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I have a 5 year old samsung YP-P2 MP3, and it's sound quality far surpasses that of my girlfriends galaxy S2, my Desire Z, and my friends iPhone 4.
I was wondering if there are ANY apps or tweaks or hacks that will improve the sound quality generated by the phones?
Of course I am using 320 kbps bitrate songs for testing, and the same headphones.
My MP3 sounds crisper, much deeper bass, and seems to have a wider treble range.
It's subjective. You've gotten used to the sound of your own device and therefore the others don't sound as good to you. Anybody else may listen to all the ones you listed and decide that yours is the only one that sounds bad!
If you were going to change device i would use use it for a few weeks before making any decisions on how it sounds. It's often the case that once your accustomed to the new sound you may come to prefer it.
Either way, rather than looking around for DSP solutions, which only degrade sound quality, i'd invest in some good headphones... that is the best way to go.
I'm using Shure SE530's, which are amazing no matter what you plug them into, but not everyone wants to spend that amount of money! Check here for a recent review of some affordable headphones:
http://www.reghardware.com/2011/10/15/ten_in_ear_headphones_with_microphones/
Low quality sound?
convolution said:
I have a 5 year old samsung YP-P2 MP3, and it's sound quality far surpasses that of my girlfriends galaxy S2, my Desire Z, and my friends iPhone 4.
I was wondering if there are ANY apps or tweaks or hacks that will improve the sound quality generated by the phones?
Of course I am using 320 kbps bitrate songs for testing, and the same headphones.
My MP3 sounds crisper, much deeper bass, and seems to have a wider treble range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In case you are rooted, try Viper4Android http://play.google.com/store/apps/d...m.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2191223
I am currently using Galaxy Nexus GSM and it has a very low quality speaker sound. This app did wonders for me
So, how does it fair to Galaxy S3? Does the Octo version comes with Wolfson audio chip?
So, Exynos version will have wolfson wm5102 sound chip afterall...
I want to know about the volume level - my Nexus 4 went back to Google due to the low aux volume. I aux out all the time and it's an absolute requirement for my phone to be able to output at a reasonable volume. The N4 is laughable in that department, and yes that's with hacks too. Someone please confirm the output volume via the headphone jack is LOUD and I'll be happy!
SMS92 said:
I want to know about the volume level - my Nexus 4 went back to Google due to the low aux volume. I aux out all the time and it's an absolute requirement for my phone to be able to output at a reasonable volume. The N4 is laughable in that department, and yes that's with hacks too. Someone please confirm the output volume via the headphone jack is LOUD and I'll be happy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GSM Arena's review said that the S600 S4 was clear, but had low output. They also said that the HTC One was much louder, which is why I'm almost considering it over the S4.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Accourding to GSMArena, in the latest unit the speaker volume is pretty decent, even better than One.
When connected to the amplifier, the sound is superior than almost every phone available in the market. But the DAC is the embedded DAC of S600, so don't know why the difference can be that big.
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4-review-914p8.php
Wolfson DAC in Exynos Octa maybe even better
The volume of the headphone output was one of my main complaints about Galaxy S III. No headroom at last year's flagship Samsung was not, in fact, using rebar headphones Etymotic hf5 maximum volume is not enough for comfortable listening to classical music (which usually has a wider dynamic range than other music genres). Fortunately, the Galaxy S4 solved this problem: using the same headphones and listening to the same records I've never had to turn up the volume to the maximum. Also, if the Galaxy S III was a telephone and a deep voice sounded muffled because of this, the Galaxy S4 boasts a more even tonal balance. In general, continuous improvement, anyway
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://gagadget.com/cellphones/2013-03-27-obzor-samsung-galaxy-s4/
hung2900 said:
Accourding to GSMArena, in the latest unit the speaker volume is pretty decent, even better than One.
When connected to the amplifier, the sound is superior than almost every phone available in the market. But the DAC is the embedded DAC of S600, so don't know why the difference can be that big.
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4-review-914p8.php
Wolfson DAC in Exynos Octa maybe even better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They said the crosstalk was the only downside of the One and you'd need high tech equipment to even hear it. However, they also said that the S4 was still quiet when compared with the One/Butterfly, which is what the OP is focusing on the most.
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jtc276 said:
They said the crosstalk was the only downside of the One and you'd need high tech equipment to even hear it. However, they also said that the S4 was still quiet when compared with the One/Butterfly, which is what the OP is focusing on the most.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course the One/Butterfly are louder, they have a separate inbuilt headphone amplifier like all of HTCs recent phones (I think it first appeared in their WP models from last year).
That isn't, in and of itself, a reason to get a One over an S4 necessarily - it still depends on your use-case scenarios and what headphones you use etc. The majority using fairly sensitive IEMs are not going to experience a great deal of benefit from the headphone amplifier. For those who are using harder to drive headphones and don't want to use an external headphone amp then it starts to make more sense.
NZtechfreak said:
Of course the One/Butterfly are louder, they have a separate inbuilt headphone amplifier like all of HTCs recent phones (I think it first appeared in their WP models from last year).
That isn't, in and of itself, a reason to get a One over an S4 necessarily - it still depends on your use-case scenarios and what headphones you use etc. The majority using fairly sensitive IEMs are not going to experience a great deal of benefit from the headphone amplifier. For those who are using harder to drive headphones and don't want to use an external headphone amp then it starts to make more sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But the OP definitely stated that if the S4 is not very loud, it won't be the phone for him due to Aux purposes (I'm guessing in his/her car). And GSM Arena proved the One to be louder. So the better choice (in terms of sound) for the OP would be the One.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Let's put it this way, set an alarm on the one and you won't sleep through it..
If the differences are slight, too slight to hear with standard headphones then the one is definitely better sound output wise than the s4.
Depending on what kind of user you are, this could make your choice fairly simple.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
jtc276 said:
But the OP definitely stated that if the S4 is not very loud, it won't be the phone for him due to Aux purposes (I'm guessing in his/her car). And GSM Arena proved the One to be louder. So the better choice (in terms of sound) for the OP would be the One.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, the OP said nothing of the sort. I wasn't replying to anyone in particular, only trying to generally point out that there is more to consider than a straight numbers comparison of volume outputs.
NZtechfreak said:
Ah, the OP said nothing of the sort. I wasn't replying to anyone in particular, only trying to generally point out that there is more to consider than a straight numbers comparison of volume outputs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoops. You're right. I was referring to the third poster in this thread.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
I find it curious that GSMarena reviewed the snapdragon version, rather than the "real gsm" exynos version with wolfson. On S3 with Wolfson, increasing hardware volume levels takes about five minutes. Root and change one number in a text file. Not sure on the snapdragon one.
After hearing how different the Nexus 4 sounded compared to their review, I take anything they say with a grain of salt.
Supercurio's twitter feed is worth watching for commentary on audio quality also: https://twitter.com/supercurio
Indeed, GSMArena's sound tests need to be taken with a degree of scepticism, having been heavily criticized by people like Supercurio.
That's why i never quoted gsmarena's review in any part of my posts here and other thread... The test itself is "unproper" to begin with...
I got S3 and recently got HTC one and can confirm that its a best quality sound I heard in phone from speaker and headphone since 2002 and I have Bose headphone, urbets from dr dre and standard headphone in box and I found that htc's headphone got excellent clarity, loundness, deep bass and trable which is better than Bose headphone and as good as urbets of course in HTC one
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
onlinejobwork said:
I got S3 and recently got HTC one and can confirm that its a best quality sound I heard in phone from speaker and headphone since 2002 and I have Bose headphone, urbets from dr dre and standard headphone in box and I found that htc's headphone got excellent clarity, loundness, deep bass and trable which is better than Bose headphone and as good as urbets of course in HTC one
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried the HTC One in-store the other day, i agree the speakers on there is quiet good, but headphone wise, its not as good as compared to my Note 2. The Note 2 is much more cleaner and fuller audio quality without any tweaks, with wolfson audio kernel, the HTC One does not even come close.
ama3654 said:
I tried the HTC One in-store the other day, i agree the speakers on there is quiet good, but headphone wise, its not as good as compared to my Note 2. The Note 2 is much more cleaner and fuller audio quality without any tweaks, with wolfson audio kernel, the HTC One does not even come close.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree,with some audio kernel , wolfson DAC is untouchable(with headphones)
sent from an Galaxy s3 GT I9300
Running perseus kernel 33.1 , XELLA 4.1.2 leaked build
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1784401
Dont click,you might regret , I won't be responsible if you brick ur head
Did a blind and volume-matched test with the One and S4 (i9505 international version with the same DAC as the one). Listened on 12 and 16ohm IEMs and 32ohm cans.
First interesting thing was that the Samsung stock player is noticeably louder than PowerAMP (not yet tested other third party players). Around 10dB louder if PowerAMP has direct volume control off and ~5dB louder if PowerAMP is using direct volume control. Since we wanted to use the same player in both devices we had to drop the HTC One volume down three notches for them to match closely (only one step to match with the S4 stock player).
Turned off Beats on the One.
Noted with interest that when blinding was removed we both preferred the S4 sound over the One overall, better instrument separation and clarity, less fatiguing and harsh. Generally preferred the bass on the One, although the One was quite boomy. There was one MAJOR problem with the S4 though - crackling with prominent low bass frequencies. This was absent on the T5p at 32ohm, noticeable on the 16ohm IEMs, and very noticeable on the 12ohm IEMs. If this is output impedance related as it appears to be this would put the S4 (i9505) output impedance somewhere in the 4-8ohm range, making it impossible to recommend to anyone using more sensitive IEMs.
ADDIT: Confirmation from users of CIEMs re: crackling on the i9505.
WARNING: DO NOT BUY THE INTERNATIONAL S4 i9505 IF YOU USE SENSITIVE IEMS and plan to use it as a music player without taking advantage of USB audio. This is why you cannot trust any of the major sites audio reviews for handsets.
I now urgently need to test the i9500...
ama3654 said:
I tried the HTC One in-store the other day, i agree the speakers on there is quiet good, but headphone wise, its not as good as compared to my Note 2. The Note 2 is much more cleaner and fuller audio quality without any tweaks, with wolfson audio kernel, the HTC One does not even come close.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. Obviously Stereo speakers in itself makes it HTC One hands down the best in that department. But nothing beats Wolfson DAC for headphone audio quality IMHO.
So how's the sound chip compared to the Iphone 5s and other top smartphones ? I heard that since the chipset is SNP800 , the sound chip should be good too, but i'm no pro and have yet to try the headphone out.
Can anyone provide an explanation ?
2nd question (to avoid making 2 threads) :
I know kitkat 4.4 is only 32 bit now , but if for some reason Google releases android 5.0 in the future and it's 64 bit ...will the nexus chipset support it ?
1. Sound is good
2. Doesn't matter
[hfm] said:
1. Sound is good
2. Doesn't matter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what you meant for the 2nd answer ?
64 bit computing hardly matters in the mobile space currently. Currently it is only relevant in marketing.
To answer the question. You are still using 32-bit hardware even if 64-bit capable software came out. Odds are Google will not release a 64-bit exclusive operating system in the near future.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
ravenwood27 said:
So how's the sound chip compared to the Iphone 5s and other top smartphones ? I heard that since the chipset is SNP800 , the sound chip should be good too, but i'm no pro and have yet to try the headphone out.
Can anyone provide an explanation ?
it ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to the test done by GSMarena, the Nexus 5 sound quality is no where near iOS devices. It has similar sound performance compared to the LG G2 but lower volume output. http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_nexus_5-review-1011p7.php As the graph is shown, there is quite a lot of "wobbling" which isn't good compared to the iOS devices (link is the 5s sound quality: http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_5s-review-994p7.php). This is assuming you actually rip songs from CDs, download 320+ kbps (if you don't know what this is you don't download it), download from Google Play or iTunes, rather than using an app or random website to get free music. Otherwise it wouldn't matter what device you get to listen to music since the sound file wouldn't have enough detail to actually use the iPhone soundboard properly. From experience even the Voodoo sound board on the Galaxy S3+ (not sure about the S4) doesn't reach the levels of iOS devices especially on loudness and clarity. Otherwise for the casual listener, the sound quality on the Nexus 5 should be more than enough unless you're really serious about sound quality.
Edit: according to the benchmarks done on the same website, the Samsung S4 holds it ground fairly well but there is some wobble at later parts of the graph and that's just nitpicking. Won't be hearing the effects of that unless you have songs that are 500 kbps+ and are playing on a good speaker.
RoboWarriorSr said:
According to the test done by GSMarena, the Nexus 5 sound quality is no where near iOS devices. It has similar sound performance compared to the LG G2 but lower volume output. http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_nexus_5-review-1011p7.php As the graph is shown, there is quite a lot of "wobbling" which isn't good compared to the iOS devices (link is the 5s sound quality: http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_5s-review-994p7.php). This is assuming you actually rip songs from CDs, download 320+ kbps (if you don't know what this is you don't download it), download from Google Play or iTunes, rather than using an app or random website to get free music. Otherwise it wouldn't matter what device you get to listen to music since the sound file wouldn't have enough detail to actually use the iPhone soundboard properly. From experience even the Voodoo sound board on the Galaxy S3+ (not sure about the S4) doesn't reach the levels of iOS devices especially on loudness and clarity. Otherwise for the casual listener, the sound quality on the Nexus 5 should be more than enough unless you're really serious about sound quality.
Edit: according to the benchmarks done on the same website, the Samsung S4 holds it ground fairly well but there is some wobble at later parts of the graph and that's just nitpicking. Won't be hearing the effects of that unless you have songs that are 500 kbps+ and are playing on a good speaker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I really dont get. I had an iphone 5s for a couple weeks and everything besides the earphones that came in the box sounded horrible. Zero bass, zero highs, just the mids. Also had the HTC one, which is supposed to have a great audio chip, and it did. That phone soudned the best out of all the phone's I've had. (I turned beats off, that is just pure junk). Compared to the HTC one, this phone is actually very good. I still get deep bass, and good highs with no distortion even at high volumes. With the iphone, anything higher than 50%, things got a bit crackly and distorted especially hooked up to my speakers.
OP: The sound chip, in my opinion (I listen to a LOT of music and am pretty much a huge audiophile.), is very good. As some users said, the pure loudness of it isn't that great, but the quality is very good. Not as good as the HTC one, but very close.
EDIT: Quote from GSM arena pretty much saying what I said.
The scores stay close to perfect even when you plug in a pair of headphones. The stereo crosstalk worsens a bit but the rest of the readings are virtually unaffected (frequency response actually improves a bit). Unfortunately, the volume levels remained just as uninspiring.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aooga said:
This is what I really dont get. I had an iphone 5s for a couple weeks and everything besides the earphones that came in the box sounded horrible. Zero bass, zero highs, just the mids. Also had the HTC one, which is supposed to have a great audio chip, and it did. That phone soudned the best out of all the phone's I've had. (I turned beats off, that is just pure junk). Compared to the HTC one, this phone is actually very good. I still get deep bass, and good highs with no distortion even at high volumes. With the iphone, anything higher than 50%, things got a bit crackly and distorted especially hooked up to my speakers.
OP: The sound chip, in my opinion (I listen to a LOT of music and am pretty much a huge audiophile.), is very good. As some users said, the pure loudness of it isn't that great, but the quality is very good. Not as good as the HTC one, but very close.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The review on the website show that the HTC One has a excellent audio output but at best decent audio quality. The bass is overemphasized but nothing compared to the One X which was a disaster in terms of audio quality. Realized that the iPhone sound quality may sound worse to many people since it has a "flat" and stabilized audio quality which is what actually is looked for. Many companies tweak the audio to make it more "pleasing" to the masses and overshadow the bad soundboard which include bigger bass (blame Dr. Dre).
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
RoboWarriorSr said:
The review on the website show that the HTC One has a excellent audio output but at best decent audio quality. The bass is overemphasized but compared to the One X which was a disaster in terms of audio quality. Realized that the iPhone sound quality may sound worse to many people since it has a "flat" and stabilized audio quality which is what actually is looked for. Many companies tweak the audio to make it more "pleasing" to the masses and overshadow the bad soundboard.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know flat sound is technically prefered in benchmarks and things, but I haven't met a single person that actually likes listening to it. Anyway, that was just my opinion. IMO, no matter how technically good the quality is on the iphone, I still think that it sounds horrible. And the software is hideous/crashed way too often.
EDIT: I see you have an iphone. Do you have a N5 as well, or are you just posting here? I'm not trying to be an idiot, just wondering if you have compared the quality between the two
N5 sound sucks.. I'm biased because I upgraded from a HTC one lol. Everything else is solid with my n5
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
The built-in speaker is mediocre to crappy. The audio through other connections is quite good, IMO.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Ajfink said:
The built-in speaker is mediocre to crappy. The audio through other connections is quite good, IMO.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its a bug. http://www.androidcentral.com/nexus...one-and-software-may-be-hurting-what-you-hear
aooga said:
I know flat sound is technically prefered in benchmarks and things, but I haven't met a single person that actually likes listening to it. Anyway, that was just my opinion. IMO, no matter how technically good the quality is on the iphone, I still think that it sounds horrible. And the software is hideous/crashed way too often.
EDIT: I see you have an iphone. Do you have a N5 as well, or are you just posting here? I'm not trying to be an idiot, just wondering if you have compared the quality between the two
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm just basing this off the gsmarena benchmark and from previous experience. Not in my sig but I have a HTC Desire HD and Acer A100 running custom ROMs since both devices are not supported. I hopefully plan to get a Moto G since I kinda would like to get an android device that is current and not gimped by some developers *nvidia*. I tend to randomly post in random device forums usually trying to get up to date with new devices. I have listened to Galaxy S 3 and One X since my friends have them so I have an idea how they sound. Nexus 5 just came out so gsmarena was the only site that had soundboard benchmarks, but like I said it works more than enough for most people and the tweaks made are probably for the better. If you wondering I do prefer the "flat" sound since my speakers don't play well with equalizers especially the Beats one in my HTC. I also tend to listen to more instrumentals than the average listener so the "flatness" help bring out the other instruments in the background that usually would be hidden by the bass or treble.
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zephiK said:
its a bug. http://www.androidcentral.com/nexus...one-and-software-may-be-hurting-what-you-hear
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really fail to see how that was overlooked. Hopefully they push it out sooner than later.
iPhone5 & 5s have a relatively high output impedance. They'll be a little more temperamental when used with third party buds.
I don't know if we have an impedance reading for the Nexus 5.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
If listening to music, just use Noozxoide E.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
There is definitely a bug wrt audio on the N5, but the speaker is also very crappy and so easy to completely obstruct (v similar positioning on iPhones and some Lumias)
iOStoAndroid said:
There is definitely a bug wrt audio on the N5, but the speaker is also very crappy and so easy to completely obstruct (v similar positioning on iPhones and some Lumias)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's going to obstruct wherever they put it. Top, bottom or back especially if you put it in your pocket. The Optimus G had such a high speaker volume even though the speaker was just a small slit in the back and the back was flat.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
You obviously never used one of the devices I mentioned above then.
It's the only thing that stops the N5 being the perfect device (all right maybe a bit better battery life)
Phone call:
On Handset is good...no issues.
On Speaker is ok...on full volume sound distortion is evident.
On Headphones is good but other person can't listen clearly unless I hold headphone mic in front of my lips...or speak loud.
Music:
On Speaker is terrible.
On headphones (Klipsch S4A)...quality is really good for 320kbps mp3 files...I feel best audio quality is between 50% - 70% of volume level.
I have a galaxy s4 rooted with a sound modification called viper4android and i am wondering if the z3 (z3 unrooted) audio quality is better than my s4.
Go to GSMArena they have audio tests in their review for each phone measuring crosstalk, dynamic range etc.
Z3 is better than the S4 when it comes to the internal speakers.
The S4 with headphones/earphones is probably better according to their stats. But I doubt you'd notice the difference, unless you are an extreme audiophile.
Go to the bottom of page on each link, you will see the audio values for the given phones and their competition.
Results for Amp and Headphones below:
Xperia Z3
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z3-review-1140p7.php
Galaxy S4
http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_g2_vs_samsung_galaxy_s4-review-984p6.php
patrickbartalesi22 said:
I have a galaxy s4 rooted with a sound modification called viper4android and i am wondering if the z3 (z3 unrooted) audio quality is better than my s4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Z3 sound quality is beyond incredible when using Walkman under Hi Res Audio conditions.
Hi Res Audio on the Z3 line has been mostly ignored by the press, NO idea why.
With Sony's better headphones, and WAVE music files, be prepared to never ever accept awful MP3 again.
So good, nothing else out there with Android touches this line... unless you grab the Walkman Xz1 that is.
( which I highly recommend )
DZH1 said:
The Z3 sound quality is beyond incredible when using Walkman under Hi Res Audio conditions.
Hi Res Audio on the Z3 line has been mostly ignored by the press, NO idea why.
With Sony's better headphones, and WAVE music files, be prepared to never ever accept awful MP3 again.
So good, nothing else out there with Android touches this line... unless you grab the Walkman Xz1 that is.
( which I highly recommend )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stats from GSMArena don't lie and using same headphones the GS4 is better, you are being subjective not objective. The Z3 is good but many phones are slightly better including the M8, GS4, GS5, LG G2/3.
The LG G2 also supported HD Audio since release in 2013.
Also there are many companies that make equal/better headphones.
I know you love the Z3 like all of us here but I'm trying to be objective for the OP.
abhinav.tella said:
The stats from GSMArena don't lie and using same headphones the GS4 is better, you are being subjective not objective. The Z3 is good but many phones are slightly better including the M8, GS4, GS5, LG G2/3.
The LG G2 also supported HD Audio since release in 2013.
Also there are many companies that make equal/better headphones.
I know you love the Z3 like all of us here but I'm trying to be objective for the OP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have that phone, can't STAND the sound through same headphones.. .. not even close.
At least IMO, as everyone has different hearing.
...But not even close.
You are not being objective (statistics) you are being subjective.
To each his own, but the rest of the bunch have a cleaner output I have yet to read a review where the Z3 is superior heaphone audio wise over the mentioned phones anywhere. If you find me an article please link it. It however is good but not M8/G3 level.
I suggest you read the testing methods in the links, either you are using bad headphones or a defective LG G2 if you find that much difference against the G2. The other phones I mentioned have cleaner output, according to audiophiles that I know.
I my own opinion however honestly can't tell the difference between any of them.
abhinav.tella said:
You are not being objective (statistics) you are being subjective.
To each his own, but the rest of the bunch have a cleaner output I have yet to read a review where the Z3 is superior heaphone audio wise over the mentioned phones anywhere. If you find me an article please link it. It however is good but not M8/G3 level.
I suggest you read the testing methods in the links, either you are using bad headphones or a defective LG G2 if you find that much difference against the G2. The other phones I mentioned have cleaner output, according to audiophiles that I know.
I my own opinion however honestly can't tell the difference between any of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best test is to test them yourself. I have used almost all of the current flagships, hell i've owned most of them, and the Z3 is first of all better sound quality than the S4 with or without viper4android, but not as loud.
As for the rest, i'd argue the Z3 sounds better, to my ears as well.
This is of course with the headphones that come with it. I'm sure there's better headphones.
Review websites are never, ever objective or honest, ever.
Im just saying GSMArena uses equipment to measure/audio quality so I doubt their equipment lies, just look at the stats in the links.
Signal
Unlike you two, we TMO guys get no headphones with our phones.
I'm using a $60 MEElectronics M-Duo which is very good for its price range, and as good as some $100 headphones.
Audio Stats for GS4/Z3 Amp and headphones in images below:
Statistics aside - S4 doesn't come even close to Z3 with Noise Cancelling and DSEE HX turned on - which sounds amazing, especially when you listen to Hi Res tracks.
Akiainavas said:
Statistics aside - S4 doesn't come even close to Z3 with Noise Cancelling and DSEE HX turned on - which sounds amazing, especially when you listen to Hi Res tracks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, HD Audio is nice but problem is large retailers like GooglePlayMusic, iTunes, etc do not even offer them yet, The only HD tracks I have heard are the Vienna Boy's Choir tracks which came with my LG G2, one of which is "Pick up your phone" :laugh:.
Unfortunately, until Apple's iPhone supports it I doubt many online stores will push HD out quickly. At least the major stores that is.
Thanks for your input and I have decided I will buy the z3 soon.
patrickbartalesi22 said:
Thanks for your input and I have decided I will buy the z3 soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Enjoy! Its a great device, the statistical differences I mentioned are very minute in real world perception so you won't be dissapointed, not to mention the stereo speakers which is a nice upgrade from the GS4 (My sister has one).
Akiainavas said:
Statistics aside - S4 doesn't come even close to Z3 with Noise Cancelling and DSEE HX turned on - which sounds amazing, especially when you listen to Hi Res tracks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DSEE is meant to "upscale" or attempt to rebuild compression losses, not to be used on losless formats.
DSEE Research Article: basically from testing it says DSEE just adds some made up highs, though if you like it or not depends person to person.
http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=2240
Excellent article on HD Audio, by the creator of the Ogg Vorbis format.
http://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html
abhinav.tella said:
DSEE is meant to "upscale" or attempt to rebuild compression losses, not to be used on losless formats.
DSEE Research Article: basically from testing it says DSEE just adds some made up highs, though if you like it or not depends person to person.
http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=2240
Excellent article on HD Audio, by the creator of the Ogg Vorbis format.
http://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html
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I know that. Maybe I should have added "where applicable" Doesn't change the fact - hi-res audio + noise cancelling or low-res audio+noise cancelling+dsee - both give amazing results.
As you said before - it's a shame that so little hi-res music is available. I recommend trying David Helpling's "Found" album in Studio Master option ( flac, 24bit, 96khz ) - results are amazing.
It's actually shocking that iPhone 6 doesn't support hi-res audio, especially looking at Apple's years of commitment to music.
Akiainavas said:
I know that. Maybe I should have added "where applicable" Doesn't change the fact - hi-res audio + noise cancelling or low-res audio+noise cancelling+dsee - both give amazing results.
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True, good discussion though.
abhinav.tella said:
True, good discussion though.
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Of couse
Anyway, @op - hope you will be happy with your Xperia Z3. I have been using it for two weeks now and so far it keeps impressing me on audio and battery life sides.
Akiainavas said:
Of couse
Anyway, @op - hope you will be happy with your Xperia Z3. I have been using it for two weeks now and so far it keeps impressing me on audio and battery life sides.
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Love it here as well, I'm sure OP will like it. I had the LG G2, the Xperia Z3 feels like a true worthy succesor to it, the LG G3 felt like a downgrade lower battery and lower contrast screen just so they could stuff a power hungry QHD, which is more a gimmick than useful.
abhinav.tella said:
a power hungry QHD, which is more a gimmick than useful.
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Tell me about it... I might be blind but I can't distinguish between pixels on my 1080p screen even if I keep it 1cm from my face... why the hell would I want to sacrifice so much gpu power and battery to display so many more pixels that won't really affect what I see... silly, isn't it ? But I'm quite sure we will see 4K displays soon enough, but wait another 10 years for a battery that lasts 3 days.
Akiainavas said:
Tell me about it... I might be blind but I can't distinguish between pixels on my 1080p screen even if I keep it 1cm from my face... why the hell would I want to sacrifice so much gpu power and battery to display so many more pixels that won't really affect what I see... silly, isn't it ? But I'm quite sure we will see 4K displays soon enough, but wait another 10 years for a battery that lasts 3 days.
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Well some teenage researcher in California created a battery tech that allows full charge in minutes, so at least on the charging front things are improving.
What? The S4 has good audio quality? I thought it was absolutely garbage compared to the S3 when the same headphones are plugged in. Are you talking about the i9505 or i9500 because I am pretty sure the i9505 DAC in the Snapdragon is trash, whilst I can't comment on the Wolfson on the i9500 it was amazing on the i9300. I highly doubt Sony can come up with something worse than the i9505.
So I'm just using a galaxy s8 after having had a HTC 10 for a while. I can't get over how terrible the sound is with headphones! It's quieter, lacks the depth the HTC 10 has, and has no bass. Like seriously songs that on the HTC 10 have deep hard drums like they should sound weak on the galaxy s8. And it is so quiet on the galaxy even at max volume I'm not satisfied with the sound volume. I'd say the max on the galaxy is about 2 to 3 clicks down on the HTC 10.
Is this common? Like to me the audio difference with just the same basic apple earpods on both is so huge I can't even imagine what it would be like with quality headphones. It's like the difference between surround sound and tiny built in TV speakers bad.
HTC can't even hardly sell any phones these days... Haha all they have to do is open a booth with their phone and a Samsung phone playing music over headphones and every single person who hears it will be wanting a HTC. .
i second that. is there something that can be done about this though?
nascar48 said:
So I'm just using a galaxy s8 after having had a HTC 10 for a while. I can't get over how terrible the sound is with headphones! It's quieter, lacks the depth the HTC 10 has, and has no bass. Like seriously songs that on the HTC 10 have deep hard drums like they should sound weak on the galaxy s8. And it is so quiet on the galaxy even at max volume I'm not satisfied with the sound volume. I'd say the max on the galaxy is about 2 to 3 clicks down on the HTC 10.
Is this common? Like to me the audio difference with just the same basic apple earpods on both is so huge I can't even imagine what it would be like with quality headphones. It's like the difference between surround sound and tiny built in TV speakers bad.
HTC can't even hardly sell any phones these days... Haha all they have to do is open a booth with their phone and a Samsung phone playing music over headphones and every single person who hears it will be wanting a HTC. .
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user900 said:
i second that. is there something that can be done about this though?
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I will third this.
The only thing that makes any audio out of this device bareable is viper4android.
If you can root. It is a must you can boost the gains and such to a point of ear splitting noise :good::good::good:
Try download app AMP player there you can boost and set all
TheMadScientist said:
I will third this.
The only thing that makes any audio out of this device bareable is viper4android.
If you can root. It is a must you can boost the gains and such to a point of ear splitting noise :good::good::good:
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FWIW, on a rooted rom that uses stock audio (with Dolby Atmos ported from S9, but NOT turned on), combined with viper4android and Neutron player (a combination I used on HTC 10 for a while), I don't hear any difference with the same headphones ...
nascar48 said:
So I'm just using a galaxy s8 after having had a HTC 10 for a while. I can't get over how terrible the sound is with headphones! It's quieter, lacks the depth the HTC 10 has, and has no bass.
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Go to Sound Quality in settings & Adapt Sound while your headphones are connected with wire. Complete the audio test or just click all frequencies of the test. The loudness should be increased.
Boost bass with the equalizer. It sounds pretty decent tbh.
If you're using Bluetooth headphones & you are on Oreo, go to Developer Options in Settings. Then scroll down to Bluetooth Audio Codec & choose aac. Try other codecs if your headset supports them.
If you're using wired headphones & rooted, Viper4Android tweaks make a day & night difference to the music quality.
But the S8 sounds pretty decent once you adjusted all the sound options it has
user900 said:
i second that. is there something that can be done about this though?
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Yes, if you are rooted. I've managed to, with a little effort, tune the sound to the quality level of my audiophile dac/amp with.
V4a is a big help but in my setup it's not the main event, and in fact now all I use it for is to run my DDC and to push up sub bass frequencies. I use the following:
1) sauron. This is the #1 most important and necessary mod to install. For most people's headphone setups, this mod alone is enough. I can't stress enough how much of a game changer this is. The ainur guys are operating on a whole other level with audio mods. It has to be installed and heard to truly understand.
2) JamesDSP. This is kind of a successor to v4a. It's worth noting that the main reason I have this is that it has a higher quality convolver algorithm than v4a does, as v4a has to support older devices that couldn't keep up. Also it's bass boost does much better for tight "punchy" bass.
3) Viper 2.6
The new rewritten v4a is the way to go nowadays. Just install it from xda labs and use the in app driver install. It even works with magisk! I take special care to not use the same fx in v4a as I do jdsp. I pretty much just use DDC and viper bass
4) Dirac
This is my newest addition and it's really brought everything together in a cohesive way that has blown me away. I had some problem areas in the upper end of the spectrum due to my specific IEMs when driving them off my current Bluetooth cable and Dirac fixed all of them. I will have more to say about this one later.
All of these mods utilize the audiomodlib/unity stack, so they all work fine together. They each have a specific purpose and I don't go overboard with dramatic alterations or stacking fx in the same part of the spectrum.
partcyborg said:
Yes, if you are rooted. I've managed to, with a little effort, tune the sound to the quality level of my audiophile dac/amp with.
V4a is a big help but in my setup it's not the main event, and in fact now all I use it for is to run my DDC and to push up sub bass frequencies. I use the following:
1) sauron. This is the #1 most important and necessary mod to install. For most people's headphone setups, this mod alone is enough. I can't stress enough how much of a game changer this is. The ainur guys are operating on a whole other level with audio mods. It has to be installed and heard to truly understand.
2) JamesDSP..
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Yep, forgot to mention that I use(d) Sauron both on HTC10 and S8.
JamesDSP never worked properly for me on HTC, haven't tried it on S8.
nascar48 said:
So I'm just using a galaxy s8 after having had a HTC 10 for a while. I can't get over how terrible the sound is with headphones! It's quieter, lacks the depth the HTC 10 has, and has no bass. Like seriously songs that on the HTC 10 have deep hard drums like they should sound weak on the galaxy s8. And it is so quiet on the galaxy even at max volume I'm not satisfied with the sound volume. I'd say the max on the galaxy is about 2 to 3 clicks down on the HTC 10.
Is this common? Like to me the audio difference with just the same basic apple earpods on both is so huge I can't even imagine what it would be like with quality headphones. It's like the difference between surround sound and tiny built in TV speakers bad.
HTC can't even hardly sell any phones these days... Haha all they have to do is open a booth with their phone and a Samsung phone playing music over headphones and every single person who hears it will be wanting a HTC. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have found that going into the "Sound Quality and Effects" section and turning off all the extra crap like tube amp and UHQ Upscaler definitely helps with the volume, then going into the "Adapt Sound" sub menu in a very quiet room and letting it tailor the audio to the frequencies you can actually hear really makes a massive difference. I can actually get my s8 loud enough that I've used my headphones as (albeit quiet) speakers. This phone can get plenty loud. And if you listen to music stored on the actual phone (or SD) rather than streaming, PowerAmp's EQ and volume/tone settings can crank it up WAY louder. Samsung has had a history of using really decent DACs in their phones (I still have my original international Galaxy S with a Wolfson DAC that I use as a media player at the gym) so even with volume boosting apps the sound quality is usually great and not all distorted like most other phones get when boosted.
I beg to differ... I'm using Viper4Android and the bass tones can go so low I can hear 28hz and below really clearly (High ends are sharp too) overally more than loud enough. (Using Apple earpods) If you're using big driver over head earphones then what do you expect. You're never gonna be able to use the most out of them unless you get a powered DAC.
Hello there, i don't know if is the right place to ask but i searched a lot and i have no solutions:
I can't get sound through headphones, i recently installed a new jack port, they connect and i can play/pause videos/songs with the mic button but sound is never coming out. (Headphones work ok with other devices)
So i don't know if i can only use Samsung branded headphones or is it something more to do with software or motherboard issue.. I see a lot of people having problems with headphones sound but any fix solved for me.