Mate 10 Pro LDAC Playback Quality - Huawei Mate 10 Guides, News, & Discussion

Hi, got a Huawei Mate 10 Pro BLA-L29 8.0.0.136(C185) and a Shanling M0 as a Bluetooth receiver. When I get them connected using LDAC, there are two menu sections where I can set the audio quality to be fed to the M0. One is the Developer Options where, apart from selecting the BT codec itself, I can set sample rate at 44.1 to 96 kHz, bit depth of 16 to 32 bits per sample, and stream bitrate at 330 to 990 kbps. These settings behave in a weird manner, always reverting to default every time I disconnect the BT or even while it's connected. The other instance is the properties of an individual BT device where I can set the LDAC playback quality to either "Optimized for audio quality" or "Balanced audio and connection quality".
Problem: if the BT device is "Optimized for audio quality", I only get decent transmission if stream bitrate is set to 660 kbps or lower in the Developer Options. Inversely, if the latter is set to 990 kbps, it only works decently if the device-specific setting is "Balanced audio and connection quality". If both are set to maximum audio quality, the playback starts gagging violently, interruptions happening up to twice a second if the phone is active and like once every five to ten seconds if the screen is off (the two devices 5 inches away from each other with nothing but air between them).
I brought the Shanling M0 to the nearest Sony store and paired it with a demo phone with LDAC audio quality set to 32/96 at 990 kbps and it worked like a charm without a single hiccup.
Anyone else has this issue and/or aware of a fix?

I have been to a number of stores since the original post and was able to pair my Shanling M0 to various devices:
1. Huawei P20, Android 8.1, Bluetooth 4.2 - same problem.
2. Samsung Galaxy S9+, Android 8.0, Bluetooth 5.0 - no problem.
3. Samsung Galaxy A6, Android 8.0, Bluetooth 4.2 - no problem.
Apparently, Android version is not responsible for the malfunction, neither is Bluetooth version. It's the manufacturer.

Crap, crossing fingers about having this issue fixed. Have you reported it to Huawei customer service and Shanling's one ?
Thank you for the feedback. I'm interested in this small DAP (nostalgic for my beloved Sansa Clip), even if I'm quite sure I probably won't use the Shanling M0 as BT receiver.

Scalpos said:
I'm interested in this small DAP (nostalgic for my beloved Sansa Clip), even if I'm quite sure I probably won't use the Shanling M0 as BT receiver.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you ask me, you should just grab your money and go get it, because it works fine with other phones than Huawei. Even with mine, if I set it to "Balanced audio and connection quality", it's doing great. Actually, the LDAC standard bitrate of 660 kbps is amply sufficient to deliver music from major streaming services like Google Play Music. Whatever the problem is, I don't believe it's Shanling's fault, because the intensity of gagging depends heavily on whether the phone screen is on or off, which has nothing to do with connection quality.
As to the DAP itself, I find its sound signature and stage presentation nothing short of amazing, at least on par with my favorite Hidizs AP100 and far better than vivo Xplay6 or anything else I tried. Sansa Clip+ is nowhere near. The way I feel right now, I'm far more likely to ditch the Huawei phone than the Shanling DAP, because there are reasonable alternatives to the former, but not the latter.

anton79ru said:
If you ask me, you should just grab your money and go get it, because it works fine with other phones than Huawei. Even with mine, if I set it to "Balanced audio and connection quality", it's doing great. Actually, the LDAC standard bitrate of 660 kbps is amply sufficient to deliver music from major streaming services like Google Play Music. Whatever the problem is, I don't believe it's Shanling's fault, because the intensity of gagging depends heavily on whether the phone screen is on or off, which has nothing to do with connection quality.
As to the DAP itself, I find its sound signature and stage presentation nothing short of amazing, at least on par with my favorite Hidizs AP100 and far better than vivo Xplay6 or anything else I tried. Sansa Clip+ is nowhere near. The way I feel right now, I'm far more likely to ditch the Huawei phone than the Shanling DAP, because there are reasonable alternatives to the former, but not the latter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, I started following Head-fi.org's thread few weeks ago, this device looks great.
I currently own a Cowon Plenue D for more than 2 years, I'm quite happy with it: relatively small, great battery life and sound. But I'd like to have a smaller good DAP I can bring with me when I run, or simply don't want to suck smartphone's battery. I bought a Sansa Sport Clip+ (BT DAP) one year ago, crappiest DAP I ever met...
What's your battery life experience using BT head/earphones wiht this DAP ?

Hello there,
Just to share the using LDAC experience with a mate 10 pro (BLA-L29 145 (C432))
I have a Sony headsets (WH-1000XM2) and it works just fine, I'm able to use LDAC perfectly, sound is very good but you need to be close to the phone, 5m apart and it starts to break.
I know its not the same situation, but this is my experience.
Best regards.

And the volume?
Mine with my sennheiser 4.50 BT NC is very low..

Scalpos said:
What's your battery life experience using BT head/earphones wiht this DAP ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no such experience, I only use M0 as a BT receiver with wired IEM connected to it. I never even bothered to measure battery life, since it's more than two days of my regular use, i connect it to a USB port earlier than I need to charge.
sartan said:
And the volume? Mine with my sennheiser 4.50 BT NC is very low.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to control volume on your headphones, you need to set it to maximum on the DAP. The rest of it will be the responsibility of your headphones' integrated amp - if the volume's too low, then it's just not powerful enough, there is no way a bluetooth source can fix that, as it does not transmit loudness.

sadmam said:
Hello there,
Just to share the using LDAC experience with a mate 10 pro (BLA-L29 145 (C432))
I have a Sony headsets (WH-1000XM2) and it works just fine, I'm able to use LDAC perfectly, sound is very good but you need to be close to the phone, 5m apart and it starts to break.
I know its not the same situation, but this is my experience.
Best regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much indeed, because that's exactly the diagnostic step that I missed. Need to try that to locate the problem more precisely. Are you sure that the LDAC playback quality setting in your bluetooth device options was at "Optimized for audio quality"?

anton79ru said:
I have no such experience, I only use M0 as a BT receiver with wired IEM connected to it. I never even bothered to measure battery life, since it's more than two days of my regular use, i connect it to a USB port earlier than I need to charge.
If you want to control volume on your headphones, you need to set it to maximum on the DAP. The rest of it will be the responsibility of your headphones' integrated amp - if the volume's too low, then it's just not powerful enough, there is no way a bluetooth source can fix that, as it does not transmit loudness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With other smartphone is working perfectly and with strong volume.
Where is possible to maximize the volume on the DAP? Simply with volume buttons?
Thanks.

sartan said:
With other smartphone is working perfectly and with strong volume.
Where is possible to maximize the volume on the DAP? Simply with volume buttons?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would suggest that you go to the Shanling M0 thread on head-fi, there's a company representative on that forum who's very cooperative, you should describe your issue to him. I wish I could give you a hand, but my experience is limited to operating the volume wheel on the DAP.

anton79ru said:
Thank you very much indeed, because that's exactly the diagnostic step that I missed. Need to try that to locate the problem more precisely. Are you sure that the LDAC playback quality setting in your bluetooth device options was at "Optimized for audio quality"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes... it has to be... or it wont use LDAC at all... it will use APTX or something else... LDAC is only used on the setting "Optimised for audio quality".

Related

S8 Audio driver - sound altercation without root???

In all my previous phones, I've always had root for 2 things. Viper4Android (or ARISE) and Adaway. I can deal with the ads because to get to sites like couchtuner I just use the plethora of available adblock apps for the Samsung browser app. However, I cannot listen to the utter crap audio output of the S8 in its factory unrooted state.
If Viper4Android needs root access to the system partition to bypass the standard linux ALSA driver for sound adjustment, then how does Poweramp bypass it without root? See for yourself. If you use the standard (or any other music player without an EQ) and go into sound properties and adjust the software EQ under Settings --> Sounds and Vibration --> Sound Quality and Effects, the EQ changes the sound. However, if you install and run Poweramp, then when going to this EQ setting, it does not change the sound.
Here's my beef. The Samsung 'system wide' software EQ - when adjusting it, all it's doing is lowering the gain and boosting only that one frequency so your actual volume output is reduced to prevent clipping. On a rooted phone with V4A installed, this does not happen. It truly raises or lowers those specific frequencies. Does the API in Android Nougat prevent anything other than software manipulation? My main use for V4A is to use the "Dynamic System" feature to give more low end boost when the volume is not high, as well as adjusting harsh frequencies. V4A is sheer bliss on the V20. This also works extremely well in vehicles.
Your retort to this is naturally going to be "well just use Poweramp then". The problem with this is anyone that the Poweramp EQ is bound by software and even though it doesn't mess with the volume output, it's effect is terrible compared to V4A. Meaning, the 31hz slider on the EQ boosts around 50hz. The 16khz slider is more around 10khz and the 8khz band - let's not go there.
I'm trying to find out if anyone knows of any other audio application with a built in EQ that bypasses the system EQ Samsung put in the S8 that does not lower gain to try to reach the desired effect. Or suggest anything else I can try? I'm using the S8 with a pair of Westone 4R IEM's and B&O H6 cans. Any audiophile advice is welcome. I just wish I understood this more.
Thanks in advance!
Hey man, I'm in the same boat, and I have tried everything possible on my unrooted S8+, but I can find no substitute for V4A.
I'm using noozxoide-E , and set it to warm/bright, to get some boost where it needs it. I also enabled larger monitors as well.
But I can't find anything that does a clean gain boost or normalize function.
Sent from my SM-G955U using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Best solution I've found to the universally terrible Android audio problems is to get an external DAC. The Dragonfly Black 1.5 is $99 on Amazon and is plug-and play. The bonus is it works literally on any OS (desktop or mobile) and supports all audio formats including lossless. Samsung will try to redirect it to your default audio player app (in my case Neutron) but it works on any audio app you want if you ignore the notification. Basically it's the easiest way to make audio sound good on phones that haven't been rooted (yet). Works great with my Sennheiser headphones and amps the audio too. I just had to buy the USB-A to USB-C cable, which you can buy just about anywhere for cheap. For a phone that costs $800, you'd expect the internal DAC to work better.
Footnote: I bought it at a local Audiophile store on the owner's recommendation. It even works well with the Samsung bundled headphones but is more effective if you have a high-quality audio output. Hence Neutron or a high-quality streaming service.
I been stuck in this boat. Following
fantasticrat said:
Best solution I've found to the universally terrible Android audio problems is to get an external DAC. The Dragonfly Black 1.5 is $99 on Amazon and is plug-and play. The bonus is it works literally on any OS (desktop or mobile) and supports all audio formats including lossless. Samsung will try to redirect it to your default audio player app (in my case Neutron) but it works on any audio app you want if you ignore the notification. Basically it's the easiest way to make audio sound good on phones that haven't been rooted (yet). Works great with my Sennheiser headphones and amps the audio too. I just had to buy the USB-A to USB-C cable, which you can buy just about anywhere for cheap. For a phone that costs $800, you'd expect the internal DAC to work better.
Footnote: I bought it at a local Audiophile store on the owner's recommendation. It even works well with the Samsung bundled headphones but is more effective if you have a high-quality audio output. Hence Neutron or a high-quality streaming service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's funny that you bring up the Dragonfly, because I own one of them - and they are excellent external DAC's! I have always used USB Audio Player Pro and has worked great. The only problem with that is I can't have it plugged in for hours listening to it because it eats away at the battery I already have a hard enough time using. The last time I tried using a Mophie battery pack, it wouldn't power the Dragonfly, so I couldn't do that either. I actually carried spare battery in my wallet and swapped it out midday. It's just a pain is all and was hoping for a better solution.
I think what I really should do is just get a LG Q8 (which was just introduced). It's literally a LG v20 - only smaller AND has waterproofing. My only concern is having to buy a phone overseas without a warranty.
Thanks for your input, though. I'm sure a lot of people haven't thought about this as an option!
joesee said:
It's funny that you bring up the Dragonfly, because I own one of them - and they are excellent external DAC's! I have always used USB Audio Player Pro and has worked great. The only problem with that is I can't have it plugged in for hours listening to it because it eats away at the battery I already have a hard enough time using. The last time I tried using a Mophie battery pack, it wouldn't power the Dragonfly, so I couldn't do that either. I actually carried spare battery in my wallet and swapped it out midday. It's just a pain is all and was hoping for a better solution.
I think what I really should do is just get a LG Q8 (which was just introduced). It's literally a LG v20 - only smaller AND has waterproofing. My only concern is having to buy a phone overseas without a warranty.
Thanks for your input, though. I'm sure a lot of people haven't thought about this as an option!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely the Dragonfly drains battery if you use the Red. I use the Black because it actually does better with low drain (i.e., portable) headphones. Higher-powered headphones I mostly use at home anyway. The biggest trouble I've had is convincing the S8 to use Tidal instead of suggesting my default audio player (currently Neutron, which at least sounds better than other alternatives I've tried). The advantage to the T-Mobile One unlimited data plan is I can stream lossless audio, and that overcomes a lot of the issues in conjunction with the Dragonfly Black. Oddly enough, the Black seems to *increase* battery life on my Chromebook Plus because my guess is it diverts a lot of the processing effort off the Chromebook's internal hardware. It doesn't have the same longevity on my S8, but I'm considering getting a small C-to-A hub with power throughput for when I'm on roadtrips; that way I can at least charge and listen to music at the same time.
Regarding the warranty, I haven't found that the benefits are really worth it; if you're on these boards and are remotely like me, odds are you'll void the warranty as soon as someone comes out with a way to root the phone. Plus overseas phones are nearly always unlocked (my Chinese-purchased Motorola Defy worked in every country I took it to and could be rooted from the day I bought it).
Quick heads up to my solution.
I got a syncup for $44 brand new from T-Mobile, and put my 6gb free data SIM in it.
I mounted my rooted Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 with a magnetic cd mount, for quick disconnect, so I don't leave it in view when parked. I threw all my streaming apps on it with V4A installed.
Lastly, I installed DIGITS so that all my calls still come through the car's BT just like the music, and obviously I can text as well.
So I now I can stream deezer with V4A running, and it's glorious.
My S8+ is no longer connected to the car, and just sits in the cupholder.
Had to think out of the box
Sent from my SM-G955U using XDA-Developers Legacy app
So this is an interesting turn of events. I dug out my Dragonfly the other day and installed my USB Audio Player PRO (from eXtream Software) and re-installed it. I notice that now they have not only the standard EQ, but also a 5 band parametric EQ. It is an extra $2.99 add on in the application. All in, I think I paid $8 for this app and the add on.
Anyway, this in my opinion is one of the best applications for using an external DAC. BUT - one real nice feature is you can also use the application without a DAC and force the audio through the Android System. So when I pulled out the Dragonfly, plugged my cans in the 3.5mm jack on the S8 and started messing with both EQ's in tandem (without even changing any frequency sliders) I got a MASSIVE boost in gain. This was not software.. it was hardware, because it did not 'compress' the sound to boost the volume like AGC (Automatic Gain Control) found in most audio players. Once I started messing with some of the eq curves (particularly in the parametric EQ) - it is by FAR the closest rival to V4A. In fact, I'd be plenty happy with this solution - IF It worked for all audio apps (Spotify in particular - or even TuneIn).
The biggest point here is V4A can boost the gain and doesn't decrease anything (compress) to get you the adjustments you're looking for on the EQ. The gain adjustment on this Parametric EQ does the same thing. Check it out and let me know how your results are. Really wish there were a way to pipe this through other applications.
That's awesome, good find!
Sent from my SM-G955U using XDA-Developers Legacy app

All Mate 10 Pro have Crippled Bluetooth

I have noticed this is a widespread issue and I've decided to raise it. This needs to be fixed and Huawei should stop ignoring this problem. The Bluetooth is basically crippled and locked to SBC. I've tested multiple devices and all exhibited this behaviour. Why is it ignored? Are all the reviews fake?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-sifkojUqw
i read that Bluetooth options in pixel dont stick too. so it must be some wierd oreo crap. you cant even change gpu renderer. it always defaults back. best way to handle that is to chat with huawei support and check it out.
I don't use Bluetooth very much but it appears to be the same for the regular Mate 10 as well. I'm currently using my virtual desktop so I could not test if after changing the setting in developer mode does it stick after a reboot?
this confusion is due to a lack of follow-through. all oreo devices have this "issue". it's not an issue at all. if a connected bluetooth device supports these codecs, the best one will automatically be selected. it is not limited to huawei devices. this is normal and does not affect functionality. you should take down this thread so no one throws any fits for no reason.
Well mine switches to aptX automatically when I connect to aptX-compatible devices. However you are correct that I cannot manually change it in developer settings.
Further testing has shown this issue not to be an issue, I've managed to successfully connect to an APTX device and the codec was selected. Video removed. Apologies for this confusion.
perrin21 said:
Further testing has shown this issue not to be an issue, I've managed to successfully connect to an APTX device and the codec was selected. Video removed. Apologies for this confusion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't matter, it will still randomly switch to loudspeaker and the quality will still be terrible.
tr1cky1 said:
Doesn't matter, it will still randomly switch to loudspeaker and the quality will still be terrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have any issues regarding Bluetooth for now, haven't really tested aptx I think, but it worked fine otherwise. And never switched to loudspeaker or so
Sent from my HUAWEI BLA-L29 using XDA Labs
perrin21 said:
I have noticed this is a widespread issue and I've decided to raise it. This needs to be fixed and Huawei should stop ignoring this problem. The Bluetooth is basically crippled and locked to SBC. I've tested multiple devices and all exhibited this behaviour. Why is it ignored? Are all the reviews fake?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-sifkojUqw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not crippled, it's buggy.
SBC and aptX have high noise floor and specially on SBC, it causes some deformations to the Audio.
AAC is totally broken.
DeeZZ_NuuZZ said:
I don't have any issues regarding Bluetooth for now, haven't really tested aptx I think, but it worked fine otherwise. And never switched to loudspeaker or so
Sent from my HUAWEI BLA-L29 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good for you, people here all have Bluetooth problems:
https://www.android-hilfe.de/forum/...oth-problem.853624-page-19.html#post-10970173
I have no issues with my Bluetooth headphones, the Sony WH-1000NX2
The highest quality of transmission is selected automatically, LDAC, that's 990 kbit/s
It's the best Bluetooth can do in the Audio section.
The Sony headphone App confirms the LDAC connection
i am trying my friend's MDR 1000x. i tried both SBC and LDAC. Now I can't go back to LDAC. Help please
Aac not working on p20 pro, works fine on the pixel 2
Bull****.
AAC No longer works on my head unit and my Bose QC35 Headphones.
It worked perfectly before 8.0.0.128 update.
Factory Reset does not work, nothing works. It refuses to use anything else than ****ty SBC.
tr1cky1 said:
Good for you, people here all have Bluetooth problems:
https://www.android-hilfe.de/forum/...oth-problem.853624-page-19.html#post-10970173
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they are reporting issues with many devices on that forum. android has always had some issues with bluetooth. huawei is no exception. my samsung and sony devices were the best by far. i think it's because of improvements that they make to the android system.
Anyone on b142? Can you comment on if the Bluetooth audio quality is better?
Can anyone confirm if b142 solved sbc problem? I think aac is stilo broken, but sbc quality?
Kekkolekko94 said:
Can anyone confirm if b142 solved sbc problem? I think aac is stilo broken, but sbc quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Solved.
I don't have a clue what you guys talking about with all those 3 and 4 letter/digit combinations of names but i feel I've gotta share i use Bluetooth all day long for different kinds of profiles and i mean all day long, and to say this doesn't fail nearly as much as nougat did would mean i imply it does fail to a certain, however small, degree, which isn't even close to being the case, so... But i do notice the in band ringing settings don't stick just like they don't stick in my Oreo S5...
I've had Android phones since 2012 and the Huawei mate 10 pro is the only one with Bluetooth issues. Constantly dropping parts of songs when connected to my mazda 6. Infuriating to say the least. The most expensive phone I've ever had....

Audio quality drop on bluetooth

Hi everyone
Little bit lost on this and not sure if it's just me but hoping someone can help or point me somewhere. I have a s10+ UK edition. And a Samsung galaxy watch.
When I connect the phone to the car the audio is low quality and hisses a lot. When I put the watch into plane mode. Cutting it off from the phone. All is normal.
Have never seen this happen before. Any ideas?
Thanks
So you have bluetooth connected to the watch and car at the same time?
If so, my guess would be a setting in the watch for the volume of music. Or in the phone, go to settings / bluetooth / advanced / dual audio. Select it and play with the settings to setup what to do when two bluetooth audio devices are connected
ninjatiger26 said:
Hi everyone
Little bit lost on this and not sure if it's just me but hoping someone can help or point me somewhere. I have a s10+ UK edition. And a Samsung galaxy watch.
When I connect the phone to the car the audio is low quality and hisses a lot. When I put the watch into plane mode. Cutting it off from the phone. All is normal.
Have never seen this happen before. Any ideas?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had the same problem with my cheap external bluetooth to FM adapter.
Turn on Developer Options and adjust the bluetooth profile while connected to your car audio.
Having Dolby Audio set to auto might also have an impact.
Thanks for the advice but no luck so far.
The settings under developers let me change when nothing is connected but they revert back to sbc soon as I leave the menu. And they are locked out when connected.
Also dual audio does nothing.
It only has the issue when the watch is connected.
As if its taking the bandwidth.
@ninjatiger26
@theanykey asked you to change the AVRCP version.
You can only change the audio codec from the default one (SBC) to something like aptX if your receiver supports it. And yes, you can not change the codec on the fly while playing.
Titokhan said:
@ninjatiger26
@theanykey asked you to change the AVRCP version.
You can only change the audio codec from the default one (SBC) to something like aptX if your receiver supports it. And yes, you can not change the codec on the fly while playing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apologies for the delay, has been a mad few days!
Sadly changing the AVRCP didnt help on all versions.
It seems there maybe a weird one however on the codec. It reverts to SBC which from a bit of muddled googling is all my receiver supports. from non iPhone devices. However, it takes AAC if its a iphone.
Seems odd to me however they would limit it. Like i said this is from googling so maybe incorrect.
the stranger part is however i paired up a Oneplus 6 and the watch all was fine on SBC codec. its just watch and the s10+ it has an issue.
Admit very lost on this one.
I'm having the exact same issue. I've got an S10 Plus and a Galaxy Watch Active (both in the brazilian versions), and there is a noticeable crackling and loss of quality when I play music on my car stereo while the phone is connected both to the car and the watch. If I put the watch in airplane mode, the issue is gone.
Also, it only seems to happen with my car. I've tried to replicate the issue with my Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones and an Anker bluetooth speaker, but with those devices there is no noticeable loss of audio quality.
I've tried resetting bluetooth setting, messing with the codecs in developer options and pairing both devices again multiple times.
Anyone got any ideas?
Camerena said:
I'm having the exact same issue. I've got an S10 Plus and a Galaxy Watch Active (both in the brazilian versions), and there is a noticeable crackling and loss of quality when I play music on my car stereo while the phone is connected both to the car and the watch. If I put the watch in airplane mode, the issue is gone.
Also, it only seems to happen with my car. I've tried to replicate the issue with my Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones and an Anker bluetooth speaker, but with those devices there is no noticeable loss of audio quality.
I've tried resetting bluetooth setting, messing with the codecs in developer options and pairing both devices again multiple times.
Anyone got any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See if the problem persists when you only share your Bluetooth audio to your vehicle and not calls, contacts, or messages.
Outbreak444 said:
See if the problem persists when you only share your Bluetooth audio to your vehicle and not calls, contacts, or messages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tried it and still got the same issue... I've pretty much given up by now.. hoping for a future update to solve this..
Camerena said:
Just tried it and still got the same issue... I've pretty much given up by now.. hoping for a future update to solve this..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not Google it?maybe you will get a solution for this problem.
Same issue here on my s10+. When playing any audio in my car via BT i hear the distortion/hissing noise especially when the song has a higher treble frequency.
I have just about tried all fixes i could find on Google, and no luck.
When connecting to my ear buds (Jabra Elite 65t) it disappears and checked in developer mode that it supports to AAC for BT Codecs.
But when connecting to the car it reverts to SBC.
The issue clearly lies on Samsungs side, as my brother has a Huawei p30 Pro, also has bluetooth 5 and plays amazingly well in all aspects (Bass-Mids-Treble).
I know I'm posting this almost a year later, but i am desperately looking for a fix.
SN. I have recently updated my phone to Android 10, despite all the complaints to Samsung from many users... Sadly this issue has not beeing fixed on my side.
Does any of you still have the same issue?
I have the same issue with S9(android 10 ui2)
- no dou audio diable option
- bluetooth conected only to my earphones, with no car.
I’ve been a Samsung phone user since the S5 and this issue persists across all their phones since at least that one. The only real solution is to avoid the SBC codec or turn off your watch while listening to music. It will never be patched as it’s been going on for over 6 years. In the early days Galaxy phones only really used SBC so you couldn’t avoid it.
APT-X and AAC are your best options. Good luck finding those on a car system. You can easily find headphones that support them.

Abysmal Bluetooth audioquality of headphones on the mi9 lite

Hey,
I switched from the Redmi Note 4 Global to the Mi 9 lite and everything about the phone is pretty great, except the audio quality over headphones.
I am a bit shocked how terrible it is in comparison. I used my QCY T1 and the Redmi Airdots - both bluetooth - to compare and an older cable bound pair of bose truesound inears.
Issue 1:
The software equalizer just doesnt work on the mi 9 lite. You can use the dials in any music-player app without anything changing actually in the sound. I tried phonograph and poweraudio pro. When I activate the software equalizer on the RN4 the difference is instantly recognizable and I do mean instant. Everyone would notice the sound changing. On the Mi 9 lite nothing changes when I change preset, bass, surround value or even the the actual frequency values.
Issue: 2:
The sound is really low on bass and there is an ever-present hissing on higher frequencies. The whole thing sounds muddy and poor on details.
How did no one notice this of all of those reviewers? The phone is basically DOA if you use your phone listen to music in any way. It basically sounds like terrible nokia headphones they added to the phone from 2003. I cant overstate enough how terrible the sound is.
Please help me understand. This should only be a DAC issue for the cable-bound headphones (the bose ones), right? Bluetooth doesnt actually change from digital to analog, does it? So is this just a question of fixing the bug that the equalizer doesnt work?
AgathoN667 said:
Hey,
I switched from the Redmi Note 4 Global to the Mi 9 lite and everything about the phone is pretty great, except the audio quality over headphones.
I am a bit shocked how terrible it is in comparison. I used my QCY T1 and the Redmi Airdots - both bluetooth - to compare and an older cable bound pair of bose truesound inears.
Issue 1:
The software equalizer just doesnt work on the mi 9 lite. You can use the dials in any music-player app without anything changing actually in the sound. I tried phonograph and poweraudio pro. When I activate the software equalizer on the RN4 the difference is instantly recognizable and I do mean instant. Everyone would notice the sound changing. On the Mi 9 lite nothing changes when I change preset, bass, surround value or even the the actual frequency values.
Issue: 2:
The sound is really low on bass and there is an ever-present hissing on higher frequencies. The whole thing sounds muddy and poor on details.
How did no one notice this of all of those reviewers? The phone is basically DOA if you use your phone listen to music in any way. It basically sounds like terrible nokia headphones they added to the phone from 2003. I cant overstate enough how terrible the sound is.
Please help me understand. This should only be a DAC issue for the cable-bound headphones (the bose ones), right? Bluetooth doesnt actually change from digital to analog, does it? So is this just a question of fixing the bug that the equalizer doesnt work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The sound is incredibly good here on both wired and wireless headphones.
NaassomDourado said:
The sound is incredibly good here on both wired and wireless headphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm thinking of buying this phone and audio quality is important to me. Could you tell us which wired and wireless headphones have you tried?
---------- Post added at 11:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:40 AM ----------
AgathoN667 said:
Hey,
I switched from the Redmi Note 4 Global to the Mi 9 lite and everything about the phone is pretty great, except the audio quality over headphones.
I am a bit shocked how terrible it is in comparison. I used my QCY T1 and the Redmi Airdots - both bluetooth - to compare and an older cable bound pair of bose truesound inears.
Issue 1:
The software equalizer just doesnt work on the mi 9 lite.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This isn't good. Audio should be fine with good headphones without equalizer, unless your headphones require an amp. In any event, have you tried eqfy from the play store?
Have same problems. Is problem in miui?
No problems over here tho. I upgraded from a Redmi Note 4x as well but kinda forced since a very damaged screen. No problems with wired Xiaomi Mi in Ear Pro, Haylou GT1 and Audio Technica ATH-ANC700BT.
Well I did have a problem with settings since Bluetooth would become Choppy/stuttery. To fix that I had to turn off battery optimization for Spotify, YouTube and Music. Music quality seems to be decent but I can't remember stock Redmi Note 4 sounds cause Viper4Android was very sweet.
Okay, here's what I came up with after a few days of more testing:
The core issue is that the eq that comes with mp3-player apps doesnt seem to work - the dials for bass boost and surround sound are without any actual effect.
I rarely use spotify because I am oldschool and still use mp3's - so I cant say if the EQ works for spotify.
First I tried changing my country to USA and rebooted the phone and audio got way louder immediately. My Redmi 4 didnt have this BS.
Next I tried EQ-apps like "bass booster", "Equalizer FX" and one simply called "Equalizer". That kind of does the job, but is also only partially working. All of these apps come with a notification addition that give you easy access to their function. Most of them got an on/off switch there. Switching this on/off immediately makes the sound better and actually useable. BUT every other function of all of these app doesnt work. Dialing bass - doesnt work. Dialing surround - doesnt work. Selecting a reverb option like "small room" - doesnt work. Selecting a different EQ preset e.g. "Rock" doesnt change the sound one bit. Sliding the actual frequency bars up and down also doesnt work.
Also there doesnt seem to be a way to only use these apps when using bluetooth or any headphones at all. This means it ****s with the sound of the speakers. Well, who uses his speakers, you probably say now. Yeah, but it also disfigures ring tones and notification sounds. :/
Still, to emphasize again sound is better over headphones using one of these, though I dont know how exactly this works if all the dials are without an effect.
This leads me to the conclusion that the firmware of the Mi 9 Lite has a bug with its soundchip, probably in the way it can accept inputs or parameters.
barth2 said:
This isn't good. Audio should be fine with good headphones without equalizer, unless your headphones require an amp. In any event, have you tried eqfy from the play store?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is 2,99 bucks here. Is it free anywhere? Does someone own this one and can test it? Its advertized as using 10 bands - whatever this means....
ice_doritos said:
No problems over here tho. I upgraded from a Redmi Note 4x as well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well please dont say there is no problem. Try to actually use the EQ and tell me that changing the bass or surround levels does something noticable.
Navalny said:
Have same problems. Is problem in miui?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the exact same MIUI version on my redmi4 and it worked there. The only difference is the redmi had android7 and the mi 9 lite uses android 8. But I cant imagine the android version being at fault here, because then it would effect way more different phones?
AgathoN667 said:
This is 2,99 bucks here. Is it free anywhere? Does someone own this one and can test it? Its advertized as using 10 bands - whatever this means....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eqfy works for me but I'm on Android One with mi a3. Bass boost and surround and equalizer work. It has ten bands versus five bands that most equalizer apps have. It can automatically switch to a preset when you connect blue tooth or wired or disconnect. I listen to podcasts on speaker so I use it there too.
The downside is the UI is complicated and confusing and there are lots of settings in preferences and it takes a while to figure out. Because of the ten bands you pretty much have to use landscape and it's a full screen app so switching to it and switching back to another app is awkward.
You can try it and if it doesn't work get an easy refund right away within 2 hours. Beyond 2 hours you have to contact Google store and request a refund within 48 hours. Good luck
barth2 said:
I'm thinking of buying this phone and audio quality is important to me. Could you tell us which wired and wireless headphones have you tried?
---------- Post added at 11:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:40 AM ----------
This isn't good. Audio should be fine with good headphones without equalizer, unless your headphones require an amp. In any event, have you tried eqfy from the play store?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried JBL T110 and JBl Under Armour BT.
barth2 said:
Eqfy works for me but I'm on Android One with mi a3. Bass boost and surround and equalizer work. It has ten bands versus five bands that most equalizer apps have.
You can try it and if it doesn't work get an easy refund right away within 2 hours. Beyond 2 hours you have to contact Google store and request a refund within 48 hours. Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was about to try that but then read by chance that the player Poweramp also has an integrated 10 band eq. I tried that one, it seems to work fully and do what I actually want from an integrated eq. Endless options and changing levels and turning dials does something. It even has a button linking to the android build-in eq menu and activating that one there / changing stuff suddenly works as well. Has me kind of puzzled? Maybe they changed the way in Android 8 how apps have to access the build in EQ and most player apps are not configured properly yet to use it fully?
Downside to Poweramp is that it says limited trial and the full app costs 4,99€ - I guess I will just spent that cash and be done with this problem once it locks me out.
AgathoN667 said:
I was about to try that but then read by chance that the player Poweramp also has an integrated 10 band eq. I tried that one, it seems to work fully and do what I actually want from an integrated eq. Endless options and changing levels and turning dials does something. It even has a button linking to the android build-in eq menu and activating that one there / changing stuff suddenly works as well. Has me kind of puzzled? Maybe they changed the way in Android 8 how apps have to access the build in EQ and most player apps are not configured properly yet to use it fully?
Downside to Poweramp is that it says limited trial and the full app costs 4,99€ - I guess I will just spent that cash and be done with this problem once it locks me out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's good to know. With a working eq is the quality acceptable now? Comparable to your other devices? Have you tried on wired headphones?
Advantage of eqfy is it works with other apps -- Spotify, Google music, YouTube, etc. It's up to you.

LDAC Playback quality stuck on Best Effort, unable to change

I have a 4XL and have noticed that it is not possible to change the Bluetooth settings under developer settings. For example I have Sony WH1000 M3s and whilst it connects using LDAC it defaults to ‘Best Effort’ for LDAC quality settings and cannot be changed. It also will not let me choose another codec such as APTX-HD.
My understanding is that on Pixels (well for the Pixel 3 at least) that best effort results in a lower bitrate than SBC? So this is potentially crippling thre audio quality.
Anybody else noticed this? If so, any solution?
Lucky you.
I just picked up a pair of V-Moda Crossfade 2 Wireless Codex cans, and I can't get any other codec besides SBC working via the Developer options.
Yes, I have same and noticed that.
Trying to use AptX HD also doesn't stick. You can do it in Developer Options by messing with other BlueTooth settings first to match what AptX HD would allow but the next time I connect my headphones it's gone back to LDAC.
I think the main problem is Sony's Headphones app which defaults to LDAC (of course as it's Sony's proprietary codec!) and lack of controls to use other codecs and settings.
In that app I have Sound Quality preference selected at the bottom which actually may be using a better quality setting, it just isn't reflected in what you see in the Developer Options settings.
Interesting, the LDAC issue might not be fixable but maybe removing the Sony app will allow aptx-hd to be selectable?
Btw, other droids are not much better. Samsung’s do let you change the setting but revert back to best effort every time you connect. Only the P30 pro seems to remember but then Huawei have put that option into the normal settings rather than leave it buried in developer settings.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
arsenal74 said:
Interesting, the LDAC issue might not be fixable but maybe removing the Sony app will allow aptx-hd to be selectable?
Btw, other droids are not much better. Samsung’s do let you change the setting but revert back to best effort every time you connect. Only the P30 pro seems to remember but then Huawei have put that option into the normal settings rather than leave it buried in developer settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the Samsung Note 10+ 5G now allows selection of best audio quality for LDAC, but the the connection quality between the Sony XM3s and the 10+ is very poor. All pointless.
Kind of begs the question as to how much the on paper advantage android has with LDAC and APTX-HD really counts in the real world.
Honestly, irrespective of codecs I actually think iPhones sound better over Bluetooth which is a massive shame and totally unnecessary.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
arsenal74 said:
Interesting, the LDAC issue might not be fixable but maybe removing the Sony app will allow aptx-hd to be selectable?
Btw, other droids are not much better. Samsung’s do let you change the setting but revert back to best effort every time you connect. Only the P30 pro seems to remember but then Huawei have put that option into the normal settings rather than leave it buried in developer settings.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would the headphones even work without the app? I haven't tried.
Would they default to some built-in setting without the app to communicate with?
You go first!
Headphones definitely work without the app, I have used them before on a previous phone and forgot to install it.
BTW everything works as it should the P30 pro, you do not even have to go into developer settings to change it.
Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk
I'm also unable to get my 4XL into 909/990 kbps mode, but I noticed that Pixel 4 XL seems to default to 606/660 kbps mode, which is more or less comparable to aptX HD(576 kbps). And I know for a fact that this is not an issue with the headphones or the app, since I get 909/990 when I connect the same headphones to Sony's Android devices with the app installed via LDAC Bluetooth connection.
Interesting, my 4xl defaults (and is stuck in) to best effort not 660 balanced mode.
I think on Pixels best effort is circa 330 kbps
Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk
shaobocui said:
I'm also unable to get my 4XL into 909/990 kbps mode, but I noticed that Pixel 4 XL seems to default to 606/660 kbps mode, which is more or less comparable to aptX HD(576 kbps). And I know for a fact that this is not an issue with the headphones or the app, since I get 909/990 when I connect the same headphones to Sony's Android devices with the app installed via LDAC Bluetooth connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Always defaults to Best Effort here which is 330kbps for Pixel 3 according to https://www.soundguys.com/understanding-bluetooth-codecs-15352/
I can set it to something else and when I next go into Developer Options it's back to Best Effort! Same with setting the codec to something else.
Pixel 4's best effort seems to be 606/660, not 303/330. At least that's what the bug report says. If the 3 only connects at 303/330, that's gonna be a problem when using new BT5.0 stuff from Sony. They're using an MTK chip for BT5.0, so no aptX, only SBC, AAC and LDAC on BT5 stuff from Sony.
shaobocui said:
Pixel 4's best effort seems to be 606/660, not 303/330. At least that's what the bug report says. If the 3 only connects at 303/330, that's gonna be a problem when using new BT5.0 stuff from Sony. They're using an MTK chip for BT5.0, so no aptX, only SBC, AAC and LDAC on BT5 stuff from Sony.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting and encouraging, thanks for that.
That is interesting, sound guys testing of the 3 and 3a indicated 330 for best effort.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
shaobocui said:
Pixel 4's best effort seems to be 606/660, not 303/330. At least that's what the bug report says. If the 3 only connects at 303/330, that's gonna be a problem when using new BT5.0 stuff from Sony. They're using an MTK chip for BT5.0, so no aptX, only SBC, AAC and LDAC on BT5 stuff from Sony.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of interest, how have you been able to tell the bitrate it used for best effort?
*
Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk
i was under the impression that this is relative to the device you connect.
Hi All,
There is a fix. I have the Sony WH 1000mx3 headphones and the One Plus 7 pro 12/256 fully updated. Enable developer options in settings on your Android phone if you haven't already done so. Remove then reinstall the Sony connect app (your previous settings will remain after the reinstall). Follow the prompt from the Sony app to connect your headphones by bluetooth. When the headphones are connected go to settings, Bluetooth and Device connection, then Bluetooth. Under available media devices you should see your Sony WH 1000XM3 headphones active. Click the settings icon to the right. Turn off HE audio: LDAC.
Open your preferred music streaming application (Tidal) and play music, verify that the headphones are operating. Go to system, then Developer options. Under Networking scroll down to the Bluetooth settings. The Bluetooth audio LDAC Codec: playback quality has now defaulted to Streaming Optimized for Audio Quality. You can now adjust the Audio Codec, Sample rate, and Bits Per Sample to your preference. The settings will stay and won't need to be reapplied.
I hope this helps.
Acbaines
bumping this thread, because I was looking for an answer, this was the closest to it.
I decided to dump the logs with adb, and found that my Pixel 4XL, latest and greatest updates as of May 2020, is negotiating 990 LDAC, with the 1000XM3s.
I can use the dev options to push it around to 330/660/990.
No matter what setting I use prior, if I go to auto, it will negotiate to 990, which is pretty awesome. I have not tested to see if it drops off if you walk away from the phone, but given the BT range I get with LDAC, I'm assuming not.
clwclw said:
bumping this thread, because I was looking for an answer, this was the closest to it.
I decided to dump the logs with adb, and found that my Pixel 4XL, latest and greatest updates as of May 2020, is negotiating 990 LDAC, with the 1000XM3s.
I can use the dev options to push it around to 330/660/990.
No matter what setting I use prior, if I go to auto, it will negotiate to 990, which is pretty awesome. I have not tested to see if it drops off if you walk away from the phone, but given the BT range I get with LDAC, I'm assuming not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's good news, thank you for that.
How to know the bit rate is 990 using best adaptive?

Categories

Resources