[artpiggo]

i think i have the twrp already because the navigation on twp now in english.. can you recommend what stable FW with no issues i should use or flash?
thanks a lot mate.. cheers

Sorry mate, I dont try firmware rolling that much so cannot give an idea. Just try with the fw where many people download it.

Please do share your impressions, especially compared to vivo Xplay 6. I'm wondering if it's worth the upgrade or not.
Thanks!

Q: Is granbeat good sound?
A: for acoustic and ochestra, I confirm it is decent. It generated a balanced sound. (a bit colder than dx200)

Q: What is its bottom line highlight?
A: Good Impact, Instrumental Separation, Depth soundstage, highest power output than any smartphone.

Q: What is its lowlight?
A: Vocal still sibilance and too thin for my taste. I can't enjoy natural vocal compared to xplay6. And its dynamic and liveliness should have been better. For me as a J pop listener still dont think I enjoy it much.

Note: I use 1964u12, apex m15, brimar supreme reference x4 cable, ortofon tip

I use Aimer' s After Dark album, Ghibli Ochestra Album, LiSA's Brave Freak Out, Pure album 's Sadame song (DSD), You're welcome (From moana OST)

Note2: I dont know people here believe in DAP capacitor burn-in or not, but I will go test again after next few months to ensure I dont mess things up. Also, I need to test out new firmware. What I test is like brand new device without any FW update or usage. (What a nice store by the way.)

Q: Last question is it a good upgrade from xplay6
A: Based on what I listen to yesterday. Nah, I think I will stick with xplay6 for now.

 

[Viber]

The Zenfone Zoom 3 is available for purchase. It looks dreamy from the outside, low priced/huge battery/good camera specs/AMOLED, I wonder how good the audio is.
https://www.asus.com/us/Phone/ZenFone-3-Zoom-ZE553KL/
The specs page lists a NX Smart Amp and DTS Headphone capability. I'm in the process of returning my S8 because the battery life is woeful and my internal storage is UFS 2.0 rather than the advertised 2.1.

I don't know if it's the same phone, but the ZenFone 3 Deluxe has one of the weakest powered headphones jacks ever recorded on phonearena.

 

[headjelly]

Anyone has experience with the sound of the "XIAomi Redmi 4 Prime" ??
How is the quality\loudness of it thru the headphone jack?

I have tested it today. It's really loud and bassy, but it lacks treble, and soundstage is narrow and congested. I did not like it.

 

[Viber]

I have tested it today. It's really loud and bassy, but it lacks treble, and soundstage is narrow and congested. I did not like it.

Thanks for your input!
I wonder if that's because some "audio enhancements" or "effects" were turned on the settings.

I remember that my current phone came with "Audio Effects" enabled in the settings by default and that setting ruined the sound completely.

 

[headjelly]

Thanks for your input!
I wonder if that's because some "audio enhancements" or "effects" were turned on the settings.

I remember that my current phone came with "Audio Effects" enabled in the settings by default and that setting ruined the sound completely.

Maybe, let me re-check.

 

[headjelly]

Thanks for your input!
I wonder if that's because some "audio enhancements" or "effects" were turned on the settings.

I remember that my current phone came with "Audio Effects" enabled in the settings by default and that setting ruined the sound completely.

Nope, the enhancement was off. I turned the enhancement on and listened to the same track, which improved the soundstage, but made the sound plasticky and really unnatural. I have not played with the EQ. I also tried a more neutral type of earbuds and they sounded much better, but still not nearly as good as my LG V10 or Cayin N3.

 

[Viber]

Nope, the enhancement was off. I turned the enhancement on and listened to the same track, which improved the soundstage, but made the sound plasticky and really unnatural. I have not played with the EQ. I also tried a more neutral type of earbuds and they sounded much better, but still not nearly as good as my LG V10 or Cayin N3.

Thanks, i'll just keep using my old Moto G then...

 

[alexandis]

Guys, what is the key difference between ES 9028 (9038) and ES 9218? They both are pretty new, but which sounds better in general?

 

[artpiggo]

Guys, what is the key difference between ES 9028 (9038) and ES 9218? They both are pretty new, but which sounds better in general?

Key difference is 9218 is all in one dac amp chipset combo while 9028/9038 is dac chip only.

I dont know the sound difference just by seeing the number.

 

[alexandis]

Key difference is 9218 is all in one dac amp chipset combo while 9028/9038 is dac chip only.

I dont know the sound difference just by seeing the number.

Ah, ok, i suspected - just was not sure, because thought i heard something about OPA amplifier in LG G6. So it does not use them, right?
But, if one chip combines DAC and amplifier (they try to keep it compact?) - doesn't it mean that most likely it won't sound as good as a separate solution?

 

[artpiggo]

Ah, ok, i suspected - just was not sure, because thought i heard something about OPA amplifier in LG G6. So it does not use them, right?
But, if one chip combines DAC and amplifier (they try to keep it compact?) - doesn't it mean that most likely it won't sound as good as a separate solution?

You need to understand one thing. There is nothing better or worse than another. It is all about implementation. Dac/amp cannot generate sound if we do not put it in circuit and have fine tuning software for it. There are many factors affecting sound more than just reading number/spec. It is another story from reading cpu spec.

So separate or all-in-one doesnt tell us anything. ^_^

 

[alexandis]

You need to understand one thing. There is nothing better or worse than another. It is all about implementation. Dac/amp cannot generate sound if we do not put it in circuit and have fine tuning software for it. There are many factors affecting sound more than just reading number/spec. It is another story from reading cpu spec.

So separate or all-in-one doesnt tell us anything. ^_^

I for sure understand this. But smartphone sound is not something manufacturers care so much about, in my opinion. Smartphone is a multi-functional device and playing music is just one of many (not the most important ) functions they do.

So what i think is they do not waste a lot of time sweating over making sound very cool. It's a well-developed a-la best practices process... Building something from ready blocks (DAC, amp) Not coping with cool implementation, as it happens in serious audio players. There is just no room for that in literal sense! Another thing: compare amount of produced smartphones and audio players. You think smartphone companies have enough time to play with sound tuning?

So if those blocks are the same - sound is more or less the same... But progress intrudes here, too - new audiochips in smartphones are more advanced than before, so they may produce a better sound than before (usually audio testing labs confirm that). And i do not argue here.

 

[artpiggo]

You might be right. I have no knowledge on this after all.

 

[vegetaleb]

So 2017 is a bad year for smartphones audio?
-Only Korean G6 has a good DAC and AMP
-HTC 11 will get rid of 3.5mm and no ideas if the given adapter will give on par audio quality with the 10
-S8/S8+ need V4A like always with samsung S phones to have a decent audio
-Sony XZ (premium) as usual Sony will limit volume output

 

[stenog]

So 2017 is a bad year for smartphones audio?
-Only Korean G6 has a good DAC and AMP
-HTC 11 will get rid of 3.5mm and no ideas if the given adapter will give on par audio quality with the 10
-S8/S8+ need V4A like always with samsung S phones to have a decent audio
-Sony XZ (premium) as usual Sony will limit volume output

You forgot Onkyo Granbeat But ok, not the best smartphone but excellent dap.