Database Users

Will a portable amp Improve the headphone quality?

Probably the most stupidest question out there but just wondering..
Since a lot of people are saying that the headphone quality is meh will a portable amp improve the quality?

crap in, crap out
amplifying a crap headphone out (if it is crap to you where you think a seperate amp should be used) will result in a crap result
if the usb has a line out, that might be of some use....does it? I'd be interested to know

An amp with its own DAC, like the Fiio E18 for example, would improve the sound quality. I've not used mine since I got my Exynos S7 though, the sound quality sounds good enough.

dazzer1975 said:
crap in, crap out
amplifying a crap headphone out (if it is crap to you where you think a seperate amp should be used) will result in a crap result
if the usb has a line out, that might be of some use....does it? I'd be interested to know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i have no idea, some people have said that getting a portable amp and plugging it to your phone will increase the audio quality :\ but your saying of "crap in, crap out" makes a lot of sense.. haha

jbpf77 said:
An amp with its own DAC, like the Fiio E18 for example, would improve the sound quality. I've not used mine since I got my Exynos S7 though, the sound quality sounds good enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers for that, yeah i'll be getting the exynos as well is it as bad as everyone saying it is ? (sound quality)

dazzer1975 said:
crap in, crap out
amplifying a crap headphone out (if it is crap to you where you think a seperate amp should be used) will result in a crap result
if the usb has a line out, that might be of some use....does it? I'd be interested to know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
portable amps don't utilize the 3.5mm jack. And yes, a portable amp will improve the quality. If you have the snapdragon version, then you'd want a portable dac/amp combo.

andiedee said:
Cheers for that, yeah i'll be getting the exynos as well is it as bad as everyone saying it is ? (sound quality)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me, listening at my desk at work in a fairly quiet environment, the sound quality and volume levels are absolutely fine. I used to have to use my E18 with my Note 4 all the time as the sound quality was really bad, especially noticeable as I had an M8 before that, but I've not used the E18 at all since I got the S7.

jbpf77 said:
For me, listening at my desk at work in a fairly quiet environment, the sound quality and volume levels are absolutely fine. I used to have to use my E18 with my Note 4 all the time as the sound quality was really bad, especially noticeable as I had an M8 before that, but I've not used the E18 at all since I got the S7.
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Click to collapse
oh okay! sounds good to me
I got the m8 at the moment its 2 years old, gotta replace it with the s7e or the new HTC 10 i don't know if i can be bothered waiting for the HTC 10 though :\

I'm using my senheiser omx 980 and waiting for the oppo ha 2 hopefully it will sound different. I'm satisfied with the audio as it is now nonetheless
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I have funded this on Kickstarter. Its a DAC that is connected via the USB port.
AQUA DAC
Shipping at the end of this month hopefully. Write up seems good. I will have to wait till it comes to see if it works.

andiedee said:
Cheers for that, yeah i'll be getting the exynos as well is it as bad as everyone saying it is ? (sound quality)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which headphones are you Using??
I'm using a Pair of UE 900 (UVP 399€ quad-driver in-ear-monitors), and i have no problems, of deficites. I used an htc one m8 before, and i dont really notice a worse soundquality.
Sure, if you really try hard enough and compare then like you want to dissect it, you might find differences.
But like i said, i have no Problems there. The Output impedance is low enough with almost 2 Ohm, soundquality, and output Power is really enough (i can not listen to 100% Volume, it's just way too loud for me).
Of course, you'll ha ve to decide that yourself, maybe you have much better in-ears / headphones, and have much higher, more audiophile standards.
(but, if you dont dissect your music, but just want to enjoy listening, it's totally fine)

Hi fi dac user thread

Just got the Hi Fi DAC and at ridiculously low price of £50/$66 to boot!
Sounds awesome and the module itself is using the flagship ES9028 SABRE DAC and 9602 Headphone Amp: http://www.esstech.com/index.php/en/news/newsroom/ess-technology-comes-out-play-lg-g5
even the upcoming V20 is supposed to have the next level DAC down (ES9018)? correct me if i am wrong!
The sound is MUCH louder than the built in sound via headphone and the sound stage is brighter and more balanced, even on standard resolution tracks with spotify (i have a free year sub on Microsoft Groove and it sounds great on there too).
love the fact that it can operate as an external DAC and quite literally has saved me so much money. I was going to purchase a 32bit/192 Hi Fi grade DAC from Cambridge Audio to Drive my Cambridge Audio Amp and speaker setup at home. HiFi Stero grade DACS tend to use a Sabre or Wolfson DAC. I've saved myself over £500!!
This sounds amazing when hooked onto a laptop.
Was at a party and people were connecting their phones (mostly iPhones) to an external speaker via the headphone jack. this module was MUCH louder than all the rest and drove the speakers better with clearer sound quality.
Only negatives i have found so far are that the module can sometimes be shaky which causes it turn off and resync on the odd occasion. It runs quite warm when used and it does drain battery noticeably more than if i just used the on board sound. I always carry a fully charged spare battery anyway so not that fussed.
Thought id just share my thoughts so far and open a thread where other users can comment on their experiences.

mikey_sk said:
Just got the Hi Fi DAC and at ridiculously low price of £50/$66 to boot!
Sounds awesome and the module itself is using the flagship ES9028 SABRE DAC and 9602 Headphone Amp: http://www.esstech.com/index.php/en/news/newsroom/ess-technology-comes-out-play-lg-g5
even the upcoming V20 is supposed to have the next level DAC down (ES9018)? correct me if i am wrong!
The sound is MUCH louder than the built in sound via headphone and the sound stage is brighter and more balanced, even on standard resolution tracks with spotify (i have a free year sub on Microsoft Groove and it sounds great on there too).
love the fact that it can operate as an external DAC and quite literally has saved me so much money. I was going to purchase a 32bit/192 Hi Fi grade DAC from Cambridge Audio to Drive my Cambridge Audio Amp and speaker setup at home. HiFi Stero grade DACS tend to use a Sabre or Wolfson DAC. I've saved myself over £500!!
This sounds amazing when hooked onto a laptop.
Was at a party and people were connecting their phones (mostly iPhones) to an external speaker via the headphone jack. this module was MUCH louder than all the rest and drove the speakers better with clearer sound quality.
Only negatives i have found so far are that the module can sometimes be shaky which causes it turn off and resync on the odd occasion. It runs quite warm when used and it does drain battery noticeably more than if i just used the on board sound. I always carry a fully charged spare battery anyway so not that fussed.
Thought id just share my thoughts so far and open a thread where other users can comment on their experiences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds awesome. Where did you buy this ?

Jonathan-H said:
Sounds awesome. Where did you buy this ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.onedigitals.co.uk/lg-afd-1200-hi-fi-plus-with-b-o-play-black.html
including shipping £50
only works with European H850 only not the usa LG G5 or Asian variants

Are there any of these cutting edge features in S8?

1. Micro-SD card slots - Is it UHS-1 (100mbps)or UHS-2(150mbps)?
2. Quick Charge/Adaptive Fast Charging - Looks like it's still QC- 2.0 since stock charger is having same rating as the one in S6 edge or 3.0 (so far only 6 phones are supported) or 4.0 (announced by qualcomm officially today) ?
3. Have any one tried type-c headphones - any improvements over 3.5mm if it works.
4. There are rumors that Camera sensor uses Sony IMX333 capable of 1000fps.

4. As far as I know the only Sony sensor capable of 1000FPS is IMX400 and it's 19MP. It has extra memory build inside sensor and ours doesn't, so no.
3. I'm not sure what kind of improvement can one expect from headphones connected to USB C, so please enlighten me, just don't quote some BS Apple's advert.

pete4k said:
4. As far as I know the only Sony sensor capable of 1000FPS is IMX400 and it's 19MP. It has extra memory build inside sensor and ours doesn't, so no.
3. I'm not sure what kind of improvement can one expect from headphones connected to USB C, so please enlighten me, just don't quote some BS Apple's advert.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3.5 mm headphones can introduce noise which usb type c would not. Also if the headphones have a built in dac better then the one in the phone they could easily sound better. I personally enjoy the tuned by akgs but made by Samsungs though.

s4shield said:
3.5 mm headphones can introduce noise which usb type c would not. Also if the headphones have a built in dac better then the one in the phone they could easily sound better. I personally enjoy the tuned by akgs but made by Samsungs though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
maybe if you had cheap headphones plugged into a cheap computer on a cheap old circuit in an old house or something
plugging it into the phone, 99% of the time there will be no noise

lawrence750 said:
maybe if you had cheap headphones plugged into a cheap computer on a cheap old circuit in an old house or something
plugging it into the phone, 99% of the time there will be no noise
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only said it was possible. Haven't had that issue but again if the headphones had a built in dac that would make a difference.

s4shield said:
I only said it was possible. Haven't had that issue but again if the headphones had a built in dac that would make a difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure, but I thought I readed that there was a DAC, which was even improved so it could process 32bit audio? Don't pin me on this, but from what I can say, the music sounds in comparison of my old S6:
1: Way better, clearer.
2: More loudness.

pnxsinned said:
I am not sure, but I thought I readed that there was a DAC, which was even improved so it could process 32bit audio? Don't pin me on this, but from what I can say, the music sounds in comparison of my old S6:
1: Way better, clearer.
2: More loudness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are right but there are better.

s4shield said:
3.5 mm headphones can introduce noise which usb type c would not. Also if the headphones have a built in dac better then the one in the phone they could easily sound better. I personally enjoy the tuned by akgs but made by Samsungs though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way I can think of the noise being introduced on 3.5mm jack is induction on the analog wire connection which should be fixed with shielded wire. Now, are you trying to compare some cheap analog headphones that don't even have shielded wire, with digital headphones with build in expensive DAC?

pete4k said:
The only way I can think of the noise being introduced on 3.5mm jack is induction on the analog wire connection which should be fixed with shielded wire. Now, are you trying to compare some cheap analog headphones that don't even have shielded wire, with digital headphones with build in expensive DAC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay but even if it has a built in dac it could be better. I never had usb headphones at all. I don't plan on buying any either because I like to be able to keep the usb port open. I doubt there is any reason I would actually come up with that would make it seem like a worthwile purchase for me.

USB headphones are possible with the Galaxy S8. I have used my fairly inexpensive PC USB headset with the Galaxy S8 using the included USB C to USB A adapter, and it works flawlessly. The only use I have found for this is that I can leave the headset plugged into the port on the bottom of the GearVR that way once the phone is in the headset it's simultaneously connected to the headphones and without the lag that Bluetooth headphones may introduce.

On 4 - they use imx400 only in Korean version with 6gb ram, but the 960fps(not 1000) is not avaible for Samsung, its Sony's trick
About QC, i have s6 edge and my roommate have s7 edge, the s8 is charging faster even with bigger battery, idk if its 3.0 or 4.0 or whatever, but its faster than the s6 and s7

Audio Quality Thoughts

So I just got my HTC U11 today and spent a few hours setting it up. I finally got around to trying out the phone's audio capabilities.
USonic - they sound good for out of the box earphones, but they're definitely not as good as my V-Moda Forza's. I could tell immediately. I doubt I'll use this.
DAC adapter - I'm conflicted. I'm still trying to decide whether or not the adapter sounds as good as my HTC 10. My initial impression is that it's not as good. The 10 has a cleaner, fuller soundstage. I'm really bummed about the BoomSound Dolby and tuning mode not being present on the U11. I've never really listened to the 10 without that mode on, so maybe that's the reason. The U11 doesn't sound bad though.
What do you guys think?

Good enough for 90%
Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk

richteralan said:
Good enough for 90%
Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much this, most people will love it but I think anyone who had a HTC 10, an Axon 7, S7 Edge (Exynos, volume modded) will notice a bit of a step down. More so the AMP is weak rather than the DAC being bad (although Juan at PocketNow numbers show the DAC to be worse than the HTC 10, Axon 7, S7 Edge, iPhone 7).
I'm contemplating getting a Fiio K1

I just compared the sound quality between my 10 (without BoomSound on) and the U11, and they do sound quite similar.
This leads me to my disappointment -- why did they remove the BoomSound frequency tuning from the U11? It's nice that they have it for the USonic earphones, but why would you need to create multiple audio profiles for those earphones, if there's literally only one pair of earphones that can take advantage of that feature.

I'll have my thoughts later today using a dt770 as my comparison between the 10 and 11. They normally require more power than my HD600. I don't use high impedance/low sensitivity HPs with phones anyway but I figured I'd test.

djbutter said:
I just compared the sound quality between my 10 (without BoomSound on) and the U11, and they do sound quite similar.
This leads me to my disappointment -- why did they remove the BoomSound frequency tuning from the U11? It's nice that they have it for the USonic earphones, but why would you need to create multiple audio profiles for those earphones, if there's literally only one pair of earphones that can take advantage of that feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wondering this as well, you can't edit the audio profiles anyway so what is the point in having more than one profile

I've been happy about the audio quality so far. The problem I have is that we only get 1 of the DAC to 3.5mm adapter cables included. Now in order to use my music at home, in car, and at work I now have to carry the cable around with me. It is not ideal to have to carry around an adapter. Getting the included earphones is cool (sound okay) but would rather received a total of 4 adapter cables.
I went to order 4 more and found out that they are in pre-order status. I'll just have to wait until they come in. Once I have an adapter everywhere then I won't be so pissy about it. Really wish they would have kept the 3.5mm, then phone would be considered my best phone ever.

psawjack said:
I've been happy about the audio quality so far. The problem I have is that we only get 1 of the DAC to 3.5mm adapter cables included. Now in order to use my music at home, in car, and at work I now have to carry the cable around with me. It is not ideal to have to carry around an adapter. Getting the included earphones is cool (sound okay) but would rather received a total of 4 adapter cables.
I went to order 4 more and found out that they are in pre-order status. I'll just have to wait until they come in. Once I have an adapter everywhere then I won't be so pissy about it. Really wish they would have kept the 3.5mm, then phone would be considered my best phone ever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There really was no need to remove it, only to use a worse DAC/AMP in the adaptor.

GSM spoke highly of the headphone output. (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_u_11-review-1620p6.php)
Great audio output
The HTC U11 did splendidly in the first part of our audio test. When hooked to an active external amplifier it delivered very loud and perfectly accurate output.
When headphones come into play the volume remains nicely high and the only reading to take a hit is stereo crosstalk. It's a moderate amount of damage there and will all the other aspects of the performance remaining excellent, it's a great showing overall.
HTC U11 (headphones attached)
Frequency response: +0.05, -0.11 (+0.05, -0.02)
Noise Level: -94.1 (-93.7)
Dynamic Range: -94.1 (93.8)
THD: 0.0017 (0.0018)
IMD + Noise: 0.0067 (0.105)
Stereo crosstalk: -94.5 (-53.7)
HTC 10 (headphones attached)
Frequency response: +0.01, -0.03 (+0.06, -0.09)
Noise Level: -93.2 (-92.8)
Dynamic Range: -93.2 (93.0)
THD: 0.0022 (0.014)
IMD + Noise: 0.071 (0.141)
Stereo crosstalk: -92.8 (-77.9)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My own personal experience, I found my DT770 to sound great but was 2 notches of volume below the 10. The 10 at volume 13/15 was the U11 at 15/15. I definitely can hear the crosstalk difference GSM has measured. Heard that before I saw the measurements. Overall, I can definitely live with this. Just hope I don't put myself in situations where I need to charge and listen.

My first impressions are that I'm not particularly impressed by the Usonic earphones - but then I don't usually use the earbuds that come with a phone.
Given the reviews here, I was a bit surprised to find the sound from the U11 adapter sounds better on first hearing than I was getting from the HTC 10, but then I haven't yet done a proper A-B comparison - it could be I was playing it a bit louder, or 'new device' enthusiasm...

As I said it already the 3.5mm adapter lacks Boomsound and this make a big difference with HTC 10, HTC can implement it in the FW of the adapter but we need to let them know we want it.

mosincredible said:
GSM spoke highly of the headphone output. (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_u_11-review-1620p6.php)
My own personal experience, I found my DT770 to sound great but was 2 notches of volume below the 10. The 10 at volume 13/15 was the U11 at 15/15. I definitely can hear the crosstalk difference GSM has measured. Heard that before I saw the measurements. Overall, I can definitely live with this. Just hope I don't put myself in situations where I need to charge and listen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. I can see the logic behind HTC's decision, and I actually don't disagree with it. They dropped the headphone jack but added noise cancellation and a decent pair of earphones. This targets that iPhone userbase that only uses the awful in-box white ear buds. It's definitely better value for the money for the average user.
Perhaps they needed to compromise on sound quality, but it still sounds pretty fantastic with the adapter. It may not sound as good as the 10 (honestly though it's pretty close), but I'm not mad about it.

Which Boomsound speaker mode do you guys prefer? Music it theater mode? I feel like music more is crisper while tester is a bit longer but muddier.

MinimalistChris said:
Which Boomsound speaker mode do you guys prefer? Music it theater mode? I feel like music more is crisper while tester is a bit longer but muddier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use theatre mode all the time but yes it is muddier than music mode which sacrifices volume for better audio quality

About stereo crosstalk can you ''fix'' it with V4A?
Or there are no way to enhance stereo?

MinimalistChris said:
Which Boomsound speaker mode do you guys prefer? Music it theater mode? I feel like music more is crisper while tester is a bit longer but muddier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I usually use theatre mode. If I'm playing through the speakers, volume is more important to me.

On another note, I'm having this horrible issue with BT audio. When playing music in google play music through BT earphones (jaybird x2) or my home speaker (LG soundbar), occasionally there's a really loud, awful screeching noise!
Anyone else have this issue?
Otherwise, BT audio is noticeably improved over the 10!

djbutter said:
On another note, I'm having this horrible issue with BT audio. When playing music in google play music through BT earphones (jaybird x2) or my home speaker (LG soundbar), occasionally there's a really loud, awful screeching noise!
Anyone else have this issue?
Otherwise, BT audio is noticeably improved over the 10!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was listening with aptX in my car for a while today and I had no issues along with noticing no difference. Same volume level when connected to an Audioengine B1 that has a 2 volt output to my Audison bit-Ten. Wish I could do a quicker back and forth test with my 10 but I'd have to sync the Bluetooth over and over.

I have to admit that I'm a little bit worried about the sound quality on the u11. One of the things that I really enjoyed on the m8 m9 and the 10 was the Dolby audio enhancement. I have been using that in combination with power amp music player for years and you'd be surprised what kind of sound quality I get out of my Sennheiser HD 558's. I can hear the bass in music the way it is meant to be heard, almost felt, I don't hear that distorted bass sound that you tend to hear on lower end devices.
This may sound stupid to some people but if the sound quality is not at least the same as what I get on my 10 then I'm going to send the phone back. I just got done trying out a $300 pair of Bluetooth headphones with my 10 and I was not impressed, they were close in some areas but for $300 I want more than close. There is a cheaper pair that I have been thinking about trying with the 11 but I'm not sure that I'm going to want to invest all of this money just to be able to say I own the new flagship, and get half decent sound out of it with headphones, especially when for all intents and purposes I'm perfectly happy with my 10.
Right before the phone ended up shipping out to me I was debating on canceling my order because once the feeling of new shiny device wore off I started the question what about the new phone actually got me excited and to be perfectly honest the answer for me is really nothing. I think edge sense could be cool but the apparent lack of support from case manufacturers has me a bit scared as well. I have never owned an all glass phone before and I don't think you could pay me enough to use this phone without any full-body protection I understand that the camera is much better but honestly I don't see a problem with the one that I have. So this could be the first year that I actually hang on to my phone.

I just paired this phone with the Fiio K1 DAC. Much better audio experience. The HTC 10 apparently was better than the K1 by about 10% so the fact that the K1 sounds so good compared to the adapter is quite telling

Microphone problem with wired headphone

Hey guys i have little bit problem with this microphone its not broken or something i tested it.and i also disabled google voice settings but no luck.. other side is not hearing my voice in any condition with wired headphone is there a way to fix this problem ? Stock oos 4.5.10
Cheers..

Feedmeeeee said:
Hey guys i have little bit problem with this microphone its not broken or something i tested it.and i also disabled google voice settings but no luck.. other side is not hearing my voice in any condition with wired headphone is there a way to fix this problem ? Stock oos 4.5.10
Cheers..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried that headphone with other device

Pankaj Rai said:
Have you tried that headphone with other device
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Click to collapse
Yes i also mentioned it

i believe it happens to some earphone with mic. i have more than 3 headphones, two work perfect with oneplus 5, the other i have to try plug and pull out a little bit then test.
You may try other headphones ~
if you like your headphone pretty much, you may try type-c/3.5mm converter (especially the one from HTC), the quality of both record/listening is super good.

aromatic said:
i believe it happens to some earphone with mic. i have more than 3 headphones, two work perfect with oneplus 5, the other i have to try plug and pull out a little bit then test.
You may try other headphones ~
if you like your headphone pretty much, you may try type-c/3.5mm converter (especially the one from HTC), the quality of both record/listening is super good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay i will test with another headphone

aromatic said:
i believe it happens to some earphone with mic. i have more than 3 headphones, two work perfect with oneplus 5, the other i have to try plug and pull out a little bit then test.
You may try other headphones ~
if you like your headphone pretty much, you may try type-c/3.5mm converter (especially the one from HTC), the quality of both record/listening is super good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, if I'm not wrong, using any type-c/3.5mm converter (especially the one from HTC), improves the input and output sound quality of every 3.5mm headphone jack+microphone on the Oneplus 5?
So, if I buy a cheap type-c/3.5mm converter and I plug it in my Oneplus 5, then the sound coming of the headphone will always be improved?
Regardless of the Headphone brand and specs? And as a bonus, there will never be any compatibility issues like with the microphones or with the headphone control buttons?
These converters sound magical.
Did anyone try one on a 1+5 yet?

FC_Termi said:
So, if I'm not wrong, using any type-c/3.5mm converter (especially the one from HTC), improves the input and output sound quality of every 3.5mm headphone jack+microphone on the Oneplus 5?
So, if I buy a cheap type-c/3.5mm converter and I plug it in my Oneplus 5, then the sound coming of the headphone will always be improved?
Regardless of the Headphone brand and specs? And as a bonus, there will never be any compatibility issues like with the microphones or with the headphone control buttons?
These converters sound magical.
Did anyone try one on a 1+5 yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The dongle and the headphones have to be high spec for good performance. But the op5 jack Is better than most phones like the s8. Watch Juan's real audio review

Pro4TLZZ said:
The dongle and the headphones have to be high spec for good performance. But the op5 jack Is better than most phones like the s8. Watch Juan's real audio review
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that the Jack on the OnePlus 5 is supposed to be really good.
The problem though is the microphone of my headphones which either do not work well or do not work at all on this phone.
And I'm talking about headphones that work with no problems at all on any other devices I possess.
I never thought that Oneplus would implement a proprietary 3.5mm jack on its phones, but it would seem they did.

FC_Termi said:
I know that the Jack on the OnePlus 5 is supposed to be really good.
The problem though is the microphone of my headphones which either do not work well or do not work at all on this phone.
And I'm talking about headphones that work with no problems at all on any other devices I possess.
I never thought that Oneplus would implement a proprietary 3.5mm jack on its phones, but it would seem they did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No , No..the headphone jack is not proprietary, it just comes with different qualities, kinda like a micro usb port with usb 2 or usb 3. Same port just better hardware