Database Users

YAMAHA Codec - NO bad news after all ! (at least for me)

I am no developer, but I got good musical ears and some good hardware and software...Here under my last post on that other Yamaha dac thread:
betoNL said:
Ok people hereby my 2 cents.
Went back to the showrom this time armed with the Fiio E5 amplifier and my AKG K430 headphones (not in-ear).
Got very good results just by playing with the built-in equalizer of the STOCK music player !
No need for Poweramp or the Equalizer app...really
But if you guys do want a 3rd party music player with a built-in equalizer and more options I would rather go for Neutron or my favourite: Mixzing Player.
But the good news are that after so many tests (on my part) , I am convinced that the Yamaha codec is somehow better implemented on the Note.
And all I need is playing with the equalizer and replace the stock headset with a kickass one.
And you dont need to go bankrupt in order to purchase a real good headset:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1190205
Some nice tips over there and the thread got only 6 pages...
And if you want to to try to get even more from the Note, just get the Fiio amplifier...it's small( clipable) and unexpensive, around 14 euros:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FiiO-E5-HEA...ltDomain_0&hash=item484252e339#ht_2980wt_1014
What counts for me is that I dont hesitate anymore in purchasing the Note even after getting used with the sound of my sgs1 powered by Wolfson & Voodoo...
But....the Nexus Prime is just around the corner...hesitation is coming back to me........decisions. decisions
is bad news maybe only for the sgs2 owners but not for the Note ones
« »
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feel free to prove me wrong....I didnt order the Note yet .... Still gotta feel that nexus Prime.....
EDIT: 26-nov-2011:
If gsmarena is not reliable, let's try the Sweeds: Originally Posted by Fredag
Swedroid did a test on sound quality:
(To bad I can not post links yet, had to remove it)
They conclude the test by saying it's the best result they ever measured. It comes very close to their reference MP3 standalone player Sandisk Sansa+
They are a bit surprised to see it perform so much better than SGSII. I guess I am a bit surprised too...
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​Thanks for the info...Here is the link:
http://www.swedroid.se/test-av-samsung-galaxy-note/
And here the translation (sound part):
We connect a pair of better headphones, we note an audible difference for the better in comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S II. The whole record is perceived as wider and the music feels more alive, not to mention that we can play a lot higher than in most of our reference headphones. We certainly do not have a real audio file at the office, but this is probably the closest we have come for a while if we compare with a dedicated MP3 players such as Sandisk Sansa +. For those who are very keen on a good sound, we recommend as always that you take with your favorite headphones and a microSD card loaded with your favorite music to the store and perform a trial listening.
In this subsection we connect the phone to a 3.5mm stereo Y-adapter that we in turn connects to both line-in jack on an Audigy Xifias sound card in a computer behind a UPS and a pair of AKG 420 headphones ( 32 ohm, 125 dB / mW). We then play a sound clip that we, in turn, recording and analysis using software RightMark Audio Analyzer .
The graph above illustrates the frequency response that indicates with precision what sound frequencies represented - particularly interesting is the range from 20Hz to 20KHz, since human hearing stretches between these bands. The ideal curve is in this case completely flat and lies at +0 dB. Note Galaxy performs surprisingly, a result that is anything but especially like the Galaxy SII despite according to specification sheet is based on the same platform and therefore should have the same audio chip / DAC. In fact, the result is not far from what our reference unit, Sandisk Sansa +, performs for the figures.
The noise level is under RMAA at 89 dB, which is one of the best results we have measured up. The other part is looking very good with some reservation for stereo crosstalk / noise leaks left and right audio channel between; Note that lands on a last place. The value is so close to the other and still so low that in any case we do not experience any problems during the test listening to a pair of better headphones.​__________________
« »

deleted, I posted info that is already posted

Tip bout the Fiio already mentioned on first post...and you get it cheaper from Ebay
«»

RMXO said:
deleted, I posted info that is already posted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks...
And thanks for your headset tips on the other thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1190205

Hi
Please read these tests on the sound quality of the Note :
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_n7000-review-676p8.php
same as the SGS 2 so why do we (sgs 2 users) get such crap sound, it would they have improved the software... can this be ported to SGS 2?

BenG7 said:
same as the SGS 2 so why do we (sgs 2 users) get such crap sound, it would they have improved the software... can this be ported to SGS 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be a better designed circuit than sgs2, therefore it's the hardware issue however I might be wrong.

BenG7 said:
Hi
Please read these tests on the sound quality of the Note :
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_n7000-review-676p8.php
same as the SGS 2 so why do we (sgs 2 users) get such crap sound, it would they have improved the software... can this be ported to SGS 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When reading those tests I noticed:
betoNL said:
I dont know if those are improvements or not but all the values :
Frequency responseNoise levelDynamic rangeTHD IMD + NoiseStereo crosstalk
Are different from the sgs2 with the same Yamaha thing....
And today I took my headsets to the showroom again...and indeed the Note sounds way better than the sgs2.....almost as good as the sgs1 without Voodoo app......
Comparison tests applied with same songs and same settings from stock music player...
« »
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Gonna add this to first post::
Originally Posted by Fredag
Swedroid did a test on sound quality:
(To bad I can not post links yet, had to remove it)
They conclude the test by saying it's the best result they ever measured. It comes very close to their reference MP3 standalone player Sandisk Sansa+
They are a bit surprised to see it perform so much better than SGSII. I guess I am a bit surprised too...
​Thanks for the info...Here is the link:
http://www.swedroid.se/test-av-samsung-galaxy-note/
And here the translation (sound part):
We connect a pair of better headphones, we note an audible difference for the better in comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S II. The whole record is perceived as wider and the music feels more alive, not to mention that we can play a lot higher than in most of our reference headphones. We certainly do not have a real audio file at the office, but this is probably the closest we have come for a while if we compare with a dedicated MP3 players such as Sandisk Sansa +. For those who are very keen on a good sound, we recommend as always that you take with your favorite headphones and a microSD card loaded with your favorite music to the store and perform a trial listening.
In this subsection we connect the phone to a 3.5mm stereo Y-adapter that we in turn connects to both line-in jack on an Audigy Xifias sound card in a computer behind a UPS and a pair of AKG 420 headphones ( 32 ohm, 125 dB / mW). We then play a sound clip that we, in turn, recording and analysis using software RightMark Audio Analyzer .
The graph above illustrates the frequency response that indicates with precision what sound frequencies represented - particularly interesting is the range from 20Hz to 20KHz, since human hearing stretches between these bands. The ideal curve is in this case completely flat and lies at +0 dB. Note Galaxy performs surprisingly, a result that is anything but especially like the Galaxy SII despite according to specification sheet is based on the same platform and therefore should have the same audio chip / DAC. In fact, the result is not far from what our reference unit, Sandisk Sansa +, performs for the figures.
The noise level is under RMAA at 89 dB, which is one of the best results we have measured up. The other part is looking very good with some reservation for stereo crosstalk / noise leaks left and right audio channel between; Note that lands on a last place. The value is so close to the other and still so low that in any case we do not experience any problems during the test listening to a pair of better headphones.​ __________________

Xperia Z2 FW 23.0.1.A.0.167: Sony Stock Headsets Review + Tips (MH410 / MDR-NC31EM)

DISCLAIMER: I'm no audiophile, but I have very good pitch, and a brain.
I also recommend against using ClearAudio+ (I'll explain why at the end) but instead using equalizer settings to tune music for a specific headset.
Hi everyone! When I first received my Sony Xperia Z2, I had just lost my favorite pair of in-ear headphones, a set of Kramer-modded JVC HA-FX35, and were stuck with the stock MH410c earbuds. Needless to say, these were very poor sounding, and only marginally improved with the Sony 5-band equalizer. I found the Digital Noise Cancelling MDR-NC31EM could be of use to me, so I ordered a pair.
________________________________________________
What I found in these two headsets is as follows:
MH410c - extremely forward, boxy (think cheap speakers playing in a cardboard box) and congested / stuffy sounding midrange, lacking bass extension below ~200 hz and heavy treble fall off after 8 khz, with instruments and voices bleeding over top of each other with cloudy attack (beginning of sounds are not sharp)
MDR-NC31EM - very bass heavy, full sounding, otherwise relatively flat from ~1khz into the upper midrange but lacking definition in sounds above the vocal range such as hi-hats and symbols with a smothered type sound. Some users prefer this kind of experience (think Dr. Dre Beats) but I'd rather stray away. Once I bought the noise cancelling headset, I proceeded to work on an equalizer to balance out the sound on Android 4.4.2. The old earbuds, I packed up in case I would need it someday. I found that even though I could correct the frequency response pretty well, but highs (hi-hat) were somewhat grainy and lacking true detail.
________________________________________________
Here's where the new update comes in. With the 4.4.4 update, Sony incorporated a new set of audio settings. Included with the new build, are preset equalizers for several Sony headsets.
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These are designed to give each headset a more flat frequency response curve to enhance the accuracy and sound quality. They work pretty well, however I found that both the MH410 and MDR-NC31EM presets make the headsets sound grainy and gritty in the highs due to the distortion created by heavily boosting these frequencies. Noise Cancellation is not available without selecting the MDR-NC31EM preset.
________________________________________________
The MH410 preset flattens sound out pretty well. Lower midrange is still a bit prevalent and there is some lingering harmonic distortion in the midrange with grainy highs above 12khz. I found the following equalizer settings to work well over top of the preset:
400 hz: -2
1 khz: -2
2.5 khz: -1
6 khz: +1
16 khz: -2
Clear Bass: +2
This helps further control the midrange and removes some grain out of the upper highs. Some depth is added to the sound without too much sibilance at 6 khz. Adding more bass is worthless, as it muddies the sound because Sony is already heavily boosting the bass in the preset.
The MDR-NC31EM preset instantly adds clarity and treble extension to the headset. Treble is increased, and treble now extends up closer to top-end 20 khz much better than it did before, albeit with some distortion and grain. The bass is very slightly reduced, and tightened up somewhat. The overall sound feels much less sloppy and more like something I would enjoy listening to, though mostly still feels full and warm.
My equalizer settings applied over the preset:
400 hz: -2
1 khz: +1
2.5 khz: +1
6 khz: +2
16 khz: -2
Clear Bass: 0
This helps bring out the midrange which felt somewhat recessed to me, and slightly reduces the grainy upper treble.
________________________________________________
ClearAudio+: Why not use it? It's supposed to optimize sound settings, but often does the opposite. ClearAudio+ I've found helps in only one situation, when you need to boost front-facing speaker volume in a loud area.
Regardless of what headphones you have plugged in, ClearAudio+ typically does two things: Boosts upper midrange and treble, and automatically reduces the stereo width (stereo sound) which you can also do separately by applying similar settings in the equalizer and setting the "Surround sound (VPT)" settings, specifically the "Studio" option.
ClearAudio+ in my opinion is nothing more than a gimmick, some people perceive extra treble as extra clarity, but this is not the case. You lose definition in lower voices such as guitars, trombones, baritone voices, or what else you may be listening to with this option enabled.
________________________________________________
In conclusion, I hope this thread helps other Xperia Z2 (as well as Z3, Z3v users, if they read it!) understand the new audio settings and the optimal way to use them. My example equalizer settings are nothing more than examples and what I prefer, you have different ears that were made a different way and you may prefer something slightly different. I'm a little deaf anyway from years of trumpet playing and concerts though I still have a pretty good ear.
I hope you find this helpful, and if you do or don't, feel free to input your thoughts and hit the thanks button!

Excellent post, shame that my Z2 doesn't work with my MDR-NC31EM anymore. My Z3TC does though so I will definitely use these settings on here!

Any idea whether the Newly implemented DSEE HX audio feature actually help the quality of the music playback or cause more harm instead?
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

Stalkalainen said:
Excellent post, shame that my Z2 doesn't work with my MDR-NC31EM anymore. My Z3TC does though so I will definitely use these settings on here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there an issue with your Z2? That stinks.
chaud said:
Any idea whether the Newly implemented DSEE HX audio feature actually help the quality of the music playback or cause more harm instead?
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use the Walkman app or play MP3s. I use Spotify on their highest quality setting, which is a 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis file at near-lossless quality. Get ready for a long, detailed and technical response, though.
The DSEE HX audio function is designed to replace lost information in low bitrate MP3 and AAC files.
MP3 is the most common compression codec as well as one of the worst in efficiency, though many are moving away from it.
AAC files are the standard compression format for iTunes downloads, for example. It has somewhat better sound at the same bitrate as MP3.
Before getting too much into the technical talk, it's important to understand that during music compression, information is lost or distorted. It's very similar to same as JPEG compression-
Obviously, the compression saves lots of space but reduces quality of the image. Audio compression works in pretty much the same way. Where JPEG compression loses detail in fine lines and details, audio compression, especially MP3, loses lots and lots of high treble and can muddy and distort sounds from base to midrange especially with attack. You end up with loose sounding bass notes, and a sort of metallic-ringing with midrange sounds.
For example, here's a listening comparison.
64 kbps MP3 / AAC
http://nigelcoldwell.co.uk/audio/mp3vbr/abr064.mp3
http://nigelcoldwell.co.uk/audio/aacs/aac-064.m4a
128 kbps MP3
http://nigelcoldwell.co.uk/audio/mp3vbr/abr128.mp3
320 kbps OGG (lets pretend this is the lossless source file)
http://nigelcoldwell.co.uk/audio/oggs/ogg-09-11(320).ogg
Source: http://nigelcoldwell.co.uk/audio/
You can tell that the compressed files don't actually sound too bad, but if you pay attention, you'll notice the 64 kbps files sound kind of sloppy in general and in all three compressed files, the drum track at 20 seconds, and the following clip too, sound very deflated because they're lacking the treble extension of the high bitrate file. The whole idea of DSEE HX is to reclaim this treble extension and bring the frequency response of the file back closer to the original lossless file. To be honest, there isn't much Sony can do with the rest of the distortion. Once data is totally lost, or, say, disfigured, it's pretty much there to stay. Trying to fix all of this might seem like a good idea in theory, and it makes a nice selling point for their marketing team, but I don't think it really helps anything.
First off, if you can't hear the difference in the files, or say, maybe you can't hear a difference between the 64 kbps MP3 and 320 kbps OGG Vorbis files, or possibly, you don't even care, then it's probably not going to make your entire collection of low bitrate MP3s sound any better to you.
Second, if you can hear the difference in the files, and you prefer the high quality audio, DSEE HX is not going to magically make the 64 kbps MP3 sound anything like the high bitrate file. What the software is going to do, is essentially listen to your music playback and plot out a frequency response graph. It will then say, "Hey, I think this is compressed too much because there is almost no treble beyond 14 khz." ... it will then take the almost-no-treble and boost it to a level it thinks would be closer to a high bitrate file. This sounds nifty, but I'd say "it's trying to make something out of nothing". What's left of the treble extension that would normally be in a high bitrate file is usually left very quiet and very distorted in a low-bitrate MP3. You just end up with lots of harsh metallic grainy sounds because it's trying to boost the treble from ridiculously silent to audible again.
Plus, the issue compounds on itself. The more compression you've used, the more DSEE HX has to compensate (read then see the 128 kbps MP3 graph below, It has almost zero information above 16 kHz...), and the less it has to work with. If you've got an entire library of 192 kbps MP3s or 160 kbps OGG / AAC with less dramatic compression artifacts and information loss, maybe it will help reclaim a little, but that's subjective and the scenario is unlikely. TL;DR, So no, DSEE HX will not help.
Here are some visual graphs that also explain what happens -
These are basically heat graphs of the frequencies over the length of the song. Y axis is frequency, X axis is time (song playing, beginning to end). Deep red means there is a lot of that frequency playing, purple is a little bit, and black is nothing.
(Source: http://www.torrentech.org/index.php?act=Help&CODE=01&HID=56)
FLAC (I Feel You, Depeche Mode) 31.2 MB filesize
As you see here, treble extends up to 21 kHz and there is a gradual fade from bass to top end treble. This is normal and corresponds with the way the music was meant to be heard. Nobody wants to hear a constant and harsh drone of noises in the 16-22 kHz range, because that's unnatural. However, it's important that those are there because sounds that we hear are typically made up of many harmonic frequencies that blend together to give the sound of whatever object. Hi-hats are good examples of an instrument that sounds much different without treble even though most of the sound from them occurs in the midrange.
Here's a 128 kbps MP3 file of the same song -
LAME mp3 128 kbps (I Feel You, Depeche Mode) 4.3 MB filesize
As you can see, even at 128 kbps, you've already lost almost all treble extension above 16 kHz. This is a trademark "feature" of the MP3 codec. DSEE HX tries to reclaim what you saw from the FLAC graph from this graph. How well do you think that works? If you look closely too, you'll see the graphs don't even look the same in the midrange and bass range. There is distortion due to the compression.
________________________________________________________
Also-
The High Resolution Audio function in the sound settings, only upsamples the system audio from 44.1 (CD standard) / 48 kHz (DVD standard) sampling rate to 96 / 192 kHz. This is useless unless you have a dedicated USB headphone amp and your source files are something like lossless FLAC encoded at 96 kHz.

What about Sony MDR-XB60/NC In Ear Earphones (Gold)? Anyone having it? Are they too noise cancelling?

any Equalizer setting for MH750 ? I had this when bought Z Ultra, now my zu damaged. Im comfortble using this earbud headset since earphone that inside Z2 box make my ear pain

try these silicon ear tips if you're using in ears
http://www.my-ear.com.tw/spinfit-tips/
i use them on my UE900 and they fit like a glove -- and sounds brilliant too thanks to better seal

The sound quality is truly amazing on 4.4.4
I bought the NC in ear headphones and yes they get the job done when it comes to canceling background noise, but I felt like I could get better audio quality with better earphones so I bought the supra nitro earphones and now I can finally say that the sound is superb!
So if you truly want to get a great audio experience get a pair of highend/decent headphones.
I must say that the MDR 10RC that came with the Z3 in some regions give you a rich sound experience too.
Btw thanks for the useful tips, I'll give my NC earphones another chance with your EQ settings.
Sent from my Xperia Z2

vikrant7027 said:
What about Sony MDR-XB60/NC In Ear Earphones (Gold)? Anyone having it? Are they too noise cancelling?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They seem to be discontinued. They aren't Digital Noise Cancelling but they might reduce background noise some like most in-ear and over-the-ear headphones.
nazzier5463 said:
any Equalizer setting for MH750 ? I had this when bought Z Ultra, now my zu damaged. Im comfortble using this earbud headset since earphone that inside Z2 box make my ear pain
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the preset should help a lot. I don't like the stock MH410 / MH410c either, I just wore them some when I first got the phone and for this analysis. The preset setting should make it so you only have to make smaller changes to arrive at an optimal setting for your MH750. The preset for MH410 and MDR-NC31EM were pretty good.
zegun said:
try these silicon ear tips if you're using in ears
http://www.my-ear.com.tw/spinfit-tips/
i use them on my UE900 and they fit like a glove -- and sounds brilliant too thanks to better seal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! For anyone that likes foam tips too, Comply Foam Tips are brilliant. I'm currently using the stock silicone tips because my old Comply don't fit, but I intend on purchasing new ones.
Jiyeon90 said:
The sound quality is truly amazing on 4.4.4
I bought the NC in ear headphones and yes they get the job done when it comes to canceling background noise, but I felt like I could get better audio quality with better earphones so I bought the supra nitro earphones and now I can finally say that the sound is superb!
So if you truly want to get a great audio experience get a pair of highend/decent headphones.
I must say that the MDR 10RC that came with the Z3 in some regions give you a rich sound experience too.
Btw thanks for the useful tips, I'll give my NC earphones another chance with your EQ settings.
Sent from my Xperia Z2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I was rather disappointed with the sound quality of the MDR-NC31EM too but the noise cancelling feature was good. Now I have pretty good sound quality as well. It's not magic, but definitely passable and finally enjoyable listening.

What to choose between MDR-XB60/NC and mdr-nc31em? I'm music lover and want a good headphones...but attracted towards noise cancelling feature of mdr-nc31em...please tell me...You can also tell other headphones with superb music quality...

vikrant7027 said:
What to choose between MDR-XB60/NC and mdr-nc31em? I'm music lover and want a good headphones...but attracted towards noise cancelling feature of mdr-nc31em...please tell me...You can also tell other headphones with superb music quality...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah go with the NC31EM, for the price they give you pretty good sound and if you use the Walkman app you can turn DSEE HX on which improves the sound quality if you use these NC headphones. Oh and their mics used for cancelling the noise also work as regular mics so you can use them to make calls although they could have included an 'answer button'

Jiyeon90 said:
Yeah go with the NC31EM, for the price they give you pretty good sound and if you use the Walkman app you can turn DSEE HX on which improves the sound quality if you use these NC headphones. Oh and their mics used for cancelling the noise also work as regular mics so you can use them to make calls although they could have included an 'answer button'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you own them?Many people are saying that the quality is average...

vikrant7027 said:
Do you own them?Many people are saying that the quality is average...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is average. On 4.4.4, the preset I talked about in the first post helps some, and makes them sound pretty good. They're not excellent, but passable...somewhat decent. For the price though, not too bad when you consider the noise cancellation. DSEE HX really doesn't help anything...
The Sony MH1 and MH1C are very good if you can find them, but they won't have the noise cancellation. They are considered to be a great buy and one of the best IEM with in-line microphone around.
Other than that, for the best sound just for music listening, I'd personally stick to big circumaural full size headphones, such as the Audio Technica ATH-M50. :good:

sam_conrad said:
It is average. On 4.4.4, the preset I talked about in the first post helps some, and makes them sound pretty good. They're not excellent, but passable...somewhat decent. For the price though, not too bad when you consider the noise cancellation. DSEE HX really doesn't help anything...
The Sony MH1 and MH1C are very good if you can find them, but they won't have the noise cancellation. They are considered to be a great buy and one of the best IEM with in-line microphone around.
Other than that, for the best sound just for music listening, I'd personally stick to big circumaural full size headphones, such as the Audio Technica ATH-M50. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MH1 are too old,must be discontinued by company...any other option?

vikrant7027 said:
Do you own them?Many people are saying that the quality is average...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are pretty good for a walk outside where you want portability and the NC is pretty awesome. However if you are at home use more high-end headphones, I use a pair of akg on-ear at home and the NC ones outside.

vikrant7027 said:
Do you own them?Many people are saying that the quality is average...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I do, I was kinda dissapointed because my expectations were quite high when I bought them since everyone was praising them but if you look at the price you actually get the sound quality you pay for (they are not bad at all, they are quite decent) the noice cancelling and the mic are just free bonuses.
I ended up getting another pair of headphones which have noticeable better audio quality but I had to pay almost 3x the price of the NC ones.
I'd say, for under 40$ the the NC earphones are the best choice, if you have a higher budget there's definitely better options

vikrant7027 said:
MH1 are too old,must be discontinued by company...any other option?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are old, and probably discontinued. But they are great IEMs at a very low price.
If you want to pay a little more, the Hifiman RE400 might be a good buy.

S6 audio quality..

It seems that we have a winner for audiophile headphones listeners...gsm arena has confirmed in audio quality test that S6 is better than last year htc m8. One drawback is the volume levels ( this is samsung registered trademark) but this is easely resolved by adding an external amplifier or by rooting and modify the volume levels.
I'm waiting for real world reviewers!!
P.S. exynox + wolfston was always a winner in this category and it seems that this time Samsung has a winner...

calinormy said:
It seems that we have a winner for audiophile headphones listeners...gsm arena has confirmed in audio quality test that S6 is better than last year htc m8. One drawback is the volume levels ( this is samsung registered trademark) but this is easely resolved by adding an external amplifier or by rooting and modify the volume levels.
I'm waiting for real world reviewers!!
P.S. exynox + wolfston was always a winner in this category and it seems that this time Samsung has a winner...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This time I agree with them, but what they writes better not to read. Look only tests results.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=56587777&postcount=17
Dynamic range (higher is better)
htc one m8 93.9
galaxy s6 91.9
Noise level (higher is better)
htc one m8 -94.9
galaxy s6 -92.6
Stereo Crosstalk (higher is better)
galaxy s6 -83.4
htc one (m8) -79.7
Smoother green line is better
galaxy s6
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}
htc one m8

2 points difference in dinamic range or noise level means for me nothing considering that stereo crosstalk is now the best for any phone.
Samsung with snapdragon had prapund -55 and now we have -83. The days with the sound delivered in the center of our head ar gone, now we have space in music!

So happy to see this. I still don't understand for the life in me why Samsung devices always have low volume output through headphones. Its very annoying in the gym.

borimol said:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was going to post the same.
Just for reference, dB is more like a logarithmic scale. It means 70 dB intensity is 10x more than 60 dB. Similarly 80 dB intensity is 10x more than 70 dB.
The difference here is 5.4 dB. This means that the actual sound intensity is increased by 3.46 times. For quick calculation of difference in sound intensity from dB:
- Find the difference (which is 75.9 - 70.5 = 5.4)
- Divide this by 10 (5.4/10 = 0.54)
- Find the base 10 antilog of 0.54 (use this antilog calculator link, which is 3.46 times)
And somehow GSMArena found S6 to be quieter than S5
The loudspeaker is average in loudness and quieter than the Galaxy S5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

MattMJB0188 said:
So happy to see this. I still don't understand for the life in me why Samsung devices always have low volume output through headphones. Its very annoying in the gym.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
maybe cheap earbuds or possibly need some ear cleaning?
my S4 i rarely go past 60-70% while at the gym and it's more than loud for me. i don't like taking my earbuds off and hearing my ears ring afterwards.. it's no wonder people seem to be going deaf these days..

Gsmarena has found that speaker loudness is worst than s5, not the headphone volume...

calinormy said:
Gsmarena has found that speaker loudness is worst than s5, not the headphone volume...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And they have already been proven wrong a few times. Their review sucked

calinormy said:
It seems that we have a winner for audiophile headphones listeners...gsm arena has confirmed in audio quality test that S6 is better than last year htc m8. One drawback is the volume levels ( this is samsung registered trademark) but this is easely resolved by adding an external amplifier or by rooting and modify the volume levels.
I'm waiting for real world reviewers!!
P.S. exynox + wolfston was always a winner in this category and it seems that this time Samsung has a winner...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do u still listen to music from ur phone with the built in audio jack? like seriously? -_-
there are quite affordable audio AMPs and DACs combos available these days, and they DO make a difference. why not get the portable ones and use them to power ur music?
thats the dilemma, people are ready to spend like US $800 on a phone but cant buy a US $50 audio device to power their music and call them selves, "AUDIOPHILE"....
*SMH*

aami.aami said:
do u still listen to music from ur phone with the built in audio jack? like seriously? -_-
there are quite affordable audio AMPs and DACs combos available these days, and they DO make a difference. why not get the portable ones and use them to power ur music?
thats the dilemma, people are ready to spend like US $800 on a phone but cant buy a US $50 audio device to power their music and call them selves, "AUDIOPHILE"....
*SMH*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh gawd...one of those...
Do you really play games on your phone? That's what a PC is for..
Do you really take pictures with your phone? Buy a real camera!
Do you really watch movies? That's what a TV is for.
A smartphone is a jack of all trades master of non. So yes..I listen to music on my phone. And I expect it to do well.

Think the same. Yes, I listen music on my mobile phone, and, for me, it's something important.

If you rely on the USB DAC for audio you will lose the ability to pick up calls handsfree while listening to music, and more importantly stress the USB connector if you are listening on the go. My only concern with the headphone audio is a comment made by François Simond ( Supercurio ) about his listening to the S6, possible artifacts in resampling 44.1 to 48k on the device.

any idea if its better than the note 4?
its my current music device, carrying 15gbs of music (mp3 and under 320)

GreeleyXda said:
any idea if its better than the note 4?
its my current music device, carrying 15gbs of music (mp3 and under 320)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's almost guaranteed to be better. The Note 4 uses the built in DAC on the Snapdragon 805 chip which is considered to be fairly poor. The S6 on the other hand will use a Wolfson DAC which will sound great stock and even better when developers begin tuning the sound output.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

This is the main reason I'm getting the s6 (don't know if I'll get the edge or the regular. Depends on pricing t-mobile gives). Last phone with a dedicated dac was the galaxy note 2 for tmobile with the exynos chip. The dac and everything sound a great and a custom kernel by boeffla taped into the dac to unleash it's full potential. I'm not an audiophile but I do like my music to sound good on mobile. Converted all my flacs to m4a and have the vmoda m100 and that's plenty for me. Have looked at USB dac but I don't want to have to worry about anything else. Also Samsung pay has me drooling a little but. Hopefully tripping KNOX by rooting the thing doesn't Disable Samsung pay

msavic6 said:
It's almost guaranteed to be better. The Note 4 uses the built in DAC on the Snapdragon 805 chip which is considered to be fairly poor. The S6 on the other hand will use a Wolfson DAC which will sound great stock and even better when developers begin tuning the sound output.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I brought my mrs note 4 down to the samsung experience store with me when I tried out the s6 in headphones. The s6 is cleaner sounding but the note 4 is louder.

RCJ89 said:
I brought my mrs note 4 down to the samsung experience store with me when I tried out the s6. The s6 is cleaner sounding but the note 4 is louder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if you tested headphone output or speaker quality but the DAC will have most of an effect on the headphone output. A great DAC can't make up for crappy speakers.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

msavic6 said:
I'm not sure if you tested headphone output or speaker quality but the DAC will have most of an effect on the headphone output. A great DAC can't make up for crappy speakers.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note 4 is louder in Headphones. I personally couldn't care about speakers that much, as long as its loud enough to hear my callas and texts thats good enough for me and the note 4 is louder than the s6 in speaker too.

msavic6 said:
It's almost guaranteed to be better. The Note 4 uses the built in DAC on the Snapdragon 805 chip which is considered to be fairly poor. The S6 on the other hand will use a Wolfson DAC which will sound great stock and even better when developers begin tuning the sound output.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you know this? Do you have any reviews that back this up?
Ta

Sound quality on earphones

Could U compare Mate 7 sound output on earphones to Galaxy note 2 or Xiaomi Mi4? The first one had very good sound quality but Mi4 has disappointed me in this field.

Yary12 said:
Could U compare Mate 7 sound output on earphones to Galaxy note 2 or Xiaomi Mi4? The first one had very good sound quality but Mi4 has disappointed me in this field.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh god yeah when I heard Mi 4 video on youtube, recorded sound I almost vomited ...

Simona Simmy said:
Oh god yeah when I heard Mi 4 video on youtube, recorded sound I almost vomited ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Beyerdynamic DT1350, and I am not at all impressed with the sound of M7...it is one of the weakest things about this device..

blackinfinity said:
I use Beyerdynamic DT1350, and I am not at all impressed with the sound of M7...it is one of the weakest things about this device..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try turn DTS on

Simona Simmy said:
Try turn DTS on
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do.. it just sound fake...
my old Galaxy note sounded better..

blackinfinity said:
I use Beyerdynamic DT1350, and I am not at all impressed with the sound of M7...it is one of the weakest things about this device..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no phone will push headphones that good buy 1 of these will sound ALOT better http://www.ebay.com/itm/Audiophile-...794?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae79a6f22

The sound is not good at all and its not very loud.
Im using Hidizs AP100

leo5111 said:
no phone will push headphones that good buy 1 of these will sound ALOT better http://www.ebay.com/itm/Audiophile-...794?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae79a6f22
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have plugged in my headphones to many other devices and phones without an extermal headphone amp.
I can say for instance, I was quite impressed with the sound of my LG G2.
Mate 7 compared to my LG G2 is big difference...
My DT1350 headphones sounds very well without a headamp of course.. I have plans to buy a good USB DAC for my phone when I get the money
Like this one http://www.headstage.com/Arrow-5TX/....html?XTCsid=d99628f16e91ce69c9d50b1b0173b532
It is small enough to have in my backpocket in my jeans.
Further I try to avoid listening to headphones as much as possible since it will cause a big strain on your ears due added sound pressure (I have mild tinitus)
But when I am on vacation or travel to a different city and not at home it can be nice to have a good portable sound.
At Home I have an Antelope Eclipse AD/DA converter and Trident HG3 speakers.
But yes... this DTS "bull****" Mate 7 is just a marketing term just like this braindead "retina sound" for people who do not know or care much about audio..
DTS have a good effect on the Phone speakers since it adds more bottom and richness to the sound but with headphones it just adds "fake sound"
it is not a sound I would "trust" . With that said I bought this phone knowing it was not perfect, I drop my Lg G2 in the floor..I was desperate to get a new phone was and I did refuse to buy the Note 4 because of the insane price, plus I admire good screen to body ratio, a big smart phone today is NOT smartphone if there has been no focus to slim down the dead area, I want as much screen area as possible otherwise it's simply and idiotic construction, Huawei and LG are one of the few who understand screen to body ratio is important.

Blackinfinity, you only THINK your Headphones sound good with other phones, TRUST ME, i got into audio and i for instance was using these http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-...id=1428598957&sr=8-2&keywords=beyer+dt+770+80 which are 80 ohm,s like yours and i thought the headphones sounded OK, then i got a headphone amp, and it became VERY apparent that the headphones want alot more current to sound good then what comes out of your phone,seriously when i plugged em into the amp, i thought i had seriously upgraded my headphones, sounded ALOT better

I have the d880 too... They are hard to drive and react to amplification a lot more..
Dt1350 are made to sound good unamplified since that his how most people use headphones these days... However I still want a good portable headphone amp.

your headphones are 80 ohms they will improve with a amp
Sent from my Z987 using XDA Free mobile app

guys.. i was on OPPO find 7a till few weeks ago..
trust me audio on opo find7a was so so much better than mate 7 !
I'm not an expert in audio/sound.. but even my ears could tell the big difference! I'm not talking just about the LOUDNESS.. but the richness of the quality of the sound!!
I don't use smartphone essentially for music but.. it's such a pity that this nice mat 7 lack in the audio so much :-/

leo5111 said:
Blackinfinity, you only THINK your Headphones sound good with other phones, TRUST ME, i got into audio and i for instance was using these http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-...id=1428598957&sr=8-2&keywords=beyer+dt+770+80 which are 80 ohm,s like yours and i thought the headphones sounded OK, then i got a headphone amp, and it became VERY apparent that the headphones want alot more current to sound good then what comes out of your phone,seriously when i plugged em into the amp, i thought i had seriously upgraded my headphones, sounded ALOT better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whos gonna carry bloody amp it is like have brick in pocket then...

simika said:
guys.. i was on OPPO find 7a till few weeks ago..
trust me audio on opo find7a was so so much better than mate 7 !
I'm not an expert in audio/sound.. but even my ears could tell the big difference! I'm not talking just about the LOUDNESS.. but the richness of the quality of the sound!!
I don't use smartphone essentially for music but.. it's such a pity that this nice mat 7 lack in the audio so much :-/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Audio is not as easy as you say, impedance synergy pairing and headphone / IEM play a large role in the perception you have, for me with my IEM's collection the Mate 7 sound realy good, better than my old Wolfson Note2 using Viper4Android or Boeffla kernel.
Here the audio test part on GSMARENA to compare between both:
Find 7
The Oppo Find 7 put in a stellar performance in the first part of our audio quality test. It had excellently high volume levels to go with its very clean output. Barring for the slightly high IMD reading this is one of the best score sets we've seen lately.
However, the smartphone faltered quite a bit when we plugged in a pair of headphones. Its frequency response started missing the mark now and then, the IMD rose further and the stereo crosstalk hiked quite a bit. It's not as bad as the stereo crosstalk disaster that was the 7a, but elsewhere the more premium member of the pair lagged behind its stablemate. Volume level dropped as well, adding up to what was a good, but not quite flagship-worthy performance here.
Find 7a
The Oppo Find 7a audio output is certainly among the cleanest we have seen when the smartphone is connected to an active external amplifier. Posting excellent scores top to bottom in the first part of our test, the Find 7a was also nicely loud, producing one of the best performances out there.
Plugging in a pair of headphones tells a different story, however. The stereo crosstalk increases way beyond the point where it can be considered as good, or even acceptable. The other readings remain great, but the high cross-channel leakage has the potential of damaging the whole audio experience for more exacting users and put the Oppo Find 7a below the current crop of flagships as far as audio output is concerned.
Mate 7
The Huawei Ascend Mate7 did excellently in the active external audio test, posting great scores and showing no weaknesses to its performance. The only thing to potentially frown at is its sub-par volume, but quality-wise it's right up with there with the best.
Impressively enough, plugging in a pair of headphones causes a very minor increase in stereo crosstalk - in this scenario the Ascend Mate7 ranks even better compared to the competition, which often see more degradation. Alas, the volume is below average here too, so we can't really say it's the best phablet for audio playback, but we can certainly promise you it will play every track the way its authors meant it to sound.
With my sensitive InEar SD3 I have plenty of volume, I listening beetween 3-5 most of the time, I dont want to end up deaf
---------- Post added at 09:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:28 AM ----------
Simona Simmy said:
Whos gonna carry bloody amp it is like have brick in pocket then...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Audiophile

The sound quality for me on headphones is the best I have ever heard from the Mate 7.
Thoroughly impressed.

Migou67 said:
Audiophile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a bit of audiofile but NOT crazy one..
But guyyzz if u want TRULLY amazing audio quality FROM smartphone I'll tell you which phone to get ..
It is called Vivo X5 ..
There is studio version u probably NEVER seen packaging like this !
The phone uses audio chip
Yamaha YSS205X-CZE2,
Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC
and headphone amplifier Maxim Integrated MAX97220
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
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}

^ lol, now that is packaging

Terrible aux audio?

Man, I'm really enjoying my S8+, but the auxiliary output sounds terrible. Really muddled and overpowering bass. The adapt sound helps the ear buds for sure, but when I connect in my car, the adapt sounds worse than if it were off. Anyone have advice/similar experience? Id hate to buy a whole new head unit for a freaking headphone jack lol it sounds much worse than the LG G5, and even the G4 imo.

Yes indeed, the aux quality is a insolence. I'm wondering how all the young people with their stylisch and overpriced Beats Headphone accept this rubbish quality. The S8 is my frist Samsung.
However without AudioMod you cant enjoy music with the S8.
I use AryraMod - Viper4Android:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/themes/mod-aryamod-aio-soundmod-v3-t3552824

hannsheinz said:
Yes indeed, the aux quality is a insolence. I'm wondering how all the young people with their stylisch and overpriced Beats Headphone accept this rubbish quality. The S8 is my frist Samsung.
However without AudioMod you cant enjoy music with the S8.
I use AryraMod - Viper4Android:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/themes/mod-aryamod-aio-soundmod-v3-t3552824
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, guessing you need root? Haven't even checked if that's possible for Verizon phones. Man, now I'm not sure if I actually want to return my V30. I'm not sure which is worse- a poor screen in low light, or bad audio.

Yes you need root.
Actualy I had decide that the S8 is my first phone that I dont root - because of Samsungs warrenty regulation. I even buy a mobile headphone amplifier but this only make the sobering sound louder.
Viper4Android or similar is the only way to improve the quality, sginificant.

S8 has actually a good output. Check GSM Arena tests. I have a pair of Sennheiser IE80 and they sound as good on my S8 than on my OP5, and better than my Pixel.
Also, no such thing as over powering bass. The frequency response is one of the flattest seen on a phone.

Sorry but I must dissent.
I demonstrate a few friends the difference between pure Samsung and Viper Sound via bluetooth and with the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 and one from Teufel.
Everone shows the same reaction "wow - what a difference. Like day and night"
When I look in sveral forums is the unanimous opinion is that the Samsung Aux qualtiy is awful and this since many years.

hannsheinz said:
Sorry but I must dissent.
I demonstrate a few friends the difference between pure Samsung and Viper Sound via bluetooth and with the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 and one from Teufel.
Everone shows the same reaction "wow - what a difference. Like day and night"
When I look in sveral forums is the unanimous opinion is that the Samsung Aux qualtiy is awful and this since many years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly there is a difference between one's feeling of how it sounds like and the actually way it actually sounds, proven scientifically, with defined tests in a proper testing environment.
I tested a lot of phones with my pair of IE80, and the S8 sounds on part with all the comparative smartphones. And actually tests are showing it being actually a tad better than the pack. V30 being undoubtedly the best.

Paradoxxx said:
S8 has actually a good output. Check GSM Arena tests. I have a pair of Sennheiser IE80 and they sound as good on my S8 than on my OP5, and better than my Pixel.
Also, no such thing as over powering bass. The frequency response is one of the flattest seen on a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All I know is that it sounds worse than the LG G5 through Beats headphones, and when plugged into the aux jack of my car, it sounds horrible- my girlfriend noticed right away. Worse than her iPhone 6S. It's cool that Samsung lets you tweak audio settings, but they seem to sound completely different depending on what you're listening to them through (If I adjust to make it sound tolerable over headphones, it sounds like muddled garbage plugged into a car stereo, and vice versa). It seems you can either get it really tinny so you can hear every aspect of the song, or so much bass that it drowns out the clarity and treble - it's really difficult to find a balance :\
I think it's about time I finally replace my 8 year old car stereo that I've been ripping out and putting into my new cars for something that has bluetooth..

ryanpm40 said:
All I know is that it sounds worse than the LG G5 through Beats headphones, and when plugged into the aux jack of my car, it sounds horrible- my girlfriend noticed right away. Worse than her iPhone 6S. It's cool that Samsung lets you tweak audio settings, but they seem to sound completely different depending on what you're listening to them through (If I adjust to make it sound tolerable over headphones, it sounds like muddled garbage plugged into a car stereo, and vice versa). It seems you can either get it really tinny so you can hear every aspect of the song, or so much bass that it drowns out the clarity and treble - it's really difficult to find a balance :\
I think it's about time I finally replace my 8 year old car stereo that I've been ripping out and putting into my new cars for something that has bluetooth..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's compare scientifically gathered numbers here :
Apple iPhone 6s (headphones attached) +0.10, -0.06 -93.8 93.9 0.0030 0.101 -68.2
LG G5 (headphones) +0.05, -0.01 -92.2 92.3 0.0029 0.037 -50.7
Samsung Galaxy S8+ (headphones attached) +0.03, -0.03 -92.5 92.5 0.0024 0.046 -77.3
And to quote GSM Arena :
"Stellar audio output
The Samsung Galaxy S8 matched its Plus sibling for clarity, delivering perfectly accurate output both with an active external amplifier and headphones. Even the increase in stereo crosstalk with headphones was barely noticeable and exceeding our expectations.
Somewhat surprisingly the smaller member of the flagship duo outdid its sibling in terms of loudness. The Plus was not quite itself, but the Galaxy S8 is among the loudest handsets out there, rounding up a great performance."
Let's see the frequency response now :
iPhone 6S :
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"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
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"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
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"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
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LG G5 :
Galaxy S8 :
As we can see here, LG G5 is the worse of the pack, with a cut-off way before S8 and iPhone even if it has the flattest frequency response. However such a different is not audible by human ears.
The iPhone has quite a wobbly frequency response, but manages to have a high frequency cut-off.
The Galaxy S8 is beating both of them, with almost perfectly flat frequency response and higher frequency cut-off, but it has a slight wobble across the whole frequency which makes it less studio-like than the G5.
Noise level wise, the iPhone is the clear winner, with a dB more than the others.
Dynamic Range, the iPhone is again the winner, with more than a point better than the two others, with the G5 being the worse.
Now comes the interesting part, harmonic distortion. For these who don't know what THD is :
"Total harmonic distortion (THD) and the inter-modulation distortion (IMD) measure the unwanted altering of the original audio signal. When an audio signal passes through a non-ideal, non-linear device (such as your smartphone), additional content is added to the original frequencies in the form of interference, which results in distortion. Distortion is the name given to anything that alters a pure input signal in any way. So, as you might have guessed, the lower the number in either of these fields, the better the audio output of your device."
The galaxy S8 has a THD of 0.0024, being the best among all the devices previously mentioned.
The stereo cross-talk on the iPhone is absolutely horrible, while the G5 and the S8 maintain a score close to 93.
I could compare other phones, but I'll just add one more, the One Plus 5 :
OnePlus 5 (headphones attached) +0.15, -0.08 -94.0 94.0 0.0033 0.139 -59.9
We can see that this phone has actually a worse frequency response than the phones we were taking about today, with, however a better noise level, and dynamic range than the others but worse THD and stereo crosstalk. Therefore it might not be the best when it comes to reproduce your song to the way it was actually recorded (even though if +0.15 and -0.08 across the whole range is probably not that noticeable) but it goes louder, and the sound differential is actually bigger, which could give a better feeling of quality than the two others.
So to make a long story short, and hopefully close this topic once and for all, no, the S8 does not have a worse output than the previously mentioned phones. It does NOT have muddy output, or over-powered bass. It has an excellent stereo cross-talk and the lowest Harmonic Distortion across the board. It's probably the best phone to reproduce your songs the way they are meant to be.
So why someone's opinion is different than the actual scientific results ?
Some may say placebo, but I tend more to think that it's related on how we actually listen to music, our equipment, and possible ear damage.
I have a pair of IE-80 which are quite high-end Sennheiser IEMs. They sound fantastic with my S8, however I cannot stand any stock sound anymore. Not because the stock output is bad, and as we've seen previously it is far from being so, it's just that I listen to a lot of EDM songs, and I like my bass a little punchier than what the stock output provides, or that any other phone provides for that matter. So I'm using ARISE on all my devices. Regarding the max noise level, I have a custom mixer_gain.xml that I'm using on my S8 which allows for much louder output, with the only downside is to add a bit more noise on quiet songs. But that's the way I enjoy my music.
If you really want to know more I invite anyone that is interested to check GSM Arena analysis, and compare the numbers on phones you might be interested in purchasing.
Hope this ends the "this phone has a terrible aux audio" story.
Peace !

I mean, scientific numbers are cool and all and I don't doubt them, but as a listener, it sounds muddled. I like to hear all the small, intricate details of each instrument in a song. That isn't easily accomplishable with this phone with the stock settings, and it takes a bit of playing around with those settings to get it to sound right. Searching around more, it sounds that others have found the same results. Maybe it's because I'm not listening to punch edm. I like ambient rock music with lots of guitars bass and percussion going, and sometimes the drums even sound like they're being smacked right against the microphone, leaving a kind of staticky sound as if the recording needed better pop filtering.

hannsheinz said:
Sorry but I must dissent.
I demonstrate a few friends the difference between pure Samsung and Viper Sound via bluetooth and with the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 and one from Teufel.
Everone shows the same reaction "wow - what a difference. Like day and night"
When I look in sveral forums is the unanimous opinion is that the Samsung Aux qualtiy is awful and this since many years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, the sound on this thing is low quality! I have also tried different phones and this is worse or as bad as the LG G5.

ryanpm40 said:
I mean, scientific numbers are cool and all and I don't doubt them, but as a listener, it sounds muddled. I like to hear all the small, intricate details of each instrument in a song. That isn't easily accomplishable with this phone with the stock settings, and it takes a bit of playing around with those settings to get it to sound right. Searching around more, it sounds that others have found the same results. Maybe it's because I'm not listening to punch edm. I like ambient rock music with lots of guitars bass and percussion going, and sometimes the drums even sound like they're being smacked right against the microphone, leaving a kind of staticky sound as if the recording needed better pop filtering.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I listen to Phil Collins and this kind of artists as well, and I can hear the separation between every instruments perfectly, and I'm rediscovering music through that phone/iem combination.
The thing is, everyone's hearing is different, however it has been proven that this phone does sound good, and there is no deniability on that, the numbers are there.
Someone saying that this phone sounds bad is invalid. I'm not sure how I can make my point more than saying that I'd rather believe scientific results than someone's hearing.

Paradoxxx said:
I listen to Phil Collins and this kind of artists as well, and I can hear the separation between every instruments perfectly, and I'm rediscovering music through that phone/iem combination.
The thing is, everyone's hearing is different, however it has been proven that this phone does sound good, and there is no deniability on that, the numbers are there.
Someone saying that this phone sounds bad is invalid. I'm not sure how I can make my point more than saying that I'd rather believe scientific results than someone's hearing.
Click to expand...
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I mean, my hearing is just fine. I can hear every single beep in the personalized adapt sound feature, so idk. I'll admit, I got to messing with settings even more and I got it to the point where it is sounding very good in my car. Still not *as* good as other phones, but I'll take it.
I don't know the correct terms, I'm not an audiophile, but it still seems like a bit of a "flat" sound at this point. There's a part in one of my favorite songs that has 3+ voices talking over each other simultaneously, and on other devices, I can hear the individual voices very clearly. It's a bit more difficult to differentiate between them now, even with my Beats headphones. But, hey, it's a 3.5mm, I'll take it and finally take the plunge into bluetooth soon.
Do you at least agree that the thing sounds bad unless you actually do go play with those EQ and adapt settings? Because I cannot stand the stock sound for the life of me, and I've never had to make adjustments in other phones before. To me that's a fail- it should at least be passable out of the box. Also- I'm a bit curious what you meant when you say the G5 sounds more "studio-like". Maybe that's the subtle difference bothering me? Idk, those numbers are gibberish to me, lol. I'm a musician but I know nothing about audio tech.

ryanpm40 said:
Do you at least agree that the thing sounds bad unless you actually do go play with those EQ and adapt settings? Because I cannot stand the stock sound for the life of me, and I've never had to make adjustments in other phones before. To me that's a fail- it should at least be passable out of the box. Also- I'm a bit curious what you meant when you say the G5 sounds more "studio-like". Maybe that's the subtle difference bothering me? Idk, those numbers are gibberish to me, lol. I'm a musician but I know nothing about audio tech.
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I do not listen to the phone stock, and I actually believe I have never used any android phone that did not have DSP manager or Viper4Android installed.
However since my HTC Desire, that is definitely the best listening experience I ever had on a phone.
I need a more bassy experience, and the stock EQ thing just cannot do that.
Thus, the tests that GSM Arena, and the data pulled from these tests are all done using the stock settings. without anything enabled.
Regarding the G5, it has the flatest frequency response (means that a sound at 25hz wont be louder than one at 1khz) which is what studio headphones, and studio components usually targets. But tbh, the difference is so small that I am not sure a human ear can discern that...
I am no musician however my father has a studio and wrote/produced sounds on Studio hardware, so I had the occasion to test out studio headphones, mics, speakers etc, so hopefully I got a good clue on what a good sound should "sound" like.
But there is something that troubles me here, is that the scientifically obtained results are proving by analysis and datas that the S8 is definitely good. So where does the issues lays out ? I guess we will never know.

If useing the s8 with aux make sure it isnt charging. I figured this out after a while. If you plug into the headphone jack first you will get louder and much clearer sound. If you plug your charger in first it will sound like ****.