LG-V60 for Music playback: Early impressions, walkthrough | Sounds great for DAP duties

Early impressions and a walkthrough of the LG-V60.
Better screen, software, chipset, battery than pretty much any DAP currently on the market but only a fraction of the cost (£195). Compared to the Hiby R6 Pro II (£600)
So why use a dedicated DAP?
If you need a 4.4 balanced then you'll need a DAP. If you need power for demanding headphones or IEMs you'll need a DAP. Other than that the LG-V60 will have you covered.

[@dujankees]

I used to have an LG V20 with the quad dac,really good sound quality from its headphone jack. When it died, I took a chance with the Meizu Pro 7 (pretty popular Chinese phone brand 7-8 years ago; they also made mp3 players back in the day). It has a built in CS43131, and man, the amp on this phone is exceptionally loud even at the lowest volumes compared to my newer phones. Still using it as my main DAP 🤩

[@arthurmonay3156]

This was a review I really wanted to see. I have two V60's. Thanks !

[@bodythetan]

Why do you need a review on a product you already own?

[@titusbyzantine4949]

​@@bodythetanbecause there's no rules in life and people do what they want?

[@bodythetan]

@@titusbyzantine4949 no argument there. And I can only assume it took you this long to reply to my comment, because you were busy managing your own two identical V60 phones. Good day, sir.

[@titusbyzantine4949]

@@bodythetan No sir, I am busy trying to survive in this cold brutal world. My single V60 is still going strong however. Top of the morning to you

[@khanyilemgwebi2575]

Just a slight correction from the video,the Samsung Galaxy note 9 never had a 4K display, it's 1440p (2k).

[@manuelgarciajr5308]

Love my v60. Miss my Korean LG V50 with dual screen though. Just liked the Oled screen better. It was also more neutral in sound which paired great with my HD600.

[@jeffrose61]

sounds like the hiby is AKM chips by your description. in my experience (Qudelix 5k, same ESS chips as v6, vs shanling m2x $220 akm dap) ess was noticeably sharper (great for bass, potentially a problem in treble)

[@Shahkhan-uz6xx]

nice and comprehensive review....on side note, how is the sound quality of pixel phones as a source with any dongle etc?

[@AndrewYouTubehandle]

Had the v60 (with removable second screen) since it came out. Love it. Best android phone I’ve ever had. It’ll update to android 13 though last security update is mid 2023. I use mine with a dummy account and not much in it. V60 hardware is great. It’s tough (mil std) and slim, great in the hand (initially felt slippery). Three system camera is very good especially if you use manual mode. Microphone pocket up is great. It might be old in android terms but it’s fast, sounds great, great audio, SD card slot. Adaptive aptx. FPS is reliable. I use USB audio player pro (android natively down samples but LG bypasses that android limitation in the hardware). I also use Apple Music which is brilliant on the v60. Also pocket casts etc. Some people have had issues with the usb c socket but the v60 supports wireless charging. There are a couple of hard to drive headphones were you need 100% volume so no headroom. But most are fine. And I’m not aware of any IEM that it can’t drive. Nice shout for the studio 4. I’m thinking of adding the Doscincos to my collection for a deeper bass end.

[@sanketbanjare5820]

So if i bought v60 instead of v30. Then its a upgrade or identical audio wise ?

[@AndrewYouTubehandle]

@@sanketbanjare5820 I don't have the v30, I have a v20. Both the v60 and v20 are better audio wise than any other phone I've used. The following refers to the v60 and v20 but are considerations for the v30 as well. The v60 and v20 sound subtly different (thy use different ESS quad dacs). I slightly prefer the V30 for wired but the v60 for wireless (the v30 supports MQA from what I remember). The v60 has a more recent version of android and is a lot faster, better screen, better durability, ability to use a removable second screen. The v20 I use with almost nothing other than music- it's very slow with much else and I'm using it as a portable DAC, a clock and a torch! I'd recommend the v60 over the v20.

[@sanketbanjare5820]

If i want to use a headphone with high ohm how is it possible ? I can use type c as output into dac then to headphones (in this case inbuilt dac of v60 is just sitting) Is there a way to utilise inbuilt dac for high ohm headphones ?

[@AndrewYouTubehandle]

@@sanketbanjare5820 the v60 dac is very powerful. Also you can use a dac dongle like the Onix Alpha- it has 3.5mm and 4.4mm headphone output. 4.4mm is typically more power. There are also wireless dac dongles like the Fiio btr13, btr17 etc

[@sanketbanjare5820]

Which is a better choice hip dac3 or btr7?

[@Depth_Perceptionist]

To be honest, i prefer using Sony xperia 10 VI with IEM's. The integrated snapdragon 6 gen 1 sounds more detailed and clearer. Please give me your thoughts

[@iseerashonal821]

My music app crashes every time the Quad DAC is on while the screen is off and I'm outside walking or driving. I have to turn off the Quad DAC to rectify the problem. So annoying as this is the number 1 reason I bought the phone.

[@Kryptster]

How is the Audio after turning off the Quad DAC?! was planning to buy it for DAP...

[@iseerashonal821]

@@Kryptster It's still good, just like any other phone although slight better with the QDAC. However, I'll recommend the V50. The sound quality is much better, probably because it was tuned by Meridian. I had to download equalizers to get better quality sound on the V60 and it still can't match up to the V50.

[@Totuus-qq5nr]

Hey, i have LG V50 + Fiio FH3 too. Here to enlighten you how to properly use the quad dac. Your phone actually has 3 gains: normal (which you are currently using) - mid (for aux) and high (for headphones having 50 ohms or higher) you can trick the phone to use the mid gain with all your earphones, just detach the left earpiece of your fav earphones before inserting it to the headphone jack. After inserting the headphones and hifi-quad enabled already, attach your left earpiece back. Enjoy the music. You can do the same with your DT 700 if it has removable cable. It has an impedance of 48 ohm and therefore cannot utilize your phone's high gain mode. Get back if you can hear a difference:)

[@PerputuallyCensored]

I’m not sure that is applicable to a different phone. I don’t need the extra gain either way.

[@Totuus-qq5nr]

@@PerputuallyCensored that method is applicable to all lg phones with quad dac, starting from lg v20- lg v60.

[@PerputuallyCensored]

Great, I still don’t need it. Do you have to do that process a single time or every time you use headphones? @Totuus-qq5nr

[@Totuus-qq5nr]

@@PerputuallyCensored if your iem/headphones has an impedance of 50 ohm and above the phone will automatically switch to the highest gain. Anything below 50 ohm (majority of iems/headphones in the market) you'll have to trick it every time you use your phone. You can also purchase an impedance adapter (40 ohm-80 ohm) so you don't have to trick your phone. However, i dislike this method as it may change the sound signal. hope that helps

[@snowzZzZz]

I think someone made a migisk modulemto enable mid or high gain on root as well

[@shahkhan110]

nice review....hoping to see its comparison with moondrop Miad 01.....phone with 4.4mm jack

[@PerputuallyCensored]

I’ll not be buying the Moondrop but someone may do that comparison. It won’t be me though.

[@isai7265]

The frame on your v60 looks really polished is it an at&t phone?

[@guilladogui8259]

what would be a good alternative for more portability that can have the same sound quality not the sony devices with noise floor? and large memory capacity

[@PerputuallyCensored]

Hiby M300.

[@aleksiz15]

i have this phone as a dap! but i'm still thinkingng getting a proper dap, like a hiby m300 or r4. should i go for it or not? i'm new to the hobby, and i mainly use iems at the moment.

[@PerputuallyCensored]

Only you can decide based on your own criteria. For me I don't have a phone with a headphone jack or expandable storage so that is why I have a DAP. I've tried a few DAPs and they don't sound any better than the LG-V60. The only reasons to get a DAP is for more power and a 4.4 balanced if you want it. If you have lots of things on your phone storage and don't want music to take up space then get a DAP. If you want something that solely plays back music then get a DAP. The r4 has awful battery life by the way, less than 6 hours I think.

[@aleksiz15]

thanks for the advice! i think i'll stick to my v60 for a bit. wasnalso thinking of getting a newer sony phone but its just so overpriced here in the uk. and youre right about the battery life of this thing,you cant really kill it if youll just use it for music listening.

[@squidwerd1981]

I have the R4 and the battery life is excellent. It's not 6hrs. I've been able to listen to it all day and still have battery left over

[@PerputuallyCensored]

Hiby themselves say “upto 11 hours” so that isn’t even half a day (12 hours). I don’t consider 10 hours as “excellent” at all. More likely it is around 8 hours. That is pretty poor, especially for a smaller device. V60 will give you at least 48 hours playback. Depending on settings and output the R4 might get you 6 hours. @@squidwerd1981

[@ericperry72]

I love my V60, its the weak designed usb port that i keep having to get repaired. Really wish Sony or Samsung would pick up the dac that LG used in their flag ship phone. Also for those thay dont know, LG put this dac in all of their flag ship phones, the stylo for example.

[@haasliebemann7451]

how about esim profiles? does it support multiple esim profiles?

[@anonimeishon]

Hello, I'm thinking of getting this or the sony nw a306 japanese uncapped version. I'm worried about power issues with both of these devices but Idk if I'm exaggerating. I mainly use Iems, some are the B2dusk Truthear hexa Moondrop Aria What do you think? Is the sony enough? Should I get the Hiby M300 instead?

[@PerputuallyCensored]

I don't know what power requirements they have but I'd guess that the Hype 4 are an equivalent, if not more demanding to drive. An uncapped A306 for me drives the Hype 4s well at 80-85 (out of 120) volume. Your mileage will vary based on the volume levels on the specific recordings you listen to. The M300 is louder though so you have more headroom than on the Sony but it does systemwide resampling, not bit perfect.

[@anonimeishon]

​@@PerputuallyCensored I own a Qudelix 5K and when going to my max comfort volume, I put it on -17 db, RMS 141 [mv]. Does that help in any way? Do you think I should get the M300 then? I saw your reviews and like the sony Nw-A306 more because of the battery life and unit size, but I'm not sure if the volume is going to be a problem for me. Thank you for the help!

[@PerputuallyCensored]

I've not used those so can't comment. I think the A306 should do the job. If you want to be sure go and check the power/driving requirement of the Hype 4 and compare that to your IEMs. If they are similar then the uncapped A306 will do the job. I can't tell you what to get but I prefer the A306 for the better size and much better battery life. I sold the M300 and kept the A306. The M300 is good and has more power but the battery life is less, the size is less comfortable in the hand and the systemwide resampling caused me issues with UAPP.

[@anonimeishon]

@@PerputuallyCensored Seems like mine are a little bit more sensitive: Hype 4: 105dB (±1dB) @1kHz B2Dusk: 117dB / Vrms @ 1KHZ So I should be fine with the A306, thank you man! this was really helpful, I hope you listen to music as loud as I do and I don't regret this 🤣

[@isai7265]

Get the m300

[@FireBFM]

Digital filter sharp sounds the best

[@1969nazi]

do you have a link to the seller? thanks in advance

[@PerputuallyCensored]

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363898681789?var=633137305097

[@lonestar1967]

Is it worth updating from Sony NW-A55 to this phone?

[@PerputuallyCensored]

If you want better battery life, zero noise floor and more volume/power, then yes.

[@lonestar1967]

@@PerputuallyCensored thanks, friend. best luck to your channel, love your vids!

[@FIxt00l]

Totally. I own both. That Sony is so pathetic, it's like a bad joke. It is mikes behind HTC 10, not to mention lg v-series. Even with Mr. Walkman's firmware, which is worth it...the Sony is plain ordinary with a strange, bright sound.

[@bobmitzelnavarrete3861]

did you try the high impedance mode trick?

[@PerputuallyCensored]

Someone else mentioned it but I haven't tried it as I don't need it.

[@ghostjacker]

​@@PerputuallyCensored The only reason you need it is for planers with low impedance and sensitivity. So it won't trigger the high gain mode, which you will need.

[@thedar7164]

is this the LG V60 ThinQ 5G?

[@PerputuallyCensored]

Yes

[@vera_bh8091]

Youre in europe right? Im pretty sure you can update it with a european IP and its unlocked by european law. Im generalizing here so I do not understand the specifics as Im in the US but thats what I understand when switching to europe ISP and providers