Editorial: Headphone jack vs. USB audio. Which is better?
- t
- t3
- 0U2
- 27 Jun 2016
As an audio and technology enthusiast you should have researched that the Pop-Port, FastPort and 30pin apple connector all had analog audio output, not digital. Then for wireless there's the issue of "have I charged my other battery" and interference from other devices. For minimising things and getting more realestate inside a portable device, there was (long forgotten now) a 2.5mm trrs jack (since stereo is TRRS, not TRS) on nokia's of old, but nobody liked that either. Then again, I completely agree that replacing the jack with digital lightning or usb-c or micro-usb will segment the market, since it replaces a standard with 3 (or more) other (more or less) standard.
- D
- AnonD-375713
- Pkp
- 27 Jun 2016
AnonD-11127, 27 Jun 2016It is due to the space a 3.5mm jack takes up. When phones t... moreYeah. Really good old days of adapters. Cause the connector is huge right? Oh wait that's the 6.3mm one... Frankly I agree that if it's to use an adapter I prefer this one over the USB ones but please no dark ages of adapters again.
Heck they make phones every time bigger and bigger, next we're holding sharp edged 56" screens on hand, and they'll require some angstrom SIM cause "we need more space".
Just make it less unnecessarily thin and you got the space, a lot of it.
- G
- GrumpyOldPizza
- T24
- 27 Jun 2016
I do remember the good old Sony Ericsson phones having their special audio connector and then the Motorola L7. It was always a pain. If you wanted to have good headphones, you needed to either buy the special, expensive ones from Sony or mess around with adaptors. Of course quality varied, and you'd end up killing your phone rather early because the phone side connector died. Back then it seemed more serving the phone manufacturer than me to listen to music.
- D
- AnonD-375713
- Pkp
- 27 Jun 2016
That's Prasad, I like how you cut the BS out of this USB audio manure. Heck it's been since... the 90s and it didn't catch on PCs that actually had terrible soundcards, why would it on phones out of just "Hey guys, it's new, buy it!" I do hope it WON'T EVER catch. To top this I would again touch on the added battery drain from powering an external amp on headphones and the unnecessary protocol and power conversions happening on both devices.
Having used Bluetooth as a primary headphone when outside, I can say for sure that yes, the audio is incomparably better than it was on starting days. Even tho it's the same headphones. Back in ~2009 or before, the phone itself would send pretty terrible bitrate audio, leading to easily audible noise. That's really gone for good now. You can actually distinguish MP3 320 from FLAC, even on SBC mode headphones, and these are mathematically lossy, although by experience I would say it's only a loss of dynamic range. I would nitpick a bit to say that AptX is actually "near lossless" audio, so it's most of the time lossless, but on high demand it will fall into a lossy (albeit low loss) state. Also both Sony Ericsson Fastport and Nokia's Pop ports where actually analog! Just annoying format requiring adapters, but they did send analog audio, even back in the day the headphones were all just passive.
One thing about BT audio tho is that yea... battery... yet another dammed battery to charge, albeit they do last long on one charge (until they age...).
Frankly tho I hope all this trend of ultra thin phones and the useless ideas that come with it fade away, it's not beneficial at all, next what, will the phones cut our hands from their format? They still got the (every time bigger) camera hump anyway, just keep the jack and give us option. I'm one that uses a big wired studio monitor at home and wireless outside.
- K
- KOLOSO
- Iax
- 27 Jun 2016
the wireless will be the future, that´s all.
- A
- Alacie
- X}Q
- 27 Jun 2016
Well some points for contention here and there... But I super enjoyed reading this so whoever wrote this editorial, thumbs up to you. Great work!
- m
- mir
- t7E
- 27 Jun 2016
Consumers should be more knowledgeable and stop supporting this kind of practice. Apple just wants to make more money from the additional accessories needed for the new iphones. People should speak with their money and teach this companies not to mess with consumers.
- G
- GHERYN
- Iax
- 27 Jun 2016
is all marketing by apple, i thing the only reason is to be ip68 iphone no other practical funtion, and i prefer wireless then usb or jack then usb or speakers then usb :)
- D
- Daku
- w43
- 27 Jun 2016
headphone jack is best
- D
- AnonD-483523
- teq
- 27 Jun 2016
cyber, 27 Jun 2016Lightning port is way better than any kind of plug in the m... moreLOL
No weak spots he says
If usb micro and usb typec has no advantages what are the advantages of lightning cable?
LOL
Do your researches bro
- G
- Gary
- wiU
- 27 Jun 2016
Definitely one of the most sensible articles on GSM. Can't agree more. Kudos to the blogger.
- A
- Akinaro
- pGV
- 27 Jun 2016
Also BT headphones ARE NOT WIRELESS... after all you need charge them, and I can say after few good years of using them, its not fun at all, and caring minijack adapter cable was just annoying as looking for ANOTHER microUSB cable to charge headphones.
Just like wireless charing its nothing more but marketing term, where its look cool on paper, but in real life you are forced to NOT USE your phone if it lay on charging pad, wait x2 more time for charge and... you need to look for cables for that charging pads... really "wireless way"
- ?
- Anonymous
- 39R
- 27 Jun 2016
Anonymous, 27 Jun 2016Go Wireless! There's no point of replacing cable with an... morei agree
- D
- AnonD-70006
- Yde
- 27 Jun 2016
Fails to mention the biggest disadvantage. Micro USB ports are weak.
- D
- AnonD-11127
- m5t
- 27 Jun 2016
It is due to the space a 3.5mm jack takes up. When phones try to save every tiny millimetre they can, a 3.5mm jack is too much of space to compromise.
I miss the good old days of 2.5mm headphone jack used by Nokia.
- ?
- Anonymous
- 3MU
- 27 Jun 2016
cyber, 27 Jun 2016Lightning port is way better than any kind of plug in the m... moreI'm sure you didn't read single word on this article
- A
- Akinaro
- pGV
- 27 Jun 2016
Its all nothing more than gibberish(not article but all that ideas of removing it).
Removing Audio jack have nothing to do with thickness of devices or pseudo "better" quality of sound.
Its all about creating new market, and its mean creating more way to make money, people dont understand that such strategy of creating market for bunch of new headphones, connectors and cables can give HUGE amount of money.
mini-jack is not outdated and quality is not a reason here.
You can spend few days talking about how audio is processed by device, but all that doesn't matter. What matter is how it sound, feel and work at the end.
It can be processed by millions of tinny little elfs, it can be putted in diamond connector that move time and space though it... its all doesnt matter, if REAL difference between this and old jack is not bigger than few percentage.
You can bring golden usb-c headphones and I can ensure you that sound quality will be still no match with my really average AKG headphones, or even my beloved old JVC ones that I used for good 5 years without worrying about "compatibility".
I paid for them less than 80euro, and this investment will probably give me joy for yet another 5years, where you would struggle with "new awesome headphones" only on specific device, and playing with 1000 adapters that lying around your home.
If people accept that yet another useless trend, they are show that they are ldlots that will spend more and more money on device that they dont need. Because price of such headphones and adapters gonna be high. And I can ensure you that such headphones would be no match for x2 cheaper mini-jack headphones that would give you perfect sound for lots of years, without worrying about compatibility and adapters to use them in other devices...
And BT headphonse? those that sound good cost almost the same as most of phones, and after having few BT headphones I can say that its investment for max 3 years before they start having problems and battery cant keep up even for 3 hours.
- ?
- Anonymous
- AIA
- 27 Jun 2016
Stopped using the 3.5 jack long ago after i got plenty of earphones that would be damaged after some time no matter the quality
Using bluetooth headphones but to each their own
Even samsungs earphones break after some usage, so no nothing is durable
I wouldnt even plug in a headphone in the usb anyway
- m
- manurd350
- f}M
- 27 Jun 2016
I completely agree with your point of having a 3.5mm jack in phones. I remember when I used to have a Nokia N72, and it was a pain to use with that flat headphone connector. You can't use your favourite pair of headphone in that. The next one Nokia 5233 with that 3.5 mm jack was a great relief, and at that time phone companies used to highlight 3.5mm jack as a marketing term! Soon every phones started using the same as it became instantly popular. BECAUSE IT IS CONVENIENT. Why bother?
Also,there was a separate port for charging on N72, but in these new age phones even that is not there. As one can only do one thing at a time.
- ?
- Anonymous
- sUw
- 27 Jun 2016
apple just wants to make more money