USB-IF announces USB Audio over USB Type-C standard

[HEXUS]

AKA the USB Audio Device Class 3.0 Specification for digital audio.

Read more.

[ik9000]

In effect the USB Audio Device Class 3.0 Specification will allow device manufacturers to eliminate even more ports (in this case ye olde 3.5mm analogue audio connector) in favour of USB Type-C.

and the result of that would be less connectivity for the end user, who will need to carry round more adaptors just to be able to plug in the same amount of kit - assuming the adaptor allows them to plug in everything simultaneously.

Anyone with the new iphone wanting to use normal headphones and charge at the same time is screwed. This condensing of connectors is all well and good, but I actually think it can be less convenient overall. e.g My laptop doesn't have even a mini HDMI. I have to use an adaptor. Yes, it's thinner, and I don't always need that functionality but it's another thing to carry/forget/take up room in my bag. Annoying when you get to a meeting and realise you left the adaptor in your coat pocket...

The 3.5mm jack is also longer and more resilient against pulling-out / bending/snapping on the go. Tiny USB3.1 connectors are not so great if you want to do sport and use your headphones.

[EndlessWaves]

Well that's an... uninformative news article.

What exactly does Class 3 audio add to the existing Class 1 and Class 2 standards*, and Type C's previously standardised ability to pass analogue audio signals?

*Which have been around since the stone age, also known as 1998.

[Gunbuster]

I agree. The 3.5mm jack also rotates, so any pulling on an L connector would just cause it to turn.

I find it pretty funny when you see the birds nest of adapters all the Surface users around me need to just get their things to do what a normal boring laptop would do. Your total laptop package isn't smaller in this situation.

Apple and everyone else are so obsessed with designing for product photos, they forget about the users.

[iworrall]

The SOLE reason for deleting the jack is to plug the last remaining DRM loophole.

If device makers truly wanted to build water/dustproof products, they'd go completely portless, using wifi for data, bluetooth for audio, and Qi for charging.

[excalibur1814]

"Did Apple set a trend in motion by dropping the 3.5mm analogue audio jack"

No. No Apple did NOT set a trend as all this stuff has probably been planned for a LONG time.

[Corky34]

What exactly does Class 3 audio add to the existing Class 1 and Class 2 standards

It adds exactly what it says, a new standard specifically for digital audio, something that isn't currently supported by any existing USB standard.

and Type C's previously standardised ability to pass analogue audio signals?

Because that's an analogue signals and still needs the customer to carry around an adapter like the one pictured in the article, if you want a more detailed synopsis of the new Audio over USB Type-C standard this article does a good job of explaining the why's, the good & bad points, and reasons behind it all, although I, you, we probably aren't going to agree if it's a good or bad idea.

[Platinum]

Bring it on, the additional functionality that should be avaliable is quite interesting such as hot word detection ect.

Time for tech to move on , I dont see the play and charge thing as to much of an issue, I have a iPhone 6s and have never needed to charge it when listning to music, by the end of the day its generally only down to about 40%.

[EndlessWaves]

What exactly does Class 3 audio add to the existing Class 1 and Class 2 standards

It adds exactly what it says, a new standard specifically for digital audio, something that isn't currently supported by any existing USB standard.

And what exactly does 'digital audio' mean? It clearly doesn't mean audio data transferred to another device digitally because USB has been doing that since the Windows XP days.

if you want a more detailed synopsis of the new Audio over USB Type-C standard this article does a good job of explaining the why's, the good & bad points, and reasons behind it all

Wrong link? All I can see in that article is a debate about whether to use analogue or USB audio outputs. Indeed, it specifically says Android only supports Class 1 and it's fairly clear that's what they're talking about rather than this class 3 release.

[chj]

And what exactly does 'digital audio' mean? It clearly doesn't mean audio data transferred to another device digitally because USB has been doing that since the Windows XP days.

AFAIK Currently the USB type-C transmits analogue audio having already been converted by the phone's DAC but this new standard transmits it digitally. Saying that i know you can currently send digital audio over microUSB ports for an external DAC so perhaps it's just pertaining to the type-C standard and not other USB formats.

Also having to implement a DAC into the headphones, how big is the circuitry needed? are in-ear earphones going to be bulkier? Plus the price of a good external DAC/AMP is a fair amount, are headphones now going to cost a lot more?

[ik9000]

are headphones now going to cost a lot more?

almost certainly. Whether or not they need to is another matter, but they almost certainly will. Manufacturers will have no legacy products to compete against. I still have some headphones from a walkman I bought in the early 1990s. Not used very often, but I can use them when the need arises. Make normal headphones too expensive I'll simply dig out my old ones. Once that's not an option for people these greedy companies will have no qualms ratcheting up the price.

[Corky34]

And what exactly does 'digital audio' mean? It clearly doesn't mean audio data transferred to another device digitally because USB has been doing that since the Windows XP days.

No it's been transmitting digital data, that then gets processed by some form of sound processing chip into digital audio that's then sent to filtering circuits, transferred to a DAC, and finally fed to an amp.

Wrong link? All I can see in that article is a debate about whether to use analogue or USB audio outputs. Indeed, it specifically says Android only supports Class 1 and it's fairly clear that's what they're talking about rather than this class 3 release.

No, maybe a lack of reading though, try reading past the first two sentences.
As it was written in July though it talks about there being no standard at the end as being a down side, something that this recent announcement from the USB-IF aims to address.

[peterb]

USB headphones aren't exactly a new concept though. I've had a pair for 6 years or so, with a USB type a connector on it. Let's face it, the bit rate for CD quality isn't that high!

[Corky34]

Strictly speaking this isn't anything very new either, all it's really doing is moving all the sound processing gubbins from the device to the speakers/headphones, obviously that comes with some advantages and disadvantages.

[ik9000]

Strictly speaking this isn't anything very new either, all it's really doing is moving all the sound processing gubbins from the device to the speakers/headphones, obviously that comes with some advantages and disadvantages.

can you give any advantages?

[peterb]

In theory it gives some scope in the selection of audio processing circuitry, choice of DAC and subsequent processing. How valid that is for a pair of earphones in a noisy background is debateable, but of course if you have spent a shed loads of cash on the latest bit of audio bit kit, then it's obviously going to sound better, innit.

Now where are my oxygen free gold plated fibre optic cables? (And yes, I have seen fibre TosLink cables advertised as having gold plated connectors for better sound purity)