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I was listening to CDs on my dad’s giant headphones with a big 1/4-inch jack connected to an amplifier with stainless steel faces. Man, I loved that sound. It was rich, immersive, and as loud as I wanted. You could hear all the instruments and the lead singer’s breathing. That sound quality could not be reproduced on a smartphone. I’ve been trying for almost 30 years. There are very few good phones out there for audiophiles. Really I want to be more. Moondrop MIAD01 is a rare exception, but it falls short in several ways.
Sure, there was the LG V60, which boasted a quad-DAC setup and headphone jack, and the LG V30-V50 line, which had a built-in DAC, but I never dabbled with any of them until LG pulled away from smartphones as a whole. I’ve never had that happen. Venture. Please understand that I am not an audio engineer or technical expert. I’m just a music lover with a lifelong passion for high quality and great sound. I’m also a smartphone fan. I want to bring back the beautiful sounds I enjoyed when I was younger from the powerful devices I carry around with me every day.
Top 5 Android smartphones for audiophiles
Are you an audiophile looking for the perfect Android smartphone?
Moondrop MIAD01
A glimmer of hope with some trade-offs
We recently wrote about the Moondrop MIAD01, an Android device from a well-known Chinese manufacturer of headphones and other audio equipment. Moondrop has integrated his DAP into the phone, which includes both a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a 4.4 mm headphone jack. It also supports premium formats such as FLAC, WAV, and DSD. All of this sounds great on paper.
But as a phone, the MIAD01 is nothing to write home about. It offers a mid-range MediaTek Dimensity processor and the camera is middling at best. You won’t be able to take great photos or play games on such devices. Made of plastic and ships without Google Play Services. So this is not a high quality phone by any means, and if you pay the price of the phone you can buy a decent he DAC and connect it to a more powerful phone. But that’s not what I want.
How mainstream mobile phones are missing
Is it intentional or just cheap?
So why aren’t the big players getting involved? Why don’t Samsung or Apple have decent devices that can output Hi-Res FLAC? The answer probably comes down to market forces. Most people rely on streaming services for their music, whether it’s Spotify or YouTube Music. Most of these formats are 96kbps (160kbps for “high” quality). This is fine for earbuds, but not the kind of audio I’m looking for.
Some streaming services offer decent sound. Tidal offers high-definition FLAC streaming up to 1140kbps. Qobuz is up to 9,216kbps. Apple Music also offers excellent lossless audio and Dolby Atmos tuning. But very few phones can handle any of these without connecting another device like a dongle or DAC.
What are possible solutions?
Can Sony save the day with the Xperia series?
3.5mm headphone jack, Dolby Atmos tuning, MicroSD slot, and an incredible Zeiss camera. Does the Sony Xperia 1 VI have what it takes to satisfy my hungry ears? It’s close. Perhaps paired with a small portable DAC, it could fit into your budget. Even without a DAC, the phone is decent and includes a headphone jack. I don’t like that Sony dropped his 4K screen to 1080p on his Xperia 1 VI, but perhaps the new 19.5:9 aspect ratio means usability has finally reached the forefront. There is.
Can someone please step up?
I have a simple request for the smartphone industry. Please make high-end smartphones for us audiophiles. We crave quality sound, a good processor, a headphone jack, expandable storage, and a good camera to boot. The Moondrop MIAD01 should serve as a template for what we want in the audio realm. And when you combine it with the performance of the Sony XPeria 1 VI, I think it’s going to be great. Until then, I’ll continue listening to CDs on my big headphones in my living room.
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