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Earphone sound quality

Well after Sony & Handtec completly screwed everything up I purchased the Z2 off CPW with next day delivey,
I'm not impressed with the sound quality with the earphones. I've tried 3 different quality headsets and the bundled set with the phone.
unimpressive I'm afraid.

Did you try the Sony MDR-NC13EM Digital Noise Cancelling Headset?

That's the bundled headset

Not The Flong said:
That's the bundled headset
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Click to collapse
No it depends, in the UK, if you pre-ordered the phone you get the active noise cancelling earphones MDR-NC31EM otherwise you just get a standard pair of earphones.
Do yours look like this? (Make note of how many contact points there are on the plug)
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Even in UK I think you can get z2 without MDR-NC13EM. OP should check the model number listed on the little tag attached to the headset wire.
I highly doubt anyone would be disappointed with MDR-NC13EM. I understand sound quality is a highly subjective matter but I still think z2 with MDR-NC13EM is the best you can get from a smartphone compared to other OEM headsets.

I found the sound awful. The "bass" simply lowered the voice and other instrumental features of a song to make the foreground bass sound bassier. When the bass parts of the song speed the voice would then become loud again.
It made some songs almost inaudible.
Tried my earphones (which I had great quality with my previous phone) and the ones that came pre bundled and both sounded the same.
Also couldn't figure out where the noise cancelling was as they where no different to my standard ear phones in terms of noise cancellation.
Gone to the s5 now and the sound was far superior before root, let alone after!
Sent from my SM-G900F using xda app-developers app

Sony's bass is usually realistic. It's not meant to be thumping like beats. It's usually a nice rounded sound. I haven't got mine yet so I can't comment too much.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

Errm what?
These are THE BEST earphones ever on an Android device!
Here's a review of the earphones only :
http://www.digitalversus.com/headph...rphones-ever-come-with-smartphone-n33617.html

riso123 said:
I found the sound awful. The "bass" simply lowered the voice and other instrumental features of a song to make the foreground bass sound bassier. When the bass parts of the song speed the voice would then become loud again.
It made some songs almost inaudible.
Tried my earphones (which I had great quality with my previous phone) and the ones that came pre bundled and both sounded the same.
Also couldn't figure out where the noise cancelling was as they where no different to my standard ear phones in terms of noise cancellation.
Gone to the s5 now and the sound was far superior before root, let alone after!
Sent from my SM-G900F using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you've had normalisation enabled which levels the audio to the same volume - this can have a negative effect on the audio quality overall regardless of what device and headset you're using so this setting should only be active if you're in a situation where you need it (can't think of a reason you'd need it and I'd recommend leaving this setting off).
As for the active noise-cancelling, to ensure noise cancelling is active, first you have to set accessories in the sound settings to "Noise-cancelling headset", then after you've plugged in the headset, additional options should be displayed in the "Sound effects" menu where you can set when the noise cancelling is in effect and the appropriate environment you're in. You should also notice an icon that gets displayed in the notification bar to show that it is active.
You also have to remember that the active-noise cancelling isn't performed on any headset, you can't just plug in a standard 3-pole headset and expect there to be the active noise-cancelling it doesn't work like that.

TheOnlyIntruder said:
Sounds like you've had normalisation enabled which levels the audio to the same volume - this can have a negative effect on the audio quality overall regardless of what device and headset you're using so this setting should only be active if you're in a situation where you need it (can't think of a reason you'd need it and I'd recommend leaving this setting off).
As for the active noise-cancelling, to ensure noise cancelling is active, first you have to set accessories in the sound settings to "Noise-cancelling headset", then after you've plugged in the headset, additional options should be displayed in the "Sound effects" menu where you can set when the noise cancelling is in effect and the appropriate environment you're in. You should also notice an icon that gets displayed in the notification bar to show that it is active.
You also have to remember that the active-noise cancelling isn't performed on any headset, you can't just plug in a standard 3-pole headset and expect there to be the active noise-cancelling it doesn't work like that.
As I've explained, how you've described what you've done suggests that your opinion while valid has been used for the wrong reasons and when users who have read your opinion which is a stark contrast to the majority, there is no wonder that there's a backlash.
My opinion is that you're biased and incapable of understanding how to operate the technology in your hand thus in-turn creating a false or rather poor outcome to your experiences.
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Click to collapse
Well that was a bit more constrictive!
I'm not biased at all though, I played around with the settings in various dodgem ways and could never reach ample sound output.
To suggest I am unable to operate the technology is a huge statement with no substance to back it up and again quite rude. You don't know my capabilities and so shouldn't assume I'm wrong and don't know how to handle the tech.
Instead give feedback like you did and then ASK politely if I had tried what you suggested instead of assuming the negative.
Sent from my SM-G900F using xda app-developers app

riso123 said:
Well that was a bit more constrictive!
I'm not biased at all though, I played around with the settings in various dodgem ways and could never reach ample sound output.
To suggest I am unable to operate the technology is a huge statement with no substance to back it up and again quite rude. You don't know my capabilities and so shouldn't assume I'm wrong and don't know how to handle the tech.
Instead give feedback like you did and then ASK politely if I had tried what you suggested instead of assuming the negative.
Sent from my SM-G900F using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Since I am extremely eager to get my Z2, I have a slight OCD behavior when it comes to news about this phone.
In my info binging endeavor, I came across a similar review to yours in a swedish forum. It had the same complaints about the headset.
When I got my first Android phone, the biggest gripe I had with it was the dismal sound output when compared to the iPhone. So I am very sad to hear that poor sound still is something that haunts the Android universe. The noise canceling headset was one of the biggest draws for me with the Z2. I'll have to try for myself, but I trust your opinion since it coincides with others.

KyleSforza said:
Errm what?
These are THE BEST earphones ever on an Android device!
Here's a review of the earphones only :
http://www.digitalversus.com/headph...rphones-ever-come-with-smartphone-n33617.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fully agree, I'm using the supplied MDR-NC31EM noise cancelling headphones and the audio quality is superb...when used with the Z2.
bass strong, acoustic setting do make differences in sound and I like various forms of music from classical through pop, house and hard rock
However I did try them in my ipad and the sound was awful, really bad.

Warkman said:
Fully agree, I'm using the supplied MDR-NC31EM noise cancelling headphones and the audio quality is superb...when used with the Z2.
bass strong, acoustic setting do make differences in sound and I like various forms of music from classical through pop, house and hard rock
However I did try them in my ipad and the sound was awful, really bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Conversely I plugged in my Audio Technica W5000's into the phone and they were plenty loud enough. I haven't had time to really compare the sound quality though but it sounded ok to me
When I plugged in the noise cancelling earphones I thought they sounded really good but again I haven't compared them to anything yet.

Let's stick to the topic here thanks and resist the urge to make this personal... Thread cleaned.

ApriliaM3 said:
Let's stick to the topic here thanks and resist the urge to make this personal... Thread cleaned.
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one of the big reason i want to move to z2 is the earphone sound output... and now these mixed reviews are making my decision tough... i am currently using sony xb90ex earphones with my one x and they are good enough... i just hope the z2 upgrade is not a downgrade after all :crying:

kartoonz said:
one of the big reason i want to move to z2 is the earphone sound output... and now these mixed reviews are making my decision tough... i am currently using sony xb90ex earphones with my one x and they are good enough... i just hope the z2 upgrade is not a downgrade after all :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from a One X and I used ARHD on it with all the sound mods including the additional beats profiles and EIZO DSP modifier and I can certainly say, the output of the Z2 is much better than that of the One X with the additional profiles. I think the Z2 must use a higher grade DAC or something (seems like it anyway), it is certainly more noticeable when you compare both devices without any psychoacoustic settings enabled (so listening to them flat), the One X had a noticeable hiss and crackle at low volume levels, Z2 not so much

TheOnlyIntruder said:
I came from a One X and I used ARHD on it with all the sound mods including the additional beats profiles and EIZO DSP modifier and I can certainly say, the output of the Z2 is much better than that of the One X with the additional profiles. I think the Z2 must use a higher grade DAC or something (seems like it anyway), it is certainly more noticeable when you compare both devices without any psychoacoustic settings enabled (so listening to them flat), the One X had a noticeable hiss and crackle at low volume levels, Z2 not so much
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Click to collapse
i will most certainly not root or install any of the above mentioned profiles you mentioned... so was the default sound output good enough...did you get a chance to test it??

kartoonz said:
i will most certainly not root or install any of the above mentioned profiles you mentioned... so was the default sound output good enough...did you get a chance to test it??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you misunderstood, I'm saying the Z2 sounds better default than the One X modded.

TheOnlyIntruder said:
I think you misunderstood, I'm saying the Z2 sounds better default than the One X modded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh i get you :silly: that's good news for me...

riso123 said:
I found the sound awful. The "bass" simply lowered the voice and other instrumental features of a song to make the foreground bass sound bassier. When the bass parts of the song speed the voice would then become loud again.
It made some songs almost inaudible.
Tried my earphones (which I had great quality with my previous phone) and the ones that came pre bundled and both sounded the same.
Also couldn't figure out where the noise cancelling was as they where no different to my standard ear phones in terms of noise cancellation.
Gone to the s5 now and the sound was far superior before root, let alone after!
Sent from my SM-G900F using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is also exactly my experience unfortunately
My previous phone was the one x with beats audio + headphones, I'm now using the beats headphones with the Z2 and the bass leaves so much to be desired... I've tried all the settings to no avail, as mentioned above the bass specific setting seems to lower mediums and highs instead of pumping bass.
Enviado desde mi D6503 mediante Tapatalk

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!
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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
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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?
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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
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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...
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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'
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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...
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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:
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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...
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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.

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
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^ lol, now that is packaging

Audio Quality

Better than any Smartphone I have ever used.
I have tested the S6 Edge with lossless FLAC music purchased from an online store (24 bit 96 khz). I played back using the Onkyo HF app over aptx to my Hi Fi. I am astonished at the quality of reproduction. You can also try ripping a CD in FLAC lossless format and the playback quality is great over wired or BT audiophile headphones.

Thanks for your opinion! ! This mobile is really great

Great review which also covers audio aspects in detail http://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/04/27/samsung-galaxy-s6-edge-the-review/

Info
jah said:
Better than any Smartphone I have ever used.
I have tested the S6 Edge with lossless FLAC music purchased from an online store (24 bit 96 khz). I played back using the Onkyo HF app over aptx to my Hi Fi. I am astonished at the quality of reproduction. You can also try ripping a CD in FLAC lossless format and the playback quality is great over wired or BT audiophile headphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do u have any technical detail about S6E audio outputs? (speaker/s and headphone jack)
if i remember correctly it doesn't have stereo speaker! can u make video for comparison of S6E sound?
Thanks
:good:

Geeks Empire said:
do u have any technical detail about S6E audio outputs? (speaker/s and headphone jack)
if i remember correctly it doesn't have stereo speaker! can u make video for comparison of S6E sound?
Thanks
:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please read the review I linked to above. The audio assessment is not about the speaker but the ability to reproduce audiophile level of quality for headphones and aptx devices.

I'm a bit of an audiophile myself and the S6 really is amazing. Using the Shure se846 it sounds as good as through my Macbook Pro. No amp or external DAC necessary.

SomeGuyDude said:
I'm a bit of an audiophile myself and the S6 really is amazing. Using the Shure se846 it sounds as good as through my Macbook Pro. No amp or external DAC necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also use the S6 Edge with my custom in-ears ( not UE Personal Reference, but it was tuned to my ears by a friend - I'm FOH engineer and also work in studio as well ). It sound as good as iphone's output. Pretty much un-colored signal. I remember there are threads about S6 Edge somewhere in this forum about audio quality with lots of debations of S6 Edge audio. Totally not true. Listen to Natalie Cole - Yo Lo Amo (And I Love Him) [feat. Chris Botti] on the S6 Edge was as enjoyable as on iphone 6 ( i owned both iphone 6 and 6 plus + ipad Air ). My S6E was rooted, no ViperFX ( ViperFX is good, but it is way too colored and not real, at least to my ears) , played with PowerAmp, Flat setting with no Samsung crappy audio FXs as well.
S6 Edge Speakers are loud but they are crappy in comparison to iphone 6...but headphone output is pretty much on par

leoaudio13 said:
I also use the S6 Edge with my custom in-ears ( not UE Personal Reference, but it was tuned to my ears by a friend - I'm FOH engineer and also work in studio as well ). It sound as good as iphone's output. Pretty much un-colored signal. I remember there are threads about S6 Edge somewhere in this forum about audio quality with lots of debations of S6 Edge audio. Totally not true. Listen to Natalie Cole - Yo Lo Amo (And I Love Him) [feat. Chris Botti] on the S6 Edge was as enjoyable as on iphone 6 ( i owned both iphone 6 and 6 plus + ipad Air ). My S6E was rooted, no ViperFX ( ViperFX is good, but it is way too colored and not real, at least to my ears) , played with PowerAmp, Flat setting with no Samsung crappy audio FXs as well.
S6 Edge Speakers are loud but they are crappy in comparison to iphone 6...but headphone output is pretty much on par
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fellow engineer here, also UE10 pro custom user for 9 years before the Logitech acquisition. Anyhow, I'll have to check this out!
I'll definitely check out some of my personal reference recordings.
I've yet to take the phone to a live gig and see how it handles transients and kick drums at 120dB! SEC in the past has been major fail. Although the camera on the Note 4 handled Ace Frehley fairly decently, right on the edge of the stage, quite loud, over 123dB! The iPhone 6 had about the same amount of distortion at that gig, FWIW. Most ALCs on these devices hard clip well before that level. The S3 was really bad, could not handle FOH levels in most venues.

cpufrost said:
Fellow engineer here, also UE10 pro custom user for 9 years before the Logitech acquisition. Anyhow, I'll have to check this out!
I'll definitely check out some of my personal reference recordings.
I've yet to take the phone to a live gig and see how it handles transients and kick drums at 120dB! SEC in the past has been major fail. Although the camera on the Note 4 handled Ace Frehley fairly decently, right on the edge of the stage, quite loud, over 123dB! The iPhone 6 had about the same amount of distortion at that gig, FWIW. Most ALCs on these devices hard clip well before that level. The S3 was really bad, could not handle FOH levels in most venues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm, the phone to a live gig to record u mean ? Pretty sure it wont stand. I mix variable genres of music. My in-ears were tuned to matched with the UE PErsonal Reference response but with less boost at 10k. I found those peaks of UE Capitol version are way too bright.
Anyway, S6 edge handles quite well even with a very loud commercial Rock track with loud RMS , eg: I'm A River - FooFighter. Its a very busy track with lots of things going on, even with string ensemble at the end but my IEM wasnt distorted, which is a good thing. I think the output on S6E was a bit low in compare to ip6 but loud enough for low impedance high sensitive headphone or IEM. My IEM impedance is around 50 Ohm but it seems to be fine with S6E. Quite transparent.

leoaudio13 said:
Hmmm, the phone to a live gig to record u mean ? Pretty sure it wont stand. I mix variable genres of music. My in-ears were tuned to matched with the UE PErsonal Reference response but with less boost at 10k. I found those peaks of UE Capitol version are way too bright.
Anyway, S6 edge handles quite well even with a very loud commercial Rock track with loud RMS , eg: I'm A River - FooFighter. Its a very busy track with lots of things going on, even with string ensemble at the end but my IEM wasnt distorted, which is a good thing. I think the output on S6E was a bit low in compare to ip6 but loud enough for low impedance high sensitive headphone or IEM. My IEM impedance is around 50 Ohm but it seems to be fine with S6E. Quite transparent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the camera one has with them is the best camera as the saying goes.
So with that in mind I like to test these devices under all sorts of conditions.
If a device can capture the crack of a stun gun's arc without distorting, I'd be impressed.
Then again, most equipment struggles with that, it's like trying to get a speaker to reproduce a square wave.
I'm definitely not into loud (as in compressed, no crest factor) recordings. Those will fry your ears, might as well stand next to a kiloton Frick chiller running at WOT.
For rock I'm more of a Robert Fripp guy.

I am using customs Lime Ears Aether and s6 edge sounds really good but to be frank this is still thin compared to Ibasso DX90 [emoji9]
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What surprised me the most with this device is how powerful the speaker is. Quality is there too ...
But when you listen to music with your headset it's very impressive. Sound is very clear and deep. It's so cool to have many toggles to improve quality. Samsung has already been the best I think regarding sound (not talking about speaker ... HTC boomsound remains above all).

kamson said:
I am using customs Lime Ears Aether and s6 edge sounds really good but to be frank this is still thin compared to Ibasso DX90 [emoji9]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice IEM man. Looks like Noble custom IEM to me i also use a pair of Westone UM Pro 50 + AKG K812 Pro. They also sound as they are supposed to be on S6E.
DX90 bass is a bit colored dont u think ? I love tight and uncolored low end. Kinda punchy.
S6E speakers ? Bleh!
---------- Post added at 02:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:40 AM ----------
cpufrost said:
Yes, the camera one has with them is the best camera as the saying goes.
So with that in mind I like to test these devices under all sorts of conditions.
If a device can capture the crack of a stun gun's arc without distorting, I'd be impressed.
Then again, most equipment struggles with that, it's like trying to get a speaker to reproduce a square wave.
I'm definitely not into loud (as in compressed, no crest factor) recordings. Those will fry your ears, might as well stand next to a kiloton Frick chiller running at WOT.
For rock I'm more of a Robert Fripp guy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure S6e wont keep up with high SPL IMO. Lemme know your result. My previous ip6 wont keep up but with Sony Z3, sound was fantastic after recording full HD ( Z3 allows u to choose high or low mic recording volume ).

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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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 ****.