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Ipad Mini Vs Galaxy S III as music source? (Unamped)

post #1 of 11
11/4/12 at 11:23pm
Thread Starter 
Hi, anyone manage to compare the sound between this 2 players? Which one sounds better when unamped (Just the stock player) ? I knew that the SIII has an Wolfson which gives excellent sound, what about the Ipad Mini? Thanks alot.
Edited by noobass456 - 11/4/12 at 11:34pm
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post #2 of 11
11/5/12 at 12:33pm

There is size difference too and GSIII is better sounding in stock(24bit DAC).

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post #3 of 11
11/5/12 at 10:50pm

A North American GSIII doesn't have a Wolfson DAC...

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post #4 of 11
11/6/12 at 7:40am
I have a Tmobile US Galaxy S3 hooked up to my Grado PS500s unamped and the sound is excellent and the soundstage is so much bigger. I tried iMac itunes using the itunes preamp/equalizer and it is decent, but soundstage is not as big as the Galaxy S3. I have also tried Ipod photo, Ipod gen 5 which is known to have the best Wolfson DAC of all IPod that was made before Apple switched to a different maker. Did try my newer Ipod touch and the IPad 1, Ipad 2 which is almost identical to IpadMini and the IPad 4 (Ipad 3 Gen 4 with A6x chip)and it seems that the Galaxy Tmobile version has this wide soundstage and it feels HI fi or surround sound. I even turnedoff the Galaxy S3 equalizer and the bass thump is amazing on my Gado PS500s.


I am now thinking if i need to invest on DAC/AMP for my iMac and Gen5 Ipod or just buy an amp for my Galaxy S3.

If anyone has a US version Galaxy S3 could you please verify what I am hearing? It just that the G3 stands out from the rest of the gadget I currently using.

Maybe i will just buy an amp and extra battery for my Galaxy 3?
Edited by Awgd8 - 11/6/12 at 7:42am
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post #5 of 11
11/28/12 at 5:36pm

I am curious too.  Looking for a 7" tablet to be my new media player and as much as I hate Apple if it sounds good it might not be as big of a deal to me.  Looking at the 329$ price you only get 16GB though... That doesn't make sense as the 32GB iPod Touch is price very similarly plus the iPad Mini is running iPad 2 specs.

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post #6 of 11
11/29/12 at 3:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gidgiddonihah View Post

I am curious too.  Looking for a 7" tablet to be my new media player and as much as I hate Apple if it sounds good it might not be as big of a deal to me.  Looking at the 329$ price you only get 16GB though... That doesn't make sense as the 32GB iPod Touch is price very similarly plus the iPad Mini is running iPad 2 specs.

 

Nobody ever accused Apple of having sensible pricing schemes.wink.gif

(and no, I am not an Apple-hater...I have owned several, currently own one, and may soon own another.)

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post #7 of 11
12/5/12 at 2:17am

Really interested in this too. Has anyone done a direct comparison with the international gs3? 

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post #8 of 11
12/6/12 at 4:14pm

gsmarena.com has published measurements on both devices.  looks like the s3 wins on noise and dynamics, while the mini wins on THD, IMD + Noise, and crosstalk (with headphones attached).  iphone 5 appears to be the big winner here, aside from crosstalk.  Here's my attempt at copying and pasting portions of the relevant tables.  Links are provided below as well.  

 

 

Test                  Frequency response Noise level Dynamic range THD IMD + Noise Stereo crosstalk

 

Apple iPad mini                   +0.08, -0.09             -82.8          82.8                 0.0019 0.017        -80.8
Apple iPad mini (headphones attached)                   +0.18, -0.02             -82.8          82.9                 0.0036 0.115        -80.7

 

Apple iPhone 5 +0.06, -0.51             -91.3          91.3                  0.0015 0.0093      -76.5
Apple iPhone 5 (headphones attached) +0.00, -0.26             -90.6          90.6                  0.0035 0.111      -56.2
Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III +0.03, -0.05             -90.3          90.3                  0.012 0.018      -92.6
Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III (headphones attached) +0.11, -0.04             -90.2          90.2                  0.0092 0.090      -53.1

 

http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_ipad_mini-review-846p8.php

 

http://www.gsmarena.com/iphone_5_vs_galaxy_s_iii-review-837p6.php

 

Note that I left the Nexus 7 tab out so as to avoid embarrassing google and asus.  Its measurements are sad in comparison to the above.  I'm really hoping the Nexus 10 I asked the wife for for xmas does better than its little brother.  Samsung seems to prioritize audio, so I imagine my odds aren't too bad.

 

Edit: looks like the gsmarena Nexus 10 review will be forthcoming in the near future: http://blog.gsmarena.com/the-google-nexus-10-brings-all-of-its-pixels-to-our-office-hands-on-ensues/


Edited by skeptic - 12/6/12 at 4:20pm
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post #9 of 11
12/7/12 at 6:50am
I have an iPad 1st gen, 160g iPod and now the gs3. My Apple products play the apple lossless format while the gs3 is running FLAC. Headphones are AKG 701's driven by a Millet Minimax (12FM6 tubes). The worst performer is the iPad ( very muddy). The iPod has been very good but as is usually the case when you get something better you hear a real difference only in hindsight. Wow! The gs3 blows the old iPod away. Now that micro SD cards are avail in 64 G formats my FLAC formats are good to go. Now if anyone can recommend an android software player for my high density FLAC files I could have my whole collection available! The Wolfson chip will handle the bitrate but the default players won't.
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post #10 of 11
12/12/12 at 5:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FishHead View Post

I have an iPad 1st gen, 160g iPod and now the gs3. My Apple products play the apple lossless format while the gs3 is running FLAC. Headphones are AKG 701's driven by a Millet Minimax (12FM6 tubes). The worst performer is the iPad ( very muddy). The iPod has been very good but as is usually the case when you get something better you hear a real difference only in hindsight. Wow! The gs3 blows the old iPod away. Now that micro SD cards are avail in 64 G formats my FLAC formats are good to go. Now if anyone can recommend an android software player for my high density FLAC files I could have my whole collection available! The Wolfson chip will handle the bitrate but the default players won't.

 

I highly recommend Neutron Music Player, an audiophile player in my opinion, though doesn't look as sleek as other players. in addition to FLAC, it also plays apple lossless.
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post #11 of 11
1/2/13 at 5:30pm
Thanks I will give it a try
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