Vivo has always considered itself as a music mobile phone, especially since the launch of the X series mobile phone. Vivo has always been in the first echelon of mobile phone sound quality. However, the latest X6Plus product of vivo has joined the world's first ES9028Q2M and ES9603Q audio chips. What new breakthroughs will it make in terms of sound quality?
Introduction to Hardware and Applications
First, introduce the audio hardware architecture of X6Plus. It uses the latest low-power decoding chip ES9028Q2M launched by ESS. It is also the first member of the ES9028 series (ESS released ES9028PRO for desktop systems on CES2016). In terms of the operational amplifier chip, it is also the world's first ES9603Q.
ES9028Q2M is the top DAC chip on the mobile phone. It provides a signal to noise ratio of 129dB, and the overall harmonic distortion is - 120dB. Its parameters are the same as those of SABRE9018AQ2M. It is stronger than ES9018K2M (used by vivo X5Max, Meizu Pro 5, Xiaomi Note Standard Edition, etc.) and ES9018C2M (used by Xiaomi Note Top Configuration, Lemon X3, etc.) used by other HiFi mobile phones. From the perspective of packaging, it is the same QFN packaging as SABRE9018AQ2M.
The ES9603Q is also the first operational amplifier chip in the world. When a 32 Ω load transmits 10mW power, the overall harmonic distortion is - 112dB. It can be called the ES9028Q2M imperial operational amplifier.
Compared with the "HiFi 2.0" of the previous generation product X5Max, the X6Plus seems to have reduced specifications in terms of architecture. The operational amplifier chip has changed from SABRE9601K+OPA1612 to an ES9603Q. The product manager of the X6 series said that "this year, there has been great progress in chip design. The ES9603 has achieved the performance that the previous ES9601 did not achieve, and its driving ability has been greatly improved. It can be said that its performance for two-stage amplification has improved compared with the previous two.". Literally, this generation of vivo does not need the HiFi 2.0 architecture to make products with better sound.
From the software level, the X6Plus is not much different from the previous vivo HiFi phones in terms of playing interface and settings. The independent HiFi module of vivo can select its own switch in its own player. In system settings, HiFi mode can be adapted for some third-party applications, such as NetEase Cloud Music in the figure. We use the latest version of firmware before the deadline, belonging to the Funtouch OS 2.5 series, version 1.13.4.
The player is still our familiar interface and operation. The difference is that Funtouch OS 2.5 has joined the online music library of Xiami Music, and there are many more music resources than before.
Auditory contrast
Comparison equipment: vivo X6Plus, vivo X5Max S, iPhone 6s Plus
Comparison earphones: HiFiMan ES100, vivo XE800 new version, Dayenke Titan 5, Vision Ears VE6X1, etc
Song format: FLAC, 320K MP3
X6Plus VS iPhone 6s Plus
In terms of sound quality, the vivo X6Plus is undoubtedly one of the top voice quality in mobile phones. Compared with some SoC integrated audio solutions or mobile phones with Codec (such as iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S series and other products) chips, it has obvious advantages in sound.
In terms of tri band, there are these differences: 1. Low frequency: for ordinary consumers, they may be more concerned and sensitive about the effect of low frequency. Compared with mobile phones without independent DAC and operational amplifier chips (here the iPhone 6s Plus is taken as an example), the X6Plus is better in the dynamic and potential of low frequency, although it does not have a large scale, However, the gap between the two is still obvious. 2. Intermediate frequency: The intermediate frequency of the X6Plus should be significantly more attractive and have a more mellow sound background, and the sound details should be several grades higher. In contrast, the voice of the iPhone 6s Plus is emotionless and lacks realism. 3. High frequency: The high frequency sound of the X6Plus is smoother than that of the iPhone 6s Plus, but the obvious difference in sound details still makes people feel that their high frequency is not much comparable. However, both of them can achieve a proper sense of quantity in terms of high frequency, with little burr, which is much better than ordinary mobile phones.
X6Plus VS X5Max S
In terms of sound quality, there is no great difference between the two products of Vivo, but there is a certain difference in sound style. The human voice of the X5Max S will have a strong grainy feel, giving a strong magnetic feeling. The human voice of the X6Plus will feel softer, which will appear more smooth in the middle and high frequencies. The difference between low frequency performance and low frequency performance is not big. From the perspective of low frequency texture and quantity, both belong to the relatively excellent level of mobile phones. In terms of high-frequency, the X6Plus is more convergent than the X5Max S, and its irritation is not so strong. In terms of parsing, the two remain at the same level. However, because of the softer and more balanced orientation of the X6Plus, people may think that its parsing is slightly poor. In fact, both are at the same level in terms of the amount of sound information and the imaging ability. The X6Plus only uses one operational amplifier chip, which is less violent than the X5Max S configuration. However, in actual use, its thrust does not drop, which is a surprise to us.
summary
From this experience and audition, the sound quality of the vivo X6Plus is no better than that of the previous generation products. However, with the addition of new chips and more mature tuning, the audio quality is more responsive to the tuning preferences of ordinary users. The vocal performance with texture and emotion is more suitable for performing popular songs, while the processing of low-frequency texture and high-frequency details is obviously more mature than that of ordinary mobile phones. The driving power of X6Plus enables it to promote commonly used portable earphones and give full play to their due strength. In terms of sound matching, the X6Plus can consider matching earphones with relatively balanced or analytical sound, which can not only enhance the performance of low frequency and high frequency, but also give play to the mid-range characteristics of the X6Plus. From the hardware point of view, X6Plus can be said to have made a good start for HiFi phones in 2016. The first two audio chips, ES9028Q2M and ES9603Q, are undoubtedly the wind vanes of the audio chips used by HiFi phones in the future. Before the deadline, Texas Instruments also officially released a new generation of low-power operational amplifier chip OPA1622. I believe that vivo will bring us more sound surprises in the next flagship model.
