Apple W1 Chip

[kennyb123]

Maybe a Lightening Bug?

 

Brilliant

[GregWormald]

Geeze--I'm starting to feel really out-of-date. :-)

I still get great sound out of my iPhone 4 (either headphone or direct out), and it has options that I've jailbreaked that Apple hasn't yet implemented.

 

Oh well, maybe I'll upgrade? later.

 

Greg

 

(Lightning Bug is a great name--quick, register it!)

[Musicophile]

I'm just quite annoyed that due to the necessity of a lightning DAC for regular headphones you cannot charge and listen to music at the same time, which I do all the time these days.

 

I guess it's time to look for a separate music player. What a mess. In any case I'll hang on to my IPhone 6 as long as the battery will let me.

[asdf1000]

I'm just quite annoyed that due to the necessity of a lightning DAC for regular headphones you cannot charge and listen to music at the same time, which I do all the time these days.

 

I guess it's time to look for a separate music player. What a mess. In any case I'll hang on to my IPhone 6 as long as the battery will let me.

 

Somebody would be working on a lightning splitter , if not already. That would be such a common issue that somebody or multiple companies will look to monetize it.

[GregWormald]

In any case I'll hang on to my IPhone 6 as long as the battery will let me.

 

Batteries are easy and cheap to replace.

 

Greg

[Gonzbull]

 

Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter

 

http://store.apple.com/xc/product/MK0W2AM/A

[Audio_ELF]

What would stop Audioquest from making a Lightening Dragonfly? Maybe a Lightening Bug?

Apple have licensed Lightning (and 30pin) connected DACs in the past, however direct (i.e. not via the Lightning to USB connector) they have always been limited to 24/44.1-48. Using the Lightning adaptor has avoided that limitation.

[The Computer Audiophile]

More info from a good Buzzfeed article:

 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/johnpaczkowski/inside-iphone-7-why-apple-killed-the-headphone-jack?utm_term=.lpYDBoPWL&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digg#.qyAO9EvmB

 

AirPods use Bluetooth for their connection. Bluetooth headphones have historically suffered from a conga line of connectivity problems: onerous pairing, dropped connections, crappy sound. Apple is confident it’s solved them all with that W1 chip. “As you can imagine, by developing our own Bluetooth chip and controlling both ends of the pairing process there’s a lot of magic we can do,” Ternus says. “We use a Bluetooth connection, but cover it in a lot of secret sauce.”

 

Just what’s in the secret sauce, Apple won’t say. But AirPods have been in development for a while. “These are as advanced a project as Apple Pencil,” Schiller told me. “We started this project when we started the Watch project. We knew we needed a great wireless solution for audio. We said, ‘What if you could design what the future of headphones should look like?’ That’s what we asked the team to do.”

 

The combined promise of sound quality, a steady Bluetooth connection, the battery life, the voice control, and ease of pairing across devices, all free of wires — if it all works, these things do seem to provide value an order of magnitude greater than even the priciest wired buds. But it’s also up to Apple to sell these things, to convince people that they want them. That’s harder, but not impossible. (Sidenote: AirPods will work with non-Apple devices. No secret sauce, though.)

[mrvco]

I think ALAC is used for Airplay streaming. I do wish there was a lossless option for a wireless headphone connection.

 

Good catch, they do.

[miguelito]

There is a DAC in the dongle. Lightning is digital only

That's what I think, especially since it works with iphone 5, 6, which I don't think included analog signals in the lightning connector (the lightning-30pin had a wolfson DAC which is actually pretty good).

 

Interestingly, it also needs to have an ADC since earbuds with microphones work with this adapter (I was just on a phone call and tested this).

[miguelito]

A DAC in the dongle? Cheeky! And crappy.

The Wolfson DAC chip on the lightning-30pin connector is very good, certainly better than the internal DAC.

 

I am hoping someone like Audioquest will come out with an iPhone Dragonfly - something with much less bulk than USB dongle plus Dragonfly. However, someone pointed out that it would require Apple certification, so problably not as easy. Any modders willing to do it?

[hornytoad]

The Wolfson DAC chip on the lightning-30pin connector is very good, certainly better than the internal DAC.

 

I am hoping someone like Audioquest will come out with an iPhone Dragonfly - something with much less bulk than USB dongle plus Dragonfly. However, someone pointed out that it would require Apple certification, so problably not as easy. Any modders willing to do it?

 

It's a great idea and there are many chomping at the bit to do this but

I hear Apple is unwilling .

[miguelito]

I'm just quite annoyed that due to the necessity of a lightning DAC for regular headphones you cannot charge and listen to music at the same time, which I do all the time these days.

 

I guess it's time to look for a separate music player. What a mess. In any case I'll hang on to my IPhone 6 as long as the battery will let me.

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjR663CrpzPAhWEax4KHU1ABxAQFggmMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fbelkin-double-lightning-adapters-for-iphone-7-for-charging-listening-2016-9&usg=AFQjCNH8uhlxjLGnXCD4uFNt4zdIWKBhHA

 

http://store.apple.com/xc/product/MK0W2AM/A

[Audio_ELF]

CEntrance do a DAC Case similar to the Arcam design which supports high res (but maybe not charging).

[The Computer Audiophile]

CEntrance do a DAC Case similar to the Arcam design which supports high res (but maybe not charging).

Links?

[Duke40]

Links?

Chris,

 

I think this is the CEntance device ... hifi skyn

 

http://www.centrance.com/products/hifi-skyn/

 

Iphone case/dac/extra battery, from iPhone 5 to 6S+

[Audio_ELF]

Links?

Arcam MusicBoost - limited to 16/44.1 MusicBoost cost around £100 in UK. Hasn't officially been upgraded to support iPhone 7 so I'm not sure if it will work. With the iPhone 6 and 6S (no Plus size) it also charges the phone's battery (and the case can be simultaneously charged with MicroUSB).

 

CEntrance Skyn - CEntrance -> HiFi-Skyn cost listed as $399 but supports up to DSDx2 and 32/352.4 and 32/384 formats.

[duxservit]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjR663CrpzPAhWEax4KHU1ABxAQFggmMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fbelkin-double-lightning-adapters-for-iphone-7-for-charging-listening-2016-9&usg=AFQjCNH8uhlxjLGnXCD4uFNt4zdIWKBhHA

 

http://store.apple.com/xc/product/MK0W2AM/A

 

ok so if the new Beats will have the W1 technology, this means other headphone makers will need to license from Apple if they want W1.

 

Anyone know how costly this licensing will be?

[duxservit]

More info from a good Buzzfeed article:

 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/johnpaczkowski/inside-iphone-7-why-apple-killed-the-headphone-jack?utm_term=.lpYDBoPWL&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digg#.qyAO9EvmB

 

 

Thanks Chris, good article that's worth reading.

 

One interesting point is about the cameras, which are perhaps more valuable to the consumer than the audio capabilities. So space wise the cameras should take higher priority.

[miguelito]

There is a DAC in the dongle. Lightning is digital only

 

Confirmed:

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjZ0NnDiZ7PAhVEFT4KHXX-DE4QFgg2MAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fapple%2Fcomments%2F53myzt%2Fvietnamese_teardown_shows_dac_inside_lightning_to%2F&usg=AFQjCNFCzGe7ywU6ICuR-V7sIQ8PdrzMaw

[The Computer Audiophile]

[video=youtube_share;UpMQguv-zN0]

[Axiom05]

[video=youtube_share;UpMQguv-zN0]

 

Got to be the smallest DAC I have ever seen.

[miguelito]

Got to be the smallest DAC I have ever seen.

About the same size as the one in the lightning-30pin adapter, IIRC. And BTW... How big do you think the DACs in any phone are?

 

There are reports that the dongle sounds better than the 3.5mm outputs in previous iphones. I wonder if there's a voltage difference, meaning an internal DAC might have been powered with relatively low voltage and current, but the lightning connector is designed to power a few more things other than this device so I wonder if it has higher voltage/current delivery. This is pure speculation...

[bobbmd]

Superdad- I bought a DAC in a dongle the FULLA SCHIIT its SQ is far superior to my first generation Schiit MAGNI headphone amp I use with my first generation Gungnir. The only drawback is it requires too much 'power' for my iPhone6 and iPad Air 2 so I will try the AQ DF RED to use as Chris does for the car and airplane. Also the FULLA does lossless/flac from ROON/ROON+HQP/Amarra for TIDAL/A+ with TIDAL my iTunes library and Qobuz at 96000Hz in16/24/32/maybe 64bits-2 channel

Bobbmd

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Computer Audiophile

[Aralmim]

Hi,

Anyone have an idea what to use in the place of Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter, with Dragonfly Black and iPhone SE ?

I used Lightning to USB Camera Adapter 2 (without charger hole on the USB side) for 3 months and from almost daily use the cables had refraction.

 

Please help. Thank's.