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Official Sound Quality Thread

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.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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.

Audio Aspect of the Nexus 5

I've been wondering how people's experience of the N5 audio aspect is, speaker wise and headphone wise. Would love to know feedback on this as to site chances in which I could enhance their audio aspects.
If anyone could answer the following queries I have I would gladly appreciate it.
- DSP tunneling (In regards to the 60 hr playback)
- Speakers are Stereo like the N7 2013 or Mono
- Audio codec being used (Preferably in the audio conf file under /system/etc/media_profiles.xml and mixer_paths.xml)
- List all the libs named audio in system/lib/hw
Thanks a million guys

Im pretty sure the audio is mono.
Sent from my SXP [R800i]

Yup the device output is mono and it's not very good either. The speaker falls weak of everything apart from Bass. It just feels to be lacking. I have used a G2 and the speaker is much louder and clearer, but the speaker on the G2 is only mono too which leads me to wonder whether the Nexus uses the exact same speaker as the G2 but the software on the Nexus limits it's output.
To me audio is quite a big thing, as ridiculous as it sounds I do sometimes play music out of my phone, and I also use YouTube out loud. I have noticed with the Nexus 5 is is sometimes hard to hear notification sounds, especially in the morning when I am on the bus for example. I know it's not just my device there are numerous reports about this around the web and do not confuse this issue with the tinny audio bug, this simply is the speaker quality.
In terms of headphone output, no complaints.

jaaystott said:
Yup the device output is mono and it's not very good either. The speaker falls weak of everything apart from Bass. It just feels to be lacking. I have used a G2 and the speaker is much louder and clearer, but the speaker on the G2 is only mono too which leads me to wonder whether the Nexus uses the exact same speaker as the G2 but the software on the Nexus limits it's output.
To me audio is quite a big thing, as ridiculous as it sounds I do sometimes play music out of my phone, and I also use YouTube out loud. I have noticed with the Nexus 5 is is sometimes hard to hear notification sounds, especially in the morning when I am on the bus for example. I know it's not just my device there are numerous reports about this around the web and do not confuse this issue with the tinny audio bug, this simply is the speaker quality.
In terms of headphone output, no complaints.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply but thanks for your input in this. Very helpful! I'll see what I can do. The idea being the dsp tunneling is what disturbs me the most. I'm tempted to order one to see about it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Review: Nexus 5 as a Music Player

Hello All !!!
I dont know if this is right forum to post this. This is my first review so please excuse any mistakes/blunders
I own both Nexus 5 and Galaxy Note 2(N7100), and from past 2 weeks I have been testing sound on both the phones. Following is the setup:
Headphones Used:
1. Monster Miles Davis Tribute
2. Monster Turbine Pro Copper
3. Shure SRH440
5. Sennheiser Momentus Over the ear(Not the on ear model)
6. HiFiman RE0
Music Used:
Please note all the albums were Flac Lossles 16bit
1. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
2. Slint - Spiderland
3. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven!
4. Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians
5. Burial - Untrue
6. Broken Note - Terminal Static
Player Used: PowerAmp Pro (Flat equalizer)
Observation:
Before I begin, I would like to say that this is my subjective opinion which may vary from person to person.
Galaxy Note 2:
I love this phone. Been my daily driver from past one year. The ability to expand the memory and replaceable battery is amazing. More memory means more music for me :good: I only listen to flac so this is a huge plus for me.
This phone drives all headphones pretty well. Although one might feel that Momentus and RE-0 were kind of dull as compared to the other headphones. The sound seemed veiled.
So I changed the kernel to NEAK. This kernel have utility to increase the volume and some other fancy adjustments like oversampling etc. I was skeptical what changing kernel would do, and boy was I wrong. Not only did the volume increase but sound became fuller and had solid character. Instruments were perfect, texture was amazing and the bass wasn't sloppy anymore but controlled and very punchy. :victory:
Nexus 5:
Nexus 5 is totally a different beast. Coming from Note2 I was excited about this phone. The build quality and weight was quite better than Note2. I loaded up the albums and fired up the PowerAmp. From the start I could feel something was amiss. Although the resolution of the instruments was good and overall response of the headphones and music was not bad; but I was not blown away. Even after increasing the preamp volume to full, the headphones could not reach their full potential except Pro Coppers. So I broke out my trusty Fiio E5 portable headphone amplifier and sound did improve. After long listening sessions everyday my brain accepted the sound signature of this phone and by the end of 4th day I quite liked the sound.
In the end I had comparisons in a way that I listened the tracks going back-n-forth on both the phones. I definitely like my Note2 with NEAK kernel. But if you take out the kernel from the comparison, difference between the quality is not that huge although the sound from Note2 is lush compared to Nexus5. Both phones lack amplification to drive some headphones to their full potential.
For average Joe: If you are using lossy music and use headphones which are mediocre, then this phone is pretty good for you. You wont be able to tell the difference between sound quality of Nexus and any other phone.
For my Audiophile friend: To be honest this phone will leave you wanting for more. Although Nexus have good DAC but amplification is poor. I would recommend you to grab a good but cheap headphone amp and you should be good. Although 32 GB is real deal breaker if you you use lossless music. For that OTG cable comes to rescue. I would also recommend getting your hand on a kernel/utility which improves sound. I have not come across any yet.:fingers-crossed: Also battery becomes a concern when using such utility/kernal.
My rating: 3.5/5
Pros:
Exceptional pricing
Good DAC
Build Quality
Ability to play Hi-Res FLAC
Cons:
Poor Amplification
Lack of expandable storage (You can use OTG cable though)
Poor Battery (Especially if you will be using utility to improve sound)

Sound quality is so subjective. Some people like how Denon sounds and others like Yamaha. And then there are those who like Bose!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Nice review. Can you use OTG w/ a E18 Kunlun?

kenbhaji said:
I would also recommend getting your hand on a kernel/utility which improves sound. I have not come across any yet.:fingers-crossed: Also battery becomes a concern when using such utility/kernal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this:
Volume Mod
Report back.

The Note 2 has the Wolfson DAC. It totally crushes anything Qualcomm has.
No contest. I have the S3 and have had a host of Qualcomm based devices, but for sound quality, nothing has ever touched the Wolfson DAC on a smartphone.

[Q] z3 Audio Quality

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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, good discussion though.

abhinav.tella said:
True, good discussion though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

Speakerphone (loudness, clarity)

Proper etiquette aside (hint: don't use speakerphone while doing your "business" in a public bathroom), rate this thread to express how you think the Google Pixel 2 XL's speakerphone performs. A higher rating indicates that you love it: it's loud and it's clear.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

It doesnt seem loud. Comparing my iphone 7+ its lack of bass.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

jtwlbz said:
It doesnt seem loud. Comparing my iphone 7+ its lack of bass.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't follow. The iPhone lacks bass? Or the Pixel? And how are you reviewing a phone that isn't out yet?

craig0r said:
I don't follow. The iPhone lacks bass? Or the Pixel? And how are you reviewing a phone that isn't out yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went to verizon to check out the demo. Pixel lacks bass.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

jtwlbz said:
I went to verizon to check out the demo. Pixel lacks bass.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats pretty disappointing if it lacks bass. sure they're both front firing speakers but if the quality of the audio is subpar whats the point? would rather have less bezel in that case.

I went to Verizon today and sampled making sure the settings were maxed out and it contributed to my order cancellation.\
Weak, anemic, pitiful is all I can say.
It seems the idea of two speakers is all they have going for it.
I had a bad feeling viewing the release presentation. It sounded canned. Good Luck All.

I went by Verizon today and check one out. Listen to music full blast and it was plenty loud for my ears.

Went to the Verizon store today to finally check out the XL 2 in person only to find the display model battery dead due to a bad Verizon cable charger not working ? I did get to play with the regular Pixel 2 though. I turned the speaker up but it honestly did not seem loud. Actually felt like my Pixel XL speaker was much louder but I did not really test it properly so I'm still patiently waiting for these full reviews. My pre-ordered XL 2 should be here by Oct 30 and I am no doubt still excited about my purchase. Although the battery was dead the XL 2 looked and felt nice in my hand. The Pixel 2 does have some bezels however it's still a great phone! To be honest I love the size of the regular Pixel but like the bigger screen of the XL.

I checked one out at a V store this past weekend. Felt nice in the hand. Stereo sound was good but the loudness wasn't there. I mostly need loud in the car when using Google maps and after testing youtube out in the store then going out to the car and blasting the 7+ there was a noticeable difference. The 7+ is a lot louder. The front facing stereo speakers were noticeable with left/right sound but for my purposes I need more overall loudness. I'm afraid I would have the Pixel 2 XL cranked all the way all the time.

Well I guess we'll have to wait for ARISE sound mod, hopefully that will fix that

Maybe THIS video could be a reference.

Redrockzz said:
Maybe THIS video could be a reference.
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iPhone 8 easy win..
Front firing would make sense to be quieter vs bottom firing laying flat on a table.
The sound can bounce off a large solid area with bottom firing.
But the db range is clearly wider on the iPhone.
What people are calling quieter is actually just dull sound.
He really doesn't know much about audio but the clip helps. Thanks for posting.

Btekt comparison on youtube
Pixel 2 XL vs iPhone 8 Plus speaker comparison

The speakers are a huge plus for me. Not as loud as my 6P, but more clear and bass-y than they were. Still not perfect, but better than any other phone I've owned so I can't complain.

frap129 said:
The speakers are a huge plus for me. Not as loud as my 6P, but more clear and bass-y than they were. Still not perfect, but better than any other phone I've owned so I can't complain.
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How's the audio through headphones using stock eq?

kheltek said:
How's the audio through headphones using stock eq?
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Yeah, I would like to know that too, Pixel was OK-ish, not as loud s the Nexus 6

Once we get the phone, we can always go in (root) and change the audio level file.

Yeah I think it's fine. Once we get root , can use arise to increase speaker vokume

It's kinda like taking the average crappy bottom firing speaker and putting it in the front... With an additional one.. Not great. Not that good either. My pixel OG has a better, fuller sounding bottom firing speaker. They should have used two of those on the new pixel.
An interesting side effect is that you can feel the whole screen vibrating when the speaker is playing. It's too bad they can't use the display as a woofer.

Just ok: the iPhone 8 has better sounding stereo speakers. The Pixel 2 XL lack bass.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk