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[Q] What ROM for best audio quality?

Hi,
Just picked up a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 to use as a hiqh quality audio player on the run with my headphones. This was the result of some heavy research and a few posts of praise by Supercurio himself:
On Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, #WM1811 driver uses already the optimal analog mixer configuration I'm calling "Dac Direct" in #VoodooSound. Nice!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup #GalaxySIII and #GalaxyTab 2 7.0 DAC both give lower distortions levels than FIIO E17 USB DAC. Measurements just confirmed perception.
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Click to collapse
So, now that hardware seem to be top notch I don't want to mess up the software part. :silly:
1. Will flashing a non-stock ROM mess up the "Dac Direct" configuration?
2. Any recommended ROM with full focus on audio quality through headphones?
3. Or will actually any AOSP KitKat ROM be able to deliver maximum audio quality?
I don't care about effects. Just want as good audio quality through the headphone jack as possible. I will most likely install the "maximum volume mod" (found in the forum) and Viper4Android on any rom used.
Any input is appreciated!
Thanks.

Take a look at this rom
It's stock based.

-ix- said:
Hi,
Just picked up a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 to use as a hiqh quality audio player on the run with my headphones. This was the result of some heavy research and a few posts of praise by Supercurio himself:
So, now that hardware seem to be top notch I don't want to mess up the software part. :silly:
1. Will flashing a non-stock ROM mess up the "Dac Direct" configuration?
2. Any recommended ROM with full focus on audio quality through headphones?
3. Or will actually any AOSP KitKat ROM be able to deliver maximum audio quality?
I don't care about effects. Just want as good audio quality through the headphone jack as possible. I will most likely install the "maximum volume mod" (found in the forum) and Viper4Android on any rom used.
Any input is appreciated!
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sungsonic HD is best Stock based ROM ever which offers premium quality sound. There are basically two Kitkat based ROMs (AFAIK) named Izer HD and Dhollman ROM which have Viper4Android sound effects with great inbuilt equalizers... here you go :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2668994
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2580426
in case of Dhollman you will have to flash Viper4android sounds effects separately....but in Izer hd it comes by default......

CyanogenMod has a nice audio tuner allowing you to tune your sound to your likings.
If it is not already clear, you can also tune your headphones sound.

Big thanks to all of you for taking the time to reply to my question.
I'm a bit worried though that the ROMs mentioned - well not CM, but the other two - seem to have loads of apps, mods and tweaks ported from other devices which could actually cause instability and degrade the sound. Of course, I don't really know this since I haven't tried them myself, but having flashed a lot of ROMs on other devices I've learned that this is often the case....
I am leaning towards trying two different configurations and then deciding.
Stock (rooted) + Viper4Android
CM11 + Viper4Android
Once again, thanks for your input!
EDIT:
Somehow I missed the suggestion of Dhollmen KitKat ROM above. That actually seems really interresting. I like the fact that it is compiled using Linaro, which suggest a nice attention to detail by the dev.

-ix- said:
Big thanks to all of you for taking the time to reply to my question.
I'm a bit worried though that the ROMs mentioned - well not CM, but the other two - seem to have loads of apps, mods and tweaks ported from other devices which could actually cause instability and degrade the sound. Of course, I don't really know this since I haven't tried them myself, but having flashed a lot of ROMs on other devices I've learned that this is often the case....
I am leaning towards trying two different configurations and then deciding.
Stock (rooted) + Viper4Android
CM11 + Viper4Android
Once again, thanks for your input!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are actually trying to install it, it'd be a nice try to tune your sound, keep the volume a bit low, and over that, try to make some mixer/equalizer tuning to make it sound quite a bit louder, while still sounding nice, without any distortions. Somewhat like Loudness Equalization.
CyanogenMod is basically full stock Android, with a few tweaks, some of them including Audio.
Speaking of loads of apps installed..
DSP Manager is included with CyanogenMod... and not much apps have been added. It's also much faster than your average Android ROM.

CyanogenModFTW said:
If you are actually trying to install it, it'd be a nice try to tune your sound, keep the volume a bit low, and over that, try to make some mixer/equalizer tuning to make it sound quite a bit louder, while still sounding nice, without any distortions. Somewhat like Loudness Equalization.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, properly EQing my headphones is the main reason for installing Viper. I do it a lot on my computer, using a parametric EQ, and to tell the truth, I can't really enjoy music anymore without being able to finely tune my headphones....
I don't care at all for other effects as my experience is that they always degrade the sound (which is also why I steered away from the ROMs mentioned above, even if they are popular).
Strange enough though, I didn't find the volume lacking at all. To me, the headphone amp is powerful enough on stock settings. :good:
EDIT:
I do like DSP Manager in CM (running CM10.1 and CM11 on other devices). It's a really great EQ, and pretty refined crossfeed effect. However, IMHO Viper is a little bit better for my needs.

-ix- said:
Yes, properly EQing my headphones is the main reason for installing Viper. I do it a lot on my computer, using a parametric EQ, and to tell the truth, I can't really enjoy music anymore without being able to finely tune my headphones....
I don't care at all for other effects as my experience is that they always degrade the sound (which is also why I steered away from the ROMs mentioned above, even if they are popular).
Strange enough though, I didn't find the volume lacking at all. To me, the headphone amp is powerful enough on stock settings. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have a nice configuration on my p5100, I have my sound set to low, but it's great and loud sounding. I have enabled bass boosting, and made a custom Equalizer preset that boosts up the mid frequencies quite a bit.
Also, CyanogenMod is a fast and fluid, lightweight ROM which is also good for everyday uses. The tweaks make for a good ROM, so far I haven't had any problems.
You should try the settings which work best with your speakers or headphones, they are never the same and never reproduce the same frequencies.
[ EDIT DUE TO YOUR LAST EDIT ]
It was also worth to mention that I have reccomended Cyanogen because DSP Manager is really simple to use. I've found the tweaks and effects to be instant.

I have now rooted my P3110 and installed Viper4Android. Only judging from what I hear, the "direct DAC" configuration (mentioned in the first post) does not seem to be messed up, because the audio coming out of the headphone jack still seems immaculately clear. :good:
Using Viper I can now tweak the EQ to my heart's content. Just wish there were a few more bands....
Since I'm mostly using my P3110 for listening to music, I think I will stay stock for now. Doesn't seem all that laggy to me!

EDIT:
Somehow I missed the suggestion of Dhollmen KitKat ROM above. That actually seems really interresting. I like the fact that it is compiled using Linaro, which suggest a nice attention to detail by the dev.[/QUOTE]
By far the best. There will be no disappointment. Try it and judge for yourself

Thanks for your advice. I have now installed Dhollmen AOKP KitKat ROM, and I must say the speed and snappiness of the GUI is nothing short of amazing. Suddenly feels like a high end device - I'm thoroughly impressed! :good:
Now, to the sound. I think it's really good. The clarity is still there. But there seems to be some kind of bass boost always enabled. Even turning Viper completely off the level of bass definitely feels higher than before.
Is this all in my head or could it be explained by something under the hood?
Maybe the bass was a bit recessed with stock ROM...
Anyway, after experiencing this speed, there is no going back!
Sent a long time ago from a Galaxy S2 far, far away...

For future reference....
After listening a lot on said configuration I can now with full confidence claim that the audio output is truly great. I actually think the bass was unnaturally recessed on the stock ROM, as previously suspected.
Furthermore, I have done the Boosted volume mod found in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2294136 It helps immensely to improve the output stage, which now drives my somewhat hard to drive headphones immaculately!
So, to conclude this thread, for others looking for the best possible audio quality on their Tab 2, do try:
Any non-bloated Kit Kat ROM + Viper4Android + Boosted volume mod. :good:
Dhollmen, mentioned above, comes pre-installed with Viper, and is a great polished ROM, but I guess any bare bones Kit Kat ROM would do the job, such as Omni or CM.
Happy audiophiling!

Audio Quality

Appears awful when compared to my s5. Any Base makes vocal go almost to a pint you can't hear it and too much vocal results in tinny Base.
I've rooted and put v4a on the phone,but it's still awful with that too. Hoping a kernel with audio enhancements such as boeffla may make things better though?

you rooted S7E already?? WOW

I don't care about the audio quality of the noise coming out of that little noisemaker they call "speaker" but when I plug it in my car with the AUX cable, it seems to me so far that I have to fiddle with EQ much more than on my Note 5. The audio quality of LG Flex 2 was better than S5, Note 5 better than Flex 2, S7E... ? I don't know yet. Probably better than Flex 2 but it can't touch Note 5. IMHO
Note 5 has Wolfson chip AFAIK.What's in the S7E I don't know.

riso123 said:
Appears awful when compared to my s5. Any Base makes vocal go almost to a pint you can't hear it and too much vocal results in tinny Base.
I've rooted and put v4a on the phone,but it's still awful with that too. Hoping a kernel with audio enhancements such as boeffla may make things better though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
V4A? May i ask how did you managed to install it on a enforcing kernel?
Could you please provide steps...

Player04 said:
you rooted S7E already?? WOW
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How?

Guys, check the kernel and ROM forum. Root has been available since Saturday.
V4a works by flagging a zip file that makes changes to v4a to allow it to work with kernel selinux enforced set, then put v4a in compatible mode. It sounds awful though for some reason.
Would highly recommend using neutron from the play store as I found this produces far superior sound quality.

Oh I should mention root is only available for exynos version and not snapdragon.

I find the audio fine using the music player neutron and have setup soundalive and UHQ upscaler and tube amp pro.
I use Sennheiser MOMENTUM In-Ear
http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/momentum-headphones-in-ear
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Aux Cord Noise~?
I'd love to know if I am the only one experiencing problems with using an auxiliary jack cord?
It's littered with noise no matter what. Headphones sound great though...
I returned my first device thinking there was a physical problem with the port only to find the same problem in this one.
5 different auxiliary cables purchased and tested all poor quality only on this device.

bey0nd said:
I'd love to know if I am the only one experiencing problems with using an auxiliary jack cord?
It's littered with noise no matter what. Headphones sound great though...
I returned my first device thinking there was a physical problem with the port only to find the same problem in this one.
5 different auxiliary cables purchased and tested all poor quality only on this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, same here. Switching on UHQ upscaler in sound setting fixes it. Sometimes, however, I have to toggle it off and on to get rid of the hissing noise.

GermanGuy said:
Yes, same here. Switching on UHQ upscaler in sound setting fixes it. Sometimes, however, I have to toggle it off and on to get rid of the hissing noise.
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Click to collapse
I appreciate that, I'll have to try and let everyone know if that works.. I saw threads on other websites with no answers so really, thank you.
Seems rather odd even samsung support has no idea about this either.

But Samsung uhq upscaler work only with Samsung headphones (like level on wireless pro), so possibility of using this feature is limited

GermanGuy said:
Yes, same here. Switching on UHQ upscaler in sound setting fixes it. Sometimes, however, I have to toggle it off and on to get rid of the hissing noise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Identical issue for me as well. Thought I was going insane...tried three different aux cords and tried cleaning inputs in the car and on the phone. Headphones work fine. Toggling UHQ upscaler fixes the issue for me too. Very annoying....but glad I'm not the only one.

I am extremely disappointed with the S7 Edge's audio quality. First of all, the bundled earphones are bad and be it any file - FLAC UHQ 24 bit or an MP3, the sound pis very muddy. They fail to do justice to the lows and highs. Speaking for the device, my dad's Galaxy S5 sounds wonderful with heavy bass without compromising on the highs and the same goes with the Note 3. Samsung should have used a decent DAC and software to make the sound good for such a premium device. Even the low end Samsung devices have a good DAC.

abhijeetlokras said:
I am extremely disappointed with the S7 Edge's audio quality. First of all, the bundled earphones are bad and be it any file - FLAC UHQ 24 bit or an MP3, the sound pis very muddy. They fail to do justice to the lows and highs. Speaking for the device, my dad's Galaxy S5 sounds wonderful with heavy bass without compromising on the highs and the same goes with the Note 3. Samsung should have used a decent DAC and software to make the sound good for such a premium device. Even the low end Samsung devices have a good DAC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want a phone for Audio get a ZTE Axon 7, HTC 10, LG V20. Only devices that are aiming for great audio quality :good:

abhijeetlokras said:
I am extremely disappointed with the S7 Edge's audio quality. First of all, the bundled earphones are bad and be it any file - FLAC UHQ 24 bit or an MP3, the sound pis very muddy. They fail to do justice to the lows and highs. Speaking for the device, my dad's Galaxy S5 sounds wonderful with heavy bass without compromising on the highs and the same goes with the Note 3. Samsung should have used a decent DAC and software to make the sound good for such a premium device. Even the low end Samsung devices have a good DAC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
liam_davenport said:
If you want a phone for Audio get a ZTE Axon 7, HTC 10, LG V20. Only devices that are aiming for great audio quality :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is nothing wrong with the DAC. It has a low noise floor and the frequency graph is almost completely flat. The headphone amp however is nothing to write home about. On the Exynos version you can at least edit the mixer.xml file to reduce the gimping Samsung did to the volume level to get a much louder sound without distortion. My RHA MA 750i have plenty of bass without the need to EQ etc.
Oh and the stock buds SUCK ASS

Galactus said:
There is nothing wrong with the DAC. It has a low noise floor and the frequency graph is almost completely flat. The headphone amp however is nothing to write home about. On the Exynos version you can at least edit the mixer.xml file to reduce the gimping Samsung did to the volume level to get a much louder sound without distortion. My RHA MA 750i have plenty of bass without the need to EQ etc.
Oh and the stock buds SUCK ASS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't feel like rooting the phone! I regularly use S Health and Knox.. I hope Samsung fixes audio in the next update (if that's possible).

abhijeetlokras said:
Don't feel like rooting the phone! I regularly use S Health and Knox.. I hope Samsung fixes audio in the next update (if that's possible).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely not a need to root BUT if you do, you can still use S Health and Knox with Helios ROM (Stock with optional mods).
They won't. They've gone with the "good enough" approach with the audio rather than wanting to be the best.

Galactus said:
There is nothing wrong with the DAC. It has a low noise floor and the frequency graph is almost completely flat. The headphone amp however is nothing to write home about. On the Exynos version you can at least edit the mixer.xml file to reduce the gimping Samsung did to the volume level to get a much louder sound without distortion. My RHA MA 750i have plenty of bass without the need to EQ etc.
Oh and the stock buds SUCK ASS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What changes can be made to improve this?

riso123 said:
What changes can be made to improve this?
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Click to collapse
Just flash Zubi's sound mod.

Do we still need viper music tuning app?

Hello considering the u11 has superior sound quality, do we still really need viper to tune up our music sound?

Superior sound quality?
Maybe i am too spoiled and have different standards.
I think V4A is necessary but if i really want to listen at home. I plug in a dac/amp.

marvi0 said:
Hello considering the u11 has superior sound quality, do we still really need viper to tune up our music sound?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sound quality is more a matter of preference.Viper gives the ability to time to your exact preference.
I tried using Viper with this phone, but couldn't find the version that works flawlessly (and that doesn't break anything), and I can't be bothered with finding the correct version that will work. I don't find it necessary for me. It will be better with it, but I can live without it for now.

LDAC is at 32-bit?

Hello, I've been using the LDAC codec with my Hidizs AP80. When I go into developer options it says it's running at 32-bit/96kHz. I thought the LDAC codec only supported 24-bit/96kHz. I noticed at 32-bit, and the Optimized For Audio Quality option, I sometimes get stuttering in busy environments, but it doesn't happen at 24-bit.

I did a quick Google search. What does this portable music player have to do with a smartphone?

nabbed said:
I did a quick Google search. What does this portable music player have to do with a smartphone?
Click to expand...
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I am streaming my music from my OP6 to my Hidizs AP80 using the phones LDAC codec implementation. I'm just wondering why this phone is able to transmit at 32-bit/96kHZ. I thought LDAC could only do 24-bit/96kHz.

jonny30bass said:
I am streaming my music from my OP6 to my Hidizs AP80 using the phones LDAC codec implementation. I'm just wondering why this phone is able to transmit at 32-bit/96kHZ. I thought LDAC could only do 24-bit/96kHz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably an error in reporting - or zero idea, also possible.
BTW, my Sennheiser HD650 heaphones sound just fine with a 24bit/44kHz output from my Soundblaster Z card. Should I be worried?

nabbed said:
Probably an error in reporting - or zero idea, also possible.
BTW, my Sennheiser HD650 heaphones sound just fine with a 24bit/44kHz output from my Soundblaster Z card. Should I be worried?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No reason to be worried lol. Whatever you're satisfied with. I'm just trying to figure out the limits of LDAC on the OP6.

jonny30bass said:
No reason to be worried lol. Whatever you're satisfied with. I'm just trying to figure out the limits of LDAC on the OP6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for a patronizing answer Mr. Audiophile

nabbed said:
Thanks for a patronizing answer Mr. Audiophile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wasn't trying to be patronizing. My bad. What I meant is people sometimes don't notice a difference between 24-bit/48kHz and 32-bit/96kHz. I notice a small difference. I did some more digging and apparently the default LDAC settings on most android devices seems to be 32-bit/96kHz. Don't know why LDAC isn't advertised as such.

jonny30bass said:
Wasn't trying to be patronizing. My bad. What I meant is people sometimes don't notice a difference between 24-bit/48kHz and 32-bit/96kHz. I notice a small difference. I did some more digging and apparently the default LDAC settings on most android devices seems to be 32-bit/96kHz. Don't know why LDAC isn't advertised as such.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, no problem. I just noticed my sound settings in Windows was set to 44kHz, probably for some weird compatibility reason for a game. In fact, I remember that was the reason. As for your curiosity, I have no idea bro. Sorry.

Nice pairing
jonny30bass said:
I am streaming my music from my OP6 to my Hidizs AP80 using the phones LDAC codec implementation. I'm just wondering why this phone is able to transmit at 32-bit/96kHZ. I thought LDAC could only do 24-bit/96kHz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do the same, and owning several dap (cowon plenue, and Onkyo PD S10b), I must admit this pairing us quite decent for the price, of course it requires good IEM, and easy to drive, to enjoy it plainly, but some Dunu or Moondrop are doing the job pretty well. I think OP6 have a snapdragon and a huge RAM, and there is plenty of great improvement done by OnePlus to maximize the audio experience ( EQ for exemple)

OP6 sound is pure ****...
I presume you guys use Viper4sound...

İ dont use external dac but my poco f1 shows 32bit/96 kHz with my ldac speaker

Audio in jack

The quality of the sound with the Jack is not poor but even worse !
I got so disappointed by the sound in headphones through jack, compared with other even simple devices is awful.
The response is flat and the 3D sound is terrific, this should be a phone dedicated ALSO for gaming but quiet disappointing.
Moreover the phone is certified Hi-Res audio ... and it looks like a bad joke !
I bought it recently, I made several tests trying to find out if I had to make a fine tunning or something else, I tried several different headphones, even the Hi-Res Xiaomi Mi in-ear Pro but nothing good comes out.
Thinking to change it asap, unfortunately because over all I like all other specs and I feel enough satisfied.

Magnitudine said:
/snip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What headphones did you use? And btw. this is audio out, not in.

grt67DFqyu said:
What headphones did you use? And btw. this is audio out, not in.
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Click to collapse
Yes it's audio through jack, right.
About which headphones I used you can read , it's written.
I'm still trying to find out a tuning but mostly in 3D the perception is so flat.
I can say that before this phone I used : S10+, Rog Phone 2, X2 Pro, P20 Pro (just to have a compare with my latest competitors)

I'm using the audio jack with a FIO FH7 inear headphone with Poweramp, in this player you can activate the Hi-Res Output and the Sound is better than all i've ever heard on a smartphone. I've you use Spotify or something else that sounds boring with the same track like on Poweramp.
I think most players don't activate the Hi-Res output and thats the problem.
Good luck.
Jodes

Hi
The problem is with the region you have set if it's in the EU including the UK then change it to something like USA or St Helens as it's due to the recommended limit of 85db set by the EU. If found helpful please press the thanks button.
Hrishabh

I agree that the sound is quite flat, especially with the hi-fi audio option activated.
One thing I think is that it might be related to headphone impedance. I run Etymotic ER-4P's using an aftermarket cable without the normal 100 ohm resistor. When I add an adaptor with a 50 ohm resistor in series, the sound becomes more dynamic and the soundstage is bigger.
In a way it's logical, because many hi-fi headphones (especially large ones) have a higher impedance.
Running audio mods such as narsil and viper4android allows me to correct the sound a little bit.

Hrishabh2005 said:
Hi
The problem is with the region you have set if it's in the EU including the UK then change it to something like USA or St Helens as it's due to the recommended limit of 85db set by the EU. If found helpful please press the thanks button.
Hrishabh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. Change region to Belarus and audio output will go to another level.

PITERQ said:
Exactly. Change region to Belarus and audio output will go to another level.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is the setting to change region?

I do not activate the high resolution because it is marketing (like other Smartphone) and in presets of "sound effects" I put it in Voice because in intelligent it is quite weak both in speakers and with speakers. I tested them with SoungMAGIC E10C and Sony MDR-1Am2 and the sound is quite acceptable as long as you know how to equalize according to the songs that one listens as well as the player (local vs streaming), the headphones that you used I also used for a while And they are bad, sincerely Xiaomi does not know how to make audio and the only thing it does to make them believe that it knows how to handle it is to buy the aforementioned "Hi-Res audio" certification

@popoyaya settings > additional settings > region