This was a tough one. Expected to hear distinct differences right away but, surprisingly, the LG V10 and iBasso R10 are fairly close.
Both players are very similar in soundstage, separation, imaging, and placement. I struggled to hear any discernible changes in presentation as I switched back and forth between them. However, the iBasso has a smoother overall tonality and has better quality bass (if not lesser; I always felt the R10 was a bit bass light and had a hard time finding a good pairing until the Z7). The LG isn't harsh by any means though, it just isn't quite as smooth in it's presentation. The V10 does have more bass quantity than the R10 but does not sound boosted. Beyond that, I'm shocked to say there may not be big enough differences in sound quality to justify needing both.
More info:
Shouldn't be so surprised with them both having similar ESS chips (9018S in the R10 and 9018C2M in the V10) but the iBasso has been my best sounding, reference portable for over a year. However, they are about 3 years apart in design which can be a technological eternity (although I always believe newer isn't necessarily better). I've been searching for the perfect all-in-one device for decades and the V10 is the closest yet so it was a logical choice.
The iBasso R10, on the other hand, still has the slightest edge sound-wise and has even more power/headroom than the LG but its main draw now is that it has EVERY kind of output despite being a portable (line out, coax out, and optical out) plus both sizes of headphone jacks. Would be hard to part with mine for those reasons. I think of it more as a portable for home use or as a pocketable transport. Plus battery life isn't even close. Gonna get several times more battery life out of the LG (playing music) compared to anywhere from 5-10 hours with the iBasso.
Here are further details of how I compared them:
Note: I wouldn't classify my hearing as Golden Ears level (aced the basic level but my patience gave out somewhere between bronze and silver). Also note that (afaik) the R10 doesn't output quite as much power as a DX100 so the volume levels may be a bit different between those two.
Fyi, both ESS chips are 32-bit capable. The 9018S can handle up to 8 channels and puts out roughly 2dB more than the stereo C2M but it also consumes more than double the power.
I used the Sony MDR-Z7 as it pairs extremely well with the V10 and the R10 and Z7 was already one of favorite pairings over the past year.
Played the first few songs off one of my favorite new albums: Seal 7 (figured a Trevor Horn production would, as usual, be more than revealing; my equipment really can't do it justice but gotta start somewhere).
I used a Fiio HS2 headphone output switcher and tried my best to match the volume levels of both players using an spl meter app on my old Note 3. The V10 was on high impedance and volume level 45. I set the R10 to high gain, volume to 208, digital filter on slow roll-off (standard), and set SRC to 176/192kHz (according to LG the V10 upsamples everything to 32-bit levels so I figured this was the closest comparison).
No EQ was used on either player.
EDIT: My iBasso R10 is running one of the Russian user made firmwares which makes the R10 more responsive and (imo) sounds even better than with the stock firmware. Also not that I used a pure silver Surf Cable custom made for my Z7s.
Wow.... this is amazing.... finally there is a cellphone that can match the SQ of DX100.
How long can V10 last with Hi-Fi mode??? I hope its battery life isn't too short. DX100 can barely last 3 to 4 hours...
I would happily add viper if it didn't require rooting. And if the rooting could be done direct from the phone without a pc I might not mind either. But, alas, my days of "hacking" my phones via connection to a pc are long over. More risk than I'm willing to take no matter how minimal.
... True - doing this exercise yourself the risk of Bricking is very, very high. in 2010 August, I had my new iph 4 professionally jailbroken for the sake of more accessibility and featureS. I was very happy using it for more than 2 years until I upgraded to the one x+. Should the V10 come next month, I will have my unit professionally rooted. Small price to pay ....IMO.....
Wow.... this is amazing.... finally there is a cellphone that can match the SQ of DX100.
How long can V10 last with Hi-Fi mode??? I hope its battery life isn't too short. DX100 can barely last 3 to 4 hours...
Think I get about 5 or 6 hours on my R10 at high gain with upsampling. Not sure how long the V10 will last playing audio only at high power but I'm losing close to 10% battery on my longest listening sessions so far (little over an hour).
... True - doing this exercise yourself the risk of Bricking is very, very high. in 2010 August, I had my new iph 4 professionally jailbroken for the sake of more accessibility and featureS. I was very happy using it for more than 2 years until I upgraded to the one x+. Should the V10 come next month, I will have my unit professionally rooted. Small price to pay ....IMO.....
I don't understand the need to root the V10 though. I already sounds great as is and mine came with very little bloatware. I only felt the need to remove like 4 or 5 apps.
Think I get about 5 or 6 hours on my R10 at high gain with upsampling. Not sure how long the V10 will last playing audio only at high power but I'm losing close to 10% battery on my longest listening sessions so far (little over an hour).
I don't understand the need to root the V10 though. I already sounds great as is and mine came with very little bloatware. I only felt the need to remove like 4 or 5 apps.
How does the volume on this compare to the HTC One M8? Is it just as loud? The M8 is one of the only phones I've ever tried that's loud enough with my M50s.
How does the volume on this compare to the HTC One M8? Is it just as loud? The M8 is one of the only phones I've ever tried that's loud enough with my M50s.
Excuse me, but the M8 doesn't have as much powerful amplification chip as the V10. There is no question that the m8 is nothing compared to the power output on the v10 period. V10 is the most sophisticated audiophile smartphone with the most powerful amp chip on the market right at this moment. If one simply look for audio quality and a phone, there is no phone that can be compared to the V10 at this moment. It simply is just the best right at this moment, regarding audio quality and amplification. Now I am not sure of those Chinese phones, but they can't get into the us or support us networks.
I can only see one reason to root V10. Either to get every app to default onto ESS chip or for data.
How does the volume on this compare to the HTC One M8? Is it just as loud? The M8 is one of the only phones I've ever tried that's loud enough with my M50s.
My last phone was the M9, and this thing blows it out of the water. it's no comparison. More power, and a better DAC. The V10 is a true HiFi device. It's the first Android phone I've used that is also dead silent with no hiss whatsoever.
It depends what ohm your headphones are. 32 ohms and below last a lot longer than 7 hours of playback. If I turned on airplane mode and didn't use the display it would be over 24 hours.
It depends what ohm your headphones are. 32 ohms and below last a lot longer than 7 hours of playback. If I turned on airplane mode and didn't use the display it would be over 24 hours.
Can it last 7 hours woth HD650 or SRH1840??
Wow... this cellphone is a true winner.
Let's wait for a 10,000mAh battery case.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q7C6FTA?keywords=10%2C000mah%20battery%20case&qid=1448375236&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3
This company may release a V10 version of this case. Once we get that, V10 will last 21 hours with Hifi mode...
Then I would certainly choose V10 over any other DAP.
You will be able to put a 512GB SD card with a microSD to SD adapter inside the case too.
I think itll last longer than 7 hours. Ive listened to my Q701 at 30 to 35 volume in hifi more for over an hour and the battery only went down like 3 to 4 percent.
The phone has a replaceable battery, and the battery will recharge from dead to 100 in 65 minutes with the supplied charger.
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