Very much appreciate the suggestions everyone! I'll look into the options :)

Hey everyone, I'm looking for a pair of full-size headphones that require no amp. This is a non-negotiatable--I've done the whole full size in the past(LCD-2's, He-5's, burson 160d, nuforce hdp) and strongly dislike the need for excess equipment and clutter. More space and owning less is...

Oh my goodness. Just dropped by to thank you for this incredible write-up. Super detailed and well done. Thanks!

Quote: I would say that the branding has no effect on the DAC and internal audio hardware. Basically that two phones can have that branding and have differing levels of quality. Turning the Beats EQ on is a negative though

Shouldn't read too much into the Beats branding. Like it was said, Beats is just an EQ that bumps the bass and treble. The DAC and RMAA readings on the phone is still up in the air though. The One X had so-so sound quality with the Tegra 3 SoC and somewhat better quality with the Snapdragon S4...

Great price for the hardware, and I definitely support Google fighting control away from the carriers. Bring unlocked smartphones to everyone at lower prices. The N4 is using the S4 Pro, anyone have an idea of the DAC here? From what I know, the GS3 and One X both use the Snapdragon S4 which was...

Quote: Yeah, it's the strangest thing. I typically leave my es5's at home, and run them through my laptop and amp. I started noticing an inequality with sound output but I figured it might be a fit issue. Now there's just nothing sigh. I'm using my jh13s now, and just hoping the problem...

Drivers on my right IEM blown out or something; no output at all. Really sad about it. Anyone know a place to repair besides Westone? Thanks

Got my GNex just yesterday. First impressions are pretty good so far with JH13's and 320kbps MP3s. Low noise floor and pretty good detail.

Own both, and agree with your thoughts. Pretty much spot on, thanks for the write up

Absolutely agreed. Portability, isolation, and comfort were major factors for IEM's. SQ, detail-wise at least, to me is relatively similar at high levels(Custom IEM's versus LCD-2's). It feels unnatural to have this big block of wood or plastic on your head

I was under the impression that a particular Wolfson DAC was needed for VooDoo to do its stuff. In any case, good news to hear that the new Nexus is a good sounding player. Thanks for the impressions and write-up

Don't have the best memory for this, but iPhones have always been good. Any of the Galaxy S series(including Nexus S) with the VooDoo sound mod. Despite the Yamaha DAC, I have actually heard that the Galaxy Note is pretty decent unlike the GS2. 

Quote: Stand corrected :) I don't use an iPhone anymore hahah

Quote: Galaxy Note uses the same Yamaha DAC as the GS2, which is not very highly regarded. iPhone is still the way to go in terms of phone sound quality.

Only been using custom IEM's. Soundstage aside, I dislike the weight of having something on my head. I find it very distracting and uncomfortable. 

Yeah, pretty much any Galaxy S phone. They all use the Wolfson DAC, and can be rooted to install the VooDoo sound mod. 

According to Engadget, the audio chip in the Galaxy Nexus is a Texas Instruments TWL6040. Not sure how that stacks up against the iPhone's Cirrus Logic or Wolfson chips.

Thanks for the great impressions! Tons of work

Very excited for impressions! Not really anywhere near my budget though haha

Quote: 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...

Blows my mind that this was announced in June 2010. 

Personally, I felt like my old Nexus S with the VooDoo mod had on par SQ with the iPhone. Not necessarily better though. It's a shame the new higher end phones like the GS2 use poorer amps and DAC's(Yamahas?) taking a step back in sound. I am ready to jump ship from my iPhone but I need a phone...

Wow cool thread haha. Keitais were always really interesting to me, but it's such a minefield trying to figure out ones that actually work internationally. All the smartcard(NFC?) stuff and mobile tv never worked lol. Those phones all were rocking WVGA resolutions and high ppi well before anyone...

Even so, JHA has an obligation to be honest and transparent with their customers. Irregardless of UE's position in all of this. It's a shame though, I'm still kind of curious about the 3A's sound in relation to top tier custom IEM's.