[Q] Loss of audio quality on custom roms - Oppo Find 5

Hi, first time android owner here. I recently switched to the CM nightly builds, which I am loving, however I have noticed the audio quality has dropped of dramatically since switching from the standard oppo fw. Now I am streaming my music from google play which AFAIK was unaffected by the dolby sound and the dirac audio features of the oppo ROM. Is this something that should be expected? Its bad enough that Id rather not listen to music at all. Also is there a possibility of porting the audio features of the standard Oppo ROM to the current CM builds?
At this point I think id rather use a buggy, less functional oppo rom with great sound quality and that just sucks:crying:

I'm a music lover and have pretty good ears, I really like cm10.1 and other roms but the reason I left it (besides being a beta tester) is because of lag that happens after a few hours and also because of the issue with audio quality. Yeah it looses quality. Oh and camera quality as well
Sent from my Oppo Find 5

I haven't noticed much of a drop in quality, but I didn't stay on stock for long. Maybe I'll switch back to stock on the next beta and see what the audio and camera are like. I have no camera on my current ROM.
Sent from my Find 5 using Tapatalk 2

I should mention I'm also streaming over blue tooth when making this comparison.

earphones
osmosizzz said:
I'm a music lover and have pretty good ears, I really like cm10.1 and other roms but the reason I left it (besides being a beta tester) is because of lag that happens after a few hours and also because of the issue with audio quality. Yeah it looses quality. Oh and camera quality as well
Sent from my Oppo Find 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well didi you try to listen music with different earphones ? Shipped earphones can only work ith dirac "ON".
I tryed to use Oppo earphones on HTC and they sounds poor. Also I found poor sounding Find 5 with HTC beats audio earphones.
If you find some conclusion pls let me know, because I'm not willing to use custom rom ..... for now. :victory:
THX

Grimmy91 said:
And do you think that oppo has a better audio than htc or with the beats EQ the One is better ? Maybe with using some good headphones like AKG sennheiser etc...
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Click to collapse
I have had both HTC One X, and the Droid DNA and I think Oppo sounds better. I don't know about the New HTC One with Boom-Sound though?

Grimmy91 said:
And do you think that oppo has a better audio than htc or with the beats EQ the One is better ? Maybe with using some good headphones like AKG sennheiser etc...
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Click to collapse
Oppo is champ !!! But they(OPPO & DIRAC) made calibration with shipped earphones.
When u use other earphones u must disable DIRAC
otherwise sound is crap.
DIRAC sounds good only with shipped earphones and far far better than anything eles !
I am big audiopile and so far there was no phone to listen music on.
http://www.cabasse.com/cabfx2012/ba...ic-on-wall-baltic-on-base-santorin-30?lang=en
I own a pair :victory:

whynotbgd said:
Oppo is champ !!! But they(OPPO & DIRAC) made calibration with shipped earphones.
When u use other earphones u must disable DIRAC
otherwise sound is crap.
DIRAC sounds good only with shipped earphones and far far better than anything eles !
I am big audiopile and so far there was no phone to listen music on.
http://www.cabasse.com/cabfx2012/ba...ic-on-wall-baltic-on-base-santorin-30?lang=en
I own a pair :victory:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely agree. Dirac sounds horrible with anything other than the stock earphones.

osmosizzz said:
Completely agree. Dirac sounds horrible with anything other than the stock earphones.
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Click to collapse
Sounds like Dirac is nothing more than marketing bull**** to describe an EQ preset that works around crummy earphones... Kinda like HTC's Beats Audio (which is just a crappy EQ preset too).

No No No
Entropy512 said:
Sounds like Dirac is nothing more than marketing bull**** to describe an EQ preset that works around crummy earphones... Kinda like HTC's Beats Audio (which is just a crappy EQ preset too).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not bull.... and for sure this is not just an EQ preset like HTCs Beats Audio.
Most of brands use branded cost effective solution (EQ based) to impress customers but Oppo does not.
DIRAC correct phase to firms up the bass, removes resonances, focuses the stereo image and makes voices stand out like you never have heard them before.

whynotbgd said:
It's not bull.... and for sure this is not just an EQ preset like HTCs Beats Audio.
Most of brands use branded cost effective solution (EQ based) to impress customers but Oppo does not.
DIRAC correct phase to firms up the bass, removes resonances, focuses the stereo image and makes voices stand out like you never have heard them before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All marketing mumbojumbo for "cheesy postprocessing and/or lame EQ preset"
The fact that it only works to "fix" Oppo's cheap earbuds is a clear sign that it is just an EQ preset designed to compensate for the deficiencies of cheap earbuds.
All of the research I've read indicates that DIRAC serves to do only one thing: Compensate for cheapo earbuds to make them sound better. It will make good earbuds/earphones sound like crap, and is unncessary with them.
When you can get Monoprice 9927s for <$10:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10823&cs_id=1082303&p_id=9927&seq=1&format=2
http://lifehacker.com/5991079/monoprice-improves-on-the-best-7-headphones-youll-ever-buy
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-headphones-under-30/
And Comply foam replacement tips for $15:
http://www.complyfoam.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Comply-T-400-Isolation-Earphone-Medium/dp/B002NUJ2RM/ (for the non-waxguard version, waxguard is $20 for three pairs)
It's pointless to waste time working around crappy cheap OEM buds.
Edit: In general, Comply foam tips are one of the best "bang for your buck" upgrades for any earbud (except ones that already have foam tips)

Yeah, honestly, this crap is like the same BS they pull with Pixel count in cell cameras.
I have some very nice Westone buds that sound amazing on any phone I've had. Turn off all the garbage and you get yourself a hell of an audio experience. These guys feel like they have to provide some audio gem in name because these bloody devices are phones, not good quality audio gear. If you want to bump your audio experience, go get a portable amp and melt your brain.
The Oppo and CM sound great. Only need I have for the DSP is to tweak the sound of the speaker for voice calls.

Is there a different type of bluetooth used by cm compared to stock Oppo ROM? I read something about different compression formats like apt-x. Perhaps cm just needs a bluetooth overhaul.

crackalac87 said:
Is there a different type of bluetooth used by cm compared to stock Oppo ROM? I read something about different compression formats like apt-x. Perhaps cm just needs a bluetooth overhaul.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had no issues with Bluetooth with my Sony bluetooth headset.
Google completely replaced the entire Bluetooth stack with 4.2

crackalac87 said:
Is there a different type of bluetooth used by cm compared to stock Oppo ROM? I read something about different compression formats like apt-x. Perhaps cm just needs a bluetooth overhaul.
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I used to have the s3 and apt x enables headphones and the sound quality is just on another level! Standard bluetooth SBC suports stereo up to 345kbps but idk why, for the most part, they end up sounding bad in most cases. Apt-x lets better audio pass though with minimal compression.
read these two wikies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBC_(codec)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apt-X
now for dirac, it may just be an eq thing but idk. speaker sound much better with audio calls and just playing music. there is bass, and mids added (looking like an eq thing as of now). When it comes to music listening, without any mod, cm10 doesnt sound that great. With the V4A sound mod, it sounds really good. V4A sound mod on stock rom helps but not too much. IDk what oppo has done, butif there is no specific hardware thing within the phone that is activated with any rom, then i guess it;s an eq thing? anyone correct me if im wrong

osmosizzz said:
I used to have the s3 and apt x enables headphones and the sound quality is just on another level! Standard bluetooth SBC suports stereo up to 345kbps but idk why, for the most part, they end up sounding bad in most cases. Apt-x lets better audio pass though with minimal compression.
read these two wikies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBC_(codec)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apt-X
now for dirac, it may just be an eq thing but idk. speaker sound much better with audio calls and just playing music. there is bass, and mids added (looking like an eq thing as of now). When it comes to music listening, without any mod, cm10 doesnt sound that great. With the V4A sound mod, it sounds really good. V4A sound mod on stock rom helps but not too much. IDk what oppo has done, butif there is no specific hardware thing within the phone that is activated with any rom, then i guess it;s an eq thing? anyone correct me if im wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm positive it's an EQ thing. Might be able to achieve similar results by playing with DSP Manager

I feel like the audio quality improved on the external speaker with cm10.1

osmosizzz said:
speaker sound much better with audio calls and just playing music. there is bass, and mids added (looking like an eq thing as of now). When it comes to music listening, without any mod, cm10 doesnt sound that great.
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Click to collapse
Entropy512 said:
I'm positive it's an EQ thing. Might be able to achieve similar results by playing with DSP Manager
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having big battery issues with my Galaxy S2 and was considering the switch to the Find5, the good sound quality being one of the strongest argument for me so the fact that Dirac is only an EQ to compensate crappy earbuds is kinda bumping me out
A long long time ago I used to listen to music on a iAudio X5 / Shure E4g combo, with great quality (the integrated EQ helped, but still wow, great sound). Now I'm on the GS2, and it's fine with a pair of Ultimate Ears 400vi but I'm not coming back to crappy earbuds, so if the only plus of the Find5 in the audio corner besides the speaker is an EQ then I guess I'll have to wait until the next big cheap thing
What do you think? Considering Oppo opened its sources from the start is it possible that the sound capabilities of the stock rom get ported to other roms like CM?
osmosizzz said:
With the V4A sound mod, it sounds really good. V4A sound mod on stock rom helps but not too much?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How does it work on CM? Gotta test that right away on my S2

You definitely have to play with v4a until you get the right sound for you. And sound settings varies from headphone to headphone
Sent from my Find 5 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
---------- Post added at 05:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:00 PM ----------
May be an eq thing but stock ROM produces better sound and louder volume. Bass is also stronger on stock ROM.
Sent from my Find 5 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

whynotbgd said:
When u use other earphones u must disable DIRAC
otherwise sound is crap.
DIRAC sounds good only with shipped earphones and far far better than anything eles !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
took your statement and did a test myself on stock rom and on firefly (international) , found some good music and hooked up the stock headset in the find 5, sounds great with DIRAC , as you said, then switched headset after have playing music in a periode, then tested with DIRAC enabled on my beats audio headset (stock from htc sensation xl), and sound was still really good, not much diffrent, only beats had more bass , but that headset is also a inear headset, which usually gives more bass.
Then just today, after flashing a codefireXperimental rom, as name say, not released at all, and then tested both headsets again, this time, ofc without DIRAC, but nothing else, no audio mods at all. and stock headset is a little bit more bad in cfxp than in stock with DIRAC, but not at all as in other custom roms ive tried. then switched to beats headset, very little diffrent here, from stock rom with DIRAC and now in custom rom.
After all, i think that audio quality ,cant only be blamed at DIRAC , if you look in this link , its pretty impressive who uses DIRAC, so im sure its not crap only
whynotbgd said:
Shipped earphones can only work ith dirac "ON".
Also I found poor sounding Find 5 with HTC beats audio earphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats not true, it works fine without DIRAC enabled, and after testing my own beats headset with dirac and without in custom roms, i dont hear at all that the sound is more bad with Dirac than it is without, infact i like the audio more with my find 5 and beats audio, even in cfxp, than i do with beats audio on my htc sensation xl.

Related

DHD music quality

hi all!
some of you are happy to have DHD already.
Tell me please how does it work as music player? Is it better than older HTC phones? (or generally phones) Can it play music as good as mid level mp3 players like iPOD, Creative, Sony etc.?
I mean with headphones, not stock off course.
best regards, Wojtek
I recall clock saying the sound was great using earphones. not sure if its the stock tho
The DHD has a good ADSP unit and as such, you should experience a good multimedia experience. This is of course dependant on other addons (DSPManager works great, but that requires modifying the framework) as well as upon the quality of your hardware (earphones - wired ones like Sennheinser and Bose work great).
You SHOULD bear in mind, that this is primarily a phone, NOT a multimedia unit.
Pozdrawiam ;]
I am listening to music on my HD right now!
It sounds incredible, awesome quality from the phone when using some quality earbuds. Sounds just like my iPod Video.
There is also the option of enabling Dolby Mobile, or SRS, or other EQ presets.
What's really nice is that you can scan the network for UPnP servers with the built-in Music app (eg. Windows Media, TVersity, XBMC and many more - I use foobar2000) and access music libraries stored on computers or NAS drives etc. Very handy! I think it works for pictures and videos too. Looks like part of HTC's DLNA implementation.
FM radio also sounds alright too. Haven't moved into a location where I could get full FM strength yet, but indoors on my headphones it's nice enough.
Can you tell me what are the settings available in dolby and SRS ?
Thanks
thanks guys, that was really helpful!
I was worried, because most phones sounds very flat. Mostly I listen to rock music so powerful low and dynamic high frequencies is a must have.
Now I use Nokia E65 with 3,5mm adaptor and KOSS earbuds. I hope there will be an major upgrade between E65 and DHD in case of sound + might consider changing earphones to AKG's.
is music and media playback can be enhanced with the dolby (via speaker) ?
The music quality is a way better than the desire. I would say it is on par with the iphone.
Is there any ex Galaxy S owners here who could provide an 'HONEST' opinion please.
The SGS is known as having an excellent Music App and delivers excellent quality audio.
It will be great to hear the DHD can achieve a similar result.
Thanks.
vicedens2002 said:
Can you tell me what are the settings available in dolby and SRS ?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the Music app (at least; haven't looked at any video playback yet) there's a button at the top right and an item on the Menu button called Sound Enhancer.
On there, you have "No effects", "Dolby Mobile", "SRS enhancement", and "Equalizer (headphones only)". Next to Equalizer, there's a variety of presets like Pop, Rock, Bass boost, Treble boost, Vocal boost, and a few more. I haven't found any means of actually adjusting the Dolby or SRS - it just seems to be an on/off thing - same with the EQ, there's no manual band control that I can see. It's either Nothing, Dolby, SRS, or EQ+a preset.
override182 said:
is music and media playback can be enhanced with the dolby (via speaker) ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dolby mobile and SRS makes a difference to the music being played in both the headphones, and out of the phone's speaker. Dolby seems to push more bass and adds a mild surround-like feeling. SRS seems to boost the bass and treble and make the sound "stand out" more. Both nice effects, worth playing with on various kinds of headphone. It's a preferential thing - the sound is fantastic even with no effects. They seem to make the external speaker a little louder (perhaps as a result of extra treble?) which, I must admit, is tinny and a little quiet, but I was expecting that.
Demiourgos said:
thanks guys, that was really helpful!
I was worried, because most phones sounds very flat. Mostly I listen to rock music so powerful low and dynamic high frequencies is a must have.
Now I use Nokia E65 with 3,5mm adaptor and KOSS earbuds. I hope there will be an major upgrade between E65 and DHD in case of sound + might consider changing earphones to AKG's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to have some KOSS The Plugs, and I miss them like hell, great earphones especially at the price. I lost mine It's a pity I don't have them any more to test on the DHD, but I'm certain you will find them to sound fantastic on this phone.
I'm using some generic Sony-Ericsson Walkman headphones with some custom earplugs, and they sound brilliant on this phone, so I can only imagine better headphones would sound... well, let's use some Apple lingo - "magical".
The bass is certainly powerful and upper frequencies are crisp. Hopefully you'll find it the same... I appreciate listening experience is a very subjective thing.
Demiourgos said:
thanks guys, that was really helpful!
I was worried, because most phones sounds very flat. Mostly I listen to rock music so powerful low and dynamic high frequencies is a must have.
Now I use Nokia E65 with 3,5mm adaptor and KOSS earbuds. I hope there will be an major upgrade between E65 and DHD in case of sound + might consider changing earphones to AKG's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I listen to deathcore and metalcore stuffs, having a low and dynamic Hi-F would indeed be superb with the open triplets, massive double paddle bass and all the squeaking pinching.. goes sexy on the distortion sound too
d0pefish said:
In the Music app (at least; haven't looked at any video playback yet) there's a button at the top right and an item on the Menu button called Sound Enhancer.
On there, you have "No effects", "Dolby Mobile", "SRS enhancement", and "Equalizer (headphones only)". Next to Equalizer, there's a variety of presets like Pop, Rock, Bass boost, Treble boost, Vocal boost, and a few more. I haven't found any means of actually adjusting the Dolby or SRS - it just seems to be an on/off thing - same with the EQ, there's no manual band control that I can see. It's either Nothing, Dolby, SRS, or EQ+a preset.
Dolby mobile and SRS makes a difference to the music being played in both the headphones, and out of the phone's speaker. Dolby seems to push more bass and adds a mild surround-like feeling. SRS seems to boost the bass and treble and make the sound "stand out" more. Both nice effects, worth playing with on various kinds of headphone. It's a preferential thing - the sound is fantastic even with no effects. They seem to make the external speaker a little louder (perhaps as a result of extra treble?) which, I must admit, is tinny and a little quiet, but I was expecting that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sweet, i love to hear that SRS and DOLBY makes media playback via the internal speaker a lil bit louder.. cuz it has been metallic and empty for the HTC Desire. Yes we all know that people dont enjoy music via the speakers but it would be handy sometime to have at least a decent one.. just for shortplaybacks or watching video with buddies..
does it work for youtube perhaps? cuz i see people tend to watch youtube vids with friends.. that is where a decent speaker goes along well or does it work only with the music player
override182 said:
I listen to deathcore and metalcore stuffs, having a low and dynamic Hi-F would indeed be superb with the open triplets, massive double paddle bass and all the squeaking pinching.. goes sexy on the distortion sound too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no deathcore to hand at the moment, but can give it a shot when I get home and report back, ahhaha
override182 said:
does it work for youtube perhaps? cuz i see people tend to watch youtube vids with friends.. that is where a decent speaker goes along well or does it work only with the music player
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the sound enhancement settings are only accessible from within the Music application, I don't know whether these enhancements only affect the music played in this app, or if the settings "stick" and apply to all media. I have no data or Wifi available at the moment to test out YouTube, but will report back tonight unless someone else would like to try.
I wonder if the Dolby/SRS/EQ stuff is done in software, or in the DAC/audio chip. Would be nice if it was the latter, as in the future we may end up with an external app that may offer more control over it, like some older HTC phones used to have.
Thought id post some screen shots of the music player and settings and what have you.
d0pefish said:
I have no deathcore to hand at the moment, but can give it a shot when I get home and report back, ahhaha
Since the sound enhancement settings are only accessible from within the Music application, I don't know whether these enhancements only affect the music played in this app, or if the settings "stick" and apply to all media. I have no data or Wifi available at the moment to test out YouTube, but will report back tonight unless someone else would like to try.
I wonder if the Dolby/SRS/EQ stuff is done in software, or in the DAC/audio chip. Would be nice if it was the latter, as in the future we may end up with an external app that may offer more control over it, like some older HTC phones used to have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try Bring Me The Horizon : Visions and Asking Alexandria : The Final Episode.. tell me if it sounds awesome! Both songs have quite a dynamic range of tunes and even very low ones too
Beards said:
Is there any ex Galaxy S owners here who could provide an 'HONEST' opinion please.
The SGS is known as having an excellent Music App and delivers excellent quality audio.
It will be great to hear the DHD can achieve a similar result.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I can help, my friend is here with her HD and I had a galaxy s not long back..(sold this week)
Galaxy s vs Desire HD - music through loud speaker - Galaxy S kicks its butt.
Galaxy S vs Desire HD - music through standard supplied earphones - Galaxy S again sound better.
Galaxy S vs Desire HD - music with a set of sennheiser cx500 in the DHD (ebay £10, best earphones for the price, trust me) WOW, what a difference, lovely sound and good bass, on par with Galaxy S id say..
Basically the external speaker isn't that loud (its not bad but its just not loud enough...as always...thanks HTC)
The supplied headphons that come with the Desire HD are crap..
Get a good set of earphones (the sennheiser cx500 were just an example but I found them to be very good for the money)...the difference is like night and day.
So with a good set of earphones its easily on par with the Galaxy S and an IPod for that matter... Hope that helps.
EDIT- I also had a Desire and the sound even with the standard headphones was much better on the DHD
Nice to hear good stuff for music quality. Can anyone confirm If radio loudness is good or not with headsets (compared to mp3 listenning). Also It has got RDS support, right?
rixsta said:
Yes I can help, my friend is here with her HD and I had a galaxy s not long back..(sold this week)
Galaxy s vs Desire HD - music through loud speaker - Galaxy S kicks its butt.
Galaxy S vs Desire HD - music through standard supplied earphones - Galaxy S again sound better.
Galaxy S vs Desire HD - music with a set of sennheiser cx500 in the DHD (ebay £10, best earphones for the price, trust me) WOW, what a difference, lovely sound and good bass, on par with Galaxy S id say..
Basically the external speaker isn't that loud (its not bad but its just not loud enough...as always...thanks HTC)
The supplied headphons that come with the Desire HD are crap..
Get a good set of earphones (the sennheiser cx500 were just an example but I found them to be very good for the money)...the difference is like night and day.
So with a good set of earphones its easily on par with the Galaxy S and an IPod for that matter... Hope that helps.
EDIT- I also had a Desire and the sound even with the standard headphones was much better on the DHD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mate, appreciate the honesty.
Beards said:
Thanks mate, appreciate the honesty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello matey, no problem, really it just comes down to Samsung ship far better headphones in box than the HTC, once you get a decent set the DHD sound is dam good.
rixsta said:
Hello matey, no problem, really it just comes down to Samsung ship far better headphones in box than the HTC, once you get a decent set the DHD sound is dam good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes Rich, appreciate that.
My problem though is I do use the external speaker a lot.
I take an awful lot of video's of my 3yr old granddaughter and pass the phone around to show the rest of the family (when out & about that is.... Near a TV and I either use the TV Cable or DLNA).
Taking these video's and playing them back through the speaker is sheer bliss.
Hence my nightmare..... The SGS has an excellent camera and bloody good loudspeaker to boot.
I've a strong feeling the DHD I'm ordering soon will disappoint.

Poor Headphone Audio Quality on Desire HD

Hey everyone,
i know there have been a lot of threads about the poor audio quality of the speaker. While it is not perfect, i can live with the quality revolution HD brings.
But when i use my earphones/headphones, i always notice how bad the Desire HD performs when playing music. Even when i compare the quality to a cheap MP3-Player, it doesnt sound good.
Can someone explain why the quality is so bad and if there is any way to improve the audio quality?
My Ideas would be:
-Bluetooth Audio adapter (but then again it is wireless, can't really be better)
-get a micro-usb to 3.5mm adapter (wouldnt help probably)
Any Ideas?
well, the DHD isn't famous for it's audio quality... there is nothing you can do about that.
it's probably related to a cheap sound chip used in the dhd.
Sent out of my Free Candy Van.
Just how "bad" quality are you talking about? Currently I'm using Nokia BH-503 and I'm pretty much satisfied with it. Good bass, clarity and range. It may not be the best, but "good" enough.
well, i use it as my default music player as well and it doesnt perform miserably, but whenever i connect my 150$ earphones, i always feel underwhelmed.
The highs just don't perform well, they lack a certain clarity. They sound a bit like tin cans
strange. i have the best audio quality on headset of all mp3 player i ever had with my DHD. i am still astonished how decent it is.
all of my friends have confirmed this.
At least DHD is far better than cheap MP3 player. But from where I am, I can't judge directly your claim. But you could use person near you to judge it. Ask if the sounds are truly bad as you said. Better if you could find another DHD for comparison. If it is the same, it seems that you set your standards a bit too high. No offense.
Strange to see this thread^^ I think the audio quality of the dhd is superb. I've been using an iPod for the last years and the quality is about the same i guess in normal mode. But when i enable SRS its like another level. I hear details on my tracks that i didn't even knew where there before.
So i really can't give any complaints. But anyway about 80% of the music quality comes from your headphones. I'm using stage in ears from shure because I'm a musician, and those headphones are much better than the average 30 bucks ones.
well, i recently noticed this when listening to a sony MP3-Player. When Comparing it to an LG P990, i also found the quality to be a bit clearer on the LG.
The SRS Sound does make it a little punchier, but it doesn't really fix the sound quality in my opinion.
I installed Volume Ace which gives you full control of all volume settings and I also have an app called Equalizer installed which, yes allows you to set various profiles/presets of music including bass, reverb, spacializer, echo etc etc. My DHD has SUPERB sound with this. If you use the stock music app it even switches profiles automatically provided the mp3 has the metadata for genre of music etc. I use Mortplayer which is now available for Android and I used it on WinMob too. It is THE best music player imho. I also use the HTC bluetooth headset and the sound quality is equally good with rich bass etc etc.
I use Moboplayer for movies/videos and the sound is equally superb. I am not sure what problem your device might have?
i will give the equalizer app a try, will report back whether i am more satisfied with the sound then.
UPDATE: The sound does seem quite a bit better when i use the equlalizer, thanks for that!
Well just wait for the new HTC devices with integrated dre beats audio
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA Premium App
Aamir.Badat said:
Well just wait for the new HTC devices with integrated dre beats audio
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dre? As in the c...rapper? I refuse to have that Name associated with my phone. hehehehe
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
i use a good AKG Headset and the sound is superb... on my DHD
I use Poweramp with these settings (iBeats headphones)
Equaliser preset: Techno (You can try Rock too, I dont listen to these but they offer clean bass and good highs)
Bass knob: About 40%
Treble knob: About 55%
Tone: Enabled
DHD: SRS Enhancement
Try it, its better than anything else I've seen on basically any other device.
I totally agree,
The HTC in comparison to different ipods and MP3 players is not in the same league.
Even the power is much lower on the HTC...
Currently i'm using iPod for my music (for the "real" music), along with the DHD for ...m.... calling ?
Gentlemen, lets not generalize. The DHD might not be on par with iPods/iPhones.
But that doesn't mean whole HTC is not on par. Example, my HD2 sounds better than my gf ipod, but that might be the music player (android ginger) tweaks.
Another example, on the world of smartphones, the olddy HTC Kaiser has one of the better speakerphones, i haven't seen nothing better (except some old nokias like the ngage 1st gen, yet this one usually would burn the speaker)
So, though the sound might not be that good, i rather have a phone that plays good sound, than a phone and a mp3 player. Honestly, most my musics are on FLAC, so any mp3 player would sound bad to me. No... i'm not a audophile. I don't have a better ear than anyother, but i can see difference between a 320kbps mp3 and any flac.
I have found that audio quality is very poor through the HTC supplied headset, but through my personal headphones really good, plus the ARHD ROM adds some volume and aswell to the sound.
peter9991 said:
Hey everyone,
i know there have been a lot of threads about the poor audio quality of the speaker. While it is not perfect, i can live with the quality revolution HD brings.
But when i use my earphones/headphones, i always notice how bad the Desire HD performs when playing music. Even when i compare the quality to a cheap MP3-Player, it doesnt sound good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm curious if you're using the stock ROM (that came with your phone) or a custom one (CyanogenMod, MIUI, etc.)
I'm on Miui.us ROM and my audio through headphones is quite clear, if rather loud.
I am using ARHD.
With the Beats Audio add-on it seems quite a lot better (the highs don't oversteer that much anymore).
My DHD performs quite correctly in the matter of sound !!
Check out the radio updates, roms and softwares
They can change a lot already

Audio SQ Stock vs CM10?

Hello there, is there any diference between audio qualify from headphones out stock vs cm?
This is the big question for me since I own a pair of NuForce NE-700M and plan to upgrade to Yamaha EPH-100, and roughly 90% of my smartphone usage is just listening to music. GSMArena shows stock playing with enjoyably low THD (I know some of you aren't too fond of their review process, though).
Deadeye* said:
Hello there, is there any diference between audio qualify from headphones out stock vs cm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock has workarounds for the cheap buds that come with the Oppo - but Dirac HD is unnecessary for decent headphones and in fact ruins the audio quality if used with good headphones. So if you use decent wired headphones you should not hear much difference if any. Some A2DP (stereo Bluetooth) devices have issues with 4.2 due to the new Bluetooth stack, however I can't reproduce this with any of my A2DP headsets.
I listen often music at home and sometimes I have to use my headphones (Fidelio)
Tested CM on Oppo which I preferred used on my HTC Sensation, but on the Oppo I am especially due to the sound quality back to Stock because in my opinion is the overall sound much better, especialy with MP3 320 kbps which I normally use. Only issue is that Stock in combination with the Faux Kernel causes sometimes a few problems.. However I have clearly to recommend the Stock for Music Lovers.. but try it - because ears and sound preferences are different
And by the way DiracHD is not only to improve cheap earphones, don't forget you have not the power of a High-End Amplifier in your pocket therfore is such a sound improvement a good way to have a much better sound on good headphones as well....
Nelson Hawker said:
I listen often music at home and sometimes I have to use my headphones (Fidelio)
Tested CM on Oppo which I preferred used on my HTC Sensation, but on the Oppo I am especially due to the sound quality back to Stock because in my opinion is the overall sound much better, especialy with MP3 320 kbps which I normally use. Only issue is that Stock in combination with the Faux Kernel causes sometimes a few problems.. However I have clearly to recommend the Stock for Music Lovers.. but try it - because ears and sound preferences are different
And by the way DiracHD is not only to improve cheap earphones, don't forget you have not the power of a High-End Amplifier in your pocket therfore is such a sound improvement a good way to have a much better sound on good headphones as well....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, DiracHD only works with cheap headphones - more specifically, *only with the cheap headphones included with the device* - it is an EQ preset that offsets the deficiencies of the OEM earbuds. Use it with anything that doesn't have the exact same frequency response and you correct for problems that aren't there - effectively creating new problems that didn't exist.
Effectively it's an audio form of RF predistortion - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predistortion - Applying predistortion to anything with distortion characteristics different from what the predistortion algorithm was designed for results in increased distortion.
Well, then you agree that there is a differece between..and it depends on the headphones!
This was finally the question..
There was also somewhere a previous discussion ongoing that not each headphone works well with DIRAC due some reasons you stated before which is clear and nothing new..
But as I said, for me personally it sounds much better. Maybe are my 180 Euro headphones made of cheap quality, my ears need a doctor or I'am a promotion victim
Nelson Hawker said:
Well, then you agree that there is a differece between..and it depends on the headphones!
This was finally the question..
There was also somewhere a previous discussion ongoing that not each headphone works well with DIRAC due some reasons you stated before which is clear and nothing new..
But as I said, for me personally it sounds much better. Maybe are my 180 Euro headphones made of cheap quality, my ears need a doctor or I'am a promotion victim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got rid of my stock firmware before I had a chance to try the Dirac stuff, but it sounds like it's very similar to Beats Audio, where a lot of the lower spectrum and possibly some of the highs are boosted. This generally makes a more "fun" sound for the casual listener but a lot of more analytical listeners will feel like it ruins the sound, especially if they own earphones that already have their preferred sound signature.
So basically: If your earbuds share a similar signature to the Find 5 included buds, you'll appreciate Dirac HD's effects. Elsewise, if Dirac happens to shape your buds' signature into something you enjoy, then more power to it.
Meh. My NuForce NE-700Ms are already plenty V-shaped (my only complaint being that I have to run 4khz into the ground because it can be harsh. I still recommend them to you out there looking for a quality pair of IEMs at a decent price)
Only for information:
With the Stock Music App, which is not really bad you can switch between DIRAC, Dolby or turn every sound improvement off. But you must plug your headphone in otherwise you have in the speaker mode only a possibility to select Dolby or turn everything off..
So you can compare a little bit better how it works for you...

Rate audio quality of ZF2!

So which earphones / cans do you use to listen to music.
On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best, how would you rate the audio quality?
Have you used ASUS earphones/headphones with ZF2?
Discuss!
I used NT100 in-ear (I buy the 550ML, lowest spec, so no quick-charger and earphone included)
Playing music with PowerAMP, customize EQ, Limiting activated. At highest volume, I didn't hear any clipping like my old phone. I usually use it at 50-60% volume.
Really, I have to say that I could not diffrentiate between phones audio output once Viper4Android is installed with same settings. No earphones with my ZE551 4Gb ... I think US version gets that removed.
p.s: Using Yamaha EPH-50 Gold earbuds.
aziz07 said:
Really, I have to say that I could not diffrentiate between phones audio output once Viper4Android is installed with same settings. No earphones with my ZE551 4Gb ... I think US version gets that removed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No earphones with my 551ML either. Not that i would ever use them lol. I use a pair of Sony MDRs and it sounds alright, without Viper installed.
1 mine is awful
Using Sony headset, great along with viper4android as default music fx..
I am using monster beats + EXTREMEMusic + stock music app. Result is cool ?
I use Helium earphones and Google Play music app on my Zenfone 2 4go/64go model and it is awesome.
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Free mobile app
vegasdiceshooter said:
1 mine is awful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Viper4Android?
The speaker on the Zenfone is pathetic. The tiny single speaker on my old phone (iPhone 5) is both louder and clearer. I got the ASUS headphones with my 550, but they are awful (I hate all inner-ear headphones anyway, but these sound very muddy and over-bassy and they keep popping out of my ears). Get much better sound through my old iPhone buds, which I always thought sounded good despite getting a lot of criticism. Max volume of the phone seems a little low to me, and reduces still further if you turn off the ASUS AudioWizard. I would like to try the phone with viper4android and some better headphones.
+1 ASUS AudioWizard is needed for proper sound. I wonder if there is a way to boost the speaker just like MTK devices ... The speaker is as big as the G3 yet the G3 sounds 2x louder. Boosted speaker with viper4android, its better than stock now.
It's not bad or about middle of the road for me. Primarily use aux (jack) for the cars. Bluetooth works fine. Speaker sucks. That's the best description. When I need to use Waze (nav app) I need to jack in or use bluetooth since you won't really hear it. 3.5mm audio jack and bluetooth are on the quiet side but the only improvement over the sub par speaker.
im using jabra step bluetooth headset with viper4android..makes me feel like partying in a club using SRS Audio (Extreme Trubass) convolver..
I'm going to echo @aziz07 - AudioWizard is necessary. If you've disabled it thinking it was bloat, go back and restore it or push it from a stock ROM.
After I had "cleaned up" the ROM, I had the most hollow-sounding audio: no bass, it was all harsh mids and treble. In my car, the woofers were barely engaging. Viper4Android did nothing except bring up the mids and make it sound even more hollow. That's when I realized there was something else EQ-related that was missing. I then restored AudioWizard and all was well.
The audio quality is good with this phone. It's a bit bass heavy (when things are default), but that's pretty objective and easily adjusted. Using cheap in-ear earphones, there's thump.
I don't think it sounds as dynamic as my LG G2, but I can't make a direct comparison since my G2 died.
I'm no audiophile, but I'm VERY pleased with the output quality at low to mid volumes.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk
I know , it sounded like an empty can of coke :laugh: I told SuperZen Rom maker that it gives more power mA to AUX port ; he added AudioWizard backin R12 release. Along with viper4andorid, it beats my R.I.P lg g2 (Started freezing randomly then would not boot anymore ; anyway it felt so cheap to beginning with and was overheating all the time 74C ; this Zenfone rarely exceeds 50C unless using the 18W quick charge, yet still ~55C ; I have seen my SoC go as low as 29C and battery 25C - Intel 3D 22nm Tri-gate transistors :good.
I use Yamaha EPH-50 Gold (13.6mm drive) + Viper4Android with Sennheiser HD800 settings lol + AudioWizard Music ; the bass is so powerfull that it gives me a headache and I have to lower it lol
using a Xiaomi Piston 2 + Shuttle+ here
I can say that the sound quality is HORRIBLE,like one of the worst i've ever experienced.It's so bad i am cosider buying a used 32gb iPhone 5c for $175 just to listen to music
haha My iphone 4 sound like crap versus the Zenfone with the settings and boosts mentioned above. Read earlier posts or stay with iphone 5c. Same crappy sound with iphone6+ and worse is that you can't mod them and use Viper4Android. Bass is many times more powerfull in my car's stereo and Harman-Kardon home theater BIC PL-200 system.
Sound quality for me is pretty good. I've tried it with some Panasonic RPTCM125K in ears, koss KSC75, Grado SR60, and a Bose Soundlink mini. The Panasonic's sounded decent, if a little muffled, but no different than what I remember when using them with other phones. The KSC75s sound great, and have decent clarity. I also use them over Bluetooth with this phone via a g-cord wireless audio receiver (purchased on amazon). They sound quite good that way as well, maybe lacking a little detail. The grados sounded excellent, so I use those when I don't need to be moving around. the Bose sounded somewhat muffled. I'm not sure if equalizer settings on the phone and Soundlink were working against each other or what. Although, the Soundlink mini seems to be a bit finicky with the surface that you place it on, and I had it resting on my kitchen table when using it, so maybe that's what was causing it.
Audio characteristics aside, and I'm no audio expert, the audio amplifier used in this phone seems quite capable. TPA2080D1, in case you're wondering. The full Bill of materials can be found at http://www.ewisetech.com/Pages/Product/bom.aspx?s=1961&dt=6820
Edit: I'm running with the audio wizard turned off. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if there's still some equalizer adjustment going on in the background.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk
Speaker quality is average at best. Volume is too low, audio is distorted at max volume.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk
glock24 said:
Speaker quality is average at best. Volume is too low, audio is distorted at max volume.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using Viper4Android? It made a big difference here even for the external speaker, use Vocal Boost and maxout everything but don't use speaker optimization. You can also apply this systemwide by deleting 2 paragraphs in /system/etc/audio_policy ; --> See Zenfone 2 Resources thread in viper4android section. After audio_policy modding for better V4A compatibility, Its working with Tunein radio, making crappy 32kbps radio stations sound much better, it will work with Youtube, etc

Audio quality

Hi experts,
I'm a long time Xiaomi user coming from Mi A1 thinking to buy this Mi 9T in US.
I'm not to happy with the A1 audio quality, especially over the headphones. I tried different brands, but not much luck. My GF has a note6pro, my family 5a..
Looking at the gsmarena site they are not impressed too with headphone test on this model, not sure it can be trusted though.
My main concern is the microphone and echo/noise canceling.
Can you guys give me a "real life review"?!
Check other thread, there many other (me included) confirm audio quality is suprisingly good, contrary to rumors. Maybe updates improved it?
I can say it is just as good as my amazing LG V20 with quad DAC! And the LG V series are the bechmark when it comes to android audio quality.
Only my problem is that volume is low, but AFAIK that is EU regulations, and should be easy to hack/fix, and would not apply anyway AFAIK for US version.
Just got my Mi 9T, and it is just STUNNING! A piece of art. I still catch myself staring at its beauty.
I would like to know about this too. And once again, there is NO EU regulation limiting volume. Manufacturers are meant to warn users when the volume is getting loud so they can confirm they want to proceed. If the phone companies can't read the rules, that's not the EU's fault. Enough with the fake news.
There's two modes of audio in the 9t "hi-fi" or regular.
I think that the option it's meant to switch from the audio chip modes, regular or performance (I think it's the best chip it has Qualcomm for audio, or at least they made it sound like that).
This performance mode uses more power, like 5 times more, and I am almost certain that gsmarena reviewed it without this setting on, that's why the poor results.
Look at this for more info of the chip.
https://www.qualcomm.com/products/wcd9375
Interesting for the consuption I didn't know ! and I can confirm that the sound quality is very good.
For the volume mine is very loud, impossible to put at max but it depend of your earphones impedance and many others things. (you have to play good quality sample music like FLAC and a good player like "AIMP" or "Poweramp" that can be "bit perfect"
Yes, I did a blind test against my creative Sound Blaster E1 (the phone supports DACs over USB C as well) and it is indistinguishable from that nice and proper DAC, IN THE HI-FI MODE. The source was lossless stuff from Tidal and the earbuds used were my trusty HiFiMan RE400a earbuds. I can verify that one has to listen at like two clicks below the full volume for everything to come through (i.e. the volume is a bit low, but baseline audio performance is excellent)
soumen08 said:
Yes, I did a blind test against my creative Sound Blaster E1 (the phone supports DACs over USB C as well) and it is indistinguishable from that nice and proper DAC, IN THE HI-FI MODE. The source was lossless stuff from Tidal and the earbuds used were my trusty HiFiMan RE400a earbuds. I can verify that one has to listen at like two clicks below the full volume for everything to come through (i.e. the volume is a bit low, but baseline audio performance is excellent)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's nice to hear.
mic
razielmcr said:
That's nice to hear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would be also interested in the microphone handling in the topic of Audit quality. On Mi A1 ppl always complained when I was using a headset as the noise canceling part did not work. Same for Speaker mode..
Also why "Hi-Fi audio" is not on by default as it claims to increase audio quality.
Regarding the phone calls I can tell that my factory set 9T is poor. I cannot hear and understand what people say when calling. (Never had this on any phone before) Weird sound and some echo. And nowhere any audio settings in phone.
marko-mb said:
Regarding the phone calls I can tell that my factory set 9T is poor. I cannot hear and understand what people say when calling. (Never had this on any phone before) Weird sound and some echo. And nowhere any audio settings in phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have that problem. Phone calls are clear
Regarding audio quality over a headphone jack = it is worst audio quality I have ever tested from any smartphone be honest. I also know people who see it the same way. I went to Mi9T from Pocophone and never had this issue there - poco is still in my house, I gave it to my wife so I can really compare between the two. Tried both normal and hi-fi modes on Mi9T.
Audio over BT is fine on other hand - thats most important for me
I was testing audio quality on SONY WH-1000MX3
What could be the reason for this I dont know. The audio chip should be great. I have tried many versions of MIUI as well.
Tested right now with Beyerdynamic dt770 Pro 250 Ohm version. My source file is from deezer to have a better idea of an average quality of a song someone might listen to.
Hi-Fi is enabled and i can say that audio quality is pretty good. I wouldn't compare it to LG Quad Dac but the phone is powering 250 Ohm studio headphones very well.
People usually evaluate audio quality by the amount of bass. IMO its good enough.
@Nexus5-32GB I have the same impression. I came from a Zuk Z2 Pro and audio quality is poor. Bass is OK but mids and treble are too high. I'm using the same Senheiser MX-30G as always and the difference is noticiable even in Hi-Fi. My wife's Redmi 4A have better sound.
I am using poweramp music player to listen to music, and the audio quality is just superb! Previously I used google play music with mi sound enhancer and the audio quality is pretty mediocre compared to poweramp.
I tested hifi with AudioTechnica M50. It does make a difference and I feel it is a lot louder so much that I'm afraid of pushing volume to max. I like my hearing very much. You don't need portable amps with this phone for the most part. It's probably not audiophile approved or something like that but it sounds very full.
billiken_27 said:
@Nexus5-32GB I have the same impression. I came from a Zuk Z2 Pro and audio quality is poor. Bass is OK but mids and treble are too high. I'm using the same Senheiser MX-30G as always and the difference is noticiable even in Hi-Fi. My wife's Redmi 4A have better sound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What player are you using?
Using Google play the sound it's ****.
Using Tidal it's heaven, don't know why.
Exactly, if you use it right the sound is very good but if you listen mp3 with googlemusic, sure the best earphones can't do anything for you
razielmcr said:
What player are you using?
Using Google play the sound it's ****.
Using Tidal it's heaven, don't know why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it's a player issue 'cause I always use the same player. I always compare the sound using Spotify. I use Spotify on all my family devices.
billiken_27 said:
I don't think it's a player issue 'cause I always use the same player. I always compare the sound using Spotify. I use Spotify on all my family devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it doesn't make any sense, I know, but in my case that happend, playing throug play music was horrible and understandable that people complain about it, but with Tidal it's beyond anything i've heard.
Other users have notified that they too notice when playing through play music.
actually is awesome
brombadeg said:
Hi experts,
I'm a long time Xiaomi user coming from Mi A1 thinking to buy this Mi 9T in US.
I'm not to happy with the A1 audio quality, especially over the headphones. I tried different brands, but not much luck. My GF has a note6pro, my family 5a..
Looking at the gsmarena site they are not impressed too with headphone test on this model, not sure it can be trusted though.
My main concern is the microphone and echo/noise canceling.
Can you guys give me a "real life review"?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from a zte axon 7 I was really doubtful about the sound quality, but I'm impressed about it, it has a hifi logo on the box and sounds really good, with a couple of good headphones I can't listen no difference with the zte axon 7, also had a poco f1 and it sounds a thousand times better than the poco

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