Smartphone audio sadness

I'll try for clarity in this response so EVERYONE can comprehend it.
I went with the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and so far quite like it. Now, considering my last phone was the iPhone 4s, that shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

But the sound is wide and deep in my headphones; it's MHQ option is good, as is the Dolby option, and I tailored the output for my age group and hearing sensitivity. It does have a few options available only when connected to a 3.5mm, including a so-called "Tube Amp" sound option - which, truthfully, just makes the output signal darker and more murkier - nothing really like my own Pathos tube amp at home.

But it's a fun foray into the world of phone-as-sound - especially as I do so much listening in my car.

@millercarbon- don't forget mantis shrimp. Although I don't think they spend too much time stressing over phone audio quality. Probably because of that no ears thing they have going on. Plus I don't think any phone is that water resistant....

I don't know, @millercarbon. I guess I'm just an uneducated rube who needs your sage advice when it comes to things like this.

See how different things can go when confronted with a pompous ijit?

Ahhh, another poorly written post misleading people into providing the wrong responses! I blame public education. And Jack Dorsey.

Okay, so its:

what i was saying was that the vast amount of space dedicated to the phone’s visual capabilities reflects the visual bias society has over audio quality.

Everyone on board with the new Topic? Okay! Here we go!

Humans have really amazing vision. Only a few animals, like birds of prey, have better vision. Most don’t even see in color. So its beyond society. Its our species. Evolutionary forces have selected for it.

Which for all that isn’t quite right. Plenty of studies prove people will rate video quality higher when the sound is better. When Star Wars came out part of the reason it was such a phenom was it was the first movie to be released with a sound track and in theaters with the earliest versions of improved sound cooked up by a couple pioneering audiobuds named Tomlinson and Holman. For the next five or ten years they were the biggest thing in movies, THX.

Who doesn’t (if you were around) remember the incessant advertising hype around THX? Couldn’t watch a movie without the big THX clip rumbling the theater.

So its probably a little misplaced assuming the space given to things on a phone has anything to say about society. Corporations, probably. Profits, almost certainly.

See how different things go when you write clearly?

I’m afraid I did miss your point. But if you re-read your original post, you make no such point. In your response to mine, you are much more succinct in what you are trying to convey. I disagree with you, but I now understand the premise of your post.

@thecarpathian -- I'm sorry you feel that way. You also missed my point - or perhaps I didn't make it clear enough: many threads on this forum question why there aren't more audiophiles, or why the demographic for this hobby is aging. And what i was saying was that the vast amount of space dedicated to the phone's visual capabilities reflects the visual bias society has over audio quality.

And - I've been happy with my 4s camera for seven years. You really think I care about camera quality or massive effects everywhere?

@nonoise Yes, I read that in my research. Funny thing is, had Stereophile not had that cover article on the LG V30, I doubt I would have really considered audio in a phone, preferring instead to go for a music player for the car. But that article made that criterium the defining one.

@millercarbon - I guess I'm a non-audiophile :)

This might be of help to you: https://darko.audio/2019/04/5-reasons-why-the-iphone-is-a-poor-choice-for-portable-audio/

Aside from his non-reco for the iPhone, he does cover some of the bases on the competition.

All the best,
Nonoise

More people aren't audiophiles because there isn't a lot written about phone audio specs??! That makes no sense at all. None. And to consider a nice quality camera to capture a picture of something interesting and/or beautiful 'visual crap', well, that's a whole other problem, Isn't it.....

Funny, I've always thought of Apple as the quality audio leader. Although eliminating the phone jack has ticked me off. Last thing I need, another connector adaptor.

Got me curious though. You actually listening to these things just like you would any other high end audio purchase? Or going by specs, like any non-audiophile would do?