Version 1.0 dates back to 1998 and still works well, but the latest 3.0 revision is far more interesting and important for modern headphones. The best way to use the full set of available audio features over a USB port is to build devices, like headphones, that work with the USB Audio Device Class (ADC) specifications. Using a USB on the go (OTG) cable to turn external audiophile DACs into host devices has been a bit of a workaround for a while. USB Audio Classes predate USB Type-C and work with both the new and legacy connectors.ĭigital data for both audio and function controls are transmitted over the data (D+ and D-) USB pins, although there are a few different specifications that define exactly what information to transmit over those pins. This specification also determines a USB device’s compatibility with a range of specific USB functions and communication types suitable for audio. The USB Audio Class specification allows a USB device to identify itself as an audio peripheral.
