Database Info

Best sound quality WM device?

what would people say is the best sounding (music - via headphones) windows mobile device.
most mobile phones are usually pretty crap, my TyTN wasn't great even with SRS, the Sedna isn't great either.
has anyone got any ideas?
i have a usually use a B&O Beosound 2 and use either the bundled A8 headphones or a pair of Westone UM2 in-ear earphones.
Don't like carrying two devices, so I'm selling the Sedna and have an upcoming upgrade. (Currently using a primitive K850i - nice camera though)
The Beosound 2 only has 2GB memory so that's not great too.
Do you reckon the Touch Diamond will have decent/better sound - it has an inbuilt 3.5mm adapter
or is that the Xperia X1? what would people recommend?
ideally a device with a good memory and a good camera too (so the X1 & diamond both fit)
i don't wanna carry an mp3 player and a phone/pocketPC.
i was tempted into treason... an iphone but tried (didn't buy) and didn't love it.
thanks, any help would be appreciated.
Off the point: the HTC Touch Pro seems almost identical to the Diamond, but with a memory card slot , a bit more RAM and is a few milimetres thicker? easy choice then right>

aameerp said:
The Beosound 2 only has 2GB memory so that's not great too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Diamond only has 4GB storage, which is pretty much a showstopper for me.
aameerp said:
ideally a device with a good memory and a good camera too (so the X1 & diamond both fit)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't call these cameras good. If you really need a good(!) camera, get the Nokia N95 or N82. Incidentally, it's also an excellent multimedia phone for both A2DP and speaker usage. As far as wired(!) headphones usage is concerned, it can be a bit noisy with more sensitive headphones with lower volume levels; therefore, you might want to prefer either A2DP or speaker mode. The latter, incidentally, is simply unbeatable.
aameerp said:
Off the point: the HTC Touch Pro seems almost identical to the Diamond, but with a memory card slot , a bit more RAM and is a few milimetres thicker? easy choice then right>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it isn't plagued by the 4GB storage.

aameerp said:
what would people say is the best sounding (music - via headphones) windows mobile device.
most mobile phones are usually pretty crap, my TyTN wasn't great even with SRS, the Sedna isn't great either.
has anyone got any ideas?
i have a usually use a B&O Beosound 2 and use either the bundled A8 headphones or a pair of Westone UM2 in-ear earphones.
Don't like carrying two devices, so I'm selling the Sedna and have an upcoming upgrade. (Currently using a primitive K850i - nice camera though)
The Beosound 2 only has 2GB memory so that's not great too.
Do you reckon the Touch Diamond will have decent/better sound - it has an inbuilt 3.5mm adapter
or is that the Xperia X1? what would people recommend?
ideally a device with a good memory and a good camera too (so the X1 & diamond both fit)
i don't wanna carry an mp3 player and a phone/pocketPC.
i was tempted into treason... an iphone but tried (didn't buy) and didn't love it.
thanks, any help would be appreciated.
Off the point: the HTC Touch Pro seems almost identical to the Diamond, but with a memory card slot , a bit more RAM and is a few milimetres thicker? easy choice then right>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
any of the devices could play very good... Just instal TCPMP and tune the equalizer very wel and you get very good quality out of whichever...
I had this problem until i took my time to really tune tcpmp..
bR

The Touch Diamond doesn't have a built-in 3.5mm adapter. But it still sounded really awesome (and looked really awesome) while watching music videos on Coreplayer (equalizer off) with the bundled stereo headset. Certainly sounded much better than Touch Dual.
Haven't gotten myself a 3.5mm adapter yet...so can't really tell how it sounds with higher-end earphones.

A2DP? it's crap but useful. neither of my wired earphones are noisy. without bragging they cost double almost any bluetooth A2DP headphones, and sound far better (the A2DP buzz...)
I had Motorola HT820 as soon as they were released (reliable), later bought Gear4 Bluphones (very light and small and in-ear) and both weren't great sounding, but good for the gym.
The HT820, as primitive now for me had the best range vs. Gear4 Bluphones or even Motorola S9.
indoors range was fine, outdoors it was crap with Gear4 Bluphones (weird???) as device (Hermes usually or K850i) was in pocket (that's only 3 feet!!!), honestly I could turn my head and sound would stop/stutter.
the headphones or device weren't faulty either.
speaker mode? where i come from that's for chavs... i could do without a speaker to be honest (except for call alerts)
good point about the 4gb limit on the Diamond - i use high bitrate mp3's so can't get many songs on and high-res pics are large in size too.
on my k850i with 4gb microSD i have about 350 mp3s (mostly 256 kbps) and around 1000 pics.
3.2 megapixel can be good with the right settibgs/lens etc.
the 5-megapixel k850i is probably the best camera avilable on a phone and it's not as good as a 4-megapixel digital camer, but is far better than a LG viewty 5-megapixel camera...
so the X1 camera seems likely to be better than Diamond (and K800i hade same spec - it was quite good).
I can confirm the X1 has a 3.5mm jack.
What about sound cards/drivers etc.?
or is this irrelevant?

The diamond has a 4gig limit? You guys sure? I mean, you can put an 8gig in the Touch Dual, so surely the Diamond has the same SDHC support?
And as for sound quality, if you're after sound quality and you've actually thought that B&O is good, I think you need your ears checking Honestly, B&O are masters in the art of dressing up mid-range gear in nice clothes and making them out to be high end. When they very definitely are not.
There isn't a mobile phone on the market that has truly decent sound quality. Some sound reasonable, but none are truly high fidelity playback kit.

i was using xda flame for the last 2 weeks ,i can say that the flame has a good sound quality ,it use the goforce 5500 to process the sound with srs to back it up and having 2 gig of internal memory.

B&O's good enough for me. Even if it is mid-range it's better than most.
I can't afford top-end really, being a student.
I acquired the B&O taste from my granddad. The Beosound 2 was a gift and the Beosound 9000 I also have I 'borrowed' from him (permanently). Best sound I've heard (at my/someone's home).
I even did a straight test between HQ mp3's and an ipod video and there was a great difference.
I'm not going to fork out £450 for a 2GB mp3 player, or £2000+ on a CD player!
I wouldn't recommend them unless they were cheap therefore, for me around £100 would be a decent price for a Beosound 2.
The damned thing doesn't even have a screen.
XDA flame looked promising, I remember but I kinda missed it and it was unavailable when I wanted it... the Nvidia 3D chip thing was exciting, let's hope they follow-up on upcoming devices.
Has anyone used B&O Serenata (it fetches <£500 even on ebay!!!)
It uses 'ICEpower' but so does thesamsung Soul, that seems a gimmick however.

Diamond has no SDHC...its built in mem only!
clonmult said:
The diamond has a 4gig limit? You guys sure? I mean, you can put an 8gig in the Touch Dual, so surely the Diamond has the same SDHC support?
And as for sound quality, if you're after sound quality and you've actually thought that B&O is good, I think you need your ears checking Honestly, B&O are masters in the art of dressing up mid-range gear in nice clothes and making them out to be high end. When they very definitely are not.
There isn't a mobile phone on the market that has truly decent sound quality. Some sound reasonable, but none are truly high fidelity playback kit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Broken speaker?

I can play the maximum volume on youtube without any problems.
but through the Spotify and huawei music player the sound is not good at top volume.
It sounds like the speaker is has explode or something.
for when I run with lower volume its sounds very good.
Should the sound be bad at the highest volume?
If the speaker was broken it would sound terrible on the lower volume too right?
Hope for good answer. And sorry for my bad english. Hope you could understand me // Tobias Sweden

Well there is a safety level for a reason...of course some distortion is bound to happen at higher volumes though i never had to use max volume for a song. I would suggest to use a good quality earpiece to match your needs

it isnt broken all speakers distort the sound as the volume increases

The speaker on honor 8 is awful, just use headphones if available, if not try to low the volume as much as possible

For the price you aren't going to get the best speakers on a mid range device. Even high end flagship devices with the exception of Nexus 6P and other device with front facing stereo speakers, don't have the best audio quality when it comes to the speakers on the device.

DarkGuyver said:
For the price you aren't going to get the best speakers on a mid range device. Even high end flagship devices with the exception of Nexus 6P and other device with front facing stereo speakers, don't have the best audio quality when it comes to the speakers on the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's makes me wonder, why huawei/honor don't put front facing speakers on their flagships?! I wish we had speakers on honor 8 just like the 6p

CronaMell said:
That's makes me wonder, why huawei/honor don't put front facing speakers on their flagships?! I wish we had speakers on honor 8 just like the 6p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably due to their own design preferences. When Huawei partnered up with Google to design the Nexus 6P, Google probably stated that they wanted stereo front facing speakers on it during the Nexus 6P's design process.

DarkGuyver said:
Probably due to their own design preferences. When Huawei partnered up with Google to design the Nexus 6P, Google probably stated that they wanted stereo front facing speakers on it during the Nexus 6P's design process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe, but I hope Huawei start using ff speakers in their flagships

CronaMell said:
Maybe, but I hope Huawei start using ff speakers in their flagships
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You never know what device manufacturers will do in the future.

DarkGuyver said:
You never know what device manufacturers will do in the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed

Xperia XZ Audio Capabilities? Hi-Fi

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 ?

Audio Quality? (3.5mm Jack Output)

Can anyone offer impressions of the audio quality, of the 3.5mm jack output?
The SD 845 should provide a decent DAC, but the question is: How good is the audio amplifier feeding the 3.5mm jack output? (Power, distortion, S/N, etc.)
Wondering if this might be one place OP economized to reduce cost. Don't see any discussion about it anywhere...
TIA...

Any info or comments on OP6 3.5mm jack audio quality would be appreciated.
TIA....
...

I only have cheaper in-ears and they sound as bad as everywhere else If you really need a good output maybe consider the G7

My apple ear buds sounded just fine with the OP6 but the sound volume is a bit low when i use the aux out with my car stereo. My iPhone 6 had a better audio output on my car stereo compared to OP6. I will do more tests and try to come to a proper conclusion.

I normally use a Dragonfly red DAC but for science I used the 3.5mm jack. Unfortunately it sounded very average at best, kind of flat and narrow sound stage. Tested it with a pair of Shure 535.

roniistar said:
My apple ear buds sounded just fine with the OP6 but the sound volume is a bit low when i use the aux out with my car stereo. My iPhone 6 had a better audio output on my car stereo compared to OP6. I will do more tests and try to come to a proper conclusion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's useful info, thanks.
Seems like iPhones have audio output that is good or better, so that is a good comparison.
Weak output is exactly what I am concerned about with the OP6. I believe the DAC function is handled by the SD845 which should be pretty good, but the power amp section between that and the 3.5mm jack is where OP may have reduced cost with lower spec hardware.
Weaker output will increase distortion, at normal listening levels the amp has to operate closer to max output which increases distortion.
I had a phone once with cheap audio HW feeding the 3.5mm jack, and I will not do that again. I had high hopes for the OP6, oh well.
What's striking about the OP6 is that there is virtually no mention anywhere about the 3.5mm audio output quality. A few bits here and there about the speakers, but all phone speakers sound tinny, more or less, audio quality is poor with all phone speakers, that's not where quality is ever good so who cares?
....

I got to test the audio jack comparing to my OP3, using Sennheiser IE-8 IEMs. Now, you could probably get different results with other headphones, but these are very easy to drive, and the audio output was just so low compared to the OP3. I kind of also agree to the post above saying the soundstage being flat/narrow. Honestly I don't want another phone since OnePlus checks almost all of the smartphone boxes for me, but I gave up on the OP6 after doing that test.

I am using SONY wh-1000xm2 both with mini jack cable and over BT LDAC coded. In both conditions sound is rich and crips yet sligtly louder over BT.

MeggaMortY said:
I got to test the audio jack comparing to my OP3, using Sennheiser IE-8 IEMs. Now, you could probably get different results with other headphones, but these are very easy to drive, and the audio output was just so low compared to the OP3. I kind of also agree to the post above saying the soundstage being flat/narrow. Honestly I don't want another phone since OnePlus checks almost all of the smartphone boxes for me, but I gave up on the OP6 after doing that test.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, another review indicating sub-par audio output power on the OP6 headphone jack.
I'm out, my V30S is on the way. (B&H has a really good deal right now, and bootloader unlock & root are available.)
...

Tinkerer_ said:
That's useful info, thanks.
Seems like iPhones have audio output that is good or better, so that is a good comparison.
Weak output is exactly what I am concerned about with the OP6. I believe the DAC function is handled by the SD845 which should be pretty good, but the power amp section between that and the 3.5mm jack is where OP may have reduced cost with lower spec hardware.
Weaker output will increase distortion, at normal listening levels the amp has to operate closer to max output which increases distortion.
I had a phone once with cheap audio HW feeding the 3.5mm jack, and I will not do that again. I had high hopes for the OP6, oh well.
What's striking about the OP6 is that there is virtually no mention anywhere about the 3.5mm audio output quality. A few bits here and there about the speakers, but all phone speakers sound tinny, more or less, audio quality is poor with all phone speakers, that's not where quality is ever good so who cares?
....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to iFixit, OnePlus 6 has WCD9341 chip on board which is pretty decent DAC
LINK

masi0 said:
According to iFixit, OnePlus 6 has WCD9341 chip on board which is pretty decent DAC
LINK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw that, but the info on that "codec" (DAC etc.) by Qualcomm is not clear with respect to power amplification. WCD9341 appears to be integrated to the Snapdragon 845, and it would seem that analog audio power amplification of the output of the DAC itself would best be done outside of the SD845 because of heat dissipation and possibly EMI. Which means that a separate power amp section is used if this is so, and that is the place that OP might skimp.
Multiple anecdotes in this thread about weak audio on the OP6 3.5mm jack also support this likelihood.
I don't have a stake in this anymore, ordered a V30S. Headphone jack audio quality is more important than raw speed to me, and the V30S also has other advantages, for a B&H discounted price not much higher than OP6 right now.
...

let's be honest - if you want good sound quality buy AudioQuest Black or Red and use it with good/decent headphones.
Despite I cant complain on headphone output/i use mailny Sony over LDAC I am planning to get one external DAC anyway

masi0 said:
let's be honest - if you want good sound quality buy AudioQuest Black or Red and use it with good/decent headphones.
Despite I cant complain on headphone output/i use mailny Sony over LDAC I am planning to get one external DAC anyway
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with separate DAC like the Dragonfly is that... it is a separate DAC, with an extra $200 cost (Red). Using it with a phone on the go would require some kind of rigging e.g. Velcro. And that is the smallest/lightest example I think.
The ESS DAC in the V30(S) is said to perform similarly to DACs like the Dragonfly. It has a few caveats, like auto-detect load > auto-adjust output. There are a couple ways to address that stupidity though.
Not plugging for B&H, but their limited-time discount V30S price delta vs. OP6 is less than the price of a Dragonfly Red, and that also brings USB 3.1, a micro SD slot, and IP68.
Bowing out from OP6 thread now. Good luck.
....

I am getting familiar with this a/b config tree....I will optimize the sound system, to a point that not even mainland will recognize it...... also, will try to make it dual speaker, when output=speaker.
untl then,
TURBO.

TURBO2012 said:
I am getting familiar with this a/b config tree....I will optimize the sound system, to a point that not even mainland will recognize it...... also, will try to make it dual speaker, when output=speaker.
untl then,
TURBO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds interesting. Looking forward. All the best.

IMO you can't even listen to any phone w/out V4A. My OP6 sounds awesome with this installed and the power output was surprising.

I only shared how it is compared to the OP3 - now, you can surely software mod it, bit if the HW is limited, there's little you can do there - but to each their own. I value headphone output/quality too much so I'll just grab the next LG V40 when it comes out and don't bother with any trickery/external DACs/Amps.

Speaker is louder than my HTC10 (not quite as good sound quality but ok), earphone quality using black player and Jays-a-Jays heavy bass earphones is fine, I'm pleasantly surprised

vibrantliker said:
IMO you can't even listen to any phone w/out V4A. My OP6 sounds awesome with this installed and the power output was surprising.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mind sharing the installer!? And process too?
P.S. - I hope you did it without twrp!

I've also noticed quite a difference between power output on the OP6 compared to the OP3, sadly.

Is it me or is the headphone sound quality so much better than many other phones?

I bought a OnePlus 6t and rooted it and increased the level to 90 but the sound quality doesn't seem as good as my mate 9. I think I'm going to sell it and keep using the Mate 9. I only wanted a phone that had support still but the screen, heaphone, and regular speaks seem so much better. Has anyone else compared the heaphone quality. I'm using iphone earbuds with both phones playing Pandora.