[SoraNeko]

Totally agree with this. Narsil is a fantastic mod works great with devices with flagship internal specs

are these mods only worth on quad DAC phones? (like the LG ones)

 

[Barusu Lamperouge]

are these mods only worth on quad DAC phones? (like the LG ones)

Not really. They improve audio performance on most of the smartphones. From super budget Redmi phones to pixels of the world. I've used them on all my Android devices right from Yu Yureka to Redmi Note 4 to latest K20 Pro. And it works flawlessly on both of them irrespective of the hardware. Though having a flagship specs device helps as it is more efficient than a budget device. Key differences are in power and processing bandwidth. Because smartphones do have decent DACs in them but they lack proper software optimisation to unleash their potential

 

[SoraNeko]

Not really. They improve audio performance on most of the smartphones. From super budget Redmi phones to pixels of the world. I've used them on all my Android devices right from Yu Yureka to Redmi Note 4 to latest K20 Pro. And it works flawlessly on both of them irrespective of the hardware. Though having a flagship specs device helps as it is more efficient than a budget device. Key differences are in power and processing bandwidth. Because smartphones do have decent DACs in them but they lack proper software optimisation to unleash their potential

I can't root my phone or install a recovery for safety reasons, am i out of luck? (Samsung)

 

[Barusu Lamperouge]

I can't root my phone or install a recovery for safety reasons, am i out of luck? (Samsung)

Sadly yes. You own Samsung's Exynos or Qualcomm device? Exynos devices have little to no development of aosp roms and mods so you're totally out of luck if that's the case. Although, if your phone is out of warranty, you can root your device. It's an option worth considering. Although, I'd suggest that you read up a lot about it before stepping into the world of rooting devices (if this is your first time).

 

[Slater]

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the LG line quad DAC smartphones so maybe they might be an all in one solution for portable listening.

That would be the ES100

 

[Seazer]

Initial first impressions (using stock cable on both, and the so copper on KZ and silver on Guideray) is that the KZ ZSxlX has more treble texture than the Guideray GR-I. This is probably because of the greater number of balanced armatures in the ZSX. The Guideray also seems to have a more recessed midrange, and slightly hotter treble peak. I need to test cables and tips and let them burn in a but but first impressions is I like the ZSX more. For example on the song House of God by i_o, at about 1:40 the snare does a crescendo rise in intensity before the bass drops, and and on the Guideray its just on the edge of being painful, while it also more or less sounds like one note. On the ZSX it's reduced just enough into the range of tolerability. The meanwhile you can hear more of a textured "splash" of the snare on the ZSX, giving it a better sense of detail imo. Also at 3:10 there is a vocalist that has some sibilant S sounds (that are in the recording itself) and the ZSX brings the sibilance under control better than the Guideray.

Edit: after switching to foam tips and using a copper balanced cable, the Guideray sound much improved. I would say they are more laid back than the ZSX and the ZSX are more engaging. The Guideray are harder to drive and have tighter bass with less bleed

 

[Slater]

For USD 50 this is an excellent solution. Bad news is the maker sent me a message that they are out of stock at this moment...

Dang, that is an impressive piece of kit

 

[Slater]

You made me pull out my xx2 and xx5, love both xx2 is energetic but xx5 is more easy going. Now I don't know what one I like most

The steampunk one is the way to go. I did a review on the audio reviews blog

 

[mbwilson111]

Which KZ's do the copper ZSN cable sound good on? They rock on the ZS10!

the purple ZSN

 

[Zerohour88]

Dang, that is an impressive piece of kit

that's the balanced version, the unbalanced 3.5mm one, the Ibasso DC02, also just released. Ant sent one to Amir from AudioScienceReview, so I'm quite excited to see how good the implementation is.

 

[Seazer]

I can't root my phone or install a recovery for safety reasons, am i out of luck? (Samsung)

Neutron Music Player bypasses the phone's processing and does its own processing. So if you are listening to hard copy files, it is an improvement without having to root for something like viper4android

 

[Somatics]

Does anybody have a reliable source for buying the KZ ED7 (mini preferably, no mic definitely) please?

If not... can anybody recommend the closest match in terms of sound signature? I just bought the EDR1 and it's quite mid-recessed for my liking.

Thanks gang!

 

[SoraNeko]

Neutron Music Player bypasses the phone's processing and does its own processing. So if you are listening to hard copy files, it is an improvement without having to root for something like viper4android

I've heard neutron currently has some bugs where if you enable the 32 bit mode it seems to break the hi-res output internally inside the OS and stream will go to 16/48 mixer...is that real? i found on the last page of Neutron own thread, said by dmitrykos

 

[Seazer]

I've heard neutron currently has some bugs where if you enable the 32 bit mode it seems to break the hi-res output internally inside the OS and stream will go to 16/48 mixer...is that real? i found on the last page of Neutron own thread, said by dmitrykos

I'll check it out but I don't think you are supposed to enable 32 bit mode anyways.
The proper settings are: 64 bit processing ON, audiophile resampling ON, DSP effect OFF, dither ON, generic driver > hi res codec, hi res speaker and hi res Bluetooth all ON, 32 bit output OFF, and low latency OFF

EDIT: I read the thread and 64 bit processing should be off. You want 32 bit processing to be on if your decice shows 16 int or lower in the device hardware at the top. In the case of my S9 where it says 32 int at the top, I should have 32 bit processing off.

 

[courierdriver]

I really like my Tempotec Sonata a lot but I recently got the E1DA 9038S USB DAC (2.5mm balanced) and that thing plays in an entirely different league - levels, low-noise and THD, soundstage, details, you name it - I'm blown a-way.

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-e1da-9038s-bal-portable-dac-amp.8424/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwje5_Tqrt3kAhUMU1AKHWpEAPAQFjAAegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw2WHfaJYVmzxs3asa4C2H4Z

The only drawback of this first version are the insane levels that tiny sucker can produce - it can literally fry any low-impedance IEM in an instant if you're not careful, especially with touchscreens; level wise it even seems dangerous enough for some of my full-size cans but soundwise this is as close to end-game as it gets if a clean output is your thing - just study the charts. Anyway, Ivan the dev has just introduced a second gen. 9038s with slow start-up for phones and a fourth IEM safe mode (limited power output) - I'll order one of those as well for my smartphones and use this first one exclusively with my notebook - gotta play it safe with that thing .

I've heard so many great things about the 9038S but I also read that it really drains the host device's battery. I really want this unit, but the idea of having to buy a special splitter dongle and a power bank, and somehow attach this all to my smartphone, puts me off. Does your V1 version eat up alot of battery on your tablet or smartphone? Do you know if the new version will address this issue?