[mark2410]

as the title, there are many phone comparisons round the internet but none which really compare audio outputs.  certainly not in the way one would to expect to see happen round headfi.  ive kinda had a look but i cant see any titled as such and rather than read page after page of some threads i thought lets just ask the good people of headfi if what im looking for is to be found.
 
it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mark2410]

bump, no one?

 

[elfary]

I have owned iPhone 5, 5s and iPhone 6.
 
IMHO iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 are better than iPhone 5s. A bit tighter, cleaner and more open.
Not that i think 5 is not very good (which it is) but 5s and 6 are pinch better sounding.
 
Furthermore an american iPhone 5s or iPhone 6 will get 4g in Europe where iPhone 5 can't. So it's fully possible to get a 5s or 6 not capped by the nasty EU and it would work just fine as a phone round here.
 
Note: Listened to all three with Westone Um3x.

 

[mark2410]

ahh thanks for the input.
 
though the 5 does get 4g on 1800mhz which means in the UK it would pick up Three and EE's 4g signals. granted nothing at all for O2 or vodaphone but i dont really plan on using the phone as my main phone.  or as a "phone" at all really.
 
interesting you used a um3x.  ive always thought it something thats really quite source fussy, sounding very different out of different sources for seeming no reason, by no reason i think its related to its crossovers and impedances of outputs but hey ho.
 
curious that the 5 and 5s arent the same sounding though, i would have thought much of their internals would have been the same.   maybe i need to persuade and cajole people to lett me steel their phones for a few days and compare them all.

 

[elfary]

About to reach the 4 year mark of UM3x daily use i deem them as very easy to drive (output power & output impedance wise) hence i don't think that they change much from source to source (it's not an XBA4 or TF10).
 
Back to iPhones in fairness to the 5 it was the only one that i tried capped by the European Union and it was the first time that my iPhone was not as loud as an iPod or as loud as previous iPhones so my perception surely was affected by the diminished power. Still i think that it as very decent source but iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 sound better to these ears.
 
My iPhone journey would lend for this chart:
 
iPhone 6 = iPhone 5s > iPhone 4s > iPhone 5 > iPhone 3Gs
 
In any case the major difference is if the iPhone delivers 1 volt or its capped by the EU. Sound quality wise differences are there but are not a life changing experience.
 
Hence my advice would be to chase down the non European iPhone that you can afford or you prefer based on other features.

 

[mark2410]

tbh i really was just thinking that with more IEM makers coming out with phone compatable stuff that it would be handy to have an iphone for reviewing stuff.
 
having used ios before on an ipad i know that ios is not something i could live with for my day to day phone, it would be getting launched out a window in no time.
 
so, my questioning about how they compare was just that having had no interest in iphones, beyond the occasional borrow of one for specific purpososes i dont know how they perform as daps.  given that id wager they are all relativly close to each other it would be good to not just have a baseline but know how they each relate to each other.  i would have expected there to be a little in the way of reviews that comment properly on their audio performance but i couldnt seem to see any.
 
curious about the volume cap though.  its not somuthing id thought about but i know a friend had his replaced in oz when his went for a swim and he never mentionod any volume changes.  maybe if you restore your account it realises you belong in the uk and applies the cap?

 

[elfary]

  tbh i really was just thinking that with more IEM makers coming out with phone compatable stuff that it would be handy to have an iphone for reviewing stuff.
 
having used ios before on an ipad i know that ios is not something i could live with for my day to day phone, it would be getting launched out a window in no time.
 
so, my questioning about how they compare was just that having had no interest in iphones, beyond the occasional borrow of one for specific purpososes i dont know how they perform as daps.  given that id wager they are all relativly close to each other it would be good to not just have a baseline but know how they each relate to each other.  i would have expected there to be a little in the way of reviews that comment properly on their audio performance but i couldnt seem to see any.
 
curious about the volume cap though.  its not somuthing id thought about but i know a friend had his replaced in oz when his went for a swim and he never mentionod any volume changes.  maybe if you restore your account it realises you belong in the uk and applies the cap?

 
I can attest that cap is based on serial number. If your iPhone has an european s/n then you get the capped iOS version.
 
I have had two replacements of USA models in Spain and none of them were capped because i was given another US model (A1533 for the iPhone 5s and A1549 for the iPhone 6) with US serial number. And never ever the cursed EU volume limits have shown on menus and output matched that of iPads (that are not capped cause they sell with no bundled earphones)
 
Basically when an European iPhone volume bar is maxed out the non european iPhone has two squares available (which amounts almost to half a volt).

 

[mark2410]

hmmm.
 
you realise you now make me want to get a US and an EU versions now and compare them to each other now too.

 

[elfary]

  hmmm.
 
you realise you now make me want to get a US and an EU versions now and compare them to each other now too.

oopss that was not intended LOL
 
I'd think non european ones go about 5 decibels louder.

 

[mark2410]

lol, dont wory i wont be buying two.  though if apple or anyone wanted to send me some id happily do a comparative review of them.