New iPhone models have lost the familiar 3.5mm audio jack, which was replaced by Lightning headphones. What are the features of such accessories and which models are the best?
Headphone principle
Saving and transferring music to a smartphone when using streaming music services is carried out in digital form. To convert a digital data set into an analog electric signal, a converter is required, which will form sound through oscillations of the emitters. Actually, he bears such a name - a digital-to-analog converter or DAC.
The DAC is located inside any gadget and is responsible for the functioning of the integrated speaker. If the device has a 3.5 mm jack, the DAC is aimed at converting the signal to transmit it to speakers or wired headphones.
Converters differ in price and quality: some of them convert data into a signal better, some worse. The quality of the DAC directly affects its cost: the better the converter, the more expensive it is.
Smartphones and gadgets that focus on sound are equipped with advanced DACs. Equipping such converters significantly affects the cost of the gadget, significantly increasing it.
New iPhone models that are not equipped with 3.5 mm jacks are also equipped with DACs, however they are designed for built-in speakers. Lightning headphones are fed digital data, not a converted signal. The difference between these headphones is that the DAC is located in them, and not in the gadget or smartphone.
Benefits of Apple Lightning Headphones
Each of the manufacturers selects and adjusts the DAC so that it is suitable for the characteristics of a particular model of headphones.
Older iPhone models were equipped with mediocre converters, the power of which was not enough to unleash the potential of high-quality and expensive branded headphones. However, the problem was also the opposite: the simplest headphones connected to the iPhone also worked poorly, since the converter could not cope with its task.
In the case of Lightning headphones, the DAC is selected by the manufacturer so that the accessory works at full power.
Sound quality in headphones with a Lightning connector
Sound quality depends not only on a correctly selected and tuned DAC, but also on a correctly designed and assembled headphone speaker system . Not every manufacturer can accomplish such a task, since all testing, research, materials and production affect the final cost of an accessory. Accordingly, the higher the quality, the higher the price of the headphones.
Apple brand gadgets are very expensive, so additions to them will cost a lot. The niche of budget accessories is filled with budget options for headphones with a Lightning connector, but in quality they are much inferior to the original accessories.
However, manufacturers of headphones for the middle and higher price segments create high-quality devices that are not limited by the capabilities and technical characteristics of the DACs built into the gadgets. To listen to music, it’s enough for the user to have an iPhone and Lightning headphones on hand.
What determines the quality of music?
Music is stored and transmitted digitally: musical compositions are digital copies of the original recording. A copy can be either accurate or simplified, that is, compressed to a certain size. Such copies are more practical, since they take up less space in the gadget’s memory, download faster and do not spend Internet traffic, which is especially true when using streaming music services.
Such convenience of compositions negatively affects their quality: compression causes the loss of part of the data, which cannot be restored subsequently. The distortion of sound is all the more noticeable, the stronger the file compression, so you should not listen to 128-kilobyte MP3, even in the best Lightning headphones, for example.
Today, many music services offer songs in high quality, which is enough for most users. It’s almost unrealistic to distinguish compositions in different formats.
Which headphones to choose?
IPhone 7 comes with EarPods Lightning Headphones. Despite the fact that their manufacturer is Apple, users do not respond very well about them, noting the poor sound quality, unreliability, and poor ergonomics. Their only plus is perhaps the availability and low cost. However, in the market of acoustic accessories, you can choose their worthy replacement.
Sharkk Lightning Headphones
At a cost, this model of acoustic accessories is the only one that can compete with EarPods headphones with a Lightning connector. As users say, having paid 2300 rubles, you can get a high-quality in-channel accessory without unnecessary frills with a tangle-resistant wire. Sharkk Lightning comes with a mic-free music control.
Brightech Pure Lightning Earphones
The Brightech headset is one of the most affordable among similar accessories on the market: its cost is the same 2,300 rubles. Compared to the cheaper original EarPods, this model is equipped with silicone inserts, which, as noted in the reviews, provides a better fit and additional sound insulation.
There is no built-in microphone, but there is a control panel with keys, which is not the case with the original accessory from Apple.
Libratone q adapt
A sleek acoustic accessory with an original, sophisticated design, equipped with an ambient noise reduction system with four available intensity levels. Of the minuses, buyers highlight the lack of moisture protection and a very high cost: more than 9 thousand rubles. Ideal for listening to music in noisy city streets.
JBL by Harman Reflect Aware
An interesting proposal from the JBL brand is the Reflect Aware headphones with noise reduction system. This characteristic is far from new in this type of gadget, however, it requires the use of a battery, which, in view of the form factor of the earbuds themselves, is unrealistic to install.
In the case of on-ear headphones, it’s realistic to use the battery, because their design has enough space for its placement.
The developers of some models of headphones have found the best solution, combining a noise canceling system and a battery in one gadget - the latter is taken outside the accessory itself.
However, a different technology was used in the device from JBL: the gadget draws energy from the Lightning connector, respectively, its operation does not depend on the use of batteries and accumulators.
The distinguishing features of the headphones are high-quality sound and good performance, coupled with powerful bass, which is especially noted by many music lovers in reviews.
Despite the fact that the noise canceling function cannot compete with a similar system in traditional acoustic accessories, its action is quite sufficient to block background noise, and the elastic bands that fit snugly to the auricle enhance this effect.
Such headphones are unlikely to be suitable for everyday wear, but they can be taken on long trips.
You can purchase Reflect Aware from JBL in specialized stores for 12,990 rubles.
Audeze iSINE 20
For those who care about cleanliness, reliability and detail, and the price does not matter, planar headphones, the representative of which is the Audeze iSINE 20 gadget, are the best option. In these models, ordinary dynamic emitters are replaced by a thin film membrane on which conductive metal tracks are applied . The membrane oscillates in a grid of bar magnets. In such headphones, the minimum harmonic distortion is about 0.1%. Audeze iSINE 20 costs a lot - about 35 thousand rubles.
Philips Fidelio M2L
Philips Fidelio M2L Headphones are another traditional overhead type of acoustic accessory.
The model cannot boast of wide functionality and is equipped with a fixed cable. There is also no built-in microphone in the headphones, which, for example, can be found in Audeze iSINE.
All the flaws are fully compensated by the high build quality and great sound. The cost of Fidelio M2L is 14 699 rubles.