Recommendation for Mobile Music

[Glasvegas]

Don’t see this discussed much on the forum, but here goes.

I want to upgrade my music listening experience while commuting, at the gym etc. Currently, I just use a cheap smart phone and cheap in-ear headphones. I listen exclusively to Tidal.

So, I’m looking for a new smart phone with good sound quality and noise cancelling in-ear headphones.

I’ve almost decided on the LG G7 as it got a good review here, but it has now been replaced by the LG G8. If sound quality hasn’t been improved in the new model, I could probably get the G7 quite cheaply, and put more money towards headphones.

The obvious question is how much I want to spend on headphones. However, I’ve never used quality headphones. So I need some guidance on the price where good sound quality starts, and any improvement per £ diminishes.

Any advice appreciated.

 

[BillG]

If you'd like some relatively inexpensive IEMs that sound excellent for their cost, I'd suggest the following:

https://medium.com/resonance-reviews/kz-as10-review-cheap-champion-f0c748addc78

A picture of their internals:

I own other IEMs and head/earphones, but I keep coming back to the AS10. They response very well to equalization. Therefore, if you don't like their sonic signature out of the box, a couple of nudges on an EQ will make them sound however you like. As a bonus, you get to brag to all your friends about having 10 transducers blasting into your ears... ;-)

 

[Jmudrick]

Newer G8x can be had for $250 - $300, that's what I'm looking at.

 

[Glasvegas]

If you'd like some relatively inexpensive IEMs that sound excellent for their cost, I'd suggest the following:

https://medium.com/resonance-reviews/kz-as10-review-cheap-champion-f0c748addc78

A picture of their internals:

View attachment 77484

I own other IEMs and head/earphones, but I keep coming back to the AS10. They response very well to equalization. Therefore, if you don't like their sonic signature out of the box, a couple of nudges on an EQ will make them sound however you like. As a bonus, you get to brag to all your friends about having 10 transducers blasting into your ears... ;-)

Thanks, they look like good a starting point for someone like me who knows nothing about headphones.

Are they noise cancelling or at least suitable for using on a bus? - or does that start getting expensive?

Note: they will NEVER be used at home.

 

[Glasvegas]

Newer G8x can be had for $250 - $300, that's what I'm looking at.

Is that the dual screen version?

 

[Chromatischism]

Why not the V-series? V40 can be had for $200 in like new condition on eBay.

 

[majingotan]

In my opinion, once you get to $100-$200 USD for IEMs, you’ll start to get diminishing returns hard. IMO, the Moondrop Starfield (for shallow insertion) or the Etymotic ER2XR (deep insertion) are the ones I recommend. Both aren’t active noise cancelling BTW but they isolate just as well as active noise canceling IEMs like AirPod Pros when you’re playing back music

 

[Glasvegas]

Why not the V-series? V40 can be had for $200 in like new condition on eBay.

How does the V-series compare with the G7 or G8 in terms of sound quality?

 

[Glasvegas]

In my opinion, once you get to $100-$200 USD for IEMs, you’ll start to get diminishing returns hard. IMO, the Moondrop Starfield (for shallow insertion) or the Etymotic ER2XR (deep insertion) are the ones I recommend. Both aren’t active noise cancelling BTW but they isolate just as well as active noise canceling IEMs like AirPod Pros when you’re playing back music

That's useful, as I wasn't sure how much to spend. Looks like 150 is a reasonable limit.

 

[BillG]

Are they noise cancelling or at least suitable for using on a bus? - or does that start getting expensive?

Active noise cancelation tends to be more expensive, and battery draining as well. The ones I suggested insert rather deeply into one's ear canals, which I find offers very good sound isolation, even on a noisy, city bus. That isolation can be enhanced, if one finds it necessary, with some inexpensive memory foam tips.

As someone else just mentioned, once we get passed the $200USD mark for IEMs they hardly become worth the extra money in terms of sound quality. The +$1,000USD ones just have prettier shells, and increasingly dishonest marketing... ;-)

 

[Soniclife]

Are they noise cancelling or at least suitable for using on a bus? - or does that start getting expensive?

Good IEMs that seal well block sound in a very similar way to putting your fingers in your ears, that's a lot of isolation. I use them on the train all the time, in normal times, and don't need to listen loud. Not all IEMs block sound as well as others, the foam tips work best for me.

 

[Chromatischism]

How does the V-series compare with the G7 or G8 in terms of sound quality?

I had the G6 and then the V30+ (still using it). The V30 is overall a better device with it's larger screen and slimmer profile, and it's OLED. Sound wise they are probably the same until you enable the "Hi-Fi Quad DAC", which is a silly name for what is really a beefier headphone amp with some impulse adjustments and finer volume control. I left those options off after extensive testing showed I preferred the default sound. The amp is real though - I tried a pair of old 300 ohm headphones that just didn't get very loud even at max. With the amp enabled, they came alive. The battery started draining quite a bit faster too

Overall I don't need it because my daily IEMs are Periodic Audio Mg's which are much easier to drive.

 

[Chromatischism]

Good IEMs that seal well block sound in a very similar way to putting your fingers in your ears, that's a lot of isolation. I use them on the train all the time, in normal times, and don't need to listen loud. Not all IEMs block sound as well as others, the foam tips work best for me.

I've had the same experience. There's about 30 dB of attenuation from foam tips.

 

[Mawclaw]

I will buck the trend here. I own 3 pairs of niceish IEMs and don't even touch them at all after buying Airpod Pros. Active noise cancellation makes such a huge difference to me that I would not buy anything without it.

I have also heard that the Raycon equivalent is pretty good and cheaper. I would probably buy those if I did it again.

 

[Glasvegas]

I had the G6 and then the V30+ (still using it). The V30 is overall a better device with it's larger screen and slimmer profile, and it's OLED. Sound wise they are probably the same until you enable the "Hi-Fi Quad DAC", which is a silly name for what is really a beefier headphone amp with some impulse adjustments and finer volume control. I left those options off after extensive testing showed I preferred the default sound. The amp is real though - I tried a pair of old 300 ohm headphones that just didn't get very loud even at max. With the amp enabled, they came alive. The battery started draining quite a bit faster too

Overall I don't need it because my daily IEMs are Periodic Audio Mg's which are much easier to drive.

Have I misunderstood, or are you saying you preferred the default sound with the “Hi-Fi Quad DAC” disabled?

I thought the “Hi-Fi Quad DAC” was the advantage of the LG phones.

 

[Chromatischism]

Have I misunderstood, or are you saying you preferred the default sound with the “Hi-Fi Quad DAC” disabled?

I thought the “Hi-Fi Quad DAC” was the advantage of the LG phones.

That's correct, I don't use high impedance headphones and I prefer the default sound without the adjustments, so I leave it off. You may have a different preference. But it's still a better device than the G-series IMO.

 

[Glasvegas]

That's correct, I don't use high impedance headphones and I prefer the default sound without the adjustments, so I leave it off. You may have a different preference. But it's still a better device than the G-series IMO.

View attachment 77574View attachment 77575View attachment 77576

Do you mean a better device in terms of sound quality or just as a phone in general?

 

[Chromatischism]

Do you mean a better device in terms of sound quality or just as a phone in general?

Better device in general. I prefer the bigger screen, the fact that it's OLED, and the slim design. But I use it for everything, not just music.

 

[Glasvegas]

Better device in general. I prefer the bigger screen, the fact that it's OLED, and the slim design. But I use it for everything, not just music.

My only requirement is sound quality. Don‘t know your location, but in the UK the LG G7 seems to be much cheaper than all the other other models mentioned in this thread, and it’s easier to get hold of for some reason. So, if sound quality is the same in all these models, that might be the best choice for me.

 

[Chromatischism]

I don't really know if sound quality is the same. I just know they're all really cheap on eBay here from sellers who deal in used phones. I'm sure there are similar sellers across the pond. I just buy the ones that are like new and are 50-75% off the original price at release.