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I have a 5 year old samsung YP-P2 MP3, and it's sound quality far surpasses that of my girlfriends galaxy S2, my Desire Z, and my friends iPhone 4.
I was wondering if there are ANY apps or tweaks or hacks that will improve the sound quality generated by the phones?
Of course I am using 320 kbps bitrate songs for testing, and the same headphones.
My MP3 sounds crisper, much deeper bass, and seems to have a wider treble range.
It's subjective. You've gotten used to the sound of your own device and therefore the others don't sound as good to you. Anybody else may listen to all the ones you listed and decide that yours is the only one that sounds bad!
If you were going to change device i would use use it for a few weeks before making any decisions on how it sounds. It's often the case that once your accustomed to the new sound you may come to prefer it.
Either way, rather than looking around for DSP solutions, which only degrade sound quality, i'd invest in some good headphones... that is the best way to go.
I'm using Shure SE530's, which are amazing no matter what you plug them into, but not everyone wants to spend that amount of money! Check here for a recent review of some affordable headphones:
http://www.reghardware.com/2011/10/15/ten_in_ear_headphones_with_microphones/
Low quality sound?
convolution said:
I have a 5 year old samsung YP-P2 MP3, and it's sound quality far surpasses that of my girlfriends galaxy S2, my Desire Z, and my friends iPhone 4.
I was wondering if there are ANY apps or tweaks or hacks that will improve the sound quality generated by the phones?
Of course I am using 320 kbps bitrate songs for testing, and the same headphones.
My MP3 sounds crisper, much deeper bass, and seems to have a wider treble range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In case you are rooted, try Viper4Android http://play.google.com/store/apps/d...m.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2191223
I am currently using Galaxy Nexus GSM and it has a very low quality speaker sound. This app did wonders for me
Alright, first off, a brief history. I had the original GNote after which I jumped ship to WP8 with the Lumia 920.
I've loved the 920 overall, the camera is unbelievably good, and FAR FAR better than what my note was, but i'm kinda bored with the wp8 environment and have been looking to switch back to android for the customization and the flexibility.
I've narrowed my hunt down to the G2 and the Note3, though i'm leaning way more to the note 3 since i loved the S-pen and the size of my original Note.
The biggest issue i had on the note, more than the crappy camera and the horrible pictures, was the Audio quality via headphones. The note had the ****ty yamaha DAC.
I've heard some good things about the audio quality on the G2, so that's had me all confused.
Now, I'm no audiophile, but I listen to a lot of music on headphones (picking up the Beyerdynamic DT770 soon!) and in my car and am very worried about the sound quality.
I'll have access only to the Exynos variant of the Note 3 with the Octa-core chip, and have been researching and trying to find some honest opinions regarding the SQ via headphones.
From what i know, the Note 3(both the variants) dont ship with the highly acclaimed wolfson dac that the Note 2 shipped with. And i know there's a difference between the Qualcomm variant and the Exynos variant(which probably has a yamaha dac) when it comes to sound quality.
My 920 isn't the best either, but the audio is very balanced, and produces results that are decent enough for my needs. (My dad's 4S is kinda better than my 920)
Now, I'd love to hear your thoughts about this. how good/bad is it? has anyone used them with a high quality pair of cans? how do they sound?
Also, I understand that the 13mp lens on the back of this beast can no way beat the 920's stellar camera, but are the shots not even in the same league as that of the 920/Iphone 5?
I'm looking forward to some insightful opinions, and hopefully I'll have this baby in my hands soon!
Thank you.
You can check here, the numbers speak for themselves
I've seen the numbers, but sometimes number's aren't the perfect evaluation of quality, so just hoped to get some direct feedback from users here.
Audio Quality is a major concern so the people using the n9000 exynos variant, What do you think of the audio quality via headphones?
Any comments will be of great help!
Thank you
Trust me,the audio quality of Note 3 is better than G2
Sent from my Note 3 using Tapatalk
wiseandhigh said:
I've seen the numbers, but sometimes number's aren't the perfect evaluation of quality, so just hoped to get some direct feedback from users here.
Audio Quality is a major concern so the people using the n9000 exynos variant, What do you think of the audio quality via headphones?
Any comments will be of great help!
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have N900 and audio quality is just brilliant no issues what so ever ... i use klipsch ear phones and they sound amazing
Thank you!
any insights about the camera as well?
You can't just ask about audio quality because there are so many variables at play. What's the quality of the media? Lossless? 128KB compressed MP3s? What is the media being output to? Included crappy headphones? $500+ IEMs? Someone was complaining about the lack of bass on the N3 compared to the N2 using Samsung headphones. Was the problem exaggerated bass on the N2 and the N3 was more naturally tuned? Or was the N3 really lacking bass?
The GSMArena testing shows the actual recorded output of the N3 as compared to other devices subjected to the same tests. It's excellent (meaning true) with a comment about it not being the loudest of devices they've tested. How that translates in to what you (or others) are looking for depends on your taste (heavy bass isn't true; it's a preference), the quality of the media being used, and the capabilities of what's playing the media back.
Hello All !!!
I dont know if this is right forum to post this. This is my first review so please excuse any mistakes/blunders
I own both Nexus 5 and Galaxy Note 2(N7100), and from past 2 weeks I have been testing sound on both the phones. Following is the setup:
Headphones Used:
1. Monster Miles Davis Tribute
2. Monster Turbine Pro Copper
3. Shure SRH440
5. Sennheiser Momentus Over the ear(Not the on ear model)
6. HiFiman RE0
Music Used:
Please note all the albums were Flac Lossles 16bit
1. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
2. Slint - Spiderland
3. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven!
4. Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians
5. Burial - Untrue
6. Broken Note - Terminal Static
Player Used: PowerAmp Pro (Flat equalizer)
Observation:
Before I begin, I would like to say that this is my subjective opinion which may vary from person to person.
Galaxy Note 2:
I love this phone. Been my daily driver from past one year. The ability to expand the memory and replaceable battery is amazing. More memory means more music for me :good: I only listen to flac so this is a huge plus for me.
This phone drives all headphones pretty well. Although one might feel that Momentus and RE-0 were kind of dull as compared to the other headphones. The sound seemed veiled.
So I changed the kernel to NEAK. This kernel have utility to increase the volume and some other fancy adjustments like oversampling etc. I was skeptical what changing kernel would do, and boy was I wrong. Not only did the volume increase but sound became fuller and had solid character. Instruments were perfect, texture was amazing and the bass wasn't sloppy anymore but controlled and very punchy. :victory:
Nexus 5:
Nexus 5 is totally a different beast. Coming from Note2 I was excited about this phone. The build quality and weight was quite better than Note2. I loaded up the albums and fired up the PowerAmp. From the start I could feel something was amiss. Although the resolution of the instruments was good and overall response of the headphones and music was not bad; but I was not blown away. Even after increasing the preamp volume to full, the headphones could not reach their full potential except Pro Coppers. So I broke out my trusty Fiio E5 portable headphone amplifier and sound did improve. After long listening sessions everyday my brain accepted the sound signature of this phone and by the end of 4th day I quite liked the sound.
In the end I had comparisons in a way that I listened the tracks going back-n-forth on both the phones. I definitely like my Note2 with NEAK kernel. But if you take out the kernel from the comparison, difference between the quality is not that huge although the sound from Note2 is lush compared to Nexus5. Both phones lack amplification to drive some headphones to their full potential.
For average Joe: If you are using lossy music and use headphones which are mediocre, then this phone is pretty good for you. You wont be able to tell the difference between sound quality of Nexus and any other phone.
For my Audiophile friend: To be honest this phone will leave you wanting for more. Although Nexus have good DAC but amplification is poor. I would recommend you to grab a good but cheap headphone amp and you should be good. Although 32 GB is real deal breaker if you you use lossless music. For that OTG cable comes to rescue. I would also recommend getting your hand on a kernel/utility which improves sound. I have not come across any yet.:fingers-crossed: Also battery becomes a concern when using such utility/kernal.
My rating: 3.5/5
Pros:
Exceptional pricing
Good DAC
Build Quality
Ability to play Hi-Res FLAC
Cons:
Poor Amplification
Lack of expandable storage (You can use OTG cable though)
Poor Battery (Especially if you will be using utility to improve sound)
Sound quality is so subjective. Some people like how Denon sounds and others like Yamaha. And then there are those who like Bose!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Nice review. Can you use OTG w/ a E18 Kunlun?
kenbhaji said:
I would also recommend getting your hand on a kernel/utility which improves sound. I have not come across any yet.:fingers-crossed: Also battery becomes a concern when using such utility/kernal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this:
Volume Mod
Report back.
The Note 2 has the Wolfson DAC. It totally crushes anything Qualcomm has.
No contest. I have the S3 and have had a host of Qualcomm based devices, but for sound quality, nothing has ever touched the Wolfson DAC on a smartphone.
Been using the moto x 2013 for some time now and its just about perfect. I dont game, my use is heavy on web, text. The problem with my X is that the microphone doesnt seem to work anymore, I have to carry a wired or bluetooth to talk on the phone...which is a pain.
I want something small, similar in size, to replace it. Ive narrowed it down to a S4 or LG G2. Which would you guys recommend? Anyone else make a move from the X 2013 to one of these models?
Thanks,
Mario
If it is bought new, sure. But second hand you can get more recent models at the same prices.
Based solely on the specs, I would go for the G2. When I'm looking for a phone the first thing I look at is the performance, and, looking at the hardware, the G2 is better equipped than the S4. But this is just on paper.
For all I know, the real world performance may be the same.
I am satisfied with the S4
Thanks. Yeah either the G2 or S4 new is what I want, just curious to hear what folks think getting a 2.5 year old device. Id get a new flagship but all of them are just too big.
Get the snapdragon variant. The exynos overheats
S4 is still a very good phone: it can run without problems marshmallow custom roms and you can play on it big games like fifa 16 or asphalt. But if you want a good new phone and almost same dimensions like s4, I recommand OnePlus X.
I don't think S4 will be a good idea now. I had both versions (GT-I9500 and GT-I9505) before I moved for Xperia Z3 D6643. Unfortunately, I have damaged my Z3 and until it got fixed, I will be using the GT-i9505 again.
This phone is driving me crazy, even with max brightness, it's impossible (looks like a black screen) to use it under sunligh. 3G, and 4G (not to talk about GPS) data drains a huge % of battery, average screen on time is about 3-3,5h, no battery optmizations.
The Z3 (5.2") and Z3 compact (4.6") are the best options when talking about cost x benefit. Almost 10h screen on time and +800h standby time.
Thanks all. I kept looking and looking for new S4 or g2 but everything out on the Bay was new "other" or sellers with tons of negative feedback. Lots of positive but also much negative. I just saw no trusty sellers. Ended up pulling trigger on oneplus x. Now the wait for it begins. Hope oxygen is decent.
Sent from my Moto X
i have S4 now frome aboute 1 year and realy i am happy with
run very very good i have add the QI modul and it run official rom until custome have no bug ( zero bug ) actualy custom rom have some BT problem and i use My S4 with my smart watch here why BT are important now if you see forum you have big chois of rom ( custom ) and all tested and run very very well on S4 personaly i change phone until S4 are dead hahaha but LG have an Good support in my watch runing official 6.0 firmware LG give quicly update whet are roling out but samsung are still on 5.0.1 bad guys samsung
@spawk
Samsung has it's own update cycle. Most flagships get support from Samsung up to 2 years after released.
And, in 2016, Galaxy S4 won't be supported anymore.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD
The Only thing that is extremely bad about i9505 is its sound quality in earphones.On gsmarena u will see they will say it has best audio quality but in reality its far far away from the best its so flat and dumb.Even all the chinese phones sound better than it there is literally no bass at all in the sound and if u increase it by an equalizer the volume decreases alot.
You could also try i9506 S4 LTE+/LTE A
Ive been using this device for a long time now. Recently broke my galaxy note 3's lcd and sold my lg g2. Back on my i9506 and still good. Its not far with g2 in terms performance. Although I use 2 batteries on my i9506 but hey, great device
Usama707 said:
The Only thing that is extremely bad about i9505 is its sound quality in earphones.On gsmarena u will see they will say it has best audio quality but in reality its far far away from the best its so flat and dumb.Even all the chinese phones sound better than it there is literally no bass at all in the sound and if u increase it by an equalizer the volume decreases alot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sound quality depends a lot on the headphones. I hardly think that in-ear ear buds are great at producing bass.
Let's not forget about the song quality too. Anything with a bitrate lower than 320KBPS will have its quality reduced. So always go for 320 or FLAC.
It can have the best sound chip in the world if the headphones are garbage and the music file has static noise.
GDReaper said:
Sound quality depends a lot on the headphones. I hardly think that in-ear ear buds are great at producing bass.
Let's not forget about the song quality too. Anything with a bitrate lower than 320KBPS will have its quality reduced. So always go for 320 or FLAC.
It can have the best sound chip in the world if the headphones are garbage and the music file has static noise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sound is really really flat although its very clear and frequency response is good too but its off no use as the sound is so flat use the same earphone on some other phone or the computer then u will understand how flat I9505 sounds
Usama707 said:
Sound is really really flat although its very clear and frequency response is good too but its off no use as the sound is so flat use the same earphone on some other phone or the computer then u will understand how flat I9505 sounds
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Click to collapse
There are always better devices. My 2 other devices (An ZTE Blade and LG P350) sound crappy compared to my S4.
That's why there are mods like viper4android. With the right setup you can get nice bass.
Besides, stuff like this is just a preference. I, for instance, don't like heavy basses. I like to listen to the music, not the "boom boom" sound of the bass.
GDReaper said:
There are always better devices. My 2 other devices (An ZTE Blade and LG P350) sound crappy compared to my S4.
That's why there are mods like viper4android. With the right setup you can get nice bass.
Besides, stuff like this is just a preference. I, for instance, don't like heavy basses. I like to listen to the music, not the "boom boom" sound of the bass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Dont like much bass either but the sound of i9505 compared to Sony Xperia Z2,Galaxy Grand Prime,Galaxy J5,Galaxy Ace 3 and the desktop computer is really flat and lacking.I can hear more elements in even samsungs lowest end phones than i9505 using the same earphones
Stay away from S4.
- Lollipop roms are okay but not very fast.
- Exynos AND snapdragon can overheat actually depends on the kernel.
- microphone distortion (personally) which I can hear as I play back the call recording
- not as fast or smooth as I expected for quad core when I previously had S5 mini
- Sometimes run out of ram but not too often
Generally just don't expect much. The specs look really good on paper but it's actually not that good a phone.
The screen resolution is very high which is nice.
Camera quality / focus is average as well. Slow to focus. Quality average.
I suggest buy 2nd hand used S5 or S6.
Unfortunately no S6 mini.
@fatjoez
1. Really? 5.1.1 is okay for me.
2. I've a device with Intel processor and it does the same thing. In short: All CPUs could overheat.
3. -skipped-
4. Blame Samsung's policies.
5. I'm only felt it on TW ROMs.
And no, I won't buy Exynos devices. Devices with Snapdragon SOCs are the best choice.
But, it's up to you. I couldn't interfere your mind.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD
Well I bought a oneplus x. Been using it for one day and I'm not sure about it. Works OK. Speed us good but it's just too big. I just wish I could find a phone the same size as the 2013 moto x. Now I'm thinking either a S4 or Z5 compact. :/
Sent from my ONE E1005 using Tapatalk
Hello XZ owners!
I was wondering what the quality of the DAC is on this phone?
I'm looking for phones that have good quality sound/DAC like the axon 7 that doesn't require me to tweak with Viper.
I like the XZ because it's water resistant, micro SD, and allegedly has hi-fi DAC. And Sony is apparently somewhat dev friendly.
Considering selling my OnePlus 3 for this phone, or picking it up as a phone to take out on the weekends.
Any feedback is appreciated.
For me sound quality is as good as it should be. But sound is very subiective, i would recomend to take ur faverite music(flac or what ever format u prefer) on sd card, ur hf and go to retail store which is offering sony and try it by your self. I persoally didnt herd better music like xperia xz and sony mdr-zx770bn, aptx compression is what needed.
Well the volume is not the highest, quality wise its ok but not the best also, its not on the iPhone level lets say. But I'm no sound expert by any means, I'm just comparing sound on the same ear/headphones.
I believe Samsung, LG and HTC have better sound, but its been a while since I used them so I'm not sure.
I would say that since the Nougat Update its very good ! Im using Shure SE215 and I hear no hiss at all (Before Update a bit, after the update none (if only music is played )). Im also owning the A35 Walkman from Sony and I would say that the XZ is very good if you think about it as a Phone and not as a DAP, as a DAP It would be still very nice !
omarfarrah said:
Well the volume is not the highest, quality wise its ok but not the best also, its not on the iPhone level lets say. But I'm no sound expert by any means, I'm just comparing sound on the same ear/headphones.
I believe Samsung, LG and HTC have better sound, but its been a while since I used them so I'm not sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't mean to be disrespectful in anyway, but i think the consensus is HTC and LG have much better DAC than Samsung. It's somewhat subjective, but when you compare the v20 and HTC 10 and AXON 7, they have the best sound on flagship phones lately. Thanks for your input ?