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[Guide] Using Your Phone as a Dedicated Music Player

Using Your Smartphone As A Dedicated Music Player Guide​
Many people now own a smartphone, and most actually run Android. We all now (including myself) use our phones for music playback. It’s just easy to buy a song from Google Play then download it within the app or stream it. Their are people (including myself again) that prefer sound from a high end sound card or dedicated high end MP3 player to enjoy their tunes. However in recent times on-board sound has become surprisingly decent on computers, and just as good in our phones. In fact sometimes our phones can outperform that of the onboard sound in our computers. That though really depends on how much your motherboard costs and phone, as higher the price generally better sound card onboard of it, back on to phones though. Our phones have also had a recent upgrade with their sound solutions. Before most “smartphones” some phones had MP3 player functionality but they usually sounded just terrible with rolled of bass, and lack of detail in the highs department.
Thanks to the new smartphone race manufacturers are pushing themselves to create the best phone available on the market. However many forget about one thing - sound quality. Headphone sound quality on most Android’s is fairly decent however the built-in speakers are mostly described as atrocious. Still some phones excel at sound quality better than others, however this is almost very limited if you use stock earphones or cheap headphones to listen to music with. Hooking your phone up to powered speakers is also dependant on this, however it will not pull as much power from the DAC - so if the DAC is weak it will still sound plenty loud enough hooked up to powered speakers. Again, quality of speakers depend on the speakers and the phone.
Just because the phone has a good DAC will not mean great sound quality either. There are a few other factors within the phone itself. The DAC shielding is a big one this essentially blocks out unwanted CPU and radio noises because cell reception is radio waves that make sound, and some phones CPU’s may actually run at a similar frequency as the DAC and interfere which causes annoying static like noises. Where the DAC is placed, and how it was installed is also another one. This one is similar to the interference from other hardware but where the DAC is placed will determine the amount of interference and easy access to a headphone jack. How other components handle audio processing is another. For example the CPU may be to slow (almost never however) to render higher quality audio files this is now mostly eliminated with almost every phone now. The DAC might also sound a tad better if it also had a amplifier accompanying it - especially true on high end or difficult to drive headphones. You will find phones like the HTC One M series will have smoother bass and better definition on headphones because of it. If you own a phone without an amp, you can pick a portable one up to drive most headphones at a price as low as $30 like the Fiio E6 for example. Your DAC might be decent, but have you considered what the output is made from? Some lower end phones may be made from cheap materials which will create interference and strange noises in your mix.
Now that we have chopped down the hardware side of things, lets change the subject a little bit to the software implementations and restrictions. Just because every side of the hardware is great, don’t expect stellar audio quality if the OS or software your using is not “bonding” with the hardware or not well optimized you could experience poor quality or stuttering. Most Androids overcome this now, it is not so troublesome anymore. Okay so if the OS is optimized then what equalizers or sound mods are actually implemented? Audiophilles complain that eq’s do not do their ears justice nor the audio mods but some of us like to punch up our music (especially MP3 files). With factory mods and equalizers like BeatsAudio, Sony Clearaudio, Wavesmaxx and SoundAlive we can sparkle up music to make it sound how we like it. However if you are one of those that are a purist best you turn these features of or not use them - you could always just look for another phone without these mods at all.
We have now talked about the DAC, software and hardware side of things, now lets have a look at how the music is actually made.
So a digital music file is a bunch of 1’s and 0’s, however how are those 1’s and 0’s captured? We must first use a microphone the hook that up to an ADC (analog to digital converter) to capture sound. That sound is then captured by the ADC, processed by a computer and finally outputted as a digital file (the 1’s and 0’s).The quality of this file depends on similar things to how your phone computes the music, however the quality of the microphone also has a drastic effect. Obviously, the better the quality microphone the better the quality of the recorded sound. Some microphones excel at recording different frequencies or sounds. For example the mic in your phone is specifically tuned best for voice recording to assure smooth voice calls. However a microphone that is advertised as recording percussion might be tuned to accurately record that specific instrument range - and other instruments might sound inaccurate or less lively.
The DAC to the ADC now choosing the best headphones or earphones for you. If you are still using the stock earphones that came with your phone - stop! The will sound extremely mediacore and maybe alright at best. Consider three things price, quality and comfort and if you prefer headphones or earphones. Headphones are the big mostly bulky things that usually sit on your head. These things are usually much better than earphones and can sound much better for just over half the price of earphones. Headphones are more accurate, and can create really low subwoofer like bass unlike earphones which are usually pretty good but are unable to accurately display low bass properly and without some decent volume bass like headphones. Some earphones also fall short for quality defined highs as some lower end earphones may have these higher frequencies boosted, but sound nothing like a good much more high end pair. Also take note headphones are much too bulky to wear all the time which could hurt your head or ears and they look just so goofy!
Comfort and quality fall under the price and brand you are willing to pay for. Some lower end earphones and headphones may sound better, but have less comfort or vice versa. High end listening devices will combat both, but cost you more. DO NOT buy these things just because of the brands - do homework just because you like bass do not always just look at Beats By Dre their are by far much better bass driven headphones out their. But if you are willing to pay for these sorts of brands just to look cool, go ahead - i’m not stopping you, just informing you.
The next chapter is the type of file you are playing (format), and where you are playing it from. Google Play Music streams music as MP3 files @ 320Kbps which can be changed to a lower value if your going over your monthly data usage by streaming. Spotify also streams in 320Kbps with MP3 files, and you can also set a lower quality rating. As per say, lower quality streaming use much less data maybe half as much but some songs may lose their “sparkle” or interesting parts. This also applies to offline use, you have more flexibility here as you can buy either MP3 files, FLAC’s and other types of music files. Note that Flacs hold the best sound quality and are not trimmed of their sparkle or detail as supposed to a MP3 file. Many will not tell the difference between a 320Kbps MP3 as supposed to a FLAC file either because they just can not naturally tell or their headphones or DAC are just not up to the job. MP3 files still sound good but do not buy anything under 256kbps quality in MP3 as you are getting ripped of for true quality. Flacs usually cost more, and are less commonly available but do sound better. Do note, a single Flac file can use 100MB of space, so be careful of your remaining storage space.
Into the last can of worms finally, *phew*! And that is things you can do the simply improve quality of your music being played. You could try shopping for an amp or even amp+dac combo. Portable amps and dac’s are quite cheap now and Fiio sell quite a comprehensive amount of decent products like so. I first started with the Fiio E6 amp and on my sort of low impedance headphones (64ohms) I heard differences in how tight bass was. It was no longer afraid to show itself, and the Fiio’s bass boost option gave it a bit more mid bass (6DB+) for a warmer listener experience. That was just a $30 amp I picked up for cheap. Later on unfortunately it died so I was forced to buy a new amp. This time I looked into one, but it also included a built in DAC - it was a combo 2 in 1! When i plugged this into my phone it never worked at first, I had to download USB Audio Player from Google Play as my Galaxy Nexus could not natively play from a usb DAC. When I listened to music from it for my first time, I was astonished at how well it fared against my friends PCI sound card. Comparing it to my phones built in DAC the USB DAC was an improvement, but my phone still sounded pretty good for it’s age.
Some more things i’d like to add is that specs are not as always as they seem. When you hear big fancy things like 8Hz-32Khz frequency response for example it’s good but to be honest you can not typically hear anything under 20Hz, and over 20Khz. Also watch out for SNR and THD. A SNR of 100 and up will sound acceptable, try to get something beyond that for better quality audio. These specs will not determine how much bass will be shown, nor how the headphones/DAC will sound but will give you an educated guess at it.
Another thing I would like to mention is Audio Mods. There are various Audio Mods amongst the XDA community. These mods improve sound quality by means of post processing and updated sound files. The post processing is fast, and not very CPU intensive at all. These mods will dramatically increase sound quality where possible - whether it be perceived detail and bass it will have your audio senses tingling at mercy’s end. You can try my mod out and see for yourself here. Just flash it with your recovery, and you are all good to go.
Thanks for reading!
I'll update this thread in the future if something changes or I decide to post more info. :good:

Mi 4C Sound Quality

Has someone tested the audio quality of the Mi 4C?
I mean the earphones one during call and with music.
I would like to know if it is comparable with Htc One M8...
Thanks!

not tested the earphones, but the built-in speakers are very loud!!

Thank you kelkelkel, could you please tell me when you'll try the headphones?

HarryCustom said:
Thank you kelkelkel, could you please tell me when you'll try the headphones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unfortunately not any time soon, i left them in the box and have since traveled abroad.. relying on my trusty Shures

Speaker is better than M8. I havent try earphone yet!
Sent from my Mi-4c using Tapatalk

Stereo or mono speaker?

Speaker or Headphones?

The mi4c has superb sound. My headphones (beyerdynamic tp51p) really become alive. You'll not be dissapointed.

Finally I've tested the phone and the audio is low and poor, in my opinion.
I've tried three pairs of earphones. I think it is worse than my old Moto G 2013.
Anyway installing Cyanogenmod the volume is good and the sound is more crystalline.
So the problem is the Miui software...
We are still very far from the quality of HTC or even iphone.
Equalizer, earphones enhancing are honestly not very useful. In Cyanogenmod instead the equalizer runs well.
Anyway the price of the phone is very good but I can not recommend the purchase to audiophiles users or those who want a particular quality of listening .

HarryCustom said:
Finally I've tested the phone and the audio is low and poor, in my opinion.
I've tried three pairs of earphones. I think it is worse than my old Moto G 2013.
Anyway installing Cyanogenmod the volume is good and the sound is more crystalline.
So the problem is the Miui software...
We are still very far from the quality of HTC or even iphone.
Equalizer, earphones enhancing are honestly not very useful. In Cyanogenmod instead the equalizer runs well.
Anyway the price of the phone is very good but I can not recommend the purchase to audiophiles users or those who want a particular quality of listening .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange.. Didn`t try CM, but with stock miui headphones sound just great! (5.10.22 weekly, Westone 4r)

damned91 said:
Strange.. Didn`t try CM, but with stock miui headphones sound just great! (5.10.22 weekly, Westone 4r)
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Stock? I've haven't found any earphones in the box.
Did you try to ear from Htc, S6 or iPhone? It is very different, I repeat, this is my opinion!
Didn't you noticed that the max volume is low yet?

I tend to agree with @HarryCustom, max sound quality is so so under miui even with the enhancements. No contest compared to my M8, both speakers or headphone. Waiting for sound mods when available since I have rooted it already.
Sent using xda premium

What about the volume mod, its here in this rom generator http://www.smiui.net/mi4c_libra.php

ermacwins said:
What about the volume mod, its here in this rom generator http://www.smiui.net/mi4c_libra.php
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've installed that rom, but I think the mod is not working, the audio is low yet.
It was a problem anyway because I've decided to use Cyanogenmod, in my opinion is more stable than Miui...

HarryCustom said:
I've installed that rom, but I think the mod is not working, the audio is low yet.
It was a problem anyway because I've decided to use Cyanogenmod, in my opinion is more stable than Miui...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that miui build more stable than the default Chinese one?

I am Italian, so I've received the phone with a modded stable rom with plenty of bloatware.
So I've flashed the Miui.eu rom and cooked Smiui.
I think all the roms are immature, but this a common problem when you buy a new android phone.
I've tested both Miui and Cyanogenmod for a week. In my opinion there are not so much difference in stability.
But maybe I excedeed saying that the other one is more stable, to tell the truth te only sure thing is that I think Cyano fits better for me.
I am sure only about one thing the sound is different and better with Cyanogenmod...

Are there any apps in the play store that can change the sound quality? Sounds like it has a lot of bass

Hi you can try Eizo Noozxoide, in my opinion is the best audio adjustment app.
Anyway if the audio is poor, is poor...

HarryCustom said:
Finally I've tested the phone and the audio is low and poor, in my opinion.
I've tried three pairs of earphones. I think it is worse than my old Moto G 2013.
Anyway installing Cyanogenmod the volume is good and the sound is more crystalline.
So the problem is the Miui software...
We are still very far from the quality of HTC or even iphone.
Equalizer, earphones enhancing are honestly not very useful. In Cyanogenmod instead the equalizer runs well.
Anyway the price of the phone is very good but I can not recommend the purchase to audiophiles users or those who want a particular quality of listening .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Test Frequency response Noise level Dynamic range THD IMD + Noise Stereo crosstalk
Xiaomi Mi 4c +0.01, -0.04 -94.7 90.8 0.0026 0.0095 -95.3
Xiaomi Mi 4c (headphones attached) +0.03, -0.08 -94.4 90.6 0.0026 0.034 -47.6
Test Frequency response Noise level Dynamic range THD IMD + Noise Stereo crosstalk
Apple iPhone 6s +0.03, -0.04 -93.5 93.5 0.0016 0.0075 -73.2
Apple iPhone 6s (headphones attached) +0.10, -0.06 -93.8 93.9 0.0030 0.101 -68.2
Here are some actual values for the Mi4C (Running the Chinese version of MIUI) and iPhone 6s, and as you can see they perform practically the same, but the iPhone is louder (not shown here) and the stereo crosstalk with Headphones attached is more than a bit disappointing. How is the sound better with CyanogenMod? In what way? Can you hear more distortion or worse dynamic range in compared to other phones? I'm waiting for my Mi4C to arrive, and I'm somewhat the audiophile (though that's not why I bought this phone, it just has the least amount of compromises for the price).

xdadevet said:
Here are some actual values for the Mi4C (Running the Chinese version of MIUI) and iPhone 6s, and as you can see they perform practically the same, but the iPhone is louder (not shown here) and the stereo crosstalk with Headphones attached is more than a bit disappointing. How is the sound better with CyanogenMod? In what way? Can you hear more distortion or worse dynamic range in compared to other phones? I'm waiting for my Mi4C to arrive, and I'm somewhat the audiophile (though that's not why I bought this phone, it just has the least amount of compromises for the price).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi xdadevet and sorry for my terrible English, I am not an audiophile, not at all. I tried both on Miui.eu, the last rom available, and Smiu with volume boost patch (that seems to be not useful) and I noticed more distortion and worse dynamic range than on CM12.1 Alpha.
Maybe my phone has some issues, but this is what I've noticed. It's not very difficult to understand that, I can't need to be an audiophile to say it: for expample on both miui I can keep the headphones in my ears even with the maximum volume and, the sound is distorted , unclean and weak. On CM the sound is crystal clear , the equalizer works well and the phone sounds a little better than my old Moto G (always on CyanogenMod), at maximum volume I'm forced to take off the headphones. I was hoping that the Mi 4C sounded better anyway!
Using the sound enhancement by Xioami (all the profiles are for Xiaomi earphone, any other earbud has to use the general one ) ths situation is the same, you can ear a bit better, but volume and distortion are the same. I've tried a pair of Blox, Edifier H110 and Baldoor E100.
Maybe with another type of headphones you can change the situation, but I think there are some problems in Miui management of audio, as the sound quality has to be the same on CyanogenMod.
To conclude, we are very far from HTC , just yesterday I made a comparison between listening Mi4c with CM and an One M7 , I'm sorry , there is no comparison...
The rear speaker instead is good, better than other phones even if the phone is resting on a table.
I hope new roms could solve this issue and also the touch one.

Suggest one of ur best earphone for mi5

I need some earphone

Xiaomi Piston 3
Odoslané z MI 5 pomocou Tapatalku

Xiaomi In-ear Pro HD

anantalawliet said:
I need some earphone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a really subjective question. The Mi5 (after you change the mixer_paths_tasha.xml file to the China one) has very good, clean and loud output.
What headphones you should get depends only on your music taste. I have since done some research in order to get a better perspective, and have found these to be the best:
- MEMT X5 (you might want to get other tips, as it only includes double flanged tips)
- Tin Audio T515
- Rock Zicron
- CoIYue E1
They are listed in the order I'd recommend them, but you can't go wrong with any of them.
Edit: If your budget is higher I can highly recommend the Sennheiser Momentum II in-ears - They have a great soundstage, clean output and a good emphasis on bass and treble without muddying the mids.
Edit: Updated suggested earphone list with better alternatives

xdadevet said:
That's a really subjective question. The Mi5 (after you change the mixer_paths_tasha.xml file to the China one) has very good, clean and loud output.
What headphones you should get depends only on your music taste. I find the Xiaomi line is fantastic value for money - much like their phones - so here is a breakdown of how you should consider it (based on personal experience):
-Xiaomi Piston 2: Thumping bass, crisp treble but a bit muted/muddied mids (vocals). They are also very loud and even "quiet" phones can power them easily. Continued wearing is a bit uncomfortable, and they pop out when the cable snags or get tugged. Average noise isolation. Overall very fun to listen to and one of my favourites. Good for bassy genres with symbols and fewer vocals, such as rave, dubstep, house, and R&B.
-Xiaomi Piston 3: Clean, flat output. Great for budget audiophiles, but not very "fun" for average users because they lack the kick you get from others. Very comfortable. Average noise isolation. I find them boring. Good for clean genres with little bass such as classical music.
-Xiaomi Hybrid Pro: Has an emphasis on bass and treble without muting/mudding mids too much and overall good balanced headphones. Very comfortable and doesn't pop out if the cable snags (good for jogging). Average noise isolation. I think these are a great balance of the above two, but the cable and volume buttons are lower quality and it doesn't have a nice case like the others. These are good for gaming and most music and was my go-to pair (since been stolen).
-Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD: I don't own these personally, yet - mine should be here by the end of the month. But paraphrasing reviewers who have also owned the above and many more: Slight emphasis on bass and treble - much like the Hybrid Pros - but with a much wider soundstage and better instrument isolation, and overall very detailed sound. It basically fixes everything that was wrong with the Hybrid Pros (better cable, controls, includes case and pouch, more detailed sound) but has slightly less bass (pro/con depending who you ask). I personally I will miss the bass (I loved it on the Piston 2, but the mids weren't great and sometimes the treble was a bit shrill). Very comfortable with average noise isolation. Good, balanced headphones for most music and especially gaming.
My personal recommendation would be the Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HDs, but if you love thumping bass go for the Piston 2 and if you hate "coloured" sound go for the Piston 3. The Hybrid Pro HD also has 3 drivers/speakers - (2 Balanced Armature + 1 Dynamic Driver) and the dynamic driver uses graphene - a supermaterial 600x stronger than steel, that's one atom thick, and very rarely seen in consumer products. Pretty awesome stuff just knowing that, even if it doesn't necessarily sound better.
I also highly recommend disabling the crap audio profiles Xiaomi installs and using Viper4Android/Viper4Windows to tweak the sound to your liking, and I if you like I can upload the sound profile I used with the Hybrid Pros.
Edit: If your budget is higher I can highly recommend the Sennheiser Momentum II in-ears - They have a great soundstage, clean output and a good emphasis on bass and treble without muddying the mids. It's better than any of Xiaomi's and I love how their output is shaped (it needs 0 tweaking and output is just perfect for my preference).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the full explanation , liked it. I've decided to buy the Sennheiser Momentum II in-ears. Thank you very much. :highfive:

​
anantalawliet said:
Thanks for the full explanation , liked it. I've decided to buy the Sennheiser Momentum II in-ears. Thank you very much. :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me know what you think of them - I went to a studio and tried everything, from DACs to headphones to DSD files and Electrostats. I have a soft spot for the Sennheisers because despite everything they came close to some of the best over ear headphones (there was a difference but not one worth $6000) but were much more fun to listen to.
If you need help setting up your Mi5 audio files after you get tour headphones let me know :highfive:

How can I edit that build prop on my Mi5 with latest Xiaomi.eu dev ROM please?
Odoslané z MI 5 pomocou Tapatalku

memorec said:
How can I edit that build prop on my Mi5 with latest Xiaomi.eu dev ROM please?
Odoslané z MI 5 pomocou Tapatalku
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're implying the file I mentioned earlier, it's not the build prop. The Chinese one (or Xiaomi.eu, since they share a common base) contain the same file settings and can replace the one you use in Lineage/Global ROMs.
You have to be Rooted to modify system files, so do that first. Then copy and replace the file found in root/system/etc with the one I'm attaching and reboot. The output from the headphone jack should be much higher, if it isn't your ROM dev already included the fix.

I used RHA 500 with dynamic microdriver....extreame pleasure for listening lossless audio

KZ ZS5, Senfer 6in1, crazy cello, senzer h1
there's lot detailed reviews online
personally i use them too, the price is about same with xiaomi counterparts but the sound experience is different (better)
you might want to try dwelling into chi-fi world xD

Anyone here using Type-C headphones/earphones?

I'm using JBL E25 BT and in spite of being bluetotth it sounds pretty good. Also the wire is not attached to the phone anymore. My life is a bit easier now :3 I only have to charge it once per 1 or 2 days, but it's not a problem for me.

TheIceDragon said:
Anyone here using Type-C headphones/earphones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt it, there a very few on the market (Xiaomi makes a pair though) so they're not really competitive and you can get much better headphones for a lot cheaper at this point. Also, since USB type C doesn't have any real advantage over the 3.5mm jack with normal earphones (not including high impedance earphones or a pair with ANC) and the Mi 5 has an audio jack, I don't think there is any real interest in getting a pair.

I can totally recommend Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD(the one with triple driver). I can safely say it did replaced my headphones(AT M50x & superlux hd681evo, and a JBL bluetooth) during my 4 months travel time. But mind you it's sharp sounding and bright as it has v-shaped sound but smooth and not sluggish.
While the price might seems a little bit on the cheap side, fortunately the durability is alright. I'm skeptical with Xiaomi's decision to go with rubber cable rather than previous Piston 3 keylar lined cable but it did survive many accidental pulls on my side.
If you decided to pick one up, buy 3rd party eartip as stock eartip doesn't have good isolation.
But be careful for fake Hybrid Pros.

anantalawliet said:
I need some earphone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would highly recommend anything from RHA their products are extremely well crafted, incredible sound fidelity, durable and great customer service. The sound insulation compares and at times outshines over the ear headphones.

JBL T-100A In Ear Headphone with Mic (Black)
this one is best if u like bass

seilent said:
KZ ZS5, Senfer 6in1, crazy cello, senzer h1
there's lot detailed reviews online
personally i use them too, the price is about same with xiaomi counterparts but the sound experience is different (better)
you might want to try dwelling into chi-fi world xD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same. I own a couple of headphones, including Xiaomi Piston 3 and can tell you that the right choice is KZ brand. I own KZ ZS5 that are many times better that Piston 3 and probably the same compared to other Xiaomi Headphones. I had the luck to buy them in promotion for 24$ (now about 30). You have option to buy even better ZS6 (40-50$) or cheaper ZST. Man, this ZS5 are even (much) better than my HiFiMan RE-400, that were entry level audiophile headphones that I buy for 100$ + 10$ shipping (now are discounted to 50$, but not worth compared to ZS5).
Piston 3 headphones are not bad at all. They sound relatively flat (which means real, not emphasized sound) without big drawbacks. But ZS5 are audibly better in each extent - more clear powerful sound, better dynamics, bass, midds, highs, open staged ... Just have to see if you like their design, because are bigger (but fit fine once you insert them). So buy cheap Xiaomi headphones only if the budget is restricted. And even in this case I would prefer Superlux 381b which should be something like 18$ (I bought them for about 14+ euros).

Just my 2 cents...
I have KZ ZS5, both with silver cable and bluetooth, Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD, Sony WF1000X and a few cheaper more (i.e. Piston 3). For me, the best sound comes from Hybrid HD without any doubt. ZS5 are very good too, but they are not very comfortable (at least for my ears). Sony have a very good sound, very close to the Hybrid HD, and active noise cancellation is really wonderful.
As usual, any ears are different and we all have our preferences, but if I had to buy new earphones and BT was not in the wish list, Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD would be the first choice...
Regards.

Meizu EP52
Now Samsung U Flex

Vivo Nex audio DAC performance?

Well it says that it supports Hi-Fi audio. But how Hi-Fi is it? What DAC is inside? In particular, I would like to know how the sound quality is from the 3.5mm audio jack compared to Hi-Fi mode of LG v30, my current phone. I simply cannot get a phone that downgrades my audio experience, you know?

Andrew Lin said:
Well it says that it supports Hi-Fi audio. But how Hi-Fi is it? What DAC is inside? In particular, I would like to know how the sound quality is from the 3.5mm audio jack compared to Hi-Fi mode of LG v30, my current phone. I simply cannot get a phone that downgrades my audio experience, you know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for htc u12 plus
It jas the same impressive sound like v30

rowihel2012 said:
Go for htc u12 plus
It jas the same impressive sound like v30
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't even have 3.5 jack. HTC makes my heart hurt...
Anyone else?

You find your answer here :
http://eng.soomal.com/edoc/10100000237.htm
Cirrus Logic CS43199

Andrew Lin said:
It doesn't even have 3.5 jack. HTC makes my heart hurt...
Anyone else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its mind blowing through wired headset. I have used Lg G4 and V20 (both had dac) , Nex's sound output is at par with them or maybe even more.

Noticed that Nex plays the hifi and dsd mode only if played in imusic app and with DSD format file....tried all other formats including FLAC but the DSD nor HIFI modes get enabled...

The V30 gets way louder, I have headphones that trigger the Quad DAC on the V30 and I used volume at 70%, on the nex I use it at 100% and still wish that it would go a bit louder, sound quality is about the same, but V30 is superior no doubt, I compare the DAC on the Nex with the Note 8 or S8.

Vivo has always excelled in the audio side. They implement it very well

Louder is not better always . Please understand. Unless your earphones don't need that much output then activating quad dac is no use. A quote from respectable audiophile member from head-fi who used to test a lots of phone
"Listening to nex s is sweeter mid than lg v30. NexS provides better Imaging and fuller soundstage. Nex S is warmer than lg v30 thus making music more natural. Nex S provides more bass detail while lg v30 focus on treble and character brighter."
If you have heavy or high impedance headphones only then quad dac makes a sense. Low impedance heavy headphones don't drive enough well on LG cos of not activating quad dac

ben cherian said:
Louder is not better always . Please understand. Unless your earphones don't need that much output then activating quad dac is no use. A quote from respectable audiophile member from head-fi who used to test a lots of phone
"Listening to nex s is sweeter mid than lg v30. NexS provides better Imaging and fuller soundstage. Nex S is warmer than lg v30 thus making music more natural. Nex S provides more bass detail while lg v30 focus on treble and character brighter."
If you have heavy or high impedance headphones only then quad dac makes a sense. Low impedance heavy headphones don't drive enough well on LG cos of not activating quad dac
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you tell me some high impedance headphones will work great with my vivo nex ?

rowihel2012 said:
Could you tell me some high impedance headphones will work great with my vivo nex ?
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Beyerdynamics DT 880 250ohms version, Sennheiser HD 600series(600,650) . It doesn't need to be always high impedance headphones. You should choose headphones according to your music taste. Even the most rated headphones doesn't always have high impedance but generally around 32-80ohms. So don't make impedance as a deciding factor for buying headphones. I know it because i was thinking same as you did now.

using vivo next s with Beyerdynamics DT 990 pro 250ohms . sound great but use it with app named poweramp. it takes volume and quality to the next level( you can control gain in it and allmost everything)

lortwarCECH said:
using vivo next s with Beyerdynamics DT 990 pro 250ohms . sound great but use it with app named poweramp. it takes volume and quality to the next level( you can control gain in it and allmost everything)
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Does it support hi fif dac?

rowihel2012 said:
Does it support hi fif dac?
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yes it does

I have not compared with V30, but I am an audiophile and my AKG 240STUDIO sounds amazing with these headphones I agree what someone else said its a balanced sound with focus on midrange, high end is just enough detailed, I really love this sound, it sound even better then My Mi MIX that sounded wonderful in headphones too. The reason why phones dont include headphone jack is just lazyness they dont want to put effort into the art of creating a good sound. **** wireless audio! and long live the headphone jack with its superior sound quality.
---------- Post added at 08:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:47 PM ----------
lortwarCECH said:
using vivo next s with Beyerdynamics DT 990 pro 250ohms . sound great but use it with app named poweramp. it takes volume and quality to the next level( you can control gain in it and allmost everything)
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Click to collapse
Honestly... to just a high ohm headphones with a smartphone is just stupid to me.... Beyerdynamics are known to be some of the most hard to drive headphones, they really need a good headphone amp to sound good, and that is little but too much to ask for a smartphone. I own the Beyerdynamics DT1350 they are more suitable for smasrtphone since its low ohm and more easy to drive, with higher ohm headphones you will hear more sound artifacts because they are hard to drive for a smartphone amp.
By the way, have you tried the app AIMP ? From what I knew this is the best sounding media player on android. And its free, feel free to compare them if you want in terms of sound quality.
and to use any kind of volume boost is a no no, then you just need a stronger amp.. for podcast etc you can use volume boost but not for music then you will just destroy the sound.

blackinfinity said:
I have not compared with V30, but I am an audiophile and my AKG 240STUDIO sounds amazing with these headphones I agree what someone else said its a balanced sound with focus on midrange, high end is just enough detailed, I really love this sound, it sound even better then My Mi MIX that sounded wonderful in headphones too. The reason why phones dont include headphone jack is just lazyness they dont want to put effort into the art of creating a good sound. **** wireless audio! and long live the headphone jack with its superior sound quality.
---------- Post added at 08:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:47 PM ----------
Honestly... to just a high ohm headphones with a smartphone is just stupid to me.... Beyerdynamics are known to be some of the most hard to drive headphones, they really need a good headphone amp to sound good, and that is little but too much to ask for a smartphone. I own the Beyerdynamics DT1350 they are more suitable for smasrtphone since its low ohm and more easy to drive, with higher ohm headphones you will hear more sound artifacts because they are hard to drive for a smartphone amp.
By the way, have you tried the app AIMP ? From what I knew this is the best sounding media player on android. And its free, feel free to compare them if you want in terms of sound quality.
and to use any kind of volume boost is a no no, then you just need a stronger amp.. for podcast etc you can use volume boost but not for music then you will just destroy the sound.
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Click to collapse
yea i know its better to have powerfull amp for them , I think I'll get some portable amp if i find some good one and no so expensive. i bought 250 ohm version beucase i use it with pc too, not only with phone. ok i try that app.

Does Nex's Amp need to be triggered like V30's?
Just a fast and easy question: does Nex's Amp need to be triggered in High Gain mode like the one on LG V30? Maybe using an adapter first and then plugging your headphones and playing music to enjoy it at the best it can gives. This is a well-know trick to trigger Hi Gain on LG and Meizu phones with dedicated DAC.
Please let me know

Which phone has a better LG v30 audio codec from Saber or VIVO Nex S Cirrus Logic?

a qualcuno può interessare https://www.evosmart.it/recensioni/...ex-s-potenza-sopita-scottante-sorpresa/18116/

I think the weakness of the amplifier is it output kind of low volume however, its still very clean even at 100% so other manufactures my get higher volume but probably not as clean..
Anyway it defintely would need more power, considering I use kind of easy to drive headphones AKG 240Studio the volume should be able to boost louder.
I would say it is not a problem with my headphones but if you get any more higher ohm headphones it wil not be enough jucie.

Discussion on galaxy s8 sound quality with headphones

So I'm just using a galaxy s8 after having had a HTC 10 for a while. I can't get over how terrible the sound is with headphones! It's quieter, lacks the depth the HTC 10 has, and has no bass. Like seriously songs that on the HTC 10 have deep hard drums like they should sound weak on the galaxy s8. And it is so quiet on the galaxy even at max volume I'm not satisfied with the sound volume. I'd say the max on the galaxy is about 2 to 3 clicks down on the HTC 10.
Is this common? Like to me the audio difference with just the same basic apple earpods on both is so huge I can't even imagine what it would be like with quality headphones. It's like the difference between surround sound and tiny built in TV speakers bad.
HTC can't even hardly sell any phones these days... Haha all they have to do is open a booth with their phone and a Samsung phone playing music over headphones and every single person who hears it will be wanting a HTC. .

i second that. is there something that can be done about this though?

nascar48 said:
So I'm just using a galaxy s8 after having had a HTC 10 for a while. I can't get over how terrible the sound is with headphones! It's quieter, lacks the depth the HTC 10 has, and has no bass. Like seriously songs that on the HTC 10 have deep hard drums like they should sound weak on the galaxy s8. And it is so quiet on the galaxy even at max volume I'm not satisfied with the sound volume. I'd say the max on the galaxy is about 2 to 3 clicks down on the HTC 10.
Is this common? Like to me the audio difference with just the same basic apple earpods on both is so huge I can't even imagine what it would be like with quality headphones. It's like the difference between surround sound and tiny built in TV speakers bad.
HTC can't even hardly sell any phones these days... Haha all they have to do is open a booth with their phone and a Samsung phone playing music over headphones and every single person who hears it will be wanting a HTC. .
Click to expand...
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user900 said:
i second that. is there something that can be done about this though?
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I will third this.
The only thing that makes any audio out of this device bareable is viper4android.
If you can root. It is a must you can boost the gains and such to a point of ear splitting noise :good::good::good:

Try download app AMP player there you can boost and set all

TheMadScientist said:
I will third this.
The only thing that makes any audio out of this device bareable is viper4android.
If you can root. It is a must you can boost the gains and such to a point of ear splitting noise :good::good::good:
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Click to collapse
FWIW, on a rooted rom that uses stock audio (with Dolby Atmos ported from S9, but NOT turned on), combined with viper4android and Neutron player (a combination I used on HTC 10 for a while), I don't hear any difference with the same headphones ...

nascar48 said:
So I'm just using a galaxy s8 after having had a HTC 10 for a while. I can't get over how terrible the sound is with headphones! It's quieter, lacks the depth the HTC 10 has, and has no bass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to Sound Quality in settings & Adapt Sound while your headphones are connected with wire. Complete the audio test or just click all frequencies of the test. The loudness should be increased.
Boost bass with the equalizer. It sounds pretty decent tbh.
If you're using Bluetooth headphones & you are on Oreo, go to Developer Options in Settings. Then scroll down to Bluetooth Audio Codec & choose aac. Try other codecs if your headset supports them.
If you're using wired headphones & rooted, Viper4Android tweaks make a day & night difference to the music quality.
But the S8 sounds pretty decent once you adjusted all the sound options it has

user900 said:
i second that. is there something that can be done about this though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, if you are rooted. I've managed to, with a little effort, tune the sound to the quality level of my audiophile dac/amp with.
V4a is a big help but in my setup it's not the main event, and in fact now all I use it for is to run my DDC and to push up sub bass frequencies. I use the following:
1) sauron. This is the #1 most important and necessary mod to install. For most people's headphone setups, this mod alone is enough. I can't stress enough how much of a game changer this is. The ainur guys are operating on a whole other level with audio mods. It has to be installed and heard to truly understand.
2) JamesDSP. This is kind of a successor to v4a. It's worth noting that the main reason I have this is that it has a higher quality convolver algorithm than v4a does, as v4a has to support older devices that couldn't keep up. Also it's bass boost does much better for tight "punchy" bass.
3) Viper 2.6
The new rewritten v4a is the way to go nowadays. Just install it from xda labs and use the in app driver install. It even works with magisk! I take special care to not use the same fx in v4a as I do jdsp. I pretty much just use DDC and viper bass
4) Dirac
This is my newest addition and it's really brought everything together in a cohesive way that has blown me away. I had some problem areas in the upper end of the spectrum due to my specific IEMs when driving them off my current Bluetooth cable and Dirac fixed all of them. I will have more to say about this one later.
All of these mods utilize the audiomodlib/unity stack, so they all work fine together. They each have a specific purpose and I don't go overboard with dramatic alterations or stacking fx in the same part of the spectrum.

partcyborg said:
Yes, if you are rooted. I've managed to, with a little effort, tune the sound to the quality level of my audiophile dac/amp with.
V4a is a big help but in my setup it's not the main event, and in fact now all I use it for is to run my DDC and to push up sub bass frequencies. I use the following:
1) sauron. This is the #1 most important and necessary mod to install. For most people's headphone setups, this mod alone is enough. I can't stress enough how much of a game changer this is. The ainur guys are operating on a whole other level with audio mods. It has to be installed and heard to truly understand.
2) JamesDSP..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, forgot to mention that I use(d) Sauron both on HTC10 and S8.
JamesDSP never worked properly for me on HTC, haven't tried it on S8.

nascar48 said:
So I'm just using a galaxy s8 after having had a HTC 10 for a while. I can't get over how terrible the sound is with headphones! It's quieter, lacks the depth the HTC 10 has, and has no bass. Like seriously songs that on the HTC 10 have deep hard drums like they should sound weak on the galaxy s8. And it is so quiet on the galaxy even at max volume I'm not satisfied with the sound volume. I'd say the max on the galaxy is about 2 to 3 clicks down on the HTC 10.
Is this common? Like to me the audio difference with just the same basic apple earpods on both is so huge I can't even imagine what it would be like with quality headphones. It's like the difference between surround sound and tiny built in TV speakers bad.
HTC can't even hardly sell any phones these days... Haha all they have to do is open a booth with their phone and a Samsung phone playing music over headphones and every single person who hears it will be wanting a HTC. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have found that going into the "Sound Quality and Effects" section and turning off all the extra crap like tube amp and UHQ Upscaler definitely helps with the volume, then going into the "Adapt Sound" sub menu in a very quiet room and letting it tailor the audio to the frequencies you can actually hear really makes a massive difference. I can actually get my s8 loud enough that I've used my headphones as (albeit quiet) speakers. This phone can get plenty loud. And if you listen to music stored on the actual phone (or SD) rather than streaming, PowerAmp's EQ and volume/tone settings can crank it up WAY louder. Samsung has had a history of using really decent DACs in their phones (I still have my original international Galaxy S with a Wolfson DAC that I use as a media player at the gym) so even with volume boosting apps the sound quality is usually great and not all distorted like most other phones get when boosted.

I beg to differ... I'm using Viper4Android and the bass tones can go so low I can hear 28hz and below really clearly (High ends are sharp too) overally more than loud enough. (Using Apple earpods) If you're using big driver over head earphones then what do you expect. You're never gonna be able to use the most out of them unless you get a powered DAC.

Hello there, i don't know if is the right place to ask but i searched a lot and i have no solutions:
I can't get sound through headphones, i recently installed a new jack port, they connect and i can play/pause videos/songs with the mic button but sound is never coming out. (Headphones work ok with other devices)
So i don't know if i can only use Samsung branded headphones or is it something more to do with software or motherboard issue.. I see a lot of people having problems with headphones sound but any fix solved for me.