[SNSDluv]

@SNSDluv yes thats what I might do. I actually tried different genres and I found out that on other genres has night and day differences. But since I mostly listen to gospel, pop, rnb, I might return them. Oh btw Im using Westone UM Pro 30. Can u suggest a dac that would make night and day difference from note 4 snapdragon. Thx

That sounds great! I am glad at least you found them useful instead of a complete waste of money.
But to be honest and this is only my own opinion, if you are currently quite satisfied with the sound quality that you are getting with Note 4, and you now have seen that mid-range dac/amp has minute effect on sound quality, you should ask yourself weather dropping over, say $500-$800 on a dac/amp, is justifiable or not. If I were you, I might choose to upgrade your earphones before anything, since it often leads to more notable improvement and different sound signature(could be fun to experiment with different sounds!)

Don't get me wrong, your earphone should not be a bottleneck here. But I am not experienced enough to give you "diagnosis". I am in no position of suggesting you anything since I have only used E12 and just purchased C5D from JDS labs. So I have not had any experience with high-end portable dac/amp. Sorry that I can't help. But you can always do some research yourself if you enjoy doing that. Or just go through Head-Fi forums that are related to your interest.

 

[Duncan]

I decided to go with C5D instead. Herus+ is twice the price of C5D and I think I can get a reasonable boost just with C5D.

Thanks for the input though.
What headphone/earphone do you use? the E18 improves the quality but not in a drastic way, and this is the same across anything that's, say below $300. You will get minor differences here and there, but nothing night/day. People play it up the improvement either because they try to justify their spending, or they actually have golden ears and can tell a big difference. Don't worry too much if you can't tell any differences. Try to A/B for a bit longer, using different genres or perhaps use E18 for an entire week and try to go back to Note. If you still don't notice any differences, then you should probably just sell it since it is not worth it.

...or placebo...

That sounds great! I am glad at least you found them useful instead of a complete waste of money.

But to be honest and this is only my own opinion, if you are currently quite satisfied with the sound quality that you are getting with Note 4, and you now have seen that mid-range dac/amp has minute effect on sound quality, you should ask yourself weather dropping over, say $500-$800 on a dac/amp, is justifiable or not. If I were you, I might choose to upgrade your earphones before anything, since it often leads to more notable improvement and different sound signature(could be fun to experiment with different sounds!)


Don't get me wrong, your earphone should not be a bottleneck here. But I am not experienced enough to give you "diagnosis". I am in no position of suggesting you anything since I have only used E12 and just purchased C5D from JDS labs. So I have not had any experience with high-end portable dac/amp. Sorry that I can't help. But you can always do some research yourself if you enjoy doing that. Or just go through Head-Fi forums that are related to your interest.

I would say that the UMs are probably reaching the plateau of where they sound good - looking at the Senn IE800, sound great out of the Note 4, and a little better out of the Chord Hugo, put the Shure 846 in place, and whilst they [to these ears] sound better than the IE800 through the phone, they sound better yet through the Hugo...

I think my sentence above would look better with a graph I could point to, haha... anyhow, if happy with UM and Note 4, stay there! - the Note IS a good source, and I don't care what anyone says! - but, there IS better out there for sure, but - you have to invest more on both your front end AND source AND amp, to really hear it...

 

[SNSDluv]

...or placebo...
I would say that the UMs are probably reaching the plateau of where they sound good - looking at the Senn IE800, sound great out of the Note 4, and a little better out of the Chord Hugo, put the Shure 846 in place, and whilst they [to these ears] sound better than the IE800 through the phone, they sound better yet through the Hugo...

I think my sentence above would look better with a graph I could point to, haha... anyhow, if happy with UM and Note 4, stay there! - the Note IS a good source, and I don't care what anyone says! - but, there IS better out there for sure, but - you have to invest more on both your front end AND source AND amp, to really hear it...

Duncan, have you compared Note 4 to iPhone 6? Also, I am going for C5D from JDS lab from E12 as I want to try out the different modes of bass boost, any suggestion/opinion? Btw, I have a bunch of headphones that I use, namely DUNU N2000, Momentum Over-Ear, M50X, and Custom One Pro.

 

[Duncan]

Afraid I haven't - Steering clear of IP6, don't want to spend any more money! (right now I have Note 4, LG G3 and Lumia 930) - I did like the 5S, and would've been quite happy staying there, if the battery life wasn't so damned terrible!

If that is better on the 6, then undoubtedly that is a great [if not, best] contender for overall smartphone headphone output, I just get fed up with being burned by not being able to use my phone as a phone due to battery issues (which happens with the G3 too, terrible battery / overheating issues on my unit!)...

 

[Clyvesz]

SNSDluvDuncan
Being an audiophile sure is an expensive hobby hahaha But it sure pays off when your tired or something then sit back and jam away with your gear.
I will surely return my e18 to amazon. Thank God for returns
And RE: upgrading my earphone, I think I will stay a little bit longer since I just bought it at amazon too like a month or more ago
Thanks for all the inputs in learning

 

[Clyvesz]

So I found out that my UM Pro 30 is still returnable nyahahha.. I guess I would upgrade. Any suggestions? SE846 sounds awesomw but expensive.
I want over ears or in ears and not headsets

 

[SNSDluv]

@SNSDluv@Duncan
Being an audiophile sure is an expensive hobby hahaha But it sure pays off when your tired or something then sit back and jam away with your gear.
I will surely return my e18 to amazon. Thank God for returns

And RE: upgrading my earphone, I think I will stay a little bit longer since I just bought it at amazon too like a month or more ago

Thanks for all the inputs in learning

No problem. It is tough, being in this rabbit hole But you should only upgrade when you are unsatisfied!
Yeah man, your earphone is really good too, sit tight and enjoy your music ride!

 

[Duncan]

So I found out that my UM Pro 30 is still returnable nyahahha.. I guess I would upgrade. Any suggestions? SE846 sounds awesomw but expensive.
I want over ears or in ears and not headsets

That is probably a discussion for a different thread, but - if YOU (forgetting anyone elses opinions or biases) could improve anything with your UM experience, what would it be? (any tonal deficiencies / problems that you can hear??)

If you have no answer to that question, stay exactly where you are, and be happy with a great product - if you DO have issues / room for improvement, then start a new thread, saying what you do, and do not like with your gear, and try and get suggestions that way

 

[Clyvesz]

The first one I bought really was a SE425, wasnt bassy enough for me so I went UM Pro 30. Found some improvements and I thought im already cool with it. Till I found Fiio E18 Bass gain. I love the thump of the base / low notes. So I guess thats my answer.

 

[warrior1975]

The Shure Se846 is one of my favorite headphones. They sound very good out of the Note 4 too...I have a few TOTL phones, but the overall best experience is with them due to perfect fit, isolation, and beautiful sound. Downside is the cost, but to me, they were well worth it.

 

[Clyvesz]

Question: Is Se846 like the god of in ears?
and what's its counterpart in terms of headphones?

 

[Duncan]

Question: Is Se846 like the god of in ears?
and what's its counterpart in terms of headphones?

Subjective question, that you'll only be able to answer when you hear them for yourself (for me, right now - yes, very much so!)

Full size equivalent, I really have no idea, they're to me - quite unique, the balance / presence is pushed so far forward, makes everything (extra especially vocals) sound so 'there'...

 

[Clyvesz]

Let me rephrase, how about this

What is the "SE 846" of headphones?

Cause I might go headphones, still thinking cause its too big hahaha

 

[milford30]

Let me rephrase, how about this

What is the "SE 846" of headphones?

Cause I might go headphones, still thinking cause its too big hahaha

 
I find the Sony MDR 1R MK2 sounding closest i've heard out of higher end portable headphones like momentums, M100 etc... The new MDR 1A is suppose to sound even closer with better bass.

 

[t1337Dude]

Hey guys, I'm experiencing really poor sound quality with my Galaxy Note 4. I noticed through certain speakers if I listen with a regular aux cord, the volume levels fluctuate and it sounds like some frequencies and sounds are missing and not coming through. If I test with the handset that came with it phone, it works 100% perfectly. But as soon as I plug it into my Audioengine A5's (specifically), the sound is crappy. Anyone have any proposed solutions? I'd take my phone back but last time I did that, they just plugged in their own handset, listened to music for 3 seconds, and determined "it works".