Database Users

ZTE Axon 7 Audio Quality

Can anyone who has the Axon 7, let us know how the audio quality is with headphones. I'm stuck between this and the OnePlus 3, but I have a pair of Sennheiser Momentums and if the Axon 7 can blow people away with a good pair of headphones I might have to go for it!

connorhiller said:
Can anyone who has the Axon 7, let us know how the audio quality is with headphones. I'm stuck between this and the OnePlus 3, but I have a pair of Sennheiser Momentums and if the Axon 7 can blow people away with a good pair of headphones I might have to go for it!
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Click to collapse
I'm very interested in this my self. The audio of the Axon 7 is said to be very good but I have yet to see any comparisons of just how it stacks up to other devices.
The OP3 has very good audio out put also from what I have read. It's said to be on par or perhaps a bit better than the iPhone and just behind the HTC 10.
I would assume the Axon 7 would be superior to the OP3 and not sure how it compares to the HTC 10. Though PC Magazine's review mentioned the HTC 10 was louder with it 1V output from the headphone jack. I'm a little disappointed by this. If true, it doesn't meant the Axon doesn't sound better. It just won't drive hard to drive headphone as well. Not a problem for most people and IEM, but I have a few hard to drive on ears that could make use of the extra power.
It should offer excellent audio from both the dual front facing speakers, that get very loud, and the headphone jack. That plus the high res display that is Daydrean ready makes it my choice over the OP3.
here is a little write up I found:
https://community.zteusa.com/thread/2110

I am anxiously awaiting my Axon 7, but I can comment on the OP3's jack since you brought it up.
My OP3 blows away my Nexus 6. My completely stock OP3 has a stronger output than my N6, which had Viper4Android installed.
No reason why the Axon shouldn't be at least as strong as the OP3.

I hope those dual chips can output some serious power...

I'm happy to hear the OP3 has good audio output! I would probably buy it right now, but it seems Oneplus is having stocking issues... "Ships within 14 days" is what it says on their website, UGH!!

Don't really like his comparison videos, but for audio, this is one is pretty good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz92h5JJxfg
Of course, that's only over the speakers and not wired. Wired it should beat pretty much anyone, based on the chipset being used.

Okay, I think it was actually my fault that there was an audio problem. I have been using an app called Automatic Call Recording for a few months on a couple of other android phones. I had installed it on my Axon 7 while I was setting it up. I uninstalled it and now my audio seems to be better. Everything is quite loud and actually sounds great. I can't use the earbuds at max volume without hurting my ears. Just don't use that app and you should be fine lol.
"I received my Axon 7 today and I can honestly say I am very disappointed in the audio quality. I was expecting the dual speakers and included earbuds to output at least good audio, and somehow I can barely hear anything from either the dual speakers or the earbuds even at full volume. I am extremely disappointed. When I watch a Youtube video using the dual speakers I turn the volume up to max and still the audio is very quiet. I made a few phone calls and could barely hear the other person on the dual speakers, earbuds, or normal earpiece. Idk if there is something wrong with my Axon 7 specifically, or if maybe there will be a software update soon to fix this, but this is completely unacceptable."

r3xx3r said:
Okay, I think it was actually my fault that there was an audio problem. I have been using an app called Automatic Call Recording for a few months on a couple of other android phones. I had installed it on my Axon 7 while I was setting it up. I uninstalled it and now my audio seems to be better. Everything is quite loud and actually sounds great. I can't use the earbuds at max volume without hurting my ears. Just don't use that app and you should be fine lol.
"I received my Axon 7 today and I can honestly say I am very disappointed in the audio quality. I was expecting the dual speakers and included earbuds to output at least good audio, and somehow I can barely hear anything from either the dual speakers or the earbuds even at full volume. I am extremely disappointed. When I watch a Youtube video using the dual speakers I turn the volume up to max and still the audio is very quiet. I made a few phone calls and could barely hear the other person on the dual speakers, earbuds, or normal earpiece. Idk if there is something wrong with my Axon 7 specifically, or if maybe there will be a software update soon to fix this, but this is completely unacceptable."
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Click to collapse
That's really odd. The PC Mag review said it was louder than both the HTC 10 and Alcatel Idol 4S. Have you tried messing with the audio effects?
EDIT: Never mind.

When I get my Axon 7 in the next 24 to 48 hours. I will post my initial impression of the Audio Quality/Power Output. My ASUS ZenFone 2 was average to slightly below in terms of power output. So I will know how good or bad the Axon 7 is in power output.

I was able to make my OnePlus One's dual mono speakers sound relatively decent with a lot more bass than they originally output (it was basically nonexistent until the volume is maxed out) using ViPER4Android. They sound almost like the iPhone speaker, which is decent enough in terms of bass and quality for a single bottom-firing speaker. I can only imagine what it can do with these dual front-facing stereo speakers.

Have the axon 7 and am had a little listening session last night.
Headphone ? : V-Moda M100.
Past phones with good DAC? HTC 10, Note 5 and S6 (Same DAC as note 5).
Compared to the others, the DAC delivers. It's a relatively flat sounding DAC so you get no shape in sound. Everything is clear and concise. The output is great. Drives the M100 fine but then again, it's a 32 ohm headphone. Using power amp (yes I like that better than neutron), I set it up to play music in 24 bit mode. Immediately with the AKM 4491 (axon DAC), you hear how crappy mp3s are. Even at 320kbps. High bit rate acc sound enter but with this phone, lossless shines. The difference is not like you'll dump your mp3 library but you'll enjoy lossless a lot more. Great stereo separation, fantastic noise floor, no white noise. Just clear clean audio. BTW this phone has two audio chips as mentioned however. One is for recording and the other for listening. The amplifier is the AKM 380. Overall very pleased with the sound. Better than the note 5 Wolfson DAC and hard to compare with the HTC 10 since I only owned it for a week.
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

osmosizzz said:
Have the axon 7 and am had a little listening session last night.
Headphone ? : V-Moda M100.
Past phones with good DAC? HTC 10, Note 5 and S6 (Same DAC as note 5).
Compared to the others, the DAC delivers. It's a relatively flat sounding DAC so you get no shape in sound. Everything is clear and concise. The output is great. Drives the M100 fine but then again, it's a 32 ohm headphone. Using power amp (yes I like that better than neutron), I set it up to play music in 24 bit mode. Immediately with the AKM 4491 (axon DAC), you hear how crappy mp3s are. Even at 320kbps. High bit rate acc sound enter but with this phone, lossless shines. The difference is not like you'll dump your mp3 library but you'll enjoy lossless a lot more. Great stereo separation, fantastic noise floor, no white noise. Just clear clean audio. BTW this phone has two audio chips as mentioned however. One is for recording and the other for listening. The amplifier is the AKM 380. Overall very pleased with the sound. Better than the note 5 Wolfson DAC and hard to compare with the HTC 10 since I only owned it for a week.
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Click to collapse
Very good. Finally an actual first impression.

USB Audio working on axon 7?
Please If any have some usb soundcard or DAC player to test it with OTG cable on Axon 7.
Thx

TomoBero said:
USB Audio working on axon 7?
Please If any have some usb soundcard or DAC player to test it with OTG cable on Axon 7.
Thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Fiio E17K. I will see if it works by tomorrow. It should most likely.

TomoBero said:
USB Audio working on axon 7?
Please If any have some usb soundcard or DAC player to test it with OTG cable on Axon 7.
Thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. There's a dedicated USB DAC Audio Setting in the Developers Options.

Poweramp Alpha Build 703 works with Dolby Atmos.

Any issues using High-Res Output in the Poweramp Alpha?

wwyjoe said:
Any issues using High-Res Output in the Poweramp Alpha?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope.

As a spotify user with ATH M50, will the DAC serve me well?

r3xx3r said:
Okay, I think it was actually my fault that there was an audio problem. I have been using an app called Automatic Call Recording for a few months on a couple of other android phones. I had installed it on my Axon 7 while I was setting it up. I uninstalled it and now my audio seems to be better. Everything is quite loud and actually sounds great. I can't use the earbuds at max volume without hurting my ears. Just don't use that app and you should be fine lol.
"I received my Axon 7 today and I can honestly say I am very disappointed in the audio quality. I was expecting the dual speakers and included earbuds to output at least good audio, and somehow I can barely hear anything from either the dual speakers or the earbuds even at full volume. I am extremely disappointed. When I watch a Youtube video using the dual speakers I turn the volume up to max and still the audio is very quiet. I made a few phone calls and could barely hear the other person on the dual speakers, earbuds, or normal earpiece. Idk if there is something wrong with my Axon 7 specifically, or if maybe there will be a software update soon to fix this, but this is completely unacceptable."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we all know this comment is B.S. !..
Have the one plus 3 headphone jack output is amazing. Looking at the axon 7 though

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

US Version Headphone Jack VS. Competition

Can anyone chime in on the quality of the audio Jack?
I would like to not order the Asian version if the US Version can compete with atleast the V20.
I loved my V20....
Please tell me it's pretty good?

I had the V10 with a boot loop. I never tried it with my DT 1770 Pro's, but the G6 can push them to a decent volume with nice clarity. Ti had to boost the sub-bass frequencies by about 1-2dbs to give a bit more warmth compared to my setup with the Fiio X5 & E12 setup. Keep in mind though that the G6 does have a 32bit / 192kbps chip inside the US version, and for most people it is plenty powerful to push their headphones. With that said, the V10 and V20 surely had more power to push headphones, but the G6 still sounds pretty good.
But just an FYI, I always use a dedicated music player instead of a phone for listening to music. But compared to the Fiio X5 (not paired with an amp), the G6 does not have a lot of power to push the 1770's to high volume levels. Keep in mind these cans are rated at 250 ohms and a SPL measurement of 102, making them not the hardest cans to push, but certainly not the easiest still.

Thanks for that in depth reply.
I am no audiophile, but I sure do appreciate a good set of wired headphones.
And didn't know the US G6 had a 32bit. The more you know.
Sent from my SM-G930T using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Jooosty said:
Thanks for that in depth reply.
I am no audiophile, but I sure do appreciate a good set of wired headphones.
And didn't know the US G6 had a 32bit. The more you know.
Sent from my SM-G930T using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a problem!
My mistake, I actually do NOT know if the DAC in the US variant of the G6 has a 32bit dac, but it certainly doesn't sound bad at all. It doesn't change my original statement about the sound quality. Plus, I've heard much worse from other phones.
Edit: I put on a few of my FLAC 24bit/192kbps songs onto an SD Card and it plays just fine. Poweramp also displays the correct metadata (FLAC 24bit/192kbps) when playing the song. Not sure if its actually outputting at those specs, but it sure does sound nice! lol

How is the sound quality in the NON QUAD DAC version?

Hi guys, just want to know how is the sound quality in the NON QUAD DAC version. Is it good enough? Maybe like the HTC 10, Axon 7 or Galaxy S7 sound quality? I know it must be worse than the QUAD DAC version, but how much worse? Is it still worth it or if i'm looking for a good sound smartphone i should look for another one? Where i live the version being sold is the 32GB H870.

Same as like LG G4. Over compressed weak output.
My only hope:Root-custom kernel.soundmode (Imperium G4 rom included)

kabirjedi said:
Same as like LG G4. Over compressed weak output.
My only hope:Root-custom kernel.soundmode (Imperium G4 rom included)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's that bad? It doesn't has a more simple DAC? It's using the Qualcomm one?

Mate! The HTC 10 sound quality is worlds apart from this phone. I have the g6 and am returning it due to the weak audio output. Don't know why LG gave us Europe nothing. Oh well.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

godofpornings said:
Mate! The HTC 10 sound quality is worlds apart from this phone. I have the g6 and am returning it due to the weak audio output. Don't know why LG gave us Europe nothing. Oh well.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's sad to hear. I'm not going to buy it then.

I think it sounds pretty good.
General consensus is that it sounds just a bit worse than the V20's Quad DAC and better than Galaxy S7, close to HTC M10's quality. Most users and reviewers are impressed.
I believe it does have a DAC. At least i've read that somewhere but i'm not 100% sure.
Offcorse it all depends on headphones. If you have cheap, ****ty headphones no amount of DAC can help you.

WstrKuNoužč said:
I think it sounds pretty great.
General consensus is that it sounds just a bit worse than the V20's Quad DAC and better than Galaxy S7, very close to HTC M10's quality. Most users and reviewers are impressed.
I believe it does have a DAC. At least i've read that somewhere but i'm not 100% sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not anywhere near HTC 10 audio quality.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

godofpornings said:
Its not anywhere near HTC 10 audio quality.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't own HTC 10 so i can't know that BUT i did see a lot of ppl on forums saying and agreeing it's pretty close to it quality wise.

WstrKuNoužč said:
I don't own HTC 10 so i can't know that BUT i did see a lot of ppl on forums saying and agreeing it's pretty close to it quality wise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No no no. The HTC 10 has a built in DAC and a amp which really makes the music stand out compared to any other phone I have ever owned. Too bad I sold it after a year and upgraded to the g6.
The g6 is a amazing phone only let down by the audio output. If they put the quad DAC in all units then that would of made this phone godly.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

godofpornings said:
No no no. The HTC 10 has a built in DAC and a amp which really makes the music stand out compared to any other phone I have ever owned. Too bad I sold it after a year and upgraded to the g6.
The g6 is a amazing phone only let down by the audio output. If they put the quad DAC in all units then that would of made this phone godly.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As i said i think it does have DAC. It is true that the output volume is not as high as M10's BUT that also depends on headphones.
If you got a pair of good headphones it's gonna sound great and loud. The headphones that come with G6 are pretty crappy tho...
All-in-all M10 is an audiophile phone so it's probably designed for high and low quality headphones meaning even crappy headphones sound okay-ish or at least a lot better than on other "normal" phones.

WstrKuNoužč said:
As i said i think it does have DAC. It is true that the output volume is not as high as M10's BUT that also depends on headphones.
If you got a pair of good headphones it's gonna sound great and loud. The headphones that come with G6 are pretty crappy tho...
All-in-all M10 is an audiophile phone so it's probably designed for high and low quality headphones meaning even crappy headphones sound okay-ish or at least a lot better than on other "normal" phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's true. I'm using the hi Res headfones I got from the HTC 10. The g6 has no DAC. The sound quality is very poor for a flagship phone for £600 I must say. But each to there own.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

I use the free vlc player and the 10 level equalizer along with my library of flac music. I run it onto my fender audio system (jetta) via Bluetooth and the sound is incredible. Deep bass, great mids and vocals. The sound with the headphone jack into the aux port isn't noticably better. I highly recommend vlc's free player, I had no idea that it would sound so good. Just play around with each equalizer level till your music sounds the way you want it to. Make sure you start with the levels flat, then go from there. I also put my music on a 128gb Samsung microsdxc card which I purchased on Amazon for only 30.99 I also highly recommend this card. Not as fast as more expensive cards but sound quality can't be beat. Model MB-MP128D. Peace..

Sound is OK it's not bad. But compared to my V10 the sound pales. Not as clean output or wide/deep sound signature.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

LOL. Every digital device that outputs sound has to have a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter), it just converts those 1 and 0 binary codes to electric signal. It's just the quality differs due to price. Some DACs have enough power on their own to drive small headphones, what sets "audiophile" smartphones apart is the addition of an Amp, it takes the electric signal from DAC and amplifies it to drive more power to large headphones with high impedance.

Is there any point in keeping my g5 for its b&o dac or not I have a s8 now well law has had it 6months

Can I use Google headphone adapter from Pixel 2 on my LG G6? Dac and Amp inside Google's headphone adapter is pretty good and powerful, same as Iphone 7 headphone adapter. I bought G6 few days ago (version without Quad DAC) and I think this should be one of possible alternatives for great sounding headphones quality.

Windforce0511 said:
Can I use Google headphone adapter from Pixel 2 on my LG G6? Dac and Amp inside Google's headphone adapter is pretty good and powerful, same as Iphone 7 headphone adapter. I bought G6 few days ago (version without Quad DAC) and I think this should be one of possible alternatives for great sounding headphones quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes,
I use the adapter from an Essential PH-1

Normal one doesn't sound very good but with quad-DAC it is outstanding IMO.

quadacless g6 sound big nothing....

tech_head said:
Yes,
I use the adapter from an Essential PH-1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is it compared to Google's one? I know adapter from Google is sounding 99% same as one from Iphone. I haven't tried Google one yet, but one from Iphone is very powerfull and have wide sound stage. I don't know where tu buy it btw..

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.
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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!
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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