[maxjstern]

  hello guys, 
 
im new here. sorry for my bad english. i have a question. before i ask i want to let you guys know that im new to this all and have 0 knowledge. i wont fool myself and believe i will be able to catch up on you. i was gifted by god with much intelligence. i know that and i can live with that. i became a carpenter and  made the best out of my situation - building bespoke furniture.
 
i have a blackberry q10 with some noname overear headphones. my only source for music is spotify premium. im not satisfied with my setup and want to to upgrade it. so getting a solid dap without being able to use spotify offline is not an option.
so i read a bit through the forum and got more questions than answers but at least i found some options and now i need your help to pick up the "best" one for me.
 
 
1. i know i need to buy new headphones. i chose the ma750 from rha. 90€
2.
  a: keep blackberry and buy a dap with dac option (fiio x3/ dx90) and connect them.
  b: buy a new phone. htc m9 or galaxy note 4 and tune it with viper4android.
3. if i choose option 2a do i need anything else like an amp? fiio e12
4. if i choose option 2b do i need still to get a dac and amp? fiio e17 + fiio 12
 
thanks for help and i really appreciate every answer and effort

Something like the X3 and DX90 are way too good for IEMs like the MA750 and they are always better than a smartphone(regardless of modification). If you are going tp purchase one of these DAPs, make sure you have something matching to their potential(Like Shure SE535, Westone W30, InEar SD-3, etc...).
About the DAC Option, I guess the BB does not have OTG USB output or an optical out as you need this to get it connected to the DAPs. If this indeed the case, your options would be to buy a different phone, which supports OTG (Mid-End Android and above) and buy a seperate DAC(not a DAP) or...
...you buy solely an amp (E12) is perfect for that, it is the new version of the E12) and connect it via the line-out of your BB-phone.
 
 
Nonetheless, I hope I could help you and good luck on your journey through the wilds of the mysterious realm known als Head-Fi.

 

[Vidaluk0]

  Idol 3 is a flagship priced at mid end price. It feels like a premium smartphone, but build on a cheap side. 
 
The only real downside it actually has is that the power button is on the left with volume on the right. 
 
Sound wise, all are more or less the same, Idol 3 5.5" has that DAC, and it produces satisfacatory sound. You cannot compare any of these with a fiio x5 in my view, but all of them produce sound good enough to use daily. 
 
but idol 3 costs 250$, when an iphone costs 1000$

 
It provides a decent to great experience, of a mid-high flagship. If you have an iphone 6, do not change it, if you have anything below idol 3, it is a very good upgrade. this is how I see it.

Ok, now I got a new question, Idol 3 vs OnePlus One, which one is better considering they are around the same price range?

 

[varta]

I would also like to ask you to compare the Alcatel and OPO to the Zenfone 2. Which one is the best at this price range? Thanks.

 

[Rpg2]

Here is an article with a bit more information about the Axon phone coming out soon. I can't make heads or tails out of this though: http://www.androidauthority.com/axon-phone-hi-fi-audio-626925/

While looking around for upgrades, I found out the N910C model of the Note 4 (Exynos w/ Wolfson) works with AT&T and T-mobile LTE. It seems like a solid choice although I don't know how much of an improvement the Note 4's DAC is from the Note 2's DAC as both had Wolfson.

 

[Dobrescu George]

  Here is an article with a bit more information about the Axon phone coming out soon. I can't make heads or tails out of this though: http://www.androidauthority.com/axon-phone-hi-fi-audio-626925/

While looking around for upgrades, I found out the N910C model of the Note 4 (Exynos w/ Wolfson) works with AT&T and T-mobile LTE. It seems like a solid choice although I don't know how much of an improvement the Note 4's DAC is from the Note 2's DAC as both had Wolfson.

That Axon article is really confusing. 
 
Note 4 is fine, but I have no ideea how it is compared to Note 2. 
 
 
 

I would also like to ask you to compare the Alcatel and OPO to the Zenfone 2. Which one is the best at this price range? Thanks.

 
Zenfone 2 is bad mouthed by users. Like the reply below, if you have either, you are happy. If you must get one, you can get either and be happy. 
 

 
Ok, now I got a new question, Idol 3 vs OnePlus One, which one is better considering they are around the same price range?

 
Only Audiowise, maybe Idol 3, but they should sound similar. Though, Oneplus one uses cyannogenmod, without official Android, so it might be more of a prefference thing. If you already have either, you are happy. If you are getting a smartphone, you can get either and be happy. 
 
 
 
 
Differences are not huge, and iphone 6 plus, or whatever iphone is the latest will sound very good, but it costs 1000$ where Idol 3 costs much less.
 
If one has the money to spend, I am pretty sure that getting latest Iphone or note4, or whatever amazeB00ls smartphone is going to be more of a treat than Idol 3. 
 
But at it's price point, Idol 3 is one of the most solid performers. 
 
HTC 820 is amazeb00ls too, for the price, if you get it on contract. In romania, it makes the best deal, with a 25$/month for 2 years contract, it costs 50$. 

 

[Rpg2]

  That Axon article is really confusing. 
 
Note 4 is fine, but I have no ideea how it is compared to Note 2. 
 

Yup, it is confusing. I'm waiting for the final reviews to show up. I was just referencing the Exynos Note 4 as a potential upgrade for smartphone audio. I'm probably going to keep an eye on the Note 4 if the Note 5 isn't as spectacular as it needs to be with the no removable battery and lack of SD card all but confirmed. If those are actually removed then the only benefit of a Note 5 from a Note 4 would be a better display, camera, and potentially battery life which is about even with what it's potentially giving up.

 

[Dobrescu George]

 
Yup, it is confusing. I'm waiting for the final reviews to show up. I was just referencing the Exynos Note 4 as a potential upgrade for smartphone audio. I'm probably going to keep an eye on the Note 4 if the Note 5 isn't as spectacular as it needs to be with the no removable battery and lack of SD card all but confirmed. If those are actually removed then the only benefit of a Note 5 from a Note 4 would be a better display, camera, and potentially battery life which is about even with what it's potentially giving up.

Note 4 stopped from selling anymore on contract. It seems as if Samsung decided to replace the old line about now. 

 

[Rpg2]

  Note 4 stopped from selling anymore on contract. It seems as if Samsung decided to replace the old line about now. 

Samsung loves their sales numbers, and it's a shame as the Note 4 is an excellent phone. I expect the prices to drop on Swappa and Amazon for the Exynos models as soon as the Note 5 is announced or released next month. It's currently hovering around ~$450 to $500 for a used N910C while refurbished snap dragons are going for $400 on sale.

 

[Whitigir]

Here is an article with a bit more information about the Axon phone coming out soon. I can't make heads or tails out of this though: http://www.androidauthority.com/axon-phone-hi-fi-audio-626925/


While looking around for upgrades, I found out the N910C model of the Note 4 (Exynos w/ Wolfson) works with AT&T and T-mobile LTE. It seems like a solid choice although I don't know how much of an improvement the Note 4's DAC is from the Note 2's DAC as both had Wolfson.

That is the one I currently have....and it sucks. Perhap unless until rooted and voodoo mod and stuff, but I am not into any business to root my phone. The note 4 with snapdragon sounded better, more clarity, less bass than iPhone 6, but a tad bit more bass and less clarity than Z3.

So , don't feel bad to buy note 4 with regular snap dragon chip. It really does sound better than exynos+wolfson

 

[Whitigir]

Also the note 5 rumored that the international version will be using the next gen Exynos, which is an all in one chip that has CPU+GPU+LTE+Bluetooth together, and if this proved true, then the Note 5 could be moving up onto the next level of sound and audio performance. I think that because if you have everything under 1 chip, then the isolation from that bunch toward the DAC will be shielded as good as possible, and this is one of the most important thing about audiophile grade DaP. Just cross your finger and hope that Note 5 will build a good audio circuitry on top of that, which I DOUBT as Samsung has never been interested in making a good Audio design on their phones, unlike XIAOMI.

Anyways, we will see

 

[obsidyen]

Apparently Blackberry Leap has very good audio output...
 
http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_leap-review-1275p7.php

 

[Whitigir]

Apparently Blackberry Leap has very good audio output...

http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_leap-review-1275p7.php

Well, I have read enough of those gsmarena sound output graphs to conclude that those mean nothing toward the reproduction of audio playback. Unless you care about the power output.

 

[maxjstern]

ZTE introduced a new phone, the "Axon" which uses a AKM Dac and has one of the best scores on THD(Distortion) and SNR....
 
Link: http://www.androidauthority.com/axon-phone-hi-fi-audio-626925/

 

[Whitigir]

ZTE introduced a new phone, the "Axon" which uses a AKM Dac and has one of the best scores on THD(Distortion) and SNR....

Link: http://www.androidauthority.com/axon-phone-hi-fi-audio-626925/

Impressive marketing, but high-fidelity music playback needs more than that. The live proof is my note 4 exynos+wolfson, and it has impressive measurements...etc...but when playing music, it is ****ty. Though my question for the Japanese, Samsung, Apple alike....why don't they make a phone with good audio playback already ?

 

[maxjstern]

Impressive marketing, but high-fidelity music playback needs more than that. The live proof is my note 4 exynos+wolfson, and it has impressive measurements...etc...but when playing music, it is ****ty. Though my question for the Japanese, Samsung, Apple alike....why don't they make a phone with good audio playback already ?

Agree. It appears that only chinese brands like Vivo, Meizu, Xiaomi, LeTV care about proper sonic quality of their products. I can only recommend the Vivo X5MAx as it has a ESS Sabre 9018 and good amplifiers and a micro sd slot.
 
And for the very fortunate audiophile, there is this: http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/16/8976561/marshall-london-smartphone-images