Related
Ok there are a lot of requests for a simple equalizer system but so far the choices seem to be either buy a set of wired headphones use the srs wow EQ which slows the phone down and has rather limited controls or use a high end media player.
can someone create a low profile software equlizer app that is NOT SRS WOW
all i need is the preamp and range sliders with a few preset slots that works over bluetooth. is it too much to ask for @[email protected]
"no i am not switching to core player XD"
HTC Audio Booster?
mikeloeven said:
Ok there are a lot of requests for a simple equalizer system but so far the choices seem to be either buy a set of wired headphones use the srs wow EQ which slows the phone down and has rather limited controls or use a high end media player.
can someone create a low profile software equlizer app that is NOT SRS WOW
all i need is the preamp and range sliders with a few preset slots that works over bluetooth. is it too much to ask for @[email protected]
"no i am not switching to core player XD"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you looked into the HTC Audio Booster? I have that, but I'm not sure it does what you'e looking for.
HTC audio booster is buggy. It shuts off when it wants and at the end of songs. Everyone knows this.
heres a simple equalizer i found has "Bass" , "Mid" , "Treble" control.
FINALLY a equalizer for android, Even though it still simple its a good start.
BETTER THAN NOTHING, one thing im not happy is that theres no good or any equalizer on the android market.
GIVE CREDIT TO THE DEVELOPER. (he searching for developers to help him out)
http://code.google.com/p/smuuz/
enjoy
any feedback on this?
Does it work in all apps, all "types" (i.e. Media volume, ring volume, etc) of sound?
its only supports "mp3" with 3 simple equalizer.
I get alot of distortion. But its a great start.
Glad to see progress with the eqs.... This is pretty buggy for me at the moment. Too bad all the devs who've broken ground on the eq are trying to build their own music apps bundled. Hopefully a standalone eq app like srswow will eventually be released.
Mixzing now has an EQ (only works when program is on the screen (no background play)..
yeah, the one on Mixzing is actually pretty cool
I know Winamp is pretty popular so I thought I'd share. One of the best music players on Android just got a very nice update: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.nullsoft.winamp&feature=search_result This is the first update in ages and it's a good one.
What's new:
What's in this version:
1. Download and stream free music
2. Now Playing screen redesign
3. Additional artist info including News
4. Album art gesturing for track change
5. Home screen redesign
6. Browse by Genre
7. Lock-screen player redesign
8. Integration with Android's "listen to" Voice Action
9. SHOUTcast (2.2 & above) Featured Stations
10. Fixed crash issue on Sony Ericsson Xperia series
11. Languages: English, Dutch, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese (BR), Romanian, Russian, Spanish & Turkish
New very nice look (in many areas) and even greater functionality (genre finally!).
If you haven't tried Winamp or have tried but didn't like it at first, I recommend you check this out.
Still no EQ, which may be an issue for some. Hopefully that gets added sometime, but this is still really great.
still has a poor layout ui :S
Ive been hopping around through different music players and always come back to WinAmp. Ive tried...
-Mixzing
-double twist
-power amp
-cubed player
-Connected music player
-MIUI
-and various other stock ones
Every time i seem to fall back to Winamp although each of the players have there ups and downs
It should be skinnable . . . hope they wil implement it in a future release.
But the app does what it has 2 do . . .
ironlood said:
Ive been hopping around through different music players and always come back to WinAmp. Ive tried...
-Mixzing
-double twist
-power amp
-cubed player
-Connected music player
-MIUI
-and various other stock ones
Every time i seem to fall back to Winamp although each of the players have there ups and downs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've tried all those as well lol. I think my favorite is actually the leaked new google one, but I can't really use it consistently since it often cracks up while playing and has some other issues (most importantly shuffle doesn't work). Winamp has been great in general.
Heruhur said:
It should be skinnable . . . hope they wil implement it in a future release.
But the app does what it has 2 do . . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, something I want to see as well (and have requested in their beta forum). Hopefully they do this sometime.
PlayerPro is my music player of choice. IMO it has the best UI of all the ones you just listed. PowerAMP is really good too but the UI is too busy for my taste. You get a lot of functionality with PlayerPro in a much cleaner interface.
I will say that PlayerPro takes a lot of design hints from the iOS music players, but honestly, that's fine with me, because it looks great doing it. I bought the Pro version to support the developer and I don't regret the purchase at all. The only thing that annoys me about PlayerPro is lag while scrolling through long lists of albums with album art - although this is a problem with all players, PlayerPro seems to struggle with it more.
If you haven't tried it out yet you should - there's a trial version on the market with complete functionality.
br123 said:
PlayerPro is my music player of choice. IMO it has the best UI of all the ones you just listed. PowerAMP is really good too but the UI is too busy for my taste. You get a lot of functionality with PlayerPro in a much cleaner interface.
I will say that PlayerPro takes a lot of design hints from the iOS music players, but honestly, that's fine with me, because it looks great doing it. I bought the Pro version to support the developer and I don't regret the purchase at all. The only thing that annoys me about PlayerPro is lag while scrolling through long lists of albums with album art - although this is a problem with all players, PlayerPro seems to struggle with it more.
If you haven't tried it out yet you should - there's a trial version on the market with complete functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll check it out - though I think I checked it out already once and wasn't too impressed.
btw, in terms of scrolling through long lists, I don't think any player has felt smoother and without lag as connected music player.
But no built-in EQ yet?
I listen exclusively through wireless BT headphones, which always sound thin and tinny unless I significantly boost the low and mid-high frequencies. They also tend to be pretty sibilant, so I need to cut the highest frequencies. PowerAMP is the only player I've found that gives me the control I want over the shape of the sound - and now my wireless phones sound incredible!
It's improved. They need to not do the cover art transition animation when you are changing songs on the same album. And they need to an old school skinned version.
still no folder view... what are they thinking...
br123 said:
PlayerPro is my music player of choice. IMO it has the best UI of all the ones you just listed. PowerAMP is really good too but the UI is too busy for my taste. You get a lot of functionality with PlayerPro in a much cleaner interface.
I will say that PlayerPro takes a lot of design hints from the iOS music players, but honestly, that's fine with me, because it looks great doing it. I bought the Pro version to support the developer and I don't regret the purchase at all. The only thing that annoys me about PlayerPro is lag while scrolling through long lists of albums with album art - although this is a problem with all players, PlayerPro seems to struggle with it more.
If you haven't tried it out yet you should - there's a trial version on the market with complete functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i may have found my new player....thanks for the sugg
PS - for the scroll-lag, i might suggest using list view instead of grid view in settings>browser options
Shoutcast favorites and recent stations is borked too.
I wish they would put a sleep timer in already.
Add a bloody EQ!
boodies said:
still no folder view... what are they thinking...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a music player that is recommended now that I can play songs from a folder actually?
SHOUTcast still doesn't work. Why? No clue. They've had all this time to fix it but instead of fixing up some of the bigger main problems they focus on the other stuff that should be put behind the main problems.
UI is still hideous. But I've managed to find some very nice smoked out designs from the droidforums that makes it look a whole lots better.
As for EQ's (Equalizers) I wouldn't mind seeing this feature in Winamp. But nothing as serious as PowerAmp. PowerAmp's biggest recognition is due to their massive adjustments of the EQ. Winamp doesn't need something big like that. Just something subtle and enough to notice the change depending on genre of artist(s)/song(s). I don't see the need for a few different bass settings unless you're seriously wired up to your sound system in your vehicle and changes can be made with your phone and Winamp. The need for different options on levels of bass is stupid. No offense, I love a lot of bass and the thumping that goes with it, but on a phone? Pointless when your phone speakers or putting PC Speaker mode on is not going to change.
Lock-screen redesign is dumb as heck. It's no different than just going to your Home screen and going to the app in your app drawer and playing it on there. I'd like to see some smaller widget-like redesign specifically for the lock-screen.
Another thing that seems to work to the liking of tons of people is the spectrum moving along with the music playing. Like in MIUI. MIUI isn't that great and has minor FC's here and there depending on music change but their design is almost flawless. I would like to see something like that just to give the Now Playing (in Home screen or elsewhere) a bit more vibe.
I could go on and on with the pros and cons of Winamp and add-ons and ditch-on-this, but my point was laid out. The only thing I see that was worthy through the so-called "major update" is the "listen to" voice action. This feature will definitely come in handy for people driving, or not wanting to scroll through all the artists/songs they have on there.
So, I can no longer find how to enable/disable shuffle in the new version, as the 'now playing' screen seems to have been shafted in favour of giant album art.
To toggle shuffle I now have to use the widget, I can't find the option in the app itself. Just me?
richardkemp said:
So, I can no longer find how to enable/disable shuffle in the new version, as the 'now playing' screen seems to have been shafted in favour of giant album art.
To toggle shuffle I now have to use the widget, I can't find the option in the app itself. Just me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tap the album art to pop up shuffle, repeat and info buttons.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
TheSwaggeR said:
SHOUTcast still doesn't work. Why? No clue. They've had all this time to fix it but instead of fixing up some of the bigger main problems they focus on the other stuff that should be put behind the main problems.
UI is still hideous. But I've managed to find some very nice smoked out designs from the droidforums that makes it look a whole lots better.
As for EQ's (Equalizers) I wouldn't mind seeing this feature in Winamp. But nothing as serious as PowerAmp. PowerAmp's biggest recognition is due to their massive adjustments of the EQ. Winamp doesn't need something big like that. Just something subtle and enough to notice the change depending on genre of artist(s)/song(s). I don't see the need for a few different bass settings unless you're seriously wired up to your sound system in your vehicle and changes can be made with your phone and Winamp. The need for different options on levels of bass is stupid. No offense, I love a lot of bass and the thumping that goes with it, but on a phone? Pointless when your phone speakers or putting PC Speaker mode on is not going to change.
Lock-screen redesign is dumb as heck. It's no different than just going to your Home screen and going to the app in your app drawer and playing it on there. I'd like to see some smaller widget-like redesign specifically for the lock-screen.
Another thing that seems to work to the liking of tons of people is the spectrum moving along with the music playing. Like in MIUI. MIUI isn't that great and has minor FC's here and there depending on music change but their design is almost flawless. I would like to see something like that just to give the Now Playing (in Home screen or elsewhere) a bit more vibe.
I could go on and on with the pros and cons of Winamp and add-ons and ditch-on-this, but my point was laid out. The only thing I see that was worthy through the so-called "major update" is the "listen to" voice action. This feature will definitely come in handy for people driving, or not wanting to scroll through all the artists/songs they have on there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the thing though, many of us use our phones as our music players as well. I use it in the car, makes a HUGE difference with a good EQ such as PowerAmp. The problem with PowerAmp is that it has the most god awful UI every conceived. I mean seriously... THE worst.
Still waiting for Winamp to support FLAC.
Poweramp is the top player now to me but its not free and the UI is a bit too busy.
I do prefer Winamp's UI better.
I don't really care what the ROM looks like although it's definitely a plus if it looks good. I'm mainly looking for a ROM that's designed specifically for music usage & playback. I'm going to download Voodoo Sound on top whatever ROM I flash unless it's included. But before I downloaded Cyanogen or something I was checking with you guys if you had seen any audiophile specific ROMS around lately? This one looked promising but it's not a Verizon model. Is there any ports around? Or would this even be worth it with the Voodo Sound on top with Neutron player?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2174644
Thank you guys for all of your help. I appreciate it. & this may be in the wrong place but I'm not sure so if it is then my apologies.
From a code/programming perspective, there's no difference in roms, other than the audio add-ons they offer... but those add-ons are nothing more than compression and equalizer tools. Beatz Audio, DSP Manager, Voodoo... all are just compression tools to 'beef up' sound and they give you equalizing customization, but you can do that kind of equalization with apps like Doubletwist. The digital compression those add-ons and apps use is teh evil if you're an audiophile, because it overcompensates and 'chops the head' off sound.
You're not going to get an audiophile experience on a phone, because of the hardware used; there's always going to be some signal to noise ratio loss from the headphone plug and device board. Bluetooth can reduce the S/N reduction, but most aftermarket roms aren't working well with BT for prolonged use (I've had good luck with the 4.3 roms, but not 4.4). If you want the best performance, get an AOSP-based rom, then add in all the apps you want to eqing.
I'm a music producer, so I try to avoid all that compression crap whenever possible... eqing is about all I'll do to a properly-mastered release. Case-in-point, I play older jazz FLACs all the time on Doubletwist; I use the EQ feature and it sounds about as good as you can get on an S3.
beepea206 said:
From a code/programming perspective, there's no difference in roms, other than the audio add-ons they offer... but those add-ons are nothing more than compression and equalizer tools. Beatz Audio, DSP Manager, Voodoo... all are just compression tools to 'beef up' sound and they give you equalizing customization, but you can do that kind of equalization with apps like Doubletwist. The digital compression those add-ons and apps use is teh evil if you're an audiophile, because it overcompensates and 'chops the head' off sound.
You're not going to get an audiophile experience on a phone, because of the hardware used; there's always going to be some signal to noise ratio loss from the headphone plug and device board. Bluetooth can reduce the S/N reduction, but most aftermarket roms aren't working well with BT for prolonged use (I've had good luck with the 4.3 roms, but not 4.4). If you want the best performance, get an AOSP-based rom, then add in all the apps you want to eqing.
I'm a music producer, so I try to avoid all that compression crap whenever possible... eqing is about all I'll do to a properly-mastered release. Case-in-point, I play older jazz FLACs all the time on Doubletwist; I use the EQ feature and it sounds about as good as you can get on an S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's very helpful. So what's your favorite player then? I don't necessarily like carrying around a phone & a player for mobile listening but if I have to then so be it. I've been using Poweramp EQ'd pushing my vsonic gr07's for portable use. It was pretty good with the FLACS I have but I feel like it could be better. How much of a difference does the Voodoo mod make? Will it even work with Verizon galaxy s3 since it wasn't shipped with the Wolfson DAC? Either way I'm using a FiiO E17 with it which has Wolfson. I'm just trying to get this all figured out.
Truth be told, I haven't found that one player I really love. If I could mix Winamp with Doubletwist, I'd have my perfect player... DT doesn't have very good playlist support and Winamp is clunky, but I love the feel of DT.
Voodoo is really similar to CM's DSP Manager and is a more customizable version of BeatsAudio; I honestly don't know if Voodoo works with the S3, but DSP manager does. The both offer compression and EQ control, so if you have low-quality MP3s, they'll sound better than stock sound will make them. If you have a music app like Poweramp or Doubletwist, you don't need to use the EQ control in Voodoo, so what's left is just the compression feature. Personally, I stay away from compression apps/mods like the plague, because they end up altering the sound of the file and, IMO, if it's a properly mastered file/recording, you don't need compression (except for maybe some tube compression on a standalone amp for some 'warmer' sound... but that's not applicable here).
I stick to using EQ controls in the players apps. If you try that and just don't find they offer you the sound you want, then try an app like Voodoo. But be forewarned, I've seen (and experienced) some issues on other devices where apps like that can alter the audio framework of the rom permanently, so even after you uninstall it, the sound remains affected.
Best is in the eye of the beholder.
Users are expected to do their own research and try Roms to see what suits them best.
As xda is not a support site, this thread is closed.
For anyone who has the Z3 (or Z2) and has been using the Sony Walkman app (including EQ, etc), my question is how good is it when compared to PowerAmp? On Walkman do you use ClearAudio+ AND/OR DSEE HX?? I want to get the Z3 and trade-in my HTC One M8, but in doing so, that means I HAVE to use the Walkman app if I want to have the option for mp3 upscaling (DSEE HX) since PowerAmp doesn't have it. But I know that although the Z3 Walkman app has DSEE HX, it only has a 4-band EQ vs PowerAmp's 10-band EQ. And it seems like at least some ppl think PowerAmp is better.
Any advice, suggestions, or alternate options would be appreciated!!
Thank You,
RockStar2005
I think the Walkman app is phenomenal when its sync with Sony Music Unlimited... Otherwise as a mp3 player it's meh.
shook187 said:
I think the Walkman app is phenomenal when its sync with Sony Music Unlimited... Otherwise as a mp3 player it's meh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. I've been told from Z2 owners that the Walkman app can actually be used in conjunction with other music or media players like PowerAmp. So you can switch on the options you like in Walkman, like bass boost, and it will still influence the sound even if you are playing your songs through PowerAmp (etc).
Thank You,
RockStar2005
combine them
I think that walkman is better cz it makes more clarity and the bass is more stable. But the best result is if you combine the sound effect of walkman and power amp since the sound effect of walkman is also work on other music player. It will makes the output from power amp more stable and clarity.
Walkman app for me is best android music player. Simple, beautifull, good clarity and its stable.
I think it will depend on the format and quality of your music files and the headphones you use. And your ears and personal taste of course.
I was unable to make the walkman app sound good with a pair of Sony EX450 headphones. Those are not the most expensive, high end earplugs but with all the sound options I ended up with a very weak sound, especially the mid range. Poweramp does sound good though.
boy,
I dunno about Walkman being better than PA. I don't agree there. But I DEF agree with the combo method, b/c THAT'S what I use now and it's great! I feel like it's close (esp if you use the "Soul" EQ preset in Z3's settings, trust me lol)...............but in actuality, what you're combining isn't PA and Walkman, it's PA and the Z3's sound settings itself. The only option native to Walkman itself is DSEE HX, but if you turn on "Studio" in the Z3's Surround Sound settings, it does what DSEE HX does and more IMHO.
I do like "Clear Bass" in the Z3's EQ settings......... it gives off a very warm and isolated bass sound. Turning on "Studio" though does seem to make it harder to control the volume (some songs have "treble spikes" that can be hard on the ears at higher volumes), so last night I gave Dynamic Normalizer a try in Z3's sound settings. It DOES seem to give you a lil more control over "Studio". I would advise trying it and seeing if you notice this too. Leave ClearAudio+ off, and yeah "Studio" and for speakers leave surround sound checked. Makes it sound better IMO.
In PA I use "Rock" preset and it's great! If doing the combo method, then I recommend going to Z3's EQ settings and choosing the "Off" EQ preset option as PA has its own (and much better) EQ (Z3's is 5-band, PA's is 10-band). Then by tapping Save and then pressing on "Rock" (in PA EQ screen) you can set that as the default preset for ALL songs (by choosing it for speaker, wired, and bluetooth on the list that appears). If you want to have another preset be the default for specific songs, PM me and I'll show you how to do that (very easy if you got this far already).
I would give Z3/Walkman an A, but I'd give Z3/PA an A+.
RockStar2005
Hi guys, new Z3 owner here - I've been following the various threads concerning DSEE HX, Clearaudio+, and Hi-Res Audio, and wanted to confirm a couple things to help me decide on using the Walkman app vs Poweramp:
1. Will Hi-Res FLAC files only play through the walkman app? Or will Poweramp handle them as well without downsampling?
2. Is Clearaudio+ and DSEE HX meant only for MP3s?
I'm finding the Walkman app lacking in functionality that I've been used to with Poweramp, namely the ability to sort my album folders by date added and being able to advance to the next album automatically. But if I can't get the same audio quality from Poweramp, then I might suck it up and keep using Walkman.
(For reference, I'm listening through ATH-IM70 earphones, and will eventually be pairing it with Sony MDR-1RBT MK2 headphones - might as well go all in on Sony right?)
I'm using Poweramp since my Xperia ARC Z, Z1, and Z3. It has 10 bands equalizer, and if I want to use walkman audio configs the I set them through PowerAmp.
PowerAmp uses cueSheet (.cue files), and Use that a lot. dont know if any other uses cuesheet.
Hey gen,
1) PowerAmp will play Hi-Res FLAC files and so will Walkman. NEITHER will downsample as far as I know, but know that the Z3 itself can only process up to 24-bit/96kHz. So if you have any like 24/192 files, they will be downsampled. But that's b/c of the phone, not the 2 apps themselves. If this is an issue for you, then you may wanna consider a Hi-Res audio player like the new Sony Walkman Player (or just wait to see what the upcoming 2015 Walkman has to offer?). Since a stand-alone player will pretty much ALWAYS sound better than any phone can, this can be something to consider purchasing down the line (I may do just that one day). They only spend like up to $40 max on the Z3 (the BEST android phone for audio) for audio, where on the players it's a much a higher amount. Just something to keep in mind. The Walkman doesn't let you use PowerAmp, but it does come with the same options like Surround Sound, etc. Some say these other ones are supposedly better than the Walkman, so you can check them out too (but I still bet the Walkman is great from reviews I've read): FiiO X3, X5, iBasso DX90. I'm not sure if they let you use PowerAmp either, but you can always ask in the forums there for each one on Amazon (I may do that now). The stock programs they have though may be better than PowerAmp anyway?
2) They might be, not sure. My take on ClearAudio+ is, leave it off. lol I think it does nothing but WEAKEN the sound. Several ppl on here have agreed with me, but it's up to you. Regarding DSEE HX, as nice as it is, I think actually that enabling the "Surround Sound" and choosing "Studio" will do more to liven up the sound than DSEE HX does.
I think both apps are great, but I prefer PowerAmp (PA) b/c it simply gives a BIT more life to my music than Walkman does, but it's very close. Since I can't use DSEE HX while playing music in PA, I use "Studio" to compensate for not having that, and it does more than DSEE HX does anyway. You can still use all the other options though. I disable ClearAudio+, enable Dynamic Normalizer b/c it gives an extra notch or two of volume which is great esp on headphones.......... under Sound Effects, leave the EQ flat if using PA, Clear Bass will vary (but it's great for giving a nice tight isolated bass sound), Surround Sound "Studio". (I sometimes keep S-Force on or off. Sometimes it makes things sound better, other time it can cause skips or spikes in the music.)
In PA, the best EQ preset IMO is "Rock". On my HTC One M8, I sometimes used "Bass and Treble" as well, but on the Z3, I notice the songs I needed that preset for no longer need it, and "Rock" sounds just fine on them, which leads me to believe that perhaps the Z3 has better sound quality than the M8? Not sure. In order to make "Rock" your default preset, go to any song, play it then hit pause right away, tap on EQ icon at top, tap on Save, then scroll down and press & hold on "Rock", tap on Assign, check or select Speaker, Wired Headset, and Bluetooth, then tap on Ok. "Rock" is now your default preset! (I can actually send you or anyone on here my PA settings file which I think will give you the best sound. You would just need to import the file into PA for it to be applied. If interested, simply send me a PM and I'll get it to you.)
If you still choose to use Walkman over PA, then regarding the EQ, my suggestion is the "Soul" preset. "Folk" is good too, but the one that I found to give the most clearest and best quality sound is not "Rock" but "Soul". It should make ANY type/genre of music sound better, even rock. All the other Z3 settings I mentioned above should still be utilized for best sound.
I think it's easier to search for or quickly find my albums/artists in PA than in Walkman. PA has a feature where you quickly scroll to a certain letter, where with Walkman you have to type in the first few letters of the album/artist in order to "quickly" scroll to it.
Regarding headphones, yeah Sony's headphones are great! I'd tried out (which you might've seen from earlier posts) the Sennheiser HD 598s, and the Audio-Technica M50Xs. Both were very good, but I ended up with the AKG K550s. It needed an amp though to hit "peak sound", so someone on here suggested the new Sony MDR-1As (said the 1Rs were great too, and I think MK2s are a step-up from the regular 1Rs), and I ended up trying those out and preferred them to the AKG headphones. They didn't need the amp (thanks to Dynamic Normalizer) so I got to return that as well as the other headphones.
RockStar2005
Yeah Caqo, PA has 10-bands, while Sony's Walkman app only has 5. I think this is a big reason why PA offers up a slightly richer sound than the Walkman app does.
RockStar2005
PowerAmp was one of the first apps I installed on my devices. Not anymore. The audio quality of my lossless tracks was awful in poweramp on the Z3C - lots of low crackle and background noise, especially prominent during track fades. I can only guess that poweramp are using a pretty bad lossless decoder. The walkman app plays them flawlessly.
I INITIALLY had issues with PA as well (though was on mp3s, but I think this applies too), and found out it was a SETTING in PA that needed to be disabled. Doing so fixed the issue permanently for me. See first post. I would also recommend disabling the setting right next to it too...... Bluetooth DVC. (Anyone who requests and receives a copy of my PA settings file will already have this taken care of after applying/importing the file into their PA.) If it still persists, then by all means use Walkman instead. But I've played SEVERAL lossless tracks on PA and I've never once had any issues at all, including the ones you mentioned.
RockStar2005
Yeah, there apparently is a known issue with the Z3 and poweramp:
http://forum.powerampapp.com/index.php?/topic/6857-horrible-noise-floor-on-z3-compact/
Unchecking DVC fixes that (for me at least)
Rockstar, thanks for answering my questions - I listen exclusively to FLAC now, and the only two hi-res albums I have are 96hz, so back to Poweramp for me! If there is a difference in sound quality between it and the Walkman app for hi-res files, I can't really hear it, and I certainly won't be able to hear it over Bluetooth. I agree on the Rock setting, that's what I've always set mines to as well.
genjitsu,
No problem. That thread you posted is for the Z3 Compact, not the Z3. That might explain why I haven't had any issues (I have the Z3). I think the issue is really just with PA itself. On my I think LG G2 or else HTC One M8 (previous phones), I had the same issue but this fix eliminated that issue. So I wonder if it's just a coincidence that those who have had recent issues also had Z3 Compacts?
That's cool. Only 1 out of the 11 Hi-Res albums I bought is 24/192, but I don't plan on buying anymore. I've read good but also negative things about 24/192 (vs 24/96), like that it supposedly sometimes makes the soundstage TOO big, meaning the various tracks/instruments sound too far apart, in a bad way. I also talked to one guy on Head-Fi.org (audiophile forum) who owns a premium sound store (John) and also has his own studio built INTO the store (he's been recording people for like 30 years and has like over $100k poured into his studio)......... he told me that he didn't really hear a difference b/t 24/96 and 24/192 until he used like really expensive headphones (like 4 figures lol). Even then, I wonder if I'd hear it? So again, I dunno. The one 24/192 album I actually bought (Van Morrison's "Moondance" album) sound just fine to me, so I can't vouch for any of it myself. The ONLY reason why I'd say it might be better is b/c of what I said before that producers and engineers tend to do their best work on Hi-Res releases vs CD and mp3s. So do they do MORE on a 24/192 album than a 24/96?? If someone can prove that true, I'd be interested to read about it. But until then, I'm gonna assume that 24/96 and 24/192 won't sound any different since they're both considered w/o a doubt to be Hi-Res. Another reason to get 24/96 over 24/192 is price. 24/192 can be like $5-$10 more for the same album when compared to 24/96.
The difference b/t PA's and Walkman's sound quality to me is pretty minimal. I would rate Walkman's at like a strong A-. When I compared it to PA one night not too long ago, PA on the same song just had SLIGHTLY more "punch" to it, so A+. Now I'm guessing when compared to a GOOD stand-alone player, it might rate at a B+/A-?? But that's a different scale all-together. I guess if I ever get around to buying one, I can say for sure, but that's just an estimate. The Z3 has the best audio quality you can get from an Android smartphone (if not all smartphones) as of the present time. The author of this website (see #3) told me it personally via e-mail. He said:
Well there are two sides of every DAC (Digital Audio Converter, which every phone/player has): 1. max Sampling and bitrate it can handle and 2. how accurately the DAC is doing it measured in THD, SNR, etc.
LG uses sh*tty DACs in their entire phone range. G3 sounded worse than a Note 2.
Today, Z3 is simply above the competition for any music you play. low bitrate to high. That's because the DAC-amp is amazing http://www.nxp.com/documents/short_data_sheet/TFA9890_SDS.pdf
Z3 is great for high res auto coz of its low distortion DAC-amp combo. Its also has some software tweaks (DSEE HX) to upsampling low res audio to make it sound better. That works by restoring some lost details in low bitrate music.
With Z3 the amp is powerful enough to drive most high-ohm audiophile-grade headphones.
Here's how I would rate them (quality)
Z3 > One M8 > Note 4 > M7 > Note 3 = Z1 = Z2 >> G3
He also said the Z3 has about $40 put into its sound, and that's the like the max on a smartphone right now, vs stand-alone players which have like hundreds of dollars put into their sound capabilities. He said the cheapest ones (G3?) have as low as like $15. That explains a lot. lol
Steve