Wolfson audio chip - Will the Galaxy S4 have it? - Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So i was just wondering if Galaxy S4 will have the Wolfson audio chip in it? I remember from Note 2 that the speakers quality was outstanding for my ears from a phone. Now i have iPhone 5 and its speaker is really good too. Anyone here know will S4 have it?

SaneQ said:
So i was just wondering if Galaxy S4 will have the Wolfson audio chip in it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
sent fromXperia sT21i
Everything stock

Pretty sure the snapdragon 600 variant GS4 will come with Qualcomm's own audio chip, perhaps the same one found in my US GS3 (WCD9310).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

illmatic24 said:
Pretty sure the snapdragon 600 variant GS4 will come with Qualcomm's own audio chip, perhaps the same one found in my US GS3 (WCD9310).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, confirmed by @supercurio.
No details about the Exynos version yet.

hot_spare said:
Yes, confirmed by @supercurio.
No details about the Exynos version yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think we needed confirming that Qualcomms own SOC uses its own DAC lol... especially considering this has been the case for every SOC it has made.
As far as the E5... we will have to see. It is either a Wolfson or a Yamaha. Depending on which it will either sound better or worse then the Qualcomm one.

illmatic24 said:
Pretty sure the snapdragon 600 variant GS4 will come with Qualcomm's own audio chip, perhaps the same one found in my US GS3 (WCD9310).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And how good is that compared to Wolfson etc? Good enough?
Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk

Maedhros said:
I don't think we needed confirming that Qualcomms own SOC uses its own DAC lol... especially considering this has been the case for every SOC it has made.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could be wrong, or maybe I misinterpreted the leaked data sheets and other info, but, AFAIK the WCD9310 is a discrete chip, as used with the MSM8960 in ATT HTC OneX LTE, OneS and Evo 4g LTE. (And I guess US GS3 ?)
Yes, the chip may have some "special Qualcomm connections" with the AP/SOC. but still a separate chip.
Is Qualcomm now integrating WCD93xx or whatever internally, inside the physical SOC now ?
I urge caution when reading some Qualcomm press releases and mini document blurbs. Read them literally and you'd think their WCN36xx BT/WiFi/FM combo chips are physically inside the SOC, but they aren't, they just have super special high speed Qualcomm connections that puts part of the (WiFi/BT baseband ?) functionality inside the SOC, with the RF stuff in the 3660/3680 chip.
Anytime a chip is external, of course, there's a possibility the phone OEM didn't go with the all Qualcomm chip reference design. Same with the combo chips where it seems Broadcom remains king. The Qualcomm WCN36xx has missed many major design wins now, despite the huge popularity of the high end Qualcomm SOCs, and it's close integration with same.

This kills me as I live in the US and now I will be stuck with the lame Qualcomm audio. I still am using a Nexus S because I refuse to upgrade to a phone unless it has a Wolfson audio chip.
Being a loyal Galaxy phone user, it's really offensive that Samsung goes cheap with the US versions.

dman777 said:
This kills me as I live in the US and now I will be stuck with the lame Qualcomm audio. I still am using a Nexus S because I refuse to upgrade to a phone unless it has a Wolfson audio chip.
Being a loyal Galaxy phone user, it's really offensive that Samsung goes cheap with the US versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think they went "cheap", and the audio in Qualcomm-based handsets isn't really that bad at all. I have an HTC Vivid and the audio sounds fine. I think their main focus was LTE connectivity when choosing Qualcomm chips for the US market.
I do understand what you mean by wanting top-quality audio though. But the audio quality isn't "bad" by any means. Don't let that dissuade you from enjoying what looks to be a great phone.
Sent from my HTC Vivid.

qsacage said:
And how good is that compared to Wolfson etc? Good enough?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the same DAC used by the DNA/Butterfly and One. It's scored well. The difference being the HTC devices have h/w amplifiers. So sound quality should be the same but loudness may vary.
GSMArena on the One...
The HTC One audio output is almost identical to that of the HTC Butterfly, which is great news really as the former HTC flagship really aced our audio quality test. In fact the two Beats-powered smartphones offer arguably the best audio quality in the smartphone world right now.
The HTC One did great in the active external amplifier part of the test, posting great scores all over the field. In addition it had volume levels higher than all of its direct competitors, save for the aforementioned HTC Butterfly, which it only matched.
More impressively, there's next to no degradation when you plug in a pair of headphones. The stereo crosstalk rises a tiny bit, but that's the only affected reading. Volume levels remain at the same high level, too. This is the second smartphone in a row where HTC makes the Beats audio logo stand for something other than a simple equalizer, but as we said last time, the wait was probably worth it.​
N2 with Wolfson for comparison...

Well the USA device foes cost about 150 less compared to the international version.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

Nexus 10 (exynos 5250)uses Wolfson DAC,so there is a chance that s4(exynos 5410) will also use WolfsonDAC
sent fromXperia sT21i
Everything stock

i9100g user said:
Nexus 10 (exynos 5250)uses Wolfson DAC,so there is a chance that s4(exynos 5410) will also use WolfsonDAC
sent fromXperia sT21i
Everything stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's quite a reassuring news. I just hope they won't jinx it with Yamaha.

Galaxy S4 uses Wolfson WM5102
François Simond ‏@supercurio 4h
Thanks to a #VoodooReport sent by @Faryaab I can confirm #GalaxyS4 GT-I9500 uses very high specs @wolfsonmicro WM5102
https://twitter.com/supercurio/status/315952191812820992
https://twitter.com/supercurio/status/315953474363858945

"with a catch"
There's always a catch
I hope supercurio can convince Samsung to fix it.

The wolfson audio chip has become more like a myth. The usa s3 didnt have it but still its audio quality was superb.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

persheshhater said:
The wolfson audio chip has become more like a myth. The usa s3 didnt have it but still its audio quality was superb.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the audio chip in the latest Snapdragons is very good. Its just that, according to audio experts (supercurio!!!) Wolfson DAC is a bit better than the Snapdragon/Krait one!! Both are better than the Yamaha turd !!
Its all relative you see !!

sukant08 said:
Well, the audio chip in the latest Snapdragons is very good. Its just that, according to audio experts (supercurio!!!) Wolfson DAC is a bit better than the Snapdragon/Krait one!! Both are better than the Yamaha turd !!
Its all relative you see !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe but even if it wasnt of course supercurio would still say wolfson is a bit better(conflict of interest.)
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

Reported on another thread GT-I9500 uses Wolfson WM5102, from a VoodooReport sent to supercurio.
IMO we still don't know GT-I9505 for sure. Could be same Wolfson, could be Qualcomm, or something else (doubtful).

Read the published stats. No Snapdragon has ever got better than 80ish S/N, while Wolfson/Samsung is about 90, about the same as Apple.
From Wikipedia:
The 16-bit compact disc has a theoretical dynamic range of about 96 dB[11] (or about 98 dB for sinusoidal signals, per the formula[10]). Digital audio with 20-bit digitization is theoretically capable of 120 dB dynamic range; similarly, 24-bit digital audio calculates to 144 dB dynamic range.[7] All digital audio recording and playback chains include input and output converters and associated analog circuitry, significantly limiting practical dynamic range. Observed 16-bit digital audio dynamic range is about 90 dB.[11]

Related

Music dac = junk or good?

This is my main concern. Who decided to have flac support advertising with such bad sound in the 2? Post what the 3 has here.
I think it will be the the same thing, probably Yamaha. Cutting cost is the name of the game after all. At least we don't have to deal with Beats Audio and I hope Samsung don't jump on that band wagon.
I don't know what exact DAC does Sony phones use, but my Xperia Play have suprprisingly good sound quality.
You might also be interested in the Meizu MX which will also have the same quadcore Exynos as the SIII and pentaband, with 32 or 64gb. Meizu have a reputation of good sound quality. You'll be hard press for any community development on it though.
the DAC is indeed something ive been concerned about.. the SGS1 had a better DAC than the S2.. hopefully another year will make better DAC's cheaper. tomorrow is the big release, but the DAC wont be talked about, things like this never are.. it wont be till we have them in hand and run tests on them ourself that well know what were looking at.. thats how it was with the S1, and the S2 as well..
but i plan to get the S3 the day it comes out, and will be testing the DAC myself, and supercurio will be analyzing my results to see what he can do as well, as he doesnt plan to buy the S3 right away
There could be WM dac coming. From Supercurio:
https://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/197717329877024768
Galaxy Tab 2 has it:
https://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/197721233704484865
Rytkonen said:
There could be WM dac coming. From Supercurio:
https://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/197717329877024768
Galaxy Tab 2 has it:
https://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/197721233704484865
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be awesome
This is my actual main concern with the S3.
I really want them to get a good audio chip in there.
Currently using my S1 with my digizoid ZO2 & Audeo PFE 232's (yes those £400 earphones)
TotallydubbedHD said:
This is my actual main concern with the S3.
I really want them to get a good audio chip in there.
Currently using my S1 with my digizoid ZO2 & Audeo PFE 232's (yes those £400 earphones)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like wise using my GSS purely for music. With Supercurios Voodoo it's good enough for me on high end IEMs. Would be a plus to the pocket if this has Wolfson as well. Fingers crossed!
I'm glad that Samsung decided to put Wolfson back into their devices.
The Wolfson on the Hummingbird (Galaxy S and Nexus S) is freaking awesome, especially for EDM.
Voodoo Sound + DSP Manager = a rave in my ear.
jk0l said:
I'm glad that Samsung decided to put Wolfson back into their devices.
The Wolfson on the Hummingbird (Galaxy S and Nexus S) is freaking awesome, especially for EDM.
Voodoo Sound + DSP Manager = a rave in my ear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree. It's like porn but for your ears. Only reason I'm carrying an SGS.
Rytkonen said:
There could be WM dac coming. From Supercurio:
https://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/197717329877024768
Galaxy Tab 2 has it:
https://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/197721233704484865
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has Wolfson WM1811:
http://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/198149523724439553
http://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/198151127534018560
rd_nest said:
It has Wolfson WM1811:
http://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/198149523724439553
http://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/198151127534018560
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Definately has Wolfson DAC, that seems even better than the GS1 series
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
simone201 said:
+1
Definately has Wolfson DAC, that seems even better than the GS1 series
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From supercurio's analysis:
Like WM8994 in Galaxy S / Nexus S, except:
1x stereo DAC instead of 2x.
2x 2W Speaker amp instead of 2x 1W
rd_nest said:
From supercurio's analysis:
Like WM8994 in Galaxy S / Nexus S, except:
1x stereo DAC instead of 2x.
2x 2W Speaker amp instead of 2x 1W
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it should have more output power...with great DAC quality (that seems already not bypassed)
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
rd_nest said:
From supercurio's analysis:
Like WM8994 in Galaxy S / Nexus S, except:
1x stereo DAC instead of 2x.
2x 2W Speaker amp instead of 2x 1W
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How could this hurt us?
simone201 said:
Yes it should have more output power...with great DAC quality (that seems already not bypassed)
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you explain on this? I need to read more about it, so can't comment on it. Do you see any flaw in this design?
cheers!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1633685
Duplicate thread, see here

The Sound Quality discussion thread

Lets talk about Sound Quality, DAC, amp, and alike here...
Wolfson DAC confirmed by Supercurio.
Audio codec:
Wolfson Micro WM1811
http://www.wolfsonmicro.com/products/audio_hubs/WM1811/
100dB SNR Class W Heapdhone amp output, ReTune DSP, 3x digital interface.
Like WM8994 in Galaxy S / Nexus S, except:
1x stereo DAC instead of 2x.
2x 2W Speaker amp instead of 2x 1W
Smaller and probably cheaper, same sound quality expected.
Audio driver configuration & policy implementation based on TinyUCM (/etc/tinyucm.conf)
Probable subset of TinyHAL implementing codec configuration in config files instead of having everything hardcoded in ROM or kernel driver at compile time.
Native sampling rate: 44100 Hz. It means music played will be sent as-is to the DAC instead of being processed by a software up-sampling routine as it is on Galaxy Nexus or other devices with codecs accepting only 48000 Hz.
AWESOME.
Hopefully the U.S. variants will have this as well
NZtechfreak said:
Wolfson DAC confirmed by Supercurio.
Audio codec:
Wolfson Micro WM1811
http://www.wolfsonmicro.com/products/audio_hubs/WM1811/
100dB SNR Class W Heapdhone amp output, ReTune DSP, 3x digital interface.
Like WM8994 in Galaxy S / Nexus S, except:
1x stereo DAC instead of 2x.
2x 2W Speaker amp instead of 2x 1W
Smaller and probably cheaper, same sound quality expected.
Audio driver configuration & policy implementation based on TinyUCM (/etc/tinyucm.conf)
Probable subset of TinyHAL implementing codec configuration in config files instead of having everything hardcoded in ROM or kernel driver at compile time.
Native sampling rate: 44100 Hz. It means music played will be sent as-is to the DAC instead of being processed by a software up-sampling routine as it is on Galaxy Nexus or other devices with codecs accepting only 48000 Hz.
AWESOME.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Voodoo App Pro confirmed?!?
ombranera said:
Voodoo App Pro confirmed?!?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a matter of fact, yes - just a few moments ago Supercurio typed this into his internals report document (which you can watch live):
"Confirmed Voodoo Sound capable "
---------- Post added at 01:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:05 PM ----------
Now Supercurio just wrote this: "USB Audio snd-usb-audio usb class audio driver present. Might work, might not".
This is probably the only reason I might consider s3.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
awesome-member said:
This is probably the only reason I might consider s3.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. Damn it.
Hi there!
So I'm not the only one happy with the promising audio codec in Galaxy S III ?
supercurio said:
Hi there!
So I'm not the only one happy with the promising audio codec in Galaxy S III ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe a noob question.. Is the DAC as good as the S1 or better.. Coz This seems to be the only reason to move to the S3..
ivAnash said:
Maybe a noob question.. Is the DAC as good as the S1 or better.. Coz This seems to be the only reason to move to the S3..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See above, I quoted Supercurio as saying he expects the same audio performance as the S1 (of course if USB Audio works then we can have even better quality).
ivAnash said:
Maybe a noob question.. Is the DAC as good as the S1 or better.. Coz This seems to be the only reason to move to the S3..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its better than s1 as per the spec sheet posted by supercurio ...
s3 is sounding much better to my ears after reading this..
It sounds like someone is listening upstairs
bala_gamer said:
its better than s1 as per the spec sheet posted by supercurio ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya.. That's something encouraging..
supercurio said:
Hi there!
So I'm not the only one happy with the promising audio codec in Galaxy S III ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hell NO!! It is the reason I will consider buying this phone and have high Hopes for the Note II if I wait for that instead. If the SGS II had not been so much better than the in many ways flawed Captivate I would still be using it for the DAC and your app.
I'm liking what I'm hearing about this DAC. I didn't mind the EVO's, but if the SIII's is this nice, I'll probably buy a 64GB SD just to load on FLAC's.
I hope the speaker in the back is loud..
sent a 96gb N7000
Yes atlast a Woflson! Happy days are back again!
Will this mean proper recording as well?
The SGS2 is again extremely disappointing in that area, think I remember the sgs1 was good after the voodoo app so hopefully one can finally make a decent recording at concerts with the sgs3...
Meh, not too impressed by the s3 but it does have some nice improvements over the sgs2.
Is this mean that this audit hardware is the same or better than iPhone 4S?
I used to owned Samsung Galaxy Note, but sold it because the audio quality is much worse compared to my iPhone, especially when i plugged it into AUX in the Car.
Please advised.

US variant of the GS3 uses Qualcomm's WCD9310 for audio, not the Wolfson

Not sure if that's already been posted.
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/vmzl9/us_variant_of_the_gs3_uses_qualcomms_wcd9310_for/
That's odd. Engadget tested the audio on the US version and commented that it's impressive. Another member here found it amazing with only the supplied headphones. So I am pretty sure it's a Wolfson. But if this turns out to be the Qualcomm chip, I think it will be a deal breaker for many members here.
You know they have their own section now right? And yes it has been posted a few times already.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1667
Its not wolfson.
Confirmed AGAIN by supercurio.
It's using onboard dac.
He's gonna look into voodoo sound for it though.
https://mobile.twitter.com/supercurio/status/217631114334973952
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
nativestranger said:
That's odd. Engadget tested the audio on the US version and commented that it's impressive. Another member here found it amazing with only the supplied headphones. So I am pretty sure it's a Wolfson. But if this turns out to be the Qualcomm chip, I think it will be a deal breaker for many members here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not having a Wolfson chip doesn't mean the sound quality will be bad - this isn't Galaxy S II Yamaha levels of doom & gloom. Other Snapdragon S4 devices like the HTC One S have tested very well for audio quality and response (Amusingly much better than HTC's flagship One X with its Tegra 3 onboard audio - Beats branding really is a sham), so I can't imagine the US SIII variants will be any different.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
onslaught86 said:
Not having a Wolfson chip doesn't mean the sound quality will be bad - this isn't Galaxy S II Yamaha levels of doom & gloom. Other Snapdragon S4 devices like the HTC One S have tested very well for audio quality and response (Amusingly much better than HTC's flagship One X with its Tegra 3 onboard audio - Beats branding really is a sham), so I can't imagine the US SIII variants will be any different.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said.
onslaught86 said:
Not having a Wolfson chip doesn't mean the sound quality will be bad - this isn't Galaxy S II Yamaha levels of doom & gloom. Other Snapdragon S4 devices like the HTC One S have tested very well for audio quality and response (Amusingly much better than HTC's flagship One X with its Tegra 3 onboard audio - Beats branding really is a sham), so I can't imagine the US SIII variants will be any different.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but that's not where the disappointment comes from. The disappointment comes from a developer knowing a type of hardware, Supercurio with the Wolfson DACs, and has extensive study of how to optimize it already even before its release. And not having the DAC makes a big delay in any kind of professional support for it.
$0.02
I LITERALLY don't know if the i747m S3 that I use has a Wolfson DAC. That's all.

[Q] s4 vs s4

for only audio in ear :
s4 exynos with wolfson dac "i9500" or snapdragon version "i9505 ?
tks gio.
P.S. any mod to improve sound ,something like voodoo sound ? or htc on is better any away ?
I9500 will probably be better due to utilising a Wolfson DAC.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
seemstortnr
nikzDHD said:
I9500 will probably be better due to utilising a Wolfson DAC.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think so ,bu has any body tried yet ...to explain better ?
tks gio.
I've the I9500 and i'm very happy with it.. audio output is amazing and they say the camera lens on the I9500 is better than I9505. But I9505 have more developer support (for now) and as far as we know GS4 Google Edition will use the same hardware as I9505 which means they will get better experience with AOSP roms.
LOL what are you talking about camera lense better??? Where are your proper sources??? My sound is great on the I9505 and so is the camera
ASIF samsung will make one noticeably better then the other, the CPU different story Thats up to the user discretionut b all real time usage should perform the same but as for camera and sound??? Please pff Show me legit sources and someone who knows what they are talking about that can convince me that one is noticeably better then the other. ALl those picture comparisons do not show me one is better then the other. I know the camera lense is RS on the Octa compare to R on the S600 but this doesn't mean that the upgrade was due to quality the upgrade could be in many different variables
Is like saying the First PS3 model number ***** doesnt perform quality wise comparing to the lastest Slim PS3 model ****,,,,, They both have same graphics and gameplay is the same....
btemtd said:
LOL what are you talking about camera lense better??? Where are your proper sources??? My sound is great on the I9505 and so is the camera
ASIF samsung will make one better then the other CPU different story Thats up to the user discretion..... but camera and sound??? Pleasee pff Show me legit sources and someone who knows what they are talking about
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
O.T. i'm talking about audio...isn't it clear ?
tks gio
gio_b said:
O.T. i'm talking about audio...isn't it clear ?
tks gio
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perfectly clear.... Headphone and Speaker. Not a single problem. If I had a problem I would of returned in by now
Ok, everyone says the 9505 will have more development attention, does this mean that all 9505 models from all carriers will get the same tweaks? Its confusing with all these at&t, tmobile, and sprint models, yet its the same 9505. Can someone help? Thanks
gio_b said:
O.T. i'm talking about audio...isn't it clear ?
tks gio
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so non info yet about my questions ?
gio
btemtd said:
LOL what are you talking about camera lense better??? Where are your proper sources??? My sound is great on the I9505 and so is the camera
ASIF samsung will make one noticeably better then the other, the CPU different story Thats up to the user discretionut b all real time usage should perform the same but as for camera and sound??? Please pff Show me legit sources and someone who knows what they are talking about that can convince me that one is noticeably better then the other. ALl those picture comparisons do not show me one is better then the other. I know the camera lense is RS on the Octa compare to R on the S600 but this doesn't mean that the upgrade was due to quality the upgrade could be in many different variables
Is like saying the First PS3 model number ***** doesnt perform quality wise comparing to the lastest Slim PS3 model ****,,,,, They both have same graphics and gameplay is the same....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When will you stop trying to justify to yourself that the i9505 is the best.. who cares, as long as you're happy with your device.
Oh and since you seem to post everywhere that the Exmor RS is probably not an upgrade as far as picture quality is concerned, why don't you read up, since that info is available publicly : http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201208/12-107E/
About the audio, the tests have showed that the i9505 is very good, even when using speakers (stereo crosstalk remains stable).
I haven't seen such detailed tests on the i9500, but it's supposed to be very good too, since it uses a Wolfson chipset.
I imagine the Wolfson can pump out more volume out of the box and with some tweaks maybe a little more, but the Qualcomm DSP measures pretty damn flat and supposedly volume is supposed to be decent. If it's better than the nexus 4 then I will be happy.
Sent from my GT-N7100
Just having a Wolfson does nothing whatsoever to guarantee better sound quality, it still depends very significantly on the implementation of the DAC folks.
I have both models, will be doing a blind test to compare them (possibly later today).
To the OP: if you are using low impedance IEMs (<16ohms) that the i9505 has a very significant problem with crackling in the bass frequencies. I get some UE600 today (13ohm impedance at 1KHz, ~9ohms over the bass frequencies) and will test the i9500 with that to see whether it has the same problem.
NZtechfreak said:
Just having a Wolfson does nothing whatsoever to guarantee better sound quality, it still depends very significantly on the implementation of the DAC folks.
I have both models, will be doing a blind test to compare them (possibly later today).
To the OP: if you are using low impedance IEMs (<16ohms) that the i9505 has a very significant problem with crackling in the bass frequencies. I get some UE600 today (13ohm impedance at 1KHz, ~9ohms over the bass frequencies) and will test the i9500 with that to see whether it has the same problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does, sadly both models have the issue.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda premium

Galaxy S5 sound quality

For those that sound quality through earphones is very important
I9300XXUGNA5, Boeffla 5.2, Earsonics SM3v2
Does anybody know which DAC comes with the S5? Is it a Wolfson?
I9300XXUGNA5, Boeffla 5.2, Earsonics SM3v2
Agaranda said:
Does anybody know which DAC comes with the S5? Is it a Wolfson?
I9300XXUGNA5, Boeffla 5.2, Earsonics SM3v2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the SOC is Qualcomm, the answer is no.
The traditional question is whether the Exynos and Snapdragon versions will use different DACs and, if so, which ones.
Will we ever see the fruits of the deal that Samsung signed with Wolfson?
Exynos is pretty much guaranteed to carry Wolfson. Qualcomm uses their own DAC in their soc's. If it's anything like the s4 Qualcomm vs Exynos situation then they should both be excellent. Most audiophiles hardly hear a difference between the two. The real advantage of Wolfson comes with audio mods
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
With the S5 being water resistant, I wonder if it will effect the loud speaker? Will it make it sound more muffled?
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
busab said:
With the S5 being water resistant, I wonder if it will effect the loud speaker? Will it make it sound more muffled?
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You bring up a good point and this too is one my concerns, based on every other water resistant device released, loud speaker quality and loudness has been s***. With the HTC M8 releasing with supposedly upgraded BoomSound, it would be counterintuitive for Samsung to further themselves from the quality of HTC's speakers just to provide water resistance.
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
It seems like Samsung could do themselves and us a favor and make the Exynos compatible with USA LTE carriers and give us all the Wolfson DAC.
The S5 will not feature the best sound repoduction available for music, thats pretty sure, but I'm primarily interested in listening through headphones in which case the choice of which headphone to use contributes to like 95% of the sound quality obtained.
The Qualcomm chipset will have reasonably low noise and distorsion and ok ability to drive phones, its no Wolfson, but it wont exactly cripple a pair of good cans. Not so good cans will always sound inferior on ANY phone. And all the rivals use Qualcomm as well so S5 will only be worse than it's own kin and Iphone. HTCs Beats I can totally live without as I am all in for natural sound ie HiFi ie no coloring of the source. Beats is ALL coloring the source, some like it but I don't.
Rooting will probably be necessary though, to unlock the max volume restriction.
I would have liked a dedicated solution, but I can live with the SOC ....
MultiLockOn said:
Exynos is pretty much guaranteed to carry Wolfson. Qualcomm uses their own DAC in their soc's. If it's anything like the s4 Qualcomm vs Exynos situation then they should both be excellent. Most audiophiles hardly hear a difference between the two. The real advantage of Wolfson comes with audio mods
Sent from my HTCONE using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no its not guaranteed , Note 3 with Exynos use Yamaha DAC :|
yahyoh said:
no its not guaranteed , Note 3 with Exynos use Yamaha DAC :|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LoL I guess the Qualcomm SOC at least has better sound than those Yamaha DAC:s
xeizo said:
LoL I guess the Qualcomm SOC at least has better sound than those Yamaha DAC:s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah newer Qcom DAC's are not that bad actually
busab said:
With the S5 being water resistant, I wonder if it will effect the loud speaker? Will it make it sound more muffled?
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's as good as the speaker on the S4 active then it should be fine as that's pretty loud
RCJ89 said:
If it's as good as the speaker on the S4 active then it should be fine as that's pretty loud
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the S4 Active was never released in Canada, I have never had a chance to try it out. How does the speaker compare to the regular S4?
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
msavic6 said:
Since the S4 Active was never released in Canada, I have never had a chance to try it out. How does the speaker compare to the regular S4?
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh right, no worries. well I had the s4 and my gf has the active and the active is louder both speaker and in headphones
BaronInkjet said:
If the SOC is Qualcomm, the answer is no.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh. i thought the note 3 had one lol
RCJ89 said:
Oh right, no worries. well I had the s4 and my gf has the active and the active is louder both speaker and in headphones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that's good to hear, I know my dad's Z1 speaker sounds like absolute garbage when compared to the S4.
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
msavic6 said:
Well, that's good to hear, I know my dad's Z1 speaker sounds like absolute garbage when compared to the S4.
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fingers crossed the s5 is as good
I tried a Galaxy S5 for four days.
Sound quality trough earphones is worse, by far, than it is with the S3 plus Boeffla.
Returned.
I9300XXUGNA5, Boeffla 5.2, Earsonics SM3v2
Is apt-x confirmed at least?
I use my sennheiser apt-x headphones or hs3000 in the main with my s3 so that circumvents the problem a little

Categories

Resources