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is it safe to assume phone outputs clip

izeek

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im using a phone for source. if i turn the volume all they way up, wont there be some clipping and/ or distortion?
im sure it has an amp of some sort.
 

RayDunzl

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if i turn the volume all they way up, wont there be some clipping

If the input's demand for output voltage, or the load's demand for current exceeds the capability of the phone to deliver voltage or current into the load, yes.

"All the way up" may not cause a problem. It depends.


if i turn the volume all they way up, wont there be some distortion?

Distortion (measureable) is always present. How much is often related to the level of the output.


Put another way, you won't know until you measure it or it obviously sounds bad,
 
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Doodski

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im using a phone for source. if i turn the volume all they way up, wont there be some clipping and/ or distortion?
im sure it has an amp of some sort.
My phone and motherboard both crank to maximum and apparently don't clip or distort. The ASUS motherboard is set to performance mode so it cannot reach max volume unless it is in extreme output mode which is simply too loud for many songs. I suspect the cel tel is limited in output too so it can't reach clipping.
 
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izeek

izeek

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well, folks, it clipped at wfo. worth the try, though.
 

bobbooo

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What phone do you have?
 

LTig

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I measured my Samsung S5 Neo and its output has quite an amount more THD at the max volume setting compared to one step lower, but it sounds still OK for my ears even with a HD800 - certainly not clipped.
 
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izeek

izeek

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like bobbooo you couldve just asked.
a lot of unnecessary snarkiness in this camp.
lg v50 with a nice quad dac.
to be sure as evidenced by other comments, phone type did not seem to matter.
 
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izeek

izeek

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Now I'm really confused. Are you using a phone or an amplifier?
lol. sorry. both. i use my phone as a source for my home kit.
3.5mm to rca adapter plugged into the aux input on my preamp.
i asked because i was wondering if the phone output was distorting at wfo. which would cause the same on my kit, possibly with expensive results.

ill have to see how it affects my tws earbuds. ive never turned them up loud enough to notice distortion if it was happening.
 

Vini darko

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The phone should be fine into the high impedance of an amplifier. The lg quad dac phones have been designed to work that way happily.
If you do feel like it running it at a slightly lower volume it will be fine too.
 
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izeek

izeek

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The phone should be fine into the high impedance of an amplifier. The lg quad dac phones have been designed to work that way happily.
If you do feel like it running it at a slightly lower volume it will be fine too.
good to know. though the lights on my preamp lit up at wfo. my amps have no meters. i could be wrong in what i think is happening. sooo, i just back off a lil.
 

Vini darko

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good to know. though the lights on my preamp lit up at wfo. my amps have no meters. i could be wrong in what i think is happening. sooo, i just back off a lil.
What is your preamp? It's unusual but max output from the phone may be causing clipping at the amplifer input possibly. Vintage gear was often specified for low input voltage from the analog sorces of yore.
 
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izeek

izeek

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What is your preamp? It's unusual but max output from the phone may be causing clipping at the amplifer input possibly. Vintage gear was often specified for low input voltage from the analog sorces of yore.
aw, sorry, mang. i dont know why i misseded your comment.
bettter late than never.
im using a jbl sdp3 as a preamp.
 

Lambda

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I would say a properly designed phone should not clip at 0dBFS
 
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