[CarlosBryant]

This can be achieved by connecting the V30 via USB to a dedicated Dac/amp.

I think the time v30 unfortunately comes to an end and all that remains is to change it to S10 \ 20 \ s21 or any other phone and use the type-c angle adapter on the back of the phone and AKM or ESS usb DAC

so far this is the best i have come up with

 

[RumbleWeed]

"It scales better with a proper amp" doesn't count if you're looking at the V30, bc in this case the V30 is just the source.
Sometimes (very often) people messing with higher volume level = better sound.
But that isn't the case.

The HIM mode is just higher output to the earphones.
There's no other improvement.

Whit that said, someone may like the sound presentation of the V30, and someone prefer a warmer tonality.
This can be achieved by connecting the V30 via USB to a dedicated Dac/amp.

It all comes down to your own preferences.
I can listen to my Era-1 out of the V30 with HIM fairly loud, but it isn't pleasant anymore.

While listening to a proper Dac/amp like R-28 or the Mojo, the sound of the Era-1 is more pleasant to me, even if the volume isn't on par with the V30.
One has to keep in mind that the V30 has a very detailed and "brilliant" sound presentation which works best with warmer tuned headphones, imo.

I'm curious about your findings using different adapters in between, nonetheless.

It's obvious that everyone has to explore the different behaviors for him(her)self in this hobby.
No fault on this.

Thank you for taking the time to explain it gives me a lot to consider now because when I have asked others about using a seperate amo & dac with the V30 they said it would not work! So this is EXELLENT music to my ears If you don't mind could you recommend a good USB DAC/AMP to pair with the V30 and the UM MEST MK2? I like a warm Presintation with a deep & layered Low-end and a extended high frequency with plenty of detail but not harsh?
I can spend about £100-£150? Thank you

 

[Steve Wilcox]

I'd urge anyone with a V30 to have a listen to it in high impedance mode (after removing the HIM adapter from the chain). Yes, it plays louder, but in my experience, the overall sound quality is far superior. I have found this to be the case with all the IEMs and headphones I've tried with it. The sound quality pushes the Mojo very, very close but for portable use the convenience of the V30 on its own is a no brainer.

 

[RumbleWeed]

I'd urge anyone with a V30 to have a listen to it in high impedance mode (after removing the HIM adapter from the chain). Yes, it plays louder, but in my experience, the overall sound quality is far superior. I have found this to be the case with all the IEMs and headphones I've tried with it. The sound quality pushes the Mojo very, very close but for portable use the convenience of the V30 on its own is a no brainer.

See this is what i have heard from LOTS of different people, but also have heard the opposite from LOTS of other people! That's the crazy thing about forums & advice in general? In the end you have to try these things YOUSELF! lol. So I'm gonna try this myself, i have a brand new in the box V30 and the UM MEST mk2 on the way, i will order a 50ohm adapter and test it. Is the following the correct way of doing this?
1/ Connect MEST to the adapter.
2/ Plug the adapter with MEST connected to it into the V30.
3/ Remove the Adapter & MEST.
4/ Remove MEST from the Adapter.
5/ Plug MEST back into V30 on it own "without" adapter.
Have i understood this correct?
Thanks for everyone's help i appreciate it very much.
In regards to a USB DAC/Amp
after some searching for one in my price range £100-£150 iv decided on the Hidisz S9, for any one familiar with this model, is it good enough for my price range or is there anything significantly better?
Also, before i had the advice on the USB DAC i was going The easrStudio ES100 MK2 Bluetooth dac/amp, so I was thinking is the a good USB DAC/AMP that can also work as a Bluetooth amp/dac? I mainly listen to Tidel and will be storing my CD collect to an SD-card on the V30.
Once again thanks for everyone's help you have all been extremely helpful

 

[RumbleWeed]

"It scales better with a proper amp" doesn't count if you're looking at the V30, bc in this case the V30 is just the source.
Sometimes (very often) people messing with higher volume level = better sound.
But that isn't the case.

The HIM mode is just higher output to the earphones.
There's no other improvement.

Whit that said, someone may like the sound presentation of the V30, and someone prefer a warmer tonality.
This can be achieved by connecting the V30 via USB to a dedicated Dac/amp.

It all comes down to your own preferences.
I can listen to my Era-1 out of the V30 with HIM fairly loud, but it isn't pleasant anymore.

While listening to a proper Dac/amp like R-28 or the Mojo, the sound of the Era-1 is more pleasant to me, even if the volume isn't on par with the V30.
One has to keep in mind that the V30 has a very detailed and "brilliant" sound presentation which works best with warmer tuned headphones, imo.

I'm curious about your findings using different adapters in between, nonetheless.

It's obvious that everyone has to explore the different behaviors for him(her)self in this hobby.
No fault on this.

Youv been so helpful and really appreciate it I still haven't found the adapter FR Graph but I'm going to ahead and buy a 30,50 & 75ohm adapters from AliExpress and give it a go and see what happens? And i will for sure come back to let you know how it all go's? But please be patient because i won't get my MEST for another week or so and the adaters will take a few weeks to arrive! But once I have it all and test it out i will come straight back with the results. Once again, thanks for everyone's help i appreciate it very much

 

[Chris Kaoss]

See this is what i have heard from LOTS of different people, but also have heard the opposite from LOTS of other people! That's the crazy thing about forums & advice in general? In the end you have to try these things YOUSELF! lol. So I'm gonna try this myself, i have a brand new in the box V30 and the UM MEST mk2 on the way, i will order a 50ohm adapter and test it. Is the following the correct way of doing this?
1/ Connect MEST to the adapter.
2/ Plug the adapter with MEST connected to it into the V30.
3/ Remove the Adapter & MEST.
4/ Remove MEST from the Adapter.
5/ Plug MEST back into V30 on it own "without" adapter.
Have i understood this correct?
Thanks for everyone's help i appreciate it very much.
In regards to a USB DAC/Amp
after some searching for one in my price range £100-£150 iv decided on the Hidisz S9, for any one familiar with this model, is it good enough for my price range or is there anything significantly better?
Also, before i had the advice on the USB DAC i was going The easrStudio ES100 MK2 Bluetooth dac/amp, so I was thinking is the a good USB DAC/AMP that can also work as a Bluetooth amp/dac? I mainly listen to Tidel and will be storing my CD collect to an SD-card on the V30.
Once again thanks for everyone's help you have all been extremely helpful

The procedure to use HIM without adapter is:

Get a short extension cable -> plug the adapter to the cable -> connect the cable to V30 -> once HIM is activated, remove the adapter ( not the cable ) -> attach the earphones to the extension cable -> enjoy.

I forgot to mention:
The app "Hifi-Status" is an useful one to show which mode is actually set.

 

[RumbleWeed]

I'd urge anyone with a V30 to have a listen to it in high impedance mode (after removing the HIM adapter from the chain). Yes, it plays louder, but in my experience, the overall sound quality is far superior. I have found this to be the case with all the IEMs and headphones I've tried with it. The sound quality pushes the Mojo very, very close but for portable use the convenience of the V30 on its own is a no brainer.

See this is what i have heard from LOTS of different people, but also have heard the opposite from LOTS of other people! That's the crazy thing about forums & advice in general? In the end you have to try these things YOUSELF! lol. So I'm gonna try this myself, i have a brand new in the box V30 and the UM MEST mk2 on the way, i will order a 50ohm adapter and test it?
In regards to a USB DAC/Amp
after some searching for one in my price range £100-£150 iv decided on the Hidisz S9, for any one familiar with this model, is it good enough for my price range or is there anything significantly better?
Also, before i had the advice on the USB DAC i was going to buy the Earretudio ES100 MK2 Bluetooth dac/amp, so I was thinking is there a good USB DAC/AMP that can also work as a Bluetooth amp/dac? I mainly listen to Tidel and i have a Bluesound Power

 

[RumbleWeed]

The procedure to use HIM without adapter is:

Get a short extension cable -> plug the adapter to the cable -> connect the cable to V30 -> once HIM is activated, remove the adapter ( not the cable ) -> attach the earphones to the extension cable -> enjoy.

I forgot to mention:
The app "Hifi-Status" is an useful one to show which mode is actually set.

Got ya i understand how to trigger HM now thank you.

 

[Dannemand]

See this is what i have heard from LOTS of different people, but also have heard the opposite from LOTS of other people! That's the crazy thing about forums & advice in general? In the end you have to try these things YOUSELF! lol. So I'm gonna try this myself, i have a brand new in the box V30 and the UM MEST mk2 on the way, i will order a 50ohm adapter and test it. Is the following the correct way of doing this?

You have to find a way to accurately level match when comparing HIM to Normal mode (HiFi mode). Even very small volume differences will skew the impression.

Subjectively I believe I've heard a difference, with HIM sounding more boomy and less detailed. But measurements and code analysis don't back it up.

There ARE in fact some differences in how the ESS DAC is programmed between the two modes, specifically the so-called THD compensation, which is adapted to the different power curves of the two modes. That can make for a slight difference when you're playing at much lower volume setting in HIM and much higher volume setting in HiFi mode. But it would not explain the HUGE difference described by some/many.

The middle Aux mode (triggered when >600 Ohm is measured) is actually just a variation of HiFi mode allowing 1Vrms max power, but otherwise the same DAC mode. HiFi mode (<50 Ohm) is limited in power, probably to avoid hearing damage. And of course HIM (>50 Ohm) is max 2Vrms.

This has been discussed, measured and analyzed (not just debated) in much detail earlier in the thread.

Edit: Note that I am certainly NOT saying that people shouldn't test and compare and use what they prefer!

 

[Bay Jingles]

Do the G7, G8, V35, V40, V50 and V60 models offer an improvement over the V30 in terms of sound quality? As far as I know, ES9218P was used in all except V60. ES9219 was used on the V60. Is this an important difference?

 

[CarlosBryant]

Do the G7, G8, V35, V40, V50 and V60 models offer an improvement over the V30 in terms of sound quality? As far as I know, ES9218P was used in all except V60. ES9219 was used on the V60. Is this an important difference?

I think no
I think it's time to move on
and use the DAC input by type-c

 

[Dannemand]

Do the G7, G8, V35, V40, V50 and V60 models offer an improvement over the V30 in terms of sound quality? As far as I know, ES9218P was used in all except V60. ES9219 was used on the V60. Is this an important difference?

@csglinux measured various DAPs and phones on the website linked below, and found V60 to measure rather incredibly, and significantly better than earlier models. Whether you will be able to hear the difference is the question, since the older models already measured very well. V35 in particular.

https://www.hypethesonics.com/dapti-database/

On the con side, V60 has issues with DSD and doesn't natively support MQA. These matter to some, and not to others.

I am keeping my V30s in service for a while yet (I have two). But in general I must agree that it is time to move on from the oldest LG models, particularly since they will lose their voice features once mobile carriers starts turning off 3G networks next year. Technically the phones support VoLTE, but unless they happen to support your specific carrier in your specific region, you may be out of luck. Carrier locking is coming back, but in new and more insidious way

 

[wric01]

Ultimate end game sound quality.
1. Root phone first.
2. Install latest Magisk
3. Install Magisk modules: Ainur Sauron MK I or II, Audio Modification Library
4. For v30. If you can find it Whiskyomega zip file with xml selection to boost volume and other options.
5. Viper4audio Magisk module if you want to tinker, hundreds of ways to enjoy audio but quality of audio kind of low compared to no effects of the above 1-4. (Soundwise, it's equal if not better than my Topping dx 7 pro DAC. ).

 

[CarlosBryant]

on custom firmwares, it is also possible to control the volume of the ess output operational amplifiers and set the hi impedance mod forcibly

 

[odontonator]

My V30 battery is barely hanging on for dear life. Have loved the quad DAC sound profile and power. Looking for a replacement, possibly either a Pixel 6 Pro or Xperia 5 iii if it ever gets released to the USA. I recently acquired an Earmen Tr-Amp to give me more power and flexibility for driving my headphones, either from desktop source or a future phone. I've enjoyed pairing the Tr-Amp (using Spotify Premium on MacBook Pro) with my HD800S, but not so much when I pair it with either my Shure 846s or my MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Opens. Surprisingly, I actually prefer the V30 with the other two. Perhaps the V30 may be more bright and analytical and thus balance out the warmer, bass-focused nature of those phones. The Tr-Amp seems less neutral than I would have guessed: I get a more bloated bass and lose some treble separation and texture compared to the V30. Does that make any sense to you all? Anyhow, wondering if you all think I might choose a better portable DAC/amp to connect with a future phone (and desktop) that preserves some of what I love about the V30 quad DAC.