Database Users

Best Music Player that you can recommend ?

Best Music Player u can suggest for A500?
Pls. specify if it's FREE or Paid....
categories,..great layout,ease of use,Best sound FX,
Thanks,.

hatyrei said:
Best Music Player u can suggest for A500?
Pls. specify if it's FREE or Paid....
categories,..great layout,ease of use,Best sound FX,
Thanks,.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
doubletwist
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.doubleTwist.androidPlayer

Power amp is my choice in any device for music player. Awesome player sound is so much better with this player. I use skull candy thrashers with a Pyle headphone amplifier and power amp and I am over joyed with the results give it a try.
Sent from my A500 using xda app-developers app

Personally...
Stock ICS Google Play Music app.
I use high end headphones connected to a true hardware EQ and preamp.
Last thing I want is some annoying software layer applying crappy preset software EQ levels to .FLAC audio.

I use Poweramp too, paid. It has issues with Dolby Mobile though. I have to toggle it (DM) off and on for it to not sound tinny and distant. I have to do it every few days, and every time I reboot my tablet. Not a big deal really.
I didn't think Play Music could do FLAC, maybe I'll check it out again. That's originally why I got Poweramp.

Just my $0.02 USD
Jeckler said:
I use Poweramp too, paid. It has issues with Dolby Mobile though. I have to toggle it (DM) off and on for it to not sound tinny and distant. I have to do it every few days, and every time I reboot my tablet. Not a big deal really.
I didn't think Play Music could do FLAC, maybe I'll check it out again. That's originally why I got Poweramp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Play Music has no problem playing FLAC (At least, on my a500 running Taboonay ICS ROM) - sounds great.
Combine that with a good set of headphones and turn off all that dolby crap (really, it destroys how music should sound).

[Q] Music Player Q's

Question for those of you with this phone.
Are any of you using a 3rd party music player? I have Poweramp and I noticed that the sound for this is much lower on this device as opposed to the when I had the Galaxy S4. Even tweaking the EQ like I did on the S4 yields no results. Right now I am using Mortplayer Music since most of my music is in various folders not all by album. So far the sound is pretty good but it just strikes me as odd that these players are much lower than the Google Play Music app. I don't really care for that app, as it decides it wants to pull from the streaming library despite me saying local only... I don't remember having this issue on older versions...(maybe it's just me) but I was never really sold on this app anyway.
I also tried shuttle+ and Flipbeats with similar results...

chousue said:
Question for those of you with this phone.
Are any of you using a 3rd party music player? I have Poweramp and I noticed that the sound for this is much lower on this device as opposed to the when I had the Galaxy S4. Even tweaking the EQ like I did on the S4 yields no results. Right now I am using Mortplayer Music since most of my music is in various folders not all by album. So far the sound is pretty good but it just strikes me as odd that these players are much lower than the Google Play Music app. I don't really care for that app, as it decides it wants to pull from the streaming library despite me saying local only... I don't remember having this issue on older versions...(maybe it's just me) but I was never really sold on this app anyway.
I also tried shuttle+ and Flipbeats with similar results...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be the sound processing in general that is the issue. I have noticed that the volume is softer in general than other phones I have had. Even in my house I have found that the volume has to be at least half to consistently hear notifications/phone calls, in or out of pocket.
When playing music using headphones or over Bluetooth, maybe using the various H/K processing could be lowering the volume. With it on and the volume maxed, I still have to turn up my aftermarket car radio's volume up more than I'd like to to hear the music (oftentimes podcasts) and especially taking a call over Bluetooth.

anyone else find Bluetooth audio streaming quality not good?

OK I finally gave in my note 7 after I broke it today..And I am really trying to love this phone. Samsung's aren't perfect, but one thing they do well is stream clean music with *slightly* pushed bass. This works amazing in my car especially because I have a added subwoofer in my car.
I was really looking forward to the increased audio quality everyone says this phone has, but in my experience thus far, I am finding it incredibly lacking! Is it because I am not using the auxillary port?
In my car over Bluetooth the music streamed from it sounds okay except for there seems to be a huge lack of bass. I try to compensate by cranking the bass some on the radio, however it just sounds muddy. Not clean and powerful without being too powerful like the Samsung's.
Has anyone else experienced this, and short of rooting have you found any remedy? The part that sucks is the majority of the music I listen to comes from Spotify, and Spotify doesn't connect with any equalizers you can download. Only the phones operation system equalizer. Someone please chime in

Yea weak sound quality with Bluetooth
But when connected with 3.5 cable the quality is outstanding with the hi dac

Damn that sucks. I haven't used a headphone jack in damn near 3 years.

rowihel2012 said:
Yea weak sound quality with Bluetooth
But when connected with 3.5 cable the quality is outstanding with the hi dac
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you rooted by any chance?

The amazing sound quality you're hearing about is from the wired connection. Once you hand off to BT, it's pretty much up to the device you're sending it to.

CHH2 said:
The amazing sound quality you're hearing about is from the wired connection. Once you hand off to BT, it's pretty much up to the device you're sending it to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's not true. You can play multiple Bluetooth devices and there is differences in sound. A iPhone, and galaxy, and this phone all sound different in my car stereo system and on my reciever in the house. Clearly 3 different sound profiles

Lg v20 is AptX/AptX Hd compatible. You should look for bluetooth IEM/Headphones/Speakers with those features and then you will get optimal quality sound for bluetooth. Personally have the LG tone platinum's with AptX HD and its the best audio experience I've from bluetooth earphones.

Success100 said:
Are you rooted by any chance?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea and
Has weta rom

Sounds great in my car, Powerbeats wireless and Samsung level pro speakers. Nothing wrong with Bluetooth over here.
Sent from my LG-H915 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Sounds amazing on my Harmon Kardon Onyx Studio and my Tones infinims.

This sounds great over Bluetooth with aptx. I have a a car stereo with aptx and it makes a difference. I was running viper on my old S4 before and I am pleased enough that I haven't even rooted to install viper yet. S4 sounded like crap over Bluetooth until I found viper with the appropriate convolver.

rowihel2012 said:
Yea and
Has weta rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weta included Dolby Atmos in his rom. Have you tried that with bluetooth?
I hear a big difference with it set to music and intelligent equalizer to open.
Lots of bass on my lg headphones.

androiddiego said:
Weta included Dolby Atmos in his rom. Have you tried that with bluetooth?
I hear a big difference with it set to music and intelligent equalizer to open.
Lots of bass on my lg headphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea fantastic rom with fantastic audio mods
---------- Post added at 10:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 PM ----------
But i love Hi Fi dac sound

You shouldn't have to root at all.
Try this app for play store
Equalizer FX
But in short no phone uses DAC once Bluetooth is connected. The only thing that may make your old phone any different is its Bass settings.

shwnr11 said:
You shouldn't have to root at all.
Try this app for play store
Equalizer FX
But in short no phone uses DAC once Bluetooth is connected. The only thing that may make your old phone any different is its Bass settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it work for Spotify?

Success100 said:
Does it work for Spotify?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its a free app and runs in the background.
It appears to detect any media playing thru the phone.
I haven't tried it with Spotify, but my guess would be yes.
As I haven't found an app it hasn't worked with yet.
I've used it with Napster, Pandora, Slacker, You tube, web browser, lg player, and a few other things. And have been able to adjust the EQ settings every time.
Only glitch I have ran across is sometimes it doesn't start up or was killed off by the OS while not being used. So I have to open up the app once in a while and toggle it on and off to activate it again. But once that's done it usually stays on and continues to function until I stop playing media and stop using it for a period of time.

Success100 said:
Does it work for Spotify?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just installed it myself and yes it does.
Keep in mind though these apps can only do so much with whatever hardware you're using.
Would be bad ass of the DAC could work with Bluetooth but unfortunately that's literally impossible since a DAC requires a wired source.
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

evo4g63t said:
I just installed it myself and yes it does.
Keep in mind though these apps can only do so much with whatever hardware you're using.
Would be bad ass of the DAC could work with Bluetooth but unfortunately that's literally impossible since a DAC requires a wired source.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I downloaded it and yes it does help even with Spotify thank you very much. It helps some. I'm now getting the infamous static over Bluetooth.
I actually asked my dude to come over who has 2016 dodge charger (I have a 2013 300) because I was starting to think maybe I'm just tripping. I hooked my phone up in his car via Bluetooth and played a song by Migos (lol horrible artists but they have a lot of dynamic beats) I first played it on my phone with the said app running In the background. First thing he said is "why it sound like that?" I told him wait until we listen to the whole song. We then had him hook up his s7 edge via Bluetooth and there is a CLEAR difference. Much higher *quality* bass. Much more "fuller" highs. Not that the V20 does not get loud...That's not the case. The V20 will get loud but sounds like crap...
So to play devil's advocate. I pull out his aux cord from his center console and made sure I turned DAC on and played the same song. Yes. DAC does help with the quality especially when playing 320kbps music. It sounds great. Yet still, I still find the lows sloppy, muddy, and just not quality in my opinion. I expected alot more out of this phone audio wise, and call me crazy, I am extremely let down as I find the Samsung's have a much more natural, full, sound profile. Maybe I just prefer the Samsung audio profile vs LG's implementation. I know when it comes to clean low end bass, Samsung's have a clear advantage. Even with Bluetooth headphones.
I am going to continue messing with the equalizer app I downloaded and hope to find that great balance I am looking for. I may ultimately end up returning the phone. Seems fickle, but having to do all of this and use antiquated aux cords and rooting etc just to get the sound I want is overkill to me especially when there are no promos thru T-Mobile for this phone right now..
Rant end.

Try out Napster.
They have a built-in equalizer unlike Spotify.
And their built-in equalizer is a little better than the stand alone equalizer I mentioned earlier.
Just make sure your not running both equalizers at the same time. Also make sure that the phones volume is turned down to start off with, than increase once music is playing.
The phones output thru auxiliary seems to be a little higher than most head units can handle, when the volume is max out on the phone.
I also have a second device called sound shocker. It allows me to keep the phones volume low, but maximize the quality of the music and have high volume output from the head unit.
Go check it out at sound shocker.com
Also being on T-Mobile, dont forget you have the Hi-Fi settings. Adjusting the dB in the settings will also have great effect when playing thru auxiliary chord.

Oh....one more thing.... Under the accessibility settings under hearing, make sure you have stereo turned on or off to suit your preference.

Yet another Axon Audio Thread

I see alot of discussion here about the Axon 7 problems with lack of access to the AKM DAC, and the flawed stock Music Player. I know this has been talked through, but unfortunately, most of what I read is contradictory or inconclusive.
I have done extensive if somewhat subjective testing with a set of Sony MDR-D77 phones (look 'em up) and have come to the conclusion that NO music apps other than the stock player use the AKM chip. None, zip, nada. The only two I have found so far that tell what chip they are using are Neutron & Poweramp, and both list the Qualcomm DAC (Neutron lists ARMv8 + NEON, and Poweramp lists Snapdragon 24bit). I have tried Neutron, Poweramp, Google Play, VLC, Black Player, PlayerPro, Onkyo HF Player, Foobar 2000, Media Monkey, Noozy, USB Audio Player Pro, Stellio & Hiby Music. All fall short. It's not like any of them are bad, they are just not as good. There are subtle but significant differences. With the default player, the soundstage is a little wider and seems to have more depth, the high end is a little clearer and there is no distortion even when turned up. With EVERY other player there is a a slight compression to the sound, a bit of a roll off at the high end, and noticeable distortion during loud passages. Nothing extreme by any means, and might not even have noticed if I wasn't listening back to back, but it's there none the less. Neutron & Poweramp both have enough options to make it a little better and squeeze every bit out of the Snapdragon DAC, but they still fall short, and I don't want to have to pay for second best. There has been some discussion about the Headset HiFi setting switching between DAC's, but I don't think that is what it does. I can still hear differences regardless of the settings. I have a feeling it's another software trick, like the Dolby stuff.
So just use the default player, right? Yeah...well here's the thing, as has been discussed, it won't play album tracks in order, it alphabetizes everything. For me, that's a deal breaker. I just can't listen to Dark Side of the Moon, or Abbey Road, or O.K. Computer, or any number of other albums, in alphabetical order. It just ain't right.
So.. here are my questions:
1. Has anyone found a player that actually uses the AKM chip? Are you sure? Is it even possible without some hardware level access?
2. Would it be possible to add the ability to play tracks in order to the default player? I'm not much of a coder, so I plead incompetence on this, but if it is possible I might be willing to make it a personal project.
3. Would it be possible to make it so other players can access the AKM chip? More difficult than the previous question I'm sure, but probably still possible.
I'm sure that any of the above solutions could also work for you Axon Pro owners out there, and Blade V8 owners as well, and any other ZTE phones with the AKM chip. Unfortunately, ZTE has shown little interest in dealing with this. I just makes me sad to have such a wonderful bit of hardware, and only a flawed player to access it with. There must be a better way.

gabe50200 said:
I see alot of discussion here about the Axon 7 problems with lack of access to the AKM DAC, and the flawed stock Music Player. I know this has been talked through, but unfortunately, most of what I read is contradictory or inconclusive.
I have done extensive if somewhat subjective testing with a set of Sony MDR-D77 phones (look 'em up) and have come to the conclusion that NO music apps other than the stock player use the AKM chip. None, zip, nada. The only two I have found so far that tell what chip they are using are Neutron & Poweramp, and both list the Qualcomm DAC (Neutron lists ARMv8 + NEON, and Poweramp lists Snapdragon 24bit). I have tried Neutron, Poweramp, Google Play, VLC, Black Player, PlayerPro, Onkyo HF Player, Foobar 2000, Media Monkey, Noozy, USB Audio Player Pro, Stellio & Hiby Music. All fall short. It's not like any of them are bad, they are just not as good. There are subtle but significant differences. With the default player, the soundstage is a little wider and seems to have more depth, the high end is a little clearer and there is no distortion even when turned up. With EVERY other player there is a a slight compression to the sound, a bit of a roll off at the high end, and noticeable distortion during loud passages. Nothing extreme by any means, and might not even have noticed if I wasn't listening back to back, but it's there none the less. Neutron & Poweramp both have enough options to make it a little better and squeeze every bit out of the Snapdragon DAC, but they still fall short, and I don't want to have to pay for second best. There has been some discussion about the Headset HiFi setting switching between DAC's, but I don't think that is what it does. I can still hear differences regardless of the settings. I have a feeling it's another software trick, like the Dolby stuff.
So just use the default player, right? Yeah...well here's the thing, as has been discussed, it won't play album tracks in order, it alphabetizes everything. For me, that's a deal breaker. I just can't listen to Dark Side of the Moon, or Abbey Road, or O.K. Computer, or any number of other albums, in alphabetical order. It just ain't right.
So.. here are my questions:
1. Has anyone found a player that actually uses the AKM chip? Are you sure? Is it even possible without some hardware level access?
2. Would it be possible to add the ability to play tracks in order to the default player? I'm not much of a coder, so I plead incompetence on this, but if it is possible I might be willing to make it a personal project.
3. Would it be possible to make it so other players can access the AKM chip? More difficult than the previous question I'm sure, but probably still possible.
I'm sure that any of the above solutions could also work for you Axon Pro owners out there, and Blade V8 owners as well, and any other ZTE phones with the AKM chip. Unfortunately, ZTE has shown little interest in dealing with this. I just makes me sad to have such a wonderful bit of hardware, and only a flawed player to access it with. There must be a better way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
neutron can absolutely use the ak, and I'm sure other players can as well. it just needs to be switched on after plugging in headphones. obviously as a secondary DAC the output sink in use matters, and it certainly does have issues detecting what sink is in use and whether it should switch on or not, but this is actually a problem with android and not the hardware itself.
just my 2 cents
there's really no comparison in terms of audio quality either imo, neutron especially after the other days update is ridiculously powerful

https://www.reddit.com/r/Axon7/comments/5v326b/just_switched_to_lineage_turns_out_the_akm_dac/
Related part is in the second paragraph of OP

ephexxis said:
neutron can absolutely use the ak, and I'm sure other players can as well. it just needs to be switched on after plugging in headphones. obviously as a secondary DAC the output sink in use matters, and it certainly does have issues detecting what sink is in use and whether it should switch on or not, but this is actually a problem with android and not the hardware itself.
just my 2 cents
there's really no comparison in terms of audio quality either imo, neutron especially after the other days update is ridiculously powerful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you tell me how to check the dac is being used on neutron? And when you say switch it on, where do you mean?
To be honest though, I really hear no difference between the stock player and neutron or rocket player. The 3 sound identical. Am using 1more Triple Driver IEMs.

joaste said:
Could you tell me how to check the dac is being used on neutron? And when you say switch it on, where do you mean?
To be honest though, I really hear no difference between the stock player and neutron or rocket player. The 3 sound identical. Am using 1more Triple Driver IEMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here ill make a little Walk through of my process

ephexxis said:
here ill make a little Walk through of my process
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much appreciated!

basically the only things that are critical to ensure is that neutron is processing using AudioTrack rather than OpenFail(GL) ES, and that you go toggle back and forth the dac in sound options any time you say, reboot without removing the plug from your headphone jack. screens are sequential. and just meant to show my setup and process when i get in my car, mount my a7 to the dash and jack in.
you'll hear the difference immediately from switching on the ak4461. its pretty ridiculous
*ADDENDUM * guess i should probably say that this is with stock, albeit modded firmware. everything seems to indicate the audio treasure contained in this handsets' chassis is more or less inaccessible when running custom roms, or at least LOS based ones

ephexxis said:
basically the only things that are critical to ensure is that neutron is processing using AudioTrack rather than OpenFail(GL) ES, and that you go toggle back and forth the dac in sound options any time you say, reboot without removing the plug from your headphone jack. screens are sequential. and just meant to show my setup and process when i get in my car, mount my a7 to the dash and jack in.
you'll hear the difference immediately from switching on the ak4461. its pretty ridiculous
*ADDENDUM * guess i should probably say that this is with stock, albeit modded firmware. everything seems to indicate the audio treasure contained in this handsets' chassis is more or less inaccessible when running custom roms, or at least LOS based ones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the screenshots.
I am seeing AudioTrack rather than OpenES now but am not seeing NEON+NEON like you. I'm still seeing ARMv8 + NEON.
I am using the evaluation version of Neutron. Would be surprised if that was the cause.
I'm on full stock B10 (A2017G -> maybe that has something to do with it?).

joaste said:
Thanks for the screenshots.
I am seeing AudioTrack rather than OpenES now but am not seeing NEON+NEON like you. I'm still seeing ARMv8 + NEON.
I am using the evaluation version of Neutron. Would be surprised if that was the cause.
I'm on full stock B10 (A2017G -> maybe that has something to do with it?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol is cause my ss was bad, we have the same hardware :highfive:

ephexxis said:
lol is cause my ss was bad, we have the same hardware :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, but I don't have anything next to VEC. Not sure what that is by the way, nor why I have nothing next to it like you...
As already mentioned though, I really hear no difference between the players. I do hear a difference when I switch to Super mode in sound settings.
---------- Post added at 07:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:14 PM ----------
Flaîm said:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Axon7/comments/5v326b/just_switched_to_lineage_turns_out_the_akm_dac/
Related part is in the second paragraph of OP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only saw your post now.
Indeed, if true, that confirms what I was hearing in any case.
Thanks for that!

joaste said:
OK, but I don't have anything next to VEC. Not sure what that is by the way, nor why I have nothing next to it like you...
As already mentioned though, I really hear no difference between the players. I do hear a difference when I switch to Super mode in sound settings.
---------- Post added at 07:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:14 PM ----------
Only saw your post now.
Indeed, if true, that confirms what I was hearing in any case.
Thanks for that!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
super mode = the toggle for the ak4461.
as for neutrons quality, keep in mind you're always limited to the quality of your music files as well as your listening hardware. everything sounds much better in my car where i also utilize a creative Soundblaster e3

ephexxis said:
basically the only things that are critical to ensure is that neutron is processing using AudioTrack rather than OpenFail(GL) ES, and that you go toggle back and forth the dac in sound options any time you say, reboot without removing the plug from your headphone jack. screens are sequential. and just meant to show my setup and process when i get in my car, mount my a7 to the dash and jack in.
you'll hear the difference immediately from switching on the ak4461. its pretty ridiculous
*ADDENDUM * guess i should probably say that this is with stock, albeit modded firmware. everything seems to indicate the audio treasure contained in this handsets' chassis is more or less inaccessible when running custom roms, or at least LOS based ones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the replies.
I don't know, maybe I'm imagining it, but i swear, I could switch back and forth between say black player and vlc, and they were identical. But...switching between the stock player and any other, and they were not. And that's with super on all the time, and I did go in and check to see if it had been reset. I don't know. I think I'll give my ears a rest and maybe try again. This time I'll try switching super off and on each time I switch players and see if that makes a difference. Do you think unplugging the headphones when going from one player to another would make a difference? I wasn't doing that.
I will agree that of all the third party players I tried, that neutron sounded the best. But it still didn't seem to be as clear and open as the stock player. I will check that I don't have ES turned on. And you have a couple of options selected I didn't, I will check those as well.

gabe50200 said:
Thanks for the replies.
I don't know, maybe I'm imagining it, but i swear, I could switch back and forth between say black player and vlc, and they were identical. But...switching between the stock player and any other, and they were not. And that's with super on all the time, and I did go in and check to see if it had been reset. I don't know. I think I'll give my ears a rest and maybe try again. This time I'll try switching super off and on each time I switch players and see if that makes a difference. Do you think unplugging the headphones when going from one player to another would make a difference? I wasn't doing that.
I will agree that of all the third party players I tried, that neutron sounded the best. But it still didn't seem to be as clear and open as the stock player. I will check that I don't have ES turned on. And you have a couple of options selected I didn't, I will check those as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i mean it's true that all of the configuration files are written with the stock player in mind and so it will have the easiest pain free time facilitating playback on that phone with its hardware and its structure

ephexxis said:
i mean it's true that all of the configuration files are written with the stock player in mind and so it will have the easiest pain free time facilitating playback on that phone with its hardware and its structure
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose it's possible that ZTE may have tweaked the output a bit on the stock player, and that's what I'm hearing, not the DAC.

gabe50200 said:
I suppose it's possible that ZTE may have tweaked the output a bit on the stock player, and that's what I'm hearing, not the DAC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually dolby wrote all of the audio configuration files for this phone

ephexxis said:
actually dolby wrote all of the audio configuration files for this phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got It! Crossfeed was turned on. Turned it off and everything widened up. Now Neutron sounds as good or better than stock.
Thanks again for all the input.

ephexxis said:
basically the only things that are critical to ensure is that neutron is processing using AudioTrack rather than OpenFail(GL) ES, and that you go toggle back and forth the dac in sound options any time you say, reboot without removing the plug from your headphone jack. screens are sequential. and just meant to show my setup and process when i get in my car, mount my a7 to the dash and jack in.
you'll hear the difference immediately from switching on the ak4461. its pretty ridiculous
*ADDENDUM * guess i should probably say that this is with stock, albeit modded firmware. everything seems to indicate the audio treasure contained in this handsets' chassis is more or less inaccessible when running custom roms, or at least LOS based ones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gabe50200 said:
Got It! Crossfeed was turned on. Turned it off and everything widened up. Now Neutron sounds as good or better than stock.
Thanks again for all the input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay after some time and multiple attempts I give up.
Can any of you post a full list of your settings in screenshot so I can copy them?
I just can't make it work, help me please.

nfsmw_gr said:
Okay after some time and multiple attempts I give up.
Can any of you post a full list of your settings in screenshot so I can copy them?
I just can't make it work, help me please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what's not working exactly?

gabe50200 said:
have come to the conclusion that NO music apps other than the stock player use the AKM chip. None, zip, nada. The only two I have found so far that tell what chip they are using are Neutron & Poweramp, and both list the Qualcomm DAC (Neutron lists ARMv8 + NEON, and Poweramp lists Snapdragon 24bit). I have tried Neutron, Poweramp, Google Play, VLC, Black Player, PlayerPro, Onkyo HF Player, Foobar 2000, Media Monkey, Noozy, USB Audio Player Pro, Stellio & Hiby Music. All fall short.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm Google Play Music uses the hi-fi DAC and amplifier when Super is selected. So, it's not just the stock Music app that uses it. You are incorrect in this case.

What about music players that people actually use? I mean...I don't think many people listen to local music these days on their phones.
Youtube, spotify...do they use the Hi-Fi DAC?

Any news on non-stock music players utilizing AKM DAC?

Hi, I'm from Europe and yesterday I received my brand new A2017G. It's on B09 software version and OTA isnt finding anything newer. Sadly I read in many places (and tested it by myself) that only stock music player can output music to the AKM DAC. Are there any possibilities for me to achive desired result (I mean non-stock players do the same) on stock rom? I assume that I'd have to root and flash some custom rom but I would like to do it in the last resort (I use many banking apps which don't work that good with root and custom roms)
I can't hide the fact that this function is quite a dealbreaker for me. The phone is all great but if I can't use my favourite music player - for example PowerAmp, the what's the point. Stock music player is extremely lacking - and that is saying it lightly.

I have used many players which works fine (with Dolby Atmos) with the stock Rom..
Actually it's Pi music player. But you have Phonograph too and several others. Just give them a try too see it's what you want.
By the way, the last version of the stock Rom for G models is Nougat B10.
Envoyé de mon ZTE A2017G en utilisant Tapatalk

ma_ko said:
Hi, I'm from Europe and yesterday I received my brand new A2017G. It's on B09 software version and OTA isnt finding anything newer. Sadly I read in many places (and tested it by myself) that only stock music player can output music to the AKM DAC. Are there any possibilities for me to achive desired result (I mean non-stock players do the same) on stock rom? I assume that I'd have to root and flash some custom rom but I would like to do it in the last resort (I use many banking apps which don't work that good with root and custom roms)
I can't hide the fact that this function is quite a dealbreaker for me. The phone is all great but if I can't use my favourite music player - for example PowerAmp, the what's the point. Stock music player is extremely lacking - and that is saying it lightly.
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JLLE said:
I have used many players which works fine (with Dolby Atmos) with the stock Rom..
Actually it's Pi music player. But you have Phonograph too and several others. Just give them a try too see it's what you want.
By the way, the last version of the stock Rom for G models is Nougat B10.
Envoyé de mon ZTE A2017G en utilisant Tapatalk
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All apps can use the AKM DAC, actually. if you don't believe me go to the sound toggle and, well, toggle it a few times. Now hi-res is another matter, but I believe you are not talking about that specifically. if you are, then only Neutron and maybe those apps jlle mentioned work (i.e. not poweramp)
Just use Poweramp if you don't care about hi-res files and that stuff

The question is - I honestly don't know. I just wanted good audio quality. At first I installed poweramp, listened to some songs at the sound was decent. However when during playback I went to android settings -> sound -> headset hifi and switched between super and standard nothing happened. There was no change in music. I assume it's a setting for headphones only but I tested several pairs and nothing. But when I used stock music player I could toggle that setting with audible effect. Another thing (I guess) is Dolby icon visible when you pull down status bar. Is it the same as Dolby Atmos in sound settings? Does it works when using phone's speakers only or you can use it with headphones also? Anyway, on poweramp tapping it brings no change (it won't activate) whereas in stock player it works splendidly...

ma_ko said:
Is it the same as Dolby Atmos in sound settings? Does it works when using phone's speakers only or you can use it with headphones also? Anyway, on poweramp tapping it brings no change (it won't activate) whereas in stock player it works splendidly...
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It's the same and it works with the speaker or headphons. In speaker I would leave Dolby on,does it's job quite well with it but for headphones I'm turning it off to take use of the AKM dac/super mode,but to really hear a difference you've got to have a pair of high impedance headphones.Also in Poweramp there should be a setting somewhere that makes Dolby work again,but may turn poweramps equalizer off, but I don't know where/what the setting is called since I'm only using spotify atm.

F.Y.I., Poweramp only works with HIFI if you use the beta, and include a couple work-arounds in your build.prop. Not the easiest thing in the world to get running, but it sounds great once you do.

Dolby and Hi-Fi audio quality are two totally different things. Dolby is the separate audio processing software that works on both speakers and headphones, but does not get too well with Poweramp, while Hi-Fi audio is a setting for choosing which audio processor outputs when using headphones ( the integrated Snapdragon audio proc or the AKM one).
On my A2017G there is a pretty subtle, but clear difference when using Poweramp, between the two Hi-Fi settings: the Super one is a bit louder, has more bass and better soundstage. This can be changed without problems when listening to music using Poweramp.
The Dolby software, though, sometimes can be activated, but then it cannot be deactivated until I stop the music and also the interface still shows that it's deactivated, even though the sound has changed.
My recommendation is to just use the Hi-Fi thing in Settings with the PowerAmp EQ because the Dolby software is not too versatile. This sounds really nice with my headphones.

pinkywinky said:
F.Y.I., Poweramp only works with HIFI if you use the beta, and include a couple work-arounds in your build.prop. Not the easiest thing in the world to get running, but it sounds great once you do.
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naw. It doesn't work at all. The workaround I posted just reroutes the audio path in some obscure way, and it makes sound better out of it (for some reason the equalizer makes more difference) but the sound goes into a mixer path and gets downsampled to 48k. You get to use Viper4Android and Dolby with it though.
It also kills the camera

ma_ko said:
The question is - I honestly don't know. I just wanted good audio quality. At first I installed poweramp, listened to some songs at the sound was decent. However when during playback I went to android settings -> sound -> headset hifi and switched between super and standard nothing happened. There was no change in music. I assume it's a setting for headphones only but I tested several pairs and nothing. But when I used stock music player I could toggle that setting with audible effect. Another thing (I guess) is Dolby icon visible when you pull down status bar. Is it the same as Dolby Atmos in sound settings? Does it works when using phone's speakers only or you can use it with headphones also? Anyway, on poweramp tapping it brings no change (it won't activate) whereas in stock player it works splendidly...
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it usually lets you change between super and standard . You should find a difference in the soundstage and better, more defined bass.
The "standard DAC" (also akm, seemingly, but powersaving-oriented) is used for the speakers, and Atmos is designed for phone speakers too. You CAN use it on headphones, but it'll give you a bunch of noise. It doesn't work with Poweramp unless you use 704 and follow my guide on how to "enable hi-fi" on it (the camera will break, you'll need to use another camera app). But it's not worth it unless you use Viper4Android
---------- Post added at 01:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:48 AM ----------
ma_ko said:
The question is - I honestly don't know. I just wanted good audio quality. At first I installed poweramp, listened to some songs at the sound was decent. However when during playback I went to android settings -> sound -> headset hifi and switched between super and standard nothing happened. There was no change in music. I assume it's a setting for headphones only but I tested several pairs and nothing. But when I used stock music player I could toggle that setting with audible effect. Another thing (I guess) is Dolby icon visible when you pull down status bar. Is it the same as Dolby Atmos in sound settings? Does it works when using phone's speakers only or you can use it with headphones also? Anyway, on poweramp tapping it brings no change (it won't activate) whereas in stock player it works splendidly...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it usually lets you change between super and standard . You should find a difference in the soundstage and better, more defined bass.
The "standard DAC" (also akm, seemingly, but powersaving-oriented) is used for the speakers, and Atmos is designed for phone speakers too. You CAN use it on headphones, but it'll give you a bunch of noise. It doesn't work with Poweramp unless you use 704 and follow my guide on how to "enable hi-fi" on it (the camera will break, you'll need to use another camera app). But it's not worth it unless you use Viper4Android

Choose an username... said:
naw. It doesn't work at all. The workaround I posted just reroutes the audio path in some obscure way, and it makes sound better out of it (for some reason the equalizer makes more difference) but the sound goes into a mixer path and gets downsampled to 48k. You get to use Viper4Android and Dolby with it though.
It also kills the camera
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I guess I'm a little confused here. I've feel like I've had so many discussions on what actually uses the HIFI DAC on this forums (you seem to be one of the few that know we use 2 different AKMs). What procedure are you talking about though? Currently I use AINUR, which supposedly someone with an AXON worked with to get the audio down the right path, and I also use the work around to get Poweramp to use the HIFI mode. From what I heard this should output 24bit 96khz. Unless you are implying that poweramp downgrades audio then upsamples it?
In any case, all 3rd party ROMs use the HIFI DAC by default. Maybe not the full extent, but to be honest the most important thing for HIFI music is mastering. But even so, without full DAC control I still think the phone sounds much better than most others. I do want to try out that custom "ROM" though, see what the controls do.

For my ears, using the bare bones ZTE player produces better sound with headphones, but it just isn't worth dealing with the limits of that player.

pinkywinky said:
I guess I'm a little confused here. I've feel like I've had so many discussions on what actually uses the HIFI DAC on this forums (you seem to be one of the few that know we use 2 different AKMs). What procedure are you talking about though? Currently I use AINUR, which supposedly someone with an AXON worked with to get the audio down the right path, and I also use the work around to get Poweramp to use the HIFI mode. From what I heard this should output 24bit 96khz. Unless you are implying that poweramp downgrades audio then upsamples it?
In any case, all 3rd party ROMs use the HIFI DAC by default. Maybe not the full extent, but to be honest the most important thing for HIFI music is mastering. But even so, without full DAC control I still think the phone sounds much better than most others. I do want to try out that custom "ROM" though, see what the controls do.
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The "procedure" is the workaround you use. It doesn't do what you believe. Poweramp seems to believe that it is offloading via a direct path but it is going through a mixer path. Therefore Poweramp (maybe) processes at high resolution, but it gets downgraded at the output, and you get 48kHz. If you don't believe me that the output is 48 use media.audio_flinger
Ainur has the AK4490 patch integrated. It's no use since a) stock ROMs use it (they have the switch) and b) since long ago all ROMs have integrated the AK4490 patch on them.
You can get Hi-Res on stock and custom M and N ROMs but you have to use Neutron which is horrible. Doesn't work in O ROMs at the moment
i think we had a big discussion with the 2 akm's thing before though, but someone asked ZTE and they replied that they also used the DAC that's inside the AK4961. so i dunno

All you need is this.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jetappfactory.jetaudioplus
And optionally get the AM3D plugin from within the player. It has everything you could need, even AGC. I've tried so many players and always come back to Jet. Neutron is more flawed from a user interaction perspective and I don't like it.
---------- Post added at 11:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 AM ----------
argblah said:
For my ears, using the bare bones ZTE player produces better sound with headphones, but it just isn't worth dealing with the limits of that player.
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I usually keep the stock music app disabled but every now and then Jet gets an update so I enable and listen to stock, then listen to Jet.
Every time, Jet sounds better and I disable stock app again.
I keep Dolby Atmos turned off using BT or 3.5 jack for music and have it on with the inbuilt speakers or if playing a video whatever the audio listening device.

I've been using Gone Mad player for a while now, quite happy with it. Works great with BT in car, headphones, hirez etc.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gonemad.gmmp

I just use the deep buffer remover mod from XDA to have the Super DAC setting working for all headphone output. I posted about it ages ago back here https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/how-to/list-music-players-outputting-to-akm-dac-t3695058
Sent from my ZTE Axon 7 using XDA Labs

https://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/hires-audio-driver
http://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/uapp-trial

aosp said:
https://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/hires-audio-driver
http://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/uapp-trial
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thanks a lot for the links. I just purchased the Pro from Play Store after I tested the same song versus neutron player on a pair of ath m50x.
the sound on USB audio is much much better.
I'm waiting to test it on my gf's htc 10 when she's home, should be even better
I highly recommend getting the trial guys