to studio engineers and the test was done on Studio grade equipment. I'll wager virtually none of us have the equipment to tell the difference, unless you play the vinyl enough times that you hear all the pops and clicks that inevitably surface after a few months of regular listening (or even just from pulling it in/out of the jacket).

Yeah but 100% of self-described audiophiles are in that 5% of people that can tell the difference

 

[nilepez]

Yeah but 100% of self-described audiophiles are in that 5% of people that can tell the difference

Only if they've participated in a double blind test. Self described audiophiles have spent decades claiming expensive interconnect cables and speaker wire (for short runs at that) warrant exotic/insanely priced wire.
I use to sell stereos. Audiophiles are suckers for snake oil.

I wish I could figure out which magazine had that article (I'm sure i"ve got it in a box), because I'd be shocked if they didn't have audiophiles in that group and I'd also be shocked if all of them were the ones who could tell the difference. I'd put my money on audio engineers over self-described audiophiles.

 

[sleepeeg3]

At least with the introduction of bluetooth 5.0, I have to agree. The bandwidth available to modern bluetooth (2Mbps) is more than sufficient for lossless quality audio playback, particularly when combined with aptX HD.

Just got a CIPHER bluetooth module for my Audeze iSine 20s and I can't tell the difference between it and the hardwire.

$600 for earbuds?

 

[copy_run_start]

Only if they've participated in a double blind test. Self described audiophiles have spent decades claiming expensive interconnect cables and speaker wire (for short runs at that) warrant exotic/insanely priced wire.
I use to sell stereos. Audiophiles are suckers for snake oil.

I wish I could figure out which magazine had that article (I'm sure i"ve got it in a box), because I'd be shocked if they didn't have audiophiles in that group and I'd also be shocked if all of them were the ones who could tell the difference. I'd put my money on audio engineers over self-described audiophiles.

Yeah I put those guys in the same bucket as the car guys who say they can feel a performance difference in their car after a regular oil change.

 

[Youn]

I'm looking forward to the iphone XI... finally no need for those 1/4 to 1/8 inch adapters:

 

[nilepez]

Yeah I put those guys in the same bucket as the car guys who say they can feel a performance difference in their car after a regular oil change.

I didn't know that was a thing (but I'm not a gear head, while I use to sell audio and was into it for years after I stopped selling it).