Headphone volume/quality. - Galaxy Note5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

For new owners:
I had the Note 3 and was fine with headphone volume and quality. It was just fine with my Etymotic ER4P and Westone W40s. When the Note 5 was confirmed to not have battery/sd-card bladda bladda I got a LG G4.
The LG G4 is a step backwards in volume and perhaps quality (but that's harder to discern). I rooted the G4 and used Viper4Android, but I have to push it pretty hard to match what my Note 3 was able to do.
How does the Note 5 compare to say the S6 or your previous notes ?

far_star said:
For new owners:
I had the Note 3 and was fine with headphone volume and quality. It was just fine with my Etymotic ER4P and Westone W40s. When the Note 5 was confirmed to not have battery/sd-card bladda bladda I got a LG G4.
The LG G4 is a step backwards in volume and perhaps quality (but that's harder to discern). I rooted the G4 and used Viper4Android, but I have to push it pretty hard to match what my Note 3 was able to do.
How does the Note 5 compare to say the S6 or your previous notes ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The volume is a tad higher than the s6 and of course the g4. There is a nice UHQ upscalling toggle that upsamples the audio. While the amount of upsampling is probably overkill it does actually improve the audio quality substantially. Overall I am very impressed with the audio out.

cdeister said:
The volume is a tad higher than the s6 and of course the g4. There is a nice UHQ upscalling toggle that up-samples the audio. While the amount of up-sampling is probably overkill it does actually improve the audio quality substantially. Overall I am very impressed with the audio out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the help. Did you have an S6 to compare against ? Also, does the up-sampling work in all players or just Samsung's ?
On a side note (pun intended):
I don't really buy into the NEED for this type of up-sampling. Lossy compression if done at decent bitrates should be almost transparent to the user, even on nice speakers/headphones/earbuds. It might change the sound and make it nicer, but it would be a departure from the original lossless source.

far_star said:
Thanks for the help. Did you have an S6 to compare against ? Also, does the up-sampling work in all players or just Samsung's ?
On a side note (pun intended):
I don't really buy into the NEED for this type of up-sampling. Lossy compression if done at decent bitrates should be almost transparent to the user, even on nice speakers/headphones/earbuds. It might change the sound and make it nicer, but it would be a departure from the original lossless source.
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I have an S6 (also had a G4). Also, I agree with you on not NEEDing to upsample, what I think is happening is that it is processing the audio on a better daq when you flip the switch, but I could be wrong. It certainly sounds more separated and the soundstage improves, that sounds like something you can get with any quality daq even with lossy compression.

cdeister said:
The volume is a tad higher than the s6 and of course the g4. There is a nice UHQ upscalling toggle that upsamples the audio. While the amount of upsampling is probably overkill it does actually improve the audio quality substantially. Overall I am very impressed with the audio out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cdeister said:
I have and S6. Also, I agree with you on not NEEDing to upsample, what I think is happening is that it is processing the audio on a better daq when you flip the switch, but I could be wrong. It certainly sounds more separated and the soundstage improves, that sounds like something you can get with any quality daq even with lossy compression.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome ! It looks like I'll be throwing a bunch of money at Verizon this Friday. Now to find a buyer for my G4.......

Related

Nexus 4 Sound quality = GOOD!

Got my Nexus 4 today, for those in the UK, i bought it on PAYG from o2 (£399)
Been running FLAC files through PowerAMP with my Sennheiser IE7's and they sound as good, if not better than my Cowon J3 DAP.
The Cowon J3 is a high-end DAP so i'm really impressed this phone can compete.
No yellow screen issues so far either, but i've not been benchmarking yet, gonna give it a week before i stress it out.
Yeah I was really surprised with the audio when I first plugged in my XB-1000's. I was expecting mediocre-bad audio quality that you typically get with phones but this seems really great. It's a really well rounded phone.
Wow, surprising, and good to hear. My GS2 really has dead lifeless sound through my ety's. I've taken to using my Pre for MP3's as it sounds infinitely better. I hope others post their impressions here as this may be one thing that pushes me over to this handset once it arrives here. Damn shame they only put max 16g in it if it really is a musical media player. Did supercurio weigh in on it yet?
OverTheBelow said:
Yeah I was really surprised with the audio when I first plugged in my XB-1000's. I was expecting mediocre-bad audio quality that you typically get with phones but this seems really great. It's a really well rounded phone.
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Wow! Can you please compare it with iphone 4/4s? I used to listen to xb-500 with iphone 4s and it sounds pretty good. Interesting to compare nexus to iphone by sound quality. Thanks in advance!
Is it better than Galaxy Nexus? I got budget Sennheiser earphones so I doubt I'll hear much of a difference, but I'm thinking of getting a good pair.
Dragooon123 said:
Is it better than Galaxy Nexus? I got budget Sennheiser earphones so I doubt I'll hear much of a difference, but I'm thinking of getting a good pair.
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YES!, id put the nexus 4 up there with the SGS3 tbh.
noobdeagle said:
YES!, id put the nexus 4 up there with the SGS3 tbh.
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Thats amazing! I am back on my gnexus after selling my sgs3 and the audio of the gnexus is terrible, I miss my sgs3. Hope my N4 arrives soon
noobdeagle said:
YES!, id put the nexus 4 up there with the SGS3 tbh.
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I think the Nexus 4 has the same DAP as the GSIII (US). There is a noticeable sound difference although the amp volume is lower. It still sound much better than the GalaxyNexus + Sound Tweaks.
Actually now I've tried headphones, incredible on stock audio settings with Poweramp.
I have one issue, using the headphone jack with the line input on my car suggests the output is quite low (I used to have an Atrix, I had to turn that down one from full because it distorts!). I now have to turn my car up quite high to be able to hear anything. One thing I am appalled about is the fact the device doesn't seem to play nice with my car charger... i get serious background noise when that is plugged in (no issues on the Atrix)
tehrules said:
Actually now I've tried headphones, incredible on stock audio settings with Poweramp.
I have one issue, using the headphone jack with the line input on my car suggests the output is quite low (I used to have an Atrix, I had to turn that down one from full because it distorts!). I now have to turn my car up quite high to be able to hear anything. One thing I am appalled about is the fact the device doesn't seem to play nice with my car charger... i get serious background noise when that is plugged in (no issues on the Atrix)
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Same here. Low output to car...
GchildT said:
I think the Nexus 4 has the same DAP as the GSIII (US). There is a noticeable sound difference although the amp volume is lower. It still sound much better than the GalaxyNexus + Sound Tweaks.
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i had an international SGS3 with the voodoo sound implementation from siyah, while the Nexus 4 does sound worse its not a whole lot worse.
the main differences fell with the bass they are not quite as deep and the highs are a bit rolled off compared to the SGS3 but not enough to cause an unpleasant listening experience; im sure with time perhaps with DSP manager it will be even closer.
but the bottom line is its not that much worse that id go back to the SGS3 and audio quality was my main concern with the keeping either handset (i've only just put the SGS3 on ebay )
for the comparisons i used Shure SE535;s IEM's
v-haker said:
Wow! Can you please compare it with iphone 4/4s? I used to listen to xb-500 with iphone 4s and it sounds pretty good. Interesting to compare nexus to iphone by sound quality. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have any Apple devices so I can't compare, but I can tell you it sounds really good with my older XB-500's too in comparison to my PC soundcard & especially previous phone (Xperia X10).
It's not head-thumpingly bassy and loud like you'd get with a proper amp, but there is still some good bass and just overall the sound is very pleasant. :good: I think you will be quite happy with how it sounds if you're not overly audiophilic.
v-haker said:
Wow! Can you please compare it with iphone 4/4s? I used to listen to xb-500 with iphone 4s and it sounds pretty good. Interesting to compare nexus to iphone by sound quality. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cant speak for the iphone but!, i have a cowon S9 and as many know sound ALOT better than apple devices and the Nexus 4 is not far off of the Cowon S9 once again not quite as deep bass, or as crisp highs but pretty damn close. (for reference tho SGS3(int) with siyah kernal sounds the same as Cowon S9 + J3)
I noticed a much better audio then I had on my inspire through Bluetooth.
But then again my phone was 2 years old. So I was expecting as much.:laugh:
v-haker said:
Wow! Can you please compare it with iphone 4/4s? I used to listen to xb-500 with iphone 4s and it sounds pretty good. Interesting to compare nexus to iphone by sound quality. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was using an iPhone 4 while I waited for my nexus, I can say the nexus sounds a thousand times better.
Testing now through Sennheiser HD 280s. Sound quality is excellent to my ears. No hiss, pops. Much better than the GS2, the DAC on that is a pile. Volume could probably be a touch louder, I'm between two and three clicks down from max volume in Google Music for regular listening volume. That may explain the low volumes with car stereos. I'll compare with an iPhone 5 later.
Ah so it wasn't just me! I did notice a difference when switching from my gs2. I use the new xb600. It sounded like crap on my gs2.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Thank you, guys! I'm very impressed with the results! Waiting for the further comparision with other devices
loving the nexus 4 but music hooked up to car stereo sounds like crap compared to the iphone 4s/5.
Output level is extremely low on the nexus as well. What needs to be at a level 20 on my wifes iphone is like a 32 on the nexus 4. Ill experiment w/ the equalizer tonight but as it stands it doesnt compare. (sorry for being unbiased)
I thought the GS3 had better sound output. My n4 just doesnt get as loud. Is there anything I can do to fix this? btw i use google music

Very Low Volume/Music

Hi guys I just bought my Note 4....I thought it would be a beast device...but it kinda sucks at Music department. Volume is too low vs. My LG G3. kinda disappointed.
I actually have the opposite effect. The music is too loud to stand when near full volume. Much louder than my S4
hatyrei said:
Hi guys I just bought my Note 4....I thought it would be a beast device...but it kinda sucks at Music department. Volume is too low vs. My LG G3. kinda disappointed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My current phone is a LG G3 and it is probably the best Android phone for music. I had the M8 prior to this and I feel the G3 is ever so slightly better for sound, and as well it is a much better phone. The only phone I have heard that was better than the LG G3 was the IPhone 6+, I owned one briefly but I ended up having to return it.
I am considering a Note 4 but I am beginning to think it is not enough of an upgrade over the G3 to make me happy. I will just have to wait until I can see it in person and judge then.
30Seconds said:
My current phone is a LG G3 and it is probably the best Android phone for music. I had the M8 prior to this and I feel the G3 is ever so slightly better for sound, and as well it is a much better phone. The only phone I have heard that was better than the LG G3 was the IPhone 6+, I owned one briefly but I ended up having to return it.
I am considering a Note 4 but I am beginning to think it is not enough of an upgrade over the G3 to make me happy. I will just have to wait until I can see it in person and judge then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My wife has a G3. Its a nice phone for sure and right for her but I prefer the power user phone. Not to say one is better than the other, its all in personal taste. Thus far I am really enjoying my Note 4. the G3 is a top of the line phone but just not versatile enough for me.
I'm finding the music from the loudspeaker seems to be loud enough. My ringtone however isn't loud enough when getting a call. When I change the volume through the settings however it's louder than when I get an actual call. It's very strange and quite annoying as I can't figure out how to fix the ringtone volume
I've just been changing the notification sounds and they are louder than when they go off as notifications.
30Seconds said:
My current phone is a LG G3 and it is probably the best Android phone for music. I had the M8 prior to this and I feel the G3 is ever so slightly better for sound, and as well it is a much better phone. The only phone I have heard that was better than the LG G3 was the IPhone 6+, I owned one briefly but I ended up having to return it.
I am considering a Note 4 but I am beginning to think it is not enough of an upgrade over the G3 to make me happy. I will just have to wait until I can see it in person and judge then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you think the LG G3 is better than the M8 audio-wise? Interesting - how does the LG audio compare to the Note 4 please?
Is it still ok when watching you-tube videos as well for instance?
Thanks
I hate the G3 screen. That makes it a no go for me. The Note 4 is a beautiful beast!
hatyrei said:
Hi guys I just bought my Note 4....I thought it would be a beast device...but it kinda sucks at Music department. Volume is too low vs. My LG G3. kinda disappointed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
JCM800 said:
Did you think the LG G3 is better than the M8 audio-wise? Interesting - how does the LG audio compare to the Note 4 please?
Is it still ok when watching you-tube videos as well for instance?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to be clear I am talking about music playback through attached headphones: Sennheiser IE8, B&W C5 etc. The G3 has extremely good music playback especially through poweramp. It is the only phone I know of that can play native hi res files 24/96 etc. without downsampling. You can check the GSM Arena review for further info on its sound quality: http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_g3-review-1086p7.php . They measure it as the cleanest for sound output.
So in my case I am looking for something that is comparable to the LG G3 sound wise, but also brings other improvements to the table. I'm interested in the Note 4 because of the display, but if the sound quality is a step back then I know I would not be happy with it. I don't know what the Note 4 sounds like as I have still not seen a demo, but as soon as a local store gets one I will take my headphones in and do a little side by side comparison.
---------- Post added at 11:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:17 PM ----------
WizeGuyDezignz said:
I hate the G3 screen. That makes it a no go for me. The Note 4 is a beautiful beast!
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The way they have it set out of the box is rather dull. I suppose they have set it like this for the sake of battery life. If you do the contrast fix and up the brightness slightly you can get that same sort of contrasty pop other phones have, but it is not going to be as saturated as amoled.
My LG G3 sounded better vs. my Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Using the native built-In speaker. LG G3 is much louder , fuller ,bass-ER{LOL), clearer than my Note 4. I always listen to my music just playing it through the built in speaker. Aside from that I love my Note 4. I'm still trying to use my warranty on my G3 , the screen has obvious vertical lines in high brightness setting, it looks like a digitizer or something...but it sucks.... I hope they can replace the screen or fix it.
I have both M7, G3 and Note 4, and I reckon the best sound quality is M7, the loudest is G3, in the middle range is Note 4. And both phones have been tuned with Viper4.
Sound is quite loud on my N910U, but thats for my standard.
Please go check out 'Permanent red tint on screen' i posted in general section. Let me know please if anyone having similar issue.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Free mobile app
I played with my note 4 vs a LG G3 vs HTC M8 vs Z3 in store same song.
I set N4, G3 and Z3 equalizer scales all to zero and just turned the bass to full in custom mode.
HTC M8 doesnt have this so I just turned on bass mode.
The M8 is clearly the loudest by a far distance, the note 4 is next with the g3 not far behind then the z3 behind that.
I think the note 4 is very loud and GSM arena agrees
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 performance in our audio quality test was almost identical to that of its predecessor - the Galaxy Note 3.
The phablet aced the first part of our test, where it had to show how it works with an active external amplifier. The Galaxy Note 4 achieved excellent scores top to bottom and garnished them with nicely high volume levels - not HTC high, but good enough to keep pace with the rest.
Plug in a pair of headphones and some stereo crosstalk creeps in - it's not too bad, but notably worse than some competitors, once again, from the HTC lineup. Take those out however and the Galaxy Note 4 can match or beat just about every smartphone out there.
Frequency response Noise level Dynamic range THD IMD + Noise Stereo crosstalk
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 +0.01, -0.04 -96.6 93.4 0.0015 0.0086 -94.2
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (headphones attached) +0.03, -0.02 -96.8 93.5 0.011 0.035 -55.2
Note 4 speakers sucks to be honest, after 10 the loudspeaker was pretty bad
gpvlog said:
I actually have the opposite effect. The music is too loud to stand when near full volume. Much louder than my S4
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Click to collapse
Same here and I have a LG. Update - depends on the headphones
G3
---------- Post added at 01:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:05 PM ----------
JCM800 said:
Did you think the LG G3 is better than the M8 audio-wise? Interesting - how does the LG audio compare to the Note 4 please?
Is it still ok when watching you-tube videos as well for instance?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On quality headphones using the Power Amp app the Note 4 has the best sound reproduction including when playing back HD music. Compared to M8 and LG G3
---------- Post added at 01:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:07 PM ----------
30Seconds said:
Just to be clear I am talking about music playback through attached headphones: Sennheiser IE8, B&W C5 etc. The G3 has extremely good music playback especially through poweramp. It is the only phone I know of that can play native hi res files 24/96 etc. without downsampling. You can check the GSM Arena review for further info on its sound quality: http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_g3-review-1086p7.php . They measure it as the cleanest for sound output.
So in my case I am looking for something that is comparable to the LG G3 sound wise, but also brings other improvements to the table. I'm interested in the Note 4 because of the display, but if the sound quality is a step back then I know I would not be happy with it. I don't know what the Note 4 sounds like as I have still not seen a demo, but as soon as a local store gets one I will take my headphones in and do a little side by side comparison.
---------- Post added at 11:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:17 PM ----------
The way they have it set out of the box is rather dull. I suppose they have set it like this for the sake of battery life. If you do the contrast fix and up the brightness slightly you can get that same sort of contrasty pop other phones have, but it is not going to be as saturated as amoled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See my views above
The company who has the loudest sounding speaker on their phone probably doesn't care about the safety of it's users. Taming a speaker down has nothing to do with being "premium" or "non-premium". Also, remember the Note 4 is supposed to be a somewhat professional, business tool, not a boom box. Although, I think that the volume should be regulated when headphones are being used, I think that the device should at least put out acceptable volume for when you're watching a video using the speaker on the back.
Fwiw, audio quality is very good using spotify extreme settings and a trusty pair of klipsch s4i's. While not quite as loud as my iphone 5, the audio is certainly extremely clean and good definition.
What the m8 is the king of sound once you flash Harmon kardon adsp
My sprint version using headphones is loud as hell without any root or audio tweaks
I think Note 4 sound a bit tinny compared to my old Note 2.
Sound through headphones is amazing using exynos model

Audio Quality on Nexus 6?

All I can say is the audio quality through the headphone jack, and speaker on the Note 4 is garbage! That does not make it a bad phone, because with all its other features, the Note 4 is awesome but for an avid audiophile like me, my phone needs a great DAC/ headphone jack. The iphone 6+ Does have fantastic audio quality, but I use android phones as my workhorse, and Ipad as my consumption device, so iPhone is out for me. I am REALLY hoping that since the Nexus 6 has the 2 front facing stereo speakers, that it is being pushed by a strong high quality DAC. I currently have the M8 , and the audio is quite nice, but I have always wanted a nexus device after owning the HTC Nexus 1 , and the Nexus 6 checks all the boxes for me personally. It just has to have great audio and battery life and I'm sold! Hopefully we can get some reviews of the big sexy nexus before pre ordering starts?
I will admit, I am no audiophile. Can you go into detail on what exactly you notice in a bad audio output?
What headphones are you using?
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
_MetalHead_ said:
What headphones are you using?
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
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V-Modda M100's, B&W P7"s
Schoat333 said:
I will admit, I am no audiophile. Can you go into detail on what exactly you notice in a bad audio output?
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Click to collapse
Hiss at higher volumes. Crosstalk/ Interference. Lack of soundstage or depth in the audio. Or lack of volume and "punch" in bass. I'm no "hardcore audiophile" that will ONLY listen to FLAC/ High Res music, as I listen quite often to Play Music on the go and at work @ 320kbps track that are streamed to me. But when reviewing new music or at the house wanting to check out new tracks and just want to be taken in by the music, then I load up some 24-bit/192kHz files, Ah the beauty of Android!
I know I can get a dedicated music player that serves this need, and I have one (Still have my old Zune 120 but with the way digital music distribution being so awesomely convenient through Gplay Store/ Itunes, I just like having a device that can "do it all" if I can find one. The Nexus being pure Android, "supposedly" all day battery life" Amazing screen, with hopefully excellent audio performance and supports High res audio files, sounds like that perfect device for me... Crossing fingers.
awareunlikeu said:
V-Modda M100's, B&W P7"s
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I'm not sure if root is available for the note4 yet, but if it is, install V4A. It helps to a degree. The nexus 5 is not a great when it comes to audio, however, with V4A installed, it is bearable. I use UE900 CIEM.
Edit: I am also hoping the N6 will have a powerful audio chip.
awareunlikeu said:
V-Modda M100's, B&W P7"s
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Click to collapse
How do you like the P7's? I bought the P5's years ago but admittedly they don't get much use. I have tried the P7's and while I'm not sure if their sound sig is for me, they were insanely comfortable.
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
awareunlikeu said:
Hiss at higher volumes. Crosstalk/ Interference. Lack of soundstage or depth in the audio. Or lack of volume and "punch" in bass. I'm no "hardcore audiophile" that will ONLY listen to FLAC/ High Res music, as I listen quite often to Play Music on the go and at work @ 320kbps track that are streamed to me. But when reviewing new music or at the house wanting to check out new tracks and just want to be taken in by the music, then I load up some 24-bit/192kHz files, Ah the beauty of Android!
I know I can get a dedicated music player that serves this need, and I have one (Still have my old Zune 120 but with the way digital music distribution being so awesomely convenient through Gplay Store/ Itunes, I just like having a device that can "do it all" if I can find one. The Nexus being pure Android, "supposedly" all day battery life" Amazing screen, with hopefully excellent audio performance and supports High res audio files, sounds like that perfect device for me... Crossing fingers.
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Click to collapse
If it helps, the new Moto G, a £150/$180 phone, comes with an excellent DAC. Its even more impressive given the price of the device.
I can only assume they'll implement the same solution as in the Moto X. Unfortunately I can't comment on that, but I'd assume it's at least equal or better than the Moto X.
Obviously it can't compare to any dedicated player though. I still regularly notice the huge difference between my Note 2/3 Z3 experience and my old ipod touch 3rd gen. iPod destroys everything still.
feedtheducks said:
I'm not sure if root is available for the note4 yet, but if it is, install V4A. It helps to a degree. The nexus 5 is not a great when it comes to audio, however, with V4A installed, it is bearable. I use UE900 CIEM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah those UE900's are some mighty fine phones my friend! But yeah I just want superb audio out of the box without tweaking. I know I can get it if I go back to apple for a phone, but I use iPad, so to me having an iPhone with its boring software when I already have an iPad that I use for consumption/work just seems like unnecessary overkill. As I use Android as my workhorse/EDC device. I have the HTC One M8 right now, and its close to what I want, but I don't particularly care for the software, except Blinkfeed, and I loath the camera. Headphone audio is damn good only because it is the loudest phone on the market right now due to the DAC having to push the BoomSound speakers and also pushing that same power to the headphone jack. But louder is not always better. The iphone 6 Plus's audio quality is quite a bit better, but not as loud, or "punchy". I hope its not too much to expect excellent audio quality with the way Googs is going away from the decently priced cutting corners Nexus devices to the absolute best Android has to offer Android device, which is what the N6 is sounding like they are marketing it has.
istrikerx said:
If it helps, the new Moto G, a £150/$180 phone, comes with an excellent DAC. Its even more impressive given the price of the device.
I can only assume they'll implement the same solution as in the Moto X. Unfortunately I can't comment on that, but I'd assume it's at least equal or better than the Moto X.
Obviously it can't compare to any dedicated player though. I still regularly notice the huge difference between my Note 2/3 Z3 experience and my old ipod touch 3rd gen. iPod destroys everything still.
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I know right.. I think Apple's audio superiority comes from the fact that they use a totally separate processing unit, independent of the processor for Audio processing. Where as Android phones generally use qualcomm's SOC and they dont have there own dedicated DAC. I may be mistaken on some of that lingo, but I think its close enough.
"The Nexus 6 comes with a pair of stereo speakers on the front, just like HTC’s phones. And just like the phones from Taiwan, Google’s phablet gives brilliant sound quality. Movies really draw you in with the combination of that huge screen and those crisp speakers And we could fill the whole house with music just with the Nexus 6
Source
awareunlikeu said:
V-Modda M100's, B&W P7"s
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Click to collapse
I am a M-100 user as well, hell year brother!
As for audio quality, personally I never use something as spread out as a Cellphone/Smartphone for quality music listening. Most of the time they are not equipped with the proper magic for good audio compared to PMP's and other quality audio sources. That is why I still carry around a PMP for most of my music listening (Better HW for sound, Storage all for Music, Separate battery for Music).
I know it's almost archaic to still have a PMP and a SmartPhone since the latter can technically do both, but if you want the best audio quality it's best to get a PMP for your audiophile needs. I suggest taking a look for this if you are curious for a PMP recommendation: http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000060437344&MenuID=105026016
As for the N6, its up in the air. But I usually would not bet my wallet that it would make a quality music player. It might be good for some music here and there but as a whole with pro cans it just might not be enough to get the most out of them.
To me the original Moto X audio quality through headphones was great. I ordered a Nexus 5 trying to decide which one to keep and ended up sending the Nexus back. One of the reasons was the audio wasn't as good as the X. I HOPE the N6 will be just as good. Motorola hasn't let me down yet.
I wonder if the N6 will be able to play FLAC lossless files. I really would like to hear my music in it's purist form. I have tried looking on Moto's and Google's spec websites and there is nothing about the audio part of the device....
racerxe24 said:
I wonder if the N6 will be able to play FLAC lossless files. I really would like to hear my music in it's purist form. I have tried looking on Moto's and Google's spec websites and there is nothing about the audio part of the device....
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Click to collapse
I am fairly sure FLAC files are supported by the current version of android. I just flashed a completely stock rom, no root on my N5 and I am able to play FLAC on it using Shuttle+.
Power amp pro is worth the purchase. It made my N3 sound soooo much better. Out of the speaker, headphones, and aux out for playing music. Also ViperFX and Volume+ were good at tweaking your sound.
amebiasis said:
Power amp pro is worth the purchase. It made my N3 sound soooo much better. Out of the speaker, headphones, and aux out for playing music. Also ViperFX and Volume+ were good at tweaking your sound.
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+1 for Poweramp
I'm curious how the front speqkers compare to my m8. I love the audio on this phone.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
There are 2 main improvement in android L for sound: low latency and usb-enabled headphones. I'm not an audiophile myself but I guess for startes those two should make a difference.
That being said, unfortunatly, headphones quality output is something hard to tell without specific reviews.
awareunlikeu said:
I know right.. I think Apple's audio superiority comes from the fact that they use a totally separate processing unit, independent of the processor for Audio processing. Where as Android phones generally use qualcomm's SOC and they dont have there own dedicated DAC. I may be mistaken on some of that lingo, but I think its close enough.
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Funny you talk about Apple's "audio superiority" when their headphone jacks across iPad, PowerBook/MacBook, iPhone, and iPod lines have been poorly grounded for years.

Headphone Output Quality

I'm coming from a Oneplus One a much better phone for music than my poor old Galaxy S2. How does the Oneplus 3 do compared to its predecessor's? Is it loud, undistorted, have a good range in its built-in DAC for the 3.5mm Jack?
Thanks-
JJ
I haven't got mine yet although from all the reviews i've seen they say the earphone quality is good
It sound really good in my opinion. Even better than my Samsung GT I9000
Yes, with sony headphone the quality is very good
TED
maxl96 said:
It sound really good in my optionion. Even better than my Samsung GT I9000
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No wonder it's gonna be better than a 6 year old phone.
Loving the sound from my Xiaomi Mi Piston 3 on my Oneplus 3..!
It easily tops the quality and power of the Nexus 6. My completely stock OP3 sounds just as good and loud as my rooted N6 using Viper4Android.
Not bad at all, much better than my Nexus 5X.
Sound quality is good and I was a bit worried when I got mine. Coming from a Huawei P8, which I found to be great, I have been very happy with OP3.
I use Neutron player and after I took time to disable some features and enable others, I am very pleased. Output is loud and clear makes my earbuds boom nicely. Overall, no complaints at all. Speaker volume on the other hand... not as good as I'd like.
But, headphone, for me anyway, is most important.
R3Lax1 said:
No wonder it's gonna be better than a 6 year old phone.
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Thats exactly what i was thinking
R3Lax1 said:
No wonder it's gonna be better than a 6 year old phone.
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Mulayan said:
Thats exactly what i was thinking
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Right, so you clearly have no idea :laugh:
Maybe you should look up the Wolfson WM8994
maxl96 said:
Right, so you clearly have no idea :laugh:
Maybe you should look up the Wolfson WM8994
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We are talking about normal Android devices and not some piece of sh*t you found somewhere on the Internet...
Mulayan said:
We are talking about normal Android devices and not some piece of sh*t you found somewhere on the Internet...
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Ahem... I think that the Wolfson WM8994 is the audio chipset of the first Samsung galaxy ( am i right ? ) not a phone...
It has the generic Snapdragon converter. Nothing special but sound quality is decent through the h/phone out. When I had the phone I used it a couple of times with both Grado and Sennheiser cans. No real complaints, not amazing. Good enough imho.
We see here again in this thread that many people mean "loud" when they say "good quality".
Yes, the signal level on the headphone jack is quite high. This has the advantage that high-impedance headphones (i.e. "those big ones for audiophiles") work without problems with the OP3 and are loud enough; on many smartphones, this is not the case.
Furthermore, the dynamic range is really good. I.e., the difference between the quietest and the loudest parts of a recording is reproduced quite faithfully. This is also not a given on smartphones.
The actual sound quality (!) is absolutely OK but of course not on the level of more advanced DACs.
The non-audiophile listener with his usual MP3s of pop music will be completely content.
toy57 said:
Ahem... I think that the Wolfson WM8994 is the audio chipset of the first Samsung galaxy ( am i right ? ) not a phone...
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I never said it's a phone. Do I?
The Wolfson is actually the DAC which is used in The Galaxy S and there was an App called Voodoo Controller by Supercurio which enabled really undistorted and clear output.
Wolfson DACs where also used in some BMW and Mercedes by the way...
Finally mines arrived been using it for a day listening with inateck Aries earphones and I'm very impressed good amount of bass and undistorted Highs. Using viper on oxygenos. Way better than my s2 and not massively better than my oneplus one.
hasenbein1966 said:
We see here again in this thread that many people mean "loud" when they say "good quality".
Yes, the signal level on the headphone jack is quite high. This has the advantage that high-impedance headphones (i.e. "those big ones for audiophiles") work without problems with the OP3 and are loud enough; on many smartphones, this is not the case.
Furthermore, the dynamic range is really good. I.e., the difference between the quietest and the loudest parts of a recording is reproduced quite faithfully. This is also not a given on smartphones.
The actual sound quality (!) is absolutely OK but of course not on the level of more advanced DACs.
The non-audiophile listener with his usual MP3s of pop music will be completely content.
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Click to collapse
So the sound quality is average as for the phone? So probably big difference compared to good quality mp3 player? I was thinking if zte axon 7 has really better sound quality or just dolby, useless for music 32bit. People say it's noticeably better, but just because it has more bass or whatever, or with dolby on when it can get only worse for music.
Maybe you or anyone else knows something about sound quality, has a good headphones to check it, has some comparison to good portable audio player or decent phone.
I'm not an audiophile but I can appreciate sound quality more than others, I'm using old Cowon j3 player and it sounds really well. Have also OPO which I'm using with Spotify, but can hear sound degradation over Cowon
When it's loud, or has a lot of bass or hurting ears high tones says nothing about sound quality. I would like to know how is the soundstage, if the instruments are separate, if they are heard well not mixed up with other sounds, if the sound is flat or not, you said the dynamic range is fine, that's good.
Do anyone know what sound chip is inside OP3?

Audio quality

According to GSMArena the S8+ can reproduce sound at 32-bit/384kHz but the new Note 8 has downgraded to 24-bit/192kHz? I know at this point its all rumour yet GSMArena are usually reliable. IF this is accurate I do ponder Samsung's logic. I live in the hope this is untrue as its a deal breaker for me as music is much more significant than the camera that I never use.
Ryland
I think we'll have to wait and see. Logically it doesn't make any sense to downgrade any features from the S8 (besides the battery capacity due to the S Pen space), so hopefully that info is incorrect.
Samsung lost the plot on audio a while ago. Head amp usually poor and Snapdragon devices don't use any special DAC.
Ultra High Quality Audio Playback
UHQ 32-bit & DSD support
PCM: Up to 32 bits
DSD: DSD64/128
*DSD64 and DSD128 playback can be limited depending on the file format.
Audio playback format
MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DSF, DFF, APE
*Some files may not be supported depending on codec used.
And what about aptx HD?
Any info on the DAC hardware in the Exynos version of the Note 8. Shame we wont have the Quad DAC like in the LG V20.
jah said:
Any info on the DAC hardware in the Exynos version of the Note 8. Shame we wont have the Quad DAC like in the LG V20.
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Same DAC as the SGS8 and 8+ Rather peeved the Note 8 doesn't come with dual speakers. For the hideous cost it bloomin well should! Very disappointing for those of us who enjoy mobile music. If Samsung don't make vast improvements in this area next time around I may well revert to Sony. But then again the whole idea of the Note 8 is that S-pen that I find fantastic? I guess what I seek can't be found?!
Ryland
Ryland Johnson said:
Same DAC as the SGS8 and 8+ Rather peeved the Note 8 doesn't come with dual speakers. For the hideous cost it bloomin well should! Very disappointing for those of us who enjoy mobile music. If Samsung don't make vast improvements in this area next time around I may well revert to Sony. But then again the whole idea of the Note 8 is that S-pen that I find fantastic? I guess what I seek can't be found?!
Ryland
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Samsung have gone backwards. With Exynos they used to use high quality Wolfson DACs.
I was also very much wanting dual speakers. I mean, I don't use the on-board speaker a ton, but I would definitely use it more if it was dual. Plus just for things like games, even speakerphone calls, etc - would have been nice. Maybe next time around.
jah said:
Samsung have gone backwards. With Exynos they used to use high quality Wolfson DACs.
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Wolfson was bought out by Cirrus logic in 2014. The SGS8+ has a Cirrus logic DAC meaning Wolfson. :highfive:
On the exynos variant that is, NOT the Snapdragon.
Ryland
Ryland Johnson said:
Wolfson was bought out by Cirrus logic in 2014. The SGS8+ has a Cirrus logic DAC meaning Wolfson. :highfive:
On the exynos variant that is, NOT the Snapdragon.
Ryland
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What's ur source of this info ?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Ryland Johnson said:
Wolfson was bought out by Cirrus logic in 2014. The SGS8+ has a Cirrus logic DAC meaning Wolfson. :highfive:
On the exynos variant that is, NOT the Snapdragon.
Ryland
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Cool thanks. But even the new Cirrus Logic is unlikely to be as good as the quad DAC in the LG V20. Strange since Samsung bought Harmon Kardon to improve the audio of its devices. I'll be annoyed if they don't offer aptx HD.
jah said:
Cool thanks. But even the new Cirrus Logic is unlikely to be as good as the quad DAC in the LG V20. Strange since Samsung bought Harmon Kardon to improve the audio of its devices. I'll be annoyed if they don't offer aptx HD.
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Hi, the V20 had quad ES92B ESS Sabre DAC's. In terms of technical sound reproduction the V20, on paper, is superior to the DAC on the Note 8 however............. IN terms of sound reproduction there are numerous factors that affect the end result IE, what we hear.
The amplification process and, of course, the ear buds or head phones in terms of a mobile device. Not to mention the source material and the ambient we are trying to listen in.
In general the V20 should outshine the Note 8 IF all parameters are equal. In real life seldom are said parameters equal. To that end to truly hear the difference we would need to be in a studio with identical volume presets, head phones, high end source material and music genre.
For a mobile device that is not really meant to compete with dedicated Hi-res portable players costing hundreds of euros, I think most of us including the so called audiophiles like me will be happy taking into consideration we won't have to carry around a second device. I guess its the same with the cameraphiles who will be happy with taking less accurate pictures BUT not having the need to carry a dedicated canon DSLR?
Ryland
Ryland Johnson said:
Hi, the V20 had quad ES92B ESS Sabre DAC's. In terms of technical sound reproduction the V20, on paper, is superior to the DAC on the Note 8 however............. IN terms of sound reproduction there are numerous factors that affect the end result IE, what we hear.
The amplification process and, of course, the ear buds or head phones in terms of a mobile device. Not to mention the source material and the ambient we are trying to listen in.
In general the V20 should outshine the Note 8 IF all parameters are equal. In real life seldom are said parameters equal. To that end to truly hear the difference we would need to be in a studio with identical volume presets, head phones, high end source material and music genre.
For a mobile device that is not really meant to compete with dedicated Hi-res portable players costing hundreds of euros, I think most of us including the so called audiophiles like me will be happy taking into consideration we won't have to carry around a second device. I guess its the same with the cameraphiles who will be happy with taking less accurate pictures BUT not having the need to carry a dedicated canon DSLR?
Ryland
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No. High bit rate FLAC and decent £150 headphones will show the difference. But it is a personal preference issue. If you use your device for listening to music while commuting you probably wont use FLAC at 96khz 24 bit versus mp3 at 320 kbps. I can easily tell the difference because i like really good quality.
jah said:
No. High bit rate FLAC and decent £150 headphones will show the difference. But it is a personal preference issue. If you use your device for listening to music while commuting you probably wont use FLAC at 96khz 24 bit versus mp3 at 320 kbps. I can easily tell the difference because i like really good quality.
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If you are totally in to audio quality one doesn't use a mobile phone one uses a dedicated hi res player.
Second point. Music and how we individually hear its reproduction is totally subjective and impossible to standardise as no two individuals taste in reproduction are the same. In the ever shrinking world of dedicated Hi-Fi separates it is accepted industry knowledge that different amplifiers, speakers and sources including the interconnects have a certain sound stage. Marantz, Quad, Meriden, Macintosh, A&R, shure, Sennheiser, Denon et al, the list is endless and all have their own style of sound.
When you write you can tell 'The' difference I respectfully suggest you mean you can certainly tell 'A' difference, such a difference is your hearing and what you enjoy. On a very basic level some enjoy a more treble, high end, sound stage while others enjoy a more lower end base focused sound stage. the equations are as endless as are the listeners hence the choice we have. There is no such animal as 'The best'. :good:
Ryland
Ryland Johnson said:
If you are totally in to audio quality one doesn't use a mobile phone one uses a dedicated hi res player.
Second point. Music and how we individually hear its reproduction is totally subjective and impossible to standardise as no two individuals taste in reproduction are the same. In the ever shrinking world of dedicated Hi-Fi separates it is accepted industry knowledge that different amplifiers, speakers and sources including the interconnects have a certain sound stage. Marantz, Quad, Meriden, Macintosh, A&R, shure, Sennheiser, Denon et al, the list is endless and all have their own style of sound.
When you write you can tell 'The' difference I respectfully suggest you mean you can certainly tell 'A' difference, such a difference is your hearing and what you enjoy. On a very basic level some enjoy a more treble, high end, sound stage while others enjoy a more lower end base focused sound stage. the equations are as endless as are the listeners hence the choice we have. There is no such animal as 'The best'. :good:
Ryland
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Click to collapse
I know what you mean being an owner of a Linn turntable and Naim amplification. There is subjectivity but also general consensus which says FLAC sounds much better than mp3s. Even my wife who is not an audiophile can tell the difference between normal bit rate Mp3s and extreme OGG quality on Spotify on her S8.
We are getting away from the issue. If LG can include a Quad DAC which most audiophiles would consider a good solution for smartphone audio and a V20 is only £300 why can’t Samsung do something about their poor audio compared to the fantastic cameras they have.
I'm not interested in having a philosophical abstract dialogue With you. I want Samsung to use a better DAC and headamp, period.
End of conversation.
jah said:
I know what you mean being an owner of a Linn turntable and Naim amplification. There is subjectivity but also general consensus which says FLAC sounds much better than mp3s. Even my wife who is not an audiophile can tell the difference between normal bit rate Mp3s and extreme OGG quality on Spotify on her S8.
We are getting away from the issue. If LG can include a Quad DAC which most audiophiles would consider a good solution for smartphone audio and a V20 is only £300 why can’t Samsung do something about their poor audio compared to the fantastic cameras they have.
I'm not interested in having a philosophical abstract dialogue With you. I want Samsung to use a better DAC and headamp, period.
End of conversation.
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Nice amp' and table. Not seen a Linn TT for some years now. What speakers are you using?
I agree with your paragraph regarding LG's use of DAC's and Samsung's apathy to improve, hell we can't even get two speakers out of them. I have threads here that state this very point.
It was nice to debate with you:good:
Ryland

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