LG V20 - DAC Problem?

[Mike Dee]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

Interesting my 25 dollar Sony noise cancelling headphones trigger the high impedance output. Tremendous difference in sound with DAC on verses off

 

[frope01]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

simple. Stop using neutron player, and use the LG audio player.

Your problem is that the DAC is not supported by 3rd party apps.

How do you know it isn't supported by 3rd party apps?

 

[mlknez]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

Some providers bundle the Google Play Music app as the standard and others bundle the LG Flow Player. Which one do you have? Neither one outputs dsd unconverted or pcm > 48khz unconverted.

 

[mlknez]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

Audio has come a LOONNNNGGGGG way since 1998, when hi-res digital recording first started.

 

[rushmore]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

No headphone jack plugged in, no DAC use. Case closed.

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

Jerry?

I think I know what's going on, but I am waiting until I'm sure. I just got myself in some deep doo-doo for saying something I should have said so I'm trying to get an official response from LG Mobile that we can compare to some results.

Will be a couple days because I just ordered some high-impedance headphones. I sort of kind of modified the ones I have

 

[Jeremiah Bonds]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

It's definitely not a placebo unless they greatly degrade the sound with the DAC off... It sounds a lot better than other phones.. The WAV and FLAC files sound great, and because they do, I'm happy.

 

[miamiborn79]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

The sky is not falling as the topic might indicate. The dac is only utilized through the headphone jack. Depending on the impedance of the headphones plugged in depends on whether it is normal, regular or high impedance that is utilized.

I think Neutron's software bypasses the hardware dac. The 64bit software processing refers to software and the option to select 32bit output refers to how the audio is transferred to the device. I like Neutron but not sure it utilizes the Snapdragon processor.

Poweramp has an Alpha that utilizes the Snapdragon. Alpha 4 is the one that utilizes the Snapdragon. It is an Alpha and is not the most stable but the sound is definitely an improvement.

The dac is awesome and can be tricked to utilize the higher powered option. I have and have had many high priced day's and dad's and the V20 ranks right up there.

Do you know how to get the alpha 4 to work? Keeps failing with me and reverts back to default output. When I first installed it, it worked and blew my mind. Now everytime I toggle it, it fails. Any tips?

 

[mlknez]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

No headphone jack plugged in, no DAC use. Case closed.

What are you talking about?

 

[mlknez]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

The impedance of the headphones doesn't make a difference in whether or not you can use the full capabilities of the DAC. The impedance only determines whether or not the high-gain circuit is enabled

 

[mlknez]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

Nice descriptive thread title. Could of at least added DAC to it.

The ONLY reason to get this phone is for the DAC!!!!

 

[stan23]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

Some providers bundle the Google Play Music app as the standard and others bundle the LG Flow Player. Which one do you have? Neither one outputs dsd unconverted or pcm > 48khz unconverted.

You need to use the LG music player named "music" not LG Flow or Google play music.

 

[mlknez]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

You need to use the LG music player named "music" not LG Flow or Google play music.

Which carrier are you using? How are you sure that the output from the player is not converted or downsampled prior to being sent to the DAC?

 

[Mike Dee]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

The ONLY reason to get this phone is for the DAC!!!!

No...that's not the only reason....just the only reason for you.

 

[traviswhayne]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

The ONLY reason to get this phone is for the DAC!!!!

That may be the case for you, but honestly there is so much to like about this phone. I've missed the flat screen, and the second screen, and knock on. And no matter what LG did with DAC the sound is night and day better than my S7 Edge or Note7.

To each their own I guess...

 

[lateck2]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

As others have noted, the title of this thread is WAY off base. There is NO flaw, much less serious.
Now to some there maybe issues that are not up to the standards they are looking for. But a phone is not a fine musical instrument. The V20 is a good computer that can do a lots of things like make phone calls, play music, take pictures and let us surf the Internet, among others.
For me, the V20 is a great device and a good phone.

Lateck,

 

[Jeremiah Bonds]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

What are you talking about?

He's saying the DAC doesn't activate without anything plugged into the jack

 

[vladfan]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

I plug in my headphones.......It sounds FANTASTIC!!!!

Who cares about the other stuff.....it sounds FANTASTIC!!!

 

[BigRalphN]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

The sky is not falling as the topic might indicate. The dac is only utilized through the headphone jack. Depending on the impedance of the headphones plugged in depends on whether it is normal, regular or high impedance that is utilized.

I think Neutron's software bypasses the hardware dac. The 64bit software processing refers to software and the option to select 32bit output refers to how the audio is transferred to the device. I like Neutron but not sure it utilizes the Snapdragon processor.

Poweramp has an Alpha that utilizes the Snapdragon. Alpha 4 is the one that utilizes the Snapdragon. It is an Alpha and is not the most stable but the sound is definitely an improvement.

The dac is awesome and can be tricked to utilize the higher powered option. I have and have had many high priced day's and dad's and the V20 ranks right up there.

My issue with Poweramp is the frequency of pause/quick dropouts. I have tried adjusting everything and they still exist. All of the settings have been tweaked and messed with and none help. Neutron has zero issues there. On my older phones sound quality of Neutron was far superior. This is not the case now. Almost all the players sound as good with this phone (some not quite as much). The OP is also using $1000 reference monitors which I doubt more than a few people even have with this phone.

I'm not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, so forgive me if this is completely wrong. But I've been hearing murmurs around the forums that the DAC in the V20 has a thing where it ups the output based on the quality of headphones plugged into it (impedence or something). Do you think that perhaps the 48KHz you measured was due to the device measuring it not "reporting" that it could handle the higher quality audio or something?

 

[mjcecil]

Re: Serious V20 Problem!!

Let's face it. The primary reason that people are going to buy this phone is because it has the equivalent of a $300 external DAC/Amp built into it.

No, that's the reason YOU bought the phone. I bought the phone because it was a 5.7 format, had expandable memory, and it was available before I had to fly last Friday. And, frankly, had the FAA not placed the Note 7 in a class of items that makes it a crime to carry on a flight, I'd never have even looked at the V20, except as a curiosity.

The phone's DAC could NEVER work as advertised and I simply wouldn't care. I'm 48 and there just isn't a lot of fine detail in these earholes anymore.

Sorry, it's been a long week, and I'm far less tolerant of bullsh1t today than normal. So, to keep it short, don't presume that what's important to you is important to anybody BUT you, especially not an entire technology consumer segment.