LG V30: Could the Successor of LG V20 be the best Smartphone for Audiophiles?

The South Korean company, today, made the LG V30 official and thereby added to the list of various 2017 flagship smartphones that are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. The successor to the LG V20, the V30 has a larger P-OLED screen measuring at 6 inches, and it throws a QHD+ resolution of 1,440 x 2,880 pixels.

But come what may, it is never easy for any smartphone manufacturer to take on the likes of the Apple and Samsung – the two ruthless market leaders – and so, other companies must find different ways to innovate and tackle the success that these two are.

For this reason or perhaps to be unique and make an effort to be the best, LG has equipped its latest flagship with certain audio capabilities that the company claims have never been seen on any other smartphone yet – Quad DAC, B&O Play certified, 32-bit/192KHz audio playback and 24-bit/48KHz audio recording. Of course, while there are few other smartphones that support 24-bit Hi-Res audio, none have their audio playback fine-tuned by B&O itself. So, this is indeed a feather in LG’s cap.

 

The Magic of Quad DAC and B&O PLAY

Apparently, the LG V30 is not the first smartphone to be so well-equipped for music lovers. That credit actually goes to its predecessor, the V20, which came with the same hi-fi Quad DAC and 24-bit/192KHz audio playblack capability as well as B&O PLAY.

However, the V30 take things a bit higher with the Quad DAC upgraded to play Hi-Res audio files up to 32-bit/192KHz. The much talked about DAC is essentially ESS Technology’s SABRE ES9218P DAC. Like with any other DAC, the idea here is also to deliver the sound which is as close to the original source as possible – basically trying to keep the sound (or music) as it was intended to be heard.

 

Quad DAC presents two new features – Digital Filters & Sound Presets

The purpose of having digital filters, other than option of having customizable sound, is to reduce distortion in the audio signals which would eventually lead to cleaner audio output. By carefully studying and contemplating on various combinations, LG implemented four presets – Enhanced, Detailed, Live and Bass. Each of these settings would bring its own flavor to the music.

LG has proudly shared that its engineers have been able to reduce the distortion in audio signals down to 0.0002 percent. This should sound very impressive even to a layman.

Furthermore, the audio receiver in the V30 can also be used, at the same time, as a microphone. LG has termed it as Receiver-as-a-Mic or RAM. This RAM is designed to record ‘loud’ sounds clearly in order to deliver higher dynamic range of audio – for instance, the sound of a thunderstorm! And it is said that the phone will do it without audible distortion.

President of LG, Juno Cho, commented, “With the V30, LG and our partners are pushing the boundaries of smartphone audio to enable a more bespoke listening experiences. The combination of its advanced Hi-Fi audio technology and the superb images generated by its OLED FullVision display makes the LG V30 a true multimedia powerhouse.”

Adding to the above, CEO of B&O PLAY, John Mollanger, said, “For most people, listening to the music they love is a fundamental part of their lives and they expect the same uncompromised experience and quality from their headphones as they do from the mobile device they source music from. That’s why B&O PLAY is very excited for our long-term partnership with LG and satisfying global music lovers world over.”