Anyone know about the DAC Sound chip?

[phillthedrill]

Does anyone know what the sound chip is in this new phone....like the DAC, etc... I have the Note 8 and I just wasn't sure if there was any better sound for music from this new phone. I remember the LG phones having higher end audio or something.

 

[stackberry369]

dac? I thought all Samsung phones come with Dolby Atmos?

 

[LilSweetLin]

Does anyone know what the sound chip is in this new phone....like the DAC, etc... I have the Note 8 and I just wasn't sure if there was any better sound for music from this new phone. I remember the LG phones having higher end audio or something.

I tested both the S10s and the LG V40 in store on Saturday with my 100 ohm Sony headphones. LG's quad DAC is still the best smartphone audio set up. Samsung is getting closer, though.

 

[Xxtoxicskittlexx]

Does anyone know what the sound chip is in this new phone....like the DAC, etc... I have the Note 8 and I just wasn't sure if there was any better sound for music from this new phone. I remember the LG phones having higher end audio or something.

No special DAC in the S or the Note series. It's all audio tuning and the ability to play hi-res audio. Trust me if they did they would be touting it at the keynote because a dedicated DAC like in an LG V series is pricey.

If you are looking for separation and phenomenal sound space then the LGs have the ESS SABRE DAC Chip.

 

[madlaw1071]

The Note 9 has magic happening in it's DAC and I hope the S10 + is at least as good. It's not true that all Galaxies are the same. The Note 9's DAC craps all over the S9+ that I had and they were both of the same generation. Same goes for the speakers, Note 9 clearly superior.

 

[phillthedrill]

I'll probably just wait until the Note 10 comes out but I thought it was pretty interesting that Samsung hasn't gotten up to the level of audio found in the LG phones.

 

[robber]

The spec shows a 32bit chip that is 128 DSD capable.

 

[Xxtoxicskittlexx]

The spec shows a 32bit chip that is 128 DSD capable.

That is an incorrect statement. Specs show it is capable of playing 32bit sound. As I mentioned above audio processing is strictly tuned via software by AKG and Samsung.

32 Bit chip is an actual DAC that is present on the LGs. It's called the ESS SABRE chip.

Here is what the Samsung website says:
Ultra high quality audio playback UHQ 32-bit & DSD64/128 support PCM: Up to 32 bits, DSD: DSD64/128

 

[robber]

That is an incorrect statement. Specs show it is capable of playing 32bit sound. As I mentioned above audio processing is strictly tuned via software by AKG and Samsung.

32 Bit chip is an actual DAC that is present on the LGs. It's called the ESS SABRE chip.

Here is what the Samsung website says:
Ultra high quality audio playback UHQ 32-bit & DSD64/128 support PCM: Up to 32 bits, DSD: DSD64/128

This has nothing to do with "tuning", we are talking about physical architecture and processing capabilities. It seems very safe to assume that this device is capable of natively decoding 32 bit files. (not that any of us have them anyway) Additionally, the Sabre isn't the only 32 bit DAC on the market.

What you seem to be suggesting is that the DSP ahead of the dac is resampling 32 bit inputs down to 24 bits, it could be possible. Regardless, DSD support (which is a format that only audiophiles are aware of and buying) points to some thought going into the audio capabilities of this device which is a good sign.

Anyway, specs are specs, and sound is sound. Even if the device is capable of processing 32 bit streams without resampling, it doesn't mean that it will sound anywhere near as good as what LG has accomplished in their most recent phones. It does appear that Samsung acknowledges LGs lead in this area, and is working on leveling up.

 

[Xxtoxicskittlexx]

This has nothing to do with "tuning", we are talking about physical architecture and processing capabilities. It seems very safe to assume that this device is capable of natively decoding 32 bit files. (not that any of us have them anyway) Additionally, the Sabre isn't the only 32 bit DAC on the market.

What you seem to be suggesting is that the DSP ahead of the dac is resampling 32 bit inputs down to 24 bits, it could be possible. Regardless, DSD support (which is a format that only audiophiles are aware of and buying) points to some thought going into the audio capabilities of this device which is a good sign.

Anyway, specs are specs, and sound is sound. Even if the device is capable of processing 32 bit streams without resampling, it doesn't mean that it will sound anywhere near as good as what LG has accomplished in their most recent phones. It does appear that Samsung acknowledges LGs lead in this area, and is working on leveling up.

Not sure what you are saying here or if you read what I wrote.

I replied to your comment in which you stated that the Samsung has a 32-bit chip. I replied saying it does not. I even pasted the spec for audio from the Samsung website that clearly says it supports' 32 bit audio. Supporting 32 bit audio does not mean it has a 32 Bit DAC by default.

Where did you read that either the Note or the S10 has a 32 bit "Chip" ? Please post a link. Thanks

 

[LilSweetLin]

I just came back from a local AT&T store to look at the phones again, after seeing them for the first time on Saturday. I will say, the sound from the speakers is VERY loud; so much so, that at max volume the whole phone vibrates. I don't know if that's by design or not, but it was a tad scary. It felt as if the phone might short out, lol.

I left my Sony headphones at home this time and plugged in my daily 32 ohm buds in. Sound through my buds was really good; impressive, in fact, especially when you adjust the sound profile. Like I said, LG is still best, because there's a huge difference when you toggle the quad DAC off and on. Sound is both much louder, richer, and fuller, and you literally hear every detail of the music you're listening to; things that you probably would never hear unless you paid really close attention in an extremely quiet room. The difference between toggling Dolby Atmos on and off on the S10 is more subtle, but still noticeable.

 

[robber]

Not sure what you are saying here or if you read what I wrote.

I replied to your comment in which you stated that the Samsung has a 32-bit chip. I replied saying it does not. I even pasted the spec for audio from the Samsung website that clearly says it supports' 32 bit audio. Supporting 32 bit audio does not mean it has a 32 Bit DAC by default.

Where did you read that either the Note or the S10 has a 32 bit "Chip" ? Please post a link. Thanks

Supporting 32 bit audio either means you have 32 bit architecture and a chip capable of 32 bit decoding, or there is some trickery involved by having a dsp resample the 32 bit stream to whatever the dac natively supports.

32 bit chips are not that exotic, and it isn’t far fetched that the s10 has a 32 bit dac chip. Regardless, this is all meaningless as 32 bit files don’t reallty exist anyway. At best you are at 24 bits. Spotify is 16 bits, and compressed. Most streaming services in he US other than Qobuz and Tidal are 16 bits as well.

 

[Dazede]

Not sure what you are saying here or if you read what I wrote.

I replied to your comment in which you stated that the Samsung has a 32-bit chip. I replied saying it does not. I even pasted the spec for audio from the Samsung website that clearly says it supports' 32 bit audio. Supporting 32 bit audio does not mean it has a 32 Bit DAC by default.

Where did you read that either the Note or the S10 has a 32 bit "Chip" ? Please post a link. Thanks

Does anyone know can the DAC be bypassed using the usb port with DAC headphone adapter??