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?
How headphones work
Storing and transferring music to your smartphone when using music streaming services is done digitally. To convert a digital data set into an analog electrical signal, a transducer is required, which will form the sound by vibrating the emitters. Actually, it bears such a name - digital-to-analog converter or DAC.
DAC is present inside any gadget and is responsible for the functioning of the integrated speaker. If your device has a 3.5mm jack, the DAC's job is to convert the signal for transmission 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.
In smartphones and gadgets that focus on sound, advanced DACs are installed. Equipment with such converterssignificantly affects the cost of the gadget, significantly increasing it.
Newer iPhones that don't have 3.5mm jacks also come with a DAC, but they're 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 a gadget or smartphone.
Benefits of Apple Lightning Headphones
Each of the manufacturers selects and configures the DAC in such a way that it is suitable for a specific headphone model in terms of characteristics.
Older iPhone models were equipped with mediocre transducers, the power of which was not enough to unlock the potential of high-quality and expensive branded headphones. However, the problem was reversed: the simplest headphones connected to the iPhone also did not work well, because the converter did not do its job.
In the case of Lightning headphones, the DAC is selected by the manufacturer so that the accessory works at full capacity.
Sound quality in Lightning headphones
Sound quality depends not only on a properly selected and configured DAC, but also on a properly 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 the accessory. Accordingly, the higher the quality, the higher the price of the headphones.
Apple brand gadgets are verynot cheap, so the additions to them will cost a lot. The niche of budget accessories is filled with budget options for headphones with a Lightning connector, however, in terms of quality, they are far inferior to original accessories.
However, manufacturers producing 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 gadgets. To listen to music, the user only needs to have an iPhone and Lightning headphones at 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 exact 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 waste Internet traffic, which is especially important when using streaming music services.
This convenience of compositions has a negative effect on their quality: compression causes the loss of part of the data, which cannot be restored later. Sound distortion is the more noticeable, the stronger the file compression was, so listening to a 128-bit MP3, for example, is not worth it even in the best Lightning headphones.
Today, many music services offer songs in high quality, which is sufficient for most users. By ear, distinguish compositions in differentformats is almost impossible.
Which headphones to choose?
The iPhone 7 comes with Lightning EarPods. Despite the fact that their manufacturer is Apple, users do not respond very well to them, noting 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 find a worthy replacement.
Sharkk Lightning Headphones
In terms of cost, this model of acoustic accessories is the only one that can compete with EarPods with a Lightning connector. As users say, by paying 2300 rubles, you can get a high-quality in-ear accessory without unnecessary bells and whistles with a tangle-resistant wire. Sharkk Lightning is equipped with a music remote control without a microphone.
Brightech Pure Lightning Earphones
The headset from Brightech is one of the most affordable among similar accessories on the market: its cost is the same 2300 rubles. Compared to cheaper original EarPods, this model comes with silicone earbuds, which, according to reviews, provide a better fit and additional sound isolation.
There is no built-in microphone, but there is a control panel with keys, which the original Apple accessory does not have.
Libratone Q Adapt
Sleek acoustic accessory with original sophisticateddesign, equipped with an ambient noise reduction system with four available intensity levels. Of the minuses, buyers highlight the lack of protection against moisture and the very high cost: more than 9 thousand rubles. Ideal for listening to music in noisy city streets.
JBL by Harman Reflect Aware
An interesting offer from the JBL brand - Reflect Aware headphones with a noise reduction system. This characteristic is far from new in gadgets of this type, however, it requires the use of a battery, which, due to the form factor of the earbuds themselves, is unrealistic to install.
In the case of on-ear headphones, it is possible to use a battery, since their design has enough space to accommodate it.
The developers of some headphone models have found the best solution by combining a noise-canceling system and a rechargeable battery in one gadget - the latter is placed outside the accessory itself.
However, the device from JBL uses a different technology: the gadget draws energy from the Lightning connector, respectively, its operation does not depend on the use of batteries and accumulators.
Distinctive features of the headphones can be called high-quality sound and good performance, coupled with powerful bass, which is especially noted by many music lovers in the reviews.
Although the noise canceling function cannot compete with that of traditional acoustic accessories, it is sufficient to block out background noise andrubber bands that fit snugly around the ear enhance this effect.
For everyday wear, these headphones are unlikely to fit, but they can be taken on long trips.
You can buy Reflect Aware from JBL in specialized stores for 12,990 rubles.
Audeze iSINE 20
For those who care about purity, reliability and detail of sound, and at the same time the price does not matter, planar headphones, represented by the Audeze iSINE 20 gadget, will be the best option. In such models, conventional dynamic emitters are replaced by a thin film membrane, on coated with conductive metal tracks. The membrane oscillates in a grid of bar magnets. In such headphones, the minimum coefficient of non-linear distortion is about 0.1%. Audeze iSINE 20 cost a lot - about 35 thousand rubles.
Philips Fidelio M2L
The Fidelio M2L headphones from Philips are another traditional model of on-ear acoustic accessory.
The model cannot boast of wide functionality and is equipped with a non-removable cable. The headphones also lack a built-in microphone, which, for example, can be found in Audeze iSINE.
All shortcomings are fully compensated by high build quality and great sound. Fidelio M2L is priced at RUB 14,699.
