[willyvlyminck]

Can anyone tell me how is the sound quality of iPhone 5c when compared to other phones? From the above posts I can see that 5s has the best sound quality among other phones but how about 5c? As that's the one in my budget. Also I can see that 5s's sound signature is bit on the brighter aggressive side

The 5c is the older 5 in a new Cloth, but have equal good Sound, I have the 5s and I am happy with the Sound.

 

[elfary]

The 5c has to be truly good since it has less output impedance than the 5.


Password must contain at least one capital letter, the meaning of life, 14 of your favorite baby names, the Hamlet plot summary and a hug.

 

[ubs28]

How much worse does the iPhone 5S sound in comparison to portable DAC + AMP such as Chord Hugo and DAP's like AK240?

 

[DeadeyeM]

Can any one give more detail on this EU vs USA sound difference, is there a tech sheet that shows EU has lower power on volume then USA? I'm still surprises that if disabling the EU limiter in software the USA version is still better.

 

[Fann]

I've got exactly the same experience.  I bought my daughter an iPhone 5C and I got a 5 for myself.  When I play music (violin) on youtube, 5C has a huge difference compared with 5!  5C can give much more harmonics of the violin body while 5 sounds very flat.  Also 5 got bigger lag between video and music.
 
I suspect not only the chips make the difference but also the size and material of 5C.  The plastics actually favor the harmonics of violin than metal.  Also 5C body size is a bit bigger and the edges are round instead of those of 5 which are angled.
 
I'm thinking about changing my 5 to 5C now.

 

[elfary]

Can any one give more detail on this EU vs USA sound difference, is there a tech sheet that shows EU has lower power on volume then USA? I'm still surprises that if disabling the EU limiter in software the USA version is still better.

If you take the time to read the CENCENELC white paper about portable audio you will find out that there are 2 limits (calculated with bundled earphones):

85 db which could be overriden (EU toggle in the music menu) and 100 db (than can not be overriden unless you jailbreak).

Had 5 months an European 5s and after 1 month with an USA one i can attest that European is capped. American delivers 1 volt unloaded and european about 0.6

It's easy to find out, ipads are not capped in Europe (cause they don't include bundled earphones and CENCENELEC paper can not be applied). Just compare your iPhone with an iPad: if they don't sound equally loud then your iPhone is capped. Since i have the A1533 model it sounds as loud as my iPad where my old european model was noticiably softer.

You can be 300% sure abour these findings. Spent months gathering data and comparing devices. It is as sad as true.


Password must contain at least one capital letter, the meaning of life, 14 of your favorite baby names, the Hamlet plot summary and a hug.

 

[visanj]

  I've got exactly the same experience.  I bought my daughter an iPhone 5C and I got a 5 for myself.  When I play music (violin) on youtube, 5C has a huge difference compared with 5!  5C can give much more harmonics of the violin body while 5 sounds very flat.  Also 5 got bigger lag between video and music.
 
I suspect not only the chips make the difference but also the size and material of 5C.  The plastics actually favor the harmonics of violin than metal.  Also 5C body size is a bit bigger and the edges are round instead of those of 5 which are angled.
 
I'm thinking about changing my 5 to 5C now.

 
Looks like 5c has sound quality similar  to 5s...thats a good news as 5c is more affordable alternative

 

[vwinter]

Looks like 5c has sound quality similar  to 5s...thats a good news as 5c is more affordable alternative

He referring to the 5 that came before the 5C and 5S. He wasn't comparing to the 5S. IMO, the 5C and 5S don't really sound too much alike.

 

[visanj]

How is the sound signature in 5s? Is the treble pronounced, aggressive or bright?

Also can anyone compare sound quality of 5s with touch 5g?

I am basically looking for a phone with good sound quality particularly with warm signature..if there is nothing then I am planning to go for touch 5g

I am also considering xperia z1 compact

 

[heatofamatch]

How is the sound signature in 5s? Is the treble pronounced, aggressive or bright?

Also can anyone compare sound quality of 5s with touch 5g?

I am basically looking for a phone with good sound quality particularly with warm signature..if there is nothing then I am planning to go for touch 5g

I am also considering xperia z1 compact

 
I can't speak for anyone else, but I find the audio from the 5, 5S and touch 5G highly similar, if not identical. They're some of the best audio you can get from a typical consumer-grade portable device (i.e. non-monstrosities, not including hifiman or whatever).
 
If you're just trying to get that level of quality for the lowest cost possible, the ipod touch is a great idea, especially now that Apple has lowered the price.
 
However Apple is absolutely the wrong brand for a warm signature. They're very cold-sounding. You'll want to actually sample them in a store before you commit. Normally Sony would be warmer but I'm also not so sure about the Z1 compact or Z2, I get the feeling that Sony's also gone a little colder and leaner. Again, a very quick audition will allow you to concur/deny my opinion, and make a decision quickly.

 

[willyvlyminck]

   
I can't speak for anyone else, but I find the audio from the 5, 5S and touch 5G highly similar, if not identical. They're some of the best audio you can get from a typical consumer-grade portable device (i.e. non-monstrosities, not including hifiman or whatever).
 
If you're just trying to get that level of quality for the lowest cost possible, the ipod touch is a great idea, especially now that Apple has lowered the price.
 
However Apple is absolutely the wrong brand for a warm signature. They're very cold-sounding. You'll want to actually sample them in a store before you commit. Normally Sony would be warmer but I'm also not so sure about the Z1 compact or Z2, I get the feeling that Sony's also gone a little colder and leaner. Again, a very quick audition will allow you to concur/deny my opinion, and make a decision quickly.

I know this is subjective, but I don´t agree that Apple is cold sounding, with the right recording, my iPhone 5s coupled with Grado GR10 sounds almost tube like.

 

[DeadeyeM]

Do you know a good seller on ebay that sells US version in UK? 

 

[visanj]

But I heard from many people that iPhone 4s is of warmer signature... Don't know about others

 

[vwinter]

But I heard from many people that iPhone 4s is of warmer signature... Don't know about others

Probably a bit warmer than the 5S, but it images differently so that might account for that perception of warmth.

 

[heatofamatch]

But I heard from many people that iPhone 4s is of warmer signature... Don't know about others

 
I concur with that impression, because compared to the 5 (and later apple products), the 4/4S has a little less clarity and speed. The sound quality certainly isn't bad at all, perfectly serviceable.
 
But is the 4S is a worthwhile purchase with adequate value for money in 2014? IMO if you want what apple brings to the table that badly, just go for the ipod touch. Based on what happened to the iphone4 last year, chances are the 4S will not be a usable phone with the iOS8 update applied later this year. I chose to throw my 4 in the trash early this year, because it crapped out with iOS7 and I had no means of taking it back to iOS 6.