LG's upcoming V20 to be the industry's first smartphone with a 32-bit Quad DAC

[Shawn Knight]

LG’s upcoming V20 flagship smartphone will be the industry’s first handset to feature a 32-bit Quad DAC (digital to analog converter).

The South Korean electronics maker said on Thursday that it worked closely with ESS Technology on the audio upgrade. A Quad DAC, LG says, delivers a clear and crisp sound that up-samples audio saved directly on the device, music that is streamed from a third party and even audio tracks of videos.

The company further claims that the sound its Quad DAC generates is superior to that produced by a traditional DAC as it can reduce ambient noise levels by as much as 50 percent.

There is, however, one big “catch” that you’ll want to be aware of. To get the full benefits out of the high-end Quad DAC, you’ll need to be using compatible wired headphones. Wireless headphones, which have become quite popular as of late, apparently won’t be able to reap the hardware’s benefits.

LG revealed earlier this month that its upcoming device will run Android 7.0 Nougat. We also know that LG is planning on unveiling the device at a media event in San Francisco on September 6 but outside of this, not much is currently known about the device.

Given the stale nature of the smartphone industry as of late, however, I wouldn’t expect anything exciting outside of the usual mild specs bump. While the aforementioned Quad DAC will be nice for audiophiles, it’s not a game-changing, must-have feature for the masses.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/65941-lg-upcoming-v20-industry-first-smartphone-32-bit.html

 

[Evernessince]

Unfortunately it's not the supported bit rate that determines the quality of the DAC. I have an o2 + ODAC, it's only 24 bit yet it's an excellent unit. The quality could be good but them putting 32-bit first and foremost tells me it is just going to be marketing fluff.

 

[yRaz]

Yeah, wireless headphones aren't that popular and never be. There a disaster from an engineering stand point. Battery life is now a concern, more components to brake. They also make you look like a **** all while being more expensive.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Much more interested in whether LG will retain a fully removable battery, or if they will use a G5 style "removable" battery or will seal it in altogether, and whether or not it will have an unlockable bootloader.

 

[Trillionsin]

Yeah, wireless headphones aren't that popular and never be. There a disaster from an engineering stand point. Battery life is now a concern, more components to brake. They also make you look like a **** all while being more expensive.

They are kind of popular. I believe they will become more popular. Whether or not we are strickly talking about headphones... because my main bluetooth audio connected device is my vehicles stereo. Beside the point. There are several others that dont make you look like a total **** and arent really that expensive.

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Hea...470954771&sr=8-4&keywords=wireless+headphones

There's several models like this in this range.

Battery life is still a problem... one thing that you can battle that is a portable battery pack. as long as the headphones can be charged over usb.

 

[yRaz]

They are kind of popular. I believe they will become more popular. Whether or not we are strickly talking about headphones... because my main bluetooth audio connected device is my vehicles stereo. Beside the point. There are several others that dont make you look like a total **** and arent really that expensive.

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Hea...470954771&sr=8-4&keywords=wireless+headphones

There's several models like this in this range.

Battery life is still a problem... one thing that you can battle that is a portable battery pack. as long as the headphones can be charged over usb.

I see them as a way for companies to try to sell something to people they don't need that performs worse and is more expensive. Just wait until so many of these devices are around that the signal noise levels around you make them lose connection. On top of all that, none of these will ever be audiophile quality because of electromanetic interference the transmitter places on electric components.

There is litteraly nothing wrong with wired headphones and they're arguably better in everyway. It's all vanity and the people who buy these products need to be euthanized.

 

[Jack007]

Looking forward to it. sounds like it got some serious power

 

[risc32]

32 bit huh? 24 was more than needed, so sure, let's go 32. the DAC's in my late 90's california audio labs SSP were beyond reproach. besides, the digital is easy, it's the analogue that is so tough, but that is harder to quantify. anyway, we all know the people walking around town listening to highly compressed pop music with headphones are concerned with bit word length, noise floors, and s/n ratios...

 

[Raoul Duke]

I find the size of these phones ridiculous, so inconvenient to carry

 

[petert]

They are kind of popular. I believe they will become more popular. Whether or not we are strickly talking about headphones... because my main bluetooth audio connected device is my vehicles stereo. Beside the point. There are several others that dont make you look like a total **** and arent really that expensive.

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Hea...470954771&sr=8-4&keywords=wireless+headphones

There's several models like this in this range.

Battery life is still a problem... one thing that you can battle that is a portable battery pack. as long as the headphones can be charged over usb.

I see them as a way for companies to try to sell something to people they don't need that performs worse and is more expensive. Just wait until so many of these devices are around that the signal noise levels around you make them lose connection. On top of all that, none of these will ever be audiophile quality because of electromanetic interference the transmitter places on electric components.

There is litteraly nothing wrong with wired headphones and they're arguably better in everyway. It's all vanity and the people who buy these products need to be euthanized.

I am using a pair of bluetooth headphones for which I paid around 18 pounds (had a cheaper version at 9 pounds but lost it). The battery lasts around 3.5-4 hours at high volume. A colleague has a more expensive product (around 60 pounds) and he claims the battery life is fantastic. They are very good for sports and most of activities as the wire doesn't stand in the way. In many of my previous wired headphones, the wire proved to be the weak part and usually broke in less than a year - which makes sense if you think about it as you get to twist it on a regular basis. I am not going to use wired headphones from now on, this is for sure.

 

[lazer]

As a person who has hearing problems, I find that LG has the best reproduction of telephone sounds. Most people do not notice the difference in sound reproduction, but for me it is the critical point to purchase a phone.

I will look forward to seeing and trying out this phone, as for me, much quality of life is loss when I have to keep telling a caller to slow down and speak clearer, which somehow they interpret as my being a low IQ dimwit.

 

[Bobs Yer Uncle]

Yeah, wireless headphones aren't that popular and never be. There a disaster from an engineering stand point. Battery life is now a concern, more components to brake. They also make you look like a **** all while being more expensive.

As flawed as Blue Tooth audio currently is, there are apparently quite a few consumers who would disagree in regards to it's "popularity":

Bluetooth Capable Headphone Sales Surpass Non-Bluetooth Sales in June - Bluetooth headphones account for 54 percent of U.S. dollar sales in the category, according to NPD ( http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/07/prweb13581918.htm )

 

[Trillionsin]

I see them as a way for companies to try to sell something to people they don't need that performs worse and is more expensive. Just wait until so many of these devices are around that the signal noise levels around you make them lose connection. On top of all that, none of these will ever be audiophile quality because of electromanetic interference the transmitter places on electric components.

There is litteraly nothing wrong with wired headphones and they're arguably better in everyway. It's all vanity and the people who buy these products need to be euthanized.

That's a little intense and just an ignorant view on technology in general. Slightly offensive even though I still prefer wired headphones myself. IDK man, just trying to make your point too hard? lol