The accessories included with headphone DACs (digital-to-analog converters) vary depending on the manufacturer and model. Some manufacturers include the appropriate connection cables, while others do not. Does this benefit customers and the environment, or is it a disadvantage?
The FiiO KA5, for example, is delivered with both Lightning and USB-C cables to ensure compatibility with different devices. Other FiiO DACs, however, are shipped without cables. For customers, this can be frustrating.
Why?
Recently, I had a customer who wanted to connect one of our wired headphones to her smartphone. I recommended a DAC and a suitable connection cable.
When looking at the cable recommendation, she realized that she already had a Lightning-to-USB-C cable from Apple and therefore decided not to order the cable I had suggested.
The DAC arrived, she tried to connect it—and there was no audio output.
Testing at our company showed that although the Apple cable is indeed USB-C to Lightning, it cannot be used for this purpose. When the DAC was tested with our recommended cable, it worked perfectly. As a result, our customer had to order the cable separately after all.
Is this policy sustainable or not?
My opinion on this:
At ULTRASONE, all meaningful cables are still included with our products as standard. However, I am also considering moving away from this policy and in the future including only a balanced cable and a standard cable, while offering the other cables separately in the shop.
This would still ensure that the correct cables are available for every operating mode. In my view, this would be the most sustainable solution, and I will determine which standard cable makes the most sense.
By contrast, shipping cables separately—as in the case of this DAC—seems economically and environmentally inefficient if existing cables do not work. That is something FiiO should change.
If ULTRASONE offers a DAC again in the future, it will definitely include both USB-C and Lightning cables as standard!
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