[maxjstern]

  Sorry when i say dac i just mean audio output in general (not including speaker).

The new Lenovo K Note 4 has a good AMP  and DAC section (including good speakers).
 
You could also find an used M8, which has a really AMP-section(DAC is okay, IMO not as detailed as Z-Series).
 
The Alcatel Idol 3 5.5 (very important that you choose the 5.5" version) is one killer "budget audiophile phone". Has a very good AKM-DAC section and also good speakers.

 

[ClintonL]

Had an M8 already which broke unfortunately, hopefully get something a bit better than that. Might stretch to 300 USD. I hear the meizu mx4 pro is good?

 

[artpiggo]

Had an M8 already which broke unfortunately, hopefully get something a bit better than that. Might stretch to 300 USD. I hear the meizu mx4 pro is good?

For 300 us, you should find meizu pro5 ram3g/32gb version. It is better that you can add micro sd and better camera. In addition price will drop after pro 6 launch. Mx4 pro/ pro5 sound quality is not good....it is just superb ))

 

[ClintonL]

mx5pro is around 370ish for me which is a bit much. Also i heard the battery life on the meizu's are questionable. Is there any other contenders around that price point?

 

[Hesthrim]

We can all probably agree at this point that as long as you're using an Android handset as your DAP, you can just use a digital connection to any headphone DAC/Amp with an OTG cable and thus the source doesn't matter at all.

The question of "which smartphone is best for audiophile" is answered with "whichever one you like that supports USB OTG to a DAC/Amp". At that point, you're removing the source (and cable) from the equation.

 

[artpiggo]

mx5pro is around 370ish for me which is a bit much. Also i heard the battery life on the meizu's are questionable. Is there any other contenders around that price point?

Might be xiaomi mi note pro or Letv Le pro then. Btw, battery is good for me equally to any brand in market. But if i were you, i would wait the price to reduce after pro6 launch.

 

[VeggiePopper]

The question of "which smartphone is best for audiophile" is answered with "whichever one you like that supports USB OTG to a DAC/Amp". At that point, you're removing the source (and cable) from the equation.

Not really. The very reason for this thread is because there are many people (myself included) who don't want to carry arround two devices stacked together -that's to bulky for our pockets! Not to mention, making a call (you know, a cellphone's MAIN purpose) can be a nightmare with that thing.

If you read this thread, you'll find most posters long for the time when screens weren't so large, because we want to keep it portable, and then you want to add another device, too. That's a no-go for many.

 

[alienden]

HTC 10 was announced today. Here's excerpt from Arstechnica: "The HTC 10 features a 1W headphone output along with a 24-bit DSP and DAC that boast a THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion Plus Noise) of -104dB and noise level of -120 dBV. I tried it out with a few headphones, including a so-called "high-res" pair bundled with the phone, and it sounded excellent. And, like the A9, it drove my quad-driver UE900 headphones with ease." It might not be ESS Sabre like on LG, but at least the amp sounds somewhat promising.

 

[RockStar2005]

  HTC 10 was announced today. Here's excerpt from Arstechnica: "The HTC 10 features a 1W headphone output along with a 24-bit DSP and DAC that boast a THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion Plus Noise) of -104dB and noise level of -120 dBV. I tried it out with a few headphones, including a so-called "high-res" pair bundled with the phone, and it sounded excellent. And, like the A9, it drove my quad-driver UE900 headphones with ease." It might not be ESS Sabre like on LG, but at least the amp sounds somewhat promising.

 
Nice! Glad it sounds so great despite not having what the v10 has. I did see the specs earlier today on the 10 and they are pretty impressive vs. the usual flagship smartphone. 
 
I had the M8 and I recall it sounded fantastic too! I had even rooted it (first and last time I ever do that lol) just so I could get the Harman/Kardon mod someone made for it (based off of the H/K Sprint-only M8, which had the same hardware but different software) and install it on there. It WAS actually worth it, b/c I def did notice an improvement in sound quality, both on speakers and headphone/car listening. Still, I felt my former Sony Xperia Z3 (which I got right after several months later) was even better. 
 
Thanks for sharing. 

 

[Whitigir]

1000mW huh ? Impressive

 

[Hesthrim]

Not really. The very reason for this thread is because there are many people (myself included) who don't want to carry arround two devices stacked together -that's to bulky for our pockets! Not to mention, making a call (you know, a cellphone's MAIN purpose) can be a nightmare with that thing.

If you read this thread, you'll find most posters long for the time when screens weren't so large, because we want to keep it portable, and then you want to add another device, too. That's a no-go for many.

Fair enough! Actual voice calling makes up probably less than 5% of my cell usage, so I'm coming at it from a different perspective I suppose.. a 4 foot microB to microB cable going to a DAC/amp im my bag, from which my cans are coming from.. phone is still in my hands and being used, and the DAC is out of sight.

But yeah, making and receiving calls doesn't really work, not that I'd try.

 

[amature101]

HTC 10!

 

[Gosod]

The htc is not a bad sound but MP3 player does not pull!

 

[Guppy_]

  HTC 10 was announced today. Here's excerpt from Arstechnica: "The HTC 10 features a 1W headphone output along with a 24-bit DSP and DAC that boast a THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion Plus Noise) of -104dB and noise level of -120 dBV. I tried it out with a few headphones, including a so-called "high-res" pair bundled with the phone, and it sounded excellent. And, like the A9, it drove my quad-driver UE900 headphones with ease." It might not be ESS Sabre like on LG, but at least the amp sounds somewhat promising.

I wonder if its the same SD820 builtin dac. IF so, save for the amp, every 820 phone should sound the same.

 

[grivai]

+1 Galaxy Note 2