[Uberclocked]

Quick question-
How would the iPhone 6 compare to the HTC One M8 Harmon Kardon Edition?  (or even better, the Lenovo K900 which uses the Wolfson WM5102-also featured in the GS4 international version)

 

[HuoYuanJia]

Ken Rockwell measured the 6 Plus.

 
Thanks a lot for the link!
Surprisingly the THD measurements are far off from what the other link said. To ease my mind, I will trust Ken Rockwell instead and look forward to my iPhone 6 Plus that will hopefully arrive this week.
 
>3 Ohm OI is still an issue with the Triple.Fi 10, but in most cases it should be good enough.

 

[elfary]

   
Thanks a lot for the link!
Surprisingly the THD measurements are far off from what the other link said. To ease my mind, I will trust Ken Rockwell instead and look forward to my iPhone 6 Plus that will hopefully arrive this week.
 
>3 Ohm OI is still an issue with the Triple.Fi 10, but in most cases it should be good enough.

 
On the couple of cursory listen to the 6 Plus i did not find to sound as good as Ken states. Actually i liked better the 6 (into which i have put far more listening time).
 
As for the output impedance goes i'm quite sure that 2.5 is more close to the real figure (by extrapolation of Ken's Touch and iPhone 5 measurements coupled with gsmarena bump at 50hz on their loaded graph -The akg they use have an impedance bump at 50hz-).
 
May be it's time to focus on the 6 Plus for the next weeks to give it more chances.

 

[Syvere]

Could someone compare iPhone 6 to last generation iPod Classic (7th. gen)?

 

[Zoom25]

  I'm sorry, but the review is just so very cliché.  Sounds exactly like how an Apple fanboy reacts to every iPhone, praising it on every aspect and not discussing any negatives.  I'm not bashing on the iPhone 6 or Ken, just saying.  I doubt that it sounds as good as the ~$2,000 DAC's he's listed, but then again, I haven't hear either and it would be a very nice surprise.
I also notice how he hasn't reviewed any Android phones.  Not saying it's a bad thing with him fully invested in the Apple ecosystem, but sorta makes me wonder if he's really used any flagship Android devices and compared them to the iPhone 6.

 
Exactly. I much prefer the headphone output on my Macbook Pro Retina 2012. It's my favourite headphone output by far out of all the Apple gear I have (which I listed a few posts back). The 6+ doesn't even beat the Macbook pro output, forget trying to match the DAC on higher end DACs. My Dangerous Source is leagues above 6+ in it's DAC and headphone amp capabilities. It's a great phone and I love it, but will look at it more as a transport or streaming remote for Spotify/Tidal etc. 
 
I've found the headphone output of 6+ to be a bit fatiguing with all my headphones so far. Also, the volume control is much better implemented on the Macbook Pro. For all these tests, I ran each device stock, so no Amarra or Audirvana Plus. With increasing volume, the Macbook pro is far more linear and lot less fatiguing.

 

[SparkOnShore]

   
Exactly. I much prefer the headphone output on my Macbook Pro Retina 2012. It's my favourite headphone output by far out of all the Apple gear I have (which I listed a few posts back). The 6+ doesn't even beat the Macbook pro output, forget trying to match the DAC on higher end DACs. My Dangerous Source is leagues above 6+ in it's DAC and headphone amp capabilities. It's a great phone and I love it, but will look at it more as a transport or streaming remote for Spotify/Tidal etc. 
 
I've found the headphone output of 6+ to be a bit fatiguing with all my headphones so far. Also, the volume control is much better implemented on the Macbook Pro. For all these tests, I ran each device stock, so no Amarra or Audirvana Plus. With increasing volume, the Macbook pro is far more linear and lot less fatiguing.

I don’t know but Ken Rockwell seems to give always some specific and actual measurements which say otherwise. He insists always in particular that with such analog out, as all recent iPhones have, there is no need for DAC or amp. That false need, he always remarks, is a misleading strategy of DAC selling companies, relevant publications etc. He bases all his concept upon detailed measurements and results. From your writing, it seems that even though the lab’s thorough results show otherwise, you really need to convince yourself that you must give more money to buy stuff which is not really necessary to obtain the optimum sound. Isn’t it unique to just carry your iPhone and your favourite headphones or iem and go on without the need of more and more and more...Since there is proof that this sound has no degradation and is in fact on par with many pro dacs, why are you really trying to push yourself for more needs?? Just asking though...   

 

[Zoom25]

 
From your writing, it seems that even though the lab’s thorough results show otherwise, you really need to convince yourself that you must give more money to buy stuff which is not really necessary to obtain the optimum sound. 

 
Emotiva DC-1 = $500 without tax
Dangerous Source = $1000 without tax
iPhone 6 Plus = $1080 without tax
 
Both of these products cost less than the iPhone I have. The Macbook pro I have from the same company is noticeably better IMO. I am not saying you need to go spend crazy amount of money and somehow justify it. There are much cheaper things I have that sound far better than iPhone 6 plus. Just making a point on the sound quality on a site dedicated to talking about sound quality. If I sugarcoated it, I'd be lying then.
 
Quote:

 Isn’t it unique to just carry your iPhone and your favourite headphones or iem and go on without the need of more and more and more...Since there is proof that this sound has no degradation and is in fact on par with many pro dacs, why are you really trying to push yourself for more needs?? Just asking though...   

And I will...from time to time. That's why I opted for 128 GB, so I could have bunch of music on the hard drive along with Spotify to cover my music needs. I also don't plan on carrying extra DAC and amp either. Probably an IEM, like my SE215s and that's plenty.

 

[SparkOnShore]

  And I will...from time to time. That's why I opted for 128 GB, so I could have bunch of music on the hard drive along with Spotify to cover my music needs. I also don't plan on carrying extra DAC and amp either. Probably an IEM, like my SE215s and that's plenty.

Of course they cost less than an iPhone, but iPhone is everything gathered in one device! The other devices, they just turn digital to analog audio. No phone calls, no FaceTime, no gaming etc etc...And even though an iPhone has equal audio out quality with those “specialised” devices! This fact makes an iPhone rather unique IMHO.
 
I agree with you though regarding the 128 GB, as well as with your IEM choice (i’ve got SE215 too for the last 1,5 year and i am quite happy with them)  

 

[elfary]

From 2009 to the date i have tried many sources (including boutique bricks) to drive my Westone Um3x and Shure SE530 (amongst others) and none has driven them any better than the iPhone. And the contrary has been true in many times.

Furthermore i find beauty in the simplicity of just plugging an iem into my phone and getting lost in the feeling of music instead of assembling a bomb and carry it around just to match the quality.

Placebo and expectation bias aside an iem and an iphone are really tough to beat imho.


Running seems like a great idea until you actually start running

 

[SparkOnShore]

A little bit off topic, but i need to ask both Zoom25 and Elfary, since you both have Shure SE215-530. How does it feel when you sweat with the olive tips? I feel that sound is not the same, like the olive tip gets kind of unstuck from the canal, producing some tiny tiny noise especially when head is moving...Bass impact does not change though...Does it also have to do with the connection between cable and driver, which i read that it is rather sensitive after sweating?

 

[Zoom25]

 
Of course they cost less than an iPhone, but iPhone is everything gathered in one device! The other devices, they just turn digital to analog audio. No phone calls, no FaceTime, no gaming etc etc...And even though an iPhone has equal audio out quality with those “specialised” devices! This fact makes an iPhone rather unique IMHO.
 
I agree with you though regarding the 128 GB, as well as with your IEM choice (i’ve got SE215 too for the last 1,5 year and i am quite happy with them)  

Again, highly disagree. No one's denying how awesome an iPhone is with what can it do, but strictly talking about audio quality, that's a huge stretch. Not enough drive or clocking alone is enough to knock off iPhone from a high end contender. Still love my 6+, favourite to date.

 

[Zoom25]

  A little bit off topic, but i need to ask both Zoom25 and Elfary, since you both have Shure SE215-530. How does it feel when you sweat with the olive tips? I feel that sound is not the same, like the olive tip gets kind of unstuck from the canal, producing some tiny tiny noise especially when head is moving...Bass impact does not change though...Does it also have to do with the connection between cable and driver, which i read that it is rather sensitive after sweating?

 
I stuck with the stock medium black foam and never removed them because they fit me perfectly.

 

[Dixter]

  What budget desktop DAC would you recommend that is better than the iPad Air 2 (30 lightning adapter) and iPhone 4s DAC? I am looking for something reasonably priced (used is okay) that would be noticeably better.
 
This would be paired with Grado sr325i, Beyer 770 Premium 600 ohm, and possibly AKG 712 PRO and a little dot MK III and little dot i+

As far as a DAC it depends on what you are expecting from the DAC and what files it supports...   lately DSD DAC's are the rage it seems...  the only low cost DSD DAC that I know of ( probably more I don't know about) is the ifi idsd Nano... 
 
if you don't want DSD playback then another good option is the ODAC...  and it has a strong amp too...    it too is a budget DAC/AMP ...   its also a pretty small package...     
 
you could also use the ifi idsd Nano with the " O2 stand alone amp"  as another option and you would get the best of both by having a portable DSD DAC and mount the O2 amp that is also portable as it has built in battery too , that combo is very nice and you can still later add the upgrade op amps later if you decided you wanted more power for harder to drive phones.. lot of flex with this setup that sounds great with just about any IEM/PHONE....
 
Don't get the two confused...  the ODAC is the O2 with a add on DAC but wont work on battery or DSD....   the O2 can be ran on battery or desktop power and it mates with any DAC you want...
 
hope this helps...  and for your application you can also use the O2 with your Ipad Air 2 or your iphone 4s...   with the 4s you just need a LOD cable, with the Ipad you just need the 30 pin adapter cable as that cable has an external DAC built into the connector... 

 

[RickB]

  Could someone compare iPhone 6 to last generation iPod Classic (7th. gen)?

 
Since somebody better qualified didn't answer your question, I'll give it a shot. I have a hard time describing what I'm hearing, but IMO, the iPod classic still has better sound quality. It sounds like the amp in the iPod is more powerful, punchy. The sound of the iPod is more balanced and clearer, the treble in the iPhone 6 Plus is muddier. The iPhone definitely sounds warmer. The iPhone has better quality than the iPod touch 4G I used to own, however.
 
That said, the iPhone takes care of my portable listening needs, and the sound quality difference isn't great enough that I'd also carry the iPod.

 

[originalsnuffy]

My ipod classic has terrible phone reception.