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Verdict on Nexus 5 audio quality?

Now that the Nexus 5 has been out for a while now, and should have went through multiple iterations of hardware revisions, what is the verdict on the Nexus 5's audio quality? This is both speakerphone and headphone.
It is known that the Nexus 5 has really shoddy audio quality, especially from the headphone port. See here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7567/smartphone-audio-quality-testing/4
For me, this is really important, as I'm an audiophile, and I need to have excellent sounding audio. I'm on a Galaxy Note 3, but considering coming to the Nexus 5 as I've really had it with the ridiculous random reboots with the Note 3.
I'd really like to get some input from people who can contribute subjectively as well as those who might have tested it like Anandtech did.
Thanks in advance!

The speaker is okay, nothing to write home about but not terrible. I'd say it's better than the Nexus 4 but certainly not as good as the HTC One M7/M8. The headphone jack is awful. I'm not quite an "audiophile" but the sound is not good. It's still listenable, but it's a significant step down from the HTC One M7 or Galaxy S3 I've used in the past. It's actually to the point where I would rather listen to music over bluetooth than use my headphones because the quality drop over bluetooth isn't as significant as the difference in DAC quality between the N5 and my bluetooth receiver.
All in all, audio quality is probably the one thing that makes me regret the phone. If you plan on using headphones with the phone a lot, and don't want to deal with a USB DAC (including the issues getting it working on the Nexus 5) I would avoid the phone. I wish I had waited and picked up an HTC One M8 honestly, and that would be my recommendation. Now that they've dropped the "Beats" branding the audio quality is actually very good without the overpowering bass of the original M7.

Thanks so much for the in-depth explanation. I guess that takes me out of the running for a Nexus 5.

ajm786 said:
Now that the Nexus 5 has been out for a while now, and should have went through multiple iterations of hardware revisions, what is the verdict on the Nexus 5's audio quality? This is both speakerphone and headphone.
It is known that the Nexus 5 has really shoddy audio quality, especially from the headphone port. See here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7567/smartphone-audio-quality-testing/4
For me, this is really important, as I'm an audiophile, and I need to have excellent sounding audio. I'm on a Galaxy Note 3, but considering coming to the Nexus 5 as I've really had it with the ridiculous random reboots with the Note 3.
I'd really like to get some input from people who can contribute subjectively as well as those who might have tested it like Anandtech did.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Poweramp & Flac files on my N5 & klipsch headphones, while ok it's by no means great.
You have the Note 3 atm, the N5 is no where near as good audio wise.
I had the N3 & tried the S5 both are way better than the N5.
Atm I use the M8 for proper audio quality.
It's your choice, the N5 is a great device but not for music.

I use beats headphones and Viper4android, along with poweramp and flac as stated above and I have pretty good sound. Not nearly as sweet as the M7 was but definitely above average. I think a combination of good after market headphones and a reliable audio mod can make a so-so sound situation much better. If you have the means and sound is important, then you may want a different device. But if you don't or already have the N5, there are ways to improve the sound significantly. That's my penny and a half.

Mine sounds great using Poweramp and some Klipsch earphones

Honestly, the sound is definitely sub par. I get it, it's a $349-$399 phone & corners are cut somewhere. I have been to see bands play & my siblings & friends with different phones record bands & clips & their playback makes my n5 look like garbage. (They have note3, m7, iPhone 4s/5/5s). Headphone jack isn't awesome either.
I stream music a lot in my car using an auxiliary wire & it isn't awesome, but it isn't atrocious either.
Sound & battery are really killing me with this device.

ajm786 said:
should have went through multiple iterations of hardware revisions...
...I'd really like to get some input from people who can contribute subjectively as well as those who might have tested it like Anandtech did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There have been no hardware revisions at this time so everything is the same as when Anandtech did their tests, and no one tests like Anand does so you've already read the best info out on the subject.
I think the audio quality is above average for a mobile device, but isn't in the same league as the hardware used for the high end Samsung or HTC phones. Software mods such as Viper4Android can make up most of that difference.
The only real issue with the external audio is the stereo crosstalk in the upper volume steps which I've not needed to use as it's plenty loud for my ears.

Came from an S4, and expected to be disappointed by the audio quality of the N5, but I wasn't. The speaker does suck though. N5 + faux sound + Sony MDR-1R headphones = not too shabby an experience (prefer it to the S4).

[Q] What DAC in the G Flex 2?

One of the reasons I'm abandoning my Galaxy S5 is that the audio doesn't sound great. Does anyone know what DAC is in the LG F Flex 2? I can't find it online anywhere, and in-store comparison is difficult.

I cannot agree more. I have no idea what DAC LG uses in this phone but to me it sounds at least 50% better even over the BT in my car.
I just couldn't set the EQ to my liking on S5 no matter how hard I tried. It was always only "acceptable".

Just as a heads up. The DAC on the phone doesn't do anything when over Bluetooth. The phone sends audio as 0s & 1s over Bluetooth, and the receiver/head unit has a DAC which does the converting. All that to say, I haven't been totally blown away by call quality, but i d say it's better than the gs3 which is what one coming from.

zoundguy said:
Just as a heads up. The DAC on the phone doesn't do anything when over Bluetooth. The phone sends audio as 0s & 1s over Bluetooth, and the receiver/head unit has a DAC which does the converting. All that to say, I haven't been totally blown away by call quality, but i d say it's better than the gs3 which is what one coming from.
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Yeah, I know that, but the sound either wired or over BT sounds to me much more clearer with more detail and better separation. Why? No idea.

Exactly. It's odd. According the reviews in gsmarena (which I found after posting), basically the gs5 has terrific measured specs for audio via wired headphones, which is all I really care about. Clearly, if I wanted nice speakers, I'd either buy some or at least have an HTC One. And, as zoundguy correctly points out, the DAC is irrelevant to digitally-transmitted media. All that said, my GS5 still sounds like crap.

scottegos2 said:
Exactly. It's odd. According the reviews in gsmarena (which I found after posting), basically the gs5 has terrific measured specs for audio via wired headphones, which is all I really care about. Clearly, if I wanted nice speakers, I'd either buy some or at least have an HTC One. And, as zoundguy correctly points out, the DAC is irrelevant to digitally-transmitted media. All that said, my GS5 still sounds like crap.
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I'm with you on that one. I'm using wire in my truck and BT in my car. Both sound better than my S5 which I happily traded in for $120.

Best rootable phone for AT&T and travel?

Time for a new phone. I have an HTC M8 One with LeeDroid's Nougat on it, but it's showing it's age. I'm looking for a flagship that is rootable and supports AT&T well... which means B29/B30 (2300) would probably be quite valuable. And I travel a lot, which means using my Bose headphones in wired phone, not so great with an easy-to-lose USB-C dongle. And I like a great set of speakers on it, which is why I still have the M8 One.
The Samsung S8+ isn't rootable except in the international versions which lack B29/30.
The HTC U11 doesn't seem to support B29/B30 either, and no headphone jack.
I can't tell if the Sony Xperia XZ supports B30, but reportedly if you root it, you lose the Sony "DRM Keys" that enables their camera and display optimizations that make that phone worthwhile.
The OnePlus 5 supports the bands and is probably rootable, no microSD support or water protection or headphone jack.
The Taimen won't be out for perhaps six months?
What am I overlooking? What else should I be considering, or what should I compromise on?

USB-C Port - Headphone Audio Quality ?

Hi.
I'm holding off on pre-ordering until I see some real world reviews.
A must have for me is very good headphone audio quality. I did have high hopes since the phone is made by HTC who have have a good reputation using dedicated quality DACs in their phones previously.
I can't find any information on the internet describing what to expect form an audio perspective apart from the dual speakers which don't really interest me.
Since the phone delivers audio over the USB-C port via a digital signal, am I correct in saying there will be no on-board DAC and sound quality will be solely driven by the headphones or/and the 3.5mm converter which contains something to decode the digital signal?
In-short, is the Pixel 2 Headphone audio likely to be inferior to something like the HTC 10 for example?

owens2000 said:
Hi.
I'm holding off on pre-ordering until I see some real world reviews.
A must have for me is very good headphone audio quality. I did have high hopes since the phone is made by HTC who have have a good reputation using dedicated quality DACs in their phones previously.
I can't find any information on the internet describing what to expect form an audio perspective apart from the dual speakers which don't really interest me.
Since the phone delivers audio over the USB-C port via a digital signal, am I correct in saying there will be no on-board DAC and sound quality will be solely driven by the headphones or/and the 3.5mm converter which contains something to decode the digital signal?
In-short, is the Pixel 2 Headphone audio likely to be inferior to something like the HTC 10 for example?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understanding is all device currently out that uses USB C still sends an analog signal because it is still handled by an internal DAC. The Pixel 2 doesn't use an Internal DAC to push the signal and the adapter has a DAC inside of it to convert the signal. You can't by a pass through or it won't work. Apple current devices you can use any as long as it is supported, and some of them don't have DAC's inside. I actually think internal DAC's so be on the way out and it should drop the costs of devices. There's a lot better DACs out there, and are universal you can get the sound you want when you find the one for you. I prefer to not have a huge list of things just to buy a phone. I'd rather have like 5 things I am looking for and the rest I already have in my pocket if you know what I mean?
Someone told me that the iPhone adapter has a DAC in it but after seeing it I am a bit skeptical. I think it's their anti-cheap cable chip thing which is supposed to go into all cables to be certified by Apple.

Actually HTC devices without a jack only output digital audio, and I'm 99.9% certain the Essential is the same. Both of their adapters contain DACs and amps (I read an explicit statement from Essential that this was the case), and we know the HTC adapter works with the Essential phone. I don't know about Motorola; I've read there are compatibility problems between their adapters and some other manufacturers, but that may be because not everyone is applying the digital audio standard correctly rather than one being analogue.
Unlike USB-C Apple's Lightning port has no analogue outputs, so their adapter must have a DAC in it. Since they are using custom chips they may have integrated it with some of the other functions (same as the Qualcomm SoCs contain a DAC as well).
As for the original question, is the Pixel 2 wired headphone output likely to be inferior to a phone with a headphone jack: it will depend on the quality of the DAC and amp in the adapter you use (and we'll include "external USB DAC" as an "adapter" for this discussion). If the Google adapter is inferior it should be possible to find a better one (with more options as phones using this standard become more common). At this point I don't think anyone has any idea what the quality from the bundled adapter will be, though using the HTC 10 as your reference you set the standard higher than most phones with a jack (and certainly higher than the first generation Pixel). I've bought a HTC adapter to test with the Pixel 2, and assuming it is compatible I'll do some comparisons between that and the Google one when I have time (I won't be completely surprised if they turn out to be the same thing in different packages though, given HTC's involvement in the Pixels).

Large Hadron said:
Actually HTC devices without a jack only output digital audio, and I'm 99.9% certain the Essential is the same. Both of their adapters contain DACs and amps (I read an explicit statement from Essential that this was the case), and we know the HTC adapter works with the Essential phone. I don't know about Motorola; I've read there are compatibility problems between their adapters and some other manufacturers, but that may be because not everyone is applying the digital audio standard correctly rather than one being analogue.
Unlike USB-C Apple's Lightning port has no analogue outputs, so their adapter must have a DAC in it. Since they are using custom chips they may have integrated it with some of the other functions (same as the Qualcomm SoCs contain a DAC as well).
As for the original question, is the Pixel 2 wired headphone output likely to be inferior to a phone with a headphone jack: it will depend on the quality of the DAC and amp in the adapter you use (and we'll include "external USB DAC" as an "adapter" for this discussion). If the Google adapter is inferior it should be possible to find a better one (with more options as phones using this standard become more common). At this point I don't think anyone has any idea what the quality from the bundled adapter will be, though using the HTC 10 as your reference you set the standard higher than most phones with a jack (and certainly higher than the first generation Pixel). I've bought a HTC adapter to test with the Pixel 2, and assuming it is compatible I'll do some comparisons between that and the Google one when I have time (I won't be completely surprised if they turn out to be the same thing in different packages though, given HTC's involvement in the Pixels).
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Thanks for your reply and I look forward to reading your findings.
I must say, I find this whole trend towards usb-c driven headphones not exactly consumer friendly. I've not seen a strong enough argument by any of the manufacturers to justify the change, rather than reclaiming space to cram in other tech. Having to carry around an adapter as well as my existing headphones is just plain inconvenient.
Had Google included a pair of quality usb-c buds in the package with the Pixel 2 (and an adapter) while promoting a better than average audio experience (as per the HTC 10) that would have been enough for me to commit and pre-order without hesitation. Perhaps I'm not the typical mobile user these days whose priority, after the basic capability of making a phone call is to listen to quality audio.

You will probably can get a better DAC than the one generally included in the phones SoC.
Any small DAC should have a similar quality to phones DAC.
Now the Type C is strong. I can even power a Fulla 2 DAC/AMP with my 6P.
Sent from my Nexus 6P

One of the reviews I've read today (can't remember which) stated that the HTC adapter does work with the Pixel 2. That's a positive sign with regards to standards, which is what's needed if we're to have more options.

So, any news about this topic?

I've been using the Pixel 2 since Thursday and the audio with the dongle is fine. If audio quality is really important, then get an external DAC. I have a Fiio E18 and the quality is exceptional.
Without decent headphones the audio output method is almost meaningless, especially if you use earbuds.
I recently got a pair of Audeze EL-8 Over Ear, Closed Back headphones and the audio from the Pixel 2 with or without the DAC is excellent (better with, of course).

The audio with the dongle is absolutely terrible. I spent some time listening to it this morning and was appalled at the quality. So much so that I came here specifically looking for a solution.

Blown 89 said:
The audio with the dongle is absolutely terrible. I spent some time listening to it this morning and was appalled at the quality. So much so that I came here specifically looking for a solution.
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Click to collapse
The solution is an external DAC: Audioquest DragonFly Black or Red are absolute hit.

https://www.phonearena.com/phones/Google-Pixel-2-XL_id10568/benchmarks
They said in the presentation that the dongle includes a DAC (I remember hearing it, please correct me if I'm wrong) Apparently the Pixel 2 sounds louder than most phones, close to iPhones. Don't know about the quality though...

omarfarrah said:
https://www.phonearena.com/phones/Google-Pixel-2-XL_id10568/benchmarks
They said in the presentation that the dongle includes a DAC (I remember hearing it, please tell me if I'm wrong) Apparently the Pixel 2 sounds louder than most phones, close to iPhones. Don't know about the quality though...
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Click to collapse
Yes, it will contain a DAC. It uses USB-C digital audio, so with the output being digital there must be a DAC in order to produce the analogue waveform needed by your headphones. The same is true for most if not all phones using USB-C audio (certainly the HTC U11 and Essential PH-1, and I've read others confirm that the HTC adapter works with both the Essential and the Pixel 2).

I've had the pixel 2 xl for a few days now. I've used my regular headphones through the usbc dongle. It worked ok the first time I tried it. But last night I couldn't get any sound through it. So I unplugged and replugged it back it. The dongle was really warm. I rebooted and tried it again. The audio did finally come through but there was a lot of static and again the dongle was uncomfortably warm.
Fidgiting with it seemed to change the audio but it was very finicky. Hoping it was just the dongle.

Blown 89 said:
The audio with the dongle is absolutely terrible. I spent some time listening to it this morning and was appalled at the quality. So much so that I came here specifically looking for a solution.
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Click to collapse
That is so disappointing. Do you think it might be dodgy dongle and have you asked Google for a replacement?
Can others confirm if the above is also your experience?

owens2000 said:
That is so disappointing. Do you think it might be dodgy dongle and have you asked Google for a replacement?
Can others confirm if the above is also your experience?
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I was listening to some music I loaded at the Verizon store. Comparing it to the V30 made it sound even worse. I have a friend that's an audio engineer that tested his. His comments were "finicky trying to get it to work, once it does....sounds like garbage. would be fine for a podcast or probably mostly youtube content, but music blows."
FWIW I was listening with Futuresonic G10's

I have no idea what people here are tripping on when they say audio quality from the dongle sucks?? Maybe they have a defective piece. Just compared sound from my s7 with viper vs pixel, and obviously the s7 sounded better cuz, it has viper on it but honestly couldnt complain about the sound of the pixel. No way it was close to being terrible, no WAY. It was almost the same,once viper comes and a few tweaks are made, it will be just as good or very close to it. I tested with samsung headphones and even sennheiser over the ear headphones fwiw

BTW. They RMA'd the phone, when I told them about the dongle heating up.
Hopefully the next one will be better.

owens2000 said:
That is so disappointing. Do you think it might be dodgy dongle and have you asked Google for a replacement?
Can others confirm if the above is also your experience?
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Click to collapse
It is not my experience. Audio seems fine.

94wolfpack said:
BTW. They RMA'd the phone, when I told them about the dongle heating up.
Hopefully the next one will be better.
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Click to collapse
Interesting. I'd have thought it would have been cheaper to send you a replacement dongle and see whether that fixed it, and replace the phone if not.

Blown 89 said:
The audio with the dongle is absolutely terrible. I spent some time listening to it this morning and was appalled at the quality. So much so that I came here specifically looking for a solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the opposite experience. I download my Spotify library using the "extreme quality" setting enabled. Not sure what technical quality "extreme" is, but listening to The Beatles white album was amazing and sounded great. Could hear all the nuances, highs and lows.

Audio Quality via USB C dongle

Can anyone tell me what the quality of the audio is like via the USB C dongle into in-ear headphones?
I'm coming from the HTC 10 and love the audio output on this device and what to know if HTC has managed to achieve similar levels of audio on the HTC u12+.

I came from the HTC 10 as well, and honestly, I think it sounds better using these than the headphones it came with. That Razer dongle with built-in DAC is amazing.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07798HM3H/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.htc.com/us/accessories-b/#!pid=htc-10&acc=htc-pro-studio-earphones

holz75 said:
I came from the HTC 10 as well, and honestly, I think it sounds better using these than the headphones it came with. That Razer dongle with built-in DAC is amazing.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07798HM3H/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.htc.com/us/accessories-b/#!pid=htc-10&acc=htc-pro-studio-earphones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for letting me know about the audio quality via the Razor USB C dongle. This makes it even more tempting to pull the trigger and get the HTC U12+.
I've been toying between this and the Oneplus 6, due to the fact it's got a 3.mm headphone jack, but I'd be worried the audio wouldn't be too much and I'd need to start messing around with lots of mods to get it sounding good.
Just need to save a bit more now!

greenza said:
Thanks for letting me know about the audio quality via the Razor USB C dongle. This makes it even more tempting to pull the trigger and get the HTC U12+.
I've been toying between this and the Oneplus 6, due to the fact it's got a 3.mm headphone jack, but I'd be worried the audio wouldn't be too much and I'd need to start messing around with lots of mods to get it sounding good.
Just need to save a bit more now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even with the current HTC USB-C-to-3.5mm dongle it sounds much better. Even better than on the U11. The Razor dongle, as far as I heard might add a little bit more to it, but that's kind of personal taste.
Using the JBL USB-C Reflect Aware ANC headphones currently. Those are damn great In-Ears.
Sent from my HTC U12+ using XDA Labs

I came from a HTC 10 and had a hard time finding something that sounds as good... The HTC oem 3.5 adapter is sold out everywhere so i haven't tried that one. I have tried 4 different adapters from Amazon, one generic and 3 that are supposed to include a decent DAC. The only adapter i have tried that was as good as the HTC 10 is the Razer adapter, in my opinion it actually sounds a little better.

jcallaway77 said:
I came from a HTC 10 and had a hard time finding something that sounds as good... The HTC oem 3.5 adapter is sold out everywhere so i haven't tried that one. I have tried 4 different adapters from Amazon, one generic and 3 that are supposed to include a decent DAC. The only adapter i have tried that was as good as the HTC 10 is the Razer adapter, in my opinion it actually sounds a little better.
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Click to collapse
HTC Adapters in fact sounds different on U11 and U12+. It's weird, but it's better on the U12+.
Sent from my Huawei MediaPad M5 using XDA Labs

Pretty sure HTCs adapter is passtrough.
Maybe it just has an amp or something simple built in.

greenza said:
Can anyone tell me what the quality of the audio is like via the USB C dongle into in-ear headphones?
I'm coming from the HTC 10 and love the audio output on this device and what to know if HTC has managed to achieve similar levels of audio on the HTC u12+.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently testing the official adapter dongle... using MDR-1A and spotify highest quality.
I am incredibly impressed with the quality offered by HTC... The dongle appears very good at maintaining quality, as long as your set of headphones are also good quality.
I'm quite disappointed in the quality of the included USB-C earbuds (after so much marketing of U-Sonic and ANC I was expecting something better. HTC 10's included buds were much better.)
The included earbuds truly don't reflect the quality this phone is capable of.
1 complaint, not about the dongle, the U12+ native frequency signature is a lot on the bassy side (at times, though rarely, overpowering) and the sound stage separation could be slightly wider for my tastes. (Though I've been thoroughly spoiled by using Dolby Atmos on the HTC 10).
As mentioned this complaint isn't about the dongle but the phone itself.
So if you have a good set of headphones jump deep, you won't be disappointed.
Though if you do decide to save and buy an OP6, my best advice is take those savings and buy a very decent BT headphone, because BT audio has less loss of quality than 3.5mm, as the DAC and AMP are on the headphones themselves instead of cheap ones on the OP6.
Jorgp2 said:
Pretty sure HTCs adapter is passtrough.
Maybe it just has an amp or something simple built in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Though I can't prove it without further research (which I will def do), I'm inclined to disagree.
The adapter requires an app to provide firmware updates... Generally speaking AMPs are too simple to need firmware updates.
Also, i'm looking at mine now... and the case is HUGE... I don't see why an AMP would need such a huge case
Now, my gf has an iPhone 7, and her adapter has a much smaller case, I'm inclined to say her adapter is a passthrough. Though not HTC. It looks like a DAC + AMP combo.
As I said, I can't prove it without a teardown, but logical analysis would guide me to the above conclusion.