The primary argument in moving away from the 3.5mm audio standard is that of audio quality. Being inherently analog, any audio signal piped over a cable that ends in a 3.5mm jack is subject to degradation that depends on the quality of the audio cable and the jack itself. Also the job of decoding the digital audio file (an MP3 song on your phone, for example) is left to the Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) chip in the equipment used, be it an entry level smartphone or a high-end lossless audio player. With this move to a digital-only audio standard, it effectively means phone manufacturers will now be putting the decision of how audio is decoded into the hands of the headphone user. Still, with even Android manufacturers moving to a digital-only audio standard, it’s likely to affect users across the price spectrum.

Source: dna September 07, 2016 06:32 UTC