Database Users

(DISCUSS) It's all about SOUND

Hey all!
Introduction:
I am an audiophile. I like good quality music. Previously, I had SGS1 and its Voodoo Sound was just sick. With Spotify 320kbps music and good headphones the sound was awesome.
I know that SGS3 has also configurable Wolfson audiochip, but official Voodoo Sound is missing.
However, in Siyah kernel theres some configuration options available. There's some hw eq presets in STweaks, but I looked for something more clear and more bass. So I made some custom eq, which sounds good to my ear:
Headphone Amplifiaction level: 63
Eq presets: use grpaphical eq
Band1: 11db
Band2: 12db
Band3: 2db
Band4: 9db
Band5: 8db
FLL tuning: enabled
Dac oversampling: enabled
Say your opinions and share your settings!

I'm also an audiophile, I haven't tried your settings yet(I will). But I tried multiple settings in Stweaks before and never got satisfied. Finally I flashed Ac!d Mod and installed Poweramp. Ac!d installs Noozxoide EIZO rewire.
Here are my settings
Noozxoide Line-Out-Monitor
Xlimiter ON - Effect Strenght = Moderate
Psychoacoustic ON - Effect Strenght = Medium
Balanced X-EQ ON
Digital Preset = audiophile
LogicSurround ON - Room Size = Room
Poweramp
EQ set to ROCK
Stereo X = Middle
Headset = Sennheiser IE80
With this settings I get a sound like I never had with any kind of earphones of any phone(Nokia N8 was pretty close). I hear instruments and rhythm I've never heard before. Even in bands I'm listening over 30years.
Anyway Just wanted to share.

laehtis said:
Hey all!
Introduction:
I am an audiophile. I like good quality music. Previously, I had SGS1 and its Voodoo Sound was just sick. With Spotify 320kbps music and good headphones the sound was awesome.
I know that SGS3 has also configurable Wolfson audiochip, but official Voodoo Sound is missing.
However, in Siyah kernel theres some configuration options available. There's some hw eq presets in STweaks, but I looked for something more clear and more bass. So I made some custom eq, which sounds good to my ear:
Headphone Amplifiaction level: 63
Eq presets: use grpaphical eq
Band1: 11db
Band2: 12db
Band3: 2db
Band4: 9db
Band5: 8db
FLL tuning: enabled
Dac oversampling: enabled
Say your opinions and share your settings!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I quit using siyah because i had some lags(although except that i loved it and i'll try the next stable version again)
but wouldn't these settings be way too boomy and cause much distortion?
I remember having [email protected]
Headphone Amplifiaction level: 48-52(depends)
Band1: 4db
Band2: 3db
Band3: 2db
Band4: 3db
Band5: 4db
And i was quite satisfied.
Anything over that would cause distortion for me though...
These are my headphones:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/577508/jvc-ha-fx1x-xtreme-xplosive-impressions-hopefully-fan-thread

Kremata said:
I'm also an audiophile, I haven't tried your settings yet(I will). But I tried multiple settings in Stweaks before and never got satisfied. Finally I flashed Ac!d Mod and installed Poweramp. Ac!d installs Noozxoide EIZO rewire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the settings! Gonna have a try. You prefer Ac!d, is the bass clear wit that? Because for me, bass is quite important. You'll hear all sounds from the music, like bass quitar, like you said.
nfsmw_gr said:
I quit using siyah because i had some lags(although except that i loved it and i'll try the next stable version again)
but wouldn't these settings be way too boomy and cause much distortion?
[/url]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your setting, will have a try. Yeah I know, sometimes STweaks crashes. And maybe yes, it was quick try to get good bass and deep sound. Btw sick headphones, however in-ear doesnt fit to my ear very well. Does those have good bass play?
Btw, which genres of music do you like?
I listen pretty much everything, i.e 80's music (awesome!), Pink Floyd (some really good songs, like Learning To Fly), Dire Straits ( Brothers in Arms!) to name just random examples. But I can say hardstyle is maybe my favourite atm. Noisecontrollers - So High is a good example.

cough cough.....erm..... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1633685
Official Sound Quality thread

laehtis said:
Thanks for the settings! Gonna have a try. You prefer Ac!d, is the bass clear wit that? Because for me, bass is quite important. You'll hear all sounds from the music, like bass quitar, like you said.
Thanks for your setting, will have a try. Yeah I know, sometimes STweaks crashes. And maybe yes, it was quick try to get good bass and deep sound. Btw sick headphones, however in-ear doesnt fit to my ear very well. Does those have good bass play?
Btw, which genres of music do you like?
I listen pretty much everything, i.e 80's music (awesome!), Pink Floyd (some really good songs, like Learning To Fly), Dire Straits ( Brothers in Arms!) to name just random examples. But I can say hardstyle is maybe my favourite atm. Noisecontrollers - So High is a good example.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes,i heard that those earphones don't fit in everyone's ears....
The sound of these is incredible for me!
I love it!
Great bass,and good mids/highs....8.5-9/10 for me!
I mostly listen to house,some pop,dubstep,hip-hop,and a lilte metal and rock!
I'm pleased with them...

Audio SQ Stock vs CM10?

Hello there, is there any diference between audio qualify from headphones out stock vs cm?

This is the big question for me since I own a pair of NuForce NE-700M and plan to upgrade to Yamaha EPH-100, and roughly 90% of my smartphone usage is just listening to music. GSMArena shows stock playing with enjoyably low THD (I know some of you aren't too fond of their review process, though).

Deadeye* said:
Hello there, is there any diference between audio qualify from headphones out stock vs cm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock has workarounds for the cheap buds that come with the Oppo - but Dirac HD is unnecessary for decent headphones and in fact ruins the audio quality if used with good headphones. So if you use decent wired headphones you should not hear much difference if any. Some A2DP (stereo Bluetooth) devices have issues with 4.2 due to the new Bluetooth stack, however I can't reproduce this with any of my A2DP headsets.

I listen often music at home and sometimes I have to use my headphones (Fidelio)
Tested CM on Oppo which I preferred used on my HTC Sensation, but on the Oppo I am especially due to the sound quality back to Stock because in my opinion is the overall sound much better, especialy with MP3 320 kbps which I normally use. Only issue is that Stock in combination with the Faux Kernel causes sometimes a few problems.. However I have clearly to recommend the Stock for Music Lovers.. but try it - because ears and sound preferences are different
And by the way DiracHD is not only to improve cheap earphones, don't forget you have not the power of a High-End Amplifier in your pocket therfore is such a sound improvement a good way to have a much better sound on good headphones as well....

Nelson Hawker said:
I listen often music at home and sometimes I have to use my headphones (Fidelio)
Tested CM on Oppo which I preferred used on my HTC Sensation, but on the Oppo I am especially due to the sound quality back to Stock because in my opinion is the overall sound much better, especialy with MP3 320 kbps which I normally use. Only issue is that Stock in combination with the Faux Kernel causes sometimes a few problems.. However I have clearly to recommend the Stock for Music Lovers.. but try it - because ears and sound preferences are different
And by the way DiracHD is not only to improve cheap earphones, don't forget you have not the power of a High-End Amplifier in your pocket therfore is such a sound improvement a good way to have a much better sound on good headphones as well....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, DiracHD only works with cheap headphones - more specifically, *only with the cheap headphones included with the device* - it is an EQ preset that offsets the deficiencies of the OEM earbuds. Use it with anything that doesn't have the exact same frequency response and you correct for problems that aren't there - effectively creating new problems that didn't exist.
Effectively it's an audio form of RF predistortion - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predistortion - Applying predistortion to anything with distortion characteristics different from what the predistortion algorithm was designed for results in increased distortion.

Well, then you agree that there is a differece between..and it depends on the headphones!
This was finally the question..
There was also somewhere a previous discussion ongoing that not each headphone works well with DIRAC due some reasons you stated before which is clear and nothing new..
But as I said, for me personally it sounds much better. Maybe are my 180 Euro headphones made of cheap quality, my ears need a doctor or I'am a promotion victim

Nelson Hawker said:
Well, then you agree that there is a differece between..and it depends on the headphones!
This was finally the question..
There was also somewhere a previous discussion ongoing that not each headphone works well with DIRAC due some reasons you stated before which is clear and nothing new..
But as I said, for me personally it sounds much better. Maybe are my 180 Euro headphones made of cheap quality, my ears need a doctor or I'am a promotion victim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got rid of my stock firmware before I had a chance to try the Dirac stuff, but it sounds like it's very similar to Beats Audio, where a lot of the lower spectrum and possibly some of the highs are boosted. This generally makes a more "fun" sound for the casual listener but a lot of more analytical listeners will feel like it ruins the sound, especially if they own earphones that already have their preferred sound signature.

So basically: If your earbuds share a similar signature to the Find 5 included buds, you'll appreciate Dirac HD's effects. Elsewise, if Dirac happens to shape your buds' signature into something you enjoy, then more power to it.
Meh. My NuForce NE-700Ms are already plenty V-shaped (my only complaint being that I have to run 4khz into the ground because it can be harsh. I still recommend them to you out there looking for a quality pair of IEMs at a decent price)

Only for information:
With the Stock Music App, which is not really bad you can switch between DIRAC, Dolby or turn every sound improvement off. But you must plug your headphone in otherwise you have in the speaker mode only a possibility to select Dolby or turn everything off..
So you can compare a little bit better how it works for you...

Get the best of S3's sound

Hi,
I am not much of a hard core audiophile and I can settle with almost any sound quality, but I recently bought a decent mid-range IEM, the Sony HM1. So, I wonder if there is any way to be sure that I get the best S3 has to give. I use:
-Sony HM1
-Rocket player (paid version, the one with the unlocked equalizer).
-At least 192bit rated MP3s.
-Volume enhancer mod
So, is there any other mod, program or anything else that can take full advantage of S3's potential, if any? Thanks!

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1704138
Your question has been posted multiple times . Forum rules require you to search before posting .
Google <<< I9300 your search terms > xda
Sound Thread .
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1633685
Try Viper4Android .

I posted these questions right after I read some pages of that threat and I was just hoping for a medium-sized sum or a small guide with the steps necessary. I will move my question there then, thanks and sorry.

one word. poweramp. no other mods/apps needed. Best audio comes from poweramp. Must be stupid to argue against that.

Sammy GS3 + Nothing = Decent Audio
Melissakis said:
Hi,
I am not much of a hard core audiophile and I can settle with almost any sound quality, but I recently bought a decent mid-range IEM, the Sony HM1. So, I wonder if there is any way to be sure that I get the best S3 has to give. I use:
-Sony HM1
-Rocket player (paid version, the one with the unlocked equalizer).
-At least 192bit rated MP3s.
-Volume enhancer mod
So, is there any other mod, program or anything else that can take full advantage of S3's potential, if any? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In all honesty, to get the best sound you need good source and as you rightly did, at least 192kbps audio. But I have numerous songs that sound much better at 320 than 192 and when played back side by side, you hear the diff. My father who is half deaf heard it.
My recommendation for music is simple, highest bitrate you can afford given the storage you have (getting a 64gb Micro SD card remedies that issue quickly, the Samsung model is the best i've use so far), equalisers and volume normalisers are just to flavour the music to your taste, more bass here, a little mid there, or to compensate for a particular bias your headphone may have. I use a Senheisser HD 201 and HD 202. The 201 is flat and pure, the 202 is bassy and wild so i adjust to suit. FYI I'm current using JetAudio Pro with the AM3D Effects set to 40 and 50.
Hope this helps.
Btw, if you just looking for louder, the tablets, Nexus 7 and the like have higher volume outputs on their headphone jacks so be aware of that.

veer01_42 said:
Hope this helps.
Btw, if you just looking for louder, the tablets, Nexus 7 and the like have higher volume outputs on their headphone jacks so be aware of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sure did, thanks! Having high bitrate and a decent IEM, I just wanted to be sure that S3's hardware has no room for improvements, a better kernel or some other tweak.
About Nexus 7, are you sure it has higher output? I have both S3 and Nexus 7 and I just tried it, on the same volume level, S3 is way more louder. Just bear in mind that I used this sound enhancement tweak on S3.

Pure audio and Wolfson Sound engine, Poweramp with all post processing turned off.
That is all

Cameltoemcgee said:
Pure audio and Wolfson Sound engine, Poweramp with all post processing turned off.
That is all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Poweramp, check.
About the other two, could you be more specific? I'm a noob. About the Pure audio, I know that's it's a flashable zip, does it give me after the flashing a app that tweaks the sound? And what about wolfson sound engine, could you please give me a link?
Currently I use googy-max kernel, which enables the wolfson sound engine via STweaks. Would it be better to use something else? Maybe all of these questions have already been answered, but it's very difficult to collect all the info available. Thank you all!

Melissakis said:
Poweramp, check.
About the other two, could you be more specific? I'm a noob. About the Pure audio, I know that's it's a flashable zip, does it give me after the flashing a app that tweaks the sound? And what about wolfson sound engine, could you please give me a link?
Currently I use googy-max kernel, which enables the wolfson sound engine via STweaks. Would it be better to use something else? Maybe all of these questions have already been answered, but it's very difficult to collect all the info available. Thank you all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure! i use googymax too with the wolfson engine, my settings are: headphone equalizer: Enable WITHOUT saturation Prevention.
EQ Presets: Use graphical equalizer
at the bottom of stweaks i turn on DAC direct and DAC oversampling but leave the others.
Pure audio - flash the zip, make sure that DSP manager isn't installed otherwise it'll do nothing. remove it with titanium backup if you hvae it.
pure audio doesn't give you options to adjust because you don't need it. it won't give you any indication that its running when you're listening to music either... but you'll know if you've done it right
If you do feel the need to adjust eq, then use the eq in Stweaks, or poweramp even if you find it easier.
Hope it helps!

Cameltoemcgee said:
Sure! i use googymax too with the wolfson engine, my settings are: headphone equalizer: Enable WITHOUT saturation Prevention.
EQ Presets: Use graphical equalizer
at the bottom of stweaks i turn on DAC direct and DAC oversampling but leave the others.
Pure audio - flash the zip, make sure that DSP manager isn't installed otherwise it'll do nothing. remove it with titanium backup if you hvae it.
pure audio doesn't give you options to adjust because you don't need it. it won't give you any indication that its running when you're listening to music either... but you'll know if you've done it right
If you do feel the need to adjust eq, then use the eq in Stweaks, or poweramp even if you find it easier.
Hope it helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for the reply, you've cleared everything out!

lack of bass is rather disturbing (solution)

so after buying the Z3 and expecting a great audio quality compared to my old lg p880, i was quite disappointed by the lack of bass.
To be completely fair i did have viper4android app on my old phone. this app requires root and thus i could not use it :crying::crying:
So after hours of research and testing i found the perfect solution.....
people behold: noozxoide eizo rewire PRO. i wont talk more about it as there is a full xda post about the app below:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2039716
what i like on this app is the very deep bass and crisp clear high tones :laugh: it makes me love this device as i did not like the z3 purely because music plays a big role for me.

raviboy100 said:
so after buying the Z3 and expecting a great audio quality compared to my old lg p880, i was quite disappointed by the lack of bass.
To be completely fair i did have viper4android app on my old phone. this app requires root and thus i could not use it :crying::crying:
So after hours of research and testing i found the perfect solution.....
people behold: noozxoide eizo rewire PRO. i wont talk more about it as there is a full xda post about the app below:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2039716
what i like on this app is the very deep bass and crisp clear high tones :laugh: it makes me love this device as i did not like the z3 purely because music plays a big role for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi raviboy100,
mind sharing your settings ?

I have chosen in line, amd tickdd tbe first box. Selected unique 2 amd the rest is visit in this image

Work great thx
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app

I tried the settings above and my sound became lower than it was (at the 80/100 mark). I don't understand how this is even better. Are you talking about the sound coming out of the phone's speakers or to an external source or headphone? I'm listening from the phone's speakers itself.

Im talking about quality rather than volume, disable the first box where u selected unique II. And it should go back to original volume and still have a better bass @hanime

Hey thank you for posting about this audio app, its make a big difference and is making me luv this phone even more..
Sent from my D6616 using XDA Free mobile app

raviboy100 said:
Im talking about quality rather than volume, disable the first box where u selected unique II. And it should go back to original volume and still have a better bass @hanime
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say "lack of bass" people are going to assume you mean there's not much bass, not that it's low quality. Not sure what low quality bass is, actually. On headphones, my Z3 is fine - very bassy if you have an equalizer to make changes to it. There's no inherent problem with the Z3 and bass. (It's just a shame they don't provide a way of beefing up the vibrate!)

Out of the box, the volume meter actually bugs me. At 50% the volume is so low. At 80%, it starts to sound like 50% on other phones. It gets really loud after that. So looking at it, it is like an extreme exponential graph at the 80% mark.

hanime said:
Out of the box, the volume meter actually bugs me. At 50% the volume is so low. At 80%, it starts to sound like 50% on other phones. It gets really loud after that. So looking at it, it is like an extreme exponential graph at the 80% mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup totally agree with you. this kinds joins the problem of the low notifications problems.
Pretty crazy that Sony a maker of "sound products" cant even get this right.
Makes me really miss my Htc One M7

raviboy100 said:
Im talking about quality rather than volume, disable the first box where u selected unique II. And it should go back to original volume and still have a better bass @hanime
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had a p880 as well before the Z3 and I fully agree with you.
It's not the same without V4A so thanks for your finding.
Will definitely try this one right now.
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Thanks for this, the high tones are great now

Funny that this thread popped to the top right when I was going to start a new thread.
Coming from the Rezound and DNA that had Beats EQ, and the iBeats headphones from the Rezound, I've had great portable audio for a long time. I got my S4 and used hacks in 4.3 to get Beats EQ in place with root, but 4.4 lost that ability. Luckily I stumbled upon Viper, which was pretty much perfect like the original Beats EQ once tweaked. That was my only real worry with going to this phone without root, is losing good audio. I was pretty disappointed at first, and had even tried Noozxoide in the past and didn't like the muddy bass it produced, and it was no better now on the Z3v.
Well, after a *ton* of tweaking and messing around and testing with various content, I've come up with a great set of settings for the stock EQ that are pretty darn good. Not Viper good, but will do for now until root is found. Here are the settings:
ClearAudio+ : Off
Sound effect :
Equalizer : Custom
400 : +1
1k : +2
2.5k : 0
6k : -2
16kHz : -1
ClearBASS : +8
Surround sound (VPT) : Studio
S-Force Front Surround : n/a (doesn't affect headphones)
Dynamic normalizer : Off
Headphones : STH-30
Keep in mind, these settings are for iBeats, which reproduce a tremendous amount of clean, deep bass but don't naturally produce it with a flat EQ setting. If your headphones aren't earbuds or have a lot of bass reproduction naturally, you might need to lower the 400/1k/ClearBASS a bit. YMMV based on your headphone quality, but be sure to try it at a low volume first so you don't blow anything!

My setting's
This gives me plenty of bass, and for more bass just lower the bars to the left more, mostly 400 and 1kHz.
Failing that download bass booster but you won't be able to use DSEE HX.

elkay said:
Funny that this thread popped to the top right when I was going to start a new thread.
Coming from the Rezound and DNA that had Beats EQ, and the iBeats headphones from the Rezound, I've had great portable audio for a long time. I got my S4 and used hacks in 4.3 to get Beats EQ in place with root, but 4.4 lost that ability. Luckily I stumbled upon Viper, which was pretty much perfect like the original Beats EQ once tweaked. That was my only real worry with going to this phone without root, is losing good audio. I was pretty disappointed at first, and had even tried Noozxoide in the past and didn't like the muddy bass it produced, and it was no better now on the Z3v.
Well, after a *ton* of tweaking and messing around and testing with various content, I've come up with a great set of settings for the stock EQ that are pretty darn good. Not Viper good, but will do for now until root is found. Here are the settings:
ClearAudio+ : Off
Sound effect :
Equalizer : Custom
400 : +1
1k : +2
2.5k : 0
6k : -2
16kHz : -1
ClearBASS : +8
Surround sound (VPT) : Studio
S-Force Front Surround : n/a (doesn't affect headphones)
Dynamic normalizer : Off
Headphones : STH-30
Keep in mind, these settings are for iBeats, which reproduce a tremendous amount of clean, deep bass but don't naturally produce it with a flat EQ setting. If your headphones aren't earbuds or have a lot of bass reproduction naturally, you might need to lower the 400/1k/ClearBASS a bit. YMMV based on your headphone quality, but be sure to try it at a low volume first so you don't blow anything!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tested your settings on Man of Steel, it gave me goosebumps
Thanks.
My Headphones are the MH750, can i change the setting to this headphones ?

Guys, I have installed Noozxoide Eizo Pro but I hear no difference when I flick between it or audio settings in Sound.
I select it, then play with the various settings in the app and hear no difference.
I'm expecting audible changes between settings like when I play with the stock EQ.
I can't understand what everybody is going on about and I have decent headphones, Sennheiser Momentum On Ear.
Thanks,
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app

Johann_London said:
Guys, I have installed Noozxoide Eizo Pro but I hear no difference when I flick between it or audio settings in Sound.
I select it, then play with the various settings in the app and hear no difference.
I'm expecting audible changes between settings like when I play with the stock EQ.
I can't understand what everybody is going on about and I have decent headphones, Sennheiser Momentum On Ear.
Thanks,
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I experienced the same thing as you, no audible difference whatsoever.

Yay I'm not alone! Any help? I'm starting to feel that this echoes the story of the Emperor's New Clothes...
You know the one where the King was walking naked through the streets because he believed that he was wearing the most amazing new clothes, meanwhile he was butt naked...
Some of the people in this thread are using horribly cheap headphones, which is really making me question their ability to appreciate good Sound Quality...
Headphones that when I Google their model numbers cost 10-20 GBP.
Anybody who is happy with those, in my opinion, can't tell their ass from their elbow... When it comes to sound.
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app

Squall24 said:
Tested your settings on Man of Steel, it gave me goosebumps
Thanks.
My Headphones are the MH750, can i change the setting to this headphones ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feel free to test whatever changes you like to my settings, especially if you aren't using the same headphones as me. You won't risk breaking anything unless you blast high volume with cutoff. From my experience with my headphones, though, the STH-30 preset was the only one that still produced clean sound that was able to be adjusted with the EQ bands. The rest had noticeable artifacting or missing dynamic range on one end or the other.

elkay said:
Feel free to test whatever changes you like to my settings, especially if you aren't using the same headphones as me. You won't risk breaking anything unless you blast high volume with cutoff. From my experience with my headphones, though, the STH-30 preset was the only one that still produced clean sound that was able to be adjusted with the EQ bands. The rest had noticeable artifacting or missing dynamic range on one end or the other.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok i'll stay with the STH-30 preset then

HIfI option, why does standard sound better than super ( various headphones )?

I own a few expensive headphones and IEM's that cost more than this phone.. Why does SUPER ALWAYS sound worse than standard in the hifi sound option? Super sounds muffled on every earpiece I used.. Its like its backwards or something..
so is standard the snapdragon DaC and Super is AKM dac? Or is both AKM? Mostly bought this phone for its audio capabilities, I ride over 100 miles a week on a cycle and always tune out.
HELP!!!

velvethammer said:
I own a few expensive headphones and IEM's that cost more than this phone.. Why does SUPER ALWAYS sound worse than standard in the hifi sound option? Super sounds muffled on every earpiece I used.. Its like its backwards or something..
so is standard the snapdragon DaC and Super is AKM dac? Or is both AKM? Mostly bought this phone for its audio capabilities, I ride over 100 miles a week on a cycle and always tune out.
HELP!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also interested in the answer to this, I thought I was going insane as on my custom IEMS standard sounds better than super which seems muffled but if I swap to a pair of cheaper earphones then super gives better results.
Want to know what each of these modes do in terms of DAC or filter being used?

Super sounds waayyyyy better than default on my A2017G using OnePlus Icons.
I should know as a music producer and audiophile.
The sound is a lot deeper and thicker. Also the bass is a lot cleaner and the high frequencies are also more clear and less 'dull'

keessonnema said:
Super sounds waayyyyy better than default on my A2017G using OnePlus Icons.
I should know as a music producer and audiophile.
The sound is a lot deeper and thicker. Also the bass is a lot cleaner and the high frequencies are also more clear and less 'dull'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to know how others are finding the difference between standard and super headset hifi. Pls also post what earphones/headphones you are using for this.
For me, JH Roxannes and Sony EX1000 sound better with standard. If I use Westone UM30 pro then the opposite effect, super sound better.
I can't believe the phone can tell the difference between 2 earphones and would change super and standard accordingly.

beyerdynamics custom one pro.
no dolby.
with super the instruments sound a lot clearer (except for the increased volume in bass frequencies) as in i hear every single vibration of an instrument. e.g. when a hi hat is hit i audibly "see" how it swings.

I don't use dolby either but standard sounds better on my Roxannes than super. Same effects as you experience but on standard vs super. Highs/Mids/Bass sound clearer in standard. Super sounds muffled in comparison and bass is increased but muddy.
Unless standard and Super are reversed on the chinese version A2017?

May be my earlier post in other thread can help to answer to your question regarding DAC.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/how-to/stock-music-player-t3474463/post69069304#post69069304
The only thing is not clear yet is the analog part. I suppose that it is in separated, already not named chip and both DACs drive same amplifier. The volume difference between Standard and Super would be because of different analog signal level. It is my opinion but either I can imagine that it is on purpose indicating that something happened.
Why do you hear standard sounds better than Super? I don't know. I checked how standard sounds (good) but I always use super mode.

I brought this up in a previous thread, glad it's still being discussed.
One issue lies in confirmation bias. Anyone doing testing on their own and knowingly switching between Standard and Super could have psychologically skewed the results. Since the software named one setting "Super", the weight of average users opinions may bias towards that. The only way to truly test it would be to have a full blind test done.
Since even I don't want to bother anyone to help me set up such an involved test, I did some rudimentary testing with my Shure SRH840, Sony 7506, and Triple Fi 10. I'm finding that Super increases the overall volume, as well as increasing mid-bass response and some treble.
I have an unsubstantiated theory on this. First, Super setting could be a sales tactic equalizer designed to "wow" the average consumer. It's a well known audio industry strategy that preys on the human brain's tendency to rate slightly louder audio sources as higher in quality.
Secondly, this setting could be designed to give perceived improvements using low quality headphones. The fact that several of us observe increased mid-bass and treble, areas that cheap headphones sometimes severly lack, may be an indicator. Let's not forget that in the box, the Axon comes with a cheap set of headphones that are many buyers' first audio experience on this phone, which ZTE would want to leave an impression.
If this is true, it makes sense that many of us with higher end headphones with more accurately balanced frqeuency response would find the Super setting to be inferior in use. Again, none of my claims can be confirmed unless professional testing equipment and a blind test method is used.
I remain skeptical in regards to questions of this setting toggling between a Snapdragon DAC and a Axon specific Hi-fi DAC. When quickly switching between Standard and Super, there's virtually no pause in the audio playback, with linear fade outs and fade ins. It seems odd that if the phone was truly switching between sending the audio to two different hardware chips, a more prominent pause in audio playback should occur.

So is it true that you cannot use Dolby and process audio using the AKM DAC at the same time? I read that somewhere, you can use either one or the other

trace1er said:
So is it true that you cannot use Dolby and process audio using the AKM DAC at the same time? I read that somewhere, you can use either one or the other
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I believe that's not true, it may have come about from Poweramp users. If DVC is disabled in Poweramp then Dolby can be used. I assume that Poweramp uses the AKM dac.
I'm curious how the Axon 7 is setup. If only the AKM dac is enabled or if the S820 dac is also enabled. I can't work out if or how to switch between them. If there is any way to show which dac is in use that would be great as it's all guessing right now.

Kantana said:
I believe that's not true, it may have come about from Poweramp users. If DVC is disabled in Poweramp then Dolby can be used. I assume that Poweramp uses the AKM dac.
I'm curious how the Axon 7 is setup. If only the AKM dac is enabled or if the S820 dac is also enabled. I can't work out if or how to switch between them. If there is any way to show which dac is in use that would be great as it's all guessing right now.
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This would be a good thing. Wonder if there's an app to do it, or possible to make one.

Kantana said:
. ... if the S820 dac is also enabled.
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It isn't.

obladi64 said:
It isn't.
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If that's the case then no concern over super vs standard. Both modes use the AKM dac and the difference being heard is software/filters/dsp being applied
We could push the argument to say that standard is the pure output out of the dac with no coloration being added so no surprise this sounds most transparent, clear with decent earphones.
Super would be for lower quality earphones to add back elevated bass/highs so artificially compensating for hardware defecits.

Kantana said:
If that's the case then no concern over super vs standard. Both modes use the AKM dac and the difference being heard is software/filters/dsp being applied
We could push the argument to say that standard is the pure output out of the dac with no coloration being added so no surprise this sounds most transparent, clear with decent earphones.
Super would be for lower quality earphones to add back elevated bass/highs so artificially compensating for hardware defecits.
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Not at all.
I've tested with several headphones and the super settings adds a lot more depth. Default sounds a bit flat. Not in terms of bass or treble, but widening, clearance, and especially the low-end sounds a lot muddier.

Kantana said:
If that's the case then no concern over super vs standard. Both modes use the AKM dac and the difference being heard is software/filters/dsp being applied
We could push the argument to say that standard is the pure output out of the dac with no coloration being added so no surprise this sounds most transparent, clear with decent earphones.
Super would be for lower quality earphones to add back elevated bass/highs so artificially compensating for hardware defecits.
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Not exatly. If you use flat mode there is no colorisatin in both. As I know 4491 is not able to oversample and convert 16 or 24 bit to 32. 4490 is able to. It should make sound better theoretically. Beyond these 4490 has many switchable filter option. Don't mix it with DSP. Usually it is called soft or sharp mode etc mode. Unfortunately ZTE doesn't make it availabe for user and I don't know what is the default selected option but difference between these option is so tiny that you can judge just after long term listening if you can at all.

Kantana said:
I don't use dolby either but standard sounds better on my Roxannes than super. Same effects as you experience but on standard vs super. Highs/Mids/Bass sound clearer in standard. Super sounds muffled in comparison and bass is increased but muddy.
Unless standard and Super are reversed on the chinese version A2017?
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Something is wrong with your phone in particular. Reset it or send it back.
I saw a friend with Axon 7 dealing with exact same issue.
I got mine and its working like its supposed to. Super enhances the sound and dolby gives the open dynamics.

Kantana said:
If that's the case then no concern over super vs standard. Both modes use the AKM dac and the difference being heard is software/filters/dsp being applied
We could push the argument to say that standard is the pure output out of the dac with no coloration being added so no surprise this sounds most transparent, clear with decent earphones.
Super would be for lower quality earphones to add back elevated bass/highs so artificially compensating for hardware defecits.
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Not both mode use AKM DAC but use different type of AKM DAC. 4490 is more enhanced than standard 4691. 4490 can oversample and convert bit depth but I already said it in earlier post. There is no software trick to make it "better" on cheap headphones. A7 was made for audiophiles too, why would they have done that? For this purpose a tone control would have been enough. I suggest to check how another A7 phones sound, may be yours has problem.
Otherwise today I listen music in standard mode too. Comparison was a bit difficult because I cannot set same volume level. The difference is 1.5 click between two mode. Never mind my intension was and long term test. I played only CD quality music and there is no question about that both DAC sound very good but differently. Standard sounds like typical CD player. It is a typical sterile digital sound. The Super is full with air and space. Everything is more clear and enjoyable. It sounds analog way. After this I don't know whether is it worth to compare with HD audio record too?

Now that would be a surprise to me as I saw AK4490 was used as DAC for playback but AK4961 was used as ADC for recording. I never considered they would have both wired for standard n super.
Where can we find supporting documents for these 2 modes since even manual skips on details and just says you can change it within headset hifi?

Kantana said:
Now that would be a surprise to me as I saw AK4490 was used as DAC for playback but AK4961 was used as ADC for recording. I never considered they would have both wired for standard n super.
Where can we find supporting documents for these 2 modes since even manual skips on details and just says you can change it within headset hifi?
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4691 is ADC and DAC in one chip while 4490 is only DAC. I haven't found well detailed document. All you can do in this question is that you read ZTE and AKM releases carefully. Also you can find some detail on site like Android Authority or Youtube etc.

obladi64 said:
4691 is ADC and DAC in one chip while 4490 is only DAC. I haven't found well detailed document. All you can do in this question is that you read ZTE and AKM releases carefully. Also you can find some detail on site like Android Authority or Youtube etc.
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From ZTE site, it looks confusing:
Playback
Sound Playback Codecs: Dolby Atmos® + Dolby Digital Plus (7+1 Surround Sound)
Sampling Frequency: 384 kHz
THD+N: '112dB
S/N: 120 dB
Recording
Channel: 3 channel (HiFi),1 channel (VAD)
Resolution: 32 bit as per spec (24 bit as per performance)
Sampling Frequency: 96 kHz
MIC max input: 2.02 Vpp
S/N ADC: 102 dB
Conference Mode
Directional Recording: Dimensional and Omni Directional
Recording Range: Up to 7 meters (approximately 23 feet)
Dedicated Audio Chipset: AKM 4961 + 4490
- 4961 - HiFi main chipset to provide HiFi and recording features
- 4490 - Independent amplifier to enhance HiFi playback (AK380)
It makes it sound like 4961 is dac and 4490 is the amp. At least for the conferencing, for playback it only mentions the dolby which is software. It also adds (AK380) to the line mentioning 4490!