[Deders]

I bought a 150 ohm adapter to get the V30 to run in High Impedance mode to drive my Audeze Mobius properly as Aux mode makes the treble overly harsh. I'm getting great results with a Cayin C5 in between. I realise it's effectively triple amping and I'm constantly having to ride the gains to avoid overloading depending on the song, but it still sounds much better than Aux mode or Bluetooth.

I'd rather simplify this but the 150 Ohm adapter I bought doesn't seem to have any effect on the readout of the HiFi Status App, it still reports AUX. Is it safe to say that the adapter is faulty or am I doing something wrong?

 

[csglinux]

I'd rather simplify this but the 150 Ohm adapter I bought doesn't seem to have any effect on the readout of the HiFi Status App, it still reports AUX. Is it safe to say that the adapter is faulty or am I doing something wrong?

150 Ohm is sufficient, but you need a closed circuit. If nothing is plugged into the adapter when you plug it into your V30, the V30 will see infinite impedance, hence aux (external device) mode.

What you want to do is plug your headphones into the high-impedance adapter, then plug that into a passive (passthrough, 0 Ohm adapter), then plug that passive adapter plug into the V30. This will trigger high-impedance mode. Then remove the 150 Ohm adapter from the chain. The V30 will remain in high-impedance mode as long as you don't unplug the first (passive/passthrough) adapter.

That passive adapter is crucial - otherwise your 150 Ohm adapter is just taking one step forward and one step back again in terms of power - and it may also be skewing your FR. You only want to use the 150 Ohm adapter to trigger high-impedance mode. You don't want it in there when you're actually listening to your headphones.

 

[sunshine83]

150 Ohm is sufficient, but you need a closed circuit. If nothing is plugged into the adapter when you plug it into your V30, the V30 will see infinite impedance, hence aux (external device) mode.

What you want to do is plug your headphones into the high-impedance adapter, then plug that into a passive (passthrough, 0 Ohm adapter), then plug that passive adapter plug into the V30. This will trigger high-impedance mode. Then remove the 150 Ohm adapter from the chain. The V30 will remain in high-impedance mode as long as you don't unplug the first (passive/passthrough) adapter.

That passive adapter is crucial - otherwise your 150 Ohm adapter is just taking one step forward and one step back again in terms of power - and it may also be skewing your FR. You only want to use the 150 Ohm adapter to trigger high-impedance mode. You don't want it in there when you're actually listening to your headphones.

Man you explained it amazingly simple and I understood for the first time thank you. Now my question is that where can I get a high impedence adapter?

 

[Deders]

150 Ohm is sufficient, but you need a closed circuit. If nothing is plugged into the adapter when you plug it into your V30, the V30 will see infinite impedance, hence aux (external device) mode.

What you want to do is plug your headphones into the high-impedance adapter, then plug that into a passive (passthrough, 0 Ohm adapter), then plug that passive adapter plug into the V30. This will trigger high-impedance mode. Then remove the 150 Ohm adapter from the chain. The V30 will remain in high-impedance mode as long as you don't unplug the first (passive/passthrough) adapter.

That passive adapter is crucial - otherwise your 150 Ohm adapter is just taking one step forward and one step back again in terms of power - and it may also be skewing your FR. You only want to use the 150 Ohm adapter to trigger high-impedance mode. You don't want it in there when you're actually listening to your headphones.

What is a passive adapter?

I had been using a 3.5mm split cable, but even if I plug the headphones into the 150 Ohm adapter and then plug that directly into the V30 (no music, just for testing purposes) it still just gives me Aux mode.

 

[csglinux]

V40 measurements (all three modes) are now also up on @SergeSE's website:

http://soundexpert.org/articles/-/blogs/audio-quality-of-high-end-portable-players

Man you explained it amazingly simple and I understood for the first time thank you. Now my question is that where can I get a high impedence adapter?

Happy to help I would recommend something like the VE Monk Buds. They're more than 50 Ohm, so will kick-in high-impedance mode for you, and they also double as decent earbuds: https://www.amazon.com/Venture-Electronics-MONK-earbud-earphone/dp/B01J0S4AAS

What is a passive adapter?

I had been using a 3.5mm split cable, but even if I plug the headphones into the 150 Ohm adapter and then plug that directly into the V30 (no music, just for testing purposes) it still just gives me Aux mode.

A splitter should be a passive adapter. Is it a TRS or TRRS splitter? Sometimes the TRRS splitters can cause problems. Try something like this with the Monk buds: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079L2RT62/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_qGBADbXHMHZBW
After triggering high-impedance mode, unplug the Monk buds and plug your hard-to-drive headphones in to the above adapter.

 

[Deders]

V40 measurements (all three modes) are now also up on @SergeSE's website:

http://soundexpert.org/articles/-/blogs/audio-quality-of-high-end-portable-players


Happy to help I would recommend something like the VE Monk Buds. They're more than 50 Ohm, so will kick-in high-impedance mode for you, and they also double as decent earbuds: https://www.amazon.com/Venture-Electronics-MONK-earbud-earphone/dp/B01J0S4AAS



A splitter should be a passive adapter. Is it a TRS or TRRS splitter? Sometimes the TRRS splitters can cause problems. Try something like this with the Monk buds: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079L2RT62/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_qGBADbXHMHZBW
After triggering high-impedance mode, unplug the Monk buds and plug your hard-to-drive headphones in to the above adapter.

The Mobius doesn't have its own cable so I have 2 cables I use, 1 TRS and 1 TRRS. I did wonder if it might be an issue so when I tested the adapter with the headphones I tried with both cables individually. Both gave me Aux.

I can't believe I didn't think of using another pair of headphones, thank you! Tried it with a pair of Sennheisers I had lying around and got the Hi-Impedance mode working. I'll order a pair of those VE-Monks as they are much more portable

I still have to turn the pre-amp down by about 8db when eq-ing, maybe it's not the best mode for these?

 

[gimpy]

"I bought a 150 ohm adapter to get the V30 to run in High Impedance mode"

Deders, where did you get that 150 ohm adapter?
A few months ago, I ordered one (not 150) from China, but never received it. I would like to get one.
Thx.

 

[greenmac]

I appreciate this has probably been covered elsewhere but just to clarify, is there any benefit in pairing the LG V30 with a Dragonfly Cobalt when I want to listen to Tidal app ?

 

[csglinux]

I appreciate this has probably been covered elsewhere but just to clarify, is there any benefit in pairing the LG V30 with a Dragonfly Cobalt when I want to listen to Tidal app ?

I don't think so. The DF Cobalt appears to measure with significantly higher distortion than the V30: http://archimago.blogspot.com/2019/08/measurements-dragonflies-audioquest.html

 

[Steve Wilcox]

I'd say the Cobalt provides a small uplift in sound quality, particularly for harder to drive headphones. John Darko also comments on this on his website review of the Cobalt. He's a V30 user too.

Whether the modest uplift is worth the cost and small inconvenience of use is very much a personal decision.

I should add that I have a problem with regular short periods of squeeking distortion with this combo but not yet established where the problem lies.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Improved sound quality caused by harmonic distortions to his ears, i think.

For some (most) people this kind of distortion could be an uplift, right?

 

[csglinux]

Improved sound quality caused by harmonic distortions to his ears, i think.

For some (most) people this kind of distortion could be an uplift, right?

That's a tough question. There are all sorts of reasons why somebody might truly hear an "uplift". It could be from slight differences in output impedance affecting the headphone FR. Power/volume levels used are unknown (typically SNR goes up with V_rms, but so does distortion). Getting repeatable measurements can be hard enough. Repeatable spl-matched blind ABX listening test results are probably impractical or impossible.

I have first-hand experience of hearing a shiny new device sounding far better than its measurements suggest I don't rule out placebo effects even for myself, but I'm also uncertain as to how relevant standard measures of THD and IMD really are when we're listening to actual music. I suspect there's some correlation though, hence I'm skeptical when folks (like AudioQuest) don't provide any specs at all.

 

[Deders]

I appreciate this has probably been covered elsewhere but just to clarify, is there any benefit in pairing the LG V30 with a Dragonfly Cobalt when I want to listen to Tidal app ?

Sorry I missed this, I got mine from an eBay site that I presumed was in China but arrived in the UK surprisingly quickly, but I can't vouch for it as it doesn't seem to be doing its job. I could find the link if you are still thinking if giving it a try, but the earbuds linked in the answer I got above seem like a much better solution.

 

[Steve Wilcox]

Improved sound quality caused by harmonic distortions to his ears, i think.

For some (most) people this kind of distortion could be an uplift, right?

The human ears and brain are an infinitely more complex measuring device than electronic equipment. Listen with your ears, hear with your brain, and connect with your soul.

 

[VI001101106]

I bought a 150 ohm adapter to get the V30 to run in High Impedance mode to drive my Audeze Mobius properly as Aux mode makes the treble overly harsh. I'm getting great results with a Cayin C5 in between. I realise it's effectively triple amping and I'm constantly having to ride the gains to avoid overloading depending on the song, but it still sounds much better than Aux mode or Bluetooth.

I'd rather simplify this but the 150 Ohm adapter I bought doesn't seem to have any effect on the readout of the HiFi Status App, it still reports AUX. Is it safe to say that the adapter is faulty or am I doing something wrong?

I'm hella late on this, but why are you triple amping? You're risking damaging the Mobius as it is an active headphone and already has DSP.

Just plug it in via the USB-C cable to the phone to get the best results...if anything use UAPP to EQ .