[clarkydaz]

  Ohhh it sounds great but unfortunately it's about the same size as the V10 and it's just too big.

yeah its the nature of the beast, if you want the best current components it will be in a larger phone. the meizu pro 5 is coming out with a mini version, but that might be 6 months away yet

 

[maxjstern]

  Ohhh it sounds great but unfortunately it's about the same size as the V10 and it's just too big.

Soundwise, the Marshall is very good, and better than the Z3(C) and presumably equal to the M9, maybe a tad less louder, but more refined.
From a general technical point of view it is really behind them.  But it uses almost stock Android and for playback, messaging, browsing it will do the trick surely.

 

[Howva]

Yeah that's what I've heard about the Marshall, not worth the price as a smartphone. I would like the hardware to be able to handle some future Android updates. So in your opinion the M9 is better than Z3 Compact? How about compared to the Z3? and which is better M9 or M9+. The IEMs I am using are the HiFiMan RE-400 if that is relevant. Thanks everyone for answering all these questions!

 

[lisztian420]

M9+ is abit larger by .2 inches. But it sounds a bit better than m9. The newer version also has great camera and ois.

The front speakers are much better than rare/side speakers. I would go for the m9 if it weren't for the dac/amp combo of the LG V10.

 

[jasonb]

Still loving my V10 after 2 months of owning it and using it with headphones every single day so far since I got it. It sounds great with every headphone and IEM I have and has more than enough power for them all.

 

[Ahdiofyle]

Still loving my V10 after 2 months of owning it and using it with headphones every single day so far since I got it. It sounds great with every headphone and IEM I have and has more than enough power for them all.

I just got my LG v10 and I am loving it, I'm curious how the nexus 6p stacks up against

 

[Howva]

Thanks, how about an M8? I hear it has all the features of the m9+ save the finger print scanner. 

 

[lisztian420]

M8 sounds fine 18 months ago. If I were to buy a htc phone for sq and daily usage, I'd go for the m9+. I think you might prefer the htc a9. 5 inches display, and htc claims that is their best sounding phone up to date...

 

[Howva]

Thanks, I am still leaning toward the Z3 or the M9/+. I think I just need to take the plunge. I don't think I will be disappointed as I am literally upgrading from a S3 so. haha Thanks again.

 

[maxjstern]

  Yeah that's what I've heard about the Marshall, not worth the price as a smartphone. I would like the hardware to be able to handle some future Android updates. So in your opinion the M9 is better than Z3 Compact? How about compared to the Z3? and which is better M9 or M9+. The IEMs I am using are the HiFiMan RE-400 if that is relevant. Thanks everyone for answering all these questions!

The M9 is better in every sonical aspect, may except for the player app(is only a software concern and it is also subjective, as it is also an ergonomical aspect)
It is louder, there are awesome sound-mods for it, it also has better speakers and so on...

 

[deco cat]

How about Nexus 6P?

 

[maxjstern]

  How about Nexus 6P?

Nothing special as all Huawei phones are in the audio department...
And it has non-expandable storage and the Type-C usb port could be a possible hurdle in connectin the phone to a seperate DAC/AMP...

 

[bataskhayal7]

The M9 is better in every sonical aspect, may except for the player app(is only a software concern and it is also subjective, as it is also an ergonomical aspect)
It is louder, there are awesome sound-mods for it, it also has better speakers and so on...

Anybody know if the HTC One E9+ have the same audio chip as the M9+? Or anybody ever experienced the SQ from the E9+?

Thanks

 

[TrucknHemi]

  Thanks, I am still leaning toward the Z3 or the M9/+. I think I just need to take the plunge. I don't think I will be disappointed as I am literally upgrading from a S3 so. haha Thanks again.

 
Beside having a lot of resources on the Walkman player the Sony smartphones don't have the quality I hoped for them, no dedicated amp like the HTC's nor better software optimizations. The things Sony tries to focus more are camera and water proofness.
For audio quality go for HTC, Meizu, or Vivo. Now we have the V10 as well and the G4 is not bad from what I've heard.

 

[Howva]

How's the M9 now with the over heating issue? I've also heard it's battery life is abysmal. I'm not a crazy user, I keep data turned off most of the time and use it only occasionally to check FB or Maps. I only really play Tetris. The overheating and battery life was really turning me off the M9 and the lack of quick charge and from what I've heard poorer processor is turning me off the M9+. I do like the fingerprint scanner though. arrgh I'm just trying not to make a bad decision. thanks for your help everyone