I ' ve never used the V 10 , I went straight from the G 4 to the V 20 , however just looking at the phones I despise the rubber like coating on the back and would never get the V 10 . But that ' s just me . It depends . I most definitely noticed a difference with my $ 15 earbuds from Amazon , but I don ' t think it ' s $ 150 worth of better . If the Quad DAC is the only deciding factor for you I ' d say go for the V 10 . However the V 20 is just an all around better phone that will last longer . So it may be worth it . I would choose the V 20 because 1 it looks so much better and 2 it is more powerful , therefore lasts longer and I don ' t plan on upgrading soon . Also another thing I forgot to mention was how good the mics are on this thing . The 3 D audio capabilities are phenomenal and I would consider this phone better than the $ 50 mic stuck on my desktop . Just something I forgot in the pros earlier .