In that price range, I would probably go with something from Xiaomi (the brand name is called 'Mi'), they have good reviews but due to their popularity, a lot of fakes have creeped into the market so do your research on which seller is trustworthy.
Anyone with an Asus Phone?
- Thread starter TRapz
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In that price range, I would probably go with something from Xiaomi (the brand name is called 'Mi'), they have good reviews but due to their popularity, a lot of fakes have creeped into the market so do your research on which seller is trustworthy.
varta
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Hi Zenfone 2 owners! I am currently planning to get one myself, but I would like to hear Your opinion whether it is suitable to use as a music player with mid-end IEMs (currently I have Phonak PFE112s). Is the phone worth buying?? Thanks for feedback!
ozkan
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I think it is as PFE 112 needs some power to be driven and Zenfone 2 already has that juice.
davidmolliere
Headphoneus Supremus
I just sold my Nexus 6 for a Zenfone 2 because I wanted a dual sim phone (compatible with 4G EU bands) with decent performance and after checking out the OnePlus Two (crappy headphone out and sound BTW), the xPeria C5 Ultra Dual both of which I have tried (that last one has a nice headphone out, warm detailed and dynamic), I went for the Zenfone 2.
I didn't have any expectations but tried my with XBA-Z5 out of curiosity, at first I concur with what I have read here about bassy muddy sound but one thing to know is that the Zenfone 2 comes with a lot of bloatware including sound EQing that sucks and which is... enabled by default ! Turn that off and you'll get something very different that is fairly decent with a good volume level. I have not checked the audio spec or codec but my (subjective) impression is good soundstage and detail, and (yes) bass that are well defined and not overdone. There is good detail level, the sound is fairly neutral and I prefer some warmth but you can ditch this as crappy is my opinion.
I'll try out Zenfone 2 plus MDR-Z7, not sure it can drive those though, PHA-3 is soooo good,
Overall it might shock some but better output than the Nexus 6. Nowhere near any proper DAP or amp but in the top tier of smartphones and I have had a fair share of those geek that I am (S3, HTC One M7, Note 3, Note 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 6...).
I have read a few reviews that probably didn't bother to check EQ'ing was OFF, let me tell you it's not anywhere near the SQ you get once you've turned that ugly EQ off.
I didn't have any expectations but tried my with XBA-Z5 out of curiosity, at first I concur with what I have read here about bassy muddy sound but one thing to know is that the Zenfone 2 comes with a lot of bloatware including sound EQing that sucks and which is... enabled by default ! Turn that off and you'll get something very different that is fairly decent with a good volume level. I have not checked the audio spec or codec but my (subjective) impression is good soundstage and detail, and (yes) bass that are well defined and not overdone. There is good detail level, the sound is fairly neutral and I prefer some warmth but you can ditch this as crappy is my opinion.
I'll try out Zenfone 2 plus MDR-Z7, not sure it can drive those though, PHA-3 is soooo good,
Overall it might shock some but better output than the Nexus 6. Nowhere near any proper DAP or amp but in the top tier of smartphones and I have had a fair share of those geek that I am (S3, HTC One M7, Note 3, Note 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 6...).
I have read a few reviews that probably didn't bother to check EQ'ing was OFF, let me tell you it's not anywhere near the SQ you get once you've turned that ugly EQ off.
ryangco11
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I just got my first DAC + Amp Fiio e17k and i cant run it with my zenfone 5 2GB RAM version. Tried using an usb OTG cable with the stock fiio usb cable but nothing shows up in my zenfone 5. Does usb audio need some special wiring or firmware/apps? I'm currently running Kitkat 4.4.2 Rooted.
parasitius
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That's weird. Sorry I have zenfone 2, and works flawlessly with e17k and any of 100 different otg cables or otg-y cables... zenfone 5 anyone?
RRC-Tyr
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Im planning on getting one myself cause price wise it is one of the more competitive brands in relations to price and specifications
heatofamatch
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Asus phones are fine for me except I do run into issues with the Intel CPU. Percentage wise it's not much but it's unpleasant when it happens. My subjective opinion is that the Intel setup makes the overall system a little less smooth, and a tiny bit slower than the benchmarks would suggest.
I appreciate the sheer effort Asus has put into transforming their design over the last few years, from no aesthetics to speak of to pretty good looking across the board, so much so that all of my PCs are now Asus. I switched from an old Macbook Air to an Asus X205, no less! How's that for switching? So overall I appreciate what they do, I will consider their future Android products as long as the CPU is Qualcomm or Mediatek.
I appreciate the sheer effort Asus has put into transforming their design over the last few years, from no aesthetics to speak of to pretty good looking across the board, so much so that all of my PCs are now Asus. I switched from an old Macbook Air to an Asus X205, no less! How's that for switching? So overall I appreciate what they do, I will consider their future Android products as long as the CPU is Qualcomm or Mediatek.
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