The LG V20 is the smartphone for audiophiles that raises the bar on smartphone audio. It is the world’s first smartphone to come with a Hi-Fi Quad DAC by ESS Technology — designed for professional-grade audio devices — promising superior sound quality and low noise. Additional engineering polish has been added by B&O PLAY to deliver near-perfect sound. But as a digital storytelling device, the V20 isn’t just about listening to sound — it’s about recording sounds, even creating your own music.

Here are three reasons audiophiles can’t seem to get enough of the LG V20…

1. Studio Mode in HD Audio Recorder

As one of V20’s most distinctive features, Studio Mode in the HD Audio Recorder supports two-track recording — which means you can record your voice on top of a music file, such as instrumental background. The result? Studio-quality content at 24-bit, 192 kHz for auditions or for your personal collection. The V20 makes use of three in-built, high AOP (Acoustic Overload Point) microphones to record voice clearly, far surpassing the audio-recording functions on other smartphones.

2. Customizeable Mic Controllers

When you first open the HD Audio Recorder, you will be in Normal setting. Look on the Second Screen and you’ll see that it offers other options: Concert and Custom.

The Concert setting lets you handle deafening input of up to 132dB — a considerable upgrade from the 120dB the V10 could manage. This means you can clearly record thunderous sound at concerts, unlike conventional recorders that lack the V20s’ audio-engineering muscle, and so end up with distorted recordings.

Then there is Custom. Tap on Custom, and you will see the three control sliders labeled Gain, Low Cut Filter (LCF), and Limiter (LMT). These sliders look similar to the audio mixing tools used by sound engineers. Don’t be intimidated: They are easy to use. The Gain slider controls mic sensitivity, so you can use Gain to adjust input volume between -20dB and 20dB. The LCF slider cuts the level of low frequencies, such as background noise from air conditioners or ventilators. Choose the appropriate LCF level from three given options: You can turn LCF off, or set it to either 75Hz or 150Hz. And the LMT slider limits the loudness of the sound recording up to the desired level, so even if a car passes blasting its horn, the limiter will prevent the sound from exceeding the set level. Here, you can choose from four options: Turn LMT off, or set LMT to 0dB, -3dB or -6 dB.

3. Nonstop Hi-Fi Video Recording

Hi-Fi Video recording means you can record immersive, lossless sound using 24-bit, 48 kHz Linear Pulse Code Modulation (LPCM). LPCM is uncompressed audio with impressive sound quality — the same audio format used in professional video camcorders. This means you can record such delicate sounds as water chuckling in a stream or the sound of a bow touching the strings of a violin.

Inevitably, the size of the finished video file will be quite large. Again, no need to worry. The V20’s predecessor automatically stopped recording when a file reached 4GB, but the LG V20 enables you to exceed this limit. The phone will save the file as soon as it hits 4GB, and automatically start recording a new file, nonstop. And that’s not all. In playback mode, the V20 plays your clips in the order they were recorded, without any pause or skip.