Exynos Note 8 user here. Just my opinion here based on my personal experience, but this is a great phone for IEMs. High impedance headphones - not so much. Here's my rundown:
*Using my Campfire Andromeda's, at first plugging them in with no configurations to sound, I thought they sounded a bit too high treble wise and seemed too sharp and sibilant.
However, after doing adapt sound (which it picked up a perfect 100% on all frequency beeps for me) and turning on UHQ upscale, the sound is VASTLY improved. Way more dynamics, clarity, less sharp treble, and bass definitely is there now. Compared to my ZX-300, These obviously aren't being driven to their full potential, but I'd say they're hitting about 80% of what the 300 brings out of em. Very pleased tbh for a mobile device.
*My HD 600's didn't fare so well. They didn't hit all of the frequencies on adapt sound to my ears + the volume is just nearly serviceable. Like I need to literally max out the volume to get them to be decently "loud". However I can CLEARLY point out they're not really being fully pushed here, dynamics and soundstage are way lower than my 300 and they have barely much bass or low end, and sibilant treble. I will say though, for what it is, they still sound damn good compared to other phones I've tried them on. So kudos for that. The Cirrus Logic DAC is doing a decent job.
*Bluetooth wise, this phone is about 95% as best of bluetooth sound quality wise you'll get. My 300 is a step better in this regard, but this gives such near flawless, clean sound to my Bose Soundsport Free's and Sony WH1000XM2's. Very nice + it supports most high end bluetooth codecs (APTX and LDAC)
-Compared to the V30-
This was my big decision. Sound quality wise right away though and you'll be oddly surprised. This literally holds up to I'd say 90% of the sound quality of the V30.
Most of that 10% is the fact that the V30 can drive higher impedance headphones easily, but I noticed my 600 had a very similar sound signature though to my Note 8 driving it, but just with louder sound. Pretty interesting to the say the least, regardless the 300 obviously was way better. I'd say though my Andromedas, to my ears, sounded no different on the V30 or 8.
I didn't try much other headphones, bluetooth sound was about par.
All in all though, this is the far better phone in my honest opinion with about the same sound quality as the V30( as long as you get the Exynos, the Snapdragon version is definitely inferior) and it's also to me more beautiful looking and a more productive, useful phone.
But let's be honest, any DAP will slap most mobile phones like nobody's business, but for what it's worth, Samsung did good here. And I applaud them for it.
You can easily score a Note 8 Exynos new on ebay (like me) for $500, and in that regard it's a FANTASTIC deal and a very capable mobile audio player. And of course most important of all, a very brilliant smartphone. This is my second baby next to my 300, and it will be for a very long time!!!
