Xmas is coming , my iPad Mini is dying, time for a new one I have considered the 10.2 Air and the 12.9 Pro and decided bigger is best ! What I get will be preordered from iStore so I expect to be the new model.
I can read the specs but some one out there has hands on experience.
I am not worried by Portrait/Landscape but that’s covered I hope
How does the USB C port work with convention 3.5 mm jack headphones. I assume I can buy a USB C to USB Female “Camera Kit” to allow my Audioquest Dragonfly Red to work but there may be occasions where I simply want to plug in a pair of headphones - How does it work ?
If I’m reading the USB-C spec correctly, the Audio Adaptor mode of the USB-C spec is actually passing analogue signals, not digital, so no DAC is required - the DAC sits inside of the device (PC, smartphone, etc.).
The small dongle from Apple does the job. And while resolution is limited to 48Khz(?) the sound is pretty good actually, i personally dont feel the Dargonfly adds any good.
Thanks all, my decision is made , Early Xmas present when we eventually get stock in South Africa !!! They are saying End October, we are always last in the “colonies”
I have the lightning to headphone adapter from apple for my iPhone, and it actually sounds pretty reasonable (driving Grado headphones). Do not fear it.
One little issue is that the grado cable and connector are pretty heavy duty and that little dongle cable is pretty wimpy. Treat it gently.
I love Apples ways. How they can decide to remove something that people really use and then recharge them to add it back in by an additional overpriced cable. It obviously works as everybody is doing it now.
Really annoys me on my Pixel 4. Why remove a perfectly functional connector to one that isn’t without additional crap. You have to carry more crap with you, lose it many times and repurchase. Which is suppose is their endgame.
I never did understand why they removed the headphone jack , apart from the obvious gain in accessory sales. The only thing I can think of is the thickness of a 3.5 mm jack could be the width limiting step on getting devices to be thinner and thinner.
Anyway I bit the bullet and pre ordered a 12.9 iPad Pro I no doubt will spend a load more for a case and extra cables etc but its only every 6 years if my mini is anything to go by. I am only replacing it because the battery is failing.
I am using a Dragonfly Cobalt to feed music form iPad to headphones. Great sound quality.
If you go for an iPad with lighting you need the USB camera adapter from apple, if its an iPad with USB-C, then the fitting adapter comes with the Cobalt package.
99+% of my music is redbook audio (44.1 16bit), so the little dongle suits my needs well. I generally don’t do any really serious listening through headphones, in fact I’ve been using my Apple Airpods (pro) more these days than any other headphones. A big chunk of that is telecons, but I also use them when mowing the grass etc. They aren’t amazing sound quality wise, but they work effortlessly with my phone and computers. I guess I should turn in my audiophile card because the convenience outweighs the sound quality limitations and keeps me using them for non-critical things. They bring me more joy than I thought they would, which is rare these days. But I did buy them before the pandemic and had no idea I’d be using them so much.
Yep I am getting the latest iPad pro when they arrive in South Africa , so I’ll need to buy the USB C bits as well , my current stuff is all Lightening . I have a Dragonfly Red already , 2-3 year or so.
I have considered the 10.2 Air and the 12.9 Pro and decided bigger is best ! What I get will be preordered from iStore so I expect to be the new model.
, I think there’s a teeny tiny DAC in the dongle.