iPhone 5 with IOS 7 sounds different

[rlmac]

Thanks.  It looks intriguing....

 

[Tommy C]

So I did some more listening... my CAL! doesn't really sound great after I updated to IOS 7 and then the .2 update.  The bass is ok still but the highs are lacking and I miss some sparkle. Having said that though, my Denon AH-D510R just keeping my glued to my music. 
Before the upgrade they sounded good and very balanced. I am not really a fan of balanced sound but post upgrade, man oh' man, what a huge difference. Still balanced sound with no harsh highs and the D510R are equipped with iPhone remote and mic which make them a great beater on the go and at work. I have a feeling that balanced IEMs and headphones will benefit greatly from the new update, but my CC51P didn't like it so much. Altogether, and keep in mind YMMV but bassy IEMs are not gonna sound that great, same goes for headphones, but if you like balanced sound with bass bump, you are on the right track with the iPhone 5 and IOS 7. The sound is very balanced, natural and organic with a bit of a tight and controlled bass bump. I was very meh on the sound of the iPhone before, but now I am really pleased.

 

[Baroninkjet]

AudioFile1,
 
Thanks for your comments. I'm confused though. Are you talking about wired connection vs. airplay or Yamaha app >> Yamaha DAC? Wouldn't the Yamaha approach bypass any Apple changes?

 

[AudioFile1]

Hello there,

I don't use the Yamaha App (very fussy and non-intuitive) plus it does not offer the advantage of the fully built in the native 'Music' (remaned from 'iPod' in iOS 7). Used to be very buggy too - now it's OK after several app and receiver firmware upgrades.

Thus, no Yamaha DAC's for me. The idea for me is to 'plug and play' and only the native app does that via air play. However, the RX-A3010 (my receiver turned pre) does not offer airplay, they did that a few months after I bought mine in the 3020 model.

Alternatively, I had bought an Apple TV which uses airplay connects and connects to the 3010 via HDMI. However, I'm pretty sure that uses Apple TV and iPhones DAC's (iphone really). Apple TV is just the 'connection'. Thus, it's easy to tell the drastic sound difference between iOS 6 and iOS 7.

I'm still torn. 80-90% of my music sounds 'punchier' in iOS 6 and a bit 'flabby' on iOS 7.0.2.

Now, yesterday I upgraded to 7.0.3. I want to say I noticed yet a even less of a difference between iOS 6.1.3 and this latest version, but it was 3 minutes worth of listening while I rushed to get ready for work in the morning, so I'm not sure if they've refined the acoustics further in this last release.

In 7.0.1 and 7.0.2 I noticed the highs were not as harsh on some tracks I had really raised the gain. And that some pockets of the punchy part of the bass had disappeared while some higher bass frequencies seemed to have been 'filled up' (that used to be an issue before - 80's music sounded very high and fatiguing as this music tended to lack a certain bass range). So while 80's (and earlier) music sounds better in 7.0.2, the more recent dance and hip hop was lack luster; missing treble, mids, and the 'punch' found in most modern tracks.

For now, I keep 2 iPhones, one for my home stereo with 6.1.3 and my regular iphone 5 now with untested 7.0.3.

I'll try to perform a listening session tonight to confirm if 7.0.3 has really narrowed the sound gap between these 2 iOS versions.

 

[AudioFile1]

OK, so verdict is 'in' (for me anyway). There's still a noticeable difference in the acoustics between iOS 6 and 7.0.3.

I don't know if I'm getting used to it, but it does seem like the difference/sound gap is narrowing. If I had to put a number comparing sound intensity between my iPhone 3GS (6.1.3) and iPhone 5 (7.0.3), I'd say iOS 7.0.3 is 80-85% as 'punchy/sharp' as my already lackluster 3GS. So, for someone like myself that 15-20% greater sharpness/kick is too much to loose. Many of my 'great' sounding vocals, instrumentals and hard hitting hip-hop bass is too weak and flabby.

Yes, there's a small percentage (5-10%) of my tracks that used to be too harsh and sound better in iOS 7, but I rather have crappy sound on 5-10% of my tracks than flabby/lack luster sound on 90-95% of the tracks. So, at home it's iOS 6 for me until Apple 'figures out how to equalize' for Hi-Fi systems - I'm not a headphone guy.

 

[shotgunshane]

^ the above doesn't make sense to me. In your home hifi, why wouldn't you just use the iPhone as a transport and use your system dac and amp? The iOS version sound wouldn't matter. A dock like the Pure i-20 will give you digital out for under $100 or the cck gives it to you on iOS7 for under $30 (assuming a USB hub isn't needed)

I've never heard a difference in iOS updates on the iPhone until iOS 7, which just sounds great with the JH13, ER-4S and K3003. So much so, I sold off my Tera player to use the funds for other things. I haven't heard a difference in subsequent 7 updates.

 

[AudioFile1]

Shane, we all have personal preferences - if I wanted to be tied to a docking station I'd by the one sold by Yamaha to begin with, which not only would be fully integrated, but would also allow me to control the device via standard remote control and my custom remote control, but who wants to plug into anything this day and age of mobility?

Of course, I never planned on having 2 separate devices to control my playlists which require syncing, etc.

My idea was to be fully Mobil and wireless with my music and phone as a seamless portable device (given that it also connects to my cars Hi-fi system).

The idea was freedom until this new iOS 7 update messed everything up.

 

[AudioFile1]

Ohhhh!! And I have other Hi-Fi systems in the home and in my family members' house.

Docking stations and plugins are just not efficient as they all vary and need adapters (lightning vs 24 pin, etc).

That's why airplay and Bluetooth protocols were created - so that we can troll our 'everything' device with us and connect seamlessly no matter what device, room or house we are in. And for someone like Apple, quality should be top notch given their devices cost hundreds of dollars without a contract. They make a living out of selling music & music players - this is a basic foundation they should have mastered by now.

 

[spook76]

^ the above doesn't make sense to me. In your home hifi, why wouldn't you just use the iPhone as a transport and use your system dac and amp? The iOS version sound wouldn't matter. A dock like the Pure i-20 will give you digital out for under $100 or the cck gives it to you on iOS7 for under $30 (assuming a USB hub isn't needed)

I've never heard a difference in iOS updates on the iPhone until iOS 7, which just sounds great with the JH13, ER-4S and K3003. So much so, I sold off my Tera player to use the funds for other things. I haven't heard a difference in subsequent 7 updates.

Shane,

I agree I think the sound from iOS 7 is a material improvement over iOS 6. With my SE846 it gives me a wider soundstage and more PRaT. I was seriously looking into a DAP like the HE901 or the AK 120 but I am very satisfied with my iphone 5 and iOS 7.0.3.

 

[krismusic]

Ohhhh!! And I have other Hi-Fi systems in the home and in my family members' house.

Docking stations and plugins are just not efficient as they all vary and need adapters (lightning vs 24 pin, etc).

That's why airplay and Bluetooth protocols were created - so that we can troll our 'everything' device with us and connect seamlessly no matter what device, room or house we are in. And for someone like Apple, quality should be top notch given their devices cost hundreds of dollars without a contract. They make a living out of selling music & music players - this is a basic foundation they should have mastered by now.

Although as you say Apple have a high presence in audio unfortunately they have never given any indication of being interested in Hi Fi. Much less high end. They are in the mass market which mainly neither knows not values such things. Any improvement in the sound of Apple devices seems to be purely accidental. A by product of other changes. An Apple device designed to compete with DAPs like the AK120 would be very interesting. Not going to happen though!

 

[spook76]

Although as you say Apple have a high presence in audio unfortunately they have never given any indication of being interested in Hi Fi. Much less high end. They are in the mass market which mainly neither knows not values such things. Any improvement in the sound of Apple devices seems to be purely accidental. A by product of other changes. An Apple device designed to compete with DAPs like the AK120 would be very interesting. Not going to happen though!

I agree but the reason is simple economics. The audiophile would is so tiny as to not matter to large corporations and nor should it. Most people simply do not want or care about hifi sound. Do you think that Bose or Beats which sell more than 100x HiFiMan could not make a reference headphone that appeals to audiophiles? Of course they could but obviously their market research tells them that the audiophile world is too small and fragmented to bother.

 

[krismusic]

I agree but the reason is simple economics. The audiophile would is so tiny as to not matter to large corporations and nor should it. Most people simply do not want or care about hifi sound. Do you think that Bose or Beats which sell more than 100x HiFiMan could not make a reference headphone that appeals to audiophiles? Of course they could but obviously their market research tells them that the audiophile world is too small and fragmented to bother.

That's pretty much what I meant to say.

 

[Chefano]

Well.. Just upgraded from 6.1.3 to 7.0.3 and to my ears I prefer the 6.1.3 sound.
To my ears.. there is a treble bump that really annoys me (hurts my ears).

 

[krismusic]

I wonder how much of these differences are down to synergy with different headphones...

 

[spook76]

I wonder how much of these differences are down to synergy with different headphones...

I would agree. Every measurement by Golden Ears and Ken Rockwell show a ruler flat frequency response. Possibly changes in the iOS effect the output impedance in iPods, iPhones and iPads but I am not an engineer so I will defer to more knowledgeable people.