iphone 4 sound quality - Page 22

Quote:

Originally Posted by TwoTrack 

A friend who is an audio designer for Apple suggested I add the EQU app for getting the best sound quality out of the iphone 4.

I wouldn't take her/him seriously. EQ's distort the sound to some degree, no matter how high-end it is. If s/he would have said to use the EQU app to get the most extensive sound customization options to suit your preference than it would be alright.

It has been a busy day and although it is well after office hours I am still working. I just squeezed out a bit of time to try out the Fostex HP-P1 - SR71A - LCD2 combo, switching between Filters 1 and 2.

Filter 1 of the Fostex HP-P1 is more natural but a bit grainy in the mid range. Filter 2 is more refined but sounds a bit more artificial. Filter 2 has a bit better imaging but human voice is a bit more backward than Filter 1.  I think the DAC chip of the Fostex needs some burn-in, but so far I think Filter 1 is my favourite. 

Then I connected the same SR71A to the CLAS, volume matched. Brighter, wider soundstage, lower mids sound less grainy than Filter 1 of the Fostex. Suitable for those who want a cleaner sound - but to me this now sounds a bit too clinical / analytical after listening to the HP-P1 -> SR71A combo.

Next, I tried driving the LCD2 the stock amp in the Fostex. It is quite unengaging and unable to drive the lower bass as good as the dedicated amps even at high gain.

Overall, I would say the Fostex with SR71A is a better match for the LCD2 Rev 1. Simply more musical and emotional. But if you are looking for the Rev 2 kind of sound from the Rev 1, the CLAS with SR71A seems to be a better choice. I will test out my ES5 tomorrow as I've still got work tonight.

I am not able to compare the two DAC units using the Stepdance, as the Fostex -> Stepdance combo creates some unwanted noise. Not sure how it happens but the noise just appears with this very combo and not any other combination. But suffice to say that my previous favorite combo, namely the CLAS -> Stepdance combo, is now less preferred by me as far as the LCD2 is concerned.

I use the iPhone 4 as the digital transport for both setups - and these two DACs are designed for iDevices (including the iPhone 4) only, so I guess it would be barely relevant.

Some interesting RMAA measurements of the Fostex HP-P1, using Touch 4G and TF10s:

http://www.markuskraus.com/RMAA/HPP1/gain1filter1.htm

http://www.markuskraus.com/RMAA/HPP1/gain1filter2.htm

http://www.markuskraus.com/RMAA/HPP1/gain3filter2.htm

And, to put them in perspective, the same set-up with the Fostex swapped out for the much cheaper Leckerton UHA-4:

http://www.markuskraus.com/RMAA/UHA4/data.htm

The rather huge FR deviations on the Fostex match the impedance curve of the TF10s, hinting at a much too high output impedance to work well with multi BA IEMs. It's possible that it also causes full-size cans to under-damp which degrades bass performance. Basically what you've got is a very expensive, hit-and-miss EQ that some will like while others will not.

The amp section of the Fostex is really quite useless to me. It is too loud for my ES5 but too weak for my LCD2. I use it with UE18 Pro but the sound is a bit too dark for me. I will try it with the T5p today to see how it sounds - it is the only piece in my inventory which I think would sound good with the Fostex's stock amp. 

One problem with EQu is that it really drains the battery in my experience.  But not enough that more than a nightly charge is needed.

Hey all ,

newbie here just getting into taking my sound to a different level.

as far as this iPhone 4 goes....

have to say, i bought a CMoyBB and have been using it with my iP4. Sitting here in the Starbucks at Union Sq , NYC people must wonder if I'm crazy or not pulling my headphones (old UE superFi 5 Pros) in and out of my phone or some crazy altoid tin with a blue light. i am going back and forth using some really nice jazz tracks from John Mclaughlin....mainly is Live at the Royal Festival Hall album, Florianopolis in particular. I have a Fiio LOD from the iP4. 

Im sorry, but I'm just not getting such a huge difference. What i do seem to notice is the bass being a bit tighter and a little more defined but at the same time it appears to be losing some of that open,airy really high frequency , open hall crowd spectral 'noise' that makes you feel you are sitting in a live large hall and gives it an sense of depth.

im not using the bass boost either.

i have no issues with the cmoy, just not sure it is really worth it when it comes to lugging around the extra setup for what I'm getting from it. in my opinion the iP4 amp is doing a darn fine job out of the box, EQ off. 

maybe that opinion will change when UE finally gets around to sending me my replacement set of Triple Fi 10s I've been waiting for for a while now.

should i be noticing something else with this cmoy? (by the way, when ordered i had it specifically 'customized' for the UE IEMs)

The amp in the iPhone 4 will be fine for most IEM's and fine for a lot of over the ear headphones as well. It powers my Sleek Audio SA6's and my new TMA-1's perfectly fine without an external amp. It has been said over and over that the headphone out on the iPhone 4 is fine. If you are not hearing any differences that make it worth it to carry an amp, then leave the amp at home. I've tried an amp and LOD on my iPhone 4 and all it did was add interference from both the wifi and the cellular radios. Neither of my current portable headphones need any extra amplification, so I don't bother. I usually listen from somewhere between the halfway and 2/3's mark on the volume control. Even higher though the headphone out still seems to stay clean. I have never heard any noticeable distortion from it at any volume. I also don't use any EQ. I just run everything with the EQ set to "off", since neither of my portable headphones need any EQ to sound the way I like.

Anyway, I just got a pair of AIAIAI TMA-1's to use with my iPhone 4 and the pairing sounds pretty magical together. This setup gets plenty loud and sounds just like a baby HD650, but with deeper bass extension. I should have gotten these a long time ago.   
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by macfly4 

Hey all ,

newbie here just getting into taking my sound to a different level.

as far as this iPhone 4 goes....

have to say, i bought a CMoyBB and have been using it with my iP4. Sitting here in the Starbucks at Union Sq , NYC people must wonder if I'm crazy or not pulling my headphones (old UE superFi 5 Pros) in and out of my phone or some crazy altoid tin with a blue light. i am going back and forth using some really nice jazz tracks from John Mclaughlin....mainly is Live at the Royal Festival Hall album, Florianopolis in particular. I have a Fiio LOD from the iP4. 

Im sorry, but I'm just not getting such a huge difference. What i do seem to notice is the bass being a bit tighter and a little more defined but at the same time it appears to be losing some of that open,airy really high frequency , open hall crowd spectral 'noise' that makes you feel you are sitting in a live large hall and gives it an sense of depth.

im not using the bass boost either.

i have no issues with the cmoy, just not sure it is really worth it when it comes to lugging around the extra setup for what I'm getting from it. in my opinion the iP4 amp is doing a darn fine job out of the box, EQ off. 

maybe that opinion will change when UE finally gets around to sending me my replacement set of Triple Fi 10s I've been waiting for for a while now.

should i be noticing something else with this cmoy? (by the way, when ordered i had it specifically 'customized' for the UE IEMs)

Quote:

Originally Posted by macfly4 

Hey all ,

newbie here just getting into taking my sound to a different level.

as far as this iPhone 4 goes....

have to say, i bought a CMoyBB and have been using it with my iP4. Sitting here in the Starbucks at Union Sq , NYC people must wonder if I'm crazy or not pulling my headphones (old UE superFi 5 Pros) in and out of my phone or some crazy altoid tin with a blue light. i am going back and forth using some really nice jazz tracks from John Mclaughlin....mainly is Live at the Royal Festival Hall album, Florianopolis in particular. I have a Fiio LOD from the iP4. 

Im sorry, but I'm just not getting such a huge difference. What i do seem to notice is the bass being a bit tighter and a little more defined but at the same time it appears to be losing some of that open,airy really high frequency , open hall crowd spectral 'noise' that makes you feel you are sitting in a live large hall and gives it an sense of depth.

im not using the bass boost either.

i have no issues with the cmoy, just not sure it is really worth it when it comes to lugging around the extra setup for what I'm getting from it. in my opinion the iP4 amp is doing a darn fine job out of the box, EQ off. 

maybe that opinion will change when UE finally gets around to sending me my replacement set of Triple Fi 10s I've been waiting for for a while now.

should i be noticing something else with this cmoy? (by the way, when ordered i had it specifically 'customized' for the UE IEMs)

Try this track by John Mclaughlin. Album - Remember Shakti The Believer. Song - Maya. Hope you will be drugged if i understand your taste at all..

It's probably time to start the iPhone 5 sound quality thread.  :)

Rumor is we'll have it in October.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20099899-37/apple-loses-another-unreleased-iphone-exclusive/

The guys who hold the phone should start this thread

I really hope the iPhone 5 upgrades its DAC rather than downgrade. The Samsung Galaxy II's DAC is downgraded from the Wolfson from the original Samsung Galaxy to a Yamaha. I hope this doesn't happen to iPhone.

I'm really loving my AIAIAI TMA-1's straight out of my iPhone 4 with no EQ or extra amplification. It gets them crazy loud and just sounds very pleasing. Nice full bass, fun mid-range and a smooth non-tiring treble. Decent sound-stage and imaging too. 

I looked through this thread and couldn't see exactly what I need. Of the 3GS vs the 4, which phone has the best line-out SQ using an LOD??

Lot's of comparisons using the iPhone amps, but I mean a line-out comparison. I would think using the iPhone amp via the headphone out would be a considerably different comparison.