[rensc]

I'll be getting the Fiio X1 DAP in the next couple days (still waiting on the mail man), so would be interesting to compare to. So far, my fav DAP still goes out to my HM-901 but the iPhone 6 isn't too far behind. Its still a lot better sounding than my Nexus 5 IMO. 

I've only tested the iPhone 6 with my IEMs, which are all super easy to drive. Can't really comment on harder-to-drive headphones though, sorry. 

Sorry, I actually meant to quote this when I asked the original question, but didn't do it correctly.

Background: I previously had the x3 but found that the it didn't synergise well with my H6. Rock or Metal sounded far too laid back. Worked well with softer, more ambient music. The iPhone 6 is actually a better match overal. But l did love the sound of the x3 when it worked. Guess this is the old Cirrus vs Wolfson.

From the reviews it sounded like X1, with its different sound character, might be a good idea to try. But as it sounds like it has similar signature to the iPhone (might be completely wrong in saying that) it would only make sense if there was a decent jump in sq.

 

[elfary]

For what it's worth i have plugged my Westone UM3x and Westone W30 to many boutique bricks and dedicated amps and most of the time iPhone 5s was as good (or even better in more than a few instances). This perception of mine coupled with the fact that iPhone UI and battery mops the floor with those chinese bricks seal the deal for me: iPhone all the way.
 
THD+ Noise just does not get better than on an iPhone 5s, output impedance is low enough not to be a factor (2.1), channel separation is just stunning (-56 dBFS with an 8 ohm load) and it does not clip with low low loads. Hence unless you have volume issues i don't see the point in killing the convenience of the iPhone as a source.
 
There's certain beauty in the simplicity of plugging your in ear monitors into an iPhone and just getting lost in the dream.
 
The (not yellow) brick road is not for me. Sorry.
 
Just my 0.02

 

[Lieon]

I've been doing some A/B'ing between the iPhone 6 Plus and the X1. You could say that the X1 has a similar signature to the 6p, but to my ears, the X1 takes everything up a notch. Both the 6p and X1 I would describe as being slightly bass centric, but the 6p's bass is less well controlled, it can get muddy at times. There is a greater overall separation on the X1, which I think results in better clarity overall compared to the 6p. Vocals are more up-front on the 6p, but they do not sound as natural as on the X1. Ignoring the existence of the X1, I would still say that the 6p is a very good sounding DAP. I personally would still plunk down a happy $100 for the X1 as I feel that it is a worthy upgrade. 

 

[basseymidrange]

Sorry to digress, having previously (heretically) voiced my support for the iPhone 5 over the 5S and 6 ( and I firmly believe the 5s does not sound the same as the 6) , I would like to add the following.

Full disclosure : I have had the 5 for 2 yrs. I have had the 5S and 6 for about a week.

Several months ago I purchased a DAC to use headphones for my Apple TV for music. I bought a Chinese brand called Topping. I tried the d2 and d3 . Granted I could have chosen better quality DAC , but my conclusion was that the iPhone 5 with no ext DAC sounded better than the pairing of a DAC with apple TV. To me it is that good.

Furthermore I didn't need to do an A vs B comparison of the 5S and 6 to my 5 to know that I did not enjoy the audio anywhere near as much as I do with the 5. I did however do the A vs B comparison to try to understand why it is that they don't sound as good to me.

To add even more to the heresy and at the risk of undermining any credence anyone may have about my observations , my same observations hold true for listening to the 5 vs 5s/6 even over A2DP Bluetooth audio streaming.

I would concede that preferences of one over the other are a very personal ,subjective issue.

I have decided to keep the iPhone 6 as I am already hooked on the Touch ID as well as larger screen... I am going to continue carrying my iPhone 5 with me as well to use as an iPod.

 

[Lieon]

Sorry to digress, having previously (heretically) voiced my support for the iPhone 5 over the 5S and 6 ( and I firmly believe the 5s does not sound the same as the 6) , I would like to add the following.

Full disclosure : I have had the 5 for 2 yrs. I have had the 5S and 6 for about a week.

Several months ago I purchased a DAC to use headphones for my Apple TV for music. I bought a Chinese brand called Topping. I tried the d2 and d3 . Granted I could have chosen better quality DAC , but my conclusion was that the iPhone 5 with no ext DAC sounded better than the pairing of a DAC with apple TV. To me it is that good.

Furthermore I didn't need to do an A vs B comparison of the 5S and 6 to my 5 to know that I did not enjoy the audio anywhere near as much as I do with the 5. I did however do the A vs B comparison to try to understand why it is that they don't sound as good to me.

To add even more to the heresy and at the risk of undermining any credence anyone may have about my observations , my same observations hold true for listening to the 5 vs 5s/6 even over A2DP Bluetooth audio streaming.

I would concede that preferences of one over the other are a very personal ,subjective issue.

I have decided to keep the iPhone 6 as I am already hooked on the Touch ID as well as larger screen... I am going to continue carrying my iPhone 5 with me as well to use as an iPod.

Absolutely. Everyone is entitled to their opinions on what sounds good and what doesn't. Audio perception is almost entirely a subjective matter. Some may argue the hard numbers (e.g. frequency response, impedance, bit depth, sample rate) are what differentiates a good and bad sound, but personally, I say experiment with what you have, mix and match it up and see which setup suits you best. To me, a great setup is a setup that can connect me emotionally to my music and get my feet tapping.

 

[krismusic]

I definitely preferred the 4S to the 5S. Small difference. I have got used to the 5S. Not really looking forward to the 6S particularly but I'm sure I will accept that too. I'm over carrying separate devices for small improvements. YMMV.

 

[tmac7balla]

   
 
I'm liking  the ifi micro with the iphone 6   it works perfectly with the lightening to camera usb cable...  

 
Thanks! I was leaning towards that brand. I picked up the IFI IDSD Micro and a pair of LCD-2 (fazor) last night. Still a while until my Iphone ships sadly. The IDSD screams like a champ on my pc, can't wait to see how the iphone handles it. Which App does everyone use to play their hi-res music. I used amplifac on my iphone 5 which worked pretty well.

 

[basseymidrange]

What I perceive is closer to "all or nothing" in terms of my musical fulfilment than to small improvements although I would welcome not having to carry 2 devices . I doubt the difference is down to software as all my devices are running iOS8 but I will keep an ear in on my iP6.

 

[Dixter]

  Thanks! I was leaning towards that brand. I picked up the IFI IDSD Micro and a pair of LCD-2 (fazor) last night. Still a while until my Iphone ships sadly. The IDSD screams like a champ on my pc, can't wait to see how the iphone handles it. Which App does everyone use to play their hi-res music. I used amplifac on my iphone 5 which worked pretty well.

The ifi folks recommend the Onkyo HF Player...   it will play back your itunes music and FLAC/DSD files...   after you load the app there is a small manual that tells you how to get the files onto your phone so the app can see the FLAC/DSD files...    works pretty good after you figure it out..
 
For PC the ifi folks recommend the JRiver Media Center 20...   and utilizing the ASIO drivers written for Foobar...     they also recommend for redbook files you might like to have the Media Center
do a real time conversion to DSD to feed the micro DSD DAC....   try it both ways, with and without... I think you'll like the DSD conversion of redbook. files...  and of course the micro does not need any prior conversion of native DSD files as it handles them bit perfect....  

 

[Baroninkjet]

FWIW...
 
WhatTheHiFi thinks 6+ sounds less good than 6.
 
http://www.whathifi.com/apple/iphone-6-plus/review

 

[krismusic]

What HiFi is full of bollo. IMHO.

 

[dnun8086]

A bit late to the party but just got my new iPhone 6 today so far so good . Just getting used to the new iOS I think it still needs work but overall it's better Id say. As for the sound quality definitely a step in the right direction but the bass seems a little overcooked but some nice staging and detail. Quite excited about the new phillips headpones which will be utilising the lighting connector.

 

[MachBot]

There's still no output impedence figures available? 

 

[moedawg140]

There's still no output impedence figures available? 

Regardless of impedance figures, I'll give you this for a reference:

The iPhone 5 requires 3-4 more higher volume clicks to achieve the same volume as the iPhone 6, which means the iPhone 6 (U.S. version at least) is able to achieve higher volume limits as well. The iPhone 6 works very well with IEMs, as my SE846 + SCS sound glorious with it. I tested the hard-to-drive HE-6 on the iPhone 6 as well, and I was able to hear acceptable (not super loud, but still listenable) levels. Amazing, to say the least.

 

[ZekeAdebayo]

I apologize if I posted this in the wrong thread. I'm considering getting either the iphone 6, or 6 plus. I've been a long user of android, a lot of great experiences, some not so much,however I was wondering if someone could give me a detailed comparison of their impressions of the sound quality of the HTC m8, vs the iphone 6 in terms of highs, mids, lows, soundstage etc. Also for those of you who like tuning your music to your liking, there's an app called "Neutron Music Player" that's found its way to iOS. It uses a parametric eq, along with lots of other options, it doesn't have the nicest looking UI out there, because the developer's main focus is on the sound, then again we all wouldn't be here if we didn't care for good sound, right? I encourage the iphones user to give this app a try, and let me know what you think. Does it enhance your musical experience on the iphone 6, or not?