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Apple Lightning to 3.5mm Adaptor As Your Source

I like simplicity. My audio chain is only as complicated as it needs to be. Right now I’ve got my source, a passive preamp, and an amplifier. About as simple as it comes. Recently I’ve been experimenting with getting my system completely off grid. Just for kicks, I decided to use my iPhone 8 as my source to stream some Tidal and compare it to my CD player’s sound. It doesn’t have a 3.5mm connection, so I had to use a Lightning to 3.5 mm adaptor, along with a hand-made silver 3.5mm to RCA cable which is very transparent. I played some of Brooklyn Duo’s Session V album and was pretty shocked by what I heard. It was not low-end sound like I was expecting. It was very clear sounding, the strings had texture and bite, and piano sounded controlled.

I just learned that the Lightning port is digital out only. I knew it could do digital but I figured it could also do analog because I could hook it directly to headphones with the adaptor. It turns out the adapter itself has a microscopic DAC and headphone amplifier built into it. That means the Lightning to 3.5mm adaptor is actually what’s making the music. The adapter is the source (not the phone) while the phone is like a transport that also provides power to the adapter. 
Ken Rockwell measured the Lightning to 3.5 mm adaptor and found that it measures very well. It has a low output impedance of 1 ohm. It’s got a ruler flat frequency response and very low noise. He said, “This tiny Apple device has better performance and more and cleaner output than many fancier "audiophile" devices I've tested.” (I believe he is referring to portable “audiophile” devices, not home audio.)

While this device probably isn’t going to compete with any of your high end gear, I suspect it can compete with most entry level gear and maybe even some questionably designed mid-tier equipment. If you take into account the price ($9), it is jaw-dropping sound for what you paid.

Has anyone else tried this? Curious to hear what you think. I can tell you it has replaced my entry-level CD player. Hard to compare it to my main CD player (haven’t figured out how to battery power that and my AC power seems to be relatively dirty but that’s a story for another post).
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Showing 4 responses by calvinandhobbes

calvinandhobbes
309 posts
 
I have tried exactly what you have done but with an Audioquest Jitterbug noise filter attached: iPhone 6s > Lightning to 3.5mm adapter > Audioquest Jitterbug 

It sounds similar to the output from a laptop PC, but I decided to get a Pro-ject Stream Box Ultra S2 streamer (basically a Raspberry Pi with power supplies optimized for lower noise). As much as I wanted the iPhone to sound just as good (because it's always better to have to spend less money), the the Pro-ject streamer sounds quite a bit better. These were my listening notes on the differences I heard.

Adding Jitterbug to Stream Box and Dragonfly Red makes a very clear improvement in resolution. Versus iPhone, the Stream Box is now better in:
  • Broader & more 3-dimensional soundstage
  • Better resolution of complex musical passages: Electric bass in Blue Moon Revisited on Trinity Sessions, Cowboy Junkies & Waltz for Debby, Bill Evans Trio
  • Tonal colors are more evident
  • Notes seem to hang in the air longer. Reverberations continue instead of being cut off.
  • More presence around voices and instruments.
For the 'bits are bits' crowd, I believe the differences are due to jitter and analog noise in the music signal.
calvinandhobbes
309 posts
 
Also, just to change up my day and take a break, I just tested this out again. I have a Pro-ject streamer that’s been connected to a Denafrips Pontus II DAC for the last two weeks. I unplugged the USB cable attached to an Audioquest Jitterbug noise filter and plugged both into an Apple iPhone via an Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter. The iPhone as a source sounded good, BUT the Pro-ject sounded hands down better in the following ways:
  • The iPhone as a source sounded "fuller", but the Pro-ject as a source sounded bigger with a broader soundstage.
  • Better resolution of complex musical passages: Electric bass in Blue Moon Revisited on Trinity Sessions, Cowboy Junkies & Waltz for Debby, Bill Evans Trio
  • Tonal colors are more evident
  • Notes seem to hang in the air longer. Reverberations continue instead of being cut off.
  • More presence around voices and instruments.
  • Complex rhythms are easier to follow via the Pro-ject. Not so much via the iPhone as a source.
Starting with an iPhone as a streamer is a decent first step if that might allow you to spend more on a DAC. I do think that there are sonic benefits to going to a dedicated streamer for better sound quality if that is an important consideration.
calvinandhobbes
309 posts
 
I didn't let the iPhone warm up the first time I did this, but out of curiosity, I just connected my iPhone to my Pontus DAC and let it play for 30 minutes. I was listening to the new Norah Jones live album release 'Til We Meet Again' with vocals, piano, percussion and acoustic instruments. Key tracks used for comparison were "Those Sweet Words" and "Black Hole Sun". Maybe the music from the iPhone got a little smoother after 30 minutes of playing? I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, the output from the iPhone sounded enjoyable.

I then switched back to my Pro-ject streamer. The sound quality difference was immediately noticeable to me in the following ways:

  • More transparent
  • More open & airy.
  • Better balance between the different instrumental and voice elements of the music
  • Seemed to have a better rhythm and flow to the music
  • Greater variation in tonal color of voices and instruments

calvinandhobbes
309 posts
 
Also, I gave the iPhone the advantage of playing back a file stored locally, while the file via the Pro-ject was streamed via Qobuz. The iPhone was also disconnected from both charger and battery.

Also, a correction that I am using the Apple Lightning to USB adapter, not the Lightning to 3.5mm jack adapter as I mentioned in a prior post.
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