Database Users

[Q] Audio Quality over HEADPHONES

Hi all play owners,
I am a prospective PLAY owner, evaluating certain features. One of the feature that I use quite often is to listen music.
Please provide your feedback on the audio quality for the purpose of listening music using headphones on xperia play.
Thanks,
Linkrinf

The better the headphones the better the quality, im using quite an expensive pair of sony hedphones and sound quality is excellent.
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk

actually, i was referring to gsmarena review which scared me off when they mentioned this
Quote:
The only problem we had with it is the stereo crosstalk, which spikes intensly when you plug in a pair of headphones. The distortion levels increase too in that scenario, but they still remain tolerable.
btw, which sony headset do you have?

linkrinf said:
actually, i was referring to gsmarena review which scared me off when they mentioned this
Quote:
The only problem we had with it is the stereo crosstalk, which spikes intensly when you plug in a pair of headphones. The distortion levels increase too in that scenario, but they still remain tolerable.
btw, which sony headset do you have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i havent noticed any distortion, bear in mind though i usually use my headphones with a BT receiver not plugged directly into the device, i have these headphones btw
http://www.sony.co.uk/product/hps-extra-bass-and-dj/mdr-xb40ex

I am using a pair of Sennheiser CX400II's and the quality is amazing, I haven't noticed any distortion or volume issues.
I was also using the Sony WM600 bluetooth headphones, again the sound is great on those with the stock headphones that come with it.

external speaker

Hello
I m looking for an external speaker for a500.
I listen radio over network and i tried a pc speaker with jack 3.5, but the sound is not so correct.
Have you experience with a good speaker ?
TIA

Does it sound like its overpowering until you turn the iconia down then the speakers up?
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App

no, there a little more loundness ever if i set bass to low under aqualiser

i had to actually use an EQ with the dolby. thats how it evens it out for me.

I will try to connect it with HDMI cable to an ampli to have a look if there is a better sound

I found that ONKYO HTX 22HDX or YAMAHA YPS600 to connect my tablett with hdmi connector.
Do you think it's a good way to listen radio over internet and better than an external speaker with jack connection ?

I have the x-mini 2 and they sound good for me and they last me like 10 hours with one charge check them out you might like them to.

I'm using the akai isound that I got for free couple years ago. It sounds great! I'm not sure if they still make them.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

N4 earphone jack problems

Hi guys, I just got my nexus 4 today. My friend brought it down to India from the US and so far I love everything about the phone. Its absolutely stunning but I did notice this one issue and just wanted to see what everyone thought about it.
The phone speakers work absolutely fine but when I plug in any earphones, the sound quality is screwed up. I can't hear lyrics of songs and the music seems to be missing an entire section of it. I think the mids aren't heard all. Even the ringtones and SMS tones sound weird with the earphones plugged in. And another odd bug is that sometimes when I plug in the earphones, the phone spontaneously opens voice search. Or when I select a ringtone or notification tone, voice search just opens.
Has anyone else had this issue? And do you think its a hardware problem or a software bug. All I did with the phone was unlock and root it so far. I really hope it isn't hardware cuz I don't even live in the US and sending it in for warranty is unrealistic.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Have you tried a second set of headphones or speakers? It sounds like the headphone connector is not making a proper connection. I've found that the jack on the N4 is quite tight. I have a 3.5mm cable that won't click in properly but all my headphones fit fine.

Yes I tried 2 sets so far and the same thing happens. And these earphones work perfectly on other phones.
I just noticed another bug. Voice search can't recognize what I'm saying with the earphones plugged in. But it works fine without earphones.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

tatltael said:
Yes I tried 2 sets so far and the same thing happens. And these earphones work perfectly on other phones.
I just noticed another bug. Voice search can't recognize what I'm saying with the earphones plugged in. But it works fine without earphones.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could be a faulty jack.
Since it works fine on speaker mode, and the headphones work fine with other phones, thats the only thing I feel that could be wrong with it.

So it should be a pretty minor thing to fix then, right? It couldn't be a serious problem like a sound card/chip problem or something worse?
If its just an earphone jack connection error I don't mind waiting for the nexus 4 to launch here in India and just paying the service center to fix it since it should be cheap and I rarely listen to music on my phone anyway.
If it could be a serious issue then I should probably mail it to the US to have it fixed :/
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Are you by any chance trying the earphones with mic?

Yes both of them had mics. But why should that be an issue?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Yup, that's probably the issue. Take my example, I have two Motorola phones i.e. Defy+ and Electrify. Their earphones are not compatible to each other and gives the same issue mentioned by you.
Try connecting an earphone without mic, it would be fine.
--
As there are two types of earphones with mic available, you'll have to try different ones to find one which is compatible. For me, the earphones + mic for iPhone works fine on my Electrify but not on my Defy+

OK thanks. Let me try this out on earphones that don't have a mic. I don't have any around so I'll have to go borrow a friend's.
By the way. The earphones I used were the Samsung galaxy s2 ear buds and a superdry headset with built in mic
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

If it sounds all whishy washy and is missing complete frequency ranges that could mean the channels are crossing over into each other.
I really do think it's a faulty headphone jack.

this happens to me with s2 and lg 2x headphones
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda app-developers app

OK I just tested the phone on my friend's speakers and the audio output is fine. Guess it was just those earphones that it wasn't working with.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

u were having a problem because there are two standards of the 3.5mm jack... one is what apple does, which was actually wrong but has now been accepted as the correct standard :| ...companies like Sony used the global standard up till the Xperia Arc of 2011, but with their 2012 phones they switched to the format apple uses....the difference is in the configuration of the rings, specifically when theres an inline mic included with the headset....u can test thing by playing a song through the headphones, when u hold the button on the headphones, the sound will become ok...

tatltael said:
OK I just tested the phone on my friend's speakers and the audio output is fine. Guess it was just those earphones that it wasn't working with.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which are the headphones which didnt work and the one which did work?

I've had headphone jack problems with both my Android phones before the N4 -- in particular, Pandora would prematurely skip to the next song because it interpreted some contact bounce or some such from the headphone jack as a button press. With the N4, I've noticed that if I'm watching a video using headphones (plain headphones, no microphone or controls) and rotate the plug in the jack, voice search will pop up. I think the Android software that detects button pushes on a headphone control is too sensitive.

It didn't work using the galaxy s2 earphones and Superdry headphones. Both of em have mics.
It worked with my friend's Sony xperia s earphones and with some random speakers.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Are the earphones supposed to go in at an angle? (Can't believe I never noticed this before)
It looks weird, never had a phone that does that.
Also, where is the headset icon?
Its the only phone I've had that shows no differences from having earphones plugged in.
Also, earphone volume isn't that loud at all, can anyone confirm?
seems a lot quieter through the earphones when compared to my One-X although rear speaker is nice and loud (and clear too!)
Your thoughts?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

I thought the earphones volume was pretty low as well. I hope it can be fixed with a software patch or mod
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Punkid said:
u were having a problem because there are two standards of the 3.5mm jack... one is what apple does, which was actually wrong but has now been accepted as the correct standard :| ...companies like Sony used the global standard up till the Xperia Arc of 2011, but with their 2012 phones they switched to the format apple uses....the difference is in the configuration of the rings, specifically when theres an inline mic included with the headset....u can test thing by playing a song through the headphones, when u hold the button on the headphones, the sound will become ok...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for this excellent explanation. I had exactly the same problem with my Sony MH650 headset. I already thought my headphone jack was faulty.
And thanks Apple for bringing up this "standard".
---------- Post added at 07:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:11 PM ----------
chrisjcks said:
Are the earphones supposed to go in at an angle? (Can't believe I never noticed this before)
It looks weird, never had a phone that does that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, special N4 design.

shure
i hope my shure will work, this things cost more than a phone
just kidding.
i guess i will now pay more attention while watching youtube reviews and correcting autors when they say: "it has standard 3.5mm headphone jack"

Sony still wont learn about sound output

I've owned the Z1, and the Z1 Compact. Now I'm hearing Z2 has the sale volume/crackly output.
I wear an earphone plugged directly into my phones jack when I talk and drive, and the audio quality on every sony phone is TERRIBLE. Crackly, distorted sound and every time the mic on the earphone touches any part of my shirt it cuts out all volume. I've tested this with 6 other android phones and no problems. Strangely though Windows Phone also suffers from this problem. Also audio output through a 3.5mm aux cable into the car produces extremely quiet sound on the highest volumes.
How has Sony not fixed this? I feel like this is bush league stuff.

TheNamelessMan said:
I've owned the Z1, and the Z1 Compact. Now I'm hearing Z2 has the sale volume/crackly output.
I wear an earphone plugged directly into my phones jack when I talk and drive, and the audio quality on every sony phone is TERRIBLE. Crackly, distorted sound and every time the mic on the earphone touches any part of my shirt it cuts out all volume. I've tested this with 6 other android phones and no problems. Strangely though Windows Phone also suffers from this problem. Also audio output through a 3.5mm aux cable into the car produces extremely quiet sound on the highest volumes.
How has Sony not fixed this? I feel like this is bush league stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Z2 arrived today, it does NOT have that problem....go figure

My Z1 sounds awesome together with my MDR1 headphones, never had a better sound on a phone
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Free mobile app

Publicglutton said:
My Z2 arrived today, it does NOT have that problem....go figure
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you're telling me when you plug in earphones directly into the jack, there is no change in sound, no crackling audio, no clarity or volume issues at all? Try plugging those same earbuds into another modern android phone or iphone and you'll hear zero interference or crackling issues.

TheNamelessMan said:
I've owned the Z1, and the Z1 Compact. Now I'm hearing Z2 has the sale volume/crackly output.
I wear an earphone plugged directly into my phones jack when I talk and drive, and the audio quality on every sony phone is TERRIBLE. Crackly, distorted sound and every time the mic on the earphone touches any part of my shirt it cuts out all volume. I've tested this with 6 other android phones and no problems. Strangely though Windows Phone also suffers from this problem. Also audio output through a 3.5mm aux cable into the car produces extremely quiet sound on the highest volumes.
How has Sony not fixed this? I feel like this is bush league stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you check your source material of what you're listening to? It may be compressed on the high end.
And owning Z1, Z1 Compact and now the Z2 is kind of unbelieveable if you just want to come in an trash the Z2. (Not that I'm accusing you of this but I would have posted this issue on this forum if it was discovered on the Z1)

Publicglutton said:
My Z2 arrived today, it does NOT have that problem....go figure
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lolento said:
Can you check your source material of what you're listening to? It may be compressed on the high end.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm talking about listening to spotify on extreme quality over a 4G LTE connection, or simply speaking to somebody while driving hands free.
I had an HTC ONE and plugging in the same iphone headphone into it it sounds like im speaking on a landline with no interference or static at all. Every sony phone ive used experiences this, it's very strange.

TheNamelessMan said:
So you're telling me when you plug in earphones directly into the jack, there is no change in sound, no crackling audio, no clarity or volume issues at all? Try plugging those same earbuds into another modern android phone or iphone and you'll hear zero interference or crackling issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is correct..
I have the digital noise cancelling headset (MDR-NC31EM) and there is NO crackling..NO issues at all.
Totally agree with krabappel2548 , fantastic sound quality..:laugh:

I used the Bose noise cancelling headset and it's awesome. No issues. One thing i noticed, with the case you have to be sure the earphone jack is seated properly.

TheNamelessMan said:
I'm talking about listening to spotify on extreme quality over a 4G LTE connection, or simply speaking to somebody while driving hands free.
I had an HTC ONE and plugging in the same iphone headphone into it it sounds like im speaking on a landline with no interference or static at all. Every sony phone ive used experiences this, it's very strange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have Spotify so I don't know what it means in terms of extreme quality. They could be upsampling a bad source and call it extreme quality.

Lolento said:
I don't have Spotify so I don't know what it means in terms of extreme quality. They could be upsampling a bad source and call it extreme quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spotify extreme quality = 320kbps encoding. The best you can get for streaming right now.

No problems here, the noise cancelling headphones are excellent too,

I had that same crackling on my Lumia 800, I could hear it when on low volume or on pause, really annoying.
I think most people just don't notice.

@krabappel2548 Give us some AOSP love mate
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

waynekirby said:
@krabappel2548 Give us some AOSP love mate
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will do that soon
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Free mobile app

TheNamelessMan said:
I've owned the Z1, and the Z1 Compact. Now I'm hearing Z2 has the sale volume/crackly output.
I wear an earphone plugged directly into my phones jack when I talk and drive, and the audio quality on every sony phone is TERRIBLE. Crackly, distorted sound and every time the mic on the earphone touches any part of my shirt it cuts out all volume. I've tested this with 6 other android phones and no problems. Strangely though Windows Phone also suffers from this problem. Also audio output through a 3.5mm aux cable into the car produces extremely quiet sound on the highest volumes.
How has Sony not fixed this? I feel like this is bush league stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have sound problem, he had mic problem, I m had camera overheat problem. Sony details make the problem.
sent from my sm-n9005 samsung

Never notice any cracking sound on my z, z ultra, nexus 10 nor lumia 525.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Free mobile app

Yh i have the same issue on my Z1. I checked with CM11 or AOSP and there is no crackling in low volume so this is definalty not a hardware problem.
To reduce this Crackling sound while ising Stock i download a custom Kernel like DoomLord's and use Pimp My Z1 (or any app you prefer) to turn down the gain the in the sound options. The downside is that the volume becomes lower. This method doesnt get rid of it completely but it does reduce it. I honestly dont even bother with stock anymore i just use CM11 or PA on my Z1.
BTW i think this Noise is called Sibilance. G3 users are experiencing the same problem.
Also turning off ClearAudio+ reduces the crackling sound.

Cracking insinuates that there is a popping noise. I hear none. As far as noise, yes. There is a faint hiss at low volume, extremely faint. Sony isn't exactly a leader in SNR but the audio isn't necessarily bad. Anyone who is using ClearAudio+ (which is total s***) shouldn't even comment on audio issues, definitely turn that off. Clear Phase on the old 4.2.2 ROM caused some definite extreme distortion and cracking over Bluetooth (but not the headphone jack) but that has been removed in the new ROM.
Sibilance is the hiss sound you hear when people make "S" sounds into the microphone. It can be really harsh, but usually reducing frequencies around 4-6KHz will reduce the problem. Sibilance is extremely prevalent in analog FM Radio.

I currently have an issue where sometimes I only get sound out of one of the noise cancelling headphones. I have to rotate the headphone socket in the jack to get sound to come out of both. Sometimes I also get crackling on my e10s when the phone is in my pocket. I think I have a faulty headphone jack as the MDR1 work perfectly on my Z3TC.
Speaking with Sony UK they asked me to do a repair on the phone which seemed to help a little but the problems still exist. I expect my headphone socket has some damage or has become faulty.

Iv noticed that when i plug in my phone to the soundsystem i have to crank the volume up allot higher to get the same soundlevel out of the spekers as other phones. Anyone have a solution to get the volume up out of the phone? (3.5mm output)

FIX: Low headphones volume & some headphones not working (i.e. Bose)

Hello Sony fans!
Below is the workaround for the low headphones volume caused by Xperia’s notorious low jack voltage output. This solution will also allow you to use the headphones that previously worked with Xperia’s but stopped working on XZ Premium or iPhone headphones.
This is a UK centric guide but will also work if you can get hold of the HTC adapter in your country. Other adapters might also work but this one has confirmed high quality DAC and has been tested by myself.
Unfortunately this fix will cost you some money albeit very little (£5.95). Another downside is that you’ll have to use USB-C dongle instead of jack output for audio so you won’t be able to charge the phone and listen to music at the same time.
Step 1: Sign up to HTC Club which will give you a 35% discount
www.htc.com/uk/newsletter/
Step 2: Purchase USB-C to audio jack dongle
http://www.htc.com/uk/accessories/usb-c-digital-to-3-5mm/#!pid=htc-u11
Step 3: Give Sony a disapproving look for including low quality amp in their Premium £600 phone causing low voltage jack output. Then enjoy better quality sound and massively increased volume!
As mentioned earlier, by using the dongle you’ll also be able to use your headphones that stopped working on XZ Premium (i.e. Bose iPhone earbuds).
Let me know if that works for you and enjoy better quality and louder audio!

Ahem. - https://forum.xda-developers.com/xz-premium/accessories/low-volume-headphones-solution-t3672401
But i do agree.

jms.flynn said:
Ahem. - https://forum.xda-developers.com/xz-premium/accessories/low-volume-headphones-solution-t3672401
But i do agree.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops! Sorry, didn't mean to take the glory I honestly didn't know about this post! I got HTC U11 for my wife and discovered it while setting it up.
I was actually looking for the solution to my Bose earbuds not working on XZ Premium and the loudness was an unintended consequence.

Sensination said:
Hello Sony fans!
Below is the workaround for the low headphones volume caused by Xperia’s notorious low jack voltage output. This solution will also allow you to use the headphones that previously worked with Xperia’s but stopped working on XZ Premium or iPhone headphones.
This is a UK centric guide but will also work if you can get hold of the HTC adapter in your country. Other adapters might also work but this one has confirmed high quality DAC and has been tested by myself.
Unfortunately this fix will cost you some money albeit very little (£5.95). Another downside is that you’ll have to use USB-C dongle instead of jack output for audio so you won’t be able to charge the phone and listen to music at the same time.
Step 1: Sign up to HTC Club which will give you a 35% discount
www.htc.com/uk/newsletter/
Step 2: Purchase USB-C to audio jack dongle
http://www.htc.com/uk/accessories/usb-c-digital-to-3-5mm/#!pid=htc-u11
Step 3: Give Sony a disapproving look for including low quality amp in their Premium £600 phone causing low voltage jack output. Then enjoy better quality sound and massively increased volume!
As mentioned earlier, by using the dongle you’ll also be able to use your headphones that stopped working on XZ Premium (i.e. Bose iPhone earbuds).
Let me know if that works for you and enjoy better quality and louder audio!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does any music app and music source like YouTube work with this setup or are you having to use a specific app like USB audio +?
Sent from my G8142 using Tapatalk

psawjack said:
Does any music app and music source like YouTube work with this setup or are you having to use a specific app like USB audio +?
Sent from my G8142 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, all audio output works. Just checked it now[emoji5]
Sent from my G8141 using Tapatalk

Sensination said:
Yeah, all audio output works. Just checked it now[emoji5]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay thanks for checking!