B&W agree with you, they got back to me and said it’s source dependent, could be because I’m just using iOS. I’ll try something else, thanks for the reccomendation
The buds are powered solely by their internal amps. The only possible answer is source software is limiting volume. I have an android and an iPhone. I’ll test.
Same thing I was trying to say. I apologize if I said it in the wrong way. I believe that if that was the answer B&W gave you, they were either giving you the short answer or the rep is not in the know. For anything BT as far as volume limit is concerned, that is decided by the amp inside the device itself, not the DAP/phone; except where the manufacturer has capped the volume limit in the software of the OS. Apple has always done this for "hearing safety" and the only way around it is to jailbreak the OS.
Android, on the other hand is usually not like this. Being an open OS it is normally left up to you to monitor the level at which you listen to your stuff (you will have the full range of volume). The exception to this has been Samsung products. They tend to do things like Apple does, and because of this they have initiated level caps on their products also. There is a way to temporarily get around this on Samsung devices. When you turn the volume up past a certain point, a pop-up will ask you if you are sure you want to do this. Once answered it will stay this way for a set period of time. It will reset after a reboot, or after a period of time, in which you will have to answer this pop-up again.
Volume on BT devices are not limited by the DAP/phone because while a BT device is hooked up to it (wirelessly) it is only acting as a transport to the heaphone/earphone. Meaning that as long as there is not some (in between) code limiting volume via software, you should get the full range 0-100% with any device you hook up to. The BT device now becomes both the DAC and the AMP for the sound you are hearing. You should get the same volume from a TV as you would a tiny DAP or phone. As a matter of fact, unless there is some DSP going on in the OS (or player), all players should sound the same through your BT IEMs
Long story longer is that unless Apple has gimped the cap by a ton, you will not get a ton of boosted volume on any device. Here is where I am not 100% sure because I have not listened to an iPhone since the 8, and before that the iPod Touch, which were equally gimped on the cap.
You just cannot win for losing with those?! Sorry to hear that. I hope they make it right for you, and wish you had some like mine (have had no issues to speak of really), so you could be enjoying them rather that being annoyed with them. Did you get them directly from Cambridge? I have seen (here and elsewhere) that at least they try and make it right.
It's crazy with those, because they could have had a massive winner with these if they didn't have so many issues. I wonder if the quality control manager still has a job when this is all over with, because it seems they did not run them through the paces at all on these, even though they are physically well built (it seems).
Can't really go wrong at $20.
