I recently had the opportunity to check out the LeEco Le2. One of its major highlights is that it supports CDLA standard. CDLA stands for the Continual Digital Lossless Audio. It is a proprietary technology developed by LeEco.
When LeEco launched Le 2 and Le Max2 without the 3.5mm audio jack, they also launched the CDLA headphones. The Le 2 and Le Max2 smartphones and the CDLA headphones work together to deliver a high quality audio experience. However, the CDLA smartphones are not restricted to just LeEco smartphones. They can be used on any smartphone that allows Type-C connection.
What is CDLA:
CDLA technology aims to provide end-to-end lossless digital music transmission through headphones. When we use a headphone that has 3.5mm jack to connect to the music playing device, some loss of sound quality is inevitable. To counter this, LeEco moved the decoding chip from the smartphone to the CDLA earphones. So the smartphone transmits the digital audio stream directly to the CDLA earphones connected to the phone via Type-C jack. This is said to succeed in avoiding the flaws of 3.5 mm analog port approach. And so CDLA headphones using Type-C jack based on advanced digital architecture help in providing 'lossless' audio experience.
Appearance
In terms of appearance, the smartphones look glossy and polished. They fit comfortably in the ear although they don't feel quite secure there because of their smoothness. When connected with the smartphone, a thin strip lights up on the earpods which looks quite cool.
The Big Gamble:
LeEco knows that while many users would welcome the superior sound quality of the CDLA technology, many would criticize it because of the necessity of using the USB port. As these earphones don't come 'in the box' with Le 2 and Le Max 2, users might grudge not being able to use their old 3.5mm headphones with the new LeEco smartphones. To counter this, LeEco packs in a free adapter so people can use the normal headsets with their Le 2 and Le Max 2. However, it still means that users can't charge the phone and use headphone at the same time. The port can either be used for charging or for listening to music. Both functions can't be performed simultaneously. All this might displease users of the new range of LeEco smartphones. So LeEco took a big gamble when it launched smartphones without 3.5mm audio jack port.
My Experience:
However, if I go by my own experience of using the CDLA earphones with Le 2, I think LeEco is going to win the gamble. The CDLA sound quality is much superior when compared to the usual smartphone headphones. It has more clarity and feels fuller and more refined. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to my favourite songs through the CDLA headsets and I think I heard some sounds that I had never noticed in those songs before.
LeEco CDLA earphones are priced at Rs. 1990. Know more about the CDLA Type-C earphones HERE
