[Maglebrius]

Hello Audiophiles!
 
i'm searching for a backup phone with mid/upper class audio quality that might also act as a media consumption device 
 
i'm considering a range between 100 and 200 €
 
at the moment i've been looking over these ones :
 
Letv x800
Letv x900
Vibe x3 Lite
Axon mini (2015 model)
PPTV king 1
Ramos MOS 1 max
Ulefone vienna
 
these are the main ones i've seen in this range that are declared to have some sort of hifi chip/dedicated audio chip but i might miss something ( maybe a smartphone with exceptionally clear audio output but without a DAC ?)
 
i won't mind small or big devices , but i have a preference for higher screen quality, front facing speakers and high quality headphone jack output 
 
what is your advice?

 

[RicardoB]

Hello Audiophiles!

i'm searching for a backup phone with mid/upper class audio quality that might also act as a media consumption device 

i'm considering a range between 100 and 200 €

at the moment i've been looking over these ones :

Letv x800
Letv x900
Vibe x3 Lite
Axon mini (2015 model)
PPTV king 1
Ramos MOS 1 max
Ulefone vienna

these are the main ones i've seen in this range that are declared to have some sort of hifi chip/dedicated audio chip but i might miss something ( maybe a smartphone with exceptionally clear audio output but without a DAC ?)

i won't mind small or big devices , but i have a preference for higher screen quality, front facing speakers and high quality headphone jack output 

what is your advice?

Based on your list last 3 are kind of the unknowns in terms of audio and some probably won't get updates to fix bugs etc, Vibe x3 Lite has good sound but no dedicated DAC apparently, first two are known for audio quality especially the x900 tuned by AkG and both CN version are still getting updates, I'm not too sure about the 2015 Axon especially with updates since ZTE has moved on to the Axon 7, I do believe however that only the Axon and the x3 lite have front facing speakers. If you decide to go x800 or x900 route from AliExpress please tell the seller to leave the device untouched with factory firmware otherwise it will come with a rooted custom firmware, happy hunting ☺

 

[Maglebrius]

Based on your list last 3 are kind of the unknowns in terms of audio and some probably won't get updates to fix bugs etc, Vibe x3 Lite has good sound but no dedicated DAC apparently, first two are known for audio quality especially the x900 tuned by AkG and both CN version are still getting updates, I'm not too sure about the 2015 Axon especially with updates since ZTE has moved on to the Axon 7, I do believe however that only the Axon and the x3 lite have front facing speakers. If you decide to go x800 or x900 route from AliExpress please tell the seller to leave the device untouched with factory firmware otherwise it will come with a rooted custom firmware, happy hunting ☺

Thanks for reply!
 
i'm mostly toward x900 right now, but i'm still looking.... are leeco 2 or leeco 3 any good with that clda audio? and what about some meizu? maybe they are still generally good with audio even without the dedicated chip of higher models, anyone got an idea about this?

 

[RicardoB]

Thanks for reply!

i'm mostly toward x900 right now, but i'm still looking.... are leeco 2 or leeco 3 any good with that clda audio? and what about some meizu? maybe they are still generally good with audio even without the dedicated chip of higher models, anyone got an idea about this?

There are a lot of knowledgable people here but search posts from eio and artpiggo they have done tests and have really good knowledge about these devices and they mention some Meizu devices as well.....I have learned a lot from them, basically the LeEco Le Max 2 and Pro 3 are just Snapdragon audio plus you will need to use the included adapter.... being a LeTv x800 owner I can tell you it sounds great and it gets loud and I heard the x900 is better so search the thread for Meizu or the users I mentioned

 

[Gojira]

Without dedicated audio chips the phone will just have audio that depends on the SoC. Usually that means either Qualcomm or Mediatek. Qualcomm has much better audio than Mediatek, and there may be some difference as well between different Qualcomm chips. Dedicated chips have at least the potential to sound much better and are at least almost always louder than SoC audio. Based on reports one of the better sounding phones with SoC audio is the ZTE Zmax 2 which has been selling for $50 for a while in the US (Best Buy). Not sure if it is still selling for that price though or if there are any left.

 

[asmileforyou]

  Hello Audiophiles!
 
i'm searching for a backup phone with mid/upper class audio quality that might also act as a media consumption device 
 
i'm considering a range between 100 and 200 €
 
at the moment i've been looking over these ones :
 
Letv x800
Letv x900
Vibe x3 Lite
Axon mini (2015 model)
PPTV king 1
Ramos MOS 1 max
Ulefone vienna
 
these are the main ones i've seen in this range that are declared to have some sort of hifi chip/dedicated audio chip but i might miss something ( maybe a smartphone with exceptionally clear audio output but without a DAC ?)
 
i won't mind small or big devices , but i have a preference for higher screen quality, front facing speakers and high quality headphone jack output 
 
what is your advice?

I personally own the LeTV x800 (Chinese model) and I can tell you that audio quality is great. It's cheaper and smaller than LeTV x900 and the difference in sound quality should be negligible. Also it has really nice specs with that 2K display, 4GB ram and Snapdragon 810. Battery life is also decent for a device in this class.

 

[Nalin]

Hi ArtPiggo,

do you think ZTE Axon 7 beats the Lenovo Vibe X3 in therms of sound quality?
I have a Lenovo Vibe X3, but I am thinking about a replacement because it does not Support LTE in my Country, but Axon 7 does.

How do you describe x3 sound signature ? I find it to be detail heavy with emphasis on highs, bass is exceptionally tight as well. Soundstage is very good.

Any shortcomings or dislikes ?

 

[RicardoB]

I personally own the LeTV x800 (Chinese model) and I can tell you that audio quality is great. It's cheaper and smaller than LeTV x900 and the difference in sound quality should be negligible. Also it has really nice specs with that 2K display, 4GB ram and Snapdragon 810. Battery life is also decent for a device in this class.

You wanna swap for my US model? jk lol I get no updates that's the only reason I'm considering a x900 CN model I should have done my research before buying the international model, questions for you hows the wifi strength with the new updates and have they tamed the heat even a little on the Snapdragon 810 (no gaming)? It's not LeEco's fault that this chip is so bad but they can tweak to get the most out of it

 

[eio]

x900 has the best screen in them.

x900 US & CN version have same hardware iirc, your can cross flash them.

 

[RicardoB]

x900 has the best screen in them.

x900 US & CN version have same hardware iirc, your can cross flash them.

Eio what's your opinion on x900 vs some of your favorite devices? Would you say a good buy or is there something better to play with

 

[eio]

i used x900 for a long time before lg v20 and i'm pretty happy with its sound.
the only major shortcoming is that it has slightly higher noise floor, but it is a non-issue if you are not using a highly sensitive headphone like shure se530/535.
 
and it has great screen, great build, large battery.
 
the snapdragon 810 still sux, but that is what everybody got in 2015.

 

[RicardoB]

i used x900 for a long time before lg v20 and i'm pretty happy with its sound.
the only major shortcoming is that it has slightly higher noise floor, but it is a non-issue if you are not using a highly sensitive headphone like shure se530/535.

and it has great screen, great build, large battery.

the snapdragon 810 still sux, but that is what everybody got in 2015.

Yea I think I will order one next month....I was thinking about a used v10 with warranty but I don't think I want to tinker with the aux trick to get high gain

 

[eio]

Yea I think I will order one next month....I was thinking about a used v10 with warranty but I don't think I want to tinker with the aux trick to get high gain

personally i think v10 is a much better device than x900...and i don't think trick it into high gain mode is a good idea, LG didn't enable high gain for low impedance loads for good reason.

 

[RicardoB]

personally i think v10 is a much better device than x900...and i don't think trick it into high gain mode is a good idea, LG didn't enable high gain for low impedance loads for good reason.

True it does have a better camera and the 808 dosent run as hot as the 810 but I use over the ear open back headphones which require a little more juice than closed or iem and the first time I heard the v10 (before the DAC fix) it wasn't loud enough so what's our opinion on output vs x900

 

[eio]

v10 has cleaner sound, and lower noise floor.
x900 has less interference while LCD/USB is working, and it is louder.