Home Reviews ,,,,, In these days we have tried some accessories of dB Magix for iPhone 7 dedicated to the world of music. One of these is PLX1, a pair of in-ear headphones accompanied by an app that allows you to amplify the frequencies with a click; the other two (AC1 and AC3) are adapters that allow you to connect headphones with a 3.5mm jack cable through the Lightning port, one of which offers a pass-through Lightning socket to be able to charge the phone at the same time.
PLX1 earphones
The earphones are of the in-ear type, with rubber pads of various sizes to best fit inside any ear cavity. The cable, with rubber sheath, which connects the earphones to the remote control, is very thin, while the one that goes from the remote control to the Lightning connector increases in thickness. The case of the latter and the earphones are in brushed aluminum: the frame of the remote control is also of the same material, made for the rest of the case by two satin plastic covers.
The Lightning connector is quite small, so it easily connects to iPhones protected by most cases currently on the market. On the remote control, in addition to the hole for the microphone, there are the volume keys and the larger multifunction key, which allows you to interact with Siri and manage music playback.
The audio quality is very good. They are powerful and the soundproofing is quite efficient, especially at maximum volume the sound manages to completely envelop the user who wears them. They work right out of the box without the need to download additional software, although the app is required to update the firmware and access the Hi-Fi button to give general audio playback an edge.
The app is called SoundWise and is free. It offers a single Hi-Fi button which, when pressed, activates a sort of boost that makes all frequencies slightly more full-bodied, especially in the bass. The difference with a pair of classic headphones, such as Apple's EarPods, is perceived above all from this point of view, where with songs like Bass Can You Hear Me they promise a better perception of low frequencies.
The dB Magix earphones are on sale on Amazon for 59.99 euros.
AC3 Jack-Lightning adapter
AC3 is a sort of alternative to the jack-Lightning adapter that Apple includes in the iPhone 7 package. Its task is to ensure the connection of any headphones with a 3.5mm jack plug to the new Apple smartphone, the first not to offer the respective socket.
It is quite small (10.5 x 1 centimeters) and light (11 grams), the Lightning plug is small and the main body is made of sturdy metal, with three buttons that allow you to manage the music player without having to interact with the touchscreen of the phone. .
It is sold together with a sort of metal plug for the jack socket that has the dual function of allowing it to be connected to a set of keys by means of a ring to always have it behind.
In addition to allowing the cable connection of headphones with jack plug, through the SoundWise app it is possible to give a boost to the frequencies through the Hi-Fi slider that we have already known with the headphones: in this case, however, it will be shown through a sort of slider which allows you to give a boost with two different intensities.
The AC3 jack-Lightning adapter is on sale on Amazon for 69.99 euros.
AC1, the Swiss army knife of Lightning music
What struck us most of all is AC1, an adapter that offers approximately the same functions as the previous one, but with an important addition: here there is also a pass-through Lightning socket that allows you to listen to music on headphones and recharge the phone at the same time. .
In fact, those who buy iPhone 7 not only lose the jack socket but also the possibility of connecting headphones and cable at the same time, having to give up music in the headphones just to recharge the smartphone battery when it is about to run out.
This adapter is aesthetically different from the previous one: from the “drop” shape, it is made entirely of satin plastic and is very light. The Lightning plug is hidden inside and to extract it you will have to help yourself with a sort of lever that is pushed through a small switch placed on the side. Adjacent to the latter there are also the 3.5mm jack socket and the Lightning one to connect the charging cable. On one side there is also a small hole to possibly hook it to a bunch of keys with a cord (not included in the package).
Here too there are the volume control and music playback buttons, with a central button that allows you to answer a phone call and interact with Siri.
Like the previous ones, the SoundWise app is used to update the firmware and possibly activate the Hi-Fi boost.
The jack-Lightning adapter with pass-through socket is on sale on Amazon for 69.99 euros.
Conclusions
Each of these three accessories offers a different function. Especially with regard to the adapters, the only negative point is the price, which could make people desist from the purchase: on the other hand the functions offered are not indispensable and do not justify the price difference with the original Apple adapter, which it offers no boost or a through grip, but costs almost eight times less.
The application must also be improved, both in the recognition speed of the connected device (from opening it must also wait 10 seconds), and in operation. When the app is closed in the background, the Hi-Fi function, for example, remains activated and to turn it off you will have to reopen the app, which will need another 5-10 seconds to restart and recognize the device connected, before allowing us to interact with the virtual boost button again.
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