Apple Now Selling USB-C to 3.5mm Audio Cable - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Now Selling USB-C to 3.5mm Audio Cable

by

Following today's announcement of Lossless audio and Personalized Spatial Audio for the AirPods Max, Apple today released a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable.

usb c 3
The cable is designed for the AirPods Max with USB-C and Beats Studio Pro headphones, allowing them to be connected directly to the audio-out port of a Mac, in-flight entertainment system, or other device.

This bidirectional cable can be used with both 3.5 mm audio-out and audio-in ports, allowing you to connect your AirPods Max or Beats Studio Pro headphones to 3.5 mm audio sources, or to connect your iPhone or iPad to speakers with 3.5 mm audio ports. When connected to AirPods Max, this cable enables ultra-low latency on par with the device's built-in speakers for an optimal experience when gaming or creating content.

Apple used to sell a similar Lightning to 3.5mm audio cable, but it has now been discontinued. Apple's USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable is available now for $39.00.

Related Roundup: AirPods Max 2
Tag: Beats Studio Pro
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Max (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Read Full Article • 25 comments
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
Read Full Article • 47 comments
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...
Read Full Article • 88 comments

Top Rated Comments

JMStearnsX2 Avatar
JMStearnsX2
13 months ago
Wow, $39 is an unbelievable price. Unbelievably expensive.
Even for Apple...
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C
ChrisA
13 months ago

“Bi-directional”? So that means it contains both an ADC and a DAC in that connector? That may explain the price…
Yes, you seem to be the only one here who knows that this is not just a piece of wire. A quality AD and DA converter for only $40. is not a bad deal at all. It is not just the two converts in the cable but they managed to fit a small CPU, memory and power conversion.

Things always seem "easy" when you don't know how it works. This is actually some impressive engineering.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cicalinarrot Avatar
cicalinarrot
13 months ago
We can all light up a candle on our altars to the Holy European Union and buy a better one for $10 on Amazon.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
V
VisceralRealist
13 months ago
“Bi-directional”? So that means it contains both an ADC and a DAC in that connector? That may explain the price…

When using this cable with the APM, it seems the cable converts analog to digital, then the headphone converts digital back to analog. Wired input on these headphones always seemed weird to me, since it must undergo two conversions.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SanderEvers Avatar
SanderEvers
13 months ago

Forgive my ignorance, but how is this different than the $9 USB-C headphone adaptor?
That one is male USB-C to female 3.5mm and only goes one direction. This one is male USB-C to male 3.5mm, bidirectional. And it's that last part what makes it so expensive.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N
neuropsychguy
13 months ago

If they would support USB-C to USB-C cables with a digital signal they could play music and charge at the same time, basically turning off all wireless communication.
Apple does that with this update, which is the whole point of the update. What this specific thread is about is that Apple also started selling a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter cable for sources without a USB-C audio connection.

"With the included USB-C cable [the one that comes with the headphones or that you otherwise own or buy, not this new adapter], users can enjoy the highest-quality audio across music, movies, and games, while music creators can experience significant enhancements to songwriting, beat making, production, and mixing."
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments