So, the iPhone SE keeps test results within a decibel of both the iPhone 6 and the Apple Lightning to 3,5mm headphone adapter. It has a wonderfully low noise floor, shows reasonable stability under load, and at high volumes, presses into mid-tier audiophile DAP performance.
Read moreRMAA: Apple iPhone 7 24-bit
Last week my iPhone SE came in. And though she ordered it late, so did my wife’s iPhone 7. While the SE is gloriously understated, and wieldy, the 7 is a return to what I consider Apple’s most horrific modern design. Its largest makeover is the removal of a headphone jack. Next is the smoothing out of its camera hump, a consequence of which is that iPhone 6-compatible cases half cover up the iPhone 7’s camera and flash superstructure.
Read moreRMAA: Apple's Lightning to 3,5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter 24-bit
Purchased separately to the iPhone 7, this adapter costs 9$ USD. It hisses less than an Astell&Kern AK70 and outputs a stabler signal under load than both the AK70 and an iPhone 6. It sustains quality signals under load better than many DAPs and most iPhones I’ve tested in many years, all while spitting output voltage similar near the level of an iPhone 6.
Read moreRMAA: Apple iPhone 6 24-bit
Being an Apple fan has its ups: the iPhone 4, iMac, iPad, and its downs: Apple Hifi, long Mac Pro cycles, and the iPhone 6.
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