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jaydunndiddit
3262
Oct 29, 2018
To save some cash, just buy the older LG V20/V30. Unlocked, they can be had under $400 easy these days. Probably even more used. They include the nice quad DAC and can output about 2 Vrms, which is enough for most unless you're trying to drive some 300 ohm Senns. At that point, any portable amp that's powerful and clean should be all you need (Pico Power, Fiio A5, etc). If you need bluetooth and the power to drive full size headphones, the iFi xDSD is a high quality unit that has gobs of power to spare among other benefits. Everything I listed is well under your budget and still leaves plenty of cash to spare. If you absolutely had to have a new phone, LG has newer versions of the G7 and Vx0. They clock in under a grand and you would still have room for an amp as the DAC in these two LG models are quite good.
phoenixsong
1055
Oct 31, 2018
jaydunndidditWhat does unlocked mean actually? I've been seeing those around for good prices, but never made a move due to a lack of understanding :p
jaydunndiddit
3262
Oct 31, 2018
phoenixsongThat it's not locked to any carrier. As long as you have a compatible type Sim card and service, you can use the phone with whatever carrier you wish. Just double check what frequencies and bands they use to make sure the phones radios are compatible. Sometimes, that can different with unlocked phones. But, all of this only matters if you want cellular service. As long as you had WiFi, you could use the device completely as is sans the phone functions. I do the same with a rooted and modded Note 3.
phoenixsong
1055
Oct 31, 2018
jaydunndidditCool, that's really great to know! Thanks ^^
kr11048
1
Oct 31, 2018
jaydunndidditBe warned though. Unlocked LG smartphones can be faked. I got one on eBay and it works fine, BUT whatever the seller did to it to spoof the "unlocked" state made it impossible to upgrade the OS or to do firmware upgrades. The LG updating software will not detect the phone and an internet search seems to indicate this is a common issue. Also the quad DAC controls on the V30 auto-detect the impedance of your headphones and adjust to match but not very effectively. My V30+ drives my 300 Ω HD600s significantly better than my 32 Ω Beyer T5p and there doesn't seem to be any way to override the auto-detection.
phoenixsong
1055
Oct 31, 2018
kr11048Ah, thanks for highlighting the concern, I appreciate it. About the V30's auto-adjustment... Do you think it's because of the headphones' different sensitivity? I have never really tried driving high-impedance headphones with low power amps before haha! How would under-driven headphones sound in comparison to if they were well driven?
kr11048
1
Oct 31, 2018
phoenixsongAapparently the quad dac doesn't really kick in on anything under 50 ohms. So easier-to-drive headphones just don"t get very loud. I listen on the T5p at max volume and still want more. On the much harder to drive HD600 I'm fine at 85-90% volume.
phoenixsong
1055
Nov 1, 2018
kr11048Oh I see! Just had an idea- have you tried plugging resistors between the phone jack and the headphones? Something like the Ifi Earbuddy
kr11048The quad DAC is in play but you don't receive full gain, roughly 50% max voltage and the only way to bypass it is with sideloaded 3rd party apps or impedance adapters. Essentially an automatic gain switch... only gets in the way with low impedance planars and per another comment... the T5P from Beyer
phoenixsong@ElectronicVices @kr11048 There's no need to worry about the impedance trick. There are workarounds out there that don't affect SQ: https://imgur.com/a/53lKd. The parts in this "trick" are also cheap and you'll probably just need the impedance adapter as you probably have a short aux cable around somewhere.
phoenixsong
1055
Nov 1, 2018
jaydunndidditCool, that's a neat idea! Which also means that it applies to headphones with detachable cables that can be interchanged :)
TheIzzardKing
359
Nov 1, 2018
jaydunndidditthanks to all who replied in this string, you guys are really helping me out here. thanks a ton.
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