Review and Measurements of LG G5 Hi-Fi Plus DAC/Amp

[Jimster480]

It's the original, without the housing, put into whatever the seller can use as a housing for it.

I looked around but didn't see it on ebay.

 

[SRKRAM]

Here's one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143601281463
They seem to crop up in Europe, but maybe they're harder to come by elsewhere.

 

[Jimster480]

Here's one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143601281463
They seem to crop up in Europe, but maybe they're harder to come by elsewhere.

Ah yea see that isnt available for shipping to the USA. It doesn't seem to really be available at all in the USA.

 

[ad_fletch]

This thread inspired me to pick one up here in Australia (just happened to be available 2nd hand on eBay). Like many of you in this thread, I don't have much disposable income (damned kids ), so I was keen to experiment with something which scored high on the SINAD/$ scale.

I have now been testing it for some time with my PC (LG driver; Foobar2000) and phone (Sony XZ1 Compact; Poweramp). Using Sennheiser 565s and various IEMs, it sounds surprisingly similar to my HP laptop's headphone jack, which is both a bit surprising and disappointing. The HP even goes quite a bit louder - not that I'd want to. Frankly, even using the 150Ohm Senns, I prefer the jack of my Sony phone. Yes, the output is a bit anaemic (even 100% in Poweramp is only just loud enough for normal listening in a quiet room), but it just sounds better balanced from top to bottom of the freq range...*shrug*.

I've experimented a bit with the various output methods in Foobar and other software, and fiddled with the LG driver settings like Amir, but nothing makes much of a difference (other than preventing it from working properly). I also tried UAPP on the phone just for kicks, but I like Poweramp better.

I think the next step will be to secure a great SINAD/$ headphone amp (Atom maybe?) and see what difference that makes. I expect it to make a significant difference with the Senns, but not so much my IEMs.

Here it is on my desk with its nice little sleeve (hard to be sure but feels like genuine leather):

 

[ondert]

Hello guys,
I’m looking for a simple solution to use my 32ohm shp9500 + v-moda boompro mic combo on my 2019 5k iMac. The problem on macOS is that the system doesn’t let me change audio output source if I plug headphones through 3.5mm jack. However, I can change the source if plug them via any USB port.
So, yesterday I bought an Apple USB C dongle then I remember this option and found a used one locally for 20$.
Should I return the Apple dongle and get this LG model? Will it perform better? My only use case on an imac right now.
I’m at the beginning now but would like to get a Sundara in the future.

 

[ad_fletch]

IMHO the LG will output around the same power into 32/37 Ohms as the Apple dongle, and they’re both pretty transparent, so I wouldn’t bother unless you want the LG’s ability to switch output for an external amp or high impedance headphones.

 

[ad_fletch]

So I bought a JDS Atom (must stop looking at forums ). Very happy with the sound through my Senns now. Tentative conclusion - HiFi Plus doesn’t have enough power to do them justice by itself.

EDIT: Now thinking.... Considering this thing only puts out ~1v in line out mode, would there be any advantage to a DAC which puts out the regulation 2v to feed the Atom, or does it not matter as long as the 1v is clean and I’m getting sufficient volume?

 

[julian_hughes]

So I bought a JDS Atom (must stop looking at forums ). Very happy with the sound through my Senns now. Tentative conclusion - HiFi Plus doesn’t have enough power to do them justice by itself.

EDIT: Now thinking.... Considering this thing only puts out ~1v in line out mode, would there be any advantage to a DAC which puts out the regulation 2v to feed the Atom, or does it not matter as long as the 1v is clean and I’m getting sufficient volume?

I think you'd struggle to hear a difference so long as noise is below audibility, and with the LG it's a very long way below audibility.

By the way you can force it to output at a higher voltage. It does so when detecting high impedance headphones being connected, with the threshold being about 50 ohms. So attach an impedance adapter (about $10 US on aliexpress) between some headphones and a 3.5mm male to female cable and then attach that cable to the LG. The LG detects a high impedance device and switches to 2V output. Now, leaving the 3.5mm cable attached to the LG you can remove the impedance adapter and headphones and attach whatever you like and the LG will still work at the higher voltage.

I do this so that my HifiMan Planar Magnetics (35 ohm) get the power they need to sound decent. I have a few very short (15cm and 8cm) 3.5mm male to female cables so it isn't a mess of long, unwanted extension cables!

I have the original LG HiFi Plus, not the odd thing in acrylic case that Amir tested. It gets hot and draws enough power, even in 1V mode, to pretty quickly suck the life out of a smartphone, but it does sound very, very close to my desktop setup of Topping D10 & JDS Atom. It sounds better than all other dongles I've heard and all phones I've heard. It seems to have lower output impedance than my LG V20's native output as it gives tighter bass with balanced armature IEMs. I love everything about it except mobile power consumption is just too much except with my V20 fitted with an extended 8200 mAh battery. It kills my Sony XZ1 (non swappable 2800 mAh battery) very quickly indeed.

 

[ad_fletch]

I think you'd struggle to hear a difference so long as noise is below audibility, and with the LG it's a very long way below audibility.

By the way you can force it to output at a higher voltage.
...
It kills my Sony XZ1 (non swappable 2800 mAh battery) very quickly indeed.

Yep I no longer bother with it for mobile use - Meizu HiFi Pro is much better for a phone. On the other hand I like the HiFi Plus + Atom combo so much that I've decided to stop looking at electronics and buy more headphones instead

Btw does anyone know how to reset it automatically (ie without unplugging the usb-c or 3.5mm cables) so that it can be used after a PC reboot? I can't get it to play after a reboot on MS or LG drivers....

 

[julian_hughes]

....

Btw does anyone know how to reset it automatically (ie without unplugging the usb-c or 3.5mm cables) so that it can be used after a PC reboot? I can't get it to play after a reboot on MS or LG drivers....

You have to switch it on by inserting a jack into the 3.5mm socket. It can't be avoided. It makes it less than convenient for use in place of a conventional DAC. I've tried it attached to an armbian based streamer & to an Android tv box running Neutron or UAPP. There's no reliable way to initialise it without physically reinserting the jack, and OS & hardware power saving will eventually put inactive USB ports to sleep so the issue arises again.

 

[ad_fletch]

There's no reliable way to initialise it without physically reinserting the jack, and OS & hardware power saving will eventually put inactive USB ports to sleep so the issue arises again.

I feared as much. Worth the bother imho. Thanks.

 

[cancunia]

I also found a mod online that lets you use the bottom USB port as input, and another that disables power off on jack removal.

I'm a bit late to the party, I bought an afd-1200 a couple of days ago from Amazon UK and am impressed by the sound it makes when streaming from a Raspberry Pi ZeroW into an amp. It would be great if the headphone jack plug-in could be worked around, do you have any details of that mod?

Thanks