Hi everyone
My recent issues with my lgv20 and then reading of the discussions here about DACs and the new Sony headphones leaves me wondering: is it better to have headphones with a built in DAC like the Sony's or the parrots (https://m.catch.com.au/product/parrot-zik-3-wireless-headpho…) or to have the DAC in the phone?
My thinking is the DAC in the headphones would then be applicable to multiple sources (PC, stereo device etc) whereas the phone is just the phone?
But does it also depend on the file itself, so that no amount of DAC on the headphones will make the music sound good if it's not already in a decent condition?
Thanks in advance :)
Headphones with DAC Vs Phone with DAC
TheRealCher on 13/09/2018 - 11:22
Comments
For most people, it is redundant.
For some, the DAC is also a preamp. Again redundant for cheap ear/headphones.
An external DAC/amp makes a big difference for better ear/headphones which typicall run at higher impedence.
This might be what I'm confusing it with. Or maybe how well the V20 DAC works?
I'm learning as I go :)
DAC closer to the output is always better. You'll lose signal quality the longer the analogue signal travels (from headphone jack to speakers).
Your phone converts the digial music file into analogue and sends it out through the headphone jack / speakers so I'm not sure what comparison you're trying to make.
The file bitrate and frequency will impact the sound quality. FLAC is the most widely accepted lossless format people are downloading.
ive had both a portable dac and i have a dac in my phone (axon7). theres a lot of overkill and marketing hype regarding DAC and audio, and after a week of use your hearing is going to adjust to the sound you get.
Youll hear something different regardless of the type of headphones or where the sound is coming from (computer, phone, car stereo etc) and be able to tell the difference in quality when using a DAC. But it wont last and you dont get value out of it, as you are listening to it privately and as my comment above, your hearing adjusts and it becomes normal sound for you after a short while.
The DAC headphones i just another marketing ploy.
Having a second DAC is redundant (in the headphones) for you.Phone USB out to a DAC to playback device.
DACs are a mature market. Phones are on annual cycle. Earphones/headphones suffer wear and tear.
Just get a DAC that would suit your budget. FiiO is good enough for travel/commute.
What issues did you have with lg v20? I have had this phone for 2 weeks.
I've had some bricking issues which seem battery related. I've done a factory reset but I'm not using it to. It's full capacity yet.
What I found though was how different the music sounded when I ran my cable Momentum through my Sony Xperia phone compared to the joy of my V20.
It's a great phone.Yes and you are able to fix the battery issue because it's one of the last to have a removable battery, which was a selling point for me. The xperia z3 is supposed to be good for audio as well, not sure if you have that model. Have you rooted the v20 yet? It opens up plenty of possibilities to enhance the audio even further with viper4android.
Haven't rooted it yet. Ironically was trying not to void the grey warranty 😁
My xperia is just a performance… Almost two years old. The battery life is good but only 32g internal so it's slow. But I'm listening to music through my Sony wireless with NC and it's pretty good, clearer than with the sennheiser
It's amazing how much attention DACs get considering they all do the same thing because it's decades old technology and you cannot improve on perfect when the job is converting digital samples to analogue signals that sound the same as what was sampled.
Nonetheless, audiophiles are going to insist they can hear differences in between a $2 DAC and a $2000 DAC even though they don't when they do not know what they're listening to.
Doesn't every audio output device have a DAC inbuilt otherwise it wouldn't work with headphones without a DAC?
Having a second DAC seems redundant to me.