[TheUnknow]

Indeed.

Apparently , and from multiple source (french / english), Meizu M5 sounds good , but i couldn't find any information about the DAC used.

 

[Vympels]

Indeed.

Apparently , and from multiple source (french / english), Meizu M5 sounds good , but i couldn't find any information about the DAC used.

According to https://www.gsmarena.com/meizu_m5-review-1566p2.php it does have a mediocre audio quality ,
Meizu never use any dac in low and mid range smartphone only in high end one

 

[oliwek2]

Indeed.

Apparently , and from multiple source (french / english), Meizu M5 sounds good , but i couldn't find any information about the DAC used.

from your link :

Sound output via the 3.5mm audio jack on the bottom is excellent overall, and while it’s not the highest quality you’ll find among smartphones, it’s difficult to dock Meizu much simply because of the price of this phone. Phones in this price range used to have pretty awful sound output, but Meizu is using some good DACs here as well as some great balance in software (this is about other devices, like Meizu Pro 5). There’s also a built-in software equalizer that helps balance things out further if you need it, be it listening on headphones or through a more powerful stereo system. Output via the speaker on the bottom is pretty lousy though, and you’ll find that the audio is incredibly flat, not loud enough and generally a bit tinny. This one is only good for watching the occasional YouTube video or playing simple games, definitely not for listening to music or anything that needs better quality to be enjoyed.

Not so positive from what I read, even if the reviewer writes about the bad quality from the speaker.
edit : I'm not convinced about its excellent quality from the headphone output (cf its 'while it’s not the highest quality you’ll find among smartphones'). Or maybe compared to standard phones with no 3rd party DAC and amping.
Mieux vaut viser autre chose je pense... (Axon X7 mini if you are budget limited ? second hand V20 ?). If you don't find any info about the DAC, it is probably because it uses only the internal DAC from its SOC.
edit 2 : @TheUnknow : PM sent

 

[TheUnknow]

According to https://www.gsmarena.com/meizu_m5-review-1566p2.php it does have a mediocre audio quality ,
Meizu never use any dac in low and mid range smartphone only in high end one

Yeah , i've seen this on gsmarena but according to a french site it says :

La sortie casque du Meizu M5 tape juste sur tous les points. La puissance est suffisamment généreuse pour tous les types de casques, la distorsion est quasi-nulle et la scène sonore est large et bien marquée. Un sans-faute donc.

Meaning : powerful (enough for all headphone ) , low distortion and wide sound stage .

Regarding Meizu M5 Note on GsmArena , it says :

Very good audio quality
The Meizu M5 Note impressed us with its loudness in both testing scenarios - its very high volume levels are rather hard to find in this price range and suggest a nicely powerful amplifier.

The clarity of its output was another nice surprise - it was perfect with an active external amplifier and very good when headphones came into play. The stereo crosstalk, IMD and THD were the only affected readings but even they were still very good.

Those two phones ( M5 & M5 Note ) are cheap and easy to find.
That's why i was gathering information on what DAC they use .

 

[artpiggo]

When it is cheap, it is easier to say it sounds better than the price is. Or sort of "performance per price is high" review.

Like KZ earphone in In-Ear world.

 

[Zatagi]

Anyone have info about Meizu 15 plus? I dig their website and could not anything about DAC https://www.meizu.com/15/spec/?click=mmz_product_15_dh_cs
It's Exynos so prob a separated DAC/AMP.

 

[Vympels]

See first page Artpiggo update it , it's an CS Dac / amp

 

[Zatagi]

See first page Artpiggo update it , it's an CS Dac / amp

Yeah, thanks. How can he find it tho? I have pro 5, does it get better or worse? I never used a CS chip before.

 

[Vympels]

He dig into the internet , also pro 5 dac opamp is still top notch

 

[artpiggo]

Again mx4 pro / pro5 is the top two best in meizu line. Will be legend.

 

[deafmutelame]

So what's the general consensus for the best smartphones for audiophiles under 200$ in April 2018?

 

[artpiggo]

Depend on what you have available in ur country.

 

[deafmutelame]

Depend on what you have available in ur country.

Hi artpiggo, thanks for your reply.

I have access to BQ phones such as BQ Aquaris X Pro, which apparently comes with ess es9118 sabre chip, according to mx19 in this very same thread:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bes...updated-mar-2018.853115/page-79#post-14154155

https://www.bq.com/es/aquaris-x-pro


Unfortunately it is sold for 300 euro, which is 100 euro above my budget. I don't know if other BQ phones might have this chip as well, which I could try to get instead.

Otherwise, I'm happy to order any other phone via Aliexpress if needed.

What would you suggest? Thanks.

 

[Vympels]

Meizu pro 6 plus are selling for this price currently

 

[deafmutelame]

Meizu pro 6 plus are selling for this price currently

It's 473 euro via Amazon
https://www.amazon.es/Meizu-Pro-Plus-Smartphone-memoria/dp/B06WRNK1DM

and only 178 via Aliexpress... wow

https://es.aliexpress.com/store/pro...890-Octa-Core-5-7-2K/1194377_32774020045.html

Also, if I may ask you, what makes it an audiophile smartphone, briefly speaking?

Thanks Vympels.