[raw_anon_1111]

This is 2026. iPhones use standard USB C headphones, you can charge your phone at the same time while using your wired headphones using MagSafe and you can even by low end $59 Beats Flex headphones that have all of the Apple magic.

I’m going to need HN geeks to get over analog headphones from the 60s

[et-al]

In my experience, USB-C ports are more fragile than 3.5mm audio jacks for repeated plugging in / unplugging cycles.

[SchemaLoad]

I've never had a USB-C port fail with many of them being plugged / unplugged multiple times a day for years. At most they fill with dust you have to fish out. Aux ports would often get in a state where you had to very carefully position the jack for it to work.

[OSaMaBiNLoGiN]

As soon as those headphones sound better than the analog alternatives, sure.

But they don't. And won't.

[lynndotpy]

I am a huge 3.5mm jack defender and I am still upset at how Apple created a post-USB C world. But this is a common misconception.

USB C headphones and 3.5mm headphones (and Bluetooth, USB A, etc) are all equally as "analog" as one another (with the exception of someone with all-analog equipment, of course).

You need a DAC somewhere between the chip you're getting the digital signal from and the speakers that are playing an analog signal. And so the quality of that depends on (among other things) the quality of your DAC.

With USB or Bluetooth headphones, the DAC is somewhere in the headphone. With the 3.5mm jack, the DAC is behind jack. If you have a device with a crummy built-in DAC giving you a noisy signal, you'll be better off using a USB DAC.

I haven't used Apple's USB C earbuds, but Apple does make a $10 USB C to 3.5mm DAC that performs very very well for its price point.

[raw_anon_1111]

The difference is you always can buy USB C headphones with a known good consistent DAC. A 3.5 inch headphone jack serves no purpose in the age of USB C - even my wife’s mixing board has USB C input that she can plug her iPhone into.

Next thing HN folks are going yo want the iPhone to come with a SCSI port.

[lynndotpy]

I think that is silly, I haven't used an SCSI port since I was a tiny child but I use a 3.5mm almost every day of my life.

[raw_anon_1111]

And technology moves on either way. There is not a single high end phone that still comes with a 3.5 inch headphone jack in 2026. The number of people who care in 2026 is probably less than the number of people who want to run Linux on their phone.

[lynndotpy]

Yes, but that's different than what we're saying. I think many more people want and use 3.5mm jacks than they do SCSI ports. The 3.5mm jack is excellent. We're in a thread about a new device released with this wonderful port.

Also, many people want to run Linux on their phone. About 7 in 10 smart phones run Linux, and smart phones are devices billions of humans use every day.

[OSaMaBiNLoGiN]

?

Sennheiser HD 660S2

Audeze MM-100

Meze 109 Pro

Focal Hadenys

Focal Azurys

Sennheiser HD 505

HiFiMAN Arya Stealth

Audeze LCD-5

[Kirby64]

Why do they need to sound better? Also, in a lot of instances, they do sound better because they can offer powered functionality such as ANC. Can’t get that with a truly analog headphone. I’d never use analog headphones on a plane, for instance.

[raw_anon_1111]

I can’t think of an instance where analog headphones would sound better than USB C headphones using the same hardware.

[raw_anon_1111]

So USB headphones sound worse than analog ones? Does vinyl sound better to you to than CDs?

[RhysU]

Low-end wired earbuds come in packages with dozens of units. I buy cheap earbuds because my kids love breaking them. Not everyone optimizes for the same thing. Analog remains the bees knees in certain settings.

[raw_anon_1111]

Just a quick search on Amazon shows a two pack of USB C headphones for $10

[RhysU]

Or 100 analog ones for $36.

[raw_anon_1111]

So you are worried about saving money and consider $5 for a pair of headphones and you bought an iPhone????

[RhysU]

No. Going back to what I initially responded to:

> I’m going to need HN geeks to get over analog headphones from the 60s

I am saying that not all adoration of the analog headphone jack is baseless. And we shouldn't universally move on.

[raw_anon_1111]

So your adoration of analog headphone jacks is you can buy a pair of crappy ones for less than a 50 cents each?

If you are that concerned about price, I’m sure you can get a $20 Tracphone from somewhere with an analog jack.