[RishiGuru]

Just out of interest, is there a 'better' LG phone than the LG V30 in terms of sound quality?

I haven't listened to them all, but the V30 through the V50 all used the same audio hardware/DAC so I expect they are similar. The V60 uses a different Sabre DAC and lost MQA compatibility.

LG's Quad DAC is ESS ES9218P audio chip. In any LG marketing material if you find the use of Quad DAC it implicitly means ES9218P. The ES9218P was first used by LG G6 (Korean & Indian versions). Later it was implemented in all of their flagship G & V series models. Starting with V30/V30+/V35 then G7/G7+ then V40 then G8 then V50 and finally ending with V50S/G8X. The only difference between V50S & G8X is the former supports 5G networks. For the latest V60 we have the newer ES9219.

Audio tuning house of ES9218P varied from time to time & model to model. G6 & V30 lineup were tuned by B&O, G7 was tuned in-house while V40, G8, V50 & V50S/G8X were all tuned by Meridian Audio.

Regarding audio quality the sound signature of Meridian tuned G8X is dramatically different from my B&O tuned LG V30+. V30+ tuning makes it analytical sounding with an acute knack for detail retrieval. Meridian tuned G8X is more musical and forgiving on headphones while sounding lush and vivid but not loosing anything in terms of details. G8X sounds more like my Vivo NEX S. There is a spatial spaciousness in G8X sound signature which makes for big soundstage on a horizontal plane, while that of V30+ is on a vertical plane. Both V30+ & G8X have their pros and cons in terms of audio quality as both audio tuning houses have their own preferences. Personally I like both.

My G8X came pre-installed with Android 10. My only gripe with Android 10, LG have stopped supporting native DSD audio playback in the software layer. But with more common PCM audio (FLAC, APE, MP3) there are no issues. I don''t care my G8X have no MQA support. Never use it.

I do not want to stick with Android 9 on G8X. LG's Dual Screen concept is in its infancy with many rough edges. Every software/ firmware update brings significant improvements in overall software experience & intuitiveness on G8X. Over 2 years time when this concept gets matured we can skip Android version upgrades as the delta of overall improvement will be much less.

During Diwali sale, brand new G8X with Dual Screen slapped in were retailing for just $245 in Flipkart (owned by Walmart). Bought one at at a heartbeat. LG's are pretty cheap here, my second V30+ was for $150 brand new.

 

[Taz777]

LG's Quad DAC is the ESS ES9218P audio chip. In any LG marketing material if you find the use of Quad DAC it implicitly means ES9218P. The ES9218P was first used by LG G6 (Korean & Indian versions). Later it was implemented in all of their flagship G & V series models. Starting with V30/V30+/V35 then G7/G7+ then V40 then G8 then V50 and finally ending with V50S/G8X. The only difference between V50S & G8X is the former supports 5G networks. For the latest V60 we have the newer ES9219.

Audio tuning house of ES9218P varied from time to time & model to model. G6 & V30 lineup was tuned by B&O, G7 was tuned in-house while V40, G8, V50 & V50S/G8X were all tuned by Meridian Audio.

Regarding audio quality the sound signature of Meridian tuned G8X is dramatically different from my B&O tuned LG V30+. V30+ tuning makes it analytical sounding with an acute knack for detail retrieval. Meridian tuned G8X is more musical and forgiving on headphones while sounding lush and vivid but not loosing anything in terms of details. G8X sounds like my Vivo NEX S. Both V30+ & G8X have their pros and cons in terms of audio quality as both audio tuning houses have their own preferences. Personally I like both.

My only gripe is with Android 10, LG have stopped supporting native DSD audio playback in the software layer. But with more common PCM audio (FLAC, APE, MP3) there are no issues. However I have no complains on my LG G8X. The brand new unit with Dual Screen slapped was retailing for just $245 in Flipkart (owned by Walmart) in India. LG's are pretty cheap here, my second V30+ was for $150 brand new.

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. Which of those would you consider an upgrade from the V30+ and supporting MQA?

 

[RishiGuru]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. Which of those would you consider an upgrade from the V30+ and supporting MQA?

In my ears, there is no clear winner in terms of sound quality between LG V30+ & LG G8X. In terms of sound signature, again depends on the type of music. But grossly you can say Meridian tuning is more enjoyable on almost all genres of music. But this may differ from person to person.

As MQA support is required by you, V50S/G8X goes out of question. I will say go for LG V50 tuned by Meridian Audio. I recommend not to go for V40 as the battery life is questionable. LG in one go was able to improve the battery endurance of 64 hours (V40) to 111 hours (G8X) as per GSMArena tests. It is for the very reason I never bought V40 on the first place.

 

[W1ll1eTheP1mp]

In my ears, there is no clear winner in terms of sound quality between LG V30+ & LG G8X. In terms of sound signature, again depends on the type of music. But grossly you can say Meridian tuning is more enjoyable on almost all genres of music. But this may differ from person to person.

As MQA support is required by you, V50S/G8X goes out of question. I will say go for LG V50 tuned by Meridian Audio. I recommend not to go for V40 as the battery life is questionable. LG in one go was able to improve the battery endurance of 64 hours (V40) to 111 hours (G8X) as per GSMArena tests. It is for the very reason I never bought V40 on the first place.

I have the V40 and have used it extensively for 5 months now. The battery is more of a problem on paper than real life! Never been close of running out of battery before i charged it when i go to bed.

I also was sceptical about V40's mAh, but its no problem at all for me. And i listen to music 3-4 hours everyday + on work.

 

[simon740]

i can confirm that.

 

[RishiGuru]

I have the V40 and have used it extensively for 5 months now. The battery is more of a problem on paper than real life! Never been close of running out of battery before i charged it when i go to bed.

I also was sceptical about V40's mAh, but its no problem at all for me. And i listen to music 3-4 hours everyday + on work.

Good to know the LG V40 is serving you well. Also battery backup lasts for a day for your usage pattern .

I think battery endurance of a phone varies from person to person on his/her usage pattern. A close buddy of mine, music lover to the core and pro gamer as well owned V40 since Jan, 2019. To him V40 was a great phone, but battery runs dry just after afternoon. He had to charge twice a day. With his V40, he could not game & listen to music as he wished on a single charge and take it through a day. He warned me not to have the V40. During a great online sale this year, I bought a pair of Vivo NEX (NEX S in China) and gifted one to him. He is so happy now as he could game and listen music as he wants and the NEX will still last a whole day on a single charge for his usage pattern. V40 now belongs to his wife. The LG G8X has similar battery stamina of NEX, which is great.

V30 & V40 had the same battery capacity but V30 had much better battery endurance. It was not because V40 is worse than V30 but because LG wanted to improve on display quality and tried to come one step closer to what Samsung offered. In doing so it sacrificed battery life and the hardware display driver IC of V40's OLED panel had un-usual power draw even on standby. A fact that to some extend was put forward by AnandTech. LG since had rectified this issue for their next gen of flagships like G8, V50 & V50S/G8X.

With all this in mind and with time, multiple charge discharge cycles, battery capacity will degrade. So what is good for a day now may not be so 2 years later. Hence I always opt for phones with big batteries unless I get insane deals. So in the end it is all about personal usage pattern. I am happy V40 serves you well and you are happy. Enjoy.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

So V50 is a logical step up from V30, i guess.
Will keep it in mind.
Thank you, RishiGuru.

 

[W1ll1eTheP1mp]

Good to know the LG V40 is serving you well. Also battery backup lasts for a day for your usage pattern .

I think battery endurance of a phone varies from person to person on his/her usage pattern. A close buddy of mine, music lover to the core and pro gamer as well owned V40 since Jan, 2019. To him V40 was a great phone, but battery runs dry just after afternoon. He had to charge twice a day. With his V40, he could not game & listen to music as he wished on a single charge and take it through a day. He warned me not to have the V40. During a great online sale this year, I bought a pair of Vivo NEX (NEX S in China) and gifted one to him. He is so happy now as he could game and listen music as he wants and the NEX will still last a whole day on a single charge for his usage pattern. V40 now belongs to his wife. The LG G8X has similar battery stamina of NEX, which is great.

V30 & V40 had the same battery capacity but V30 had much better battery endurance. It was not because V40 is worse than V30 but because LG wanted to improve on display quality and tried to come one step closer to what Samsung offered. In doing so it sacrificed battery life and the hardware display driver IC of V40's OLED panel had un-usual power draw even on standby. A fact that to some extend was put forward by AnandTech. LG since had rectified this issue for their next gen of flagships like G8, V50 & V50S/G8X.

With all this in mind and with time, multiple charge discharge cycles, battery capacity will degrade. So what is good for a day now may not be so 2 years later. Hence I always opt for phones with big batteries unless I get insane deals. So in the end it is all about personal usage pattern. I am happy V40 serves you well and you are happy. Enjoy.

I have already bought a reserve battery for v40. 30 usd. And changing it cost 40-50 usd. As long i use a good case, i have some off the best DAP/phone for many years!

Off course battery is user dependant. I just wanted to say that the V40 battery isnt at all as bad as some are saying it is. I also have the screen on highest quality. Actually im impressed on how LG has made the 3400 mAh battery quite effective due to all the functions the phone has!

Ive had phones with similiar sized batteries with less functions where battery was a main problem! I

I think most of the quad lg buyers preciate audio more than gaming. And if gaming is a priority on a phone, then LG generally is not the best choice

LG V and G series. Best value DAP ever!

 

[RishiGuru]

LG V and G series. Best value DAP ever!

I admit, LG's are best value DAPs.

I never owned a V40 but I found most people over here liked Meridian tuning better than B&O tuned V30. Now I know why. Well Meridian Audio as all may not know is a pioneer in Digital Signal Processing (DSP). They made their first digital surround-sound processor back in 1994. They were also the first with DSP-based digital active loudspeakers. DSP can work miracles if you are in AV amplifiers and AVRs as it can create a pseudo sound signature of say music played in a hall in a tiny physical room.

When I hear the G8X, I always find a spatial spaciousness and expansive audio sound-stage which can be done with DSP processing. I firmly believe, this distinctive sound signature which someone here said 'feel like dancing' is nothing else than Meridian DSP expertise at work. They have implemented their vast knowledge gained on DSP while tuning V40, V50 & G8X Quad DACs. To an audio purist this type of implementation may be complete NO-NO, as DSP processing takes you further away from the truth. But for a music lover like me who enjoys music if it sounds good on ears, it is a big YES-YES. So yeah I love the sound of G8X. And I still adore the razor sharp precision studio sound of my V30+.

BTW, have you upgraded your V40 to Android 10?

 

[RishiGuru]

So V50 is a logical step up from V30, i guess.
Will keep it in mind.
Thank you, RishiGuru.

For me, YES.

Unfortunately, the only QuadDAC models available in India are V30+, G7+, V40 & G8X.

Here 5G networks are still in its infancy, we may get it at earliest by 2022. Hence LG is not keen in launching 5G enabled V50 & V60 here.

We do have LG Velvet (Snapdragon 845 version, 4G) & G8S, but these are non QuadDAC models. Not interested. LG Wing also recently launched here, 5G phone but no headphone jack. Complete NO-NO. It will be alarming for tiny audio enthusiast group of ours if LG looses interest in audio.

In short, LG V50 -> 5G, QuadDAC, Meridian Audio tuning, inbuilt MQA support for QuadDAC, QuadHD OLED display, stereo speakers & solid battery life. If comes pre-installed with Android 9, support for native DSD playback as well.

 

[waveSounds]

LG's Quad DAC is ESS ES9218P audio chip. In any LG marketing material if you find the use of Quad DAC it implicitly means ES9218P. The ES9218P was first used by LG G6 (Korean & Indian versions). Later it was implemented in all of their flagship G & V series models. Starting with V30/V30+/V35 then G7/G7+ then V40 then G8 then V50 and finally ending with V50S/G8X. The only difference between V50S & G8X is the former supports 5G networks. For the latest V60 we have the newer ES9219.

Audio tuning house of ES9218P varied from time to time & model to model. G6 & V30 lineup were tuned by B&O, G7 was tuned in-house while V40, G8, V50 & V50S/G8X were all tuned by Meridian Audio.

Regarding audio quality the sound signature of Meridian tuned G8X is dramatically different from my B&O tuned LG V30+. V30+ tuning makes it analytical sounding with an acute knack for detail retrieval. Meridian tuned G8X is more musical and forgiving on headphones while sounding lush and vivid but not loosing anything in terms of details. G8X sounds more like my Vivo NEX S. There is a spatial spaciousness in G8X sound signature which makes for big soundstage on a horizontal plane, while that of V30+ is on a vertical plane. Both V30+ & G8X have their pros and cons in terms of audio quality as both audio tuning houses have their own preferences. Personally I like both.

My G8X came pre-installed with Android 10. My only gripe with Android 10, LG have stopped supporting native DSD audio playback in the software layer. But with more common PCM audio (FLAC, APE, MP3) there are no issues. I don''t care my G8X have no MQA support. Never use it.

I do not want to stick with Android 9 on G8X. LG's Dual Screen concept is in its infancy with many rough edges. Every software/ firmware update brings significant improvements in overall software experience & intuitiveness on G8X. Over 2 years time when this concept gets matured we can skip Android version upgrades as the delta of overall improvement will be much less.

During Diwali sale, brand new G8X with Dual Screen slapped in were retailing for just $245 in Flipkart (owned by Walmart). Bought one at at a heartbeat. LG's are pretty cheap here, my second V30+ was for $150 brand new.

Your impressions of the V30 tuning versus Meridian tuning match my own experience. Although I've not listened to a Meridian tuned LG I recently started using my Meridian Explorer² with my P30 Pro and was surprised by the difference compared to the V30 - honestly wasn't expecting to be able to hear any at all. If I'm heading out anywhere I'll still grab the LG because I don't have to worry about multiple cables and additional devices and it is obviously impressive for the audio quality it delivers, but I do prefer the more organic sound that Meridian clearly seems to gravitate towards. You're right though, neither is better per se, just different takes on tuning.

 

[sebek]

I found an LG V30 for sale, with these specs:

Is it as good as DAP?

It has only ten months of life and a few scratches on the back, price € 100.

 

[SilverEars]

I got the V50 for primary usage as a phone as well since I want fairly up to date, but for audio usage V30 is perfectly fine. Personally I prefer the older model for being able to replace batteries or increase battery life. I do prefer the snappines of the V50 however.

What's really good about LG V series is the BT high bitrate stability.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

I found an LG V30 for sale, with these specs:

Is it as good as DAP?

It has only ten months of life and a few scratches on the back, price € 100.

Yes.
It does the job very well.

 

[sebek]

Yes.
It does the job very well.

Would the sound quality be better or worse than my FiiO BTR5 (USB DAC mode and balanced output)?

But are all LG V30 are the same? Or are there differences between the models in sound quality?