US Variant SG3 lacks Wolfson Audio Chip

[Kevin OQuinn]

To each their own. There are self-powered DAC/amp setups that are smaller than the phone.

It's not like something this sized would totally cramp your style.

Click to view quoted image


Still, it is what it is. Personally, I have expensive Shure IEM that I use while on the go. As they are very efficient I get the background noisefloor static that the poster up above commented about on a couple of my gadgets, but I just use an inline volume reducer to cut the noise out.

When I'm at home, they sound a lot better with proper amplification. Something that the Wolfson DAC wouldn't change even if it was included on the US version.

Even so, I doubt a person would notice the difference if they were "on the go." The surrounding ambient noise is usually enough to negate any real world improvements. Then you're just left with perceived bias.

In any case, yeah it would be nice to have the brand-name DAC onboard, but something tells me the real world difference between the two has much more to do with placebo than anything else.

-Suntan

You're right that that particular amp is small, but it's still one more thing that someone has to carry with them and find a place for.

I'm with you that it would be much better sound, but I'm not sure the average person (me included, and I love good sound) would lug that around with them.

 

[liteon163]

Why add another DAC when there's one built into the chipset? The few people who could hear it, much less appreciate it, are not worth the additional cost in terms of hardware and software.

As for headphone usage, the only times I use them is when I'm walking for exercise or watching Netflix around people. But I like having the phone as an option.

FWIW Suntan, I knew exactly what you were getting at. And you didn't sound condescending to me, just like an audiophile with an opinion. Me, I'm an audiophile with not enough money to pursue my preferences.

Sent from my LG Spectrum using Tapatalk 2.

 

[droidmyme]

Censor much Kevin?

Idk why you deleted my post. I did not break any of the rules on the forum - I believe. Suntan offered his opinion, and I offered mine. If that's a reason for deleting someone's comment, I'm disappointed.

 

[t35rk]

What is the difference in CALL quality?

I thought I read the US variant isn't as clear, but it is louder. Thoughts?

 

[Crispy]

I would like to see a double blind audio test with the international and US GS3 and the US One X, with proper headphones and audio sources. That's the only way we can find out if there really are audible differences.

 

[Suntan]

FWIW Suntan, I knew exactly what you were getting at. And you didn't sound condescending to me, just like an audiophile with an opinion. Me, I'm an audiophile with not enough money to pursue my preferences.

Please don't confuse me for an audiophile. At least not when it comes to my mobile gadgets.

90% of my headphone listening is done with BT headphones. Either while at work or on a treadmill. When I'm on an airplane I use my shures because they provide excellent ambient noise attenuation. Although if I could use BT on the airplane, I'd probably use my BT earbuds then too.

But in any case, just like everyone is pinning their hopes on the S4 chips onboard LTE to make the GSIII a reception monster, everyone is pinning the expectations of this one wolfson DAC to make the international version an audio marvel.

And just as there is a lot more to analog reception than just the baseband on the SOC, there's a lot more than just the DAC that goes into good audio quality. Namely, the onboard op amps, power filtering and noise shielding. There's a lot of tightly packed bits inside a phone. 4 or 5 different antennas all radiating signals not to mention multiple power conditioners for the SOC and display, etc. All that adds up to a lot of potential for noise. Noise that the DAC has no control over, even if it was a Wolfson, Burr-Brown, or any other name brand chip.

-Suntan