I like this idea. I just bought the q5s because I didn’t want a m11 due to the restrictions of the os. I too have an iPhone (due to the wife and family having ios makes life easier), but had android before and kinda miss it. If I pick this lg v20 up can I use this without a carrier? Just use it on wifi? No need for a Sim card right?
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Yeah you can do that just fine, pretty solid
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Damn, what an idea. I think it’s a better option and you can change between amps if needed. 
The v20 is just really nice
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Does it matter what v20 I get? Anything to look out for? Looks like different versions/ H918, H910a, etc.
It doesn’t really matter because you don’t plan to stick a sim in it. Just possibly find one that’s unlocked
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New on eBay for $150. Unlocked. Trust eBay for these?
Yeah, ebay also has a money back if it’s fake or anything, just look for common scam tactics
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Pretty much everything M0N said. I still use mine with an xd-05 plus dac/amp. If my v20 broke, I’d just get another, no reason to get a restrictive dap.
I got mine from ebay, but I made sure to choose one that didn’t have a stock picture and wasn’t based in hong kong.
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Ok thanks! Excited to try this out. Hate shit connected to my phone.
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Picked up a v20 for $100, unlocked. Lets hope its legit.
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lol good method
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Seems the T-mobile versions of the V20 aren’t getting Android 9 (so 9 LDAC?) despite LG having rolled it out globally:
https://community.t-mobile.com/thread/153044
Could anyone confirm what other version DO get Android 9?
e.g. Does At&t version get Android 9?
Before I bought a dedicated DAP my “transport” was a LG G5. This was the last LG phone with a replacable battery (FLAC playing eats into battery very fast). And there was an special DAC attachment available with a better chip (B&O) than the built in DAC . It accepted big SD cards as Sandisk 400 GB.
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Two year old Xiaomi Redmi note 5. Works flawlessly with my XD-05 +.
I just bought a used LG V20 unlocked to use solely as as a dap and have it push music to my HipDac. The SD card was the most expensive component in my set up.
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How much better does this sound than the hip dac directly from your phone?
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I used this set up for a bit, pretty great. 
even just the v20 it’s still decent. The hip dac adds a lot of control and a touch warmth, but better detailed compared to just the v20. Then ofc that bass boost is implemented well. I reccomend getting 4.4mm cables since its balanced output outperformed the single ended. Ime
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I use the 4.4mm balanced only. I have an HD650 and an Aeon Closed RT. It’s been a fantastic set up so far.
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This: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005477244565.html
I got the 2GB version and it’s quite responsive, I didn’t feel like I needed a faster one or more RAM, since I was only planning to install Neutron and maybe a few other players or some EQ app, and a better launcher.
Supports 64GB SD card, not sure if it goes higher but it already fits all the music I need (I use MP4/AAC, not FLAC). And most importantly it can power dongles via USB-C - I specifically picked a model that said “supports OTG function” and looked for the largest capacity battery possible that didn’t make the phone too large. Autonomy is quite respectable once you disable the bloatware and turn the brightness as low as possible while still readable.
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