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I agree. My TH-X00 and EL8 sound "decent" at "Standard Power". Though, when I engage "External Device" power level, they wake up and sound much better. They can actually breath. The bass especially appreciates the extra OOMPH. I also, do not get any distortion on these headphones. Now, my Mee M6 Pro... They can get VERY loud with Standard power level, so I wouldn't want to use anything higher with those (16 ohm). I have yet to try the V20 out with my Heir Audio 4.A CIEM or my Philips SHP9500, but I'm sure that they will be fine at Standard power as well.
Exactly - some headphones sound better with more juice even when driven at lower volumes. For sensitive IEMs you certainly don't need the power for volume. With some multi BA driver IEMs it might though sound better.
The High impedance amp mode really sounds better to my ears with some headphones (not all).
And as mentioned before for some (like planars) they have low impedance but are very power hungry - so the bass distorts very quickly even when not very loud (under driven) - more juice and the bass does not distort - I think it would be nice to have the option to switch the amp modes.
Guys, impedance adapters impact SQ. You can't just buy any cheapo adapter off ebay and be good. The only one that I know succeeds at maintaining SQ (at least, mostly) is the iFi IEMatch.
Wow. 64 ears. Are you trying out for the new star trek series? Lol.
Because people. Stupid.
Taking a chance on blowing their drivers. But I do have to say between my beyerdynamic COPs and DT7700/250o cans, the COPs seem a little bright for normal mode and the COPs are not a bright headphone at all. Very warm, fun sounding and bassy if you want it can. My DT770s on high performance mode sound very neutral and natural and the mids are recessed less. That's my unprofessional opinion and observation but I definitely wouldn't want to push my 16ohm COPs on high performance mode. I've accidentally hit high bias on my C5D amp teice when using my COPs and I was scared that my driver's were blown. Thankfully they weren't.
Too much power doesn't lead to distortion unless you overdrive the headphones = too loud. A good amp - no matter how powerful - shouldn't introduce any distortion just because of the power being available.
Some headphones and IEM's will definitely benefit from the higher power modes, but not all.
Here are some notes of my V10 with the various headphones/IEM's I own. Results should be similar with the V20.
AKG Q701: Being 62 ohms the V10 (and V20) will switch into the high impedance (highest power) mode. The V10 and Q701 is a very very excellent pairing. I use this pairing at between 30 to 40 out of 75. So that's only 40 to 53%.
Brainwavz HM5: Being 64 ohms, the V10 (and V20) will also switch into high impedance mode. Now this headphone is a higher impedance being 64 ohms, but it is still very easy to power, very easy. I listen at between 15 to 25 out of 75. So that's only 20 to 33%. This headphone is my sealed Q701. It sounds roughly the same but is closed.
Audio Technica M50x: 38 ohms. Does fine in the regular low powered mode, gets louder earlier when tricked into "aux" mode. This headphone doesn't seem all that sensitive or extremely easy to drive. I haven't noticed any difference other than the extra volume. I also haven't spent a lot of time with this combo yet though either. The short time I've used this combo I remember listening at around 35-40 in normal power mode, and around 30-35 when tricked into "aux" mode. I was given these as a gift, but they aren't really my ideal sound signature so I haven't used them much.
HifiMan/Massdrop RE-00: 64 ohms, so the high impedance mode gets triggered. Just like the HM5, these are high(ish) impedance but are sensitive and easy to drive. I also use them between 15-25 out of 75, so again, only 20-33%.
HifiMan RE-Zero: 16 ohm, so only the low power mode for these. They aren't the most sensitive or the most easy to drive having 100DB sensitivity, but 99% of the devices out there will power it fine. In low power mode I listen to this combination at 25-35 out of 75. I have never tried tricking these into the "aux" mode, and I don't see how they could really benefit from it.
I'm sure there are plenty of cases where tricking the phone into "aux" mode may be needed, but it's not the case with most sub 50 ohm headphones. One example would be the Audeze EL8. I plugged a pair in for a very brief 2 minutes and these being low impedance, but still more difficult to drive could use the extra power.
The iEMatch isn't an impedance adapter. It gets rid of hiss on headphones/earphones when used with noisy amps and only changes impedance by about 3 ohms.
iFi explains it here:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/814317/what-the-heck-is-it-ifi-iematch/225#post_12952637
I stand corrected, thanks. At least, it does somehow toggle the "external" mode of the V20 DAC. But with my SE846, I don't notice any difference between plugging them in directly in "normal" mode and in "external" mode with the IEMatch - which is why I'm questioning why people are saying that the higher modes sound better.
I stand corrected, thanks. At least, it does somehow toggle the "external" mode of the V20 DAC. But with my SE846, I don't notice any difference between plugging them in directly in "normal" mode and in "external" mode with the IEMatch - which is why I'm questioning why people are saying that the higher modes sound better.
Haha, we are all a sample size of 1 - The 846 is a very nice IEM - I really like it too - and it's very easy on the power, so not the best example to hear the difference between the amp modes. Some headphones don't benefit at all - the 846 seems to be one of them. You can be happy no since "tricking" into different modes needed.
Well Gentlemen (or on the off chance, Ladies), where are we with the V20 + P1?! Does it go into high-gain? Inquiring minds at the mercy of UPS ground cross-country want to know
Well, I don't know where to start really. I've had mine on for about a half hour now and it sounds great. I noticed a difference between normal and Hifi modes with my basic Samsung earbuds but the P1 is much different. The P1 really opens up with Hifi enabled, I mean like a night and day difference.
I stand corrected, thanks. At least, it does somehow toggle the "external" mode of the V20 DAC. But with my SE846, I don't notice any difference between plugging them in directly in "normal" mode and in "external" mode with the IEMatch - which is why I'm questioning why people are saying that the higher modes sound better.
Yeah, as I found out last year, using ANY 3.5mm adapter/cable/extender gives external mode.
I have the iEMatch and tried it on my V10 as well. No high mode and (imo) no noticeable change to sound quality (iFi claims it could improve dynamics due to the lowered noise floor though). It just made the V10's output quieter but should benefit extremely sensitive iems. It also works as a very nice balanced to SE adapter for my 3.5mm TRRS cables but otherwise not needed for me in this case. The V10 is already one of the quietest portables I've used.
Maybe an inline 3.5mm volume control will do the job?
If it is > 50ohm then the V20 will see >50ohm at minimum volume, and the headphone impedance in parallel with the volume control at full volume. The advantage is you can leave it connected all the time, change the volume to full after connecting, and the headphone sees the direct output impedance all the time. If teh volume control is above 300 ohms it will not load the amp appreciably.
Those who want this are not stupid, trying to blow their ears, or headphones. We just have low sensitivity headphones and quietly mastered track we want to hear properly.
Maybe an inline 3.5mm volume control will do the job?
If it is > 50ohm then the V20 will see >50ohm at minimum volume, and the headphone impedance in parallel with the volume control at full volume. The advantage is you can leave it connected all the time, change the volume to full after connecting, and the headphone sees the direct output impedance all the time. If teh volume control is above 300 ohms it will not load the amp appreciably.
Those who want this are not stupid, trying to blow their ears, or headphones. We just have low sensitivity headphones and quietly mastered track we want to hear properly.
Someone will need to test this on the V20 but, with the V10, the ONLY mode where in-line remotes don't work is high power (no matter how many ohms are involved). They work ok for normal power and external device but never on high even after tricking the phone with an extender or adapter.
Someone will need to test this on the V20 but, with the V10, the ONLY mode where in-line remotes don't work is high power (no matter how many ohms are involved). They work ok for normal power and external device but never on high even after tricking the phone with an extender or adapter.
Someone will need to test this on the V20 but, with the V10, the ONLY mode where in-line remotes don't work is high power (no matter how many ohms are involved). They work ok for normal power and external device but never on high even after tricking the phone with an extender or adapter.
That observation suggests indeed that a different/separate amp circuit is being used when in high impedance mode...that cannot pass through the inline remote info....
Has anyone compared the sound quality directly with the s6? Thinking the v20 will be my next phone but have been with Samsung the previous 3 generations.
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