Database Users

[Q] Loss of audio quality on custom roms

Hi, first time android owner here. I recently switched to the CM nightly builds, which I am loving, however I have noticed the audio quality has dropped of dramatically since switching from the standard oppo fw. Now I am streaming my music from google play which AFAIK was unaffected by the dolby sound and the dirac audio features of the oppo ROM. Is this something that should be expected? Its bad enough that Id rather not listen to music at all. Also is there a possibility of porting the audio features of the standard Oppo ROM to the current CM builds?
At this point I think id rather use a buggy, less functional oppo rom with great sound quality and that just sucks:crying:

I'm a music lover and have pretty good ears, I really like cm10.1 and other roms but the reason I left it (besides being a beta tester) is because of lag that happens after a few hours and also because of the issue with audio quality. Yeah it looses quality. Oh and camera quality as well
Sent from my Oppo Find 5

I haven't noticed much of a drop in quality, but I didn't stay on stock for long. Maybe I'll switch back to stock on the next beta and see what the audio and camera are like. I have no camera on my current ROM.
Sent from my Find 5 using Tapatalk 2

I should mention I'm also streaming over blue tooth when making this comparison.

earphones
osmosizzz said:
I'm a music lover and have pretty good ears, I really like cm10.1 and other roms but the reason I left it (besides being a beta tester) is because of lag that happens after a few hours and also because of the issue with audio quality. Yeah it looses quality. Oh and camera quality as well
Sent from my Oppo Find 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well didi you try to listen music with different earphones ? Shipped earphones can only work ith dirac "ON".
I tryed to use Oppo earphones on HTC and they sounds poor. Also I found poor sounding Find 5 with HTC beats audio earphones.
If you find some conclusion pls let me know, because I'm not willing to use custom rom ..... for now. :victory:
THX

Grimmy91 said:
And do you think that oppo has a better audio than htc or with the beats EQ the One is better ? Maybe with using some good headphones like AKG sennheiser etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had both HTC One X, and the Droid DNA and I think Oppo sounds better. I don't know about the New HTC One with Boom-Sound though?

Grimmy91 said:
And do you think that oppo has a better audio than htc or with the beats EQ the One is better ? Maybe with using some good headphones like AKG sennheiser etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oppo is champ !!! But they(OPPO & DIRAC) made calibration with shipped earphones.
When u use other earphones u must disable DIRAC
otherwise sound is crap.
DIRAC sounds good only with shipped earphones and far far better than anything eles !
I am big audiopile and so far there was no phone to listen music on.
http://www.cabasse.com/cabfx2012/ba...ic-on-wall-baltic-on-base-santorin-30?lang=en
I own a pair :victory:

whynotbgd said:
Oppo is champ !!! But they(OPPO & DIRAC) made calibration with shipped earphones.
When u use other earphones u must disable DIRAC
otherwise sound is crap.
DIRAC sounds good only with shipped earphones and far far better than anything eles !
I am big audiopile and so far there was no phone to listen music on.
http://www.cabasse.com/cabfx2012/ba...ic-on-wall-baltic-on-base-santorin-30?lang=en
I own a pair :victory:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely agree. Dirac sounds horrible with anything other than the stock earphones.

osmosizzz said:
Completely agree. Dirac sounds horrible with anything other than the stock earphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like Dirac is nothing more than marketing bull**** to describe an EQ preset that works around crummy earphones... Kinda like HTC's Beats Audio (which is just a crappy EQ preset too).

No No No
Entropy512 said:
Sounds like Dirac is nothing more than marketing bull**** to describe an EQ preset that works around crummy earphones... Kinda like HTC's Beats Audio (which is just a crappy EQ preset too).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not bull.... and for sure this is not just an EQ preset like HTCs Beats Audio.
Most of brands use branded cost effective solution (EQ based) to impress customers but Oppo does not.
DIRAC correct phase to firms up the bass, removes resonances, focuses the stereo image and makes voices stand out like you never have heard them before.

whynotbgd said:
It's not bull.... and for sure this is not just an EQ preset like HTCs Beats Audio.
Most of brands use branded cost effective solution (EQ based) to impress customers but Oppo does not.
DIRAC correct phase to firms up the bass, removes resonances, focuses the stereo image and makes voices stand out like you never have heard them before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All marketing mumbojumbo for "cheesy postprocessing and/or lame EQ preset"
The fact that it only works to "fix" Oppo's cheap earbuds is a clear sign that it is just an EQ preset designed to compensate for the deficiencies of cheap earbuds.
All of the research I've read indicates that DIRAC serves to do only one thing: Compensate for cheapo earbuds to make them sound better. It will make good earbuds/earphones sound like crap, and is unncessary with them.
When you can get Monoprice 9927s for <$10:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10823&cs_id=1082303&p_id=9927&seq=1&format=2
http://lifehacker.com/5991079/monoprice-improves-on-the-best-7-headphones-youll-ever-buy
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-headphones-under-30/
And Comply foam replacement tips for $15:
http://www.complyfoam.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Comply-T-400-Isolation-Earphone-Medium/dp/B002NUJ2RM/ (for the non-waxguard version, waxguard is $20 for three pairs)
It's pointless to waste time working around crappy cheap OEM buds.
Edit: In general, Comply foam tips are one of the best "bang for your buck" upgrades for any earbud (except ones that already have foam tips)

Yeah, honestly, this crap is like the same BS they pull with Pixel count in cell cameras.
I have some very nice Westone buds that sound amazing on any phone I've had. Turn off all the garbage and you get yourself a hell of an audio experience. These guys feel like they have to provide some audio gem in name because these bloody devices are phones, not good quality audio gear. If you want to bump your audio experience, go get a portable amp and melt your brain.
The Oppo and CM sound great. Only need I have for the DSP is to tweak the sound of the speaker for voice calls.

Is there a different type of bluetooth used by cm compared to stock Oppo ROM? I read something about different compression formats like apt-x. Perhaps cm just needs a bluetooth overhaul.

crackalac87 said:
Is there a different type of bluetooth used by cm compared to stock Oppo ROM? I read something about different compression formats like apt-x. Perhaps cm just needs a bluetooth overhaul.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had no issues with Bluetooth with my Sony bluetooth headset.
Google completely replaced the entire Bluetooth stack with 4.2

crackalac87 said:
Is there a different type of bluetooth used by cm compared to stock Oppo ROM? I read something about different compression formats like apt-x. Perhaps cm just needs a bluetooth overhaul.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to have the s3 and apt x enables headphones and the sound quality is just on another level! Standard bluetooth SBC suports stereo up to 345kbps but idk why, for the most part, they end up sounding bad in most cases. Apt-x lets better audio pass though with minimal compression.
read these two wikies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBC_(codec)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apt-X
now for dirac, it may just be an eq thing but idk. speaker sound much better with audio calls and just playing music. there is bass, and mids added (looking like an eq thing as of now). When it comes to music listening, without any mod, cm10 doesnt sound that great. With the V4A sound mod, it sounds really good. V4A sound mod on stock rom helps but not too much. IDk what oppo has done, butif there is no specific hardware thing within the phone that is activated with any rom, then i guess it;s an eq thing? anyone correct me if im wrong

osmosizzz said:
I used to have the s3 and apt x enables headphones and the sound quality is just on another level! Standard bluetooth SBC suports stereo up to 345kbps but idk why, for the most part, they end up sounding bad in most cases. Apt-x lets better audio pass though with minimal compression.
read these two wikies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBC_(codec)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apt-X
now for dirac, it may just be an eq thing but idk. speaker sound much better with audio calls and just playing music. there is bass, and mids added (looking like an eq thing as of now). When it comes to music listening, without any mod, cm10 doesnt sound that great. With the V4A sound mod, it sounds really good. V4A sound mod on stock rom helps but not too much. IDk what oppo has done, butif there is no specific hardware thing within the phone that is activated with any rom, then i guess it;s an eq thing? anyone correct me if im wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm positive it's an EQ thing. Might be able to achieve similar results by playing with DSP Manager

I feel like the audio quality improved on the external speaker with cm10.1

osmosizzz said:
speaker sound much better with audio calls and just playing music. there is bass, and mids added (looking like an eq thing as of now). When it comes to music listening, without any mod, cm10 doesnt sound that great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Entropy512 said:
I'm positive it's an EQ thing. Might be able to achieve similar results by playing with DSP Manager
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having big battery issues with my Galaxy S2 and was considering the switch to the Find5, the good sound quality being one of the strongest argument for me so the fact that Dirac is only an EQ to compensate crappy earbuds is kinda bumping me out
A long long time ago I used to listen to music on a iAudio X5 / Shure E4g combo, with great quality (the integrated EQ helped, but still wow, great sound). Now I'm on the GS2, and it's fine with a pair of Ultimate Ears 400vi but I'm not coming back to crappy earbuds, so if the only plus of the Find5 in the audio corner besides the speaker is an EQ then I guess I'll have to wait until the next big cheap thing
What do you think? Considering Oppo opened its sources from the start is it possible that the sound capabilities of the stock rom get ported to other roms like CM?
osmosizzz said:
With the V4A sound mod, it sounds really good. V4A sound mod on stock rom helps but not too much?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How does it work on CM? Gotta test that right away on my S2

You definitely have to play with v4a until you get the right sound for you. And sound settings varies from headphone to headphone
Sent from my Find 5 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
---------- Post added at 05:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:00 PM ----------
May be an eq thing but stock ROM produces better sound and louder volume. Bass is also stronger on stock ROM.
Sent from my Find 5 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

whynotbgd said:
When u use other earphones u must disable DIRAC
otherwise sound is crap.
DIRAC sounds good only with shipped earphones and far far better than anything eles !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
took your statement and did a test myself on stock rom and on firefly (international) , found some good music and hooked up the stock headset in the find 5, sounds great with DIRAC , as you said, then switched headset after have playing music in a periode, then tested with DIRAC enabled on my beats audio headset (stock from htc sensation xl), and sound was still really good, not much diffrent, only beats had more bass , but that headset is also a inear headset, which usually gives more bass.
Then just today, after flashing a codefireXperimental rom, as name say, not released at all, and then tested both headsets again, this time, ofc without DIRAC, but nothing else, no audio mods at all. and stock headset is a little bit more bad in cfxp than in stock with DIRAC, but not at all as in other custom roms ive tried. then switched to beats headset, very little diffrent here, from stock rom with DIRAC and now in custom rom.
After all, i think that audio quality ,cant only be blamed at DIRAC , if you look in this link , its pretty impressive who uses DIRAC, so im sure its not crap only
whynotbgd said:
Shipped earphones can only work ith dirac "ON".
Also I found poor sounding Find 5 with HTC beats audio earphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats not true, it works fine without DIRAC enabled, and after testing my own beats headset with dirac and without in custom roms, i dont hear at all that the sound is more bad with Dirac than it is without, infact i like the audio more with my find 5 and beats audio, even in cfxp, than i do with beats audio on my htc sensation xl.

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!

Z2 headphone sound quality (with mod) vs. M8

Hi all,
I currently own the m8 and love it for its awesome sound quality, however the camera is absolute pants!
The only other phone I'd consider is the z2 but I am worried that the volume and sound quality via headphones will be disappointing. Can anyone tell me if the z2 with the sound mod will be as good as the m8?
Thanks

jimxms said:
Hi all,
I currently own the m8 and love it for its awesome sound quality, however the camera is absolute pants!
The only other phone I'd consider is the z2 but I am worried that the volume and sound quality via headphones will be disappointing. Can anyone tell me if the z2 with the sound mod will be as good as the m8?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would admit loudspeakers are not as good as M8. But with the headphones, its so much better, background noise is cancelled out thus youre getting more out of your music. Bass and stuff. And its comfortable too. Just a small tip, try listening to music on landscape while on loudspeaker, magically improves music experience. No tricks, no software magic. Just how your ear works. Try it!

jimxms said:
Hi all,
I currently own the m8 and love it for its awesome sound quality, however the camera is absolute pants!
The only other phone I'd consider is the z2 but I am worried that the volume and sound quality via headphones will be disappointing. Can anyone tell me if the z2 with the sound mod will be as good as the m8?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I first purchased the phone I was very disappointed with the sound quality coming from a Wolfson Galaxy S3. Now with RomAur (Beats + Sound Mod + Viper) and Doomkernel (Faux Sound) I am very happy.
I use a combination of Faux/Viper/Walkman settings in combination with the preinstalled Beats and Z2 Sound Mod and the audio quality now rivals my S3 and surpassed my HTC One M7 (via my Sony ZX-600 headphones). Can't speak for the M8 sadly.
TLR - Z2 sound quality stock is disappointing. With mods it's great.
Regards.

Both phones use the same DAC. The difference in sound comes from software and the headphone port. The Z2 has a nice black background, so its headphone port must be decent. It also has a very nice bass boost in its built in equalizer, which works in any music app and not just the Walkman app. The reason I like the bass boost is because it boosts the lower end more than the higher end bass, so it doesn't bleed into the mids. I don't use the Clear Audio+ option as it just increases the treble but also narrows the soundstage.
The included IEMs are also very decent for bundled earphones. They have a nice flat frequency response but can also give punchy bass when you make them. They have decent instrument separation as well. They could maybe do with a little more clarity, but that's all really. The noise cancelling also works really well.
I've never had the privilege of listening to any Wolfson DACs, but the DAC inside my Z2 sounds quite comparable to the Texas Instruments DAC inside my JDS Labs C5D. It's to do with taste more than anything at this point. Again, the DACs in the M8 and Z2 are the same, so they shouldn't sound too different with software tweaks off. Can you not just try one out in a store anyway?

jimxms said:
Hi all,
I currently own the m8 and love it for its awesome sound quality, however the camera is absolute pants!
The only other phone I'd consider is the z2 but I am worried that the volume and sound quality via headphones will be disappointing. Can anyone tell me if the z2 with the sound mod will be as good as the m8?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im using z2. Sound mod with headphones enchanting is not working for me. Its comes bugging noises. So i do prefer using sound mod without headphone enchanted. For m8 i cannot tell. But for my z2, i fully satisfy. Amazing sound with my sennheiser ie-80. Deep and detail bass. Good for easy listening. The trebles is smooth. And great Vocal too. Over all surpassing my htc one sc. Im using original rom v 314. Doomkernel v10. And yes i prefer sound enchantment than clear audio +. Ram, camera, sound, waterproof. Its comparable device for me.

Can confirm that the sound quality you get out of the box is very good, playing with the eq settings makes it even better. It's noticeable better than the Z1.
I'm using the A-Jays Three earphones and I'm really pleased although I'm wondering if getting the noice cancelling earphones would give me a even better experience.
Are they worth getting it?
Sent from my Xperia Z2

Jiyeon90 said:
Can confirm that the sound quality you get out of the box is very good, playing with the eq settings makes it even better. It's noticeable better than the Z1.
I'm using the A-Jays Three earphones and I'm really pleased although I'm wondering if getting the noice cancelling earphones would give me a even better experience.
Are they worth getting it?
Sent from my Xperia Z2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For noise canceling they are great,sound quality is OK but not the best you can buy.

Sound on my Z2 is quite decent with the official ROM, however if you flash CM and that would be gone instantly and the volume will be very low.
I prefer using headphones over loudspeaker anyways but it would be better with a Mod, can someone post a link to a thread or something?
Thanks.

Well I don't really like the sound and noise cancelling on the official Sony Rom!
You really have to tweak it to be good.
The really best wound comes when you have a CM Rom installed and the equalizer set to Rock! It's is fantastic for any type of music. And If you want it louder there is mod for that...
No noise cancelling, clear sound, Beats... whatever, can "beat" the sound that come out a CM rom... in my opinion of course...

Z2 Soundmod http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2293589 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2293589 this i can confirm so far can be installed and works.

angerousevil said:
Z2 Soundmod http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2293589 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2293589 this i can confirm so far can be installed and works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you need unlocked bootloader for that?
Sent from my Xperia Z2

Jiyeon90 said:
Do you need unlocked bootloader for that?
Sent from my Xperia Z2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can have custom recovery without unlocking bootloader. The answer is no needed. Because u need to flash zip with cwmr/twrp. Try to search xda forum about that. I lost my drm key and unlocking my bootloader on the first day this phone come out the box. So i never try to find out about that. And im using doom kernel v10 now.

angerousevil said:
If you can have custom recovery without unlocking bootloader. The answer is no needed. Because u need to flash zip with cwmr/twrp. Try to search xda forum about that. I lost my drm key and unlocking my bootloader on the first day this phone come out the box. So i never try to find out about that. And im using doom kernel v10 now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I have custom recovery, thanks
Sent from my Xperia Z2

I started stock... the speakers were decent but just not loud enough for me
Then I bought the noise-canceling earphones and they made a world of difference
Still not satisfied I rooted, unlocked bootloader, and installed CM11
I just found it a little buggy and went back stock...
Then rooted again and installed SOUNDMOD by olokos
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2758189
Bought MDR-XB90EX earbuds
http://www.amazon.com/MDR-XB90EX-In...ie=UTF8&qid=1412894172&sr=8-1&keywords=xb90ex
Almost everything is perfect except for two things:
1) I get a crackling with Hangouts notifications (not all the time, comes randomly)
2) Call quality on the earpiece is SO quiet. Speakers sound great.

I dont know why. But other mod make my sq getting worse. Still using pure audio and stock now. Tried z2 mod by olokos. Got bugging noises. Tried m8 mod. Got breaking sound for sub.

Also tried sirius soundmod last night. And got same issue. Annoyingly noises came after installed.

I'm using noice cancelling headset with viper4android and fauxsound. It's enough for me.

Audio on the note 4

Morning all, I've always had an android phone, more recently I've joined a well known financial firm and obtained a brand new iPhone 6 for literally nothing, which is essentially the anti Christ in my eyes, to my dismay I realised that not only was this phone everything I thought it wasn't it's also got superb battery life and is ridiculously louder than my note 4 with far better bass, my question is this, can lollipop sound be boosted, I'm currently on echo pop Rom, the audio with ael kernel doesn't work as it should by all accounts. But having owned an S3, I know Samsung phones are toned down when it comes to the audio.
My iPhone is pure stock, it's audio is amazing, both on headphones, Bluetooth and speaker volume.
All help appreciated.

@dladz IPhone? You know that santan will come for your soul tonight, right? But to get back on the subject, I have to agree on the sound, I personally think that with the same Headset the iPhone sounds better then the stock Note4. Battery life of the iPhone is the same or a little less then the Note4. Regards

My dogs names marley, weird. But I agree, the audio is superior. Samsung shouldn't hold their audio back, think they've always done that though. .

Hi, I would say that the audio from the note 4 is better than the iphone, but only when you are using google play music. This is because it is one of the few apps that doesn't use Samsung's software equaliser, The DAC on the snapdragon 805 is better than that of the iphones cirrus logic chip, plus it supports 24 bit 192 khz audio decoding on the chip. I'm surprised that there hasn't been more praise for the note 4's audio.
P.s. The Note 4 (SM-N910F) & SoundMagic E10 are a stunning combo.
Sent from my SM-N910F using XDA Free mobile app

I all bull****. Iphones audio quality is rubbish. No equalizers, viper audio is far superior.
Sent from the first Samsung Galaxy ever

I'm sure theres a few thread knocking around in the apps and themes section. They will probably up the default volumes by a bit by altering the default values in the system, then I would use Viper Audio, which I also agree is superior.
I literally could not believe the difference once Viper was installed and configured it blew me away.
Samsung may have a better way of decoding the audio but what good is that with a small shi**y speaker.
I think personally if you want a phone for its audio quality its HTC one all day.

Brava27 said:
I all bull****. Iphones audio quality is rubbish. No equalizers, viper audio is far superior.
Sent from the first Samsung Galaxy ever
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you actually read what I wrote ? I have always hated apple. I got this phone for next to nothing, the only reason I chose it is because I've never has one, that being said I didn't start this thread to spark a debate, that's not what this is so if you want to come in here and moan on about apple and say the audio is terrible then don't, I asked a question, if you do not have an answer then kindly either remove your comment or don't write anything.
Viper audio is a good mod, as is acid sound mod too. However, at stock levels the iPhone is miles ahead. Even with the note 4 tweaked the iPhone was ahead. I haven't tried acid mod as I don't think it's available for the note 4 as of yet but besides that I think it's a lost cause.

jshq97 said:
Hi, I would say that the audio from the note 4 is better than the iphone, but only when you are using google play music. This is because it is one of the few apps that doesn't use Samsung's software equaliser, The DAC on the snapdragon 805 is better than that of the iphones cirrus logic chip, plus it supports 24 bit 192 khz audio decoding on the chip. I'm surprised that there hasn't been more praise for the note 4's audio.
P.s. The Note 4 (SM-N910F) & SoundMagic E10 are a stunning combo.
Sent from my SM-N910F using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with the chip, we know from HTC that great things can be done with it, however this isn't HTC it's Samsung and the speaker is tinny and low (at stock) I just compared the two devices with the same song..please try it next time you're in a phone shop, the difference is undeniable.
Haven't used sound magic, but I do own the 910f, at least until the M9 comes out anyway.
If acid mod comes out on the note 4 I have no doubt that the audio will vastly improve, last time I used this (or even needed it) was on my galaxy S3, the audio on that phone was similarly shocking, with that mod it was one of the loudest phones I've ever heard.
On your second point. I completely disagree with it, Google play makes no difference in this comparison.
I have tried, I also use power amp which is undoubtedly the best player to ever grace android.

mklass said:
I'm sure theres a few thread knocking around in the apps and themes section. They will probably up the default volumes by a bit by altering the default values in the system, then I would use Viper Audio, which I also agree is superior.
I literally could not believe the difference once Viper was installed and configured it blew me away.
Samsung may have a better way of decoding the audio but what good is that with a small shi**y speaker.
I think personally if you want a phone for its audio quality its HTC one all day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a few threads, not the one I was looking for (acid mod) but again like you said it's a terrible speaker, also if you think about it, with HTC (besides the speakers) you have an active eq, software that adapts and adapts well, that's literally what the iphone has, they also own beats now too which is essentially what the eq was on HTC devices, I'm guessing that they might have used some code from the beats software for boomsound.
With viper , as much as it may help , it's not an active eq, it doesn't mould to the music the way the other two do, neither does acid.
Louder ? Maybe. Better audio quality ? I'm not so sure.

dladz said:
Agree with the chip, we know from HTC that great things can be done with it, however this isn't HTC it's Samsung and the speaker is tinny and low (at stock) I just compared the two devices with the same song..please try it next time you're in a phone shop, the difference is undeniable.
Haven't used sound magic, but I do own the 910f, at least until the M9 comes out anyway.
If acid mod comes out on the note 4 I have no doubt that the audio will vastly improve, last time I used this (or even needed it) was on my galaxy S3, the audio on that phone was similarly shocking, with that mod it was one of the loudest phones I've ever heard.
On your second point. I completely disagree with it, Google play makes no difference in this comparison.
I have tried, I also use power amp which is undoubtedly the best player to ever grace android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do like HTC for their boom sound speakers, but when I have my headphones on I'm more of an audiophile. It may be a selective carrier thing or just software variations but with play music (actually, after some testing, all non samsung audio player apps) have a much more natural and slightly louder sound. There must be some software sound enhancement trickery on the touchwiz side.
I do understand that sound is subjective, so what I hear others may hear differently. These are just my obeservations

jshq97 said:
I do like HTC for their boom sound speakers, but when I have my headphones on I'm more of an audiophile. It may be a selective carrier thing or just software variations but with play music (actually, after some testing, all non samsung audio player apps) have a much more natural and slightly louder sound. There must be some software sound enhancement trickery on the touchwiz side.
I do understand that sound is subjective, so what I hear others may hear differently. These are just my obeservations
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try audiotechnica w5000's never heard anything quite like them before. Cost you an arm and a leg but the audio is phenomenal.

the solution is
doing a root an install Walkman player fuul ported from its Z3
really amazing Sony is with its sound technology
---------- Post added at 04:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:28 PM ----------
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2730431

crazydeepman said:
the solution is
doing a root an install Walkman player fuul ported from its Z3
really amazing Sony is with its sound technology
---------- Post added at 04:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:28 PM ----------
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2730431
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't tried that before but I did own a Z1 which i rooted, the audio for me wasn't out of this world, the iPhone still has much better audio i'm afraid, htc definitely better audio.
Sony does have some plus points but don't think the audio is better mate.

[Q] Root/other headphones and audio quality improvement methods/audio mods

Hello,
I find headphones dongle with my earphones quite lacking quality/soundstage, but searching through forums I stumbled upon this: Viper detects our essential dongle as a speaker. Was it fixed, or do you have any suggestions how to improve sound quality?
I'm using AuriSonics ASG 1Plus, which are an excellent IEM's, with low Impedence:
(11 ohm +/ 10% @ 1kHz16 ; Sensitivity: [email protected]).
So there should be no problem powering 'em and dishing as good sound performance as possible.
I know essential uses Cirrus DAC (which is average, but I'm not really buying any high-quality USB-c DAC or portable AMP).
I come from Pixel XL, which had dedicated 3.5mm jack and SD DAC, it sounded okay and WAY better than essential.
Some EQ tweaks can elevate a bit of problems, but I'm looking for a more all-around solution (whether it's fixed viper(drivers/libraries/etc.)(( or something else)).
Thanks!

Bump.

Tautvydas said:
Hello,
I find headphones dongle with my earphones quite lacking quality/soundstage, but searching through forums I stumbled upon this: Viper detects our essential dongle as a speaker. Was it fixed, or do you have any suggestions how to improve sound quality?
I'm using AuriSonics ASG 1Plus, which are an excellent IEM's, with low Impedence:
(11 ohm +/ 10% @ 1kHz16 ; Sensitivity: [email protected]).
So there should be no problem powering 'em and dishing as good sound performance as possible.
I know essential uses Cirrus DAC (which is average, but I'm not really buying any high-quality USB-c DAC or portable AMP).
I come from Pixel XL, which had dedicated 3.5mm jack and SD DAC, it sounded okay and WAY better than essential.
Some EQ tweaks can elevate a bit of problems, but I'm looking for a more all-around solution (whether it's fixed viper(drivers/libraries/etc.)(( or something else)).
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about this DAC?
https://www.zorloo.com/zuperdac-s
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/zuperdac-s-zuper-charge-your-music#/
I bought it when it was pre-release for quite a bit less.
Much better than the included dongle that comes with the phone.

tech_head said:
How about this DAC?
https://www.zorloo.com/zuperdac-s
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/zuperdac-s-zuper-charge-your-music#/
I bought it when it was pre-release for quite a bit less.
Much better than the included dongle that comes with the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, I'm not up for buying any DAC's, but this one got me quite interested since it's for pc as well.
How is it?
Thanks!

Tautvydas said:
To be honest, I'm not up for buying any DAC's, but this one got me quite interested since it's for pc as well.
How is it?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interested in knowing as well. After my experience with the Aero Indiegogo, I have a pretty bad taste for Zorloo.

stompysan said:
Interested in knowing as well. After my experience with the Aero Indiegogo, I have a pretty bad taste for Zorloo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the first headphone Z:ero and got them on time.
They worked great.
I bought the DAC while still on pre-order and received it a while ago.
For a small DAC the quality is really good.
The volume buttons make it very usable since you can set the input to the DAC from the phone at an optimal level then use the volume buttons on the DAC for the input of the car stereo, headphones, etc.
I'm quite happy and it's much better than the little dongle that comes with the phone.
Is it Focusrite or Apogee? No, but it's not $2K either.

I found the same issue. I don't think it is the DAC, but instead the native Android USB/DAC driver.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/essential-phone/themes/finding-music-player-essential-phones-t3710793
The problem is that this won't work for streaming applications. But I listen to FLAC / hi-bit MP3 so it solved the issue for me.

TimboC2000 said:
I found the same issue. I don't think it is the DAC, but instead the native Android USB/DAC driver.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/essential-phone/themes/finding-music-player-essential-phones-t3710793
The problem is that this won't work for streaming applications. But I listen to FLAC / hi-bit MP3 so it solved the issue for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Great thread you've created, really explains it.
Which app would you prefer, Neutron or Onkyo? You explained about Onkyo, but it's almost 10 euros for me, Neutron is a bit cheaper and I was thinking for quite some time to buy it. Had it on my old Blackberry Z10, it was native to BB OS.
Right now I'm using foobar, since I'm using it on pc, where I think it's the best music player, but when it comes to Android, you live you learn hehe.

Tautvydas said:
Thanks! Great thread you've created, really explains it.
Which app would you prefer, Neutron or Onkyo? You explained about Onkyo, but it's almost 10 euros for me, Neutron is a bit cheaper and I was thinking for quite some time to buy it. Had it on my old Blackberry Z10, it was native to BB OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I only have experience with Onkyo and Hiby. The Onkyo is pretty well developed and something I use fairly regularly so it was worth the money to me.
Hopefully somebody else can provide comments on Neutron for you.

Anyone tried the Viper audio add-on in Magisk? I purchased Bluetooth Skull Candy Ink'd for $20 and love the sound quality. Actually have the volume at 80% most of the time
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

I just purchased a pixel audio adapter, as it measures well for its price ($9).
The market for high-end usbc adapters isn't quite there yet it seems, a traditional dac+amp setup is probably still better if you need more power.
If you're using IEMs though, powerful amps tend to have a higher noise floor.

Just tested Neutron player, it's excellent.
Huge increase in soundstage, overall processing quality, sounds great.
Magic is done under Audio Hardware options, selecting 'Direct USB Driver' to allow direct access to the USB device.

Duo8 said:
I just purchased a pixel audio adapter, as it measures well for its price ($9).
The market for high-end usbc adapters isn't quite there yet it seems, a traditional dac+amp setup is probably still better if you need more power.
If you're using IEMs though, powerful amps tend to have a higher noise floor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have that adapter and the Essential adapter. Using Onkyo HF application it was able to use multiple bit rates with the Essential adapter, but the Google adapter only works at 48kHz.
I have the Sabaj Da3 as well. It works great with the Onkyo HF app, it supports multiple sample rates and upconverts to DSD512 as well. Issues are: 1. It's huge. 2: It burns significant battery, especially if upconverting. 3. When I bought it was $90, right now it is $119 on Amazon - so it's expensive!
Honestly, for non-critical on the go listening the Essential adapter works really well once you bypass the Android USB driver.
---------- Post added at 06:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:46 PM ----------
Tautvydas said:
Just tested Neutron player, it's excellent.
Huge increase in soundstage, overall processing quality, sounds great.
Magic is done under Audio Hardware options, selecting 'Direct USB Driver' to allow direct access to the USB device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad it fixed your issues!

TimboC2000 said:
Unfortunately, I only have experience with Onkyo and Hiby. The Onkyo is pretty well developed and something I use fairly regularly so it was worth the money to me.
Hopefully somebody else can provide comments on Neutron for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your original thread which pointed me to these apps..
1. I tried Hiby, and did like its music quality, but its very rough for me.. I could not make/receive voice calls when it locks my headphones.. Also it does not show any info on the actual bitrates its using..
2. I am trying out Neutron trial version, which is a 5 day limited use full feature version. It too seems to be limiting the output to 48kHz. Yet to try Onkyo.

mvadu said:
Thank you for your original thread which pointed me to these apps..
1. I tried Hiby, and did like its music quality, but its very rough for me.. I could not make/receive voice calls when it locks my headphones.. Also it does not show any info on the actual bitrates its using..
2. I am trying out Neutron trial version, which is a 5 day limited use full feature version. It too seems to be limiting the output to 48kHz. Yet to try Onkyo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
USB Audio Player Pro also seems well regarded and developed. I believe Hiby is a single developer and is much more of a work in progress.

Just found the perfect setup for my IEM's.
Ainur Sauron Magisk module and Neutron player's "direct USB support" option. Sounds amazing now!
Had quite similar experience in the ol' days with Colorfly C3 and Klipsch iem's (can't remember the model).
Or just that I'm easily impressed
Tried viper, just really dislike its signature sound. Clarity, bass, convolver turned on and tuned a bit, still, not to my ears.