Review and Audio Measurement of LG G7 ThinQ Smartphone

[Nango]

Listening (with tricked output) and charging (at 1.68A) simultaneously at zero cost!!

 

[Astrozombie]

Is that how you do it? Didn't even occur to me, but yah I remember when i had a cracked screen on my S8 and couldn't access my phone. I had to buy a USB dongle that connected a mouse to it and then backed up everything and did a factory reset before tossing it.

 

[Nango]

Is it true once you update into 9.0 and above the LG G7 does NOT bypass the internal DAC and in consecuence does not play above 44.1/48Khz any more?

 

[SlowCar]

Should there be audible difference between this and proper dac/amp stack like Schiit Magnius/Modius?? Let's say for hd6xx or Focal Clear level of hjeadphones.

 

[Cahudson42]

Should there be audible difference between this and proper dac/amp stack

The Quad DAC measures quite well. (I use a V20 which replaced a Fire tablet/D10 combination). If there is a problem, it's likely on the amp side.. these LGs have 'nanny' output limitations, depending on the impedance of the connected headphone. And while they are easy to work around (explained earlier in this thread, which you unfortunately should wade thru before finally deciding) output may not be satisfactory for you with inefficient phones..

My V20 cost $110 NIB maybe 2 years ago. Today I see them at $160..and alternates now exist..namely the $110 Qudelix 5k paired with an inexpensive $30 LG Rebel 4 TracFone 'wifi DAP' via USB OTG. While the DAC performance of the Qudelix is worse than the G7, the amp has sufficient power for most phones, particularly in Balanced mode. You also get 10-band PEQ this route.

While I still use my V20 'tricked' into 2V output, then into a Liquid Spark, I also use a Qudelix/LG Rebel TracFone combo with my HE400i. Plenty of headroom in Balanced mode.

 

[SlowCar]

@Cahudson42 so it will be audible difference or no?

I already have Lg G8x with quad dac. Listening DT880 250 ohm and HD6XX is pleasure, no more power required for my needs. In simple comparison with Topping DX3pro (no volume matching, no blind test) I am struggling to hear a differences.

And I am just wondering if adding headphone rig will make any better.

 

[Cahudson42]

And I am just wondering if adding headphone rig will make any better.

Unfortunately, I don't own and haven't listened to your HP, so don't know. I can say that for my inefficient HE400i (and now HE5XX) adding the Liquid Spark amp to the V20 subjectively sounds better. I think the subjective term to describe it might be 'more slam' ..

 

[matts19]

Is it true once you update into 9.0 and above the LG G7 does NOT bypass the internal DAC and in consecuence does not play above 44.1/48Khz any more?

I'm curious about this as well. I hear that on V30 this setting is gone. I hope this means the phone auto-adjusts the mode for external devices, so that I can pipe it to an amplifier without worrying about amplifying any noise coming from the phone's amplifier itself.

 

[Pavko]

Hi all, I own LG V50 and I have question regarding quad Dac. Can LG phone be used as DAC connected to amp like Loxjie a30, Sabaj a10a or Smsl da-9 via mini jack to 2x Rca cable and then amp to speakers? Will such combo work? Does it improve sound quality on speakers or should I connect it differently?

 

[Nango]

via mini jack to 2x Rca cable and then amp to speakers? Will such combo work?

Yes, this will perfectly work.

 

[Nango]

Just learnt from that site LG G7 this device supports these PDO's: 15 watts (5 volts @ 3 amps), 27 watts (9 volts @ 3 amps), and 27 watts (12 volts @ 2.25 amps) for charging.

 

[Nango]

Just learnt from that site LG G7 this device supports these PDO's: 15 watts (5 volts @ 3 amps), 27 watts (9 volts @ 3 amps), and 27 watts (12 volts @ 2.25 amps) for charging.

The original charger that comes with the LG G7 ThinQ is capable of: 7.5W (5V x 1.5A) and 16.2W (9V x 1.8A). After some research I just purchased the Xiaomi 65W Charger (30€) which delivers among others 9V x 3A = 27W, exactly matching the requierements of the LG G7 ThinQ with 9V x 3A for ultra fast charging.

 

[Nango]

According to the site above the LG G7 ThinkQ is capable of ultra fast charging at 27W resulting from 9V x 3A. I purchased a Xiaomi 65W charger which is supposed to deliver at its USB-C 27W and a Powerbank Baseus 65W which is also supposed to do the same but both failed to charge the device that fast. It only draws 5.2V x 2.6A (indeed the device shows the fast charging icon on status bar) the best I got in both cases.

 

[Acerun]

Is it true once you update into 9.0 and above the LG G7 does NOT bypass the internal DAC and in consecuence does not play above 44.1/48Khz any more?

Did you ever get to the bottom of that?

 

[Jimster480]

According to the site above the LG G7 ThinkQ is capable of ultra fast charging at 27W resulting from 9V x 3A. I purchased a Xiaomi 65W charger which is supposed to deliver at its USB-C 27W and a Powerbank Baseus 65W which is also supposed to do the same but both failed to charge the device that fast. It only draws 5.2V x 2.6A (indeed the device shows the fast charging icon on status bar) the best I got in both cases.

It will only charge at 18W in my experience. I have this phone and have never seen it charge past 18W no matter what charger I connected to it. My HTC10 could charge at 24W with the right QC3.0 charger but not the G7.

 

[Nango]

Did you ever get to the bottom of that?

No, it runs now under Android 10 and sounds fine to me, better than other mobiles I have with non dedicated audio and similar to all other US$5 dongles that I have.

 

[trevintheaudioboy]

Hi, new ASRer here,

I am wondering if I can safely use an LG phone simply for audio? I see “like new” ones for sale online and I really miss the sound from my LG V35. Although I don’t quite understand it from a security perspective; since they are no longer getting security updates, is it safe to even use them at all? I know you have to enter a google account on initial startup. Would that jeopardize the security of my google account? It won’t be used with cellular data.

Sorry if this is a weird/noobish question!

 

[Tortie]

Hi, new ASRer here,

I am wondering if I can safely use an LG phone simply for audio? I see “like new” ones for sale online and I really miss the sound from my LG V35. Although I don’t quite understand it from a security perspective; since they are no longer getting security updates, is it safe to even use them at all? I know you have to enter a google account on initial startup. Would that jeopardize the security of my google account? It won’t be used with cellular data.

Sorry if this is a weird/noobish question!

I don't see a problem with that. I use a V20 with a 1TB SD card for audio playback.

 

[Tortie]

While I still use my V20 'tricked' into 2V output, then into a Liquid Spark, I also use a Qudelix/LG Rebel TracFone combo with my HE400i. Plenty of headroom in Balanced mode.

I was thinking about this tonight. Recently, I began paring my V20 with the JDS Atom Amp. But the analog output for the V20 is running in External Device mode. You mentioned in your comment that you trick the V20 into High Impedance mode (2volt) when outputting to the Liquid Spark. Do you think the extra voltage boost yields any sonic benefits besides just boosting the volume?

Another ASR member person offered mentioned that the Quad DAC performs socially better when running off USB power as opposed to just battery. This is purely anecdotal and I haven't come across any similar comments from other V20 users. But this person theorized that the phone could have some hidden "power management" impairment that is negated when the phone is externally powered. Has anyone noticed this phenomenon with a Quad DAC phone?

 

[Max Payne]

how does it say that the SNR is that, if the official website of LG says that the SNR is 160db+ ?
is LG lying ?
is this noise from the measurments device ?
sorry if thats a stupid question, but i'm not a professional