[Q] sound quality of the play compared to the iphone is really bad - Xperia Play General

Hey guys
I came from being an iphone user, and one of the things I liked alot is the great sound quality it generates on all the speakers I connect it to.
Mostly I listen to my music in the car and I have a great system, now comparing the sound quality from the play to the iphone I was totally disappointed by the outcome.
In android I used almost every player ( the built in player, PowerAMP, moboplayer, QQplayer) I tried to play with the equilazier if there is one in those players.
The sound is really of low quality, the bass sucks, the sound is too sharp no warmth in listening to a song, no matter how I set up the bass or whatver I never even hit close to the qulaity i got from the iphone.
Am I missing something here, is there a better player that I should try out, or are there anything I can do in the settings?

Just tested it on my audio setup. Bass seems to be lacking a bit but the warmth seems ok. Now my audio setup is build around having little bass and warm music (took some tube rolling before I got what i liked). Maybe you could modify your audio setup to get it more to your likings?

I've been a power amp user ever since I had my old Hero.
Mostly listen to music through headphones (i have a very good set of sony in ear plugs that I use instead of the stock plugs) and I have no problem with the quality.
I've also connected up to a 2.1 logitech set I have & my X-Rocker & all have been great.

I am using power amp and it is more than fine

i also use power amp and find that with my after market sony in ear ,earphones
that the bass is loud deep and rich,
if u want to listen to music u need a player with a decent equalizer or its just not worth it

you don't need an equalizer to listen to music. why wouldn't you just listen to the song the way it's meant to sound

Why doesn't your great sound system allow you to stream over bluetooth or usb?
There will be no difference in sound quality whatever the device this way
Sent from my R800i using XDA Premium App

hykhleif said:
Hey guys
I came from being an iphone user, and one of the things I liked alot is the great sound quality it generates on all the speakers I connect it to.
Mostly I listen to my music in the car and I have a great system, now comparing the sound quality from the play to the iphone I was totally disappointed by the outcome.
In android I used almost every player ( the built in player, PowerAMP, moboplayer, QQplayer) I tried to play with the equilazier if there is one in those players.
The sound is really of low quality, the bass sucks, the sound is too sharp no warmth in listening to a song, no matter how I set up the bass or whatver I never even hit close to the qulaity i got from the iphone.
Am I missing something here, is there a better player that I should try out, or are there anything I can do in the settings?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure your stereo is as good as you think it is ? I run mine in my stereo and it sounds awesome, I threw my iphone4 out the window cause it sucked so much it was the biggest waste of money EVER! Android all the way baby!
Sent from my R800a using XDA App

Krislawl said:
you don't need an equalizer to listen to music. why wouldn't you just listen to the song the way it's meant to sound
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cause its not meant to be heard on tiny little speakers to begin with?

I can tell you the sound is bad compared to the iphone 4. I listen to 320kps mp3s and it sounds so bad!!! I'm mad bc my earphones weren't cheap($200) and with this ****ty quality, whats the point?

emann56 said:
I can tell you the sound is bad compared to the iphone 4. I listen to 320kps mp3s and it sounds so bad!!! I'm mad bc my earphones weren't cheap($200) and with this ****ty quality, whats the point?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i read a few posts that some people have problems with the sound if they use any other headphones than the stock ones from SE, so they send it back, and the exchange worked ok, maybe you have a faulty one as this guy...

emann56 said:
I can tell you the sound is bad compared to the iphone 4. I listen to 320kps mp3s and it sounds so bad!!! I'm mad bc my earphones weren't cheap($200) and with this ****ty quality, whats the point?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you people with your iphones make me laugh why did yous even bother buying a new phone if your just gonna ***** about it but then again people who own iphones think they are the top **** on the pile hahaha!!

thatsupnow said:
you people with your iphones make me laugh why did yous even bother buying a new phone if your just gonna ***** about it but then again people who own iphones think they are the top **** on the pile hahaha!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't buy my xperia play I won it in a contest. I also have the nexus s and that phone is still much better then the xperia play sound wise. I'm selling my iphone 4, android is so much better

im using the mw-600 sony ericsson bluetooth headset and the sound quality on those via the xperia play is great. I do think the iphone 4 and the ipad are on par with the arc and play though. When i put them through my logitech z680s (yes and old set up but one of the best!!) they all sound fantastic!
The original poster should send their play back though, definately something wrong there.

I've never owned an iphone but I do take my music seriously & the play sounds nice & crisp to me using poweramp.
Yes, I've tweaked with the amp.
Maybe you iphone users are just used to having your arses wiped for you !

tanquef said:
i read a few posts that some people have problems with the sound if they use any other headphones than the stock ones from SE, so they send it back, and the exchange worked ok, maybe you have a faulty one as this guy...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gonna test the stock earbuds and my $200 earbuds. Question how do I exchange a phone that I won? XD
EDIT : I'm gonna go test a model from a store that has the xperia play out and open to use. Gonna see if I can hear any difference.

guys i am sorry i posted this post, i was just new to android, and although when i posted that thread and tried using poweramp i was still nto used to using it.
After playing with the poweramp settings boy oh boy oh boy, the sound is the best i ever hear ever in my life. I can't stop listening to music in my car as that is the sound i have always dreamt of.
Guys or moderator of this forum can you please delete this thread as it was posted and I was not used to using the android yet.
PLays sound with poweramp rocks the world

hykhleif said:
guys i am sorry i posted this post, i was just new to android, and although when i posted that thread and tried using poweramp i was still nto used to using it.
After playing with the poweramp settings boy oh boy oh boy, the sound is the best i ever hear ever in my life. I can't stop listening to music in my car as that is the sound i have always dreamt of.
Guys or moderator of this forum can you please delete this thread as it was posted and I was not used to using the android yet.
PLays sound with poweramp rocks the world
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes but im also using a music streaming service so I can't do that

Related

Audio quality of the Nexus One

Hi guys,
I am a iPhone convert (have used the 2G, 3G and the 3GS currently.)
Could you guys please give objective and subjective comments about the 'line out' of the Nexus One? I hope it doesn't blow as that will be sad.
Regards,
Karan Misra
No one listens to music on their Nexus One!?
it is a mono speaker not a stereo speaker.
if you listen you should use the earbuds.
cuitao said:
it is a mono speake no a stereo speaker. so quality is not good,
if you listen you should use the earbuds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am talking about the 'line out' of the phone, i.e. using good to high end ear phones (like Shure, Sennheiser CX500, etc) through the 3.5 mm jack.
I'm waiting for mine to get in today so I can sink my Etymotic hf5 canalphones into it.
student.driver said:
I'm waiting for mine to get in today so I can sink my Etymotic hf5 canalphones into it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eagerly waiting for your feedback.
I hope it is not bad like the HD2 though HD2 scores a 10 out of 100 with 100 given to the 3GS. Speaking from personal experience (corroborating by http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_hd2-review-418p8.php... scroll down to the audio quality comparision)
KiD0M4N said:
Hi guys,
I am a iPhone convert (have used the 2G, 3G and the 3GS currently.)
Could you guys please give objective and subjective comments about the 'line out' of the Nexus One? I hope it doesn't blow as that will be sad.
Regards,
Karan Misra
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not too bad for music, I don't know what you would expect from it but as I listen to music only on the train, it's pretty good for me. one thing: the overall volume is a bit low...
Also the stock earphones suck pretty bad. they are barely good for phone calls and no bass at all.
wow fail sorry this post was BS just technical difficulties. but FYI the included headphones, tho not sounding or feeling spectacular, have a remote that has a mic and play/pause/end call and forward/backward. so that's neat .
Regular headphones that use a 3.5mm headphone connector (common to various media players, etc) will work just fine with Nexus One.
cboy007 said:
OMG BIG ISSUE. headphone dont work. like this is like the iphone or whatever. you need special headphone i think? my zune headphones wont work. the ones that come with it have the like remote thing like the iphone and so my normal headhpones wont work. i mean these headphones arent horrible quality but still my comfy zune squishy ones! ah! can anyone confirm this? btw the ones that come have THREE black bands along the connector instead of the regular 2...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something's wrong at your end bro... a issue like that won't go past Q/A you know.
swetland said:
Regular headphones that use a 3.5mm headphone connector (common to various media players, etc) will work just fine with Nexus One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried the playback? Hows the clarity, bass, and noise level?
WOW FAIL WHAT THE HECK NOW IT WORKS. htat was weird. it was defienitely in all the way before too. maybe it was because i put them in before i opened up music app...idk that was weird. anyways now my zune ones work and sound beautiful and bass-y. . i'm not an audiophile but i think these sound just as good as with my zune. woo
cboy007 said:
WOW FAIL WHAT THE HECK NOW IT WORKS. htat was weird. it was defienitely in all the way before too. maybe it was because i put them in before i opened up music app...idk that was weird. anyways now my zune ones work and sound beautiful and bass-y. . i'm not an audiophile but i think these sound just as good as with my zune. woo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats a good indicator. Any comparisons to the 3GS/HD2?
Surely geeks also listen to music
cboy007 said:
wow fail sorry this post was BS just technical difficulties. but FYI the included headphones, tho not sounding or feeling spectacular, have a remote that has a mic and play/pause/end call and forward/backward. so that's neat .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried a pair of Shure SE530s, Sony V700s and my Zune buds...all work just fine.
kido...since it seems on par with my zune as far as i can tell i'm assuming it's just as good as the 3gs...but again i'm not at all an audiophile.
I hooked my N1 up to a pair beyerdynamic DT880s and ran through a few musical styles with MP3s ripped using lame with vbr -q 0.
The jack provided enough power to power the DT880s reasonably well without an amp but I probably would not try high impedance headphones. Anything "in ear" will be fine and by the time you get to the point you would need an amp it would be a waste to use them on a phone. Sound range is fine, perhaps a bit neutral, it is not weighted heavily towards bass which some cheaper mp3 players do.
Treble is clean but perhaps a bit thin. As you get into the high end of mid range it is a little muddy (the guitar felt fuzzy in Imperfectly as an example). Over all the sound is better than the G1, the only other phone I have handy to compare real time.
Rest of the mid range down to bass is good. The bass is not overpowering but solid. Against a neutral rig I would say that the Nexus probably accentuates the lower range but not a lot. If you really want a driving beat (the physical feel) in techno then you probably would need some form of equalizer but other than that it is fine, though not powerful.
Songs used:
Reactivate by DJ Akira
Jet Pilot by System of a Down
Metabolic by Slipknot
Imperfectly by Ani DiFranco
Glory O' by Blood or Whiskey (note: lower bitrate MP3. Really did not like the blend but on ear buds it would probably be fine)
Dulaman by Clannad
Machine Screw by Type O Negative ( )
Black Box Recording by Firewater
I did not have any classical with me but if need be I can add some (or other musical style that you are interested in).
As an addendum I would note that the included earbuds are utterly craptastic. If you want to listen to music for any reason other than to drown out the background I would suggest getting better.
EDIT: for the heck of it I put in a amp and it helped the bass a bit, the rest seemed about the same. The difference was not remarkable but noticeable.
Thanks for the detailed reply my friend.
Waiting for comparoes to the iPhone line up.
So mine is finally shipped....
I will let you all know... since no one evidently listens to music here
I would rate it as just okay compared to my 3GS, not bad but not great either....
I had similar results to JP up there, i used the HD555's that i have and got a fair sound out of it... again bass wasnt overpowering but produced enough to get my head bobbin (deadmau5 was my primary artist of choice)...
i would like to see a quality equalizer app/widget/phone integration in the future since i prolly wont need to carry my ipod around anymore now that i have a phone with a proper jack

media player with equalizer?

need one. standard media player is flat as all get out. recommendations?
flat? really. i jam mine in my truck and its bassy as hell lol. have to turn down my sub somtimes to make it sound right.
Will this player handle .wav music files? or is there one that will?
extra bass doesn't mean extra good. perhaps your speaker setup is appropriate for the onboard equalizer. mine isn't. i want adjustability
timothydonohue said:
need one. standard media player is flat as all get out. recommendations?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont think there is anything decent out there as I wouldnt mind an equalizer though I would describe the output from the device as punchy and really quite dynamic. What sort of headphones or system are you plugging into it? The headphones it comes with are somewhat weak....
The Jones said:
I dont think there is anything decent out there as I wouldnt mind an equalizer though I would describe the output from the device as punchy and really quite dynamic. What sort of headphones or system are you plugging into it? The headphones it comes with are somewhat weak....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i haven't tried my closed circumaural (sennheiser 280 pro), but my sennheiser in ear buds usually sound decent enough, and are a lot less cumbersome. however, everything on this sounds completely flat. my zen has an equalizer that allows me to set everything up perfectly. much more dynamic, and appropriate for me. i have partial hearing loss :/
No EQ . Not possible with androids sdk from what i understand.
There is one application that tries this but it is horrible.
Definitely ones of my biggest peeves of android.
galaxys said:
Will this player handle .wav music files? or is there one that will?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i can confirm that the music app on board the nexus one handles wav files.
until (and if) andless handles flac files, I'm going to listen to wav files. sure, they take up quite a bit of space, but man do they sound sweet.
for what it's worth, i like the sq. that said, i use custom iems and can max out the volume with no discomfort. that definitely means that the n1 isn't the loudest dap ever.
aleitry said:
i can confirm that the music app on board the nexus one handles wav files.
until (and if) andless handles flac files, I'm going to listen to wav files. sure, they take up quite a bit of space, but man do they sound sweet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very Cool...that makes me a very happy camper!
There is an equalizer program on the market.
It's something like Platinumeq with audio player.
It works very well and has about 15 sliders to adjust as well as 30 or so presets.
However it is £18!! but worth a download and try to see if the sound can be improved, I find it pretty damn good actually.
Amdathlonuk said:
There is an equalizer program on the market.
It's something like Platinumeq with audio player.
It works very well and has about 15 sliders to adjust as well as 30 or so presets.
However it is £18!! but worth a download and try to see if the sound can be improved, I find it pretty damn good actually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean this?
http://www.androlib.com/android.application.jp-cyberfort-audioplayerwithgeqplatinum-ztCm.aspx
http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/multimedia/audio-player-witheq-platinum_bdli.html
Rashkae said:
You mean this?
http://www.androlib.com/android.application.jp-cyberfort-audioplayerwithgeqplatinum-ztCm.aspx
http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/multimedia/audio-player-witheq-platinum_bdli.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are the only ones Im aware of and they most certainly did some ass backwards hack. The sound is absolutely terrible , random skipping in songs , a resource hog even on the N1 after a day or two.
Unless you are just using stock or cheap-o earbuds the sound will get distorted badly.
Anything remotely close to quality headphones and youre going to hear alot of distortion. Wouldnt recommend at all.
dont need EQs. stock headphone are junk (sound flat). use better headphones and it will be like night and day difference in sound quality. i have like $30 dollar headphones which is cheap and they already make huge difference.
That's the one.
I found it worked rather well on my Hero?
Maybe I'm lucky or easily pleased..
kolyan said:
dont need EQs. stock headphone are junk (sound flat). use better headphones and it will be like night and day difference in sound quality. i have like $30 dollar headphones which is cheap and they already make huge difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite the contrary.
The better the headphones the more the need for an EQ.
Every headphone (and speakers for that matter) have there own characteristics. The more expansive the sound range becomes the more EQ can come into play. On top of that every user has there own preferences and there own sources of music.
Thats like saying every TV should have the same stock video presets regardless of the source.
For low end and budget headphones theres not much range to work width making EQ barely noticeable.
Amdathlonuk said:
Maybe I'm lucky or easily pleased..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol Perhaps.
Meltus here and the guys from coreplayer among others have been adamant that Google hasnt given access to the sources needed for a proper EQ.
What sucks is that Coreplayer also got shunned by Apple for the same reason. Those guys do great work yet are limited to WinMo.
I tried my set of high quality headphones with my N1, and the N1's sound is simply terrible no matter what music player is used. No dynamic range, incredibly flat sounding, no bass what so ever. This is in desperate need of an EQ no matter what. At least bluetooth stereo is better.
told ya, lol
I agree the nexus one isn't fantastic with my Ultimate Ear triple FI's, but hey it's a phone. The iphone is horrid too. When i am home I just use my Sansa Fuze to get some solid sound. If i use the nexus one(which I do), I just remember it's a phone and tolerate the worse sound. I honestly tend to use my cheaper headphones to compensate as well.
If you care about sound this much, I am sure you already have a high quality mp3 player. If you not, 75 bux will get you a 8gb fuze+16gb micro sd card, and this should suffice with limited pocket space taken!
Tried to listen to some music for the first time now, just to check out the horrid flat sound with no bass.
Launched Spotify, put on my Boss Quietcomfort 2's (granted, not the most neutral headphones around...) and selected a song with some bass etc.
Plenty of bass for my ears, even with Spotify which doesn't exactly have the highest bitrate around (160kbps mp3 or ogg, can't remember). Decent sound which couldn't be called flat even if you threw a rock at it.
Might be pre-EQ'ed a bit for all I know, but it doesn't sound bad at all.
Couldn't check out the built in media player since I deleted all the mp3's that were pre-installed on the SD-card
Even the G1 sounds better over headphones than the N1. Kinda sad.

audioquality - really that bad? will 2.2 bring some improvements?

Hey Folks!!
I´ve read a lot about the very poor audio quality with the streak...what do you "initiated" guys can tell me about this (aside from the fact that they have positioned the audiojack on the SIDE of the device )? How would you rate the possibility to use this device as my no.1 mp3 player?
Will the update that everybody is waiting for compensate this issue?
Hi brooon
Well i don't know why you think the Streak has poor audio quality as that most certainly isn't my experience of using it to play my Music on and whilst i was on 1.6 i was more than happy using the Music player that was built into the Streak as i liked the Music Widget that came with it. Since moving to 2.1 and 2.2 Custom Roms i am using Lithium Player as like the Widget options it gives and i have no need for an EQ as have never used one on any device i use.
What is far more important IMO is how well you encode your Music as using low bit rates are never going to give you great results however good the hardware may be its restricted by to little information to work with when decoding it. All my Music is kept in iTunes although bought on Cd's and then transferred to it @256kbps AAC. The second most important factor is then your in ear phones as the supplied ones with any equipment are adequate at best IMO so dependant on your budget and the sound you like to hear upgrading your in ear or head phones is the other thing that will effect the quality of what you are listening to.
I listen to at least 2 hrs a day of Music either with my Shure EC2g's in ear phones plugged directly into my Streak or using my Nokia BH-500 and streaming the Stereo via Bluetooth to the same in ear phones and the sound is nothing short of stunning IMO. It produces a rich and full sound with good separation and sound stage with no need to use an EQ as IMO you shouldn't need to boost any frequencies as thats what a producer does when recording the Music for you to listen to in the recording studio.
So in answer to your question do nothing as I'm already running 2.2 and despite now using Lithium Player for the Widget options i have no issues with the sound quality my Streak delivers whilst listening to music or watching Videos.
Marc
brooon said:
I´ve read a lot about the very poor audio quality with the streak...[...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where have you read it?
Streak has the best audio quality of all the devices I owned during last years. I was amazed when I first plugged the earphones and played some tunes.
Theres a lot of fud around.....
I'd agree with smoku it's the best (although the speaker isn't great maybe that's what he read)
I'm now using power amp for all my music needs, the eq in there really brings out the best of the sound quality on the streak... It even plays m4a and wma and can boost the sound level out of the rear speaker
This is a valid thread, thanks for starting it.
For my part I am interested in portable audiophile gear, Sennheiser IE8 with custom moulds, iBasso D10, iRiver H140, that sort of thing.
My music is encoded in FLAC and I haven’t yet tried the Streak as a music player. Possibly in part so as not to be disappointed and also I am waiting on final 2.2 or maybe even 2.3 so as to bring the platform to maturity and with it good quality media apps. The original 1.6 just seemed to be rough around the edges and with poor app support.
So the responses from Dogmann, smoku and fards are very encouraging and I shall give it go sooner rather than later.
i use the hf2,s from emotec and you need a diff player to play flac but the sound quality is ok just the standared head set that come with its pants
I think 2.2 has increased the sound quality for the speaker but still not good as HTC tilt2. The sound from earphone jack is good on both 1.6 and 2.2 for me.
im using a pair of klipsch images and the sound on my streak sounds horrible. I hear alot of popping and noise. You can even hear when the internal amp comes on when its about to start playing sound, and you can hear it turn off when sounds go off its rather noticable. I recently installed poweramp and the inbuilt eq does make the sound alot better. Maybe all our streaks aren't created equal id love to hear one that sounds good.
hi @all!!
Thanks for the comments and experiences, your impressions are really helping a lot here guys
shigga said:
I hear alot of popping and noise. You can even hear when the internal amp comes on when its about to start playing sound, and you can hear it turn off when sounds go off its rather noticable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That´s what i´ve read several times in reports that i´ve found during my googletrip ...it seems like you´re not the only one suffering under these (audio)circumstances. I must say, Im very surprised about the positive impressions here (although I´m happy to read such things )?!?
Don´t you guys hear those "poppings" and noises, too? What could be the reason for such a variety of impressions? Any idea?
This thread comes straight from the android knockers over at ilounge! i've owned both, there's no difference! i read the same stuff before i got android.
The only thing about the stereo system on the streak is the incredibly stupid placement of the headphone jack on the side of the device, meaning it sticks out sideways when in your pocket, the 'designers' even thought that you would carry the streak around in your pocket in landscape mode
tbh I'm not an audiophile, I've been a musician for way too long
never heard popping or buzz... except intentional as part of whatever I'm listening to..
My Streak does sound real good, even when listening to classical music. And I am using it straight out of the box.
Crap statement. It's not spectacular, but for a mobile phone device it's very satisfactory. I use it as a player both in my car and when I'm on the train and it sounds phenomenal.
Obviously it is not spectacular, lol. How could the sound on such a small device ever be spectacular? I was comparing it to other mobile devices (my wife's iPhone 3G, my old HTCs) and I am pleasantly surprised.
I switched to bluetooth headphones and they deliver much better sound quality, than the original streak's earplugs.
HansTWN said:
Obviously it is not spectacular, lol. How could the sound on such a small device ever be spectacular? I was comparing it to other mobile devices (my wife's iPhone 3G, my old HTCs) and I am pleasantly surprised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't mean to directly attack your statement . I'm actually agreeing with you, I think the sound quality is good on the Streak, and I'm calling the "reviewers" who said that the sound is bad on the Streak crap.
Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Its weird there is such differing opinions on it.
I've owned two and returned both for bad audio. I even had an email from the executive support team saying they're aware of an audio issue!
I just wondered whether maybe, as mine were both from the very first Carphone Warehouse batch in Brighton that I got a bum lot!?
Just tried the demo display at my local best buy and brought my earbuds and it sounded equally as bad as mine. My captivate, aria and nexus sound so much better.
shigga said:
im using a pair of klipsch images and the sound on my streak sounds horrible. I hear alot of popping and noise. You can even hear when the internal amp comes on when its about to start playing sound, and you can hear it turn off when sounds go off its rather noticable. I recently installed poweramp and the inbuilt eq does make the sound alot better. Maybe all our streaks aren't created equal id love to hear one that sounds good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my only gripe with the audio quality. If you listen at low volumes, you can hear fuzz/hiss sounds. I also can hear the amp/DAC/whatever it is turning on and off when I start/stop my music. Course, you can crank up the music to drown out the noise, but I like to be able to hear what's going on around me when i listen to music (so the yard gnomes et al can't sneak up on me.)
If you're in a reasonably quiet room, try playing some music with headphones and the volume turned all the way down to 0 (yes, zero). I can hear audio noise over the sound of my apartment heater blowing air around.
side note: I've confirmed this with the earbuds that came with the streak, as well as a set that came with my old iphone. i'm guessing if you have less sensitive headphones, this will be less of a problem cause you'll be pushing the audio out at higher volume levels.
After the encouraging observations here I decided to finally check out the sound quality for myself. My reference portable rig is a pair of Sennheiser IE8’s with custom ear moulds, iBasso D10 Headphone amplifier with an optical digital interconnect to an iRiver H140.
The music I like tends to be recorded as low-fi, e.g. The National, Bon Iver, Cymbals Eat Guitars. Last night I loaded up a selection of Calexico on both the Streak and iRiver. While these are clean recordings they are certainly not Hi-Fi reference standard, you know, the sort of stuff that is used to demonstrate high end audiophile equipment.
Basically my subjective comparison is just me listening to the sort of music that appeals. The cognoscenti over at Head-Fi may well have finer tuned ears and a more analytical framework and disagree of course.
I approached this with some trepidation bracing myself for a degree of disappointment in the Streak as a music player. No way did I expect what I found.
To summarise, given the choice of listening to the iRiver/iBasso rig or the Streak I would probably select the former. However I would be hard pressed to actually explain why. Perhaps because it has the ability to go louder - though the Streak is quite loud enough.
TBH after a couple of hours listening to the same tracks back and forth on both devices, I couldn’t discern any difference. Dell has really come through on this device in so many ways.
Kudos also to PowerAmp which is a joy to use and a bargain at $5.
For reference, the last time I performed this exercise was to compare with my old iPhone 3GS and there was no doubt then that the iRiver/iBasso was superior. I can’t say the same with the Streak, the best I can manage is ‘neck and neck’.
I am sorry for those who are having audio problems but this shouldn’t be so and your device could be faulty.

Audio (Music) quality on Headset

Hi everyone;
I am almost decided on doing away with my SE x10i for Desire HD. But I also have HD7 and iPhone4 on my mind.
My basic requirement is a cell phone with a good video quality (to watch movies/videos) and good audio quality (to enjoy music on). From what I have heard DHD has good video quality, worth watching videos/movies on, but I want to know how good is DHD's music quality on Head Sets? (I know it isn't much impressive with the speakers).
I really used to love the audio quality on my iPhone3G. Later I bought x10i which basically is not a good device for music. The reason I don't want to go for iPhone4 is small screen. To simply put how good is DHD compared to iphone series when it comes to music? & also is it any better then x10i?
For me, the DHD has great audio quality, I use a pair of Sennheiser CX500,very cheap and excellent quality, comparable to Shure plugs (so I've read). As a music player I use PowerAmp and together the sound quality is very good, even with the stock player. Music quality is important to, but I'm not an audiophile. Before I had a Samsung Omnia HD and SE W960i walkman phone and the DHD definitely has the best audio quality.
Audio is better than iPhone 3gs
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Thanks guys;
I think DHD it is then.
I just pray and hope I don't regret buying it like I did with x10i.
The sound should definitely be better than x10, but I don't think it will be better than iphone. Check the review on "gsmarena.com"
They talk about stereo crosstalk problems with headset on. The frequency range is good, but according to them the stereo crosstalk with headset is quite bad. I myself haven't listen to music that much and anyway I use the original HTC headset that comes with the phone. It's probably not the best option so can't really judge the audio quality, but for me and my needs it's enough.
I tried using my Sony XB700 headphones, and i must say that i'm very pleased with the sound quality! I'm almost about to ditch my Zune HD
While people are moaning no end about the speaker (which is not really that bad at all), the headphones quality (tested with the standard HTC headphones) is really impressive.
I would imagine its second to none with some decent headphones. Impressed.
XmUrF said:
The sound should definitely be better than x10, but I don't think it will be better than iphone. Check the review on "gsmarena.com"
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Click to collapse
That would definitely be a disappointment, but if it is any better then the x10i I think it would do. X10i simply $uck$.
After I saw review on gsmarena, I'm worried about sound quality too. I guess digits don't lie, but I still can't believe in such poor result. Too bad that I can't test it anywhere, it's really impossible for me to find a place where I can put my hands and ears on DHD.
So any opinions will be helpful.
Actually while being unsatisfied with the external speakers, I'm really amazed by the sound quality through headphones/earplugs.
I use Sennheiser CX300II in-ear plugs, and can't say otherwise that I'm really pleased with the soundquality, especially compared to my old N95.
Luki3d said:
After I saw review on gsmarena, I'm worried about sound quality too. I guess digits don't lie, but I still can't believe in such poor result. Too bad that I can't test it anywhere, it's really impossible for me to find a place where I can put my hands and ears on DHD.
So any opinions will be helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like we both are on the same boat now. Only way is to actually buy DHD and check it out. In my case I may have little to lose as I am sure it has better audio quality then x10i. Even if not it is over all better then x10i. I'll update in few days when (or if) I get DHD.
I too was impressed by the stock headphones that came with the phone, although they were lacking in bass they were very clear. I've got a pair of Sennheiser HD 485 home theater cans which i've tested the phone out with and i'm very pleasantly surprised, i've tried both stock music player and power amp and both sound great no complaints at all.
one of my friends got a vodafone one here in aus ....meanwhile im still waiting for my sim free one from handtec :\
anyway they used to have an iphone and both the DHD and the iphone sound average to me the DHD is probably above the iphone when it comes to clarity and EQ modes let you change it more than you can on the iphone where your limited to premade presets which just are ...meh the dolby really adds bass tho but still seems a bit artificial and sometimes the mids seemed a bit to harsh,
but on the whole both iphone and DHD have nothing on my cowon S9 so im not ready to stop carrying a dedicated player just yet, once my DHD arrives
headphones i used were Jays Q-jays dual armature IEM's
so yeah its ok but its not as good as dedicated devices
just listening to some test tracks now with my RE0's, ultrasone 780's and sennheiser mx760's.
its not bad, but my god it has A LOT of bass. the mids sound thin and artificial, but the treble is not too bad. its certainly better than the 2nd gen ipod touch, and i'd put it close to the iphone 4. if the mids didnt sound so....cheap it would be as good as the iphone 3GS/4.
it could sound better but its not bad. dropping the mids helps slightly, which can be done in power amp but not in the basic android player. the rock EQ preset helps a bit though. with this it sounds very close to the iphone 4.
dolby mobile sound is TERRIBLE. sounds like you've swallowed a sub woofer and put your head in a cardboard box. SRS is just trying to deafen you with harsh horrible artificial sound. avoid them two.
I think what you're saying marries up nicely to the GSMarena review.
To the OP: If sound quality is very important to you, and your ears can actually tell good sound quality, then I don't think this is the handset for you (unless its considerable other benefits outweigh that for you, but from your original post I'm not sure they do).
Potential Buyer said:
Thanks guys;
I think DHD it is then.
I just pray and hope I don't regret buying it like I did with x10i.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did regret buying an x10i, and I don't regret buying this. Great phone. Speaker is a little lame but very nice with headphones.
| Sent from my LeeDroid Desire HD |
NZtechfreak said:
To the OP: If sound quality is very important to you, and your ears can actually tell good sound quality, then I don't think this is the handset for you (unless its considerable other benefits outweigh that for you, but from your original post I'm not sure they do).
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Click to collapse
Well ... all I want is sound quality that is at least equivalent to my old iPhone 3G, if not any better. That's all. I am not looking for a dedicated music player on a cell phone. I would go for iPod if I were. Would cost me much less.
I am also looking for good video quality to watch videos/movies on while traveling. This puts DHD on top of my list. Other alternative for me is iPad - but the hectic it carries when it comes to converting videos files to mp4 just kills it for me. Plus I want something that fits into my pockets.
Well, honestly, .mp4 files play and look quite good on dhd. However beware, not everything plays OK with the internal player and rock player is good only for .avis. Anything heavier and it struggles.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
XmUrF said:
Well, honestly, .mp4 files play and look quite good on dhd. However beware, not everything plays OK with the internal player and rock player is good only for .avis. Everything heavier and it struggles.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well as long as it plays .mp4 and .avi in good resolution I have no issues. The x10i plays DVD quality files in .mp4 format pretty well, so I guess DHD can do so also(?). HTC has been promoting the device as good for movies.
Potential Buyer said:
Well as long as it plays .mp4 and .avi in good resolution I have no issues. The x10i plays DVD quality files in .mp4 format pretty well, so I guess DHD can do so also(?). HTC has been promoting the device as good for movies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is good for movies. With Rock Player you can play any .avi file (well at least I haven't found one that can't be played). mp4 files however you can play only with the default player (with rock player's software decoding it's unwatchable) and the default player doesn't play every .mp4 file out there.

[Q] audio quality through headphones?

hows the audio quality of the phne as i will be using it as my main my3 player so i wont have to carry around a bunch of devices but hows it sound when listining to mp3 files.also give it a rating on a 1-10 scale! thanks
kanametosen007 said:
hows the audio quality of the phne as i will be using it as my main my3 player so i wont have to carry around a bunch of devices but hows it sound when listining to mp3 files.also give it a rating on a 1-10 scale! thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently got rid of my iPod touch and now I'm using this full time and it's on par with my iPod touch, which I thought was great. To my ear i'd give it a 9.
I am a fan of all in one devices and I don't really have anything to compare against besides an old Sansa MP3 player. But I use mine with the UE TripleFi 10. And they sound great. The only negative I have of this device is their is no built in support for FLAC files. I am using andless for FLAC which is ok for now.
Oops! Forgot to rate it. But I would give this thing a 9. Only because it doesn't have built in support for flac and no equalizer. But that is just my opinion.
Its bad...as in anything else is waaaay better. I had an iPhone before this, and the mt4g don't even come close. First I thought it was the headphones, but plugged in a receiver it sounds like there's a blanket in front of the speakers.
I had a g2 afterwards, that was an improvement. Now I'm trying a Vibrant, which is better that the other 2, but still can't touch the iPhone when it comes to sound quality. That's weird, cause last time I checked the audio hardware on iPhones was made by Samsung.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
It sounds better than my iPod. Really pleasantly surprised as I didn't expect to use this as an iPod replacement, but with how great it sounds and the convenience of only carrying one device has me switch. I also like how you don't have to unlock the device to change the volume (the volume up/down buttons work even with the screen off) and I like how the lock screen shows the current song as well as pause, skip forward, and skip back when a song is playing. All in all I think its great.
I think sound quality is awful unless you're on CM and able to use DSP.
On stock rom: Sound quality - 3, features - 8
CM Rom: Sound quality - 7, features - 9.
Does that help?
I would also say this phone is at a 9 for sound quality, but I use PowerAMP (without any EQ settings) with my Etymotics or Sony earphones, along with my Sony MDR-V6 headphones. I've had the 3rd gen and 5th gen iPods, and this sounds at least as good as them (better, actually). I've had a variety of portable players (Sony and JVC portable CD players, and MP3 players back to my Diamond RIO PMP300) and I've found the G2 and myTouch 4G to be wonderful. I will say that there is a slight difference in sound quality between the stock Media Room app and PowerAMP, but I'm not sure why since I was under the impression PA used the stock CODECs for MP3s. I think PA will play FLAC though, if that helps.
I really don't get all these people saying g the sound quality is awesome. Not trying to be a douche, but I am a musician and sound engineer, I found the quality of the audio playback on the mt4g to be awful.
If you pay attention to it, you'll hear a lot of white noise on the upper frequencies whenever there's audio playback. It actually comes up bout a second before the audio starts.
For the people saying it's better than an iPod, do a blind test through a receiver.
I'm glad to hear the sound improves with custom roms.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
The OP asked for opinions, and you've already stated yours. Negating the opinions of others does, in fact, start pushing you into "douche" territory. Maybe it's better to just let the other people in the audience (who may also just happen to be engineers and know pro audio people) state their opinions.
If you like, maybe he should state the expected noise floor of the surroundings, along with a specific range of support and any bias(es) he's looking for or against. Or maybe, just maybe, we should accept that this person is HERE looking for opinions (in this demographic) and not in the head-fi forums looking to hook this up to a tube amp with his favorite Grados. You know, just sayin'...

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