When is the Apple Camera Adapter necessary?
So I did some more digging and I found these pictures on the iFi website. Does this mean that the camera adapter is unnecessary for USB-A DACs, or is this just marketing? https://ifi-audio.com/a-perfect-match-iphone-6-plus-micro-idsd/ |
I took a quick look and I think @kalali is correct in that the usb charging cable will transmit data with the main difference seeming to be that the charging cable has a male usb connector and the camera adapter has a female usb connector. There is a usb3 camera adapter that transfers data faster (usb 3.0 vs. 2.0) and has a lightning port too so you can charge your device or provide more power for equipment that needs it (microphones, etc.), but it is a little bulkier due to the added port. That’s all I got. |
So now I’m confused again. The iFi website isn’t ambiguous, it’s contradictory. They have a picture of a iPhone connected to one of their DACs with a regular Lightning to male USB-A cable, but they also have this user manual: https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/nano_iDSD_BL_Manual.pdf (read the first bullet point). This is the only time that they have explicitly said that the regular charging cord won’t work. |
The only reasonable explanation I can think of is since they use the same USB port for charging, their "design" only supports USB3.0 protocol and the standard charging cable does not support USB3.0. I am not familiar with all the technical differences among the various USB standards but I am having difficulty understanding how the camera adapter could make a difference unless it somehow supports/converts to the higher USB protocol while converting/adapting from USB-A to USB-B connection. |
