LG V20 Sound Quality

[RockStar2005]

Just to say that the V20 is a good instrument to listen audio from...even with the cap at 48kHz.
Hopefully this will be addressed and allow the V20 to be the audio marvel it is designed for.

 
Yeah ya never know what the next update will bring. lol

 

[TJ Max]

Here is a list of audio modes from some of my various headphones,
Normal Audio Device is my Beyerdynamic T5p 2.gen (32 ohm)
High Impedance Device is my Sennheiser HD558 (50 ohm)
And the External Audio Device is actually my Beyerdynamic T1 2.gen (600 ohm)
 
My question is, why is the 50 ohm  HD558 detected as a High Impedance Device, but my 600 ohm T1 is not?
Both normal and high modes get the Hi-Fi logo, and its indicated that the sound is being automatically adjusted.
But the External Audio Device does not get the Hi-Fi logo and there is no indication of adjustments.
How does this work?

 

[Matiu Magoo]

That will work. Just turn the volume knob down all the way, plug it into the v20. High impedance mode triggered. I'm doing the same thing with a shorter[just as cheap] cable.

 

[gr8soundz]

 
RS2K5........nice. lol 
 
So are you saying it sounds more clearer? Louder? How exactly is it better? 
 
I C. Well I'd heard many good things about the V10, so I could understand that. Well I'm glad the V10 is getting Nougat relatively soon. The V20 is quite impressive. I have the Sony Xperia X Performance now. If the V20 came in a smaller non-phablet version too, I prob would've switched over. I am not so crazy about Sony's Xperia line these days, as well as how they treat (or mistreat really) their U.S. customers like me, so it's not definite but VERY likely that I'll be getting either the HTC 11 next year or else the LG G6. Just depends. I currently use the Oppo HA-2 portable amp/DAC so even though the sound is good on my XP I don't think it's as great as Sony's Xperia line used to be in this dept. 

 
Why do I feel like a beeping robot when I see that new version of my username? lol
 
I've obtained a copy of Alpha 704 Poweramp. I will install it and test it out this weekend. Does ANYONE here have any idea when the final version will get released? 

 
Sorry about 'abbreviating' your user id. Just me being lazy. Maybe they can use you in Episode 9........
 
IIRC, the Alpha had a bit cleaner, more dynamic sound. Want to say it was smoother too but some may think that means colouration.
 
I've been eyeing the HA-2 (and now the SE) for a while. If I didn't already have the V10 (and a backup Fiio E18), I would have gotten an HA-2 by now. It checks so many of the right boxes including slim profile. I see why it would give any owner pause about buying an 'audiophile' smartphone.
 
I agree, a year+ is a long time for an 'alpha' release. Seems like we're long past any beta deadline (if there ever was one). But I'm grateful the app is available to take better advantage of good hardware. I used to run Neutron but it requires even more tweaking to maximize sound quality. Neutron sounded better than other music apps (at the time) but now it's UI is outdated and (imo) PA Alpha sounds better even with default settings.
 

 

[dragion]

   
Thanks I'll look into those. I dug around the settings and still cant get foobar to play nice with the 2nd screen.

Downloaded Foobar 2000 app and I have no issues with it on the 2nd screen.

 

[dragion]

  Here is a list of audio modes from some of my various headphones,
Normal Audio Device is my Beyerdynamic T5p 2.gen (32 ohm)
High Impedance Device is my Sennheiser HD558 (50 ohm)
And the External Audio Device is actually my Beyerdynamic T1 2.gen (600 ohm)
 
My question is, why is the 50 ohm  HD558 detected as a High Impedance Device, but my 600 ohm T1 is not?
Both normal and high modes get the Hi-Fi logo, and its indicated that the sound is being automatically adjusted.
But the External Audio Device does not get the Hi-Fi logo and there is no indication of adjustments.
How does this work?

I don't see anything that indicates the "external" audio device isn't triggering the Hi-Fi Quad DAC?
According to the task bar it is...
Not sure if the DAC can recognize what type of external device it is, so no adjustments are applied.
It is definitely set for something in between "normal" and "high impedance"

 

[Mariano3113]

One thing I'm not seeing on my PowerAmp (Alpha703) is the "Experimental Hi-Res Output" setting... Had this on the Note7, and could def tell better SQ with it engaged, but this setting isn't showing up on the V20....?

Was it Snapdragon Note 7 with Aqstic or Exynos Note 7?

1 thing I've been noticing is 3rd party apps seem to be better at recognizing Qualcomms Aqstic 24-bit DAC in comparison to LG V20's Quad-DAC

Which brings me to my next question:
Did LG use the normal Snapdragon SOC DAC as fallback instead of the available Snapdragon Aqstic DAC?

I can understand them not using both HI-RES DACs for the cost reasons.
If they were just concerned with HI-RES audio while allowing Quad-DAC to be toggled off, wouldn't the 24-Bit Aqstic been a better choice than the non HI-res DAC?

 

[TJ Max]

 
I don't see anything that indicates the "external" audio device isn't triggering the Hi-Fi Quad DAC?
According to the task bar it is...
Not sure if the DAC can recognize what type of external device it is, so no adjustments are applied.
It is definitely set for something in between "normal" and "high impedance"

 
Oh its doing something that is audible. I just am unsure why the 600 ohm T1 isn't triggering the same profile as for the 50 ohm HD558. The High Impedance output says that its for 50 - 600 ohm headphones, and the sound is being auto adjusted, and there is the Hi-Fi logo on the side.
The External Audio Device has a stereo plug logo and doesn't mention any adjustments. It looks like the headphone jack is becoming a simple lineout to external speakers or something but not tuned for headphones.

 

[dragion]

   
Oh its doing something that is audible. I just am unsure why the 600 ohm T1 isn't triggering the same profile as for the 50 ohm HD558. The High Impedance output says that its for 50 - 600 ohm headphones, and the sound is being auto adjusted, and there is the Hi-Fi logo on the side.
The External Audio Device has a stereo plug logo and doesn't mention any adjustments. It looks like the headphone jack is becoming a simple lineout to external speakers or something but not tuned for headphones.

That is strange that your T1 isn't triggering the DAC as "high impedance"...is it possible to test that with another V20?
Try it with a V20 on display at your local carrier maybe.
 
It is definitely acting like an output source.

 

[RockStar2005]

   
Sorry about 'abbreviating' your user id. Just me being lazy. Maybe they can use you in Episode 9........
 
IIRC, the Alpha had a bit cleaner, more dynamic sound. Want to say it was smoother too but some may think that means colouration.
 
I've been eyeing the HA-2 (and now the SE) for a while. If I didn't already have the V10 (and a backup Fiio E18), I would have gotten an HA-2 by now. It checks so many of the right boxes including slim profile. I see why it would give any owner pause about buying an 'audiophile' smartphone.
 
I agree, a year+ is a long time for an 'alpha' release. Seems like we're long past any beta deadline (if there ever was one). But I'm grateful the app is available to take better advantage of good hardware. I used to run Neutron but it requires even more tweaking to maximize sound quality. Neutron sounded better than other music apps (at the time) but now it's UI is outdated and (imo) PA Alpha sounds better even with default settings.
 

 
Don't be sorry. I was j/k. It was funny. lol
 
I C. Very cool! 
 
Well I went ahead and installed Poweramp Alpha 704 on my phone. It would NOT allow me to import the regular Poweramp settings file I had, so I had to create a new one, which I've linked here for all to use (I assume it will work on final official release too?). If you want to know how to install it/import it, ask here and I'll explain. It also includes 2 custom-made EQ presets I'd created, "Bass Lite" and "Bass Liter" (read "lighter", not liter lol). I wasn't able to keep the old version of Poweramp on my phone for comparison, but I'll just try to go off memory. If everyone here seems to think it sounds better, then I'll assume it does. 
 
Yeah the HA-2 is amazing! I love it. But at this point I don't see myself keeping it for long. It's possible even that by next year I won't need it if the HTC 11 or LG G6 (I won't get the phablet LG V, AS MUCH as I want lol) are up to par with the V20. However, you could always try it out if you like. The V10 may sound as good as it does, the V20 most likely sounds better or at least as good I'm guessing. Same with HTC 10. 
 
Yes they need to hurry up and release the final version. I did not have the album art issue on my version, so maybe it's been fixed? Yeah I tried Neutron but didn't think it was better than Poweramp, esp UI-wise.

 

[K.J.]

  I just enabled High Impedance Mode for the first time with my IEMs. I use the Sony xb90ex, and these seem to respond well to more power. They're nt just louder, the seem to have more body, even at lower volume if that makes sense. I've been using AUX mode for the last year onn my V10 and now V20, but I'd alway want a bit more power for the xb90ex since when I play them with my FiiO E12 they sound a bit better to me. So I was happy to read in this thread that there is an easy way to trick into High Impedance Mode by using an analog volume control. I ordered this 2-pack from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DRQEAZO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, and after a bit of fiddling I got it to work 

So this one consistently lets you enable High Impedance Mode, with all heeadphones?

 

[tekwrx]

  So this one consistently lets you enable High Impedance Mode, with all heeadphones?

Yes, it turns on High Impedance Mode every time. Here is how I do it: Plug the volume control extender into the phone while making sure the analog volume dial is set to maximum volume. Then just plug in the headphones into the volume extender. Works just like the old AUX trick, except you just have to make sure the volume dial is set to max otherwise it just turns on external device/aux mode. It's not really a hassle because of the way I wear my IEMs under my shirt I would need to use an extender anyway because the xb90ex have a sort of short cable anyway, so the extension is nice to have. The only problem I've had is since it's a very cheap cable from China, the quality control isn't there. It came as a 2 pack and one of the cables was defective out of the box (sound only from 1 channel). I don't know if I'll contact Amazon about a return because it was only $6, and one of the cables seems to be working fine. One interesting this is that the defective one turns on High Impedance Mode every time it's plugged in, not matter where I have the analog volume dial set 

 

[mangamonster]

Got my V20 in yesterday. Immediate initial impressions were that it sounds as good as almost any DAP I have owned. This morning I did a few quick side by side comparisons with my desktop rig. iMac > Music Fidelity V-DAC > Blue Circle - Hat Peed Thingee. Cans: AKG K7xxx.
 
I used Tidal for both sources for the comparison playing a variety of jazz, electronic and pop. Surprisingly, both sounded very much the same. The desktop setup had only a few things that sets it above the v20. Better separation, depth and detail at higher volume (likely due to greater power output from the desktop amp). That's really about it. The DAC coloration from my V-DAC sounds almost exactly the same as the v20 DACs....honestly, I actually cannot hear any difference in color. Overall, the desktop setup is only sightly better in SQ when compared to my v20...slightly. Better separation and detail..again, slightly.
 
I didn't try any other cans, but I can tell you that the V20 can easily compete with most DAPs, and is worth the purchase. I hate having to dongle anything to my phone to make it sound better, and not having to carry around a DAP in addition to my phone, is a win win for my needs. 
 
Just an FYI, I hate having to download, organize and transfer flac and dsd files. It's a pain, and takes up too much space. Since Tidal came out, it has been a true blessing. While I admit that the best sounding music I've ever heard came from DSD files, the tradeoff of having almost any album immediately available to me in CD quality via Tidal easily trumps anything else out there. Had it not been for the weak amp in the Sony ZX2 (played Tidal as well), I would have kept it and my phone would still be an iPhone. 
 
Good luck to those of you looking for a great audiophile worthy phone. The V20 is definitely up there. 

 

[K.J.]

  Yes, it turns on High Impedance Mode every time. Here is how I do it: Plug the volume control extender into the phone while making sure the analog volume dial is set to maximum volume. Then just plug in the headphones into the volume extender. Works just like the old AUX trick, except you just have to make sure the volume dial is set to max otherwise it just turns on external device/aux mode. It's not really a hassle because of the way I wear my IEMs under my shirt I would need to use an extender anyway because the xb90ex have a sort of short cable anyway, so the extension is nice to have. The only problem I've had is since it's a very cheap cable from China, the quality control isn't there. It came as a 2 pack and one of the cables was defective out of the box (sound only from 1 channel). I don't know if I'll contact Amazon about a return because it was only $6, and one of the cables seems to be working fine. One interesting this is that the defective one turns on High Impedance Mode every time it's plugged in, not matter where I have the analog volume dial set 

Nice! The one I bought wouldn't trigger "HIM", no matter if I maxed the volume or not, always AUX mode. Just ordered the 2 pack.
 
I and my PM-3 thank you for the find..

 

[Koolpep]

Oh its doing something that is audible. I just am unsure why the 600 ohm T1 isn't triggering the same profile as for the 50 ohm HD558. The High Impedance output says that its for 50 - 600 ohm headphones, and the sound is being auto adjusted, and there is the Hi-Fi logo on the side.
The External Audio Device has a stereo plug logo and doesn't mention any adjustments. It looks like the headphone jack is becoming a simple lineout to external speakers or something but not tuned for headphones.

Just to be sure, you do connect the adapter 6.3->3.5mm to the headphone and then connect the adapter to the V20? If you do it the other way round - it will trigger aux mode.

Cheers,.