[h-man]

I only hear the hiss/noise only when the iPhone is plugged in.
I don't hear any of it when I listen with screen on/off. Not much of an issue to me.


I still like my iPod 5.5 generation more (Should I iMod it?)

(Not to hijack thread but +1 for iPod 5.5, I've got 2 of these which sound terrific). It's good that you're not hearing the interference noise though, I still think the sound other than that is very good.

 

[ubs28]

Owned the iPhone 6s plus, could definitely hear the interference noise when the screen was active, but only in a quiet room, with a quiet track and with sensitive iems. Sold the phone due to general dissatisfaction with size, but the sound was usual flat accurate apple signature.

Although the extraneous noise was not a deal breaker for me, I agree with the earlier poster who said it is disappointing to see apple being sloppy about their audio circuitry insulation. For me, it was always a big selling point for the iPhone that the noise floor was totally silent. I love classical music, and during quiet passages of music, any circuitry generated hiss is really off putting. Not so much of an issue when cranking out Nirvana though

I don't think the iPhone 6S are flat or accurate, atleast with IEM's like the Shure SE846. There is definitely a bass boost I can hear. The iPhone 6S takes it even further with added bass (something is also going on in the mids, but I don't have the iPhone 6S plus anymore to do tests). 
 
I haven't seen measurements of the iPhone 6S plus yet, but I suspect the output impedance is way too high which causes the coloured sound. Or Apple did tweak with the sound.
 
According to my ears, the iPad Air 2 is flatter than the iPhone's of Apple. But you can't carry that one on the street

 

[Whitigir]

I don't think the iPhone 6S are flat or accurate, atleast with IEM's like the Shure SE846. There is definitely a bass boost I can hear. The iPhone 6S takes it even further with added bass (something is also going on in the mids, but I don't have the iPhone 6S plus anymore to do tests). 

I haven't seen measurements of the iPhone 6S plus yet, but I suspect the output impedance is way too high which causes the coloured sound. Or Apple did tweak with the sound.

According to my ears, the iPad Air 2 is flatter than the iPhone's of Apple. But you can't carry that one on the street

That is what I hear. iPad Air 2 is a bit better, but most iPhones are always bass emphasized in term of sound quality.

 

[elfary]

Dunno about iPhone 6s but iPhone 6 has 2.2 ohms of output impedance. When i use the iBasso T3 amp (Z=0`3 Ohms) the SE846 are slightly airier. (Doing the math is 2 decibels airier which you could offset easily with the white filter) but...
 
...unless you're placebo biased and/or doing quick A/B 2 ohms it's not an issue and i doubt that you could pass a blind test with a 100% success rate.
 
About the bass i did direct comparisons between my iPhone 6 and an iBasso DX100 and Fiio X5 and bass weight was about the same. So i don't think there's any emphasis. Just a tiny great amp inside iPhones.
 
CPU noise is the reason i have written off iPhone 6s. Not the bass not the output impedance. I'd stick to iPhone 6 since it feels just gorgeous to always have a pitch black background (heck there is not the slightiest hint of hiss even  with the SE846s) whatever the iPhone is doing.
 
Even with my iPod Classic (Z=5) i can enjoy an album easily straight out of the SE846 plugged into the hpo.
 
If you are not able to get lost into the music with an iPhone + SE846 then you are not listening to the music but to the sound. Hence the music has become the vehicle for the sound when it should be the other way around. Doind Blind tests from time to time is very sobering experience imho.

 

[ubs28]

The Chord Hugo has 0 ohms output and I clearly hear a big difference. It also kinda screws up the Shure SE846. On the iPhone 5S I like the white filter the best but on the Chord Hugo I prefer the blue filter.

But I have no problem listening to music even on my Apple Earbuds or my cheapo AKG K240.

 

[h-man]

About the bass i did direct comparisons between my iPhone 6 and an iBasso DX100 and Fiio X5 and bass weight was about the same. So i don't think there's any emphasis. Just a tiny great amp inside iPhones.

CPU noise is the reason i have written off iPhone 6s. Not the bass not the output impedance. I'd stick to iPhone 6 since it feels just gorgeous to always have a pitch black background (heck there is not the slightiest hint of hiss even  with the SE846s) whatever the iPhone is doing.

Even with my iPod Classic (Z=5) i can enjoy an album easily straight out of the SE846 plugged into the hpo.

If you are not able to get lost into the music with an iPhone + SE846 then you are not listening to the music but to the sound. Hence the music has become the vehicle for the sound when it should be the other way around. Doind Blind tests from time to time is very sobering experience imho.

Agree with all those points. To me noise floor is SO important (along with lossless playback) and have yet to find an android solution that rivals an iPhone 6 in that regard although I REALLY liked the output of the nexus 5x

 

[vwinter]

I don't think the iPhone 6S are flat or accurate, atleast with IEM's like the Shure SE846. There is definitely a bass boost I can hear. The iPhone 6S takes it even further with added bass (something is also going on in the mids, but I don't have the iPhone 6S plus anymore to do tests). 

I haven't seen measurements of the iPhone 6S plus yet, but I suspect the output impedance is way too high which causes the coloured sound. Or Apple did tweak with the sound.

According to my ears, the iPad Air 2 is flatter than the iPhone's of Apple. But you can't carry that one on the street

I've been thinking about it, and it feels like there's added low end because the entire sound is more immersive, more forward, and less clinical/digital than just about every iPhone since the 4/4S. I especially hear it compared to the 5S, which was very taught, more dynamic, but more digital and more distant sounding. I think I hear it mostly the opposite way that shotgunshane noted a while back in this thread

Some FR measurements show a low-to-midbass "bump" of like .15 dB IIRC, but whether you think that's causing all this, only you can say.

Dunno about iPhone 6s but iPhone 6 has 2.2 ohms of output impedance. When i use the iBasso T3 amp (Z=0`3 Ohms) the SE846 are slightly airier. (Doing the math is 2 decibels airier which you could offset easily with the white filter) but...

...unless you're placebo biased and/or doing quick A/B 2 ohms it's not an issue and i doubt that you could pass a blind test with a 100% success rate.

About the bass i did direct comparisons between my iPhone 6 and an iBasso DX100 and Fiio X5 and bass weight was about the same. So i don't think there's any emphasis. Just a tiny great amp inside iPhones.

CPU noise is the reason i have written off iPhone 6s. Not the bass not the output impedance. I'd stick to iPhone 6 since it feels just gorgeous to always have a pitch black background (heck there is not the slightiest hint of hiss even  with the SE846s) whatever the iPhone is doing.

Even with my iPod Classic (Z=5) i can enjoy an album easily straight out of the SE846 plugged into the hpo.

If you are not able to get lost into the music with an iPhone + SE846 then you are not listening to the music but to the sound. Hence the music has become the vehicle for the sound when it should be the other way around. Doind Blind tests from time to time is very sobering experience imho.

I think it was noted a while back in this thread that the 6s was measured at 3.3 ohm z-out.

 

[god-bluff]

This might be of interest if you're not happy; the Arcam musicBOOST
 
(Not exactly future proof though when the new iPhone comes out in the next year)
 
http://www.t3.com/news/arcam-s-beefing-up-your-iphone-s-audio-chops-with-musicboost
 
(Or you could try a Sony Z3 Compact ?1?

)

 

[krismusic]

A very interesting product although it does rather seem like a way to turn your iPhone into a brick!

 

[god-bluff]

A very interesting product although it does rather seem like a way to turn your iPhone into a brick!

Still quite svelte compared to some of these new high end DAPs and it doubles up as a phone!

 

[krismusic]

Still quite svelte compared to some of these new high end DAPs and it doubles up as a phone!

True. An interesting find. It would have to sound substantially better than the phone to be worthwhile. I'll be interested to read reviews although I am of the opinion that there is a limit to how good electronics get and that the iPhone is pretty close to that limit.

 

[Slaphead]

This might be of interest if you're not happy; the Arcam musicBOOST

(Not exactly future proof though when the new iPhone comes out in the next year)

http://www.t3.com/news/arcam-s-beefing-up-your-iphone-s-audio-chops-with-musicboost

(Or you could try a Sony Z3 Compact ?1?:wink_face: )

True, but then again I've seen fancy leather cases that cost more (not much more, mind) that have no other function than to encase your phone, and they're redundant upon the release of an iPhone with a new form factor as well.

To my mind this is what an external amp and dac should be these days. Also given that I tend to only replace my phone once every 2-3 years then I could easily justify replacing the Arcam amp & dac for the newer model assuming the cost remains similar. Then again it would irk me that a yet another perfectly functional piece of electronics ends up as landfill.

That said given that the output of the iPhone (buzzing noise aside on certain examples of the 6S and plus) is pretty damned good as stands, there would seen to be little incentive for me to want to add an external DAC and amp - especially given that it would be exclusively used for portable audio where external ambient noise would do a lot to negate the benefits of such a device.

 

[Blamelouis]

Have to say my iphone 6s has no hiss or buzz and sound quality is excellent through my AKG 's

 

[u2u2]

I have been following this thread and chasing the 6S noise problem since launch day. No issues emerged with my 6S so I popped for a set of Shure SE846. I had been considering them for over a year. Delaying was a bad decision as I missed out on great IEMs and the price went up. They pair well with all my kit so I threw in a Mojo. The Mojo, like the 6S, is reported to have issues. I got lucky again. But for a better portable cable solution, my older kit will be seeing less use.

 

[RPB65]

Ive got high pitch squeeling but it ain't the phone! Tinnitus is a bitch. Mind you I really do want a Sony player. Lol