iPhone vs. Android via USB-C sound quality difference is huge

[bigshot]

Something like this.
But this one seems to power the phone instead…

That’s designed to attach wired headphones while still having a passthrough to provide power. It’s so you don’t use up a USB for headphones. That shouldn’t make any audible difference at all.

 

[illias111]

Still testing here.
Switching back and forth.
Same track. Same lossless.
The Moondrop is more „impulsive“, little more resolving. Little less sharp in the highs. More dynamic in total.

To me it sounds like better power handling for now.
It would also be interesting how Moondrop/Android changes the volume vs. the iPhone.
I think the iPhone changes the volume inside the signal.
Maybe Moondrop/Android is doing that inside the DAC/Amp on the analog side?
There is definitely something different as the max volume is so much louder on Moondrop/Android.


Android and iPhone have more differences, and I think it's not only the sound quality. It's hard for me to say because I'm not that experienced or skilled, but I noticed this, and from time to time, I read something. I think the biggest difference is in the apps, how they work, and their variety. Here is one article about android vs ios app development I found rcenty, and there I read so many new information. I'm interested not only in sounds and anything related but in development, too; so much info was interesting to read.

I've not used an Android device for a long time, and I had no idea that it can be difference in the sound quality.
It's been some time since your last post, have you found out more about that difference and reasons?

 

[BrokeAudiophileMan]

I had a similar situation to this when I switched from a Samsung phone to a Google Pixel about a month or so ago. My dongles sound better, whether wired or bluetooth. I read it has something to do with the way Samsung phones apply some kind of sound profile to everything. I didn't read into it much since i didn't have the samsung anymore. But the Pixel definitely sounds better for audio. I didn't really like my Fiio BTR5 with the Samsung and almost sold it. I'm glad I didn't. It sounds so good now.

 

[Taila]

The OP is saying that it's the same headphone and USB DAC....that there's still an audio difference between the two if plugging in an Android device or iPhone. It's possible there is an audio difference if you do level match the two: we're not talking about a direct connection-there could be different "modes" with the Android interface vs iPhone interface. My guess also is that the differences would be greatest if you're directly ABXing them at one time. If you were to listen to the iPhone and USB cord/headphone isolated, it would sound just fine. Another part of human bias is thinking one thing is superior when directly comparing (and either sounding great if you were to listen by itself).

I don't know if the answer was found somewhere down this thread, but ja I can definitely confirm that the difference is so big when plugging the Moondrop Dusk-DSP on iPhone 15 Pro Max compared to an Android device, a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (old phone my wife stashed in a drawer).

On Android everything is amazing but on iOS . The thing is I have the Dunu cables, the Lyre and the Hulk Pro Mini that work just well with my iPhone 15PM when their USB-C tips are connected. So it's not that the iPhone port can't power these USB-C DACs that are cable attached, except for the Dusk-DSP.

This means I cannot use this setup happily with the iPhone. Not a deal breaker but, this definitely means an iPhone user can't just go to a friend who has an Android phone to load the preferred DSP profile and be done. You can't really use the Dusk- DSP cable on iPhone to get your money's worth.

 

[lindijones]

I don't know if the answer was found somewhere down this thread, but ja I can definitely confirm that the difference is so big when plugging the Moondrop Dusk-DSP on iPhone 15 Pro Max compared to an Android device, a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (old phone my wife stashed in a drawer).

On Android everything is amazing but on iOS . The thing is I have the Dunu cables, the Lyre and the Hulk Pro Mini that work just well with my iPhone 15PM when their USB-C tips are connected. So it's not that the iPhone port can't power these USB-C DACs that are cable attached, except for the Dusk-DSP.

This means I cannot use this setup happily with the iPhone. Not a deal breaker but, this definitely means an iPhone user can't just go to a friend who has an Android phone to load the preferred DSP profile and be done. You can't really use the Dusk- DSP cable on iPhone to get your money's worth.

Thx for sharing your experience!
I just played around with the Dusk cable during Christmas time again, after a long pause.
The difference is still night and day.
The same with a new iPhone 16 Pro btw.

Technically you still can set the DSP vaules with an Android phone, store it inside the Dusk cable and use it with an iPhone. That works.
But the general sound quality is so much worse then.
(My guess is the power sourcing.)

I only go with a BTR15 and think about upgrading to the new BTR17.

 

[bigshot]

It wouldn’t be due to the DAC. It would probably be an amping issue.

 

[OhGosh]

I've created an account just to be able to post here XD. I felt like I was going a bit crazy with this.

Anyway, like others, I also have a Moondrop product with a DSP - Moondrop May. I have noticed a difference between using it on an old redmi 8 phone my wife used to have and my own iPhone 11 (using a usb C to lightning dongle).

Since I'm very new to headphones, IEMs and "audiophile terminology" in general, I'm not sure I can describe what I'm hearing with precision. But the best way I can describe it is, I think, "separation". I feel like listening to the iPhone puts all sounds together and they sound really separate when using the Redmi. They feel much less involving, much less interesting to me.

I also feel like it's almost like the iPhone had it's own tuning where everything was a bit... less. Bass is a bit less bassey, Treble is a bit less trebleley... If you know what I mean. This might just be a byproduct of that separation thing.

At first I thought the difference had to be due to the dongle. I thought it had some hardware that was converting the digital signal to analog before the DSP cable had a chance to do it, screwing up the sound. But after reading through this thread I don't think that anymore, since you guys are hearing differences even on newer, USB-C iPhones.

Another reason I think the cable has nothing to do with it is that I can hear tuning changes from the moonlink app on the iPhone too. If I put it on Basshead setting I can feel more bass on iPhone too. The same with all settings. I believe that if the dongle was converting the signal before the cable, the EQ on the cable wouldn't work. This happens when people listen to this IEM + cable combination when using portable dedicated DAC devices (as I've seen pointed out by lots of reviewers before I even purchased the IEM). Since the portable DACs convert the sound to analog using it's own internal hardware (and not on the cable), EQ from the cable doesn't work and it sounds like the May would sound on an analog cable.


Anyway, I have since been able to solve most of the difference I used to hear when using the iPhone by simply turning off Dolby Atmos in its setting on Apple Music. This made a big difference. But I assume that others in this thread have already done so as I remember reading you guys deactivated everything in the settings.

Now I still feel a difference between them. Much less then I used to when Atmos was on, but still, I hear it. In my case, I don't think it's a "night and day" difference as OP said, I even think someone could prefer the iPhone sound, depending on taste and specific songs. But every time I try listening and switching between them I always end up feeling like the sound out of the Redmi sounds more involving. Like the music is coming from all around me.

 

[bigshot]

The iPhone dongle measures as good as high end stand alone DACs. It should sound perfect. My guess is either the impedance on your headphones are mismatched with the amp in the dongle, or some sort of digital sound processing it turned on with your non-Apple phone. From your description, I would bet that you have the enhancer switched on. To compare fidelity, you need to turn off all the signal processing. The enhancing is completely separate from the DAC. You may like one kind of enhancer better than another.

 

[OhGosh]

The iPhone dongle measures as good as high end stand alone DACs. It should sound perfect. My guess is either the impedance on your headphones are mismatched with the amp in the dongle, or some sort of digital sound processing it turned on with your non-Apple phone. From your description, I would bet that you have the enhancer switched on. To compare fidelity, you need to turn off all the signal processing. The enhancing is completely separate from the DAC. You may like one kind of enhancer better than another.

Friend, It's not "the iPhone Dongle". You are right about that dongle, but what I'm using is a simple, generic, USB type C to Lightning adapter, likely an OTG one that is usually used to be able to use cameras with the iPhone. This dongle likely does no processing to the information passing through it at all, all it does is allow the digital signal through.

My experience has been almost exactly the same as OP's in regards to using my iPhone with this DSP cable: It sounds different, for some unknown reason I can't really figure out. Also the same experience as Taila.

Now I'll investigate if the Redmi does something there to enhance the audio, but since the output is digital my bet is no. I know for a fact that this isn't app related as I've tested on both Apple Music and Tidal and I felt the same both times. I spend quite some hours going back and forth between them, on different days even.

Now, I've purchased another adapter that I know for a fact is an OTG one and should have no audio processing inside it at all. Imma test with it too once it arrives, but I'm betting it will make no difference.

 

[bigshot]

It might be an impedance issue if you are taking analog line out using the camera adapter. IEMs can have perverse amping requirements.

I’m positive that apple devices don’t alter the original digital signal unless you turn on the sound check, EQ or enhancer functions. Apple uses its own DACs, which measure stone flat and clean to far beyond audible levels. Every app calls on the same sound decoding. If something else sounds different when you’ve got all the signal processing turned off, it isn’t the Apple product that is colored. The coloration would have to come from the other device.

Did you do level matching? Level imbalance could be the reason you’re hearing one as “better” than the other.

 

[Davesrose]

Anyway, like others, I also have a Moondrop product with a DSP - Moondrop May. I have noticed a difference between using it on an old redmi 8 phone my wife used to have and my own iPhone 11 (using a usb C to lightning dongle).

Well there you go....you're most likely responding to the DSP. DSP means the output is not a flat EQ: it's providing some sort of EQ curve. When folks go on about whether they like an iPhone, Android phone, or a DAP....they may also be responding to what default audio EQ settings that device has-it can have way more of a difference than any difference in amping (and then another DSP on top of that will further add another EQ).

 

[OhGosh]

It might be an impedance issue if you are taking analog line out using the camera adapter. IEMs can have perverse amping requirements.

I’m positive that apple devices don’t alter the original digital signal unless you turn on the sound check, EQ or enhancer functions. Apple uses its own DACs, which measure stone flat and clean to far beyond audible levels. Every app calls on the same sound decoding. If something else sounds different when you’ve got all the signal processing turned off, it isn’t the Apple product that is colored. The coloration would have to come from the other device.

Did you do level matching? Level imbalance could be the reason you’re hearing one as “better” than the other.

To be clear: I don't think it's an intentional thing. And you're right - if the sound the cable is taking is analog instead of digital, this could be the reason for the difference, and impedance a likely culprit. I have reason to believe that this isn't the case because as far as I'm aware the DSP cable can only apply the EQ if it's taking a digital, unprocessed signal from whatever smartphone it's playing off of. But if I'm wrong about this and the iPhone is processing the sound in it's own DAC and sending it over, then this is the reason.

Whatever it is that is causing this though, I really don't think it's by design. I really have no idea how exactly a DSP cable is built, but since the Moondrop Link app doesn't work to EQ the cable on iOS even a year after the launch of this IEM, I have a feeling there might be details about how it's build that might not work so good on an iPhone, for some reason I don't really understand.

Still, I'm waiting on a second dongle to come though the mail to test again with it and see if there's any difference. It should arrive by Monday here.

Well there you go....you're most likely responding to the DSP. DSP means the output is not a flat EQ: it's providing some sort of EQ curve. When folks go on about whether they like an iPhone, Android phone, or a DAP....they may also be responding to what default audio EQ settings that device has-it can have way more of a difference than any difference in amping (and then another DSP on top of that will further add another EQ).

Yeah, but that would mean that the sound is being EQ'd either on the iPhone or on my Redmi 8 (or on my Mi8, another android phone I had laying around here and tested on too).
I have no reason at all to believe either of this devices are doing any EQ to the sound. I listen to this IEM on my Mac Pro too, no dongle required for that one, and both Mac Pro and all my android devices sound exactly the same, the iPhone is the outlier. Exactly the same experience as OP had.

There's a reason I created an account just to post about this. I thought I was going crazy cause I can think of no reason why this should be happening. But reading others share a similar experience made me wanna post my own here just in case someone somewhere with capable gear is able to do some measurements and see if this is a placebo thing of if there is an actual difference. I would bet on this being a real thing, even though the difference is rather small when it comes to what I can hear on my IEM.

That being said, Dusk is a better, much more technical IEM than the one I own. I'm jealous of all you Dusk owners here. Unfortunately, living in a third world country, I need to pay double the asking price for these IEMS in the form of taxes, which makes them unobtainable on my current living conditions

 

[XTF1]

but since the Moondrop Link app doesn't work to EQ the cable on iOS even a year after the launch of this IEM, I have a feeling there might be details about how it's build that might not work so good on an iPhone

It’s actually an Apple-imposed restriction: iOS doesn’t expose USB (or Lightning) low-level communication API. Until Apple changes that (rumor is that it’s coming), there is nothing Moondrop can do about it.

 

[OhGosh]

It’s actually an Apple-imposed restriction: iOS doesn’t expose USB (or Lightning) low-level communication API. Until Apple changes that (rumor is that it’s coming), there is nothing Moondrop can do about it.

Ohh that's nice to know! Makes sense. Apple is usually much more strict when it comes to what level of access apps can have. And Moondrop's app besides being kinda buggy, also asks of a lot of access and permissions on Android.

 

[lindijones]

The iPhone dongle measures as good as high end stand alone DACs. It should sound perfect. My guess is either the impedance on your headphones are mismatched with the amp in the dongle, or some sort of digital sound processing it turned on with your non-Apple phone. From your description, I would bet that you have the enhancer switched on. To compare fidelity, you need to turn off all the signal processing. The enhancing is completely separate from the DAC. You may like one kind of enhancer better than another.

The frequency response of the 9$ Apple dongle measures nicely (kind of).
But it still sounds crappy.
That‘s the reason why there are hundreds of other DAC dongles out there.