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I have both US and EU version and external speakers play more or less the same but regarding headphones jack it's totally different. US version plays clear and loud, with Dolby Atmos and hifi on even louder but less clear (fake surround and boosted bass). Anyway in both cases with enhancements on or off sound via headphones is loud, clear, with power, boosted, deeply breathing. Nice.
In case of EU version when i plug the same wired headphones it's night and day worse than US Axon 7. With Dolby Atmos off it's quite quiet and not dynamic, with Dolby Atmos on it's disaster, sound is very low volume and sounds like muffled, covered with pillow.
Please can someone plug headphones and write about her/his audio experience and impression.
Additional request for ppl having as me both version, please comparison is highly appreciated.
I don't know if my EU unit is defective or European A7 just that they are.
Thanks everyone is advance for help and support.
Sent from my ZTE A2017U
nathasnajperowa said:
I have both US and EU version and external speakers play more or less the same but regarding headphones jack it's totally different. US version plays clear and loud, with Dolby Atmos and hifi on even louder but less clear (fake surround and boosted bass). Anyway in both cases with enhancements on or off sound via headphones is loud, clear, with power, boosted, deeply breathing. Nice.
In case of EU version when i plug the same wired headphones it's night and day worse than US Axon 7. With Dolby Atmos off it's quite quiet and not dynamic, with Dolby Atmos on it's disaster, sound is very low volume and sounds like muffled, covered with pillow.
Please can someone plug headphones and write about her/his audio experience and impression.
Additional request for ppl having as me both version, please comparison is highly appreciated.
I don't know if my EU unit is defective or European A7 just that they are.
Thanks everyone is advance for help and support.
Sent from my ZTE A2017U
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is probably the case because under EU law the headset volume cannot go over a certain limit. I remember this being the case for nexus phones which i had to root to increase the volume.
More information here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21294537
Thanks, I also suspected so but difference is so huge I thought EU unit is defective.
Wysłane z mojego ZTE A2017G przy użyciu Tapatalka
Yeah but it displays a warning (something that it can damage your hearing) and asks you if you want to turn the volume up anyway.
Chris2810 said:
Yeah but it displays a warning (something that it can damage your hearing) and asks you if you want to turn the volume up anyway.
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Click to collapse
Yes but there is still an 80db limit under EU law. I remember rooting my nexus and going into a volume change to increase that limit via root access.
So this volume limit is software i guess, but is it possible that also hardware? How to fix it without root? (don't want to loose warranty)
Sent from my ZTE A2017U
nathasnajperowa said:
So this volume limit is software i guess, but is it possible that also hardware? How to fix it without root? (don't want to loose warranty)
Sent from my ZTE A2017U
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cant fix without root i think. Its a software limit i believe.
EU version user here.
Thank you so much for this thread.
Listening to music on this thing in the EU version is a disaster.
The volume is the first thing I noticed since I listen to music a lot and transferred my music folder first.
Honestly I do not know about the US version audio but the sounds coming out of headphones on this EU version is simply abysmal.
The normal volume is very low, even when turned all the way up and sound is very unclear and unnatural but once you activate the so called Dolby thingy, the whole sound is completely muffled and you could barely hear anything anymore. So my Dolby is permanently off.
To imagine that they were hammering about the superior audio.
I am coming from Honor 7, which I still have on the side and it sounds so much better with headphones than this phone.
Other than the minor Software problems, I like the phone but still considering returning it due to the sound problem.
I have the EU Version i can't compare to US but the sound from headphones on the axon 7 is slightly better than on my OnePlus 3 it's more clear and it has better snr.
But it's not very loud and with Dolby Setting it's terrible
BTW: i use Poweramp which tries to bypass system EQ etc. i remember testing it with the zte music app the sound was terrible in
"normal" and dolby...
Very obvious I know but you do have headset hi-fi set to 'super' and not standard?
With earphones in (Marshall Mode or Shure se215) I find anything above 75% volume to be uncomfortable and normally listen at 50ish with Dolby turned off.
Sent from my ZTE A2017G using Tapatalk
With headset hifi set to super is slightly better than without but still even not acceptable considering fact axon 7 was supposed to have superior audio with dedicated two dacs and amp for jack output (normally amp drives power and loudness).
I also had European Htc 10 and this thing was incredible crushing with headphones, so loud that I couldn't listen on max volume (thats rare for me, I love music drilling my brain ) so htc could make device with loud and also good quality audio output (unfortunately lacking in other aspects).
Let's ask ZTE to unleash the power of axon 7 potential audio capabilities with hardware they claim installed.
Wysłane z mojego ZTE A2017G przy użyciu Tapatalka
This is just one thing after another. I only bought this because of the sound. Mine is arriving tomorrow and if it's at all disappointing it's going back. I can live with poor low-light photos but after a fortnight using the wife's Nexus 5x I'm not paying €450 for bad sound.
Why would they advertise it as a great audio device in the EU where it will attract audiophiles who will just send it back?
I'm getting one tomorrow as well (now that it is available.... been waiting for weeks now ^^), if audio quality is crap then yes, definitely a deal breaker for me.
I still find Poweramp plays louder than Dolby Atmos on Play Music.
I just got mine. I'm going to update it to B03 now. If it's really as bad as op says I might return it. I'll definitely check with zte before I do so though. It seems like a pretty easy fix to me.
Verstuurd vanaf mijn A0001 met Tapatalk
Sander said:
I just got mine. I'm going to update it to B03 now. If it's really as bad as op says I might return it. I'll definitely check with zte before I do so though. It seems like a pretty easy fix to me.
Verstuurd vanaf mijn A0001 met Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Could you update us on your findings after the update?
I am probably the only one that cannot relate to low headphone sound volume on the EU model (2017G). Sound level is a bit lower with Dolby Atmos turned on. Strange thing I noticed - the predefined Dolby Atmos settings are way less loud than my custom setting (settings: Volume lever On, Dialogue Enhancer Off, Surround Virtualizer On, Intelligent Equalizer Open). If I turn up the volume. under Settings - Sound & vibration - Headset Hifi I have it set to 'Super'. If I turn up the volume it's pretty loud, absolutely no complaints there. This goes for Dolby Atmos enabled (in my Custom preference setting) as well as for with Dolby Atmos disabled. I turn on Dolby Atmos when listening to classical music most of the time, and I found that the better mixed songs often go well with DA enabled. Sometimes I turn it on and on to see which mode is best for the stuff I'm listening to.
I have 2 sets of in-earphones, the one that came with the Axon 7 and my old iPhone 5S one. The iPhone sounds slightly more crisp but the Axon 7 headphones are ok too. It might be better with some super high quality headphones, I don't know.
I never have it on full volume, my ears would hurt. I have it mostly at the EU limit, sometimes over it when I want it louder. I use default music app, HiFi settings on super, Dolby Atmos is off (except on speakers). The quality is the best I've heard on a mobile phone. I used to use Poweramp but I noticed the sound is a little better in default music app. And I use Sennheiser M2 in ear.
Chris2810 said:
I never have it on full volume, my ears would hurt. I have it mostly at the EU limit, sometimes over it when I want it louder. I use default music app, HiFi settings on super, Dolby Atmos is off (except on speakers). The quality is the best I've heard on a mobile phone. I used to use Poweramp but I noticed the sound is a little better in default music app. And I use Sennheiser M2 in ear.
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Click to collapse
Mine arrives tomorrow and I'm not really concerned about it.
The chips are there, Dolby Atmos is there, only thing that should be different is the loudness. I will probably root my phone anyway, but I think it's a big upgrade from my OnePlus 2.
Dian Z said:
I'm getting one tomorrow as well (now that it is available.... been waiting for weeks now ^^), if audio quality is crap then yes, definitely a deal breaker for me.
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Got the phone (EU version A2017G) and it can barely drive my PC350 headset (150 ohms) with Dolby Atmos activated - barely loud enough :/
I would't count on using higher impedance headphones.
Certainly disappointing... but as someone mentioned, can probably be fixed easily with root and US software version.
Used All four of The Titans - Poweramp, Gonemad,Neutron & Rocket Plus, but coming from V4a (in my old phone) all sound depressingly noisy and lifeless.Tried that Noozxoide EIZO-rewire™ PRO too, but that doesnt make any difference.Any help?
Not sure why you'd choose to stay unrooted given no app or mod can even be a patch on V4A.
But to answer your question, specific to my experience, I find DFX Pro to do a fine job. It's way way far behind customization and features available on V4A but nevertheless does a decent job, and IMO certainly lot better than what PowerAmp offers having sampled it fairly long.
What I like about Dfx (I use the pro version, the free one is more of a joke with the limits on tweaks) is how it enhances sound to be fuller and cleaner apart from widening the spatial field considerably, without eating much into resources. There are about 40 odd presets which usually suffice to suit most genres of music/audio, but you can ofc create your custom settings. It has a separate Equalizer which seems to be at par with most other music apps in its category, though it comes in really handy when you're trying a custom setting.
I use DFX PLUS V4A on the software side, on my Moto G4 plus, and if I'm not on the go, I have it connected to my Fiio E17K and listen off my Sennheiser HD598 over stereo audio given I've not had much luck pairing V4A with the dac amp over USB. This set up works best for high bitrate lossy tracks. For hardware driven enhancement I've got USB Audio Player which bypasses V4A and streams over USB using its own driver, though it does have a good set of Equalizers specially parametric ones (come at an additional cost but I've found them to be effective). Fairly good for Flacs and dsf, though I've tried only a handful as yet and E17K is rather mid-end AFA DSD goes, plus not sure how well moto G4's processor is suited for it.
Prolly worth mentioning that I am not big on bass, and what I've referred to above is basis my listening experience of mostly ripped Bluenote and ECM Jazz, remastered RCA/Columbia titles and assorted torreneted stuff. Much of these recordings come with good audio to start with, so enhancements are mostly fine tuning sound, unlike the magical transformation that V4A gives for even low bit rate files.
Sent from my Motorola Moto G4 Plus using XDA Labs
I'm sure you know it, but I'll say anyway: nothing you install is going to be even close to a proper sound mod.
Most apps are just reskined equalizers so don't expect to find any alternatives.
I chose to stay unrooted to receive the nougat ota update
Have you checked for Systemless rooting? Its supposed to allow ota updates.
Guess wanting both auto ota updates and running the best mods /apps is ideal but usually takes a while until upto the stable versions are out and there's been development from initial releases on.
All the best with what you're looking for and do post back if you strike luck with nougat+ota+V4A.
Sent from my Motorola Moto G4 Plus using XDA Labs
---------- Post added at 08:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:02 AM ----------
guirc said:
I'm sure you know it, but I'll say anyway: nothing you install is going to be even close to a proper sound mod.
Most apps are just reskined equalizers so don't expect to find any alternatives.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed nothing could come close to a sound mod such as V4A which not only installs a systemwide driver but has endless customizations and a huge dedicated online community.
So in context to what the original query meant to ask, it is really down to finding the most convincing reskined equalizer. Though, of course results and observations may vary. For example, Dfx doesn't share the sampling transforms and reprocessing algorithms with PowerAmp. But given that sound quality is very subjective, perceived enhancement effects could appear to be very similar.
Wonder if I'm in minority to say that along with sound output devices, audio compression (lossless assumably being better) and quality of recording are the real clincher and come before even powerhouse mods like V4A.
Sent from my Motorola Moto G4 Plus using XDA Labs
Hello,
i'm having the HTC M9 and because of the great sound DAC (4490) i bought the Axon 7. It beats my HTC M9 in nearly every point but not in sound quality
If i disable on both phones every EQ and Sound Effect, just using direct output, the HTC M9 will win because its more clear and defined then the Axon 7. The sound of the Axon 7 is not bad but its imprecised/blurred.
So someone is having the HTC M9 too and can compare it with the Axon 7 too? Disable all Effects, EQ and set both to the same volume level and compare for example this music on both phones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fyDHNssXnY (please better serach for this song on Tidal or somewhere where you can get it in better quality, idk what quality its on yt but its not that good like the flac quality of Tidal)
I wonder if my Axon 7 is broken or ZTE did a bad job in implementing this DAC to its Android or if they added very bad OP-AMPs behind the DAC.. idk i simply can not understand whats going wrong.. i didnt expect that it would have worse sound then the M9.. In all other points its better.
Headphone is Beyerdynamic T1 Gen2 & Custom Street
My son had my old HTC M9 when I first got my Axon 7.... I thought there was no comparison, the Axon 7 won hands-down. Fuller low end, crisper top end, louder and no distortion. The headphone volume in the A7 is lower, but setting up a Dolby Atmos profile specifically for my earbuds, I could make it sound much better than the M9, although the M9 was louder (but I don't ever turn up all the way).
Now, in saying all that....When I disabled the Dolby Atmos and HTC Boomsound (or whatever the M9 has), the M9 sounded better. The Dolby Atmos is everything to the sound of the Axon 7 without that, it sounds horrible (unless you are rooted and use another audio mod, like V4a).
My biggest gripe with the M9 (M7 & M8 too, I've had them all) was there was no system wide EQ, like Dolby Atmos. Trust me, I don't like Dolby Atmos in general.... It randomly resets sometimes and will switch to "movie" when I'm listening to music, but it does sound good.
tele_jas said:
My son had my old HTC M9 when I first got my Axon 7.... I thought there was no comparison, the Axon 7 won hands-down. Fuller low end, crisper top end, louder and no distortion. The headphone volume in the A7 is lower, but setting up a Dolby Atmos profile specifically for my earbuds, I could make it sound much better than the M9, although the M9 was louder (but I don't ever turn up all the way).
Now, in saying all that....When I disabled the Dolby Atmos and HTC Boomsound (or whatever the M9 has), the M9 sounded better. The Dolby Atmos is everything to the sound of the Axon 7 without that, it sounds horrible (unless you are rooted and use another audio mod, like V4a).
My biggest gripe with the M9 (M7 & M8 too, I've had them all) was there was no system wide EQ, like Dolby Atmos. Trust me, I don't like Dolby Atmos in general.... It randomly resets sometimes and will switch to "movie" when I'm listening to music, but it does sound good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea exactly this i found out too.. with Dolby Atmos i can make the Axon 7 more sound like the M9. But without all effects and EQ stuff the M9 is the better one in sound quality.
I had crazy volume issues on my M9 while hearing flac music. All the time if the displays went off there was this crazy volume issues.
I think i will stay with the Axon and use the Dolby Atmos which really sounds not bad if you set it the right way(sadly this Dolby Atmos disable itself every time if i plug in my headphones... and yea this random resets and profile selections are horrible ). I don't like EQ stuff but the Axon is in all other points the better choise. Maybe I will use my Fiio E18 (connected via USB) again. With it I have the best quality so far
But good to hear that im not the only who found out that the M9 has without EQ, BoomSound,.. the better sound Also the M9 can drive the Beyer T1 (600Ohm) headphone better then the Axon 7 (the EU version can too but only in super mode... i hope ZTE will fix the volume limitation of the EU version and make it loud like the US version)
Currently i use this Dolby settings on the Axon 7 (but im still testing arround ^^):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3952988&stc=1&d=1480458554
Lets see if there are other ppl who can confirm this too...
I have the HTC M9, Axon 7 and recently the V20. For headphone out, I always disable all enhancements etc. I used a selection of IEMs such as Sony EX1000, Westone UM30, JH Roxanne since these are all sensitive low impedance earphones.
I found the Axon 7 had worse audio than the M9. The M9 has elevated bass which was very noticeable but also was clearer than that of the Axon 7. What surprised me was when switching from standard to super in the headset HIFI settings on the Axon 7, the sound became worse, more muffled, less detailed, lower voume for the EX1000 and JH Roxannes. I later tested with a Sennheiser HD800 headphone that has 300 ohm impedance. This was my only headphone where the sound on Axon improved by switching to Super in the headset HIFI settings however iit was bbeing under powered by the Axon 7.
I also tested with UApp and poweramp to make sure the results were consistent across apps that could access the DAC.
Later I got a V20 and compared to the M9 and Axon 7 it is hands down much better. It's like a veil is lifted from the music. I can pickup details that were not audible or were muffled on the Axon 7. If you use an adaptor to fool the V20 toioi kick into high impedance mode then the Sennheiser HD800 will goto higher volumes than the M9 or Axon 7.
I am not sure what is going on with the Axon 7. Sure it is better than any other phone without a dedicated DAC but I expected better results from the AK4490 DAC.
Hmm after seeing this https://hifiduino.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/akm-verita-4490-dac/ im pretty sure that ZTE did badly implement the DAC into Android. This DAC has many many settings. For ex. they could enable filters which will make the sound more clear or add more bass etc. Maybe the US version sounds differnt then the EU version idk. I hoe ZTE will fix that in Android 7 and also add more options where we can change the DAC settings.
Maybe it's the DSD/DSP which is badly setup on the Axons AK4490/4461. Im testing arround with my Creative Soundblaster X7 and if i disable there the DSP (using direct mode) i get a very clear and good sound while playing flac files. I think there is something similar on the Axon 7 enabled. I think they want to make a better sound by using audioprocessing stuff but thats for me like all the other EQ stuff whichs destroys the natural/orignal sound ...i dont like it ...somehow the sound looses its clarity. It's very good recognizable if you listen to clasic/trailer music like the album "Tunes of Fantasy" from Florian Bur.
I have two Le Pro 3 phones here, one has Lineage OS 15.1 and the other one is out of the box with stock rom. So it is very easy for me to test the sound for both roms at the same time.
I know already that stock rom offers the best audio quality with the built in internal spakers. Stock rom offers fuller and richer sound with also more bass with the internal speakers. There is no chance to have similar sound with the internal speakers using a custom rom without using any audio mods like dolby atmos or viper.
But even using these sound mods I was not able to tune the sound of the speakers similar to stock sound.
I made some longer sound tests with both phones and found that there is one big difference between stock and custom rom:
As the phone has Stereo speakers (upper one and lower one), the eqalization of both speakers is totally different with stock. While the upper speaker offers much more mid-range frequencies and nearly no highs the lower one is giving much more bass and high frequencies but nearly no mids. This effect is present with and without activated dolby atmos in stock rom.
So it seems to me that the stock rom uses different settings for left (upper) and right (lower) speakers. With headphones, both channels offer same sound, of course.
Using Lineage OS 15.1 without any sound mod, both speakers offer very similar sound characteristic. I am not able to hear different equalization between upper and lower speaker. The upper one has the same amount of highs, mids and lows like the lower one.
By using dolby atmos or viper, the sound quality improves impressingly but this effects both speakers in the same way.
Maybe becouse of this difference there is no chance to have the same sound characteristic with the speakers like in stock rom.
And maybe this info could help someone to imrove speaker-sound with lineage?
Hi @walking-desaster , maybe you can give the MIUI Ares ROMs a try and compare the sound quality.
This ROM are based on a clone of the X720 (Cool Changer S1 with JUI ROM) and should use similar or updated drivers with Nougat and MIUI 9 on top.
The ROM is posted both on 4PDA and by @tsongming in his Megadrive.
I am not sure why the version posted by Alex_Agir is different from Tsongmings megadrive, maybe he can explain.
Would be interesting to learn your experience.
Wortelstok said:
Hi @walking-desaster , maybe you can give the MIUI Ares ROMs a try and compare the sound quality.
This ROM are based on a clone of the X720 (Cool Changer S1 with JUI ROM) and should use similar or updated drivers with Nougat and MIUI 9 on top.
The ROM is posted both on 4PDA and by @tsongming in his Megadrive.
I am not sure why the version posted by Alex_Agir is different from Tsongmings megadrive, maybe he can explain.
Would be interesting to learn your experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no difference between the Rom Alex_Agir and the one on my Megadrive and I gave him credit.
I posted the file on the megadrive and will soon add it to AFH as well. Just to make it easier to get to. Alot of people use browser that do not translate sites as 4PDA very well. Plus, the Megadrive link includes additional addon, to enhance the MIUI Ares ROM, and to make installation quicker for someone new to Miui.
Like @walking-desaster, I am a big fan of audio.
In fact for me, as a hobbyist recording musician, its usually the most important aspect of my phone. But, I too have multiple Leeco's ( four) so its easy to tryout everything. Plus, I still have my old iPhone, which I use like an iPod for my car.
I agree that stock EUI sound is far superior, and modded EUI's out there seem to be just short of the stellar sound offered by stock. but its close. My issue with stock is that its using marshmallow, which I can't stand.
The Miui Ares rom has the best sound quality of any Rom that I have used since stock. To go on Stock sounds better with Dolby and custom Roms sound better with Dolby. Both sound better with Viper.
Viper is better than Dolby because it has all of the same tools. such as EQ and compression but takes it a step further with the option of being able to add profiles. The profiles include packets of .irs files. Which are convolution reverb impulses ( which are actual acoustic measurements of rooms or speakers) these convolution files allow you to simulate the sounds of room reverb and speaker acoustics. They are similar the impulse responses used in electric guitar amps and headphone emulators.
You can download profiles from my Google drive: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KtNtBOw1Hj7Rw4OVT2wWdE1ujDAZgo9x
or better yet use these instead
Use the profiles from my drive but use impulse files from sites such as these : https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2372750
Note, you have to manually add the profiles here: storage/Viper4Android/
BTW, were you aware the Leeco CDLA headphones has a DAC chip and use Dupont speakers?
Hello everyone, I have a global RN7 from two weeks ago, bootloader unlocked, root with magisk, recovery TWRP, etc, ROM GLOBAL 10 EU.
The problem is not whether the mobil or the impedance with the mobil and my headphones, currently I use philips SHE3905 caps with impedance of 8.6 OHMM, I'm using VIPER4ANDROID with the Magisk version, the problem is when I raise the volume loses strength in the low high and the sound begins to distort as if it were a device with MTK proscesor, this did not happen with my RN4 GLOBAL, could raise the volume and was beautiful and not distortion and without volume de-leveling with the basses, which if it happens with this RN7, Does anybody have any suggestions? or if it can be solved ?, I tried to test ROMS AOSP but the problem is that there are no ports in the stock camera of the RN7 that takes better selfies than the GCAM.
I hope someone can help me in this doubt
davidvaner said:
Hello everyone, I have a global RN7 from two weeks ago, bootloader unlocked, root with magisk, recovery TWRP, etc, ROM GLOBAL 10 EU.
The problem is not whether the mobil or the impedance with the mobil and my headphones, currently I use philips SHE3905 caps with impedance of 8.6 OHMM, I'm using VIPER4ANDROID with the Magisk version, the problem is when I raise the volume loses strength in the low high and the sound begins to distort as if it were a device with MTK proscesor, this did not happen with my RN4 GLOBAL, could raise the volume and was beautiful and not distortion and without volume de-leveling with the basses, which if it happens with this RN7, Does anybody have any suggestions? or if it can be solved ?, I tried to test ROMS AOSP but the problem is that there are no ports in the stock camera of the RN7 that takes better selfies than the GCAM.
I hope someone can help me in this doubt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel you, the 660 SoC DAC is really terrible and there is not much you can do to improve audio quality, probably your RN4 had a better DAC or chipset. I am using Airun Sauron + VIPER with Audio Modification Library and the quality is decent but way far from good. Try installing Airun Sauron as well, maybe James DSP or any other module compatible with it, but remember to install Audio Modification Library module in magisk on top of everything you install.
thunderteaser said:
I feel you, the 660 SoC DAC is really terrible and there is not much you can do to improve audio quality, probably your RN4 had a better DAC or chipset. I am using Airun Sauron + VIPER with Audio Modification Library and the quality is decent but way far from good. Try installing Airun Sauron as well, maybe James DSP or any other module compatible with it, but remember to install Audio Modification Library module in magisk on top of everything you install.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finally i fix This, install vp4android on 10.3.6.0 versión using Xiaomi piston phones .
beautifull sound.
Change your region to USA, it's offer the highest sound quality and strength.