1) 72,549   2) 78,405   3) 70,289

Awesome!   a) 117,321   b) 122,537   c) 127,274

The new Lenovo K Note 4 has a good AMP  and DAC section (including good speakers).   You could also find an used M8, which has a really AMP-section(DAC is okay, IMO not as detailed as Z-Series).   The Alcatel Idol 3 5.5 (very important that you choose the 5.5" version) is one killer "budget...

No. The DAC in the international(exynos) version is always on, but it is technically inferior to the one found in the V10.

The reason for that is that the Marshall London was very rarely bought. It is/ was really expensive for that power/richness of features and the company is more known for AMPs and not smarthphones.(And it is just a licensing deal with Marshall, FYI)   It has a Wolfson DAC, technically it is...

In that case, Marshall London is your only choice to this date...   Did you consider it?

The "phonearena.com" (link here: http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-S7-Review_id4165) is out. Interestingly, they say that the S7 si indeed "louder" than the S6 in terms of output. but after some experiences from members of this forum the physical numbers do not translate in...

You are living in the USA, get a V10 or if you can afford to wait, a LG G5 with the HiFi module...   And test it with your own music (usb drive + OTG cable)!!

I have to disappoint you, but there is no way that the DAC in the S7 is better than the one that is found in the V10. The V10 is better, especially if you trick the phone into high gain mode.   In almost every other aspect, the S7(edge) is much better, I give them that.   It is mostly...

The LG G5 will be atleast on par if not even better than the V10 (with the fitting HiFi module, of course). If you like LG it would be only good to upgrade.

*sigh again*   There is an European version.(Has Exynos SoC) And since Italy is part of the EU, or the geographical Europe, it is indeed and surprisingly the Exynos version with the Cirrus Logic/ Wolfson "Lucky" DAC, which is said to be be better than the American/ Snapdragon version.  ...

*sigh* Every device that produces sound uses a DAC. The American version has a simple Snapdragon DAC, nothing special. The European/ Asian version has Cirrus Logic/Wolfson DAC that is rumored to be better than the Snapdragon version.   It is supposed to sound better than the S6, maybe on par...

The iDSD sounds the same with every good smartphone. All the final audio processing is done within the iDSD. Thus "pairing" doesn´t exist. Just get a phone with enough processing power (no lag, (gapless) DSD playback).   Get yourself a good playback software(Neutron, UAPP, Poweramp...) and...

 I would recommend the Sony range (from Z3 up to X performance) and the HTC One 8-9 models, where as especially the Sony ones have really good BT interfaces (called "LDAC").

You also have to include the sound signature of your in-ears in your consideration, maybe it is a "bad" pairing...   Since you visited a Best Buy, I would presume that you listened to the American Snapdragon version...

Please remind yourself that Cirrus Logic bought Wolfson.   So it could(!) be just a renamed Wolfson Chip with some custom tuning(hardware- and softwarewise)...

Generally they sound very... "polite" or "gentle", there is no sharpness. Technically - and less audiophilely speaking - a bit rolled off at both sides, (very) little boost in the lower-midrange to make sound a tad "warmer"....   This is for the headphones...I didn´t listened to their speakers...

Was expecting something like that. It is very unfortunate. Thanks for your answer; if you allow, one other question: Does the Tidal player import the songs out of Tidal, too(ripped CDs for example)? Or do I have to use seperate players to listen to the different music "catalogues"?

liaowcellphoneshop.com cect-shop.com oppomart.com honorbuy.com ...     It is pretty good. See for yourself: http://www.gsmarena.com/meizu_mx4_pro-review-1196p3.php   If you get the 16GB version for ~200 bucks, no, there is not.

One question about Tidal: The downloaded files for offline use; are they playable trough a third-party app such as PowerAmp and are they visible/ accessable through a file explorer?

V10 is the benchmark for "audiophile" smartphones from big OEM´s. The Z5 is similar to the Z3, good clarity/ resolution, but extremely quiet. The only step-up is software wise: - "Adapt-sound"-lile feature in the stock player, the sound sig adapts to the headphones plugged in. - DSD support.

Generally, the Z3 Generally, the Z3 is "better." And as it has a snapdragon and is by a well-known manufacturer it should have the biggest mod support...   P.S. Where did you find the M9 at that price? The lowest I found was at 300€

Note that this is just speculation...   The S7 is strongly believed to be introduced on February the 21st. Until that.... The S6 is somewhat of a solid performer, but the lack of an SD-Card slot was/ is a big letdown.   Like you, I am looking forward to see a S7 with a SD-card slot and an...

HTC One has better SQ technically. (gsmarena review)Soft mods are highly recommended. (Viper4Android, DragonFi, etc...) The Loudness and the speakers are the main advantages. For more alternating of sound, you can always use Poweramp, one of the best players/decoders.   A big contestant for...

Could someone kind describe the differences in SQ of the Meizu MX4 Pro and Pro 5 ?   Thanks in advance.