so after buying the Z3 and expecting a great audio quality compared to my old lg p880, i was quite disappointed by the lack of bass.
To be completely fair i did have viper4android app on my old phone. this app requires root and thus i could not use it :crying::crying:
So after hours of research and testing i found the perfect solution.....
people behold: noozxoide eizo rewire PRO. i wont talk more about it as there is a full xda post about the app below:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2039716
what i like on this app is the very deep bass and crisp clear high tones :laugh: it makes me love this device as i did not like the z3 purely because music plays a big role for me.
raviboy100 said:
so after buying the Z3 and expecting a great audio quality compared to my old lg p880, i was quite disappointed by the lack of bass.
To be completely fair i did have viper4android app on my old phone. this app requires root and thus i could not use it :crying::crying:
So after hours of research and testing i found the perfect solution.....
people behold: noozxoide eizo rewire PRO. i wont talk more about it as there is a full xda post about the app below:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2039716
what i like on this app is the very deep bass and crisp clear high tones :laugh: it makes me love this device as i did not like the z3 purely because music plays a big role for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi raviboy100,
mind sharing your settings ?
I have chosen in line, amd tickdd tbe first box. Selected unique 2 amd the rest is visit in this image
Work great thx
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app
I tried the settings above and my sound became lower than it was (at the 80/100 mark). I don't understand how this is even better. Are you talking about the sound coming out of the phone's speakers or to an external source or headphone? I'm listening from the phone's speakers itself.
Im talking about quality rather than volume, disable the first box where u selected unique II. And it should go back to original volume and still have a better bass @hanime
Hey thank you for posting about this audio app, its make a big difference and is making me luv this phone even more..
Sent from my D6616 using XDA Free mobile app
raviboy100 said:
Im talking about quality rather than volume, disable the first box where u selected unique II. And it should go back to original volume and still have a better bass @hanime
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say "lack of bass" people are going to assume you mean there's not much bass, not that it's low quality. Not sure what low quality bass is, actually. On headphones, my Z3 is fine - very bassy if you have an equalizer to make changes to it. There's no inherent problem with the Z3 and bass. (It's just a shame they don't provide a way of beefing up the vibrate!)
Out of the box, the volume meter actually bugs me. At 50% the volume is so low. At 80%, it starts to sound like 50% on other phones. It gets really loud after that. So looking at it, it is like an extreme exponential graph at the 80% mark.
hanime said:
Out of the box, the volume meter actually bugs me. At 50% the volume is so low. At 80%, it starts to sound like 50% on other phones. It gets really loud after that. So looking at it, it is like an extreme exponential graph at the 80% mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup totally agree with you. this kinds joins the problem of the low notifications problems.
Pretty crazy that Sony a maker of "sound products" cant even get this right.
Makes me really miss my Htc One M7
raviboy100 said:
Im talking about quality rather than volume, disable the first box where u selected unique II. And it should go back to original volume and still have a better bass @hanime
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had a p880 as well before the Z3 and I fully agree with you.
It's not the same without V4A so thanks for your finding.
Will definitely try this one right now.
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Thanks for this, the high tones are great now
Funny that this thread popped to the top right when I was going to start a new thread.
Coming from the Rezound and DNA that had Beats EQ, and the iBeats headphones from the Rezound, I've had great portable audio for a long time. I got my S4 and used hacks in 4.3 to get Beats EQ in place with root, but 4.4 lost that ability. Luckily I stumbled upon Viper, which was pretty much perfect like the original Beats EQ once tweaked. That was my only real worry with going to this phone without root, is losing good audio. I was pretty disappointed at first, and had even tried Noozxoide in the past and didn't like the muddy bass it produced, and it was no better now on the Z3v.
Well, after a *ton* of tweaking and messing around and testing with various content, I've come up with a great set of settings for the stock EQ that are pretty darn good. Not Viper good, but will do for now until root is found. Here are the settings:
ClearAudio+ : Off
Sound effect :
Equalizer : Custom
400 : +1
1k : +2
2.5k : 0
6k : -2
16kHz : -1
ClearBASS : +8
Surround sound (VPT) : Studio
S-Force Front Surround : n/a (doesn't affect headphones)
Dynamic normalizer : Off
Headphones : STH-30
Keep in mind, these settings are for iBeats, which reproduce a tremendous amount of clean, deep bass but don't naturally produce it with a flat EQ setting. If your headphones aren't earbuds or have a lot of bass reproduction naturally, you might need to lower the 400/1k/ClearBASS a bit. YMMV based on your headphone quality, but be sure to try it at a low volume first so you don't blow anything!
My setting's
This gives me plenty of bass, and for more bass just lower the bars to the left more, mostly 400 and 1kHz.
Failing that download bass booster but you won't be able to use DSEE HX.
elkay said:
Funny that this thread popped to the top right when I was going to start a new thread.
Coming from the Rezound and DNA that had Beats EQ, and the iBeats headphones from the Rezound, I've had great portable audio for a long time. I got my S4 and used hacks in 4.3 to get Beats EQ in place with root, but 4.4 lost that ability. Luckily I stumbled upon Viper, which was pretty much perfect like the original Beats EQ once tweaked. That was my only real worry with going to this phone without root, is losing good audio. I was pretty disappointed at first, and had even tried Noozxoide in the past and didn't like the muddy bass it produced, and it was no better now on the Z3v.
Well, after a *ton* of tweaking and messing around and testing with various content, I've come up with a great set of settings for the stock EQ that are pretty darn good. Not Viper good, but will do for now until root is found. Here are the settings:
ClearAudio+ : Off
Sound effect :
Equalizer : Custom
400 : +1
1k : +2
2.5k : 0
6k : -2
16kHz : -1
ClearBASS : +8
Surround sound (VPT) : Studio
S-Force Front Surround : n/a (doesn't affect headphones)
Dynamic normalizer : Off
Headphones : STH-30
Keep in mind, these settings are for iBeats, which reproduce a tremendous amount of clean, deep bass but don't naturally produce it with a flat EQ setting. If your headphones aren't earbuds or have a lot of bass reproduction naturally, you might need to lower the 400/1k/ClearBASS a bit. YMMV based on your headphone quality, but be sure to try it at a low volume first so you don't blow anything!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tested your settings on Man of Steel, it gave me goosebumps
Thanks.
My Headphones are the MH750, can i change the setting to this headphones ?
Guys, I have installed Noozxoide Eizo Pro but I hear no difference when I flick between it or audio settings in Sound.
I select it, then play with the various settings in the app and hear no difference.
I'm expecting audible changes between settings like when I play with the stock EQ.
I can't understand what everybody is going on about and I have decent headphones, Sennheiser Momentum On Ear.
Thanks,
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app
Johann_London said:
Guys, I have installed Noozxoide Eizo Pro but I hear no difference when I flick between it or audio settings in Sound.
I select it, then play with the various settings in the app and hear no difference.
I'm expecting audible changes between settings like when I play with the stock EQ.
I can't understand what everybody is going on about and I have decent headphones, Sennheiser Momentum On Ear.
Thanks,
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I experienced the same thing as you, no audible difference whatsoever.
Yay I'm not alone! Any help? I'm starting to feel that this echoes the story of the Emperor's New Clothes...
You know the one where the King was walking naked through the streets because he believed that he was wearing the most amazing new clothes, meanwhile he was butt naked...
Some of the people in this thread are using horribly cheap headphones, which is really making me question their ability to appreciate good Sound Quality...
Headphones that when I Google their model numbers cost 10-20 GBP.
Anybody who is happy with those, in my opinion, can't tell their ass from their elbow... When it comes to sound.
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app
Squall24 said:
Tested your settings on Man of Steel, it gave me goosebumps
Thanks.
My Headphones are the MH750, can i change the setting to this headphones ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feel free to test whatever changes you like to my settings, especially if you aren't using the same headphones as me. You won't risk breaking anything unless you blast high volume with cutoff. From my experience with my headphones, though, the STH-30 preset was the only one that still produced clean sound that was able to be adjusted with the EQ bands. The rest had noticeable artifacting or missing dynamic range on one end or the other.
elkay said:
Feel free to test whatever changes you like to my settings, especially if you aren't using the same headphones as me. You won't risk breaking anything unless you blast high volume with cutoff. From my experience with my headphones, though, the STH-30 preset was the only one that still produced clean sound that was able to be adjusted with the EQ bands. The rest had noticeable artifacting or missing dynamic range on one end or the other.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok i'll stay with the STH-30 preset then
Related
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.
I know there is a big question as to whether the American gs3 has the wolfson audio chip. I can tell you right away that using poweramp with the rock preset produces some of the best audio I have heard out of any media player. Just so you understand my level of audio history I currently own Shure e500 pth, Phonak audeo pfe 232, klipsch x10, velodyne vpulse, ultimate ears super fi .5 eb, klipsch s4, shure se535, klipsch image one, audio technica m800. I have owned cowon d3, j3, ipod touch ipod classic, toshiba gigabeat s60. I am just giving you guys a heads up that it also is powerful enough to drive all the headphones (except for th Audio technica) without an amp. Hopefully this post helps a music fanatic like myself.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using xda premium
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using xda premium
That's good to hear. My exynos version is very soft driving my Akg monitors directly.
Yes it sounds great except the noise floor is high. A lot of noise on quiet music. Great dynamic range though.
stonew5082 said:
Yes it sounds great except the noise floor is high. A lot of noise on quiet music. Great dynamic range though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's almost obscenely noisy. With rock music I'm not sure I'd ever notice, but anything with quiet parts drives me batty. Hopefully it is an internal amp setting that can be tweaked in software (my volume level is often at 2 or 3 so trading volume for reduced noise is an easy choice).
Even the speaker is nice and crisp! Also the APT-X on this phone and my Bluetooth dongle...is great!
I do like the audio output, it sounds great in my car. I didn't realize how bad my SGS2 was until I tried this! I'm actually NOT disappointed by the earbuds Sammy bundled with the phone! They deliver a surprisingly punchy bass. They are a warmer tone I think, so they don't sound as crisp as they could. I just don't feel like the music is *right there*, it's like it's behind a small film or wall. It's close, just not going directly into my ear. It's like it's going through a filter. Anyway. Good quality output in my opinion, as least much better than it could have been.
With poweramp and my IEM's (Earsonic SM-3) I don't notice any background noise at all. This is the best portable digital player I've had, and I can't wait to get a 64gb card for it. Definitely beats spending $200 on 64gb of permanent storage from apple.
gary
yokken said:
I do like the audio output, it sounds great in my car. I didn't realize how bad my SGS2 was until I tried this! I'm actually NOT disappointed by the earbuds Sammy bundled with the phone! They deliver a surprisingly punchy bass. They are a warmer tone I think, so they don't sound as crisp as they could. I just don't feel like the music is *right there*, it's like it's behind a small film or wall. It's close, just not going directly into my ear. It's like it's going through a filter. Anyway. Good quality output in my opinion, as least much better than it could have been.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree the included headphones aren't bad at all. I installed awesome beats app on mine via the diet ics rom and the music sounds wonderful!
I used my Sennheiser HD280s with and without my Fiio E5 amp and it sounded relatively the same. But for some reason, it sounded somewhat empty, lacking body... Almost translating what I noticed with the earbuds to the headphones. Maybe the DAC really isn't that good.
cloudyphiz said:
With poweramp and my IEM's (Earsonic SM-3) I don't notice any background noise at all. This is the best portable digital player I've had, and I can't wait to get a 64gb card for it. Definitely beats spending $200 on 64gb of permanent storage from apple.
gary
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See I'm the opposite. I noticed more background noise (mostly during quiet parts of songs) with poweramp than the stock player, but the eq and interface in poweramp is just so much better that I can't leave it.
Voltage Spike said:
Yeah, it's almost obscenely noisy. With rock music I'm not sure I'd ever notice, but anything with quiet parts drives me batty. Hopefully it is an internal amp setting that can be tweaked in software (my volume level is often at 2 or 3 so trading volume for reduced noise is an easy choice).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We need headphone amp control. If Supercurio doesn't support us gs3 I'm going to kill myself or write a control app.
stonew5082 said:
We need headphone amp control. If Supercurio doesn't support us gs3 I'm going to kill myself or write a control app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're making me want to pull down Samsung's kernel source to see if I can identify what is bound to be an initialization problem...
Actually, just tried the phone on a less-sensitive set of earbuds, and the noise is much less noticeable. I'll have to give the in-box earbuds a try for comparison.
My iem's are relatively efficient and with aiff files the sound is fantastic. I'm using poweramp with eq off. Clarity, resolution, inner detail and fidelity in spades.this is going to make me buy a 64gb card. Or four.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
poweramp with DVC (direct volume control) enabled gives distortion, especially with the tone adjustments such as the bass control, so far the best sound i have heard is the stock player with the rock setting or custom with the rock settings and bass turned up a bit, i hope poweramp devs resolve the distortion as i really don't think the problem is the phone itself, and for what its worth i am very picky with my music and have tested the settings with high end audio technica headphones and my competition subs in my car.
BlazingBeast7 said:
poweramp with DVC (direct volume control) enabled gives distortion, especially with the tone adjustments such as the bass control, so far the best sound i have heard is the stock player with the rock setting or custom with the rock settings and bass turned up a bit, i hope poweramp devs resolve the distortion as i really don't think the problem is the phone itself, and for what its worth i am very picky with my music and have tested the settings with high end audio technica headphones and my competition subs in my car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
turning off DVC did help some
sure turning dvc off helps but at that point using the stock player produces better sound so as of now poweramp is a no go for me.
Could be lounder
The sound quality is great, was pleasantly surprised with the included earbuds and fit kit. Big improvement from the S-II.
One gripe is the volume. While louder than the S-II it is still a little quieter than I refer. Anyone know how to boost the volume?
I still slightly prefer the GS1 with voodoo sound, but this phone does better than I was expecting and absolutely rapes the GS2 on audio quality. Great for what I use it for.
toiler1 said:
The sound quality is great, was pleasantly surprised with the included earbuds and fit kit. Big improvement from the S-II.
One gripe is the volume. While louder than the S-II it is still a little quieter than I refer. Anyone know how to boost the volume?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hearing aids?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Good tip on the stock music player. I never even thought of trying it. Much better sound than my other apps.
Looking for a hearing aid app after I find my bifocals.
.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda premium
Ok guys i love my XZ but one thing i didnt like is the headphones sound quality as i am a bit of an audiophile..It generally lacks bass and volume..But more of bass really as volume was ok.
So i came upone an app called JETAUDIO from team jet. And i cant tell you how much it improves the sound..You just need a good pair of headphones with low impedence around 16ohm and senn or klipsch which are around 20-30$ kind of headphones..And then go into the equalizer of this app and just try out different settings and pre-amp too which boosts volume levels..keep it till u dont find it distorting.
Just try the trail version which has a 10 band eq..the full version has 20! and different effects too..This is probably the greatest sound app out there!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...DEwMiwiY29tLmpldGFwcGZhY3RvcnkuamV0YXVkaW8iXQ..
Your XZ music will change!!! :fingers-crossed:
If someone wants ill post my EQ settings
Get siyah kernal and then install Stweaks..... checkout hardware audio boost.... check and revert
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
This doesnt require anything..and siyah is only for Samsung as far as i know.
If you think there is something wrong or lacking with the audio quality of the Xperia Z then you are used to an extremely coloured sound. Most equalizers only really screw up the sound. The output on the Xperia Z is very clean, balanced and neutral, as it should be.
I use these in-ears, for the record.
Ambroos said:
I use these in-ears, for the record.
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$350 for in-ears.. considering you can get much better (compact) headphones for a lower price which would also boost the whole sound experience a bit, I'd think twice about a purchase.
To automatically assume that these in ear headphones are inferior to over the ear headphones is a little presumptuous and in this case very wrong. Yes it's a lot of money but they can and do dump all over many headphones both in ear and over ear.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
R!n said:
$350 for in-ears.. considering you can get much better (compact) headphones for a lower price which would also boost the whole sound experience a bit, I'd think twice about a purchase.
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What would you say then for 1000+ $ inears? I agree, it abnormal for something like that to cost that much, but there really are difference, and you can't get that results with amps or software tweaks.... If you're on the move constantly and like listening to music, then investing in pair of HQ inears is less painful . Personally, you can hear the differences between 100,300,500$ laud and clear. Haven't got a chance to listen some of those 1k$ sadly :/
When it comes to custom in ear monitors you are paying a premium for the fact that they are hand made and that sometimes they don't turn out right and need to be re-made. If you have the money and can hear the difference they are well worth it. The comfort and not having to mess around with those little rubber/foam gromits is a major bonus to anyone who uses headphones a lot.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Well the point was , that this app produces better bass and punch (which is def lacking in XZ) with nicely priced earphones as well...you dont need 300$ ones as not everyone invests that much on earphones.
I totaly agree with Ambroos, as I am amateur audiophile as well. XZ have great balanced output without coloration or bass pumping, exactly as it should be. This output is closer to real deal than with almost any other smartphone I tried, and trust me I did try lot of them.
For the reference, I am using Jabra Revo and AKG Quincy Jones in ear for my listening.
Sent from my Xperia Z
I am using sennheiser street CX400 II. I am coming from S3. I have to say the audio output of XZ is very clean and balanced compared to the S3. With this in ear head phones, i dont have any problem with the volume and bass.
nickporwal said:
I am using sennheiser street CX400 II. I am coming from S3. I have to say the audio output of XZ is very clean and balanced compared to the S3. With this in ear head phones, i dont have any problem with the volume and bass.
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Me using my i5 headset sounds amazing and no issues at all.
Sent from my C6602 using xda premium
There is no issue guys.. Its about everyone wants different kinds of sounds.. This app is for that.. Some want wider soundstage., some want more bass, more punch.. This app helps with that.. Was just trying to help.. If u dont like then dont use it. :banghead:
Sent from my C6602 using xda app-developers app
ethan3686 said:
There is no issue guys.. Its about everyone wants different kinds of sounds.. This app is for that.. Some want wider soundstage., some want more bass, more punch.. This app helps with that.. Was just trying to help.. If u dont like then dont use it. :banghead:
Sent from my C6602 using xda app-developers app
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I get it what you want to say. will try this app for once.
I don't buy into this moronic audiophile nonsense that music has to be "as close to the original as possible" bull crap.
I like my music to sound a certain way, and no amount of cash thrown at headphones or lossless sound formats will change the fact that my ears prefer music with high bass, high treble and almost no middle, certainly not how the artist may of expected me to hear it but who gives a rats bottom what the artist wants.
I paid for my album i'll listen to it how I like it thank you
biffsmash said:
I don't buy into this moronic audiophile nonsense that music has to be "as close to the original as possible" bull crap.
I like my music to sound a certain way, and no amount of cash thrown at headphones or lossless sound formats will change the fact that my ears prefer music with high bass, high treble and almost no middle, certainly not how the artist may of expected me to hear it but who gives a rats bottom what the artist wants.
I paid for my album i'll listen to it how I like it thank you
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lol
I must say the audiophiles (in general) have a point, but so do you biffsmash. You should listen to your music whatever the hell way you want. Therefore I am really happy with my setup XZ + MDR 1R (thanks Sony!).Apparently both these devices produce a clear, balanced, uncolored sound. I'm not an audiophile, no time to be, but I just like music.Thanks to audiophiles I know that my setup is pretty decent and that I'm getting proper quality sound.
I will use the app to try out different equaliser settings for my different genres of music. Probably'll implement them in my PowerAmp equalizer then. So thanks!
This is better than Poweramp
Ethan/Biff
I don't think anyone is trying to tell you what to do, it's down to individual taste (and budget)
Apps like this and PowerAmp (https://play.google.com/store/apps/...GwsMSwxLDMsImNvbS5tYXhtcHouYXVkaW9wbGF5ZXIiXQ..) can make a cheap pair of headphones sound pretty good.
The thing is, good sound quality is not about punch and bass, neither are reputable $300 headphones about punch and bass. It's about true to life reproduction of live sound. Hope that makes sense.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
Ask any audiophile, onboard digital processing done ruins your sound.
turning beats off improves clarity, and volume.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7j06aYYkzdQ#t=236s
bob13bob said:
Ask any audiophile, onboard digital processing done ruins your sound.
turning beats off improves clarity, and volume.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7j06aYYkzdQ#t=236s
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I've got to disagree.
When I have beats on, not all the songs sound quieter, only some.
With regards to clarity, i feel that with Beats audio, everything is more compressed. Without Beats enabled, i feel like the music is playing in a large auditorium and the sound is slightly messy.
But at that, I'm going to say I'm not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, and my above applies to speakers (haven't tested headphones yet).
So with speakers, I'd definitely rather keep beats enabled.
Lemme find my S4i's and ill get back to you on headphone quality
*edit*
Interestingly enough, I've gone through snippets of 10 or so songs and beats enabled was louder in every instance!
Clarity was similar, but i prefer the sound from the Beats enabled option.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
bob13bob said:
Ask any audiophile, onboard digital processing done ruins your sound.
turning beats off improves clarity, and volume.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7j06aYYkzdQ#t=236s
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As WolfDale7 said, the volume actually being lower is not all that common. That guy in the YouTube video cherry picked a highly mechanized trance song to prove his point. But I'd say for about 75% of songs, Beats does make it louder.
I do agree with you about the clarity, but your statement is only true if you've got good speakers/headphones/earphones that don't require equalization to sound good. I own a pair of Ultimate Ear TripleFi 10 and I keep Beats off to preserve the original natural sound of the recording without added bass/treble, because these are high quality earphones that don't require equalization, particularly at higher volumes. If I enable Beats at higher volumes, the treble is too harsh and the middle-bass is too overpowering.
However, that being said, there are plenty of cheaper/lesser quality headphones/earphones that DO sound better with Beats enabled, because it partially makes up for their shortcomings. Cheaper earphones whose high frequencies roll off too soon sound a bit dull, and Beats does help in those situations. Earphones that can't produce low frequencies very well (below 80 hz) do sound better to a lot of people if you accentuate the middle-bass range of 100-150 Hz or so. Plus, some people do prefer the extra "punch" that Beats offers, especially in low bass recordings (such as a lot of stuff from the 80's).
henrybravo said:
I do agree with you, but your statement is only true if you've got good speakers/headphones/earphones that don't require equalization to sound good. I own a pair of Ultimate Ear TripleFi 10 and I keep Beats off to preserve the original natural sound of the recording without added bass/treble, because these are high quality earphones that don't require equalization, particularly at higher volumes. If I enable Beats at higher volumes, the treble is too harsh and the middle-bass is too overpowering.
However, that being said, there are plenty of cheaper/lesser quality headphones/earphones that DO sound better with Beats enabled, because it partially makes up for their shortcomings. Cheaper earphones whose high frequencies roll off too soon sound a bit dull, and Beats does help in those situations. Earphones that can't produce low frequencies very well (below 80 hz) do sound better to a lot of people if you accentuate the middle-bass range of 100-150 Hz or so. Plus, some people do prefer to extra "punch" that Beats offers, especially in low bass recordings (such as a lot of stuff from the 80's).
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psa 2. you bought a $600 phone. go to head-fi and get one of the value budget audiophile quality headphones under $50. (I like the chinese brands). It is the defacto the best bang/buck audio improvement quality you can get by a huge margin.
When you turn processing on, you can help mask poor quality headphones... but it will also reduce clarity
henrybravo said:
However, that being said, there are plenty of cheaper/lesser quality headphones/earphones that DO sound better with Beats enabled, because it partially makes up for their shortcomings. Cheaper earphones whose high frequencies roll off too soon sound a bit dull, and Beats does help in those situations. Earphones that can't produce low frequencies very well (below 80 hz) do sound better to a lot of people if you accentuate the middle-bass range of 100-150 Hz or so. Plus, some people do prefer to extra "punch" that Beats offers, especially in low bass recordings (such as a lot of stuff from the 80's).
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If i might add something. I'm using the Klipsch S4i set of earphones. The S4i's are capable of a frequency response of 10Hz to 19kHz. Maybe it's the lower quality files I have, but I'm sure the S4i's can handle the <80hz range just fine.
As mentioned above, I personally prefer listening to music with Beats enabled, with and without earphones.
I must say that with Beats enabled, almost everything sounds better. And this is coming from a guy who despises beats headphones.
But i dont know much about music production... So my views shouldn't really be taken too seriously .
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
bob13bob said:
psa 2. you bought a $600 phone. go to head-fi and get one of the value budget audiophile quality headphones under $50. (I like the chinese brands). It is the defacto the best bang/buck audio improvement quality you can get by a huge margin.
When you turn processing on, you can help cover the poor quality headphones... but it will also reduce quality.
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Your last statement is an oxymoron - it will cover the poor quality of headphones but will also reduce quality? If the overall net effect is a general improvement in sound to the user, then Beats has done its job.
WolfDale7 said:
If i might add something. I'm using the Klipsch S4i set of earphones. The S4i's are capable of a frequency response of 10Hz to 19kHz. Maybe it's the lower quality files I have, but I'm sure the S4i's can handle the <80hz range just fine.
As mentioned above, I personally prefer listening to music with Beats enabled, with and without earphones.
I must say that with Beats enabled, almost everything sounds better. And this is coming from a guy who despises beats headphones.
But i dont know much about music production... So my views shouldn't really be taken too seriously .
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
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s4i are known for poor bass and low end response. I had them, they are not good for music with bass. they are pretty old and I dont' see the recommended much these days in head-fi.
i think a lot will disagree, the quality especially for the stereo speakers is greatly improved with beats
henrybravo said:
Your last statement is an oxymoron - it will cover the poor quality of headphones but will also reduce quality? If the overall net effect is a general improvement in sound to the user, then Beats has done its job.
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you are right, i meant to say clarity. I edited my statement to be more clear.
I don't pretend to understand the argument in depth just know that the majority of times audio sounds better with beats on to me.
But I use my old s3 headphones at the minute, prefer them to my boxed HTC ones.
So maybe a better quality pair would make all the difference.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
I have a pair of Klipsch X10 so I got all you s4 guys beat But really they sounds horrible with beats enabled. I can hear all kinds of distortion in the bass and highs it's very fatiguing and hurts the ears at anything but low volume. This is what I expected and have always experienced with "Beats" audio. But if you look at the quality of audio gear with the Beats logo it makes perfect sense!!!
nullkill said:
I have a pair of Klipsch X10 so I got all you s4 guys beat But really they sounds horrible with beats enabled. I can hear all kinds of distortion in the bass and highs it's very fatiguing and hurts the ears at anything but low volume. This is what I expected and have always experienced with "Beats" audio. But if you look at the quality of audio gear with the Beats logo it makes perfect sense!!!
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Nice the x10s sure are a great pair! Now here's another thing. The x10s are more accurate than my s4i's... That pretty much means that the flaws in compressed mp3 files are probably more prominent with the x10s. Maybe enabling beats amplifies them even further!
The s4i's does a better job of covering up any distortion or sound flaws than the x10s..
So yea, maybe that explains something. You get more clean audio, but if the file is average, amplifying it may make it worse..
Try a flac or wav on your phone. Maybe with Beats they'll sound alright
But none of what I said above applies if you have ready tried less compressed formats like Wav and Flac
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
On my phone, I use Apple earpods (those weird looking things); they work great for casual listening.
If I wanted to seriously enjoy my music, I'm not using my phone. I'm using a proper line out source, amp, and proper cans.
most of the quality comes from the headphones. so worth getting a good pair.
this thread is a great thread for reviewed headphones in several price categories.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/mul...ed-audio-technica-ckm500-added-05-01-13-p-678
Problem is there aren't too many good sets that come with volume buttons, although that can be counter measured with headset droid (3 button presses for volume up, 4 button presses for volume down). Still not sure what set to get out of the phonak audeo's, meelec's a161p or the x10's which I hear have very suspect build quality
Galactus said:
Problem is there aren't too many good sets that come with volume buttons, although that can be counter measured with headset droid (3 button presses for volume up, 4 button presses for volume down). Still not sure what set to get out of the phonak audeo's, meelec's a161p or the x10's which I hear have very suspect build quality
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Off topic, but I just need to mention something:
I have the S4i's and multi click isn't working with the default music app. I have yet to test other apps like poweramp, But I think it's all the same. I think HTC devices need a bypass that require root or something...
I can pause and play, and the mic works wonderfully, but I can't skip forward twice (I do it once, then when I want to skip again, it just pauses. I have to hit play and do it again..) Same with reverse, and 4 clicks just doesn't work
Might be a faulty pair of headphones.. I'm using HeadsetDroid and the same can be said about my previous defected HTC One Unit
Why do people always bring this into play
If you hate beats, then turn it off..
If you think it actually does something then keep it on.
Everyone has different hearing..
If having beats is a deal breaker for you then why you bought the phone.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
When I stream spotify via Bluetooth to my car stereo I have to turn beats off or else it sounds crappy, almost tinny. The higher the quality of music the worse it gets.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
Beats is just an eq. Not very good either. Pumps up low frequencies too much. Not even close to what the source is supposed to sound like.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
I am also inclined to agree that Beats is just an Equalizer for Loudness. I'm using HD-25 II's and kept flicking Beats On/Off and all I could really notice was just an increase in volume.
Thankfully, I'm not missing anything with it turned off (I turned it off along with many features to preserve battery life because even though I don't know for sure, at least it's not necessary for me).
c5satellite2 said:
Beats is just an eq. Not very good either. Pumps up low frequencies too much. Not even close to what the source is supposed to sound like.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
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We seriously need a sound quality-related thread for this phone.
I'll start first.
I think this phone's audio is OK, best I've seen by far, but not as detailed as I'd like it. I seldom change phones, so I will compare it (very neutrally) with my previous phone: Note 3.
The Note supports 24-bit/192 kHz, while this phone's international model supports 24-bit/96 kHz.
This phone's Boomsound software is actually a pretty good feature and raises just the right frequencies to the right extent, without distorting the authentic experience. But it was so loud/wild that it started to blow even my studio monitor Audio-Technica M50, which was something purely related to not up-to-the-mark coding, blowing off relatively neutral headphones.
But I just updated to 4.4.3 firmware, and they have actually improved a lot on that software deficiency. The headphones do not feel blown even at full volume, which is a giant leap considering how "sensitive" audio equalizers like BoomSound are to reach perfection. Sure, they still haven't reached perfection; audio loses detail nearly last 2 steps of volume, but it's nice to see they are actually improving on that.
Of course, I can turn off Boomsound anytime and be as authentic as anything, but for me boomsound is just a priceless software I'm yet to find in any mobile yet.
Note 3 had Adapt Sound, which is a great equalizer to tweak sound to the best too. But I like how you don't have to take an audiometry-like test just to improve sound on your phone in M8. (Not bashing Note 3's audio at all, just my preference).
I think I read in the official features of Android L that external DAC will be natively supported (correct me if I'm wrong), so I'm really looking forward to the future of audio in this phone.
P.s. I would give an arm and leg to try out Harmon Kardon mod for this phone, but I can't because of no S-Off. I really can't wait to hear the difference between Boomsound and Harmon Kardon myself. Well, until the day I can get the mod!
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Pay the 25 dollars...
OP, I think this thread is a good idea :good:
I hope that we will get some good input and development info here
P.S. HK on 4.4.3 is awesome!
Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc...-harman-kardon-conversion-htc-one-m8-t2827439
erapmicks said:
Pay the 25 dollars...
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Willing to pay, even tried all I could to pay them in *any* way but my country has no PayPal, and even a live chat with the developers could not find a workaround for the issue
I'm just refreshing their page everyday to see if new payment methods become available.
09Ram said:
OP, I think this thread is a good idea :good:
I hope that we will get some good input and development info here
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As a really really really enthusiastic audiophile who is trying all his can to learn music and stuff, I wanted views of everyone, pro or not, on this phone's audio. Can't wait to see how the feedback/discussions help us!!!
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Good stuff, you sound like you know your stuff What is your opinion of the stock earbuds that come with the phone?
WarCow said:
Good stuff, you sound like you know your stuff What is your opinion of the stock earbuds that come with the phone?
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Just like HTC's previous ear buds which came with M7, they lean towards a more bass-y sound. The sound is hence easier on the ears, and the best point about these earplugs is that they are at least able to playback all (OK, not all, but a lot more than any I've seen come from any phone) frequencies. This is most noticeable as the lower frequencies, the bass, is actually *booming* at lower volumes with these earplugs. Which is relatively hard to attain in earphones.
But apart from bass being good (which targets a more encompassing audience which likes bass-y music), the sound maintains its balance. It's not obsessively bass-y, and not too peaked at higher frequencies too.
The new 4.4.3 update made the audio more "muddier/bass-y/low frequency-focused", than I'd like though. It is, in my opinion, a downgrade from previous version. But yes, an upgrade in the part that the crucial frequencies aren't "blown" like the previous one.
Let me give you my point of view. How *I* like my music. I like it as authentic as possible. I'm what you might call an audio purist/fundamentalist person.
One last point about the earphones. The earphones are a bit fatiguing. They fatigue my ear more than other earphones I've tried, despite the easier, softer audio focus.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Great thread! I do really enjoy good audio myself!
What I regret is that I converted my phone to Google Play Edition and that really changes how boomsound works. I am going back to Sense.
In my case, and I do not know why I am the only one that notices, but the soundstage goes on and off when listening to music and touching the home button. Stay away from GPE people.
In regards to the headphones I think they're pretty good too considering they're $6 earbuds. Lots of people say "Hey this earbuds suck" but what they do not know is that the plug size really MATTERS!!! If you don't choose the correct plug size any earbuds sound like crap.
I would really like to test the V-Moda Crossfade m-100 headphones on my phone, but I spent the money on a Samsung Gear Live I had the V-Moda Crossfade LP2s and sold them, they are great but bass-y (I don't have much time to use headphones), I use my car audio and my home theater system (MartinLogan speakers + Denon A/V receiver).
I converted my m8 to EU stock rom so I haven't tested it thoroughly yet. I did like the sound on .2 minus boomsound. BS was OK on some hip hop but overpowering on other genres. I've been working too much OT to test but has the mono USB audio out been fixed? I don't think many people noticed that that use external DAC s. Output through my JDS labs CD5 was mono but headphone out was still awesome. Has anybody noticed if it's been fixed?
Sent from HTC One_M8 using hofo app.
Sry in advance, too long post :<
Jamal Ahmed said:
This phone's Boomsound software is actually a pretty good feature and raises just the right frequencies to the right extent, without distorting the authentic experience. But it was so loud/wild that it started to blow even my studio monitor Audio-Technica M50, which was something purely related to not up-to-the-mark coding, blowing off relatively neutral headphones.
But I just updated to 4.4.3 firmware, and they have actually improved a lot on that software deficiency. The headphones do not feel blown even at full volume, which is a giant leap considering how "sensitive" audio equalizers like BoomSound are to reach perfection. Sure, they still haven't reached perfection; audio loses detail nearly last 2 steps of volume, but it's nice to see they are actually improving on that.
Of course, I can turn off Boomsound anytime and be as authentic as anything, but for me boomsound is just a priceless software I'm yet to find in any mobile yet.
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How can you call this an Audiophile thread with these claims? (no offense tho).
Boomsound is the by far most horrible crap, you can use for headphones, if you truly want a high audio quality.
And i am not talking about, that you might "like" the different sounding, when the bass/treble is raised, and the mids are lowered.
I talk about the PURE quality of the sound. Its worse. It is. Noise and distortion are by worlds higher. With my Beyerdynamic T90 (yes, treble peak.. but still) and also with my pretty neutal Logitech UE 900 it was not listenable. The treble distorted in alot songs, it hurts in the ears etc.
I still DO think, if Boomsound would do the same, but NOT raise the treble, if would be by miles better as a "fun-setting". But like this, its not usable, tbh.
Also, if you want a sorce besides my ears: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8078/smartphone-audio-testing-htc-one-m8-and-samsung-galaxy-s5/2
Scroll down.
Comparing the THD+N ratio of BoomSound On to Off shows far more noise and distortion as well. If you want boomy bass, a harsh top-end, and no midrange, then use BoomSound. A better choice is to find headphones that suit your listening preferences more.
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Jamal Ahmed said:
I think I read in the official features of Android L that external DAC will be natively supported (correct me if I'm wrong), so I'm really looking forward to the future of audio in this phone.
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If I am not mistaken, this feature is supported by Android from version 4.3 onwards. So, witha Fiio E07k, E18~ you should be able to use it as a DAC. In the M8 audio quality thread on head-fi.org, one User uses the E18 with this, and can't disable Boomsound, while using an external DAC.
Jamal Ahmed said:
P.s. I would give an arm and leg to try out Harmon Kardon mod for this phone, but I can't because of no S-Off. I really can't wait to hear the difference between Boomsound and Harmon Kardon myself. Well, until the day I can get the mod!
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Even if i do absolutely not share your opinion about Boomsound via Headphones, you might still be interested in my opinion in this comparison.
Boomsound:
Just a cheap EQ setting. Works well together with the external speakers, but is pretty crap for Headphones (maybe its fine with dull headphones, which dont have good treble/clarity. Maybe Shure SE 215, or some other basshead headphones).
I truly cant recommend it. And like i said, its NOT because the EQ setting changes the "true sound" (i like the Use of EQs to do some fine tuning if needed), but because using this raises the noise AND distortion by a good bunch. You can hear that strongly. At least i can.
PLUS, theres one big thing: This is just ONE strong agressive Preset of an EQ. Bass below 120 hz gets +5db, lower mids (120-1000 Hz) gets lowered by up to -5 dB, while the frequencies from 2000 up to 10k+ Hz) gets raised by 4,5db. Above 10k Hz its even above 5 dB).
This makes the difference Bass/treble, to the Mids from 0 dB to 10 dB, since +5 and -5 adds to 10. Thats a really hard difference.
So, in conclusion: Depending on headphones, this might sound better, or actually MUCH worse.
Bassy headphones, lets take your M50s, already have strong bass. Depending on frequency response, that bass could even "overlap" the mids, if the bass is too strong. you can see that on beats headphones. With Boomsound, the bass gets even more stronger, and the mids will get even more back in the background. Alot Headphones, that have a V-curve (and so naturally weaks in the mids) gets even weaker mids.
Also, depending on your headphones also as with the Audio files, the distortion gets raised by a little, or maybe by A LOT.
If you are not happy with your Headphone sounding, you should maybe try another Headphone.
If you just need some fine tuning, then you are by MILES better, if you just use PowerAmp, and its Equalizer, since it can react like a million times better to the individual frequency response of the headphones, and to your own personal taste. Boomsound here is more like "boom in your face. be happy with it, or cry"
Harman & Kardon Soundmod:
Now, this thing is alot different. This is actually Not an Equalizer, like Boomsound. H&K's "Clear-Fi" technology tries to take a strongly compressed Audiofile, and tries to recreate the missing parts.
So, it tries to raise the pure "compressed" audioquality of bad audiofiles.
I personally have mostly 256+ kbit/s MP3s, and Flacs. So, this technology wont help much. it sounds almost the exact same --> not really usefull. You just wont hear much of a difference, unless your Files have a bad quality. And if they do, then get better quality files, instead of such a software, that might not even work well enough.
But, this Soundmod disables Boomsound. Yes, you can find a "trick", where you change the Boomsound parameter from false to true in a script, and enabling it back in the menu. But, it will NOT be active. its like just menu decoration. The "boomsound" sign in the task bar will not be there - Not even with external speakers.
Boomsound is made ONLY for the External speakers, they work together quite well. Without Boomsound (ergo, with H&K soundmod flashed), the External speakers will sound much more thin/tinny. I have yet to find a way to have Boomsound for the speakers, and H&K Soundmod for headphones. Unless theres something new here, this is not possible together.
Lets go a bit deeper into the Audiophile theorycrafting:
H&K's "Clear-Fi", and its purpose might sound awesome. But it has its negative sights:
- It only helps on Crappy Audiophiles. Someone, who cares about audio quality will not use <128 kbit/s mp3s. At LEAST 192, but more 256-320 Kbit/s or even flac. So this will not help you, as the compression on 256+ is not strong enough, to make a difference (also, because most songs have a crappy quality from beeing badly mastered)
- The thoughts behind clear-fi are adressing the "problem" at the totally wrong spot. On most songs, it just does not matter, what file quality (bitrate etc) you use, because most songs are just really really crappy mastered in the studio. Its because alot people dont care about audio quality. so they use cheap crap, like beats headphones, logitech speakers for 30 bucks, and 10 bucks earphones etc. Crappy mastered/produced music sounds better on cheap devices, than a high quality master.
I mean, how are you supposed to "guess" the higher quality, if the artists arent producing high quality music?
I think, the following is a perfect comparison:
You create a 480p Movie, and try to upscale it into 1080p using a cheap software... Do you honestly think, that will raise the quality? I personally don't..
So, to make it pretty short: The worse your File quality is (and higher the file compression), the more "Clear-Fi" might make a difference.
The higher the file quality, the less difference this will make.
To get a high audio quality into your ears, you need a different priority:
1. The Song must be produced in a good/high quality. Much more important, than Bitrate. For example: Michael Jackson's Thriller album at 128 kbit/s will sound much better, than the new Linkin Park Album in 320 kbit+. (i like linkin park, but the new album has such an incredible low quality... its like zero fun listening to it, when you have really good headphones)
2. You need good headphones (Besides the master quality headphones are responsible for like 70-90% of the Audioquality. The REST comes from the DAC/AMP)
3. DAC / AMP Quality
The "Chain" is important. If just one part of it has a low quality, the whole chain will sound low.
good thread, I like quality audio too and use my M8 for music player, stream music at home etc
have a few high quality headphones like Sennheiser On Ear momentum, shure se215, hifiman re 400 and NAD HP50
with boomsound turned on, headphones sound awefull then I realised that it can be turned off with headpohone is connected, and with that off, sound quality is clean and crisp
I like neutral sound, true to source but maybe a bit high on treble....so far sound quality is good and is comparable to my previous note 3...note 3 was the best clean souding phone I hear so far though
any other suggestion to get a clean sound would be much helpfull
Long post (Darkseth), but ultimately just regurgitated from other audiophile nonsense. Boomsound is fine, and it's just elitist to claim it is anything else.
Most people like more bass in their music, most artists sound crap when played back without EQ. You can like it how it's meant to sound but artists want what THEY like, not what I like.
My favorite sound is poweramp music player with bass and treble cranked up, the mid tones almost removed as they sound rubbish with almost all music, and boomsound on top.
I am A1 qualified audiophile with qualifications from the school of knowing what I like
/bowing out and sorry if I derail anything.
The main reason for flashing the H/K mod is that it updates the adsp firmware to support 24bit 192kHz instead the 16bit 96kHz of the standard M8. Loaded up with hi-res flac files and through my Westone 4r's, the difference is night and day to me.
WESBAR said:
The main reason for flashing the H/K mod is that it updates the adsp firmware to support 24bit 192kHz instead the 16bit 96kHz of the standard M8. Loaded up with hi-res flac files and through my Westone 4r's, the difference is night and day to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you hear any difference bwn 192kHz and 96kHz ? tried myself but no difference in quality and head-fi also has many reviewers say no difference but file size just increase a lot
Hey everyone, I'll say I'm an audiophile just because I like good quality, not because I have any knowledge, so this being said what do you guys have to say about ProjectERA?
HtcOneJon said:
Long post (Darkseth), but ultimately just regurgitated from other audiophile nonsense. Boomsound is fine, and it's just elitist to claim it is anything else.
Most people like more bass in their music, most artists sound crap when played back without EQ. You can like it how it's meant to sound but artists want what THEY like, not what I like.
My favorite sound is poweramp music player with bass and treble cranked up, the mid tones almost removed as they sound rubbish with almost all music, and boomsound on top.
I am A1 qualified audiophile with qualifications from the school of knowing what I like
/bowing out and sorry if I derail anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sarcasm? If yes, then thx for that giggle mate
thecrab93 said:
Hey everyone, I'll say I'm an audiophile just because I like good quality, not because I have any knowledge, so this being said what do you guys have to say about ProjectERA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a good thing. I also had it flashed for a short time... Cant really claim, i heared a difference. But when you reboot into recovery, flash and reboot, thats too much time passed, to be able to really compare it.
You would need 2 devices, one with, one without ProjectERA mod, to really be able to compare it i think.
soo.... difficult to say.
Darkseth said:
Sry in advance, too long post :<
How can you call this an Audiophile thread with these claims? (no offense tho).
Boomsound is the by far most horrible crap, you can use for headphones, if you truly want a high audio quality.
And i am not talking about, that you might "like" the different sounding, when the bass/treble is raised, and the mids are lowered.
I talk about the PURE quality of the sound. Its worse. It is. Noise and distortion are by worlds higher. With my Beyerdynamic T90 (yes, treble peak.. but still) and also with my pretty neutal Logitech UE 900 it was not listenable. The treble distorted in alot songs, it hurts in the ears etc.
I still DO think, if Boomsound would do the same, but NOT raise the treble, if would be by miles better as a "fun-setting". But like this, its not usable, tbh.
Also, if you want a sorce besides my ears: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8078/smartphone-audio-testing-htc-one-m8-and-samsung-galaxy-s5/2
Scroll down.
If I am not mistaken, this feature is supported by Android from version 4.3 onwards. So, witha Fiio E07k, E18~ you should be able to use it as a DAC. In the M8 audio quality thread on head-fi.org, one User uses the E18 with this, and can't disable Boomsound, while using an external DAC.
Even if i do absolutely not share your opinion about Boomsound via Headphones, you might still be interested in my opinion in this comparison.
Boomsound:
Just a cheap EQ setting. Works well together with the external speakers, but is pretty crap for Headphones (maybe its fine with dull headphones, which dont have good treble/clarity. Maybe Shure SE 215, or some other basshead headphones).
I truly cant recommend it. And like i said, its NOT because the EQ setting changes the "true sound" (i like the Use of EQs to do some fine tuning if needed), but because using this raises the noise AND distortion by a good bunch. You can hear that strongly. At least i can.
PLUS, theres one big thing: This is just ONE strong agressive Preset of an EQ. Bass below 120 hz gets +5db, lower mids (120-1000 Hz) gets lowered by up to -5 dB, while the frequencies from 2000 up to 10k+ Hz) gets raised by 4,5db. Above 10k Hz its even above 5 dB).
This makes the difference Bass/treble, to the Mids from 0 dB to 10 dB, since +5 and -5 adds to 10. Thats a really hard difference.
So, in conclusion: Depending on headphones, this might sound better, or actually MUCH worse.
Bassy headphones, lets take your M50s, already have strong bass. Depending on frequency response, that bass could even "overlap" the mids, if the bass is too strong. you can see that on beats headphones. With Boomsound, the bass gets even more stronger, and the mids will get even more back in the background. Alot Headphones, that have a V-curve (and so naturally weaks in the mids) gets even weaker mids.
Also, depending on your headphones also as with the Audio files, the distortion gets raised by a little, or maybe by A LOT.
If you are not happy with your Headphone sounding, you should maybe try another Headphone.
If you just need some fine tuning, then you are by MILES better, if you just use PowerAmp, and its Equalizer, since it can react like a million times better to the individual frequency response of the headphones, and to your own personal taste. Boomsound here is more like "boom in your face. be happy with it, or cry"
Harman & Kardon Soundmod:
Now, this thing is alot different. This is actually Not an Equalizer, like Boomsound. H&K's "Clear-Fi" technology tries to take a strongly compressed Audiofile, and tries to recreate the missing parts.
So, it tries to raise the pure "compressed" audioquality of bad audiofiles.
I personally have mostly 256+ kbit/s MP3s, and Flacs. So, this technology wont help much. it sounds almost the exact same --> not really usefull. You just wont hear much of a difference, unless your Files have a bad quality. And if they do, then get better quality files, instead of such a software, that might not even work well enough.
But, this Soundmod disables Boomsound. Yes, you can find a "trick", where you change the Boomsound parameter from false to true in a script, and enabling it back in the menu. But, it will NOT be active. its like just menu decoration. The "boomsound" sign in the task bar will not be there - Not even with external speakers.
Boomsound is made ONLY for the External speakers, they work together quite well. Without Boomsound (ergo, with H&K soundmod flashed), the External speakers will sound much more thin/tinny. I have yet to find a way to have Boomsound for the speakers, and H&K Soundmod for headphones. Unless theres something new here, this is not possible together.
Lets go a bit deeper into the Audiophile theorycrafting:
H&K's "Clear-Fi", and its purpose might sound awesome. But it has its negative sights:
- It only helps on Crappy Audiophiles. Someone, who cares about audio quality will not use <128 kbit/s mp3s. At LEAST 192, but more 256-320 Kbit/s or even flac. So this will not help you, as the compression on 256+ is not strong enough, to make a difference (also, because most songs have a crappy quality from beeing badly mastered)
- The thoughts behind clear-fi are adressing the "problem" at the totally wrong spot. On most songs, it just does not matter, what file quality (bitrate etc) you use, because most songs are just really really crappy mastered in the studio. Its because alot people dont care about audio quality. so they use cheap crap, like beats headphones, logitech speakers for 30 bucks, and 10 bucks earphones etc. Crappy mastered/produced music sounds better on cheap devices, than a high quality master.
I mean, how are you supposed to "guess" the higher quality, if the artists arent producing high quality music?
I think, the following is a perfect comparison:
You create a 480p Movie, and try to upscale it into 1080p using a cheap software... Do you honestly think, that will raise the quality? I personally don't..
So, to make it pretty short: The worse your File quality is (and higher the file compression), the more "Clear-Fi" might make a difference.
The higher the file quality, the less difference this will make.
To get a high audio quality into your ears, you need a different priority:
1. The Song must be produced in a good/high quality. Much more important, than Bitrate. For example: Michael Jackson's Thriller album at 128 kbit/s will sound much better, than the new Linkin Park Album in 320 kbit+. (i like linkin park, but the new album has such an incredible low quality... its like zero fun listening to it, when you have really good headphones)
2. You need good headphones (Besides the master quality headphones are responsible for like 70-90% of the Audioquality. The REST comes from the DAC/AMP)
3. DAC / AMP Quality
The "Chain" is important. If just one part of it has a low quality, the whole chain will sound low.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely agree with you
best: H / K for MP3 and Boumsound for speakers
the speakers do have a bad sound without boumsound
Viper4Android is very good to improve the quality but I did not try on the M8
saj2001ind said:
do you hear any difference bwn 192kHz and 96kHz ? tried myself but no difference in quality and head-fi also has many reviewers say no difference but file size just increase a lot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can hear the difference. 192kHz has a little more sparkle to me, especially the highs. Probably an exagerration to say night and day but I can hear it.
I like 24 bit 192 kHz more because it is easier to use hi-end equipment on it, and still be as authentic as possible. Logically, low resolution would sound worse to worst as the quality of your equipment goes higher. Hi-res has one advantage, if any, that it assures you that if you have invested more in your equipment, it won't go to waste all the time you are listening to audio on mobile.
and AFAIK 24 bit 192 kHz is the max supported resolution by headphones of even a pretty high caliber.
Hey OP. What else did you notice out of the 4.4.3 updpate that is so diff from 4.4.2? Sorry for changing topic lol
I can't stand BoomSound as it makes the music sound horrible and unrealistic (it works for the external speakers though). It does very weird things with the sound with headphones. I did not like the Harman Kardon mod either. It just pumped up the highs and has too low bass. Ironically it too sounded very bad in my Harman Kardon CL headphones. Though better than BoomSound.
I rather go flat than use any of those mods and any "audiphile" would agree. It might be good for cheaper heaphones though.
However Viper4Android is another story. With it you can customise the sound without destroying it and give it a richer character. I am extremely happy with it.