Kepller
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2013
- Posts
- 124
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Hi guys, I went down to a retailer to check out the demo sets of both the LG V20 and the LG G6.
My gear was simply a Westone 3 Triple Driver IEM
https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/westone-3-review-still-one-of-the-very-best-iems.581360/
V20 & G6 Comparison
LG G6
Loudness:
Equal amount of Loudness/Volume to the V20 (Was at 55-65 for me) Any higher and it would blow my ears. I did notice at some occasion the LG V20 kicking into another audio mode which led to me reducing the volume of the v20 to 40-50, but on some occasions it would be at the equal 55-65 range volume as the G6 so I'm guessing my westone 3 is triggering more than one mode on the V20, whereas the G6 is able to decide and stick with the standard mode for my W3.
Soundstage:
A little wider than the V20, voices are a little further (less intimate than in the v20)
Bass:
Like others have mentioned, I too feel the bass is a touch lesser than the v20, but my dad thought that the v20 has lesser bass than the G6. So it is subjective or perhaps not too much of a significant difference to notice. But I did prefer the v20 on this one.
Mids:
Not much difference noticed here. Only the placement of the mids felt less intimate on the G6.
Treble:
G6's Highs sounded more smooth and refine (tamed). The V20 in comparison to the G6 sounded a little on the harsh side. Put the G6 away, and the V20 would not sound harsh at all in comparison to the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Separation:
The G6's separation felt a little smaller, everything seems to be closer to each other compared to the V20 where I can focus on the bass and not lose focus. I used "Fearless by Taylor Swift (FLAC) as test track for this.
Refer to this video as an example:
At 1:14-1:17 I begin to lose focus of the bass and at 1:18 the highs and other instruments drown the bass. The base is still there, but it's harder to focus on with all the other instruments doing their thing.
The V20 in comparison to this, handles it better. I'm able to focus on the bass even in those treble heavy moments. And my other Xperia Z1 handles this area perfectly as well. I'm not sure if this is due to the separation or if this is due to the slight decrease in bass slam. But I did find it harder to to focus on the bass that's for sure. Can someone else confirm this?
Overall I prefer the V20's sound signature (More engaging/Dynamic/More punch) over the G6 but the G6 sounded a little more refined especially in the high treble department.
The G6 seems to be making my Westone 3 sound slightly more neutral than it's normal V-Shape signature. So I'm guessing if I had chosen to use my Westone W60 (Which is a neutral/flat IEM) instead, it would've been transform into a bright sounding iem and reduce the bass to a non-existent level IMO. I think the G6 would suit those darker sounding iems such as the W50 as it would help to reduce the massive bass quantity by a bit and make it more revealing.
I'm a little disappointed in what I'm hearing from the G6, but it may just be my Westone 3's sound signature working not too good with the G6 combination.
Anyway this is just a first impression and I merely spent about 2 hrs with the both of them in the store so I wouldn't take my impression too seriously. Came out empty handed as I felt that I needed more time to decide and wait for a real audio impression review or for a 2nd a/b auditioning. Which I doubt will happen anytime soon given the poor response in headfi, compared to the V20's thread so i guess I will have to go back to do my final comparison and see which one these ears prefer.
Design wise I'm leaning toward the G6, it's an eye candy to look at but I'm controlling myself to prioritize and make final decisions based on the sound quality.
My gear was simply a Westone 3 Triple Driver IEM
https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/westone-3-review-still-one-of-the-very-best-iems.581360/
V20 & G6 Comparison
LG G6
Loudness:
Equal amount of Loudness/Volume to the V20 (Was at 55-65 for me) Any higher and it would blow my ears. I did notice at some occasion the LG V20 kicking into another audio mode which led to me reducing the volume of the v20 to 40-50, but on some occasions it would be at the equal 55-65 range volume as the G6 so I'm guessing my westone 3 is triggering more than one mode on the V20, whereas the G6 is able to decide and stick with the standard mode for my W3.
Soundstage:
A little wider than the V20, voices are a little further (less intimate than in the v20)
Bass:
Like others have mentioned, I too feel the bass is a touch lesser than the v20, but my dad thought that the v20 has lesser bass than the G6. So it is subjective or perhaps not too much of a significant difference to notice. But I did prefer the v20 on this one.
Mids:
Not much difference noticed here. Only the placement of the mids felt less intimate on the G6.
Treble:
G6's Highs sounded more smooth and refine (tamed). The V20 in comparison to the G6 sounded a little on the harsh side. Put the G6 away, and the V20 would not sound harsh at all in comparison to the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Separation:
The G6's separation felt a little smaller, everything seems to be closer to each other compared to the V20 where I can focus on the bass and not lose focus. I used "Fearless by Taylor Swift (FLAC) as test track for this.
Refer to this video as an example:
At 1:14-1:17 I begin to lose focus of the bass and at 1:18 the highs and other instruments drown the bass. The base is still there, but it's harder to focus on with all the other instruments doing their thing.
The V20 in comparison to this, handles it better. I'm able to focus on the bass even in those treble heavy moments. And my other Xperia Z1 handles this area perfectly as well. I'm not sure if this is due to the separation or if this is due to the slight decrease in bass slam. But I did find it harder to to focus on the bass that's for sure. Can someone else confirm this?
Overall I prefer the V20's sound signature (More engaging/Dynamic/More punch) over the G6 but the G6 sounded a little more refined especially in the high treble department.
The G6 seems to be making my Westone 3 sound slightly more neutral than it's normal V-Shape signature. So I'm guessing if I had chosen to use my Westone W60 (Which is a neutral/flat IEM) instead, it would've been transform into a bright sounding iem and reduce the bass to a non-existent level IMO. I think the G6 would suit those darker sounding iems such as the W50 as it would help to reduce the massive bass quantity by a bit and make it more revealing.
I'm a little disappointed in what I'm hearing from the G6, but it may just be my Westone 3's sound signature working not too good with the G6 combination.
Anyway this is just a first impression and I merely spent about 2 hrs with the both of them in the store so I wouldn't take my impression too seriously. Came out empty handed as I felt that I needed more time to decide and wait for a real audio impression review or for a 2nd a/b auditioning. Which I doubt will happen anytime soon given the poor response in headfi, compared to the V20's thread so i guess I will have to go back to do my final comparison and see which one these ears prefer.
Design wise I'm leaning toward the G6, it's an eye candy to look at but I'm controlling myself to prioritize and make final decisions based on the sound quality.
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