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SONY Xperia 1 V — is it REALLY the AUDIOPHILE's smartphone?
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It is much much better than the garbage iPhone😊
I had a Sony Xperia 1II when it was out and the hardware was stunning. It felt amazing in the hand and also it's almost pure stock android / pixel type experiences was amazing.
The biggest and frankly only issue i had was the camera side — which for Sony was odd but i found the autofocus and overall quality far too hit & miss. I also found the side fingerprint sensor too limiting. When my phone's on my desk i like to be able to touch the screen and unlock it to see what's going on but with the sony you always have to pick up the device
It's so close to perfect but just a couple major stumbles make it less than the device it could so easily be.
I owned the previous Sony flagship and what you’ve just said applied to that too. Its headphone port didn’t sound as good as basically any dap that I tried. Really nice phone though
I suspect it's just wishful thinking on my part, but it's hard not to want to glean some bit of hope from such a prominent manufacturer including a headphone output that there may be a pro-wired-connection counter reformation on the horizon. There probably isn't, but hope springs eternal.
Also, John Carroll Kirby is wonderful.
Damn. At, $1400, this is a fail. Sure, you can plug in efficient earbuds and have a talk, but if the jack can't power efficient headphones with ease, then it's just a jack for accessories and not really meant for any serious listening. I guess this is where we are… dongle dac/amps and wireless. Sucks for us Meze 99 and Sennheiser wired users. I'm going to keep my V60 going as long as possible.
FWIW Roon ARC still working on my LG V60.
Missing a comparison to the Shanling M0 pro
Thank you – I'm also someone who has wondered about the audio quality of the Sony phone's headphone output in comparison to my old LG V30, as well as my little dongle dac thing. It's interesting that Sony say that their audio circuitry can cope with hi-res. Did you play with that in Apple Music (sorry to bring that up again!)? I'm trying to work out what's going on with that in Android, as my dongle dac has an LED that changes colour when it receives hi-res, and it does do that when I use it with my Samsung S20FE (Android 13), but it doesn't do it with my LG (Android 9), despite Apple Music having the option in the settings menu.
Disapointing they didn't use the tech of their DAPs in this phone. Seemed like a no-brianer.
Good to know I'm not missing out.
Try USB audio player pro app. Much better than the streamer apps.
Tremendous!! Thank you, John! I did the exact same when researching a new phone purchase with the XPERIA 1 V as a candidate. Every other reviewer glosses over the on-board headphone output, and never investing time in it. I appreciate your video as it confirms my worst concern, that Sony glossed over it's implementation of the DAC/AMP stage. I appreciate your work!
As someone without much means, the scarcity of wired headphone compatibility automatically forces the choices toward the enthusiast-tier of flagship smartphones. I almost bit the bullet just to try it, but settled on something cheaper and with less functionality. I had considered purchasing a modest android phone and splurging on a ZX707 Walkman, but i couldn't reconcile the workflow discrepancies of managing two devices in respect to push-notifications, calls, etc, that would be native to a smartphone experience. Taking out an IEM just to slap a phone to my head for answering calls seems… obtuse. And that's presuming I hear the ring-tone through my IEM's isolation. Very frustrating.
The Pixel isnt stock android and the on-screen fingerprint reader is more responsive to a tap than it is to leaving your finger on the screen until it has activated.
Average users will use bluetooth earbuds, and audiophiles will attach a portable DAC. A headphone socket needs to be amazing or not there at all.😅
I love my 1V, but I totally agree with your view. I’m coming from a LG v60 and it is just better than the Sony. If I’m going to listen to music I’m, not reaching for the Xperia 1V. But an audio book or pod cast is great. Thanks for the video.
So… What smartphone has the best value for audiophiles?
So disappointing from Sony.
I wish the sony xperia smartphones use a thx amp like the fiio portable dac amps or the thx onyx. I daily drive the marble version of my sennheiser hd 600 to my sony xperia 1 iv phone when I commute by bus, walking around and running errands. Sometimes I use my fiio fa1 iems since they are tuned to be neutral/analytic but it's main thing that stands are the mid range and vocals on the fiio fa1 since I use them for talking on the phone since I bought a replacement mmcx to 3.5mm cable from amazon with the built in mic. I use my fiio iem's in the a same way as I use my sennheiser headphones. I'm not really a fan of bluetooth headphones and earbuds or even bluetooth speakers since they use dsp. I'm not really a fan of dsp since dsp alters the audio with psycho acoustics and dsp always reminds me of bose over priced audio equipment. I prefer the audio to be natural and organic and without using dsp like my sennheiser headphones and my fiio iem's since they don't use any dsp.
listenig to this through a Zenfone 10 via AptX Lossless into the Nura True Pro. The Zenfone 10 also feat a 3,5mm Socket and i think it sounds fine with the Sennheiser ie300, but i find the Nuratrue Pro via Bluetooth for the same price much more satisfying. Great Video John
John, really happy to see you have done this content, I literally bought this phone a month ago due to its audio capabilities and Im really interesting to see your opinion about it, so lets grab some popcorn and enjoy the content 🙂
Update: so exactly as I feel about Xperia. Got disappointment and jack connection is not used in my case straight from the phone. Apart of it, when I tried to listen my B&W PX8 via usb-c cable directly, sound volume is horribly low. So there is only Bluetooth with aptex adaptive which is more or less usable. Apart of it only dongle remains…Other than that, phone as a package is very good and improved comparing to last year model
It's definitely the phone I'd choose!
Hi John. Does Sony have any specific/own music player app ?
No surprises here
The internal dac still goes through the android's resampling issue unless you use 3rd party apps like USB audio player. It does make a considerable difference if you play the music through that app.
I bought the Xperia 5 II because Sony’s marketing made a big deal out of Hi-Res, and the phone is very disappointing in that aspect. I bought it to replace an old phone that was made for audiophiles – one of the LG ones with 4 DACs I think, and what a mistake that was
I've recently acquired the Xperia 1 V because of what I thought would be a superior audio experience with high end headphones… I came from having the Lg V60.
The LG knocks the Sony out of the park when it comes to headphone output. Aaaannnd! It has a better battery life and easily comparable performance in every day use and manual camera.
To be honest, I'm going to sell the Sony and repurchase an LG V60 from Ebay brand new with Android 13 for £200 and still have around £400 in change from selling the Sony.
Bit of a no brainier 😛