Conditions were, that I used Google Play Music for all three. I downloaded 4 tracks to each, 320kbps each, .mp3 tracks, default equalisation on each (or 'flat'), 100% volume, one of each Classical, Pop, Rock and Jazz. The judge was my ears! Which may not be the best tool, but I guess what I hear and judge is as valid as anyone else's ears.
The shock here was to discover that in terms of enjoyment of the overall experience, the Marshall London came last! That's not to say that technically it wasn't 'better' or what ever other adjective you want to apply to it, but just that I personally preferred the sound from the other two.
There were differences between different styles of music. For example the Rock track sounded much better on the London than the Jazz one did. It still wasn't as good as the others, but better in itself than it handled other genres. Which, as we've said before, maybe is to be expected with the Marshall heritage and phone being tweaked for rock and guitar.
The sound coming out of the Pixel seemed 'cleaner' overall than both the others, particularly with Jazz. In fact, the London was distorting at the high volume and sounded much more qualitative when it was notched down to 75%. Though, obviously, not so loud. I guess it's a pay-off. You can have the phone making a gorgeous sound, but you need a quiet room to appreciate it.
The advantage that the Razer has over the others (apart from raw volume) is that Dolby Atmos. Yeah, I know, it has enemies, but IMHO it enhances the sound (for my ears) which can only make it a better experience. Compared to the others when you start to play with equalisation, it blows them away. The Dolby Atmos moves it up a notch, retaining great volume from the Razer whilst attaining a purer, cleaner, richer and deep sound. The other two's equalisation arrangements only really serve to reduce the volume, not to use smart software to keep the volume high but increase the overall quality like the Razer.
At the moment, I don't think the Razer can be beaten. But I am very pleasantly surprised at how close the Pixel 2 XL comes and would continue to recommend the London for certain types of music at a lesser volume for maximum enjoyment. All three of these devices, in their own way, sound great and wouldn't disappoint the owner. Question is, in March 2018, how close the Samsung Galaxy S9 and iPhone X come (which I don't have here to compare).
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