[john115599]

i was wondering if i would buy a amp would it have a big impact on my samsung galaxy s3 

 

[Theogenes]

Hi John! A couple of questions for you so somebody can better help you out: 
 
1). Are you using the international version or the US version of the S3? (The universal version has a significantly better DAC inside). 
 
2). What headphones or IEMs are you using with your S3? 
 
3). What are you trying to change/improve about your musical experience? More/less/different bass/treble/midrange/impact/soundstage/je ne sais quoi? (It may also help if you list some of your musical preferences here as well). 
 
As an off-the-cuff recommendation, I have the US version of the S3 and don't really see much point in an external amp without a DAC as well. Conversely, I see using a DAC/amp combo with the S3 to be a fairly enormous improvement in pretty much every way (depending on the DAC/amp used, of course). I got an Apex Glacier and Meier Audio PCSTEP in yesterday, and they most definitely improve the performance several orders of magnitude over the stock headphone jack. (Although, to be fair, I'm not a fan of the sound out of the jack by itself... at all). 
 
Hopefully this will help you find more help! You might also want to check out the frequently-updated thread on Android devices and USB DACs here. 
 
And if nobody's given you the traditional Head-Fi Howdy yet, let me be the first: 
 
Welcome to Head-Fi!!! Sorry about your wallet 

 

[john115599]

I have the us version of s3. And I have audio technicas ath50 and hifiman re 400. I listen to indie alternative and rap .

 

[ender323]

I would personally say no on the amp. Most IEMs don't need an amp, the the m50s are very easy to drive. That being said, you may be able to improve SQ, but likely with a higher end amp like a C&C BH, rather than something cheap like a FiiO E6.

 

[Theogenes]

I'd second the notion to skip the external amp only. If you're looking for a cost effective way to get a large increase in sound quality, I'd say the iBasso D-Zero is a no-brainer, especially for music that benefits from punchy bass. I bought one as a gift for a family member for Xmas, and I liked it well enough that I have one of my own arriving tomorrow .


Btw, how are you liking the HiFiMan? Seems like quite the bargain at the price!!

 

[Swy05]

First thing you must positively do if you haven't.
 
Get the Poweramp app and then EQ it.  I tried alot of different players for my S3.  And they all sounded tinny and terrible (including the stock player).
 
But the Poweramp app was like a kick in the face.  It improved sound quality tremendously.
 
And this is my own personal experience but, I paired my S3 with a Fiio E6 amp and it made a noticeable improvement in sound quality.  I couldn't go back to a player without an amp.  I also use IEM's like you.
 
My S3 is the Internatonal Version (with Wolfson dac) so I don't know if that's going to make a huge difference.  Perhaps the Wolfson is decent so I didn't need a separate dac.
 
Now I've jumped ship to a C&C BH after owning the E6 for less than 3 months and am patiently waiting for the C&C.

 

[ender323]

Quote:

First thing you must positively do if you haven't.
 
Get the Poweramp app and then EQ it.  I tried alot of different players for my S3.  And they all sounded tinny and terrible (including the stock player).
 
But the Poweramp app was like a kick in the face.  It improved sound quality tremendously.
 
And this is my own personal experience but, I paired my S3 with a Fiio E6 amp and it made a noticeable improvement in sound quality.  I couldn't go back to a player without an amp.  I also use IEM's like you.
 
My S3 is the Internatonal Version (with Wolfson dac) so I don't know if that's going to make a huge difference.  Perhaps the Wolfson is decent so I didn't need a separate dac.
 
Now I've jumped ship to a C&C BH after owning the E6 for less than 3 months and am patiently waiting for the C&C.

+1 on the C&C. It's a great amp, with killer battery.
I believe the international does have a better DAC.
As far as EQ goes, some people like it, some don't. It obviously changes the sound signature significantly, and there is a huge difference in sound between hardware EQ (like onboard an amp) software EQ (such as an app) and simply getting bassier IEMs.

 

[Retrias]

try to install one of the audio tweaks first , insteadbof just buying an amp,i second the notion of buying a dac amp as the us s3 have worse dac, and no actual line out

 

[Ari33]

As mentioned above, trial Poweramp and Neutron to find out what one you prefer, either are streets ahead of the stock player.

 

[Mooses9]

eh, i found the s3 to be pretty aweful, i went from a s3 to a ipod touch and the ipod touch was a huge improvement. you can eq the sound but that your still going to be using the onboard amp and dac inside the s3, which i think is horrible. thats just me.