S12 will cry on any LG phones lol.
LG phone dac/amp only shines with higher impedance (over 50ohm) transducers.
Cant you trick it somehow?
if you add a 50ohm impedance adapter, then yeah.
I still wouldnt use any planars with LG phones…low impedance AND low sensitivity. GGWP
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Hmm I am familiar with the adaptor trick but I’ve never needed to use it. I might put a pause on the S12 for the moment then. I have an SMSL SP200 amp but that pushes out absurd amounts of power and I bet its going to be too much for an IEM. I also want something portable etc.
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nah, its not a problem. Its a bit lower power than my Schiit Asgard 3 that i use with everything (including iems and earbuds).
The adapter trick is actually referring to the “AUX” mode, not the 50+ohm mode that is better.
In “normal” mode, the LG phones are pretty much like every other smartphone out there.
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Is it worth getting a 50 ohm adaptor just to trick it for IEMs? That’s the trick I was referring to, I just have never bothered to use it. I’d imagine they will probably sound better with more power, it just seems like a headache to always have to set it up.
Glad to hear that my amp will work though, but I just want something for listening in bed and on the go rather than at my desk. I think you’re ultimately right about planars and my phone, will hold off for now.
I wouldnt do it, just get a dongle like the apple dongle if you are in the US…more power than the LG phones have at full power anyway.
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I recently got an apple adapter and it is super quiet on my Android phone… did some googleing and it seems to be a widespread problem/incompatibility. @Rikudou_Goku what phone do you use?
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I have the LG G7 (old phone) and the Oneplus 8T (current phone).
I dont use my wired iems with them tbh, I use TWS when I am out.
aa yeah, android does screw with that dongle. I believe using UAPP might help a bit.
Normal mode ~0.5V_rms
AUX mode ~1V_rms
High impedance mode ~1.8V_rms
It is darn frustrating that impedance has to be detected before the mode will engage, I think it is dumb to not have a manual override. Normal is still ‘good’ but it doesn’t use the full Quad DAC circuit.
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yeah, LG really screwed that design up…
But hey, look at where they are now. 
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I heard it happens on Samsung phone. Apple dongle on my Pixel 4a can get super loud
I bought an apple dongle for a Galaxy s10e, from the EU, and it was absurditly low, much lower than the regular phone jack…
I thought it was because of the EU regulation, but I have also read that it is because of Samsung…
EU bottleneck + android bottleneck
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Timeless sounds fine to me straight out of LG v40 with volume cranked. I don’t have beastly amps to compare it to however (tempotec hd pro, fiio ka3)
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EU bottleneck + Samsung bottleneck
it’s android in general i believe. my non-samsung android has the same issue.
Wow I had no idea the LG amp was so… mediocre. I still feel like its good for portability but maybe I’d be better off getting a Qudelix 5K or something. From what I’ve read the DAC is at least pretty good though. At worst along with UAPP its like having a DAP integrated into my smartphone so I can’t complain much lol.
Qudelix5k is a mini-beast! I love it.
I have now ES100 mk2 on my radar. It has slightly less power output and no PEQ, just EQ, but I’m too curious about it now since I just found they used AKM chips.
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Timeless sounds great with artists like GOGo penguin, Gn’R, Metallica-basically any genre you play with it.