How do you think they create (analog) sound from the (digital) data from the USB-C port? There is an integrated chip with hardware USB support, stereo DAC and headphone-level amp, all of which is cheap now.
Or was what you meant “the chip is built into the plug, the cable of the headphones is analog so subject to interference”? That is true and negates one of the advantages, although most audible interference is picked up pre-amplification (so the DAC and amp better be shielded, like inside a phone, which is not possible with USB-C).
Yeah. Usually the same kind of hardware that’d be used for a 3.5mm jack. This is to ease transition from 3.5mm, and why the usb-c to 3.5mm adapters are usually wires with no active components.
Most USB+c controllers you’d find that’d be used as phones just have this functionality built-in.
Those cheap USB c headphones virtually never have their own DAC
Edit: I’m wrong, see reply
How do you think they create (analog) sound from the
(digital) datafrom the USB-C port? There is an integrated chip with hardware USB support, stereo DAC and headphone-level amp, all of which is cheap now.Or was what you meant “the chip is built into the plug, the cable of the headphones is analog so subject to interference”? That is true and negates one of the advantages, although most audible interference is picked up pre-amplification (so the DAC and amp better be shielded, like inside a phone, which is not possible with USB-C).
USB-C does support analog out (see AAAM) so long as the host device supports / has nessesary hardware.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C#Audio_adapter_accessory_mode
TIL. Thanks!
Yeah. Usually the same kind of hardware that’d be used for a 3.5mm jack. This is to ease transition from 3.5mm, and why the usb-c to 3.5mm adapters are usually wires with no active components.
Most USB+c controllers you’d find that’d be used as phones just have this functionality built-in.
Thanks for the info. Still acceptable to skip the 3.5mm plug though. Just one less component easily replaced by usb-c.
And I assume there are more expensive over ear headphones with a better DAC. Not that I’d ever be able to hear much of a difference lol