At first, this can feel a little complicated but it's not really. The digital file is streamed from your iPad or iPhone and all the conversion is done on top of your head. Your Bluetooth headphones have their own onboard DAC and amplifier. You don't need to physically connect Bluetooth headphones to anything, but they are using the same parts. And it can do it while other pins in the connector are sending 4K video out, or receiving power to charge the battery, or sending power out to charge another device, or even be ready to do a thing that hasn't been invented yet.įor an explanation, let's turn to Bluetooth. A little more legroomĪll of this matters because a USB-C port is capable of streaming that raw digital data out to another device for decoding, conversion, and amplification. Only the complexity of the DAC and output quality of the amplifier are different, and a standard stereo plug interface is used because that's what companies put on a pair of headphones that can handle a high-gain, high-power amplified signal. This is exactly the same process as a device that doesn't promise an expensive audiophile experience. The DAC is capable of converting high-resolution audio, the amp can boost the signal considerably more without distortion, and the interface - usually a 3.5mm or quarter-inch stereo plug adapter - sends it out to whatever you have plugged in. Some products use a very good DAC and a very good amp that can drive very good (read: crazy expensive) headphones. More: Does my phone have a DAC? Explaining DACs and Amps in smartphones today at Android Central There are some pretty cool things that scientists and engineers can do to 'make' sound, but every portable digital audio player and every set of speakers need this process. This data is sent through a DAC for conversion and then sent through an amplifier so that the waveform is made strong enough for headphones to be able to use. mp3 or lossless file for storing, and convert it back to an analog waveform when played.

Complex algorithms are able to take recorded audio, which is in an analog format, convert it to a digital format like a.

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