quad DAC has no effect? Are my ears broken? - LG V30 Questions & Answers

Hi,
I have recently purchased the LG V35 and liking it thus far.
I thought I would enjoy the improved sound quality provided by the quad DAC, but honestly I'm not sure if mine even works.
I'm using Tidal hifi, a pair of "SYNC by 50 cents" headphones and a pair of basic sony earphones (all I havr for now).
Plugging the headphones in, the phone suggests activating the quad DAC which lights up the DAC icon in the notification bar.
It all sounds the same. Good, but the same on and off.
Tried fooling the phone into aux mode which bumped up the volume a bit.
What am I missing? Should there be a eureka moment with DAC switched on or are the differences really so subtle? Are my ears at fault? Subpar headphones? The phone itself?
The DTS:X surround option does make music sound different, suggesting i'm not a complete philistine.
Any help appreciated

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Do your earphones have at least 50 ohms impedence? You want HIM. High Impedence Mode.
Download the Hi-Fi Status (LG) app. It will tell you if you're in HIM.
Hi-Fi Status (LG)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apptrio.hi_fi_status&hl=en_US
The quad DAC will try to make any earphones sound better, but reserves the "good stuff" for HIM.
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Thanks! I think both are below 50 Ohms as the app says "normal audio device".
Does the DAC work the same below 50 Ohms? read a bit about impedance and found some say it's important while others are saying it's not relevant in terms of quality, only for volume.
Found a good deal on Klipsch X6i and X12i, both are 50 Ohms. Will they work? Any experience with these?

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Strider88 said:
Thanks! I think both are below 50 Ohms as the app says "normal audio device".
Does the DAC work the same below 50 Ohms? read a bit about impedance and found some say it's important while others are saying it's not relevant in terms of quality, only for volume.
Found a good deal on Klipsch X6i and X12i, both are 50 Ohms. Will they work? Any experience with these?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The quad DAC does work below 50 ohms, but not necessarily all 4 channels? It tries to make all headphones sound as good as possible, but there's a reason LG put in HIM (High Impedance Mode). LG thinks (fairly or not) that premium headphones are going to have at least 50 ohms impedance. HIM will give a bigger soundstage and the quad DAC will work harder.
The headphones you mention are excellent and do have 50 ohms, but I'm not sure if the HIM trigger point is exactly 50 ohms or if over, you know? Here's some below for a lot less money and you can test the quad DAC to see if you hear a difference. They will definitely trigger HIM.
SoundMAGIC E80S RED Reference
Impedance: 64 Ohms
$49.95
Then you can buy the Klipsch X6i or X12i, if you wish -- if you see the quad DAC is working right with HIM.