audiophilefan
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This is a re-post from the Portable Source Gear forum (since I may not gain much traction in there):
BACKGROUND
To keep the long story short, I sold my Fiio X1. I needed the budget at that time and honestly, I missed the convenience of a smartphone as a music player. It's so easy to organize files, create and modify playlists, download multiple album art, and search for songs with touchscreen and search features. I ended up selling my E11K (A3) too for the heck of it.
Though decent smartphones can sound really really good, I immediately noticed that something went away with the music. Transients and attack were noticeably softer. Soundstage is about the same as well as imaging. Detail resolution is still decent but not quite to the level of the X1 + E11K combo. And lastly, the grunt and punch that hardware bass boost brings cannot be matched by smartphone EQs even if you crank up the bass frequencies. Eventually, I ended up upgrading my amp to the E12. I'm yet to review the unit but upon plugging it to my smartphone, I can immediately say that it's worth double the price of the E11K. I just really need to somehow regain some sonic characteristics the X1 has before. Now to my actual reason for posting here.
MY ACTUAL QUESTION
Does any of you audio masters have any experience with the following smartphones?
I'm asking since demo units for these two are mostly not available and stocks are mostly exclusive to some sellers, especially the Flash Plus 2. So the impressions you'll be providing are very important.
We also have the Meizu MX4 and MX4 Pro and the Vivo V3 and V3 Max available here but those are somewhat out of my budget plus it's not guaranteed that those will sound much better than the ones I listed above given the bigger cost.
The Lenovo X3 is also very expensive and I don't think I'd shoot for that price point though it's tempting. Again, if the sound improvement is marginal at best, it may not be worth it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I might end up just buying a dedicated DAP again (X1 or the new X1ii with bluetooth if it comes out, or the X3ii with more features) if what you'll say about these phones convinces me to. But please, please help me decide by providing as much info as possible. Thanks in advance!
BACKGROUND
To keep the long story short, I sold my Fiio X1. I needed the budget at that time and honestly, I missed the convenience of a smartphone as a music player. It's so easy to organize files, create and modify playlists, download multiple album art, and search for songs with touchscreen and search features. I ended up selling my E11K (A3) too for the heck of it.
Though decent smartphones can sound really really good, I immediately noticed that something went away with the music. Transients and attack were noticeably softer. Soundstage is about the same as well as imaging. Detail resolution is still decent but not quite to the level of the X1 + E11K combo. And lastly, the grunt and punch that hardware bass boost brings cannot be matched by smartphone EQs even if you crank up the bass frequencies. Eventually, I ended up upgrading my amp to the E12. I'm yet to review the unit but upon plugging it to my smartphone, I can immediately say that it's worth double the price of the E11K. I just really need to somehow regain some sonic characteristics the X1 has before. Now to my actual reason for posting here.
MY ACTUAL QUESTION
Does any of you audio masters have any experience with the following smartphones?
- Alcatel Flash Plus 2 (http://www.flash3c.com/flash-plus-2/hi-fi/) - I'm more interested in it's audio capabilities (Asahi Kasei AKM4375 DAC + NXP9890 AMP), plus it retails at about the same price as the Fiio X1 here in the Philippines with full smartphone capabilities. For anyone who has them, will it at least sound good enough that I won't miss my X1 on it's own? If I pair it with my E12, will it sound considerably close or even better than my previous X1 + E11K combo?
- Lenovo K4 Note (https://lenovomobile.com.ph/lenovo-vibe-k4-note/) - This uses the same audio architecture as the Marshall London (Wolfson WM8281 Audio Hub). Same question as above (vs my X1 + E11K). This is about twice the price of the Flash Plus 2 but will it sound significantly better with the Wolfson chip? I prefer a neutral SQ vs a warm one (like what I've heard for most Wolfson embedded DAPs). Is the 8281 more neutral than older Wolfson chipsets?
- Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 (i9152) - I currently own this one and it sounds pretty good, especially when paired with my E12. I can't find any further info about its audio architecture. All I know is it's using the same Broadcomm chipset used by the Samsung S2. Not really one my options to purchase but if you have the same experience as I am finding the SQ to be really good, please share here. I just need to know if I'll just keep this one instead of buying a new one.
I'm asking since demo units for these two are mostly not available and stocks are mostly exclusive to some sellers, especially the Flash Plus 2. So the impressions you'll be providing are very important.
We also have the Meizu MX4 and MX4 Pro and the Vivo V3 and V3 Max available here but those are somewhat out of my budget plus it's not guaranteed that those will sound much better than the ones I listed above given the bigger cost.
The Lenovo X3 is also very expensive and I don't think I'd shoot for that price point though it's tempting. Again, if the sound improvement is marginal at best, it may not be worth it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I might end up just buying a dedicated DAP again (X1 or the new X1ii with bluetooth if it comes out, or the X3ii with more features) if what you'll say about these phones convinces me to. But please, please help me decide by providing as much info as possible. Thanks in advance!
