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[Q] sound quality through headphones

I just spent some time at the local T-Mobile store checking this thing out in person. I'm very seriously thinking about picking one up but I have one thing I want to ask you guys that already have one....How is the sound quality when listening to music? If I get this phone, it will be my second android phone but my first htc. I currently have a samsung moment and I detest a lot of things about it. One of the things that bothers me is that I still carry around my outdated ipod because the sound quality of my moment is brutal. I never noticed with the generic ear buds that came with the phone but once I plugged in some quality cans, I realized the phone doesn't have any balls. My music sounds like I'm listening to cheapo headphones even though I have a pair of $100 dollar grados.
I'm a bit of an audiophile so if the thing can't sound high end, its a big drawback to me. I'm so tired of carrying an ipod in one pocket and the phone in another. Been doing that too many years and the idea of getting a smartphone was supposed to cure that need.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!

I have the JH5's.. will listen to music on my G2 for some time and report back. I'm pretty satisfied with the Galaxy S, that has good SQ. My iPad also has great SQ..

One major problem I have with most android phones is that they aren't loud enough. That's the main reason I still carry around my touch. I hope I am able to solve this soon...
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

This question was bugging me, as I have the G2 on my short list of phones I want, so I went back to the T-Mobile store today and asked if I could see their live demo unit and test music playback on it.
They didn't agree, not wanting me to put an sdcard with music on it in the demo phone, but one of the employees had his own G2 with music already on it. He let me plug my headphones in (Head Direct RE2, not the most spectacular, but not cheap $20 earbuds either) and played a few tracks.
It sounded pretty good for an HTC phone.
Now, granted, these MP3s were not very high quality. They were 128kbps encodes, probably not LAME encoded. But I'll say it definitely sounded better than the utterly bass-lacking Nexus One.
It doesn't sound half as decent as the Samsung Vibrant, though.

greengoldmello said:
One major problem I have with most android phones is that they aren't loud enough. That's the main reason I still carry around my touch. I hope I am able to solve this soon...
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
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that desire hd has dolby srs or whatever, should sound good. really hoping t-mobile brings it to the US.

greengoldmello said:
One major problem I have with most android phones is that they aren't loud enough. That's the main reason I still carry around my touch. I hope I am able to solve this soon...
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
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Exactly. I know in terms of specs the iPhones don't compare to Androids, but sound quality as I said is a big deal to me. I would tolerate a slightly slower phone for good sound.
As far as people noting that newer Samsung phones have good sound...that's nice to know but I've already decided I can never buy another Samsung phone for as long as I live. I'll spare you all the self-righteous diatribe but suffice it to say my Moment's lack of sound quality is only one of a number of issues I have with it.

That's why I have a Ipod touch 4G

Unfortunately this is all opinion so our opinion of good may not mesh with yours, however I use Klipsch S4s which have been reviewed by many different people as the best in the price range and better than many that cost twice as much...
I listen to FLAC all day on my G2 with these earphones at work and am happy with the quality.

Using the JH5's, the G2 sounds decent for average listening. Not as good as the iPad or iPhone 4, but good enough. It doesn't make the music sound bad, just the bass performance is not as good and its a bit focused on treble.

Kind of like the speaker for the phone.. sounds good but a little quiet.

Plenty loud IMO :/

I have to admit that my blackberry bold 9700 earphone jack yielded better results as far as pandora is concerned to my auxiliary port of my head unit (even with high quality)
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

I don't know about the G2, but the Vibrant has amazing sound quality through its headphone jack. When tested by gsmarena.com, it beat the iphone on a few sound quality tests and was about the same on all the others. I've never heard better sound quality on a phone and its very customizable and pretty loud.

It's decent. The bundled earphones are pretty good quality, and the controls work flawless, without any lag. Perfect for gym. IMHO if you're using your phone for listening to music anywhere else, you're doing it wrong. At home a hi-fi system is obviously better, in the car... why bother. Unless you have a non-existent (or super ****ty) system in the car, why would you listen to music using your phone?

clivo360 said:
I don't know about the G2, but the Vibrant has amazing sound quality through its headphone jack. When tested by gsmarena.com, it beat the iphone on a few sound quality tests and was about the same on all the others. I've never heard better sound quality on a phone and its very customizable and pretty loud.
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Yup, the Vibrant/Galaxy S uses a discrete Wolfson DSP ; thus its Sound Quality is superb. The iPhone 4 uses a discrete Cirrus Logic DSP, whereas HTC phones/Qualcomm do not have a discrete DSP, its integrated into the SoC.

So to answer his question, He's still going to have to carry around the iPod.

I've been using the included headset and am very happy with the sound quality and volume.
I haven't tested any other earphones yet.
On a related note, the speaker is only adequate. I wouldn't rely on it. Samsung phones seem to be much better in this regard.

Included headset sucks compared to the S4s, but to be realistic you can't expect HTC to waste money including a "good" headset when 95% of the buyers can't tell a difference or don't care. I hope they continue to include cheap headsets so I'm not paying a premium for a phone with a mediocre pair that I won't use anyway.

Are you using the stock music player to listen to FLAC? It doesn't seem to work for me. Neither does the cube player.

Audio quality isn't the best on this phone. I have a pair of Senn's CX500's and the bass gets distorted when listening to the default player. The mid's are okay and sometimes the highs get distorted also. This btw is coming from music with at least 192kbps bitrate on them.
But still love the phone!

[Q] Is Music through earphones weak; Deciding Factor

Guys just want to confirm is the volume of S II at full (using equalizer app) same as legendry Galaxy S. As per one review on the net, they claim music playback through headphones also show distortions and noise. Is it true? Can we expect clear and loud output from other earphones, or is it actually manufacturing issue. Report say that Galaxy S II features an inferior audio chip from yamaha than the superior Wolfenson DAAC.
This would be a deciding factor for me getting this phone, morever after spending 30K (in India) for this, user will definitely look for good music through headphones.
Plz dont be LOVE n HATE biased give genuine verdicts folks. It depends on you people. Though I know replies we get here are very genuine, but being a galaxy S user for a couple of months, I am a bit biased and think Samsung makes best android phones. But at this price point money comes first and every feature included should be top notch, atleast music throgh head-phones.

I've come to the SGS2 from a Nokia 5800, which was of course built primarily as a music playing phone.
Listening with earphones:
I think the sound quality of the Nokia was a *little* better. The Sammy sounds a little harsher at the top end. But I'm perfectly happy with my new phone.
I think the maximum volume is actually louder on the Sammy, I couldn't listen to the music at max in a quiet room, it'd be too much. I think there are tweaks available to make it even louder, if you feel the need.
As for sound quality at max volume - no problems with distortion - the slightly harsh top-end doesn't get any worse.
(For reference, I'm using some very cheap but fairly decent headphones - JVC Marshmallow in-ear, the same as I used with the Nokia. I've not tried the supplied headphones as I heard they're rubbish)
Listening with the loudspeaker:
The Nokia absolutely blows it away, but then it's probably got the best stereo speakers of any smartphone. The Sammy doesn't have the volume, and it sounds thin and harsh compared to the Nokia.
However, other reviews suggest it's better than it's main competition (the HTC Sensation)... so basically I've been spoiled by the Nokia, and the Sammy is perfectly serviceable.

Thanks to RostokMcSpoons
Guys I am very happy to receive the first reply I would like to see more 7 more replies as honest as RostokMcSpoons'. I would be even glad if I can get replies from the experts like the senoir members I guess.

Perfectly acceptable for me even using stock headphones .
Nokia 5800 >> SGS1 >> SGS2
jje

Is it same of same quality and volume level as Galaxy S I9000 or is different.

I cannot tell the difference but some have said the SGS1 was better .
jje

quality is much better than any htc or motorola phones i have used. you never have to turn the volume anywhere near the top. highs, mids and base are great as well.

I am overwhelmed and one straight comparison with galaxy S music would be Icing on the cake.

I've used my SGSII with both my cheap old Sony MDR-G42's and my much-loved open-back Sennheiser HD-238 Precision and both sounded surprisingly great.
I do read some people saying about quiet sound but that's always puzzled me as the output seems no quieter than say my Creative Zen MP3 player and certainly loud enough to drive both styles of headphone well enough.

Probably S II is a good buy, I believe I am going for it this weekend.

mobfest said:
Is it same of same quality and volume level as Galaxy S I9000 or is different.
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Volume is about the same. Sound quality through the HP out is decent enough, borderline good - it's good across the frequency range and has a decent amount of detail - if a bit congested. However, when Compared the the SGS1 with voodoo sound - it's nowhere near as good. No suprises there, as a SGS1 + Voodoo sound may have the best SQ of all mobile devices, including mp3 players (such as the ipod touch and sony walkmen). Please keep in mind that this subjective.
Having said that, the SQ is good and will definitely be good enough for most people - especially if you add poweramp to the mix.

Thank you for your response
I believe voodoo sound is a mod, is by any chance in future this mod can be ported for s II as well.

S II wins heart but very big in size
My doubt has finally come to an end the music through headphones is good enough (using creative ep-630), not used the default ones yet. But truly the EQ widget boosts the music.

Poor Sound Myth on SGSII

I've noticed 1 or 2 posts relating to poor sound on the SGSII particularly when it comes to music, well for me the sound was absolutely fine actually it was excellent, i just used the Samsung earphones all the time, unfortunately the other day i lost them so before i get another good pair im just using cheap ones i had lying around the house and the sound is nowhere near as good as it was in fact it's pretty awful when your walking down the street you can hear the traffic more than you can the music, with the Samsung earphones it was mostly the music you could hear the sound was far far better,therefore ive come to the conclusion that there's nothing wrong with the sound on the SGSII, good pair of earphones = sound is great - cheap pair of earphones = sound is bad.

jonny68 said:
good pair of earphones = sound is great - cheap pair of earphones = sound is bad.
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Did you pay a lot of money for your Samsung earphones? Mine were pretty cheap...came free with the phone

TheSopranos16 said:
Did you pay a lot of money for your Samsung earphones? Mine were pretty cheap...came free with the phone
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No exactly the same ones i use Power Amp and Equalizer and since the 2.3.5 upgrade the sound has improved substantially.
I'm not one for spending a lot on earphones as im prone to losing them id say max id spend would be about €20 but for that you will get pretty decent earphones.

I agree, the supplied Samsung earbuds are superb, since i changed from the medium bud size to the small size they stay in my ears better, they cut most of the worldside sounds out and allow for pure music listening, the use of equalizer is also superb, although can create a little background noise when songs go quiet if not setup correctly, compared to the lousy iphone earphones and some others you get supplied with phones, these are very good, I am more than happy with the sound from my SGS2, bluetooth sound is superb also.

I actually think those Samsung earphones were that good ill buy them again, was there a specific model number i need to search for/any recommendations as to where i can purchase these?

Ok i'm getting pissed now. You guys seriously have to pull your head out of your ass. Obviously you have never listened to music on a Cowon or some other *decent* music player if you come here and state such bull****. The SGS2 has a mid-to-low audio quality (for a phone, which means very low for a dedicated media player), period. Sure it sounds a little bit better when i plug my Shure SE425 into it, but i shouldn't need a pair of 300€ earbuds to make a 600€ device sound decent at most. The output is totally FLAT, heading slightly towards the low tone, so that it sounds muffled and dirty, plus the stereo crosstalk is quite insane. This is a fact, i'm not pulling this out of my ass, read the Anandtech review about this device (focus on audio) if you don't believe me, they say pretty much what i said here.
Quit calling bs what you can't understand because you don't have a clue. Noobs.
/endrant

vnvman said:
Ok i'm getting pissed now. You guys seriously have to pull your head out of your ass. Obviously you have never listened to music on a Cowon or some other *decent* music player if you come here and state such bull****. The SGS2 has a mid-to-low audio quality (for a phone, which means very low for a dedicated media player), period. Sure it sounds a little bit better when i plug my Shure SE425 into it, but i shouldn't need a pair of 300€ earbuds to make a 600€ device sound decent at most. The output is totally FLAT, heading slightly towards the low tone, so that it sounds muffled and dirty, plus the stereo crosstalk is quite insane. This is a fact, i'm not pulling this out of my ass, read the Anandtech review about this device (focus on audio) if you don't believe me, they say pretty much what i said here.
Quit calling bs what you can't understand because you don't have a clue. Noobs.
/endrant
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This post is harsh, but I have to agree with it completely. The samsung earphones are awesome? Wow. Now that's the joke of the year.

I apologize for the harshness, i also had quite a bad day lol...but seriously, there's too much fanboyism going on about this phone. I love my phone, but i have no problem admitting its flaws. This forum is for developers, people here should at least try to cope with reality

Fanboyism you nutter no mate im telling it as it is actually and it's true, because i might not have listened to music on a "cowon" means jack **** i know good sound when i hear it and the facts are with the Samsung earphones using Power Amp and Equalizer the sound is actually excellent and that's all there is to it, and i highly doubt the Sammy earphones cost mega bucks either.

m2smoe said:
This post is harsh, but I have to agree with it completely. The samsung earphones are awesome? Wow. Now that's the joke of the year.
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Your post is joke of the year, simple facts are the sound is awesome with the Sammy earphones coupled with Power Amp and Equalizer with everything correctly set, maybe your going deaf or something

You're joking me? The Samsung earphones are abysmal. I use a $50 pair of Sony in-ears and they sounds about a million times better. Invest in a good pair of earphones and then you'll see what we mean.

I also had a pair of Sennheiser CX300(which i also lost) for another MP3 player i have and used them on the SGSII and while they were good i still thought the Sammy headphones were better overall.
Also i credit the 2.3.5 upgrade with a substantial improvement in sound.

MistaBishi said:
You're joking me? The Samsung earphones are abysmal. I use a $50 pair of Sony in-ears and they sounds about a million times better. Invest in a good pair of earphones and then you'll see what we mean.
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I'm not joking you at all there is absolutely nothing wrong with them whatsoever, they are excellent, fu*k me you people must be right snobs when it comes to "absolute perfect sound"
go buy yourself a paid of Bose speakers while your at it eh

I have to agree with vnvman, i hear the same music with GS2 and with my PC using the same earbuds, i can't say they are superb but they isn't bad also, at least for me.
The phone, on the other hand, is impossible to find an equalizer that makes the music clear, it's not about loudness, bass or treble, is about the sound being "weird" compared to other devices.

As i said the Sennheiser earphones i had which were not particularly cheap STILL didn't sound as good as the Sammy ones and Sennheiser are renowned for quality earphones so anyone saying to me "invest in a good pair of earphones" i already did.

Heh, each to their own.
Replacement buds would be hard to source, I don't reckon they sell them separate from the GSII. Unless someone on the forum here had a pair they didn't want, I reckon you're out of luck.

jonny68 said:
Your post is joke of the year, simple facts are the sound is awesome with the Sammy earphones coupled with Power Amp and Equalizer with everything correctly set, maybe your going deaf or something
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Read the 10000 posts about them on XDA and find out why you're the one who's going deaf.

im not sure if you read this
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4686/samsung-galaxy-s-2-international-review-the-best-redefined
but on the hardware level the sound chip is bad
but with my experience i used an Audio Technica ATH-A700 Headphones with my phone and it was amazing (played making of a cyborg (high bitrate))
then used the headphones on my yamaha 671 reciever amp playing it through a high end media player
and i really cant tell the difference

m2smoe said:
Read the 10000 posts about them on XDA and find out why you're the one who's going deaf.
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read 10000 posts i think your losing your marbles mate

jonny68 said:
Fanboyism you nutter no mate im telling it as it is actually and it's true, because i might not have listened to music on a "cowon" means jack **** i know good sound when i hear it and the facts are with the Samsung earphones using Power Amp and Equalizer the sound is actually excellent and that's all there is to it, and i highly doubt the Sammy earphones cost mega bucks either.
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Idk what you're listening to but Samsung earbuds are a piece of crap. Lol you think you can get a good sound out of bad hardware with an equalizer and some earbus worth 8€..gotta be kidding me...

Moto G 2014 Headphone Out Quality

While I don't totally trust GSMArena's reviews, they are one of the few review sites that offer loaded headphone out measurements, and the Moto G 2014 caught my eye in that it seems to have a vastly improved headphone out compared to past models, which seems to be on par with the Quallcomm solutions used in LG G2, Nexus 5, while maintaining somewhat lower IMD.
A lot of times implementation is more important than the silicon, and I love to use my mobile as a portable music player, hence I am still hanging on to my old i9000, but I think it may be about time to move on.
So the question for this community is, how do people think this phone sounds? There are things like spurious processor noise and radio noise that won't show up on common measurement methods, but are obvious and annoying as heck (Nexus 7 1st gen's random buzzing comes to mind)
This affordable phone with a promising looking headphone out as well as SD card expansion capacity seems like a probable new music phone for me, any thoughts?

It doesn't sound as good as the i9000, unsurprisingly (I'd still be using one if it had a flash...), but for the price, it is pretty damn good. Mine doesn't exhibit any audible interference via the headphone jack; it's really clean compared to some China brand budget phones I've tried... The same cannot be said of the earpiece speaker, which picks up the radio when it is working hard due to poor reception. Hopefully it isn't radiating excessively at frequencies that would harm your health... I spoke to Motorola about it and they refuse to deny or confirm the issue, but I'm certainly not the only one.
Let's just say the output is good enough to merit using decent headphones. I found the quality was high enough to warrant buying a better pair of portable cans, and to be honest, I find the AKG K481s I subsequently bought have more obvious deficiencies than the Moto G, itself. I rather suspect that on a limited budget, the Moto G paired with decent headphones would definitely be up there with most flagships paired with cheaper headphones.
The headphone output of the Xiaomi Redmi 1S is also supposedly surprisingly good for a budget device. Either way, if you want to do more critical listening, Android 5.0 supports USB DACs...

@rufflove: Thanks for the detailed reply. By picking up radio you mean it's picking up on the local AM/FM radio?! That's rather interesting... If money was no subject LG G3 or Samsung Note 4 looks rather good in the headphone out department, but those are too rich for my blood. I am only interested in a well built phone with moderately good specs, but good headphone out and perhaps a okay camera.
USB DACs may be an option, but I am really not a fan of lugging another piece around, attached by wire. Similar quality to i9000 can be obtained through a Sansa Clip for a rather low cost.

Sorry, no, I mean the cellular radio interferes with the earpiece, especially when signal strength is poor...
If money were no obstacle, I'd be tempted by a Vivo Xshot or the LG G3 in particular for the best camera and audio.
Yeah, my housemate had a Sansa Clip -- incredibly good for the money. I used to have a Rio Carbon and was mortified when I lost it abroad... I'm not convinced any of this expensive new high sample rate kit is anything more than another way of fleecing people... On the USB front, I use a cheap Behringer UCA202 USB audio interface at home. They're unbelievably good value for money, though they have problems driving low impedance headphones... Great for hooking up portables to hifi gear.
I checked the GSM Arena review before getting an XT1068 and was still not convinced about how good headphone output would be, based on past experience of budget devices. But all I can say is that I was pleasantly surprised by the Moto G. The Redmi 1S seems to be the only other worthy competitor atm, but reports of the screen being too reflective put me off. That and the fact that I would have more confidence in Motorola than Xiaomi when it comes to build quality. There are a couple of very capable developers working together on the 1S, though.

Sound quality is not that good compared to previous phones (e.g Galaxy Ace 2 and Experia Mini). E.q makes little difference.

I take moto g2 because got more chance to get lollipop than sgs3. Some people says moto got better speaker than samsung. Camera i think better in s3. i use cameramx app.
Now about headphone sound quality. Its not what i needed. Too loud and sound is not clean at max volume. But i use playerpro and is ok. So if you need better quality find phone with dedicated audio chip, i mean like sgs3,4,5 or htc one m7,8. Some of them is my next phone when they will be still in store and get lollipop

I was blown away by Moto G's 2014 sound quality paired with decent headphones - I doubt any other device could do any better.

squidlr said:
I was blown away by Moto G's 2014 sound quality paired with decent headphones - I doubt any other device could do any better.
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Which headphones do u use...?

ifu said:
Which headphones do u use...?
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Sony ZX310
Sent from my XT1068 using XDA Free mobile app

nereis said:
While I don't totally trust GSMArena's reviews, they are one of the few review sites that offer loaded headphone out measurements, and the Moto G 2014 caught my eye in that it seems to have a vastly improved headphone out compared to past models, which seems to be on par with the Quallcomm solutions used in LG G2, Nexus 5, while maintaining somewhat lower IMD.
A lot of times implementation is more important than the silicon, and I love to use my mobile as a portable music player, hence I am still hanging on to my old i9000, but I think it may be about time to move on.
So the question for this community is, how do people think this phone sounds? There are things like spurious processor noise and radio noise that won't show up on common measurement methods, but are obvious and annoying as heck (Nexus 7 1st gen's random buzzing comes to mind)ual
This affordable phone with a promising looking headphone out as well as SD card expansion capacity seems like a probable new music phone for me, any thoughts?
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Click to collapse
I would put the sound quality of the Moto 2014 on the very good side. It may not deliver enough punch for demanding headphones (It's not a Cowon, like all smartphones) but the sound is very clear, noise free.
I use it as my main listening device coupled with a Graham Slee Voyager headphone amp and the sound is very very good.

Hmm. My ears must be failing me. My Moto G doesn't sound that good through any of my head/ear phones. For reference I use Senn HD 480, AKG K450 headphones and Shure E2c in ears. The in ears sound the best with the right material.

@V4lve
true dat but you should try furnace kernel and app for increasing volume
Also does anyone have a flashable zip for viper4android or beats bass which works with bluetooth

Note 10+ ear buds / HORRIBLE, please advise.

For the first time since I got my Note 10+ I had a rather long phone call to make. For convenience I pulled out the AKG original supplied ear buds. I was horrified to realize the quality was so awful and the volume was so low (even with the hand set maxed out) i could not use them. After the phone call I tried a few media audio files and even connected to Youtube to see if it was a cell issue. IT WASN'T !
What I can hear is Teetsy-fly tinniness, NO base, little or no mids and volume? You would need to be in a closet to carry on any conversation while using these ear buds. They are a total loss !
All I can say is these ear buds are the worst i have EVER tried to use and I can say they are TOTALLY NOT USABLE FOR ANY USE.
Wondering if I have a bad pair (defective in some way) or if others are finding what I have ?
Please advise if you can.......

ohana said:
For the first time since I got my Note 10+ I had a rather long phone call to make. For convenience I pulled out the AKG original supplied ear buds. I was horrified to realize the quality was so awful and the volume was so low (even with the hand set maxed out) i could not use them. After the phone call I tried a few media audio files and even connected to Youtube to see if it was a cell issue. IT WASN'T !
What I can hear is Teetsy-fly tinniness, NO base, little or no mids and volume? You would need to be in a closet to carry on any conversation while using these ear buds. They are a total loss !
All I can say is these ear buds are the worst i have EVER tried to use and I can say they are TOTALLY NOT USABLE FOR ANY USE.
Wondering if I have a bad pair (defective in some way) or if others are finding what I have ?
Please advise if you can.......
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Go play with the equalizer and see if it sounds better to you. Also turn on Dolby Atmos.

ReconDonkey said:
Go play with the equalizer and see if it sounds better to you. Also turn on Dolby Atmos.
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All i can say is that besides what has been suggested above, it looks like it is faulty.
These AKG are imho very good (and i am rather difficult when it comes to sound quality), they are far better at least than the samsung iconX buds that i don't touch anymore.
Probably a problem with yours?? Or maybe you have some 3rd party sound apps ?

I'm very picky when it comes to sound quality, and I think the AKG earbuds sound pretty good (not as good as my Bose earbuds, but still). They get a little crunchy at high volume, but seeing as they get loud as hell, I don't use them maxed out lol.
Definitely sounds like a problem with your set. Probably just faulty, it's bound to happen with mass produced products. Maybe Samsung support can help you out somehow?

Your earbuds must indeed be defective, the ones that came with my note are good, not excellent, but good enough, as for max volume, you could try volume booster in playstore from developer goodev, it really works, system-wide, wired and bluetooth

Or buy the Samsung adapter and use your old ones

I agree with the OP, I was shocked how bad these were coming form AKG. I assumed since there were no comments on them here, that it was just accepted that they were crap. I don't really care as I only use my Icon X's and my Sony M3s but was surprised at the poor quality. I've turned on Dolby A, and adjusted bass up on the equalizer and there is no bass, the highs are soooooo tinny. I would never actually use these to listen to music except as last resort on a plane if my M3's died. Even my Icons are 100X better sounding than the AKG included.

gottahavit said:
I agree with the OP, I was shocked how bad these were coming form AKG. I assumed since there were no comments on them here, that it was just accepted that they were crap. I don't really care as I only use my Icon X's and my Sony M3s but was surprised at the poor quality. I've turned on Dolby A, and adjusted bass up on the equalizer and there is no bass, the highs are soooooo tinny. I would never actually use these to listen to music except as last resort on a plane if my M3's died. Even my Icons are 100X better sounding than the AKG included.
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I think yours are faulty OR 3rd party sound app messes with it, or a soft update that has not been done or whatever...
I'm a long time musician, i truely pay attention to sound quality and i think they are pretty good (for in-ears small earphones). I have the iconX 2018 and AKG are miles above them for sound quality.
Always thought iconX were crap btw... i like them because i can feel free, no wires, but your statement seems rather strange to me

Most likely you need to use the larger ear tips. No seal = no bass

mafy31 said:
I think yours are faulty OR 3rd party sound app messes with it, or a soft update that has not been done or whatever...
I'm a long time musician, i truely pay attention to sound quality and i think they are pretty good (for in-ears small earphones). I have the iconX 2018 and AKG are miles above them for sound quality.
Always thought iconX were crap btw... i like them because i can feel free, no wires, but your statement seems rather strange to me
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Icon X are not great sound, that's my point. The AKGs SUCK. My backup workout BT headphones,(wireless Jelly's) are better than these things.
BTW Icons sound much better with on board mp3 than over BT, which is how I use most of the time as I use my M3s when not in the gym
Ear caps have same seal as my icons, and I ran all the firmware upgrades. Defective? maybe, but that just shows poor QC from AKG.
again, I don't care as I don't use wired headphones EVER, just expected them to sound better.

ohana said:
For the first time since I got my Note 10+ I had a rather long phone call to make. For convenience I pulled out the AKG original supplied ear buds. I was horrified to realize the quality was so awful and the volume was so low (even with the hand set maxed out) i could not use them. After the phone call I tried a few media audio files and even connected to Youtube to see if it was a cell issue. IT WASN'T !
What I can hear is Teetsy-fly tinniness, NO base, little or no mids and volume? You would need to be in a closet to carry on any conversation while using these ear buds. They are a total loss !
All I can say is these ear buds are the worst i have EVER tried to use and I can say they are TOTALLY NOT USABLE FOR ANY USE.
Wondering if I have a bad pair (defective in some way) or if others are finding what I have ?
Please advise if you can.......
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You probably have a defective piece. Mine sound great out of the box. I have Galaxy Buds the wireless ones and to be honest, the AKG wired ones sound WAY better than my buds. I have Dolby Atmos on and tweaked the equalizer a bit.

eagleone1 said:
You probably have a defective piece. Mine sound great out of the box. I have Galaxy Buds the wireless ones and to be honest, the AKG wired ones sound WAY better than my buds. I have Dolby Atmos on and tweaked the equalizer a bit.
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Yep... I have been very surprised at the great sound these little AKG pull out. It is balanced and much details can be heard, miles better than my gear iconx 2018.
They are also way better as well as any piece of headset that came stock with my previous smartphones inc. samsungs.
Sound on youtube with AKG is very nice too, so is netflix etc. No problem with them, so you probably have faulty ones.

I think they sound decent I honestly prefer the AKGs I got with my S9+ however.

I think these ones soumd better than those my note8 came with, even the quality of materials feels a little better

To be honest, I feel the AKG earphones that come included are actually pretty good. Are they the best? No. Are they the worst? No.
Like others mentioned, probably a defective pair, software/config issue, source of music or even type of music can be causing the issue of poor sound quality. People who want to spend $50 or more for better sound quality, that great...but the included earphones are more than enough for the the general public. Yes, Samsung can include better earphones, but then they would probably increase the price of the Note 10. I would rather Samsung not include any earphones and give me a $10 discount, I'm sure the general public wouldn't agree with me on that.
To advise you...all accessories do have manufacturer warranty. IF they sound as HORRIBLE as you are describing, contact Samsung and they will replace with a new pair. Or you can spend money buying a better pair.