[appophylite]

Quote:

The Steve Jobs who founded Apple as an anarchic company promoting the message of freedom, whose first projects with Stephen Wozniak were pirate boxes and computers with open schematics, would be taken aback by the future that Apple is forging.
 
Today there is no tech company that looks more like the Big Brother from Apple’s iconic 1984 commercial than Apple itself, a testament to how quickly power can corrupt.

It is rather dreary when you look at that commercial and what Apple presented itself as in said commercial compared to the Microsoft/IBM PC juggernaut, and what they have become today...

 

[aFo]

Quote:

 
Well, the Sony Walkman phones prioritise sound quality. And they succeed in the past. 
 

That was all marketing hype. I was a big fan of SE back in the day and bought several phones(K800, W910, W890, W960). They were criticized for having no DSP as well as no 3.5mm jacks. They were sold on the Walkman software made up of EQs. For audio quality in phones, Apple is still the one to beat. 
 

 

[TheDreamthinker]

Why should Apple Inc. care?
We audiophiles make a very small percentage of the world-population, therefore it would not be beneficial for Apple in any way.
Also very few people would really benefit from better i....-SQ (+ if they were to do so, they needed better stock-buds).
......etc...... 
 
In my eyes there are many (more) reasons for Apple not to do that.
 
It would also effect the high-end audio-industry (but maybe it will make hi-fi cheaper...) 

 

[jmmtn4aj]

I don't think everyone has emphasised just how few ****s the general population gives about sound quality. The reason they wouldn't integrate a better chip isn't only because of the redesigning that would have to happen, it's because of cost too. Everyone is familiar with the painstaking attention to detail that goes into the design elements of Apple products but not too many recognise the business acumen that is probably just as important in making Apple inc. so huge today. Before the world even knew just how big the iPod and iPhone were going to get Apple was cutting deals all over the world sourcing components (most notably its memory chips) and making agreements with industry leaders. When everyone realised what a big market the DAP/smart phone market was they couldn't compete in price because Apple already bought up a few year's manufacturing volume worth of display panels, memory chips and batteries, components they didn't even know for sure they'd need when they were sourcing them. Correct me on this, but these agreements meant even though Samsung owned semiconductor plants, those plants were by contract forced to give a better deal to Apple for its iPhones than to its parent company for the Galaxy line.
 
This isn't the behaviour of a company that would spend a penny more than it needed to. Its products are minimalist to the extreme, every function is decided not only on the basis of whether you could cram it in and still maintain x,y and z dimensions, but on the ratio of maximum function, in the utilitarian sense, to cost. 

 

[uofmtiger]

The quality of audio is at least on par with its abilities as a camera.  Most serious photographers are using 18+ megapixel cameras with the ability to attach many different lenses.  The 8mp iPhone is a decent substitute for a point and shoot, but I doubt you will see it used in pro studios unless they are doing a series or using it as a gimmick.
 
The audio, on the other hand, handles lossless and a digital signal can be extracted with the right equipment.  It also can stream audio wirelessly via AirPlay.  The main issue is the amp with certain headphones, but you can use the line out with a portable amp if you need it.
 
Btw I have the 3GS and the 4s and the speaker is a lot better on the 4s, but there is only so much they can do.

 

[Hifianddrumming]

 I'm fine with the apple products the way they are, because to be honest if they upped the SQ, I would just buy a portable amp anyways. If they actually added a very good DAC chip and amp, it would up the cost a fair bit, not worth it IMO.

 

[TheDreamthinker]

Just a question to the OP.
 
Why do you think should Apple Inc. care about us audiophiles (i suppose less than 0.5% of the Apple-using community).
 
In the old iPods, they had to incorporate some good SQ, as not to be overrun by the competitors after a short while.
But now, that they have an almost religious following, they no longer need to prove anything and can expand to other areas (at the cost of SQ).
only an opinion 
 

 

[uofmtiger]

Quote:

Just a question to the OP.
 
Why do you think should Apple Inc. care about us audiophiles (i suppose less than 0.5% of the Apple-using community).
 
In the old iPods, they had to incorporate some good SQ, as not to be overrun by the competitors after a short while.
But now, that they have an almost religious following, they no longer need to prove anything and can expand to other areas (at the cost of SQ).
only an opinion 
 

I don't agree and neither do the measurements:
 
http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_4s-review-665p5.php
 
According to the article above, the iPhone is still the best phone for audiophiles. 
 

 

[TheDreamthinker]

Quote:

I don't agree and neither do the measurements:
 
http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_4s-review-665p5.php
 
According to the article above, the iPhone is still the best phone for audiophiles. 

Honestly? The iPhone 4S seems to use a Wolfson again, didn't take that into account.
Non of the previous i-Products i tried directly through the jack provided satisfactory SQ. I'll need to try the 4S then.
 

 

[ZetsuBozu0012]

Just adding my two bits here.
 
I don't mean to be rude to those who don't believe the 4S to perform well in terms of sound quality, but from what I've heard (specifically, read in GSMArena's review of the latest iPhone: http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_4s-review-665p5.php), it has exceptional quality, offering a very neutral response wit little or no distortion/sibilance etc.
 
Then again, I'm no expert on audio equipment and the like, and I've no idea whether or not the readings in the test are accurate. Honestly, I'm just curious as to whether it's possible to improve on the performance of a mobile phone (smartphone, really) as a portable music player. After all, if it's the lack of codec support that's bothering you, there's always the VLC Player app. 
 
P.S.
For the record, I'm the very proud owner of an i9000 Galaxy S. Voodoo Sound enabled, of course 

I'm only really considering an upgrade to the Galaxy Nexus... provided the sound quality is on par, that is.
 
EDIT:
Wow, I TOTALLY did not notice the last two replies. Well, to be honest, I just posted without reading all the replies to the thread, so... pie in my face )
Looks like GSMArena's more popular here than I thought!
 
Cheers, everyone! Haha.

 

[uofmtiger]

The "EDIT" above definitely got a laugh out of me. 
 
I have no way to verify the accuracy of their results either. 

 

[Pwn3r4Life]

I have said these things once and I will say them again.
 
I am talking more about the speakers than the 3.5mm jack. (Thanks to uofmtiger for saying the speaker is better on the 4s, still waiting on mine from Best Buy since pre-order day 1)
 
Secondly I know for a fact that the idiots waltzing around high-schools everywhere with their Beats care about sound quality, but just have a heavily distorted reality and a very close minded approach to audio. I see too many people too often trying to use their iPod/iPhone speaker and they either fail because it sucks, or someone else will say, "Don't even try, the speaker sucks." Some never use the speakers in DAPs but I think that is because they suck.
 
Once again it was just an idea and I thank you all for the constructive criticism and corrections but now it just seems like hatin'.

 

[ZetsuBozu0012]

EDIT:
@uofmtiger:
Always glad to brighten someone's day up ;P

 
Quote:

 
Once again it was just an idea and I thank you all for the constructive criticism and corrections but now it just seems like hatin'.

Well, as much as I hate to be rude, there are a lot of people here who are critical of Beats and Skullcandy for the sole reason that these two brands have done a lot to distort a lot kid's perceptions regarding hi-fidelity audio, especially the former.
 
Regardless of how overpriced the Beats, though, one reason why I can sympathize with a lot of the haters is that a lot of people look down on my portable rig by reason that I use a pair of Pioneer clip-ons (around the equilvalent of the Grado SR60s or 80s in terms of performance). No one really cares about how good they sound; if they're not Beats, they're c**p. It gets on your nerves after a while
 
But enough about my personal feelings.
 
Well, yeah. Going back to your topic, the 4S has a relatively good speaker, though I wonder why you don't just purchase a mini speaker. Trust me, it'll be much better. If you're okay with that, try going for the WOWee One, which was reviewed here at Head-Fi a few months back; http://www.head-fi.org/t/557750/head-fi-tv-episode-007-sennheiser-mm-450-travel-and-the-wowee-one-for-the-traveling-head-fiers.
 
Good luck, sir.

 

[Pwn3r4Life]

 
Quote:

EDIT:
@uofmtiger:
Always glad to brighten someone's day up ;P

 


Well, as much as I hate to be rude, there are a lot of people here who are critical of Beats and Skullcandy for the sole reason that these two brands have done a lot to distort a lot kid's perceptions regarding hi-fidelity audio, especially the former.
 
Regardless of how overpriced the Beats, though, one reason why I can sympathize with a lot of the haters is that a lot of people look down on my portable rig by reason that I use a pair of Pioneer clip-ons (around the equilvalent of the Grado SR60s or 80s in terms of performance). No one really cares about how good they sound; if they're not Beats, they're c**p. It gets on your nerves after a while
 
But enough about my personal feelins.
 
Well, yeah. Going back to your topic, the 4S has a relatively good speaker, though I wonder why you don't just purchase a mini speaker. Trust me, it'll be much better. If you're okay with that, try going for the WOWee One, which was reviewed here at Head-Fi a few months back; http://www.head-fi.org/t/557750/head-fi-tv-episode-007-sennheiser-mm-450-travel-and-the-wowee-one-for-the-traveling-head-fiers.
 
Good luck, sir.

I ap
Priests your help and opinion very much but I just hate the thought of carrying around a portable speaker every where I go . I thought the rock it was the coolest thing ever
, basically a  wow wee one with the vibration speaker separate from the conveter. Anywho if you look at the rock it for its size it produces big sound. Same with the wowed one. But I thought, wow that's cool but it still doesn't fit in my pocket with a wallet flash drive phone iPod gum and chapstick. I don't have a man purse and have no intention of getting one for speakers. I am very excited to know that aPple actually has improved the speaker in the 4s aand can't wait to listen to it when I get mine. AK ack bestt buy sucks ack ack
is it smart or utterly stupid too try to burn in the speakers on a phone?
Sorry about the bad punctuation and spelling I'm typing on my iPod. 

 

[ZetsuBozu0012]

Quote:

 

I ap
Priests your help and opinion very much but I just hate the thought of carrying around a portable speaker every where I go . I thought the rock it was the coolest thing ever
, basically a  wow wee one with the vibration speaker separate from the conveter. Anywho if you look at the rock it for its size it produces big sound. Same with the wowed one. But I thought, wow that's cool but it still doesn't fit in my pocket with a wallet flash drive phone iPod gum and chapstick. I don't have a man purse and have no intention of getting one for speakers. I am very excited to know that aPple actually has improved the speaker in the 4s aand can't wait to listen to it when I get mine. AK ack bestt buy sucks ack ack
is it smart or utterly stupid too try to burn in the speakers on a phone?
Sorry about the bad punctuation and spelling I'm typing on my iPod. 

My typing with my Galaxy S is even worse, so apology accepted

Anyway, I can see your dilemma. I'm personally going to save up for the Wowee One after buying a pair of Shure 215s. Shame that you won't be able to find a place to store it when not in use; for a portable speaker, it sounds pretty good (managed to audition one a few weeks back).
 
In terms of sheer volume, though, the iPhone 4S is actually quite good, though nowhere near the HTC... Desire, I think; either that or the Nexus One. If you're looking for pure volume, there are a few good picks from the Android crowd, though the SQ when you plug in a pair of headphones is subpar, especially with HTC (no offense to fans of the brand).
 
Good luck with your purchase. From what I recall, the latest iPhone has issues with battery life, echoing the AOS bug on my SGS. I think Apple's released an update correcting the issue, though, so you may have nothing to worry about.
 
 
P.S.
Out of curiosity, is it true that the 4S uses the same DAC as the i9000? The Wolfson is one of the main reasons I'm sticking with this phone