Database Users

Cheap earphones that work well

This post is mostly for people in Greece who have the Iconia and are looking for a headset. When I first got my Iconia, I tried it with a pair of generic earphones I had, but the sound volume was really really low. I tried it with a second and it was the same. So I looked around, trying to find something that worked and was well priced.
So, if you have had the same problem, the one that solved it for me was the simple Turbo-X Mic iME earphones , from Plaisio. They are only 7.90 € and really worth it, the volume and the sound quality are both very good, plus the ear bud is very comfortable. They are also directional, so there is not a lot of noise leak that could annoy others around you. The set also has a microphone and an adaptor for use with a pc.

V-Moda Bass Freq headphones are the best bang for the buck. $12 shipped on ebay and they deliver huge bass, great quality sound and manage to isolate outside noise incredibly well for basic bud headphones. I've owned about a half dozen pairs since i discovered them in 2007. Highly recommended if you're in to the bud style.

Skullcandy headphones are good too they have different tiers low end to high but there $20 low ends actually sound very good.

Sony also makes a very inexpensive earbud that has surprisingly good range and great bass while still sounding "transparent".
MDRE828LP is the model, and they are generally less than 20 dollars US, often less than 10.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-E828LP-Fontopia-Earbuds-Winding/dp/B00008VF63

in my opinion
the word "cheap" and "headphones" are a dangerous combo.
Sure - a pair of cheap headphones that happen to be louder then other cheap headphones might work for you - but for the price of a few cheap pair of headphones you can get something that will make you happy for many years.
Purchased a pair of Aerial7 tank midnight and I am amazed. I love loud industrial metal music, I crave loudness, and with my tanks plugged into my a500 I can not deal with more then half volume.
Sure, if you are playing loss crap quality mp3 rips of music, a discount pair might make you happy. But if you care about audio quality or actually listen to loss less audio formats, the difference between a generic pair of discount headphones and something with some actual quality is a night and day difference. Really, how many pairs of cheap throw away headphones have we all burned through? At least in my experience - I feel that money can be saved by purchasing something that will amaze you for years.
My current headphones: http://www.aerial7.com/product/tank/midnight/

I agree with entropy to a certain extent. I was able to find a pair of authentic Studio Beats for less than half price, and they blew my mind, definitely my main set....however, there is always room for some cheaper second strings.
If I don't want to have the large bulk of over-ear headphones, then I normally pull out my Kanen knockoffs. They have decent bass, good build quality...and fairly unique style (they are actually wooden). I got mine on sale for $3 (yes, three dollars including shipping to Canada), but even regular price they're less than five.
...apparently I can't yet post external links....try to figure out the url though
"triple W dot" focalprice DotCom /EP268X/Kanen_KM92_Wooden_Inear_Headphones.html

question:
Every time I useTuneIn,djradio or winamp i have sound on the headphones and the tab.
There is a manipulation to do to have only on the headphones?
sorry it's ok now

I don't have a tablet yet (considering buying the Iconia A500) but I figured I'd drop in and offer my thoughts on headphones
I personally have a pair of AKG K242HD's along with a pair of SoundMAGIC PL-30's. I use my 242's at home but wanted a pair of relatively cheap high quality earphones for travel and mobile usage. One thing you want to be careful of is that many of the high end headphones are designed for home and studio usage and so most mobile devices do not have enough power to run them at high volume. One of the cheaper sets such as the ones mentioned by entropy.of.avarice would probably be fine, but try to avoid headphones advertised for studio usage without hearing them first.
Personally I would recommend hifiheadphones.co.uk/sennheiser-cx300ii-precision-headphones-pink-cx-300ii-prodid-1136.html or hifiheadphones.co.uk/soundmagic-pl30-inear-sound-isolating-earphones-in-white-prodid-2073.html. Both retail for around £30 and are perfectly fine for someone looking to buy their first pair of decent headphones. One thing you'll want to watch out for is that there were a lot of fake CX300's around, so make sure if you buy them you buy from a reputable retailer.
Finally, if you have the money to spare you can also byu a headphone amplifier such as the iBasso that will allow you to boost the volume and quality of sound coming out of your device
As I said, I don't have a tablet yet so I can't vouch for how they'll sound coming out of one but I'd imagine it'd be just fine
I'd also take the time to look into how to set up a graphic equaliser, as they can make poorer earphones sound much better
This post probably made no sense as I'm writing it at 3AM and barely awake but I'll check over it later, feel free to ask if anyone has any more questions and I'll see if I can help
~Rach

Audio output reviews and opinions

Im interested in your opinions of the audio output through earphones or headphones.
Post some reviews, personal reviews
Here is a review i found that goes in depth about the M8 audio abilities
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_m8-review-1062p7.php.
I took some time listening with yamaha eph -100s and the amp is powerful, nice sound stage and very clean. I think it sounds better with boom sound off on some tracks.

Coming from the Lg g2 i am really impressed with the volume and quality of the audio output to earphones

How loud is minimum volume?, I know the max is load but does that mean minimum volume is also high, I like listening to music quietly at night, is the base volume much higher than your other phones?

ryanjsoo said:
How loud is minimum volume?, I know the max is load but does that mean minimum volume is also high, I like listening to music quietly at night, is the base volume much higher than your other phones?
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It is pretty low, from my experience boom sound makes it a lot louder. It might be good to turn it off for night listening.

With my original HTC One M7, one of the speakers was always just a tad louder than the other (same with 1 replacment and an in-shop model I tested).
Has anyone with an M8 encountered this?

I often Played my one (m7) through my docking station via headphone to aux ... it was excellent sound. I tried the M8 today and had to turn down the bass and volume on my Dock. This is not a bad thing though, as the sound quality IMO is better. is has a deeper fuller sound to it. NO complaints from my end. This is just my opinion and hope it helps. The Docking station used is a Kickers iK500 :good:

Xzeven said:
With my original HTC One M7, one of the speakers was always just a tad louder than the other (same with 1 replacment and an in-shop model I tested).
Has anyone with an M8 encountered this?
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I have the m7, have the same ****ty problem, stops me from enjoying the amazing speakers.. Hopefully the m8 will be perfectly balanced..
Sent from my One using Tapatalk

car audio aux
running pandora, audio was clear through the car dock, boomsound EQ overwhelmed my systems bass capabilities with M7 settings on the bose head unit, had to adjust down the bass , if i had a dedicated sub and clipped the low levels to the 6x9's up front i dont think it would have even with max vol. after turning down the base level on the head unit it sounded as good or better than M7, or One-x w/beats EQ. no complaints over all just some re adjusting for the new EQ to match the car.
front speakers were loud and deep for their size, very impressed with their low level capabilities. the low volume was low enough for night listening both through head phones and int speakers.
my only question comes down to the head phones it came with, they sound good but feel like cheap plastic crap and are styled to look like fake beats by dre buds. why even include them in the box? i think its safe to say that if you are going to buy a flag ship device and care about head phones at all, you probably have a favorite pair of head phones already. just seamed pointless to cheapen the included equipment with BS ear buds...

r.wardell2 said:
running pandora, audio was clear through the car dock, boomsound EQ overwhelmed my systems bass capabilities with M7 settings on the bose head unit, had to adjust down the bass , if i had a dedicated sub and clipped the low levels to the 6x9's up front i dont think it would have even with max vol. after turning down the base level on the head unit it sounded as good or better than M7, or One-x w/beats EQ. no complaints over all just some re adjusting for the new EQ to match the car.
front speakers were loud and deep for their size, very impressed with their low level capabilities. the low volume was low enough for night listening both through head phones and int speakers.
my only question comes down to the head phones it came with, they sound good but feel like cheap plastic crap and are styled to look like fake beats by dre buds. why even include them in the box? i think its safe to say that if you are going to buy a flag ship device and care about head phones at all, you probably have a favorite pair of head phones already. just seamed pointless to cheapen the included equipment with BS ear buds...
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Judging by the fact that every review about the stock M7 & M8 buds have been met with nothing but praise seems to disagree with this comment. You'd be surprised how many people use the stock buds, and base their opinion on audio quality having used only the stock sets. It is a good thing in my opinion and I hope HTC continue to include headsets.

Galactus said:
Judging by the fact that every review about the stock M7 & M8 buds have been met with nothing but praise seems to disagree with this comment. You'd be surprised how many people use the stock buds, and base their opinion on audio quality having used only the stock sets. It is a good thing in my
opinion and I hope HTC continue to include headsets.
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I think most will agree that the m8 has great audio quality, but using the stock buds will no doubt greatly limit your ability to fully take advantage.

My Review
I gave my thoughts on audio experience in this video if your interested

daddydark said:
I think most will agree that the m8 has great audio quality, but using the stock buds will no doubt greatly limit your ability to fully take advantage.
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What I'm trying to say is that it is better that HTC supply their ear buds that are half decent, rather than not including ANY. As long as the ones they supply sound better than the majority of the competition then I don't see why anyone would have a problem with that. Better they make the effort rather than not in my opinion

r.wardell2 said:
running pandora, audio was clear through the car dock, boomsound EQ overwhelmed my systems bass capabilities with M7 settings on the bose head unit, had to adjust down the bass , if i had a dedicated sub and clipped the low levels to the 6x9's up front i dont think it would have even with max vol. after turning down the base level on the head unit it sounded as good or better than M7, or One-x w/beats EQ. no complaints over all just some re adjusting for the new EQ to match the car.
front speakers were loud and deep for their size, very impressed with their low level capabilities. the low volume was low enough for night listening both through head phones and int speakers.
my only question comes down to the head phones it came with, they sound good but feel like cheap plastic crap and are styled to look like fake beats by dre buds. why even include them in the box? i think its safe to say that if you are going to buy a flag ship device and care about head phones at all, you probably have a favorite pair of head phones already. just seamed pointless to cheapen the included equipment with BS ear buds...
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You might be the only person who complains about getting free things. I'd rather have the "alright" earbuds (I definitely use better ones) as a backup than not have them at all. I was overall satisfied in the few instances where I used my M7 earbuds considering they're just included earbuds that are typically awful from most other OEMs.

jtc276 said:
You might be the only person who complains about getting free things. I'd rather have the "alright" earbuds (I definitely use better ones) as a backup than not have them at all. I was overall satisfied in the few instances where I used my M7 earbuds considering they're just included earbuds that are typically awful from most other OEMs.
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This

jtc276 said:
You might be the only person who complains about getting free things. I'd rather have the "alright" earbuds (I definitely use better ones) as a backup than not have them at all. I was overall satisfied in the few instances where I used my M7 earbuds considering they're just included earbuds that are typically awful from most other OEMs.
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i agree that its better to have "alright" than none at all but as far as complaining about free... nothing is free, you paid for that **** one way or another. they sounded good in my opinion, detter than most OEM for sure, but they "felt" cheap. if i was a company that rests its worth on making only the highest quality most ascetically pleasing devices and to top that, one of my biggest selling points is my audio, i would have wrapped those drivers in a better quality material, or just left them out entirely and saved my self a few dollars per unit... even the cheapest sounding sealed ear buds you can buy at walmart have higher quality externals. they clearly spent money on the internals for the head phones but went el-cheapo on the feel, just pointless IMO.
did this take away from the device for me? no. but it was the only thing in the box that didn't immediately shout "quality!". presentation means a lot in marketing and how the average consumer feels about the device before they even turn it on. just look at how much companies spend on packaging. HTC probably spent more on the fancy shaped cardboard box than those headphones and the box has nothing to do with the quality of the device. but if that phone their charging $650+ for came out of generic brown box or a bubble pack, you bet your ass that would make people question it before they even turned it on.
if your an xda member you are already more educated in tech then the majority of consumers, and that's why it doesn't matter to you, but if you knew nothing about a device before you walked into the store you might care a little more about presentation.
im not trying to say any one is wrong or argue but thats my opinion, coming from a business and marketing stand point it didn't make sense.
sorry to continue off topic.

r.wardell2 said:
i agree that its better to have "alright" than none at all but as far as complaining about free... nothing is free, you paid for that **** one way or another. they sounded good in my opinion, detter than most OEM for sure, but they "felt" cheap. if i was a company that rests its worth on making only the highest quality most ascetically pleasing devices and to top that, one of my biggest selling points is my audio, i would have wrapped those drivers in a better quality material, or just left them out entirely and saved my self a few dollars per unit... even the cheapest sounding sealed ear buds you can buy at walmart have higher quality externals. they clearly spent money on the internals for the head phones but went el-cheapo on the feel, just pointless IMO.
did this take away from the device for me? no. but it was the only thing in the box that didn't immediately shout "quality!". presentation means a lot in marketing and how the average consumer feels about the device before they even turn it on. just look at how much companies spend on packaging. HTC probably spent more on the fancy shaped cardboard box than those headphones and the box has nothing to do with the quality of the device. but if that phone their charging $650+ for came out of generic brown box or a bubble pack, you bet your ass that would make people question it before they even turned it on.
if your an xda member you are already more educated in tech then the majority of consumers, and that's why it doesn't matter to you, but if you knew nothing about a device before you walked into the store you might care a little more about presentation.
im not trying to say any one is wrong or argue but thats my opinion, coming from a business and marketing stand point it didn't make sense.
sorry to continue off topic.
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I really don't think the average consumer would look at the earbuds and think "Wow. This totally ruins this unboxing experience for me." And, really, who cares what they look like? I own a pair of Sony MDR-V6's that sound better than probably any earbuds out there and let's just say that those things aren't the most aesthetically pleasing accessory in the world. They're made of nice, durable materials, but they're huge, bulky, and have a cord that is almost comically long (they're studio headphones). Did I care about any of that after I listened to music through them? Not at all. And, considering the included HTC earbuds will be the best pair a majority of consumers will ever own (yes, sadly), I'm sure they'll get over them being made of plastic.

jtc276 said:
I really don't think the average consumer would look at the earbuds and think "Wow. This totally ruins this unboxing experience for me." And, really, who cares what they look like? I own a pair of Sony MDR-V6's that sound better than probably any earbuds out there and let's just say that those things aren't the most aesthetically pleasing accessory in the world. They're made of nice, durable materials, but they're huge, bulky, and have a cord that is almost comically long (they're studio headphones). Did I care about any of that after I listened to music through them? Not at all. And, considering the included HTC earbuds will be the best pair a majority of consumers will ever own (yes, sadly), I'm sure they'll get over them being made of plastic.
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your probably right about them being the best the average consumer has ever had, guess i didn't think of it that way. i suppose im just a sucker for aesthetics, and feel. probably why i like HTC's products so much better than Samsung or LG, as capable as they may be.

impressed with the quality of the audio, great device!

Honestly love this phone. I love the front facing speakers. But audio out of BT and the headphone jack leave something to be desired coming from an iPhone5. iOS devices just excel with audio volume and quality. Over Bluetooth the highs don't sound crisp at all and the bass seems over processed or there is too much bass boost or something. Can't put my finger on it but I wish the quality was the same as the iOS devices. Aside from that I love the boom sound when watching movies or videos through the speakers
Sent from my 831C using xda app-developers app

Speakers are great.audio quality through the headphone jack is great especially with beats headphones. Bluetooth I can't speak for since I never use it.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using xda app-developers app

Audio through headphones surprisingly good

I'm not going to lie. Coming from an iPhone and a Galaxy S6 (my Moto G is sort of an interim phone while I sell those two to afford new stuff this fall), I expected the Moto G to sound considerably worse. And yeah, it's not quite as good. But it's certainly far from the worst I've had and I've only owned expensive devices in the past. The bass is punchy, the treble is fairly decent, and the volume levels aren't awful (although I may increase mixer_paths at some point to gain a couple levels). I've actually been listening through fairly decent earbuds for the past 40 minutes or so to various types of music (alternative, acoustic, heavy stuff, rap) and I could definitely live with this sound quality if I had to.
It is pretty damn amazing what ~$200 buys you today.

I've noticed this too! Big upgrade from my n4, no more distortion!

the earphones are 'good' for the price ... cant expect more at this price point

My ear is in a full moon party.
Yeah, this is awesome.
I'm using CM12.1 With a Dolby Atmis and Jet player.
After a hour to configure the player, my brain explode with the results.

Quality-wise, yes...very good. Volume-wise, I'd say it's extremely subpar. It's easily the lowest volume of any device I've ever had. Speaker volume is phenomenal...headphone volume is god awful!!! And I'm comparing this to my Nexus 4, just as the OP says.

You can mention the speaker which gives a quite punchy sound compared to many phones from this category which are mostly ear hurting with middle and high frequencies only...

If anyone's looking for a little boost without messing with viper, etc, I made a mixer_paths.xml mod here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3217132

I'm getting the same thing. The audio through my IEMs (Hifiman RE-400 for active/gym stuff and Yamaha EPH-100 for normal listening) is freakin' excellent, but the volume is indeed low.

AwesomeTurtle said:
I'm getting the same thing. The audio through my IEMs (Hifiman RE-400 for active/gym stuff and Yamaha EPH-100 for normal listening) is freakin' excellent, but the volume is indeed low.
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The mod thread I linked above makes headphone volume LOUD!!! It can go a few notches higher, but I think it sounds great, personally...it also boosts speaker volume pretty much to its limit. It may get slightly distorted occasionally, but it's definitely a good bit louder, as well!

Motorola has done an excellent job. the sound is excellent. the happy moment. :highfive:

Walkman
You can install Walkman to get the best out of the earphones.

hi guys, i have already bought the moto g3.. but the earphone is very very low. Is there any problem with my device or is in general of these phones problem ?? Could we fix it?

giwrgos21 said:
hi guys, i have already bought the moto g3.. but the earphone is very very low. Is there any problem with my device or is in general of these phones problem ?? Could we fix it?
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There's a button on the side of your phone that can fix it
Sent from my MotoG3 using XDA Free mobile app

Anyone use a DAC?

Evening all.
Although I don't expect stellar sound from any mobile, I want to make the best of my S7E. My 50+ year old ears can't differentiate between my carefully ripped and converted CD FLACs and mp3s, but I'd appreciate a little more oomph.
Looking for a small cheap DAC, the Audioquest Dragonfly Black is contender #1 due to availability, coupled with USB Audio Player Pro.
Any tips/advice/experiences/critique will be hugely aporeciated.

Actually, HTC10, LG V10 and sony (almost all) phones (seriously, the old Xperia E1 sounds a lot better that GS7 with headphones) have a really good audio because they have a dedicated audio chip, there be more out there, but I know those
and about DAC I could recommend to you the audioquest dragonfly black, audioquest dragonfly red (a little better than black), and if u want a little more quality (and options) I shall name the oppo HA-2 (or the HA-2SE for the best sound)

Thanks QBerto. I was aware that the phones you mentioned sound better - a colleague has the HTC10 and it frankly blows the S7E away soundwise.
The Oppo DACs look tempting, but not sure I can justify the price for use with my old IEMs (Sennheiser IE 8). Right now I think I'd rather upgrade the earphones and see if/how a cheaper DAC works with them.
Not a huge choice of instore DACs here, but I want to audition ASAP and am too impatient to order online ?

The dragonfly black really improved the audio quality of my (exynos) s7e + it is very portable and does not affect the battery too much. You have to use very good IEMs to utilize it effectively.

the audio will be improved a lot with the dragonfly ones, they are actually pretty good (also ur earphones are not bad), so if is your first time trying a dac, is a really good start, I have owned the three of those dacs, and I'm sure the Oppo one worth it, but in my case, becasue I take advantege of all of their connections xD, still again, the dragonfly worth it too u won't regret it!

I use a Fiio E17K via USB-OTG and USB Audio Player Pro with my S7 Edge. Excellent for the price.

Thanks to all for the input - very helpful.
I'm going to go for the Dragonfly Black. Cheap (about 90 Euro here in Norway), so a safe purchase as my first DAC. The FiiO E17K looks very tempting too (215 Euros here), I'll consider it for a later date. Will buy new IEMs too - I love my IE8s, but they're 7 or 8 years old now and a bit battered. Any recommendations in the 300 Euro range, preferably with a mic?
I was inspired to dig my old Cowon S9 out of my desk drawer last night. Oh my... now THAT's quality. Time to resurrect it for non-casual use

I'm using the B&O Modul that came with my dad's LG G5. I like it a lot. Although i must say that the sound of my S7Edges Exynos DAC with adapt sound enabled is pretty good too! But the B&O DAC amplifies a lot!

Nothing wrong with the dac in the Exynos version at least - what you need is an amp depending on your headphones (doesn't really matter which one you choose). People usually say "oh this is so much better" when in reality they couldn't tell a difference when doing a blind test. Some audio myths for those interested.

Toss3 said:
Nothing wrong with the dac in the Exynos version at least - what you need is an amp depending on your headphones (doesn't really matter which one you choose). People usually say "oh this is so much better" when in reality they couldn't tell a difference when doing a blind test. Some audio myths for those interested.
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Agree. The amp in the Dragonfly will suffice hopefully. And I ABXed myself to death 5 years ago, can't differentiate between FLAC and vbr mp3.
Buying RHA T20 IEMs on a friend's recommendation.

I personally use a Fiio Q1 (simply because I've had it for ages) and while it offers more clarity, and in my opinion better rounded low-ends, but it would also depend on the headphones you use.
I couldn't recommend the Q1 enough.
It's a fantastic little bit of kit, however it's a little large compared to the Dragonfly.
Just my two cents

On the contrary, my S7E with chord mojo provides top shelf portable sound that can rival many desktop setups costin 5x. As long as you're sending bitperfect data source doesnt really matter much. UAPP is BY FAR the best music app.
---------- Post added at 04:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:38 PM ----------
B3311 said:
Thanks to all for the input - very helpful.
I'm going to go for the Dragonfly Black. Cheap (about 90 Euro here in Norway), so a safe purchase as my first DAC. The FiiO E17K looks very tempting too (215 Euros here), I'll consider it for a later date. Will buy New IEMs too - I love my IE8s, but they're 7 or 8 years old now and a bit battered. Any recommendations in the 300 Euro range, preferably with a mic?
I was inspired to dig my old Cowon S9 out of my desk drawer last night. Oh my... now THAT's quality. Time to resurrect it for non-casual use
Click to expand...
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EMPIRE EARS has paired with Asius technologies to release their new lineup of IEM/CIEMs feaaturing ADEL module technology. Highly suggest you look into this revolutionary tech.

ike_1985 said:
On the contrary, my S7E with chord mojo provides top shelf portable sound that can rival many desktop setups costin 5x. As long as you're sending bitperfect data source doesnt really matter much. UAPP is BY FAR the best music app.
---------- Post added at 04:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:38 PM ----------
EMPIRE EARS has paired with Asius technologies to release their new lineup of IEM/CIEMs feaaturing ADEL module technology. Highly suggest you look into this revolutionary tech.
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Hadn't heard of them before. But at at an entry level of $430 they're unnecessary for me. If my ears were 20 years younger I'd be interested, but they'd be wasted on this 70s-Funk-bass damaged pair?
Bought the RHA T20s I mentioned. Really impressed, can't fault them yet. A bargain at €200.

TIDAL with HI-FI DAC LG V20

I want to know if TIDAL uses our HI-FI Quad Dac. I'm thinking about paying for an account if it could play HI-RES files from my v20.
Is it worth?
Thanks for your answers.

hi
I think what you was need HiFi Format from Tidal ( FLAC/APE/CUE 24bit/96 khz - 192 khz ) and too High Impedance earphones ( over 50 ohms )

OberonMX said:
hi
I think what you was need HiFi Format from Tidal ( FLAC/APE/CUE 24bit/96 khz - 192 khz ) and too High Impedance earphones ( over 50 ohms )
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Not sure why people keep thinking high impedance means better quality. All it means is it makes the sound much louder at lower volume.
People keep talking about ohms while not understanding what that actually is. I suggest looking up ohms law, then grab a clac.
Sent from my LG V20 using XDA Labs

BROKEN1981 said:
Not sure why people keep thinking high impedance means better quality. All it means is it makes the sound much louder at lower volume.
People keep talking about ohms while not understanding what that actually is. I suggest looking up ohms law, then grab a clac.
Sent from my LG V20 using XDA Labs
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...
I think you should send your comments to LG for selling a product that is advertised as HiFI and also indicates that your product is capable of handling sound equipment of those specifications
Hahaha

OberonMX said:
...
I think you should send your comments to LG for selling a product that is advertised as HiFI and also indicates that your product is capable of handling sound equipment of those specifications
Hahaha
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Why would you even make a comment like that?
HiFi works on low impedance as well. That's also seen by the free B&O earphones we got that are 32 ohms. Again, ohms aren't a factor on music quality.
The DAC and earphones/headphones make the difference in quality.
You can buy an awesome pair of earphones for 1K that are only 34 ohms. Yes they are worth the money if you have it.
All ohms are for is how much power you need. That's it.
Sent from my LG V20 using XDA Labs

BROKEN1981 said:
Why would you even make a comment like that?
HiFi works on low impedance as well. That's also seen by the free B&O earphones we got that are 32 ohms. Again, ohms aren't a factor on music quality.
The DAC and earphones/headphones make the difference in quality.
You can buy an awesome pair of earphones for 1K that are only 34 ohms. Yes they are worth the money if you have it.
All ohms are for is how much power you need. That's it.
Sent from my LG V20 using XDA Labs
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Now that you mention it, I have had the opportunity to try the B & O and the headphones of a Nubia Z11 as well as the Headphones of a Huawei equipment and certainly the B & O headphones have the worst performance comparing them with the previous ones., Well as you say it is a subject of DAC / Earphone

OberonMX said:
Now that you mention it, I have had the opportunity to try the B & O and the headphones of a Nubia Z11 as well as the Headphones of a Huawei equipment and certainly the B & O headphones have the worst performance comparing them with the previous ones., Well as you say it is a subject of DAC / Earphone
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I love the B&O, but that's always going to be subjective.
https://usa.1more.com/collections/headphones
I do imagine the $200 version would be much better then the B&O. Also giving more base which the B&O lacks. I know many people hate B&O due to the base really lacking.
Sent from my LG V20 using XDA Labs

BROKEN1981 said:
I love the B&O, but that's always going to be subjective.
https://usa.1more.com/collections/headphones
I do imagine the $200 version would be much better then the B&O. Also giving more base which the B&O lacks. I know many people hate B&O due to the base really lacking.
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thanks for the link now I check it

I had both Tidal and Spotify , cause Sprint gave me a 6 month free trial of HiFi Tidal.
Honestly Spotify sounded better with the use of an equalizer, Tidal was just OK but their app just isn't as well developed as Spotify for my taste.
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BROKEN1981 said:
I love the B&O, but that's always going to be subjective.
https://usa.1more.com/collections/headphones
I do imagine the $200 version would be much better then the B&O. Also giving more base which the B&O lacks. I know many people hate B&O due to the base really lacking.
Sent from my LG V20 using XDA Labs
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the 1more previous version which are only 99 bucks are pretty damn good, yes the latest version is slightly better (Very slightly better, IMO not worth the extra 100 bucks)
I'd skip those and get the older ones.

kbrn said:
I had both Tidal and Spotify , cause Sprint gave me a 6 month free trial of HiFi Tidal.
Honestly Spotify sounded better with the use of an equalizer, Tidal was just OK but their app just isn't as well developed as Spotify for my taste.
---------- Post added at 08:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:11 AM ----------
the 1more previous version which are only 99 bucks are pretty damn good, yes the latest version is slightly better (Very slightly better, IMO not worth the extra 100 bucks)
I'd skip those and get the older ones.
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Thing is, I'm not sure if tidal or Spotify is taking advantage of the quad DAC. When the LG V20 First came out, LG's own music app was not. Then came an update and LG's own music app started using it.
I don't know if it still holds true, but I think LG's stock music app only takes advantage of it.
I never answered you because I don't know myself.
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I got a pair of Sennheiser IE8, they may not be high impedance, but still a good pair of in-ear headphones.
My question is: Does Tidal outputs HI-Fi sample rate/bit-depth to headphones via Sabre DAC?
Or does it downsamples to 48kHz 16-bit like the most media players available in Playstore?
Thanks dudes.

OberonMX said:
Now that you mention it, I have had the opportunity to try the B & O and the headphones of a Nubia Z11 as well as the Headphones of a Huawei equipment and certainly the B & O headphones have the worst performance comparing them with the previous ones., Well as you say it is a subject of DAC / Earphone
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the B&O included on our phone were the low/cheap version. altough some people claim that the US variant had B&O H3 which are better. and i agreed to the person above, big impedance doesnt mean its better, i once join auidofans gathering on my region and some guy showing his tia fourte and guess what? that damn IEM only had 16ohm impedance and costing 3500k$ ( i could buy a damn car/motorbike/great pc gaming with that money) and the sound quality? damn man, it really blows up my heads. meanwhile, i also tested some guy's ks 500ohm and v20 easily drived it when other phone ( iphone 7 and S8) need external dac/amp to use it.

Salvaparalyzer said:
I got a pair of Sennheiser IE8, they may not be high impedance, but still a good pair of in-ear headphones.
My question is: Does Tidal outputs HI-Fi sample rate/bit-depth to headphones via Sabre DAC?
Or does it downsamples to 48kHz 16-bit like the most media players available in Playstore?
Thanks dudes.
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Honestly, I think it down samples like other media players.
That's why I stick to the stock LG music app. The other option is to root and use V4A. Then you can use anything and not worry.
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alldine345 said:
the B&O included on our phone were the low/cheap version. altough some people claim that the US variant had B&O H3 which are better. and i agreed to the person above, big impedance doesnt mean its better, i once join auidofans gathering on my region and some guy showing his tia fourte and guess what? that damn IEM only had 16ohm impedance and costing 3500k$ ( i could buy a damn car/motorbike/great pc gaming with that money) and the sound quality? damn man, it really blows up my heads. meanwhile, i also tested some guy's ks 500ohm and v20 easily drived it when other phone ( iphone 7 and S8) need external dac/amp to use it.
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I got the H3. They are entry level audiophile grade earphones. That's why people don't recommend them for the price they cost. At that cost, there are many mid entry-level earphones that are much better. Since they were free, I'm not going out to buy anything else since to me they are "good enough". When they break, I'll buy something that's mid entry-level earphones.
Sent from my LG V20 using XDA Labs

alldine345 said:
the B&O included on our phone were the low/cheap version. altough some people claim that the US variant had B&O H3 which are better. and i agreed to the person above, big impedance doesnt mean its better, i once join auidofans gathering on my region and some guy showing his tia fourte and guess what? that damn IEM only had 16ohm impedance and costing 3500k$ ( i could buy a damn car/motorbike/great pc gaming with that money) and the sound quality? damn man, it really blows up my heads. meanwhile, i also tested some guy's ks 500ohm and v20 easily drived it when other phone ( iphone 7 and S8) need external dac/amp to use it.
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500 ohm ? Umm I looking for a earphones between 50-150 ... Hahaha ,

BROKEN1981 said:
Thing is, I'm not sure if tidal or Spotify is taking advantage of the quad DAC. When the LG V20 First came out, LG's own music app was not. Then came an update and LG's own music app started using it.
I don't know if it still holds true, but I think LG's stock music app only takes advantage of it.
I never answered you because I don't know myself.
Sent from my NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet K1 using XDA Labs
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Well IMO it does, as simple as switching the DAC On/off and you can hear the difference... at least I do.

I gotta back up Broken, I have 9 ohm shure se846s on an adapter that bumps it up a few more that kick major ass if tuned correctly, what you're forgetting is most crappy poor built head/earphones are lower impedance and anything with high ohms. Use quality parts, that dont mean some low ones have quality. Most people are confusing the dac as only good in high mode which isn't true, bout all 500 ohm headphones are gonna be awesome if given the power to do so. They have heavier less easy to move parts which can have more precision, but require the power to do so, i have a subwoofer that has a 30 pound magnet behind the driver but also a 3000 watt digital amp and the woofer barely moves by hand, so when power stops it stops w/o flapping if that makes sense. Just cuz ur $30 earbuds suck don't mean they all do. There's benefits of high and low impedance which i will not get into.

cpete2112 said:
i have a subwoofer that has a 30 pound magnet behind the driver but also a 3000 watt digital amp and the woofer barely moves by hand, so when power stops it stops w/o flapping if that makes sense. Just cuz ur $30 earbuds suck don't mean they all do. There's benefits of high and low impedance which i will not get into.
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that's called "damping factor".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damping_factor
I would hazard a guess that you'd need a lab instrument to have conclusive evidence whether Tidal was using the Q-DAC or not, so that you can eliminate the audio quality perception of different loudnesses. This issue frustrates me, to know what apps and services actually give us the sound quality we want!

I have used Tidal for a year now and it is worth the $20 for me sounds killer. I happen to use the 1more 3 driver earbuds and love them too.
The tidal app sounds way better than spotify. I asked my wife to use tidal for a week and she said the spotify sounded terrible when she went back so now uses tidal. I also use the v20 for my home audio system and a big difference there too. If you don't invest in good speakers, buds, or phones don't waste your money.
No worries about the ohms stuff if your buds or headphones need the extra power to drive them they will have a higher impedance and the v20 will adjust accordingly.
I'll never get a phone without a hifi dac and headphone jack.