LG G6 Sound Quality

[Kepller]

Ended up going for the LG G6. Damn impressive sound for a phone, best I've heard short of the Granbeat.

I do agree in some ways, the quad dac in the G6 is an improvement over the v20 (especially in terms of the highs, mids, soundstage), but do you too not find the bass quantity lacking? Like I just came back from a portable audio retailer shop and got a few of the other audiophiles in the store to test out my G6's sound output. Even the retailer/shopkeeper himself tried out my G6 with test track hotel california FLAC with his custom westone um 30 pro with copper cable. His daily dap is one of the A&K DAP that is powered by dual ESS Sabre DAC, so this may not really be because it is an "ESS Sound Signature" and it may be due to LG's implementation of the DAC.

Most of them found the bass output to be weak. I'm definitely not having a faulty g6 as I've also compared side-by-side with a demo g6 and both sounded identical. Yes, i decided to go with the G6 instead of the V20 but am beginning to regret quite a bit as predicted when it comes to the audio department. I do love the design and other aspects of the phone very much though. After another side-by-side comparison between the G6 and V20, i have come to a conclusion that I prefer the V20 sound signature over the G6 just because the bass is more lively. In the G6 it sounds like its about to die out and needs more power IMO.

 

[Kepller]

Snap apologies for the double post.

 

[BucketInABucket]

I do agree in some ways, the quad dac in the G6 is an improvement over the v20 (especially in terms of the highs, mids, soundstage), but do you too not find the bass quantity lacking? Like I just came back from a portable audio retailer shop and got a few of the other audiophiles in the store to test out my G6's sound output. Even the retailer/shopkeeper himself tried out my G6 with test track hotel california FLAC with his custom westone um 30 pro with copper cable. His daily dap is one of the A&K DAP that is powered by dual ESS Sabre DAC, so this may not really be because it is an "ESS Sound Signature" and it may be due to LG's implementation of the DAC.

Most of them found the bass output to be weak. I'm definitely not having a faulty g6 as I've also compared side-by-side with a demo g6 and both sounded identical. Yes, i decided to go with the G6 instead of the V20 but am beginning to regret quite a bit as predicted when it comes to the audio department. I do love the design and other aspects of the phone very much though. After another side-by-side comparison between the G6 and V20, i have come to a conclusion that I prefer the V20 sound signature over the G6 just because the bass is more lively. In the G6 it sounds like its about to die out and needs more power IMO.

I have a bass heavy pair of cans and have been on a relatively bass light setup for a while so I didn't really realize what the bass was like. My experience was that it was detailed and refined with perhaps a touch light bass.

Edit: Derp

 

[chortya]

For now I can only compare LG G6 DAC with Creative E5 and DragonFly Black and for me LG definitely wins with all my headphones: Sennheiser HD600, Beyerdynamic DT1770Pro and RHA T20i. LG is more on the natural/analytical side but that is exactly what I like. It has very good frequency separation. Sub-bass is very audible. Integrated amp is more then enough to drive 250 or 300 Ohm.

 

[Jono1984]

Had my g6 (HK870DS) for about 24hrs now and been mainly playing with Tidal and Spotify for now until I can get my flac files sorted. Very happy with the quality so far but do agree the bass is a little less punchy when compared to my HTC 10 and Pioneer Xdp100r. I think I can live with it though as it's just a very minor con compared with the fantastic quality otherwise and convenience of ditching the pioneer and going back to one device. Luckily my Sony mdr-1a's also automatically trigger the quad dac. Was worried I would need an annoying adapter to trick the thing but all good.

 

[bluelavender]

Ok, I replaced my v20 phone with g6 and immediately regret it. All the posts are right. The bass is certainly lacking and the soundstage... Hmm.. I don't know how to say it, but seems less punchier than v20. V20 has more authority. I somehow prefer v20 signature more... But then again, luckily I only use g6 as phone mainly or backup dap...

 

[ZeDuK]

I didn't listen to V20 but I feel a little surprized.
OK, G6 is not for basshead but seems very neutral with punchy bass (with Oriolus).
Typical Sabre chip in fact.

 

[Kepller]

I didn't listen to V20 but I feel a little surprized.
OK, G6 is not for basshead but seems very neutral with punchy bass (with Oriolus).
Typical Sabre chip in fact.

Are you using a naturally bass heavy iem or headphone? If you are, you would still experience a slight punch but it is in fact not your iem's/headphone's true bass prowess, instead its at the weakest state IMO.

I tried the Westone W50 iem which is notorious for it's overpowered bass quantity and unsurprisingly it didn't sound over dominating on the G6. I even tried my favourite Westone UM 30 PRO which is known for its tight, clean and aggressive bass slam. The UM 30 PRO has a dark sounding signature, but on the G6 it sounded like a neutral sounding iem with a weak bass slam.

On top of that out of curiosity I tried the UM 50 PRO. The 50 PRO has a harder bass slam than the 30 PRO, but this time it sounded just like the um 30 pro's original signature (when it's (um 30 pro) plug in to other mobile devices). The G6 really suppresses the bass, but ultimately produces a more airy sound signature. The change in sound signature it does to any iem is quite big compared to other devices i've tried yet. The bass is really suppressed on the G6 IMHO.

This may end up forcing me to deliberately buy bass heavy iem just so I can get a neutral sounding/warm signature output on the g6 which would be a disaster once I upgrade to my next phone in 2 years time. Tried the eq but it didn't give me the effect I desire.

So my final thoughts are if you are looking for a neutral sounding dap/phone, stay clear from the G6. The G6 is for those who enjoys a more analytical sound / bright sounding / airy sounding signature with a suppressed bass.

 

[ZeDuK]

I can hear you when you're talking about analytical, airy even bright sounding but bass suppressed is far too much.

 

[Kepller]

I can hear you when you're talking about analytical, airy even bright sounding but bass suppressed is far too much.

Agreed I guess wrong choice of words i should have gone with "bass at the back of everything else when multiple instruments are being played" kindda presentation.

 

[bluelavender]

Are you using a naturally bass heavy iem or headphone? If you are, you would still experience a slight punch but it is in fact not your iem's/headphone's true bass prowess, instead its at the weakest state IMO.

I tried the Westone W50 iem which is notorious for it's overpowered bass quantity and unsurprisingly it didn't sound over dominating on the G6. I even tried my favourite Westone UM 30 PRO which is known for its tight, clean and aggressive bass slam. The UM 30 PRO has a dark sounding signature, but on the G6 it sounded like a neutral sounding iem with a weak bass slam.

On top of that out of curiosity I tried the UM 50 PRO. The 50 PRO has a harder bass slam than the 30 PRO, but this time it sounded just like the um 30 pro's original signature (when it's (um 30 pro) plug in to other mobile devices). The G6 really suppresses the bass, but ultimately produces a more airy sound signature. The change in sound signature it does to any iem is quite big compared to other devices i've tried yet. The bass is really suppressed on the G6 IMHO.

This may end up forcing me to deliberately buy bass heavy iem just so I can get a neutral sounding/warm signature output on the g6 which would be a disaster once I upgrade to my next phone in 2 years time. Tried the eq but it didn't give me the effect I desire.

So my final thoughts are if you are looking for a neutral sounding dap/phone, stay clear from the G6. The G6 is for those who enjoys a more analytical sound / bright sounding / airy sounding signature with a suppressed bass.

You describe it exactly what I found. Airy. Like in classical concert hall.. This phone might be excellent for classical music lovers, but might not be loved by others

 

[Kepller]

You describe it exactly what I found. Airy. Like in classical concert hall.. This phone might be excellent for classical music lovers, but might not be loved by others

Glad to have someone who has the same taste of music. What are you gonna do about it? Keep it? Sell it? Get the V20? Wait for the V30?

 

[bluelavender]

Glad to have someone who has the same taste of music. What are you gonna do about it? Keep it? Sell it? Get the V20? Wait for the V30?

i'll wait for V30, as i use it mainly for its phone function, or backup DAP for time when i can't carry so many gadget. I won't change to V20, since i heard some have bootloop issue. Unfortunately, the other viable alternative, DP-CMX1 is way too expensive.

 

[freshman66]

OK, just to make it even - I completely agree with the attribute "neutral". I listen with se846 and Meze 99c, playing Flac with Neutron and Spotify.
It all depends on the master - if the original recording is flat, so is the rest of the chain.
I am definitely happy having sold my Cayin i5 - the g6 is a great replacement for my equipment.

C

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

Unfortunately no. The V10 and V20 have two DACs - the built in Snapdragon DAC and the ESS Sabre dacs. The North American G6 only has the Snapdragon DAC, so there is nothing to bypass unfortunately.

I am still upset about this. Still searching every day, tirelessly for an international version that will work on AT&T and also contain the Quad DAC. So far, the closest I've come is the LG G6 H870DS from Hong Kong. It has the Quad DAC and MOST of the compatible LTE bands for AT&T in the US. It has all the bands for T-Mobile compatibility, for what it's worth. Hope this helps someone. That said, I cannot find it for sale anywhere yet.

-Collin-

Thank you much for the information. I have AT&T and live in Jersey. I hope that bands it has will be compatible for me. I found an excellent price for that model H870DS