Sony Xperia 5 IV Audio Review

[Futility]

I wish I could do the same with my RX-A2050 but I use it's multitude of inputs and would need a preamp with similar functionality. A preamp with that functionality is sadly astronomical in pricing, it is cheaper to live with the current draw.

I still use RX-A3060 as Pre-Pro. It only powers 4 Atmos speakers now. I tried Denon AVR-X3800h but didn't find it much of an improvement, so I returned it.
I considered getting a separate processor with balanced outputs and but that's $3.5K+ and I will still need an amp for Height channels. Perhaps, one day...

 

[KikoKentaurus]

So it seems that refurbished LG G- and V- series is the only option for those who want a decent music player within a phone?

 

[staticV3]

So it seems that refurbished LG G- and V- series is the only option for those who wants a decent music player within a phone?

Not sure how you reached that conclusion. There are many more smartphone brands whose headphone jack performance Amir hasn't taken a look at yet.

Last year alone, 375 different smartphones were released with a headphone jack: https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2022&nYearMax=2022&chk35mm=selected

 

[Jmudrick]

Not sure how you reached that conclusion. There are many more smartphone brands whose headphone jack performance Amir hasn't taken a look at yet.

Last year alone, 375 different smartphones were released with a headphone jack: https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2022&nYearMax=2022&chk35mm=select

Not sure how you reached that conclusion. There are many more smartphone brands whose headphone jack performance Amir hasn't taken a look at yet.

Last year alone, 375 different smartphones were released with a headphone jack: https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2022&nYearMax=2022&chk35mm=selected

This is probably a more useful list.

HiRes audio driver

www.extreamsd.com

It's pretty unlikely a manufacturer would put in a high quality DAC without advertising it as such. There were only a couple of other phone manufacturers ever using a good ESS DAC that I'm aware of, ASUS most notably.

HiRes audio driver

www.extreamsd.com

 

[Marc v E]

It would be nice to see an iphone measured. Given that the apple headphone adapter measures great, there is a good chance the iphones measure pretty good too. If they do not you could always buy the apple headphone adapter and have a 99db sinad.

Review: Apple vs Google USB-C Headphone Adapters

This is a review, detailed measurements and comparison of Apple's USB-C adapter to the current and last version of Google Pixel headphone adapters. The Apple adapter costs just $9 including one day shipping for free. The Google dongle costs $12. Not that any of these are large by any stretch...

audiosciencereview.com

Btw I have owned both android and iphone. Currently android.

 

[staticV3]

It would be nice to see an iphone measured. Given that the apple headphone adapter measures great, there is a good chance the iphones measure pretty good too.

I doubt many people are willing to buy and use a 7.5 years old iPhone 6s, just for its headphone jack.
So while the measurements might be educational, they wouldn't be worth much as far as helping potential customers.

 

[GaryH]

It would be nice to see an iphone measured.

Here you are.

 

[GaryH]

It's pretty unlikely a manufacturer would put in a high quality DAC without advertising it as such. There were only a couple of other phone manufacturers ever using a good ESS DAC that I'm aware of, ASUS most notably.

Most jacked phones with standard Qualcomm chipsets will include audibly transparent DACs if implemented competently, without overtly advertising them.

 

[someguyontheinternet]

I bought this phone on sale last year. Since I only use earbuds on the go I never ran into any power issues. The aspect ratio is weird and I went into the settings to increase the size of symbols and fonts, because it's really tiny on default settings.

That said I'm quite satisfied with the phone. It has all the features I need (5g, SIM and SD slot, headphone jack) and the quirks are not significant enough for me to be bothered.
When some years down the road the battery starts to wear and security updates end I will probably try one of the Asus phones though.

 

[Jmudrick]

Most jacked phones with standard Qualcomm chipsets will include audibly transparent DACs if implemented competently, without overtly advertising them.

... Whose output is resampled by Android unless the phone is compatible with an audiophile player like USBAPP or Poweramp, and without being sufficient to drive many favored headphones.

 

[xeizo]

I wonder why so many thinks 90dB(in fact 93-98dB) SINAD and 0.5V is "bad"? It's enough for anything you would play back on most cans. Amir couldn't recommend the phone because he hates the screen aspect ratio. I have the LG G7 which has a immaculate measuring DAC and I can't hear it's any better with normal easy to drive cans. Just a good thing to not have a dongle to bother with.

 

[GaryH]

... Whose output is resampled by Android unless the phone is compatible with an audiophile player like USBAPP or Poweramp, and without being sufficient to drive many favored headphones.

Qualcomm DACs are compatible with Neutron Player's direct DAC access to avoid Android resampling as far as I'm aware (don't know about UAPP or Poweramp), and implemented competently will have sufficient power to drive portable headphones/IEMs that are themselves competently designed with reasonable sensitivity for their use case.

 

[Jmudrick]

Qualcomm DACs are compatible with Neutron Player's direct DAC access to avoid Android resampling as far as I'm aware (don't know about UAPP or Poweramp), and implemented competently will have sufficient power to drive portable headphones/IEMs that are themselves competently designed with reasonable sensitivity for their use case.

You should be writing disclosure statements for pharma.

FWIW https://www.wired.com/gallery/best-headphone-jack-phones/

Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus, and Nokia mentioned phones have Micro SD support.

Note: Use of budget/midrange non LG devices may cause bloating, blindness, or irritability.

 

[KikoKentaurus]

Not sure how you reached that conclusion. There are many more smartphone brands whose headphone jack performance Amir hasn't taken a look at yet.

Last year alone, 375 different smartphones were released with a headphone jack: https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2022&nYearMax=2022&chk35mm=selected

Question isn't anyhow "a conclusion".

 

[Palladium]

Funny how I used to care about 3.5mm out on phones and now not one bit anymore.

I rather have good wireless ANC earpieces when travelling, and I far prefer using speakers at home.

 

[lewdish]

Honestly I can overlook power output, I think it measures actually fantastic for what it is, phones aren't ideal places for audio, but I hate using dongles. Its so much more reliable to just plug in a headphone or IEM into it and go. Its always been my means of listening to audio and since switching to a dongle years ago using a phone w/o a headphone jack its always tilted me and caused me to stop listening to music on the go overall. I hate bringing additional gear with me just to listen to everything on the go.

Using an Xperia looks like it would bring a lot of joy to my life again. I think Sony has done a fantastic job with it still for onboard audio, Id like to see ASR test more mobile devices overall. Asus also uses ESS SOC/Codec chips in their phones as well. I'm glad Sony put the jack back on their devices, the only thing I could ever ask of Sony to do is move the headphone jack to the bottom and get some input from the Walkman R&D division.

 

[Bam!]

If I understood Amir correctly, his biggest problem is the form factor. The device is simply too small for him. Alternatives would be Redmi Note 11pro+, no wireless charging but 100% charged in 16min (!). Or the aforementioned ROG Phone 5 / Samsung A52s 5G. He does not want a dongle. Not even a small one like the IBasso D03 Pro.

 

[Jimbob54]

If I understood Amir correctly, his biggest problem is the form factor. The device is simply too small for him. Alternatives would be Redmi Note 11pro+, no wireless charging but 100% charged in 16min (!). Or the aforementioned ROG Phone 5 / Samsung A52s 5G. He does not want a dongle. Not even a small one like the IBasso D03 Pro.

As a mobile phone it was the aspect ratio of the screen more than the physical size that killed it. Too many black bars, not enough picture. As an audio source it was the low output voltage

 

[Bam!]

As a mobile phone it was the aspect ratio of the screen more than the physical size that killed it. Too many black bars, not enough picture. As an audio source it was the low output voltage

I have the the Xperia 5 Mark 2. It gets very, very loud with the Fiio FD5 and very loud with the Truthear. Since he stated that he only will use IEMs with a phone there should be no problem. The black bars are a problem with 16:9 content but it really never is a problem for me. For Amir it obviously is. But the 21:9 ratio is no secret and therefore the black bars problem was obvious before he bought it. To me it seems he was genuinely surprised how small the phone is.

 

[xeizo]

I have the the Xperia 5 Mark 2. It gets very, very loud with the Fiio FD5 and very loud with the Truthear. Since he stated that he only will use IEMs with a phone there should be no problem. The black bars are a problem with 16:9 content but it really never is a problem for me. For Amir it obviously is. But the 21:9 ratio is no secret and therefore the black bars problem was obvious before he bought it. To me it seems he was genuinely surprised how small the phone is.

Yet, it is not that small, it is almost the exact same size as the LG G7 I can tell as I have both. Very nice and pocket friendly size imo I love it!