Philips, not Beats, unveils the first headphones that connect via an iOS device's Lightning port
Surprisingly, the first headphones to connect via a Lightning port won’t be from Apple-owned Beats Electronics. According to Pocket Lint, the Philips has just introduced the Fidelio M2L with the functionality.
Instead of plugging into the normal 3.5mm headphone jack, the Philips set plugs into any iOS device with a Lightning connector.
That will allow it to provide higher quality 24-bit digital-to-analog conversion and amplification. The digital nature of the Lightning connector should also help eliminate interference and other issues.
For non-audiophiles, that means your music will hopefully sound even better.
Philips has also designed the M2L with breathable leather memory foam ear pads for a comfortable fit.
The headphones will be available in North America and Western Europe in December. It will retail for around $322.
It will be interesting to see when Beats will introduce its own Lightning-enabled headphones. I’m still not convinced, that at least to a normal music listener, whether headphones connected to the port will actually sound any better than a normal set does.
For other recent accessory news, see: This week in accessories: Garmin Vivosmart, Withings Home and more, Soen Audio’s Transit XS Bluetooth speaker can go pretty much anywhere, and Sphero’s latest app-controllable toy, Ollie, has finally arrived.
