When is the Apple Camera Adapter necessary?


I understand that the Apple Camera Adapter is necessary to connect an iOS device to a DAC with a USB-B input. (iOS —> camera adapter —> USB-A to USB-B cable—> DAC) But is the adapter necessary if the DAC has a USB-A input? For example, if I have a DAC that has an USB-A input, can I plug in an iOS device with the same lightning to USB cord that I use to charge it? (iOS —> Lightning to USB-A cord —> DAC) Or does the Camera Adapter do something to allow the DAC to extract the digital audio signal? I’ve looked on other websites such as iFi Audio and they are rather ambiguous about this subject. Thanks for the help!
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Showing 2 responses by kalali

My understanding is the camera adapter is just an ‘adapter’ and if your DAC or player accepts USB-A, you should be able to transmit content through this connection.
The only reasonable explanation I can think of is since they use the same USB port for charging, their "design" only supports USB3.0 protocol and the standard charging cable does not support USB3.0. I am not familiar with all the technical differences among the various USB standards but I am having difficulty understanding how the camera adapter could make a difference unless it somehow supports/converts to the higher USB protocol while converting/adapting from USB-A to USB-B connection.