A video review of Sony’s Xperia 1 V as a portable audio player

The Sony Xperia 1 V might be the smartphone to consider if you’ve got the green for Sony’s combination of close-to-stock Android, a 4K display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a camera lens array that, when used in tandem with the pre-installed Photography Pro app, teaches you the fundamentals of manual photography. That app’s UI is none-too-dissimilar to Sony’s own mirrorless cameras but, obviously, there’s a basic mode for point-and-shooters.

However, the Xperia 1 V might also be eyed by audiophiles noting its 3.5mm headphone socket and wondering – as I did – “But what if it’s really good?”. With headphone sockets a rarity on smartphones in 2023, such curiosity can be financially perilous. We must stand mentally firm against wishful thinking. I bought the Xperia 1 V from Amazon to leave the door open to a return if it didn’t cut the mustard.

In investigating the sound quality of the DAC / headphone amplifier that sits behind the Xperia 1 V’s headphone socket – about which Sony says next to nothing – we should acknowledge that the hardware impacts what we hear far more than any hi-res or MQA support or bit-perfect signal handling: just as a fancy wine glass won’t save a bad wine, a DAC’s 24bit/192kHz capabilities won’t save a weak-sounding headphone output. But then again, what if the DAC/amp chip inside the Xperia 1 V has real gumption? There was only one way to find out.

The above video picks up the review story in which I compare the Sony flagship’s headphone output to the Japanese manufacturer’s own NW-A306 Walkman, the FiiO R7 desktop amplifier, FiiO’s KA2 dongle DAC, the AudioQuest DragonFly Black, the LG V40 and Apple’s Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter. I then round out the video with my thoughts on how the €250 Sennheiser IE300 – a wired model – stack up against Sony’s True Wireless WF-1000XM5 when either is partnered with the Xperia 1 V.

🎥 Camera: John Darko
🎬 Editor: John Darko
🌈 Colour: Olaf von Voss
🕺🏻 Motion GFX: John Darko
💰 Ad segment: Jana Dagdagan

🎵 Song IDs? Playlists of all music heard in this video – and other videos – can be found on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/johndarko

Further information: Sony

🤳 Get the Sony Xperia I V here:
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👉 Also seen in this video…

Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5S 2
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Sony WF-1000XM5
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FiiO KA2
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FiiO R7
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FiiO FT3
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FiiO FF3
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Sony NW-A306
🛒 https://amzn.to/47pMGer