Database Users

Audio Codec

As anyone been reading Supercurio's tweets regarding the SGS2 audio codec? The prototype information showed that the sgs2 has a much weaker audio codec that can no where near match that of the original sgs
I hope they have changed it in the release because I don't wanna have to keep sgs just for music
Voodoo sound is one of the major highlights!

If galaxy 2 doesnt have the same or more audio quality than the first galaxy or an iphone, I will insta-cancel my preorder.
I am moving from HTC because of sound quality, not going to get another crappy sound phone.

Galaxy sound quality isnt that great until you get voodoo sound.. Then its like WOW
Surely samsung wouldnt go back? They used the good codec in the nexus s, galaxy, tab etc... why make such a flagship phone with a weaker audio... Specially considering the success of voodoo sound..

Galaxy S II is using the YMU818B MC1N audio codec from Yamaha.
Source: Supercurio
I don't know if it's better, but it better be, cause I was really hoping for that perfect audio quality from SGS2.

Now maybe this is a dumb question:
What exactly are you talking about? The sound which you get using headphone's on or the quality of music playing on the phone's loudspeaker?

XDA mark said:
Now maybe this is a dumb question:
What exactly are you talking about? The sound which you get using headphone's on or the quality of music playing on the phone's loudspeaker?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can be referred to both, but mostly to headphones here.

im very interested in finding more info about this.
Nice thread OP.

Ohh please dont say this is true I thought they would use the same Wolfson DAC as the original, hopefully this will sound as good!

nikzDHD said:
Ohh please dont say this is true I thought they would use the same Wolfson DAC as the original, hopefully this will sound as good!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe even better, who knows? Fingers crossed.

Guitarfreak26 said:
As anyone been reading Supercurio's tweets regarding the SGS2 audio codec? The prototype information showed that the sgs2 has a much weaker audio codec that can no where near match that of the original sgs
I hope they have changed it in the release because I don't wanna have to keep sgs just for music
Voodoo sound is one of the major highlights!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Supercurio tweeted that the sound chip in SGS2 is supposed to be better
than in SGS according to a internal source, hopefully this link works:
http://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/60758411373056000
He also has mentioned the info about the weaker codec could be just for the prototypes and it could be better for the retail version.

Hadnt seen that latest tweet, im hoping it is better than the SGS!
im an audophile and couldnt live without voodoo sound...

Guitarfreak26 said:
Hadnt seen that latest tweet, im hoping it is better than the SGS!
im an audophile and couldnt live without voodoo sound...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the reasons I went for SGS2, instead of Sensation is because of the sound quality in SGS, that I thought SGS2 is gonna get even better. So Samsung better not let me down.

is the chips it self is better in sgs2 than i can just imagen what voodoo sound would make this sound like

The audio codec of SGS II might show lower specs than SGS, but do we know if the audio hardware itself is a better overall...?
I've never been too picky on the audio for a phone though...as long as it's decent, SGSII is still a great phone.

the sgs audio has been good enough for me to ditch my mp3 player, so i'm hoping the sgs2 is at least on par with it.
It should be, i can't imagine samsung skimping on the parts. It's their flagship after all.

Yeah voodoo sound even beats iPhone sound quality

And the iPhone sound quality of the Loud Speaker is SHYT...
The iPhone 4 may be a bit better, but not up to PAR at what the device should be at such a premium rate.

Guitarfreak26 said:
Yeah voodoo sound even beats iPhone sound quality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, what is voodoo sound actually?

It's a superb enhancement of the sound quality through headphones and also it enhances recording. You can go and record a live gig With non distortion on the sound

barsk said:
Hmm, what is voodoo sound actually?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
at the core it is replacing the stock audio driver. samsung did a half-assed job implementing the Wolfon chip and supercurio spent allot of time and effort to get it working to the level it is at.
Stock sound was not terrible but also not very good. hiss was apparent, never got very loud at all even maxed out. and when maxed and not loud it was clipping the signal.
Now after he worked his magic there is little to no hiss or background noise, gets as loud as you want it, I never go above 75%, very clear and clean sound. I love it.
It is the ONLY thing stopping me from jumping on the SGS2 bandwagon. that and trying to get an early upgrade from my captivate because its still giving me problems. just have to hold off till there is a good deal on the SGS2.

Galaxy note dac?

Any idea about the dac looking the firmware, or any other source?
I really hope that samsung has learned the lesson of the S2 and we can get the wolfson again. That make the note the perfect phone for about 2 years.

Very likely to be the Yamaha one given the amount of components shared. Unfortunately.

Audio is supposed to be excellent.

Sebring5 said:
Audio is supposed to be excellent.
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Click to collapse
Why do you think that?
The audio of the S2 is pure crap, if they don't change the dac, it will be the same.

kersh said:
Why do you think that?
The audio of the S2 is pure crap, if they don't change the dac, it will be the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Comments from people who have had their hands on the device.

sauron0101 said:
Very likely to be the Yamaha one given the amount of components shared. Unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you elaborate that?
Just put my hands on the note in a show room..I like it!
But if the sound is not at least as good as the sgs1's , thats a deal breaker for me...
Tx

betoNL said:
Could you elaborate that?
Just put my hands on the note in a show room..I like it!
But if the sound is not at least as good as the sgs1's , thats a deal breaker for me...
Tx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1323764

Tx..
I already had found that thread and even posted over there

S2 Audio
I've been reading here and at other sites that the sound quality from the Galaxy S2 is inferior. I've had the S2 for two months now and must say the audio quality is very good. I came to android from an iPhone 4 and find the music quality to be as good if not better. I'm not an audiophile, although I used to be when money was not an object. I did find that when using power amp that I could get a higher volume output with better quality. I stopped using power amp with the advent of Google music and I'm finding quality to be just amazing with Google. I tried it head-to-head with power amp and found it to be better. I don't know if Google is modifying the music to minimize the problems with the DAC that you guys are talking about, but it seems that way. Most of my music is played either on Bose headphones or Nokia 905 Bluetooth headphones. The music I listen to varies greatly from pop, R&B, rock and jazz, all of which sounds phenomenal on galaxy S2. So all I can say to the average user expecting good quality sound from their phone that the S2 is more than capable of doing that. But if you're a demanding audiophile I guess that's not the case from what I've read.

Beats audio

Has anyone tried this?
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/beats-audio-now-available-on-any-gingerbread-rom/
I'm on ICS currently but kinda a music buff so if this gives a significantly better results on gingerbread i might switch.any reviews?

Blueangel180 said:
Has anyone tried this?
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/beats-audio-now-available-on-any-gingerbread-rom/
I'm on ICS currently but kinda a music buff so if this gives a significantly better results on gingerbread i might switch.any reviews?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Beats Audio is just a parlor trick.

Just use an equaliser to crank up the bass and drop the mids..........then you'll have Beats without needing actual Beats!

Blueangel180 said:
kinda a music buff
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so then you know about how over-hyped this whole "Beats" thing is in the market...

Agreed with all replies, and I'll take it a step further: what exactly are these libraries supposed to do for the sound output?
-the internal speaker is the same
-the internal digital-to-analog components are the same
-the output stage (amplifier) is the same
-the frequency response can already be manipulated with music apps
So I can't imagine what 'beats audio' or any other kind of software files
can do to improve the audio quality when the components that affect
the sound quality are all untouched.
Also a music buff- so I will assert the ONLY thing you can do to improve
the sound out of your Android phone is to extract digital audio from the
HDMI port, use a digital signal via fiber optic, etc (because 1s and 0s can't be
degraded, they can only shift in time) into a superior D/A
converter, to a superior pre-amp,amplifier and speaker arrangement.
The speakers are easily the largest factor now that electronics have
become so reliable.

Just do some research on a music player like player pro same thing
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Beats Audio is the biggest scam since Monster cables started being sold.

There is a difference in quality beats and monster in general are not a scam its for sure better quality sound or cable what ever is the difference in quality noticeable to most users? Probally not. With the beats head phones u can hear a huge improvement over most headphones. I don't think they are worth that kinda of cost. Just depends in the user tho
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Pbwizkid said:
There is a difference in quality beats and monster in general are not a scam its for sure better quality sound or cable what ever is the difference in quality noticeable to most users? Probally not. With the beats head phones u can hear a huge improvement over most headphones. I don't think they are worth that kinda of cost. Just depends in the user tho
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Monster Cable = psychoacoustics
There are WAY better sounding headphones for less money than beats
headphones. I know, I have some. Not everyone likes the overbloated
bass, horrible resolution headphones that made me curse out loud in best buy.
Precise reproduction takes so much more than MOAR BASS. Precise reproduction
doesn't sound like mud. Precise reproduction doesn't rely on a washed-up
rapper to sell it. If you want serious headphones, check out head-fi.org.

O I am no saying they are the best out there. But if u turn down all the bass they do have a nice sound to them compared to a lot out there. I would prefer to have many other ear buds nut my ibeats were free and a crap ton better than any set of 10 to 30 dollar head phones
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

SkullCandy Titanium >Beats
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

Musical quality using headphones

Here's a question. Currently I am on an iPhone 5, and it looks like I'll be making the switch to the S4. But before I do, I need to be reassured of one thing.
I use my iPhone 5 as my main and only music player. I have a pair of $150 Monster Turbines, and I take my musical quality very seriously relative to the iPhone 5. My question is, does the S4 have ATLEAST the same or better SQ in all ranges?
Is this app dependent? ROM dependent? I'm new to Android, but not technically unsavvy by ANY means..
Just need to know..

I had the same worries as you did. I came from the iPhone 4, running an ATH-m50 setup up with a fiio e5 amp and switched over to the HTC one x+and have transitioned very smoothly. I recommend finding a player per your taste though.
Take a look at power amp and neuron player! I hope this helps.
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda app-developers app

Well there is a feature called 'adapt sound' you go through a hearing test. After the test is done it auto EQ's the EQ's in the music player. I have monster inspirations (noise cancelling) and beyerdynamic T1. With adapt sound on in both cans there's better upper range clarity when differentiating between instruments. I like having the feature on. Makes the music more enjoyable of sorts.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium

There seems to be a lot of mixed opinions. It's not that the Qualcomm audio chipset is bad, it's actually quite good, but it up samples audio from 24bit/44khz to 48khz if I'm correct, which kind of degrades the quality a little. I doubt a $150 pair of headphones is gonna be affected by this though. Now if you were rocking some real hardcore audio equipment like $500+ custom monitors, then this might be noticeable.

Apple products still are on top when it comes to audio player quality. I doubt it'll be noticeable with your headphones
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

Don't even think a second about sound quality. It's awesome with S4. I use shure se530 head phones. You want to tweak the sound you may use Power Amp. That is what i use. I tried Iphone (3/4/4S/5) several times and sound is better with Power Amp in Galaxy S3/S4(Snapdragon also). Without Power Amp you may not like the sound that much.

varunkumars said:
Don't even think a second about sound quality. It's awesome with S4. I use shure se530 head phones. You want to tweak the sound you may use Power Amp. That is what i use. I tried Iphone (3/4/4S/5) several times and sound is better with Power Amp in Galaxy S3/S4(Snapdragon also). Without Power Amp you may not like the sound that much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I recommend trying Gone Mad Music Player, so much better then Power Amp in my opinion

As many have said. Power amp is worth the purchase.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium

iphone 5 is a good music player of course.
in android some app can improve the SQ for us. such as poweramp and more.

If you can score an international version, it was supposed to get the much higher quality Wolfson audio chips:
http://www.sammobile.com/2013/04/18...-for-galaxy-range-of-smartphones-and-tablets/
I think the t-mobile version might also have the same hardware as the international version...?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

I'm using Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones with Westone cables. I find the S4 sound quality pleasing, but lacking in bass.

Screams from
d1esel daddy said:
I'm using Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones with Westone cables. I find the S4 sound quality pleasing, but lacking in bass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a major problem for me, as 90% of my music is hip hop.
My monster turbines were designed to accentuate bass
I have a 15' sub in my car, that I LOVE to flex, and if it gonna be as bassy and clean as it is like my iPhone (on hip hop EQ) then we've got problems...

EpicMango said:
This is a major problem for me, as 90% of my music is hip hop.
My monster turbines were designed to accentuate bass
I have a 15' sub in my car, that I LOVE to flex, and if it gonna be as bassy and clean as it is like my iPhone (on hip hop EQ) then we've got problems...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S4 isnt lacking in bass at all. It has more bass than my HTC Vivid did...and that was a "Beats"-advertised phone. The S4 has terrific sound quality for a phone. And if you want a nice EQ, get Poweramp. It is well worth the purchase. And if you enjoy bass, don't worry - you can crank the bass up insanely high with Poweramp.
I was very worried about audio quality before getting the S4. And I am absolutely satisfied.
Oh and before you go looking at the HTC One, there have been reports of bluetooth audio streaming distorting the high frequency sounds. The S4 doesnt have this problem.
Sent from my Galaxy S4.

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bobgodd said:
If you can score an international version, it was supposed to get the much higher quality Wolfson audio chips:
http://www.sammobile.com/2013/04/18...-for-galaxy-range-of-smartphones-and-tablets/
I think the t-mobile version might also have the same hardware as the international version...?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tmobile has exact same hardware as att...has been discussed in one of the official bootloader unlock threads
slapdaddy said:
The S4 isnt lacking in bass at all. It has more bass than my HTC Vivid did...and that was a "Beats"-advertised phone. The S4 has terrific sound quality for a phone. And if you want a nice EQ, get Poweramp. It is well worth the purchase. And if you enjoy bass, don't worry - you can crank the bass up insanely high with Poweramp.
I was very worried about audio quality before getting the S4. And I am absolutely satisfied.
Oh and before you go looking at the HTC One, there have been reports of bluetooth audio streaming distorting the high frequency sounds. The S4 doesnt have this problem.
Sent from my Galaxy S4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would definitely not say the s4 has terrific sound quality....you can't base it off the fact your vivid had beats as that's just a software eq...you've obviously never had a phone with a Wolfson dac....those phones have the best sound quality of every phone-,and with voodoo sound you can tweak it at the hardware level
When it comes to portable music....my infuse is my main player...it blows the s4 and HTC vivid sound quality out of the water
Now the s4 sound quality is acceptable and not bad in any way...just wouldn't say its terrific...this is coming from an audiophile with studio monitors and studio monitor headphones
BTW, I had a vivid too...think I remember your name
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

d1esel daddy said:
I'm using Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones with Westone cables. I find the S4 sound quality pleasing, but lacking in bass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am running the same setup (stock cables) and previously used a FiiO E6 amp when I had these with my Galaxy S 2... With the S4, I don't need the portable amp and like others stated, PowerAMP is my recommended player - well worth the purchase. I jumped onto PowerAMP right as soon as I found out that it does both FLAC and Gapless, and the interface is beautiful and easily links to the lockscreen (not rooted).
As far as audio quality, I love the V shape audio that PowerAMP(Techno preset) produces onto my IEM's and I also have an iPad Mini (I think Wolfsons audio chip) and yet still prefer the audio from the S4...
Audio becomes very subjective at this point, but I have NOT been disappointed with my S4 and audio quality - especially comparing it to my old Galaxy S II...

mg2195 said:
Tmobile has exact same hardware as att...has been discussed in one of the official bootloader unlock threads
I would definitely not say the s4 has terrific sound quality....you can't base it off the fact your vivid had beats as that's just a software eq...you've obviously never had a phone with a Wolfson dac....those phones have the best sound quality of every phone-,and with voodoo sound you can tweak it at the hardware level
When it comes to portable music....my infuse is my main player...it blows the s4 and HTC vivid sound quality out of the water
Now the s4 sound quality is acceptable and not bad in any way...just wouldn't say its terrific...this is coming from an audiophile with studio monitors and studio monitor headphones
BTW, I had a vivid too...think I remember your name
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope never had a Wolfson unfortunately. And I said terrific...for a phone lol. I have never had a phone with sound quality this good. And it will only get better with newer Sammy phones because of their deal with Wolfson. As for the Vivid, I remember reading your name a few times over there and yeah Beats is a software adjustment on the Vivid, but the sound quality was better on the Vivid than it was on my Inspire...and now better on my S4 than on my Vivid.
And yes I am an audiophile as well...I have studio cans and when it comes to absolute pure music quality, I use my desktop comouter as the setup is fantastic for a quality listening experience. But for a modern phone on the market. ..well I dont know of any quadcore phones that have a Wolfson chip...not yet anyway that is. I'm very sure this will change soon though...and its about time manufacturers started to pay more attention to the audio quality in their phones. There are those of us who need it...to basically survive lmao.
Bottom line for me is that there may be better phones out there for music quality, but they lack the horsepower of the S4. And there is a lot more that I do with this phone than just listen to music. The sound quality may not be Wolfson good, but it's definitely good enough and gets the job done very well as far as I'm concerned.
Oh and if someone is very concerned about music quality, there are external DACs that can be attached to the phone's micro USB port which are phenomenal. Though they are as big as the phone is, they work well lol.
Sent from my Galaxy S4.

slapdaddy said:
Nope never had a Wolfson unfortunately. And I said terrific...for a phone lol. I have never had a phone with sound quality this good. And it will only get better with newer Sammy phones because of their deal with Wolfson. As for the Vivid, I remember reading your name a few times over there and yeah Beats is a software adjustment on the Vivid, but the sound quality was better on the Vivid than it was on my Inspire...and now better on my S4 than on my Vivid.
And yes I am an audiophile as well...I have studio cans and when it comes to absolute pure music quality, I use my desktop comouter as the setup is fantastic for a quality listening experience. But for a modern phone on the market. ..well I dont know of any quadcore phones that have a Wolfson chip...not yet anyway that is. I'm very sure this will change soon though...and its about time manufacturers started to pay more attention to the audio quality in their phones. There are those of us who need it...to basically survive lmao.
Bottom line for me is that there may be better phones out there for music quality, but they lack the horsepower of the S4. And there is a lot more that I do with this phone than just listen to music. The sound quality may not be Wolfson good, but it's definitely good enough and gets the job done very well as far as I'm concerned.
Oh and if someone is very concerned about music quality, there are external DACs that can be attached to the phone's micro USB port which are phenomenal. Though they are as big as the phone is, they work well lol.
Sent from my Galaxy S4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't agree with your post more
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

How is the music quality (through earphones) on Lg G2?

I loved the sound quality of Galaxy S3 , due to wolfson DAC in it.
How does LG G2's music quality stand out against it?
I usually listen to Electro.
I'm only talking about the earphones.

I have a sennheiser Momentum and the sound is very clear in the lg g2, i always listening to Hardstyle ?
Sent from my LG-D802 using xda app-developers app

Sound is great for me. Klipsch x10.
LG G2

Sound quality is really nice. I was experimenting with the same earphones, and s4, HTC droid DNA and Note 2. Quality is the best in G2.
Sent from my VS980 4G using xda app-developers app

Melodycd said:
Sound quality is really nice. I was experimenting with the same earphones, and s4, HTC droid DNA and Note 2. Quality is the best in G2.
Sent from my VS980 4G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Listening through Shure 535s it sounds better than my note II with Wolfson

Wow! nice.
I just ordered a 32 GB model and getting super hyped.
i hope you guys aren't praising it out of fanboyism

Wow! nice.
I just ordered a 32 GB model and getting super hyped.
i hope you guys aren't praising it out of fanboyism

eggman89 said:
Wow! nice.
I just ordered a 32 GB model and getting super hyped.
i hope you guys aren't praising it out of fanboyism
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TBH: I kinda hated LG before this phone. I'm no lg fanboy but I now think they make great phones.

I've not been a huge fan of LG but so far I am quite pleased with this phone.
I've listened to audio with both my SRH440's and my CX 475's. Both sound quite good. I'm impressed it's got the guts to power the SRH's.

eggman89 said:
Wow! nice.
I just ordered a 32 GB model and getting super hyped.
i hope you guys aren't praising it out of fanboyism
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well is not that thick . i dont think is good for electronic music since is very treble oriented ... theres a mod you can do to increase volume because the sound doesn't go loud to power certain headphones
i tested the LG G2 and the S4 and the S4 sounded better , rich sound with more bass .
The LG G2 is thin sounding:good: but with really good clarity

kalki1 said:
well is not that thick . i dont think is good for electronic music since is very treble oriented ... theres a mod you can do to increase volume because the sound doesn't go loud to power certain headphones
i tested the LG G2 and the S4 and the S4 sounded better , rich sound with more bass .
The LG G2 is thin sounding:good: but with really good clarity
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll take the clarity, because the other stuff can be fixed with an EQ. This is the first phone I've had that completely eliminates alternator whine with the phone charging and just goes to show the lengths LG went to to isolate the DAC. That plus Viper4Android equals a superior listening experience in my eyes (or ears).

eggman89 said:
Wow! nice.
I just ordered a 32 GB model and getting super hyped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had it for 2 weeks and I'm still super hyped First LG phone here and I really didn't expect much. But I like it more every day.

I like the sound with my headphone.
Also I like the headset the phone came with. And I like the sound over speakers. I must be honest, I don't like the phonespeakers even if I have installed the volume mod.
Sent from my LG-D802 using xda app-developers app

I'm using the UM Merlin customs with the LG G2.
As an audiophile, I regularly compare players to see which has the best compatibility with my customs and I'm stoked to have found the G2. By far, it has the least background noise/feedback due to EM interference in a phone. Using in-ear monitors, you can hear the processor and other internal components and generally there was a bit of noise coming from my S3. With the G2, such noise is virtually eliminated. The G2 uses the wolfson 5110 DAC which really decreases the noise and increases the soundstage, balance, and clarity tremendously. I would say the audio quality on this device is comparable, if not, greater than the Cowon music players I have used in the past.
Truth be told, the only reason I chose this phone was because of the audio quality. Hearing is believing.

hamisgood said:
I'm using the UM Merlin customs with the LG G2.<snip>
The G2 uses the wolfson 5110 DAC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice IEMs. I've been trying to settle on a custom for a while now. Still wearing universals (SE535 at the moment). I'll probably pull the trigger in 2014. Thinking 1964s or UMs.
What's your source for Wolfson info? When I was researching, I only found reference to the Wolfson in early rumors. The later, more confirmable info I gathered pointed to a Qualcom DAC. I haven't yet seen a proper teardown with BOM.

Excellent, but...
The sound is excellent with a good set of earphones, but the bundled "improved" Quadbeats 2 are pure crap, never seen anything worse (atleast my Quadsbeats 2)

I've been wondering this too. The only headphones I have are a pair of iPhone earbuds that my wife isn't using anymore. The sound isn't bad, but the volume seems much lower on it than my S3. I was wondering if the quality of sound is dependent upon the type of headphones you're using.

MarvinSpr said:
I must be honest, I don't like the phonespeakers even if I have installed the volume mod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here

Vertigo06 said:
I've been wondering this too. The only headphones I have are a pair of iPhone earbuds that my wife isn't using anymore. The sound isn't bad, but the volume seems much lower on it than my S3. I was wondering if the quality of sound is dependent upon the type of headphones you're using.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So many variables here that it's cumbersome to discuss on a forum. To say that sound quality depends on headphone type is at once wholly true and woefully inadequate.

cggorman said:
Nice IEMs. I've been trying to settle on a custom for a while now. Still wearing universals (SE535 at the moment). I'll probably pull the trigger in 2014. Thinking 1964s or UMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
JH has just opened preorders for the 12 driver Roxanne which I might be looking at (in the near future) once I test run it.
cggorman said:
What's your source for Wolfson info? When I was researching, I only found reference to the Wolfson in early rumors. The later, more confirmable info I gathered pointed to a Qualcom DAC. I haven't yet seen a proper teardown with BOM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have yet to see a stripdown as of yet, but various sources point the DAC to be the wm5110. Until there is a full strip, I doubt it would be possible to verify but it is quite likely as there is definitely a significant reduction of noise.
"Fully-differential internal analogue architecture, minimal analogue signal paths and on-chip RF noise filters ensure a very high degree of noise immunity." - Wolfson PB 5110 Datasheet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sources: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/news/0813/
http://www.head-fi.org/t/681818/lg-g2-android-phone-first-24-bit-192khz-phone-dac
http://www.alpha-audio.nl/wordpress/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Wolfson-wm5110.pdf