RockStar2005
Headphoneus Supremus
Both have 9018 dac chips but the HA-2 has a K2M while the V10 has a C2M.
Can't say for sure how the HA-2 compares soundwise to the V10 but I rated the V10 as being 90% close to my iBasso R10 which has a desktop 9018S chip.
I agree, the HA-2's gain switch (and imo bass boost) is preferred but you're still stacking as opposed to the V10 being an all-in-one solution.
As for the exact differences in V10 volumes, @HipHopScribe did a test of all 3 modes here (took me a moment to find it again):
http://www.head-fi.org/t/785335/lg-v10-hi-fi-audio-quality-review-on-serious-audio-performance/615#post_12453321
Yeah, I knew there were both 9018 DAC chips but didn't know the v10 had a "C".
Cool. 90% is pretty good!
I know. lol But I can't stand phablets. I had the S7 Edge for like 10 days and then decided it was simply too big & bulky for my tastes, so I switched it for the S7. But I'm done with Samsung as soon as the Sony Xperia X Performance comes out in June. Me and Samsung just don't click like I do with Sony phones. lol The HA-2 and the Xperia Performance will still sound amazing, as the HA-2 did with my Z3 and even current S7 (which hiccups all the time when I do digital connections to my HA-2 with it, blahh. My Z3 very rarely did that.)
I keep Bass Boost off, but I leave High gain on. So even the quietest Hi-Res albums I have are loud enough. This is crucial b/c I didn't pay good money to NOT fully hear my Hi-Res tracks clearly. lol
Hmm that is interesting. Thanks for sharing. I guess it IS possible the Aux mode would be loud enough. I dunno. Maybe I'll consider checking it out if someone on here compares it to the v10 or HA-2, or similar (9018 premium quality). I thought it was gonna be $160 here but on Amazon it's selling for like $228, so not as cheap as I thought. I could sell my $299 HA-2 now for maybe that much though. I dunno. Plus I don't like that I have to do a "trick" just to get it loud enough. I don't have an extender and don't plan on buying one.