[Q] How good is the Walkman app vs PowerAmp? - Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

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

Related

Simple software based system wide graphical equalizer that works on bluetooth

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.

dr dre studio eq settings for the best bass

Being a person who loves my music I want it to sound just right, now I know a lot of people don't like the Dr Dre's however they were a gift so I was pumped when i got them, I have been using PowerAmp as my main music app with my sennheiser cx300 and it was good and i had all the right eq settings for my Dr Dre's, however recently i accidently uninstalled poweramp and i lost all my eq settings for power amp, i had the best setting with no distortion or anything howevr now that i have reinstalled it i don't have any of my eq settings, does anyone have good settings for the dre's or know how to get my settings back?
Sound is subjective, what I think sounds "right" or good to me, might sound harsh or off to you.
Choose a preset EQ mode that sounds the best or closest to what you had, and fine-tune from there.
I've listened to the Beats headphones fairly extensively and find myself wanting to crank up the mid highs to balance out that extra bass. But then again this depends on the type of music I'm listening to as well. I can't stand listening to some compressed rap and hip hop on the same EQ settings as rock, especially coming from a phone.
As stated above. Purely subjective.
Type of music , encoding quality of music , personal taste etc...
Let your ears be the judge. Good starting point is knowing what your headphones strengths/weaknesses are.
Pick your favorite 2-3 songs and adjust till you feel right about it.
If you "love music" then generally you want the EQ & all tone controls to be flat/off, and use good quality headphones. Having any of those settings on in PowerAmp introduces additional processing which mucks up the audio IMO.
I've no idea if the Beat headphones are actually _good_ headphones or not (being both a Monster product _and_ celebrity endorsed, the price is somewhat inflated), if so then they should sound fine with no EQ assuming the source media is clean. I'm guessing that the bass is over-pronounced in those phones given the name attached to them. (If you like excessive bass, then Sennheiser HD212's are a good cheap alternative, I hated them though)
If however you're the type of person who thinks the Black Eyed Pea's are "a pretty cool group", then just turn the bass dial up.
I use either some Sennheiser 280Pro's or Grado Alessandro's and unless the source audio is poorly mastered/produced (not that uncommon sadly) then I leave the tone + EQ controls alone and/or disable them. The audio quality from the N1 is NOT what I'd call audiophile grade, but it's "ok".

How to improve sound quality of your I9003 & stop complaining ;)

I have made this thread for all of you to discuss your equalizer app presets & to discuss sound, no trolling, flaming over brands people, (except apple ) & noobs don't stick your neck unnecessarily if you don't know the stuff.... First read then post here.. Or else get pwnd!
I am giving my highly tested & tried personal suggestions for all the people who have tried various combinations & haven't been satisfied, my suggestions are going to satisfy your question for general sound improvement
" Don't expect any groundbreaking "heavy metal" quality improvements but if you understand & follow somethings correctly you will get a pretty decent sound... "
HERE YOU GO -
Guys my personal suggestions -
Equalizer app -
www.appbrain.com/app/equalizer/com.smartandroidapps.equalizer
1) CATEGORY TYPE 1
For free or for people nearly broke + those who listen @ 30 to 60% of max volume( i.e volume of 4 to 7) on the volume scale of 1 to 15 in the stock player as shown in the touchwiz music player...
What to do in this case???
Use the stock samsung earphones + stock player + equalizer app from market + some common sense when setting the presets in equalizer app...
My setup for this -
I set the bass boost in equalizer app at approx 30%
Virtualizer @ 20-40%
Reverb @ large room or medium hall
The actual equalizer setup for me varies from music to music... Usually I like my mid range boosted (I'm a guitarist, so I like a midrange boost in my music to hear the instruments clear )...
2) CATEGORY TYPE 2
You listen to music @ 30 to 70% of maximum volume... i.e you listen to music between the range of 3 to 10 out of max volume of 15
If you have some money to spend & can purchase a single app + earphones
Get Skullcandy Riot Mic'd series earphones...
These will cost you 1200 Indian rupees
Or if you can afford get Skullcandy Smokin Bud earphones.
These will cost you 1600 Indian rupees
And purchase the equalizer app from android market...
The basic settings can be kept the same as category one settings for the bass boost & Virtualizer & reverb...
CATEGORY 2 PEOPLE HAVE THE MAXIMUM HAPPINESS.... Because 1200 Indian rupees & $2-3 of cost of equaliser app is very less for the quality of sound you will get...
3) CATEGORY TYPE 3
You like your music very loud between 50% to 90% of the maximum volume most of the time.
And you have lot of money to spend -
Get sennheiser MM30i/MM70i/MM50i in earphones + poweramp music player full version = orgasm for ears...
Setup your poweramp player's equalizer in any preset, & setup its volume, bass, treble & stereo expansion controls in any way.. & use your new sennheiser earphones...
Happy listening!
PS - Logitech UE 300vi & Logitech UE 400vi are good alternatives to sennheiser earphones, but test them before using!
& Thank me if you found this helpful in your audio experience, I haven't been active on the forums lately due to other commitments & change of phone! (still have my I9003 )
Tapashocked via my Galaxy Note with SwiftKey X !!
Thanks for the thanks people! Share your setups & earphones suggestions!
Tapashocked via my gt-I9003 with a random keyboard of my choice !
I would say DSP manager does the trick but you do require CM lib or legacy audio lib for it to work on Stock roms
thank you very much, it's useful
.Har**** said:
I would say DSP manager does the trick but you do require CM lib or legacy audio lib for it to work on Stock roms
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree.
But personally speaking, I find the quality of effects of equaliser app & poweramp player to be superior than dsp manager!
And investing in good quality earphones is equally important
Tapashocked via my gt-I9003 with a random keyboard of my choice !
As this thread is also for sharing settings I would like to share my DSP Manager Settings for the standard Earphones (havent bought new good ones yet):
Bass Boost: Strong to Extreme
Equalizer: 3,0; 2,0; 0,5 - 1,0; 2,0 - 2,5; 1,5 - 2,0
Virtualizer: Off to Room (if translation from German to English is right here)
The results of these settings in my mind are quite ok for the standard earphones. Volume is about 60% - 70%
Sent from my GT-I9003 using XDA App
well i have bought
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/sennheiser-cx300-b-in/4505-7877_7-31727753.html
sennheiser c300 ii

[Q] best ROM for audiophiles?

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.

Sound mods: which is your favourite one / combo?

Hi guys, my name is Alessandro and I've just rooted my Z3. I've seen there are many Sound Mods out there and I'd like to know which one you'd suggest me to try with. Which one produces the best sound according to you?
I was also thinking about a small portable amp for my 16 ohm earbuds. Do you use one?
Thank you!
If I had to choose one I would go with this one http://forum.xda-developers.com/cro...-dontbelive-marshmallow-stereomod-v1-t3366065 as it seems it's the more clean one
I don't really like sound mods because many of them look like "hey we got beats, dolby, whateveryouwanttoinserthere" and then it's like... "so many stuff, does this really even work?" I like the way the original audio config for Xperia Z3 sounds, anyways you can also try using new libraries from stock sony roms (don't remember if it was on cross device or cross themes, but it was a port from androidexpert35) in the case your rom doesn't have the libraries updated already.
Also, watch out for mods that "amplify" the audio quality of your phone, many cause a crackling noise because they add a number that comes to their head instead of following the sound chipset config (this is from personal experience as I restored the original sound quality for xperia zl and z in cyanogenmod builds (unreleased job))
P.S: Do a backup of your current rom with TWRP before flashing any "sound mod" because if you have some regrets you'll regret even more not having a backup and then having to spend hours flashing again stock rom and getting your system back to what it was before flashing anything
Oh I forgot to mention that I use a pair of Sony ZX310 headphones when listening to music with the following configuration on sound enhancement (stock rom):
DSEE HX: On
Surround Sound (VPT): Studio
Equalizer
400: 0
1k: -3
2.5k: +3
6k: +3
16kHz: 0
Clear Bass: Adjust between 4 and 8 (6 is preferable but adjust to your needs)
xkeita said:
If I had to choose one I would go with this one http://forum.xda-developers.com/cro...-dontbelive-marshmallow-stereomod-v1-t3366065 as it seems it's the more clean one
I don't really like sound mods because many of them look like "hey we got beats, dolby, whateveryouwanttoinserthere" and then it's like... "so many stuff, does this really even work?" I like the way the original audio config for Xperia Z3 sounds, anyways you can also try using new libraries from stock sony roms (don't remember if it was on cross device or cross themes, but it was a port from androidexpert35) in the case your rom doesn't have the libraries updated already.
Also, watch out for mods that "amplify" the audio quality of your phone, many cause a crackling noise because they add a number that comes to their head instead of following the sound chipset config (this is from personal experience as I restored the original sound quality for xperia zl and z in cyanogenmod builds (unreleased job))
P.S: Do a backup of your current rom with TWRP before flashing any "sound mod" because if you have some regrets you'll regret even more not having a backup and then having to spend hours flashing again stock rom and getting your system back to what it was before flashing anything
Oh I forgot to mention that I use a pair of Sony ZX310 headphones when listening to music with the following configuration on sound enhancement (stock rom):
DSEE HX: On
Surround Sound (VPT): Studio
Equalizer
400: 0
1k: -3
2.5k: +3
6k: +3
16kHz: 0
Clear Bass: Adjust between 4 and 8 (6 is preferable but adjust to your needs)
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I agree with you. I'm looking for something which can improve the audio output quality of the Z3, not just for remarkable names.
Is it possible to couple V4A with the Sony Audio Enhancements?
Brutale1090! said:
I agree with you. I'm looking for something which can improve the audio output quality of the Z3, not just for remarkable names.
Is it possible to couple V4A with the Sony Audio Enhancements?
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/r-s-e-sound-systems-auditory-research-t3379709
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/mod-beatsaudio-e-xloud-installer-t3029951
try one of these, the audio quality on headphones directly depend on the quality of the headphone,
Ans the settings you set on your headphone selection on V4A, I got Sony MDR-NC33 Noise which is pretty enough for me, other V4A can be experiment and find out with respect to the headphone,
see for yourself bro, and one thing the audio mods above are far more better than Sony Audio Enhancement, I tested it and tried not to leave sony stuff coz z3 coz like 40k here but at the end of the day there are more options on V4A and you can combine it with Dolby Atmos MOD mad by bro guitardedhero, cya just sharing my opinions and experiences
Black Plague said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/r-s-e-sound-systems-auditory-research-t3379709
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/mod-beatsaudio-e-xloud-installer-t3029951
try one of these, the audio quality on headphones directly depend on the quality of the headphone,
Ans the settings you set on your headphone selection on V4A, I got Sony MDR-NC33 Noise which is pretty enough for me, other V4A can be experiment and find out with respect to the headphone,
see for yourself bro, and one thing the audio mods above are far more better than Sony Audio Enhancement, I tested it and tried not to leave sony stuff coz z3 coz like 40k here but at the end of the day there are more options on V4A and you can combine it with Dolby Atmos MOD mad by bro guitardedhero, cya just sharing my opinions and experiences
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Thank you so much for your opinion! Wich audio mod works good combined with V4A. I mean, how do I know if some libraries will be in conflict with V4A? Which combos have you already tested?
I think you should probably install V4A and not mix it with other stuffs...
Do I have to disable the original Sony Soundenhancement.apk to use V4A?
Brutale1090! said:
Do I have to disable the original Sony Soundenhancement.apk to use V4A?
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I think ARISE WORKS BETTER,
forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/r-s-e-sound-systems-auditory-research-t3379709
that developer guitardedhero and his team are constantly updating but the the other mod that Xtreme Music is fairly good but I think he havent updated in a while and he also get banned sometimes for ad-links by the mods, any way it upto your choice I prefer more of that guitardedhero and its more stable I think, I tried both mixed in early stages of arise and xtreme music, the the sound was awesome, I got like 3 system equalizers, one for V4A, other DolbyAtmos and Xtreme Music Equalizer working simultaneously at a time, it was great, I had to throw sony's sound enhancement (sorry sony) stuff completely since if conflicts with other V4A and DolbyAtmos,
just back up your current rom, and try things out mixing them, if they dont work just google it people always have similar problems like tweaking startup init script and other workarounds.
And one last thing use powerAMP beta 3 for audio playback throw that sony music app aka walkman, it supports FLAC and has good UI and sound engine too, works with V4A. Just my experiences bro, try and find out for yourself,
http://forum.powerampapp.com/index.php?/topic/8810-poweramp-alpha-build-703704/
And one thing get a XDXC 64 gigs SD card, listen to flac audios only n cheap mp3 ****s, if you need any flac songs pm me, i got 300gigs of it
I'm trying some specific mods for the Z3, actually the last version of the Dontbelieve's mod. Arise will be my next step. How do I disable the original Sony sound enhancement when playing with arise?
Brutale1090! said:
I'm trying some specific mods for the Z3, actually the last version of the Dontbelieve's mod. Arise will be my next step. How do I disable the original Sony sound enhancement when playing with arise?
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Up
Up
Brutale1090! said:
Up
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I upgraded the sound driver to latest Xperia XZ one
How do I disable the original Sony Sound Enhancement? It is conflicting with v4a
Everything working. Guys, nothing can be compared with ARISE. Harder to configure, but way better results.

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