Hello all audiophile Z5 owners!
How is the headphone output on this phone?
Is the quality good and loud?
Where can I find more specifications of the headphone jack and internal amp?
TordFuglstad said:
Hello all audiophile Z5 owners!
How is the headphone output on this phone?
Is the quality good and loud?
Where can I find more specifications of the headphone jack and internal amp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say I was a proper audio file but the audio on the z5 is good its really clear and louder than previous Z phones but once again sony have missed the loudness trick.
After reading GSM arenas review of the C5 ultra and the M5 saying without headphones the volume levels were 'excellently high' and with headphones they fell to below average on the C5 and fell on the M5 too but it was so high on the M5 to start off with that that it still remained a good volume. So this means that the M5 is louder than the Z5 range, I had high hopes for the Z line then they tested the Z5C and it just got a average.
According to GSM Arena.
Audio quality has its ups and downs
The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact did a very good job in the first part of our audio quality test, where it's connected to an active external amplifier. The scores it got were great top to bottom but it only matched them with an average volume level so we can't quite call it perfect.
Plugging in a pair of headphones harm the stereo crosstalk but it remained decent, but it also introduced a bit of frequency response deviation and brought the volume down a notch. Not too bad of a showing, but certainly not one worth bragging about.
I can't consider myself an audiophile but I will say the Z5 audio is an.improvement over the Z5 in both clarity and volume. It doesn't approach ZTE Axon level of quality and HTC M9 volume but it is adequate for the casual listener. I have dsee hx switched on which disables all other audio settings.
how is the volume in z5 compare to z3
entra6 said:
how is the volume in z5 compare to z3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
louder than Z3 but imo could be louder yet still
RCJ89 said:
louder than Z3 but imo could be louder yet still
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, well stated.
Coming from the Z1 it's a massive improvement on just about every level: Cleaner, wider and louder. It's very good, I'd say - I've certainly enjoyed listening to music on it very much!
"Loud enough"? How loud do you need it to be? Any louder than it is and I'm sure you'd hurt your hearing: it's plenty loud.
Timaustin2000 said:
Coming from the Z1 it's a massive improvement on just about every level: Cleaner, wider and louder. It's very good, I'd say - I've certainly enjoyed listening to music on it very much!
"Loud enough"? How loud do you need it to be? Any louder than it is and I'm sure you'd hurt your hearing: it's plenty loud.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tbh there are many phones alot louder than the Z5 and the whole sony range and people are not complaining. There are phones from HTC, Iphone, Note 4/5/Edge Plus and especially Xiaomi and Meizu that are alot louder.
RCJ89 said:
Tbh there are many phones alot louder than the Z5 and the whole sony range and people are not complaining. There are phones from HTC, Iphone, Note 4/5/Edge Plus and especially Xiaomi and Meizu that are alot louder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of that I have no doubt but do people put those phones to max volume? Do they need to? The ability and necessity are two separate things.
The Z5 is plenty loud for just about any headphone need, so far as I can make out. I'd certainly never put it to max.
Allright, so I purchased the graphite black Z5 yesterday. I have done some quick listening to the audio out of the jack through my ATH IM50 in ear monitors and haven't broken in the hardware yet. But I can definitely hear a difference from the Z3. All over the sound is very clear, it seems like a good separation and I can definitely get some really smooth low tones and crisp higher tones as well. I haven't been fooling around with the EQ yet. But feel like I don't need to.
About the loudness, I feel it is louder than the Z3 and very much loud enough to run a pair of good IEM's like the IM50's. I am listening now and have the volume two down from maximum. Probably won't be as loud with some big headphones. But any a person with a little self respect will have a headphone amp for that purpose. :good:
Timaustin2000 said:
Of that I have no doubt but do people put those phones to max volume? Do they need to? The ability and necessity are two separate things.
The Z5 is plenty loud for just about any headphone need, so far as I can make out. I'd certainly never put it to max.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough for me its the bigger expensive headphones that make the difference with less expensive headphones like in ear or on ear it is never loud enough, in a busy street i still can hear noise around me.
I know some people who do have them on max volume definitely. I always had my note 4 on max volume and my HTC M7 and my 6S but only with lesser expensive headphones on headphones £200 and over no need to but even when are not at max they are still louder than Z5 at Max volume. Each to their own at the end of the day but sometimes its not always practical for me to carry around my larger headphones so I use in ear ones than I can just put in my pocket.
Hi,
I'm also trying to squeeze perfect sound from android. I use this portable DAC
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/audioquest-dragonfly-v12-usb-dac/
via USB OTG cable. For playback I use "USB audio player pro". It can stream very high resolution audio files. At the moment I'm listening music on Audio technica ATH M50x headphones.
Sound with external DAC is a way better than directly from audio jack
RCJ89 said:
Tbh there are many phones alot louder than the Z5 and the whole sony range and people are not complaining. There are phones from HTC, Iphone, Note 4/5/Edge Plus and especially Xiaomi and Meizu that are alot louder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's unfortunate. One of the reasons I sent back my iPhone 6s, and opted to get a Z5 Compact is because I didn't think the sound of the 6s was much of a step up from my iPhone 4s. I was hoping the Z5 would be louder and fuller, especially for in-ear headphones at the gym. Might just be the headphones I've been using though. Maybe an upgrade in that department would resolve any potential issues I might have with the Z5.
I use sennheiser mm50 ip in ear phones with poweramp set to rock preset and to me the sound is nice crisp quality at loud enough volume levels
Sent from my Xperia z5 by Tapatalk
@TordFuglstad & @Timaustin2000 I've been enjoying your camera works (on 'that' thread) very much. Maybe you guys could post on the 'regular' photo thread at times
Don't get me wrong, guys. Before dropping > $100 on a pair of cans, maybe an 'audiophile' should get a cheap $50 DAC first. But it's not very convenient - we all know. That's why I'm looking at LDAC for the first time (wireless SQ is usually terrible compared to wired). LDAC could still be over-hyped, I'm willing to give it shot for the first time. But I can't find too many LDAC headphones to choose from. Any suggestions?
I read that there is no custom DAC in the Z5 (vs. Z3), but they added LDAC support. Unfortunately, I can't find almost any headphones that support it. I was really hoping they would have added it to the SBH bluetooth line by now.
How does the audio quality compare to HTC Butterfly s (which I have now) or I9505 Galaxy S4? What about HTC M9 or iPhone 6?
I take GSMArena's results with a grain of salt. I bought the Butterfly s partly based on their review saying the volume was loud and that there was no distortion. Unfortunately, while the audio quality is great at medium-high volumes the bass distorts above 12/15, and there is hissing with IEMs.
My questions are 1) do these hiss? and 2) do they distort with bass? (test track would be Daft Punk - Touch)
I'm a hardcore SONY audiophile, and while the Z5 is fantastic, the Walkman ZX2 is still by FAR my favorite mobile music player when coupled with the XBA-Z5 in-earphones ( made in Japan ) and/or Z7 headphones ( made in Japan) by Sony,
followed in close 2nd place by the newer less pricey ZX100 Walkman, which is a step up from the A series.
Lol even the A series is stomping on the Z5. No point to compare it to the zx2/1/100
Sent from my E6653
Related
Can anybody compare the music sound quality of the Xperia to an MP3-player like the iPod? How would you rate the sound quality?
I've listened to an Xperia in a store and the constant hissing was pretty noticable, worse than the iPod Touch I used to have. I couldn't really rate the sound quality itself, because the store wouldn't let me put in my SD card with my own music on it. The music that was on the Xperia (jazz music) sounded a little flat to me.
If you ditch the headphones that come with the xperia and get a decent say £30 pair of buds it sounds much better than the ipod
i have a x1 and an ipod touch
cant hear difference
only truely objective way to compare is
hook both up to a spectrum analyser and
play the same music and compare
i have xperia and ipod touch when i'm connect it to the speaker i think ipod has a little bit better sound quality
don't know for 100%
but i use now my xperia as mp3 and it works great sound is good but it hasn't have equlizer builtin thats the only thing i miss
commodoor said:
i have xperia and ipod touch when i'm connect it to the speaker i think ipod has a little bit better sound quality
don't know for 100%
but i use now my xperia as mp3 and it works great sound is good but it hasn't have equlizer builtin thats the only thing i miss[/QUOTE
I have noticed that my sony mp3 with digital equalizer built-in has the edge over my sony x1. Ipod generally doesnt not have this particular feature so you cant possibly tell much difference from the x1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't test with any equipment, but I've worked in the music industry for over a decade listening to music for a living and also own both devices.
Compared to an ipod touch using the same pair of Shure se530s at equivalent volumes and testing at both halfway and at full, I'd personally give a slight edge to the ipod. You should listen to both side by side for yourself though. There really isn't a huge difference apart from the max volume (the ipod can go louder than an untweaked stock xperia. I haven't tried the registry sound fix on the xperia yet, to make it louder). I also haven't tried the stock headphones either to be honest.
The bass seems a bit richer (using headphones, not speakers) on the xperia, but the overall sound is crisper on the ipod with sharper mids and highs. Again this is just my opinion and the difference is slight, they both have great sound. Just see if you like the other features. The sound is above par and I'd be surprised if anyone passed up an xperia because of it's sound quality.
I didn't notice any extra "hissing" sound with the xperia compared to the ipod. Might have come from the track they were using or poor headphones? These were the exact same mp3s (tried a wide range) that I was listening to on both devices.
jhoffa said:
I didn't notice any extra "hissing" sound with the xperia compared to the ipod. Might have come from the track they were using or poor headphones? These were the exact same mp3s (tried a wide range) that I was listening to on both devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed the hissing as soon as I plugged in my headphone in the Xperia, before any music was playing. It's not the biggest problem for me as both my iPod Touch and iPod Classic (sold both) had hissing as well. Maybe my headphone is too sensitive (although it's a cheap Creative EP 630).
But judging from everybody's comments the Xperia should shound pretty good. It's one of the reasons I want to buy a new phone: music playback and quality. I'm trying to decide between an iPhone and an Xperia (used). I know the iPhone is a great music player, but the Xperia has extra features the iPhone can only dream of at this point, so I'm leaning towards the Xperia, even if sound quality may be worse.
Oh, by the way, you can get the Touch HD equalizer if you install Touch Flow 3D on your Xperia. Does that make a positive difference in sound quality?
I have an ipod nano and x1. Ipod has a slightly better sound quality. I use a Bose in ear headphone which is 10 times better than the stock in ear headphone that comes with the x1.
If you got the audio booster prog from htc+advanced config prog, the sound can be tweaked nicely.
I've put the 3D sound level to 'High', the equalizer to 'ROCK' and I use the UE superfi 5 pro earphones. Now I got to say that this sounds really good. Much better compared to an ipod touch
ipod never reach sony level in music ^^
I haven't done any serious listening yet on my x1 however did notice the hissing when plugging in my Ultimate Ears 5's. It annoyed me and convinced I had a problem I sent the handset back to 02 for a new one. On the new one - I get the same hissing so I feel it is a feature of the x1 sadly. I get the same on my Creative Labs X-Fi however less pronounced. Probably won't notice the hiss though when I am on the bus with background noise but do notice it at home.
Indeed, the Xperia Hisses, ALOT.
However, I am spoiled since I am used to a Creative Zen Vision (non-M, VGA version) which is Dead silent with even the most sensitive headphones.
My Creative Aurvana in-ear (my favorite sub-$100 in-ears) on the Xperia is a big no-no since their sensitivity is 115dB/mW. The hissing is very bad. On my portable headphone, a Phillips SBC HN110 the hissing is totally non-existant with its low 102dB/mW sensitivity, and the sound quality is truely a joy.
By the way, the stock Sony in-ears aren't half bad, but they too are too sensitive for the Xperia IMO.
Wow, according to GSMArena's tests the Xperia sound quality is quite good:
Only since recently are Windows Mobile devices considered seroius music handsets. Before that their business orientation has served them as a pretty good excuse for the poor audio quality.
However, the latest HTC devices were a clear sign that this is about to change. Therefore we were quite eager to understand if the XPERIA is the next step forward on this way.
As it turned out the handset has the best frequency response we have ever seen on a mobile handset. In addition it also achieved superb noise level, dynamic range and stereo crosstalk readings. In fact its results on those are even better than the dedicated Apple iPod music player - how is that for a change?
Unfortunately a price had to be paid and that is the rather high total harmonic distortion and intermodulation distortion levels. Nonetheless it seems that there is not too much left before the WinMo devices start to directly compete music-oriented ones.
I have both Itouch and X1:
X1 sound much better cause of the software I installed. The ficking Wifi on itouch just die on me and it's 14 months old so out of warranty. Spend $400 for the ficking thing...Don't buy apple.. Piece of sh*%$#@...apple. The other 8GB itouch I bought for my nephew also broke after 16 months...
Hi All,
I'm looking for a replacement for my battered Galaxy S3.
The Sony Xperia range attracts me because of it's water resistant feature - I use my phone outdoors a lot.
I have looked at the Z1 and Z1 compact but the major thing putting me off buying is reports of poor audio quality through the earphones.
I had the original Galaxy and also now the S3 and something the both had in common was excellent audio quality (Wolfson DAC).
I have read plenty of stuff on the web about the noise cancelling abilities of the Z2 but nothing about the audio quality itself.
Anyone out there care to enlighten me?
Thanks
I am thinking same thing. My I9300 is still OK, but ... Problem is I have yet to hear a Qualcomm phone with exceptional audio. But maybe. Or maybe if there is a big iphone...
One of my gripes with sony phones since the xperia play/arc/arc s is the audio volume, on the xperia s/t/z/z1 is not loud enough atall never mind loud speaker peeformance
I'm having similar worries, also coming from SGS3. I'm just about to get the Dunu DN-1000 iems and wondering if the Z2 will give the output they deserve. Waiting to hear about this.
SuperMarioGalaxy said:
I'm having similar worries, also coming from SGS3. I'm just about to get the Dunu DN-1000 iems and wondering if the Z2 will give the output they deserve. Waiting to hear about this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm happy with the sound from my Xperia Z using Ortofon e-Q7. I think having high efficiency iems helps keep the distortion low, as there is no need to turn it up to max volume.
So there's a lot of discussion going around about the device, minus the sound output. Can the users (if there are any audiophiles out there) please share your reviews about the music quality output from the device. This is purely with earphones plugged in and not the boomsound speakers. How is the bass, treble, mids, highs, etc. How is the earphones quality that is provided with the m8.
The z2 seems to be getting mixed reviews, hence i am eager to know about the m8. I know gsmarena has posted a review but i wanted more inputs from actual users. Will appreciate any inputs.Thanks.
The M8 reviews all say good things about the headphone output. Personally I think it's fantastic, highs, lows and mids are all very clear and well balanced. The M8 drives a lot higher voltage output compared to the M7 too, I read someone who measured it.
kartoonz said:
So there's a lot of discussion going around about the device, minus the sound output. Can the users (if there are any audiophiles out there) please share your reviews about the music quality output from the device. This is purely with earphones plugged in and not the boomsound speakers. How is the bass, treble, mids, highs, etc. How is the earphones quality that is provided with the m8.
The z2 seems to be getting mixed reviews, hence i am eager to know about the m8. I know gsmarena has posted a review but i wanted more inputs from actual users. Will appreciate any inputs.Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the_scotsman said:
The M8 reviews all say good things about the headphone output. Personally I think it's fantastic, highs, lows and mids are all very clear and well balanced. The M8 drives a lot higher voltage output compared to the M7 too, I read someone who measured it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm that the output quality is amazing. Partly due to there being a 2.5v amplifier next to the headphone jack, is this correct regarding the amplifier?
i don't miss beats much as the m8 has sound just like it and due to hardware not an equalizer
Yea the m8 has an amplifier for both headphone jack and loud speakers
And yes this phone has the best stock audio quality I ever had with an phone...
Gesendet von meinem HTC One_M8 mit Tapatalk
One-M8-Master said:
Yea the m8 has an amplifier for both headphone jack and loud speakers
And yes this phone has the best stock audio quality I ever had with an phone...
Gesendet von meinem HTC One_M8 mit Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and yes i damn well think i agree with you on that one!!
ot, didnt u used to be one-x-master? how do you change your name???
exocetdj said:
and yes i damn well think i agree with you on that one!!
ot, didnt u used to be one-x-master? how do you change your name???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha yea my name was one-x-master before I just asked a moderator if I can change the name he said yes I said which name and he gave that name to the admins of xda and because I don't have the one x anymore the name was a bit strange then xD
Gesendet von meinem HTC One_M8 mit Tapatalk
One-M8-Master said:
Haha yea my name was one-x-master before I just asked a moderator if I can change the name he said yes I said which name and he gave that name to the admins of xda and because I don't have the one x anymore the name was a bit strange then xD
Gesendet von meinem HTC One_M8 mit Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cool, thanks mate
thank you all for sharing your views... so then m8 has the best sound output as of now, period... sounds great to me and +1 another reason to upgrade...
BTW are you guys using the stock earphones or other brands?
kartoonz said:
thank you all for sharing your views... so then m8 has the best sound output as of now, period... sounds great to me and +1 another reason to upgrade...
BTW are you guys using the stock earphones or other brands?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I, too, can confirm that the sound output quality on headphones and speaker are phenomenal on this device - even without any sound mods flashed.
Tested the HTC in ear buds and as well as a sennheiser headset and a pair of pro Beyerdynamic headphones. All sounded absolutely clear and nice, even on Google Play Music All Access streaming.
So far, I am VERY pleased with audio quality on this baby.
i purchased and use regularly a set of jaybirds bluebuds (wirless stereo ear bud type headset) when at work. i havent used these since getting my htc m8 (used them with my htc one x) only just paired them. reading this thread i decided to try the included wired headset that are usually rubbish. long story short, they are incredible. i can honestly say that they sound like im in my lounge room listening to my harmon kardon amp and denon dvd player with the bass of my 15 inch sub. they sound that good. just a shame about the wire.
wow so many good reviews... htc seemed to have nailed the sound department with this phone...
Perfect speakers, useing earphones is very good the loudest output I've heard.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Does anyone have a slight hissing sound when playing music on low I can hear it. Or after music is done playing its there.
Also, if I'm playing music and I turn the volume off I can hear hissing through the loud speakers
I have a small dead pixel, and I didn't want to return it just for that.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Would there be a need for vIPER4Android with this phone? Is it even compatible?
Sent from my Markox/Gustavo_s powered KitKatted S2
I use a Pair of Logitech ue900 (399bucks on Logitech), with Quad Drivers (and those are pretty sensible on bad outputs, or too high output impedance).
I hear absolutely nothing which lets me wich for a better quality. You will probably have to buy in-ears/headphones for around 700-1500 bucks so you might complain.
I read on head-fi.org, that viper4android is just an Equalizer which mostly raises the amount of bass (NOT the quality of bass), and most people think "more bass = better soundquality". So tonality gets changed. A bit like when you activate "Boomsound" on the settings with headphones plugged in. This raises bass, treble, and the volume level, and in direct comparison (mostly with bad/cheap headphones) it might sound better.
But its not, the soundquality gets worse with that.
I personally use this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=39672554
But i cant tell you, if it really improves the audio quality. I only tried a half song with my ue 900, and i didnt really heared a difference. Maybe because the difference is too small, or that you HAVE to have a 2nd device to compare both at the same time, to hear any difference.
i also didnt heared any hiss or any distortions.
But i think.... Alot people are not turning "BoomSound" OFF, so the Treble is way too much, and this can be that hiss, people are complaining about.
Thread name changed
Since I think this thread really belongs here in General, I changed the thread title to a statement instead of a question. Please continue and act like I wasn't here.
xxquicksh0txx said:
Does anyone have a slight hissing sound when playing music on low I can hear it. Or after music is done playing its there.
Also, if I'm playing music and I turn the volume off I can hear hissing through the loud speakers
I have a small dead pixel, and I didn't want to return it just for that.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
was this problem also not present on the m7? thats a bit of concern if its so on the m8... have you tried another pair of earphones?
Darkseth said:
I use a Pair of Logitech ue900 (399bucks on Logitech), with Quad Drivers (and those are pretty sensible on bad outputs, or too high output impedance).
I hear absolutely nothing which lets me wich for a better quality. You will probably have to buy in-ears/headphones for around 700-1500 bucks so you might complain.
I read on head-fi.org, that viper4android is just an Equalizer which mostly raises the amount of bass (NOT the quality of bass), and most people think "more bass = better soundquality". So tonality gets changed. A bit like when you activate "Boomsound" on the settings with headphones plugged in. This raises bass, treble, and the volume level, and in direct comparison (mostly with bad/cheap headphones) it might sound better.
But its not, the soundquality gets worse with that.
I personally use this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=39672554
But i cant tell you, if it really improves the audio quality. I only tried a half song with my ue 900, and i didnt really heared a difference. Maybe because the difference is too small, or that you HAVE to have a 2nd device to compare both at the same time, to hear any difference.
i also didnt heared any hiss or any distortions.
But i think.... Alot people are not turning "BoomSound" OFF, so the Treble is way too much, and this can be that hiss, people are complaining about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 its similar to the beats on the one x... it just increases the loudness... of course the bass itself is not that bad but are you saying that boomsound is amplifying the sound similar to beats??
I only had "Beats Audio" via Mod on my desire HD like almost 2 years ago. So i cannot give you an exact comparison. But yes, it should be pretty similar.
At least, on my headphones (Beyerdynamic T90 / UE 900) with boomsound activated, it was un-listenable, because of TOO heavy treble (due to boomsound). Without the treble changes on that setting, it might even be nice, to make the sound on neutral headphoens more fun when needed.
I haven't tried the earphones that come with the device ('cause I already had a pair I use and I've never used a pair of packed-in earphones in the past), but the audio quality through my Sony earphones are fantastic. I switched BoomSound on and off and it does make it noticeably better if you're comparing them "side-by-side" like that, and despite what others say, I didn't notice it raising bass all that much. It felt like the audio got a bit less tinny and...hollow, and sounded like it was more surrounding my head, instead of sounding like it was coming from the sides and slightly farther away. A very...untechnical explanation, but that's the way I heard it.
Some extra tinkering in PowerAmp and having moved from an iPhone 5 to this baby, the pure giddy bliss I dive into every time I listen to music with this device is unimaginable.
Earphone sound quality-wise, you can't get much better than this.
Fraught said:
I haven't tried the earphones that come with the device ('cause I already had a pair I use and I've never used a pair of packed-in earphones in the past), but the audio quality through my Sony earphones are fantastic. I switched BoomSound on and off and it does make it noticeably better if you're comparing them "side-by-side" like that, and despite what others say, I didn't notice it raising bass all that much. It felt like the audio got a bit less tinny and...hollow, and sounded like it was more surrounding my head, instead of sounding like it was coming from the sides and slightly farther away. A very...untechnical explanation, but that's the way I heard it.
Some extra tinkering in PowerAmp and having moved from an iPhone 5 to this baby, the pure giddy bliss I dive into every time I listen to music with this device is unimaginable.
Earphone sound quality-wise, you can't get much better than this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The "Surrounding more around my head," is the sound stage. So a better sound stage is a good thing.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
So I have received my Z3 D6633 today. Luckily, XDA members had thread about which model work with tmobile in the US. Here are my impressions, and why I took a risk to purchase my Z3 despite my Z1 is only 1 year old.
I hear Sony rave about their high-res Z3 capability. I thought it was a marketing tool. I had been following Iphones, Galaxy, and lately Sony for portable music. They all had been very disappointing, until the Z3.
Now, my question was, how could Sony claim it ? Was it just a Software to color the music ? the Equalizer of some short ? I did a lot of research, and I was lucky that I found my answers.
From Sony "Z2 had the capability to play HD audio, but you will need a converter, where as the Z3 has it built in, as long as you have an HD head sets, then you can listen to your HD Music"
1/ Z3 use WCD9320 Audio Codec which is Qualcomm
2/ Z3 also use TFA9890 (2x) chips. Now, this is an DAC amp with each single one can sample the music rating at 8-48kHz. Two of these brings the Z3 to be able to sample up to 96kHz.
So how is this different from the other Android phones and or Iphone 6 ?
I am not a nerd with full knowledge of Music Technologies, but what I do get is
"It is a Phone together with a Portable Amp.....?" It may not be the S-Master chipset, but this is just already too good
Yeah, and that was the deciding factor for me to went ahead and made my purchase. Any other phones may claim to be able to play HD audio, but non of them have these good built-in AMP!! Z3 also has the software to restore loss bits from MP3 songs >.< Don't know how it work....tongue.gif
Xperia Z3 tear down picture can be found here
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony...ar-component-layout-is-easy-to-repair_id61323
TFA9890 DAC chip can be found here
http://www.nxp.com/documents/short_data_sheet/TFA9890_SDS.pdf
I will update as soon as my Z3 arrived. biggrin.gif
I didn't know where to post this, and I research about headphones a lot in this section. I thought I would post it here for whoever is curious about the Xperia Z3 Audio Quality.
Please feel free to fix my mistakes as if I misunderstood any of the new technologies. Thank you
Review
I am super impressed by the performance of Z3 with music playback "FLAC" or lossless files. I only have time to test this, and FLAC is the only source I have for now.
Details, details, details are everywhere. Low, Mid, High, all are more clear, more separated, sound fuller, and smoother. Now this is the comparison to the other cell phones.
Do you remember the time Sony had Walkman CD player ? Yes, this is it, but it is more technological advanced, as you can purchase, download songs, keep it over the cloud and ....etc. Even though this phone doesn't have the S-master chip set, but I assure you that you will not be disappointed.
For the last few years, I had been following, purchasing headphones, earbuds, headset, and ended up giving them away. I could never find a good pair of headset to make me love my music again as the CD walkman before. I kept on seeing oh how wonderful the music will be, and what you are losing out. Now, it doesn't matter what pair of headphone I have, Z3 will blast away, bring full details and music to my ears, I just need to play around with the EQ bands to my taste.
Thank you Sony, my heart is full of joys and tears. You had answered my prayers and thoughts
1/ Cell phone
2/ Portable music player
3/ Quality music without external amp
I am in love with the Xperia Z3. When the original Iphone came out, I was impressed with their ability to youtube, touch screen....etc. Now, I am impressed with Z3 high-res audio.
Conclusion, music are very detailed, full spectrum, full over take, full syncing and instrumental details are awesome. I am not an expert audiophiles, sound engineering, high-end rich person. But I do enjoy music, and sound system. If you love music, and always wonder what detailed music mean, you will love this new Xperia Z3.
**I had never combined external portable amp with any cellphone for music due to the inconvenience and on top of that I have a very good stereo system.**
Thanks for this awesome review. I'm getting more and more excited about the Z3 coming to T-mobile.
I got my Z3 yesterday and put 24/96 flac track and the same song as a direct CD rip and the difference was incredible! Only thing I would like was a bit more volume, but seeing as I rarely listen to music vis earbuds/headphones, I can't complain. Although I may start listening in this manner a lot more due to the hi-res capabilities, if I keep the phone? But that is for another thread...
The volume via headphones from the Z3 is about the same as the Z1/2. I agree that it could use a bit more volume, but with 2x chips TFA9890 I think the Z3 is capable of much more. Now we just need some one to hack it, and remove the limit. I think this limit is to make the battery last longer.
I wonder if the Voodoo sound hack work on it.
I too have been really impressed with the sound quality from the phone. Its night and day compared my S3, I dont usually appreciate sound modes etc but enabling "studio mode" made a massive difference especially when I was streaming music via BT in the car.
Next review
Connected to a 3.5mm jack to a 2000W amplifier. Uhm, what can I say ? It can totally be used as a High-res Audio player. That is all I can say. Totally worth it. The first and only smart phone to output this much details in music over the 3.5mm jack. I have tested many phones my family member went through, including all Iphone models, Galaxy....HTC. Now, I am not talking about how "LOUD" the music can get...remember this is a 2000W system. It can blow your roof off. I am talking about how "Detailed" the music can get to. Z3 is the worthy member to download and purchase FLAC songs and utilize my Stereo system
If you Z3 owners haven't tried this
Power Amp, get to Music FX and hold it for couple seconds it will allow you to utilize Walkman Equalizer and clean bass as well. Try it...muahahaha :good::good:
I agree the sound quality on the Z3 is absolutely excellent - Sony Win
For the headphone issue though, i'm afraid for the majority of us who won't be unlocking due to the camera issues (I say that as in the majority of people won't even be here let alone rooting), hacks to increase headphone volume are an utter waste of time.
I for one will just have to learn to live with quiet headphone volume - Sony lose
I will not be hacking my Z3 for headphones volume neither. I use it with JVC HA-FX40H purchased from Adorama online store. They are under 20$ and worth every pennies and 3x more :good:
I could always crank up the whole thing to almost deafen myself, but I wouldn't do that. Try Power Amp with Music FX within the app, the Power amp app open up almost 2x louder than the Walkman app
I am totally satisfied with Z3 as a premium smart phone, premium portable music player, and water proof....well, I won't be testing it :victory::victory::victory::victory:
How much louder are the speakers compared to the Z1? The Z1 has a big speaker grille on the bottom but the speaker is only on one small side of it(If you cover half the grille the sound is the same), which when I realized, made me very disappointed.
I like using my phone in the shower for music so just wondering.
Z3 vs Z1 loud speaker will be about almost 1.75x difference. You have better bass in the Z3 loud speaker. I don't use it too much, so I will not have much details about this. But in the Loud speaker department, which will throw away most of the music details and leave only bass and treble to play, you better buy M8. All the reviews and tests point to the HTC M8 being superior to Loud Speaker music playing.
Z3 is High resolution music play back, which I recommend a good pair of Headphones, doesn't have to be expensive, and you can enjoy what music really meant to be heard.
Enjoy
Sound quality is great but the volume is too low. Once we have root these types of things will be fixed.
Making the speakers louder with root won't damage the phone?
I am waiting for people unwittingly playing 128kb files and raving about HD quality
Z3 seems to be a nice device
Has anyone actually connected a USB DAC and tried USB audio with the Z3?
I am getting all kinds of crackling noises which is very annoying. Makes the phone next to useless since it has relatively little power to drive high end headphones.
This post
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=55735812&postcount=4
seems to indicate that the hi-res audio can only be output via the DAC. if its true, then it would be kind of a turn off.
But i think maybe he is incorrect. Because according to this
http://drippler.com/updates/share/xperia-details-hi-res-audio-explained
"Xperia Z2 was compatible with Hi-Res Audio but you needed a converter to listen to it. So in Xperia Z3, we’ve built that converter into the phone. If you have Hi-Res compatible headphones you can just plug them in to the headphone jack like any other pair and listen away."
So it seem that it doesn't require a DAC afterall.
No it doesn't require a dac. The required hardware and software are built into the phone.
Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk
Okay so I transferred one or two stock pre installed FLAC files from the LG G2 that I had. Vienna Boy's Choir I think. Now using the DSEE HX i noticed a major improvement in the audio quality, tones were richer and more defined. That is just using my cheap sony earphones. I can't imagine what it would sound like wearing powerful quality headphones. Bear in mind that I am a noob when it comes to enjoying HQ music.
However, even a noob like me could notice that my Z3 was noticeably richer, bassier and had better fidelity than my iPhone 6+, using the same low cost earphones. Granted, I was just playing a random Maroon 5 track from youtube on both devices to control the variables as much as I could.
I'm really pleased with the audio quality also. However, I do share the same sentiments as others in this thread, it needs a bit more volume.
Bluetooth for me is a great experience. Headphones... I get about 1/5th of the power that I was getting from my note 3. Using a set of klipsch ear buds, does sony hate other brands of headphones or am I missing something? Anyone else having this issue?
Its quite astonishing that no one is talking about LG G4's sound quality over the headphones while other flagship devices like HTC One (M9), Samsung Galaxy S6, Sony Xperia Z3+ etc. are being talked about a lot in terms of their audio quality over the internet. While GSM Arena is saying that the audio quality is a step back from the the previous G-series I'm not really sold. Actually I've stopped trusting GSM Arena after their mediocre reviews on Sony flagships over and over again which actually do sound better than samsung flagships in many aspects (GSM Arena tends to excessively flatter samsungs' audio quality. At least I think so.)
So, I was wondering If the audio quality of G4 over the headphones is really that bad as the GSM Arena guys are saying? I'm not concerned about the speakers at all. I'm on a Sony Xperia Z3 right now. But was considering buying a G4. As a music lover sound quality is something that is a must for me and Sony tends to satisfy me all the time unlike HTC which is all about volume output and produces exaggerating (sometimes crappy) bass and harsh trebles.
So, I want to get feedback from actual users who are using G4 as their prime music listening device. How does it sound over the headphones? Is it punchy or just dull? What's about the bass and the clarity? Any reply would be helpful. TIA.
The Audio Quality on the LG is by far the worst Ive ever heard lol
It sounds cheap.
I had iphone , Galaxy S4, Z3 and now the G4.
While iPhone 4s and Z3 had an awesome soundquality the S4 was something in the middle.
I heard mixed reports on G4's audio quality, some people liked it even more than M9 and others hated it.
But what about max volume with wired and BT? My M9 has exellent audio quality over BT but the sound volume could take an extra 30%, I hope G4 has a louder BT.
Is viper4android making the G4 sound quality better?
I have just moved from an xperia z3 to the lg g4 and the only reason being sound quality and a superior display. The sound quality is better than z3 in terms of loudness. Clarity wise Sony was better for me but a good sound mod can fix that im sure. Been 4 days since I bought the LG G4 and the sound is much much louder and I love it
U can enhance the sound with Viper4Audio but if the soundprocessor is crap there is no way around it.
Don't get me wrong, the G4 is easy to handle, has an awesome Display and I like it and will keep it.
And this thread is about soundquality not loudness.
For the Z3 are countless mods to make the sound louder.
Btw. for me the is no difference in loudness between Z3 and G4
Owner of an international G4 H815 and an international S6 Edge. Also an audiophile, and as tests I used my Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro, Shure SRH-750DJ and AudioTehnica M50x.
Overall the G4's sound was worse, the bass sounded like crap and the overall sound was as if it compressed my music to 128kb/sec. Poweramp, Google Play Music and LG Music Player used for tests.
To achieve my perfect sound with any of the headphones above, on the S6Edge it took less than 5 min in Viper4Android. On the G4 I'm still searching for it, haven't been able to fix that horrible sound of the low frequencies in the past week since I purchased the phone.
And don't even get me started on the Sony Z series, they're just as bad as a 10$ mp3 player
Agree, but not with the Z3. I like the clear and precise sound especially for electronic music. If it would not be made by Sony it could be good [emoji14]
If u find some good Viper settings for the dumb bass I think a lot oft ppl would appreciate it if u share.
Tiene mal sonido entonces? Ahora mismo tengo un meizu mx4 pro y su sonido es increíble en todos los sentidos, se nota que tiene un buen DAC.
Queria comprar un lg g4 pero me da miedo que el cambio se note mucho
Enviado desde mi MX4 Pro mediante Tapatalk
Damn!
I don't want to switch from my M9 to G4 if the sound is crap.
I use my phone as my primary audio source in my car and for sports.
Better take a Note 4/edge then
What do you think about BT with Apt-X is there a really difference between all devices ?
salehin4070 said:
Its quite astonishing that no one is talking about LG G4's sound quality over the headphones while other flagship devices like HTC One (M9), Samsung Galaxy S6, Sony Xperia Z3+ etc. are being talked about a lot in terms of their audio quality over the internet. While GSM Arena is saying that the audio quality is a step back from the the previous G-series I'm not really sold. Actually I've stopped trusting GSM Arena after their mediocre reviews on Sony flagships over and over again which actually do sound better than samsung flagships in many aspects (GSM Arena tends to excessively flatter samsungs' audio quality. At least I think so.)
So, I was wondering If the audio quality of G4 over the headphones is really that bad as the GSM Arena guys are saying? I'm not concerned about the speakers at all. I'm on a Sony Xperia Z3 right now. But was considering buying a G4. As a music lover sound quality is something that is a must for me and Sony tends to satisfy me all the time unlike HTC which is all about volume output and produces exaggerating (sometimes crappy) bass and harsh trebles.
So, I want to get feedback from actual users who are using G4 as their prime music listening device. How does it sound over the headphones? Is it punchy or just dull? What's about the bass and the clarity? Any reply would be helpful. TIA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice to see someone post and be interested in the sound quality. Me as an audiophile and sound engineer and always hunting for the best sound quality money can buy. Keep in mind the reason why customers say the lg sound is bad is for the reason that It doesn't have the spiked up eq like the Samsung and HTC devices being bass and treble out of the box with maxxed out volume capabilities getting the audio chip to got even over its limit just buy tweaking the software. LG on the other hand leaves the sound natural and flat, along with limiting the maximum volume to retain the clarity at full blast on all the frequencies. Sony has done a terrific job in their audio for mobile as well. I always stay away from Samsung and HTC on that aspect. LG sound is flat with good extensions of sub bass and highs, bass is tighty yet punchy, mids and voices aren't recessed nor foward but all just right, and highs are very well extended for that clarity but can be a bit sharp depending song. Instrument separation is by far very very good with sound stage fairly big. Compared g4 sound with s6 and m9 and sony. S6 and m9 made me want to puke. Sony made me want to keep the phone but the g4 was exactly the same but a bit better in my opinion plus the much more features. Hope this helps. Always keep in mind that the reason why consumers say g4 is wack sound is for two reason for it one doesn't have ear bleeding volume, and two that it isn't heavy bass be treble like the s6 and m9. Bluetooth sucks on the g4 in sq for some reason. I suggest you go to a carrier store and try all three phones with your own set of hp
I prefer the sound of HTC ONE M7 than my new LG G4. But I want to know if there is a difference between all devices in Bluetooth Apt-X ?
Otherwise I listen with Jetaudio and PowerAMP, and play with EQ.
Edit : I asked because my bluetooth headphone is broken so...
Viper dsp audio makes a world of difference
Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk
deadgods said:
Viper dsp audio makes a world of difference
Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even for BT?
Mediocre quality.
Sent from my A0001
vegetaleb said:
Even for BT?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes even for bt
Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk
I wish that AnandTech was still doing equipment based audio reviews like this.
(Anyone out there have access to Audio Precision gear? It'd be interesting to see what a G4 does...)
Can someone compare G4 with Note 4 audio quality with or without V4A?
vegetaleb said:
Can someone compare G4 with Note 4 audio quality with or without V4A?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Volume is super low on the g4.
Sent from my A0001
wadamean said:
Nice to see someone post and be interested in the sound quality. Me as an audiophile and sound engineer and always hunting for the best sound quality money can buy. Keep in mind the reason why customers say the lg sound is bad is for the reason that It doesn't have the spiked up eq like the Samsung and HTC devices being bass and treble out of the box with maxxed out volume capabilities getting the audio chip to got even over its limit just buy tweaking the software. LG on the other hand leaves the sound natural and flat, along with limiting the maximum volume to retain the clarity at full blast on all the frequencies. Sony has done a terrific job in their audio for mobile as well. I always stay away from Samsung and HTC on that aspect. LG sound is flat with good extensions of sub bass and highs, bass is tighty yet punchy, mids and voices aren't recessed nor foward but all just right, and highs are very well extended for that clarity but can be a bit sharp depending song. Instrument separation is by far very very good with sound stage fairly big. Compared g4 sound with s6 and m9 and sony. S6 and m9 made me want to puke. Sony made me want to keep the phone but the g4 was exactly the same but a bit better in my opinion plus the much more features. Hope this helps. Always keep in mind that the reason why consumers say g4 is wack sound is for two reason for it one doesn't have ear bleeding volume, and two that it isn't heavy bass be treble like the s6 and m9. Bluetooth sucks on the g4 in sq for some reason. I suggest you go to a carrier store and try all three phones with your own set of hp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I have some hopes now. At least someone is saying that G4 sounds better.