Database Users

Sound Quality

i know this issue has been discussed for a while,
but is there any update?
sound quality is bad, and low.
is there some mod to overcome this issue?
success stories?

A favorite of mine is Volume+ (Sound Boost).
It is Gingerbread only and really does improve the audio.
Try the free version first here but the full version does have a lot more to offer.
Full Version includes:
* +8 in all settings (Free goes to +4)
* 9 EQ presets (Free has 1)
* Advanced Settings - gives you complete EQ control: you can control each EQ band independently. (NOT INCLUDED IN FREE VERSION)

Only had my GS2 for 3 days, but I love the sound quality, especially in the headphones with my custom EQ settings. Voice calls are loud enough as well.

I never have any problems with sound quality but this thread made it even better.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1154759&highlight=music+playback

Try Audioboost SGS2

sound is better with hs3000 bluetooth
there is volume boost and bass features
it makes you feel like sitting in movie theatre with virtual surround sound

SAlmighty said:
sound is better with hs3000 bluetooth
there is volume boost and bass features
it makes you feel like sitting in movie theatre with virtual surround sound
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you care to broaden your opinion on the HS3000, I am interested in purchasing a set of these myself.

Sound would seem to have improved on KI3.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Thank you all
well i tried the DSP manager tutorial, but actually it fixes audio of other music players to become as the stock music player.
so no improvements,
i will try th audio boost and equl. settings

AudioBoost SGS2 doesnt install ALSA
it doesn nothing
i am on a rooted stock 2.3.4 ROM

biso9110 said:
Thank you all
well i tried the DSP manager tutorial, but actually it fixes audio of other music players to become as the stock music player.
so no improvements,
i will try th audio boost and equl. settings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again I have to say ~ try Volume+ (Sound Boost).
The free version Volume+ FREE is limited but will give you an idea of what it can do.

Some people are saying XXKI3 brings sound improvement.

Sparksltd said:
Some people are saying XXKI3 brings sound improvement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its actually gone so much louder and clearer i now have to put the sound down to 12-13 for comfortable hearing. awsome stuff.

i found that player pro (headphones setting)+ Equalizer app pumps my denon ah-d1100's well so as my yuin pk2's

i go with anything stock will be much better i guess
btw, a new firmware is available now
I9100CEKI2
does this one also features sound improvements?
because 2.3.5 isnt official

Looking forward to the audio improvements in 2.3.5.

slight improvement, but better.
but still :S
and btw 5.1 Sound in Music Player is pure bull-crap

[Q] good bass enhancer for 5.x ?

With the old cyanogenmod kitkat version, and the dsp program back then I used to have very deep and powerful bass enhancement, it was really nice.
But since the new lollipop version, the bass are really bad, it just makes the sound muffled and not powerful.
I tried Dolby atmos or the official cyanogenOS dsp program, not it still doesn't work like it used to do.
Do you know any way to get back a good bass enchancer?
Edit: actually I think I had the mod Beats+xlouder installed over cyanogenmod. Is there any version of this mod for lollipop?

Personally I use & recommend Viper4Android. Very customizable to suit your sound preferences and you can set up different profiles for each output type (phone speaker, headphones, external speakers, etc.).

What's the BEST sound mod for the 6P?

I recently tried a few different mods I found, each had pro's and cons...
Viper | ATMOS (Dolby)
Viper | Maxx Audio
Viper | Beats
These had a significant effect on my battery life, not sure if it was the Viper part of the other part of the mod??
With the Dolby ATMOS, I liked it when I finally got the Dolby EQ set, but it's pretty hard to dial in. You'll be really close and touch the EQ, to fine tune it, and everything close to where you touch just jumped around and changed a lot.
The other issue I had, I have PowerAmp as my default player and have it set up really good..... When I would open PowerAmp, all audio mods would stop working until I reboot the phone. The only work around was to turn off all of PowerAmps audio processing and let the mods handle it, which I don't think sounded as good as PowerAmp, but make everything else sound better.
Just curious... Is there a good audio mod out there that is battery friendly?? How about one that doesn't stop when using PowerAmp?

ElementalX -> Headphone Gain + -> PowerAMP EQ(Alpha 700) or get a portable dac+amp? I got myself FiiO Q1, embedded wolfson is just sheeet.

SpiritBreak3r said:
ElementalX -> Headphone Gain + -> PowerAMP EQ(Alpha 700) or get a portable dac+amp? I got myself FiiO Q1, embedded wolfson is just sheeet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean PowerAMP EQ?? I found the Alpha 700 build, but is there a stand-alone EQ as well or a way to make the EQ syetem wide?
Never thought about using EX headphone gain, I have that kernel and tweak app installed.

I also tried Viper with the audiophile profile and it sounded worse than stock.

tele_jas said:
What do you mean PowerAMP EQ?? I found the Alpha 700 build, but is there a stand-alone EQ as well or a way to make the EQ syetem wide?
Never thought about using EX headphone gain, I have that kernel and tweak app installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By powerAMP EQ I meant, just for the music, not system wide. After going through default FX and viperAudio (I never liked it) to work with my DI.FM and other media application, I decided to get a hardware DAC+AMP.
If you're not into huge bulky dac+amp, you could get your hands on FiiO K1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0189EVGAG
It's an exceptional device with capabilities for just 40$. Works great with provided OTG Cables, but I got a single Type-C to Micro-USB so I don't have to worries about adapters/connectors.

anyone else find Bluetooth audio streaming quality not good?

OK I finally gave in my note 7 after I broke it today..And I am really trying to love this phone. Samsung's aren't perfect, but one thing they do well is stream clean music with *slightly* pushed bass. This works amazing in my car especially because I have a added subwoofer in my car.
I was really looking forward to the increased audio quality everyone says this phone has, but in my experience thus far, I am finding it incredibly lacking! Is it because I am not using the auxillary port?
In my car over Bluetooth the music streamed from it sounds okay except for there seems to be a huge lack of bass. I try to compensate by cranking the bass some on the radio, however it just sounds muddy. Not clean and powerful without being too powerful like the Samsung's.
Has anyone else experienced this, and short of rooting have you found any remedy? The part that sucks is the majority of the music I listen to comes from Spotify, and Spotify doesn't connect with any equalizers you can download. Only the phones operation system equalizer. Someone please chime in

Yea weak sound quality with Bluetooth
But when connected with 3.5 cable the quality is outstanding with the hi dac

Damn that sucks. I haven't used a headphone jack in damn near 3 years.

rowihel2012 said:
Yea weak sound quality with Bluetooth
But when connected with 3.5 cable the quality is outstanding with the hi dac
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you rooted by any chance?

The amazing sound quality you're hearing about is from the wired connection. Once you hand off to BT, it's pretty much up to the device you're sending it to.

CHH2 said:
The amazing sound quality you're hearing about is from the wired connection. Once you hand off to BT, it's pretty much up to the device you're sending it to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's not true. You can play multiple Bluetooth devices and there is differences in sound. A iPhone, and galaxy, and this phone all sound different in my car stereo system and on my reciever in the house. Clearly 3 different sound profiles

Lg v20 is AptX/AptX Hd compatible. You should look for bluetooth IEM/Headphones/Speakers with those features and then you will get optimal quality sound for bluetooth. Personally have the LG tone platinum's with AptX HD and its the best audio experience I've from bluetooth earphones.

Success100 said:
Are you rooted by any chance?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea and
Has weta rom

Sounds great in my car, Powerbeats wireless and Samsung level pro speakers. Nothing wrong with Bluetooth over here.
Sent from my LG-H915 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Sounds amazing on my Harmon Kardon Onyx Studio and my Tones infinims.

This sounds great over Bluetooth with aptx. I have a a car stereo with aptx and it makes a difference. I was running viper on my old S4 before and I am pleased enough that I haven't even rooted to install viper yet. S4 sounded like crap over Bluetooth until I found viper with the appropriate convolver.

rowihel2012 said:
Yea and
Has weta rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weta included Dolby Atmos in his rom. Have you tried that with bluetooth?
I hear a big difference with it set to music and intelligent equalizer to open.
Lots of bass on my lg headphones.

androiddiego said:
Weta included Dolby Atmos in his rom. Have you tried that with bluetooth?
I hear a big difference with it set to music and intelligent equalizer to open.
Lots of bass on my lg headphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea fantastic rom with fantastic audio mods
---------- Post added at 10:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 PM ----------
But i love Hi Fi dac sound

You shouldn't have to root at all.
Try this app for play store
Equalizer FX
But in short no phone uses DAC once Bluetooth is connected. The only thing that may make your old phone any different is its Bass settings.

shwnr11 said:
You shouldn't have to root at all.
Try this app for play store
Equalizer FX
But in short no phone uses DAC once Bluetooth is connected. The only thing that may make your old phone any different is its Bass settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it work for Spotify?

Success100 said:
Does it work for Spotify?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its a free app and runs in the background.
It appears to detect any media playing thru the phone.
I haven't tried it with Spotify, but my guess would be yes.
As I haven't found an app it hasn't worked with yet.
I've used it with Napster, Pandora, Slacker, You tube, web browser, lg player, and a few other things. And have been able to adjust the EQ settings every time.
Only glitch I have ran across is sometimes it doesn't start up or was killed off by the OS while not being used. So I have to open up the app once in a while and toggle it on and off to activate it again. But once that's done it usually stays on and continues to function until I stop playing media and stop using it for a period of time.

Success100 said:
Does it work for Spotify?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just installed it myself and yes it does.
Keep in mind though these apps can only do so much with whatever hardware you're using.
Would be bad ass of the DAC could work with Bluetooth but unfortunately that's literally impossible since a DAC requires a wired source.
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

evo4g63t said:
I just installed it myself and yes it does.
Keep in mind though these apps can only do so much with whatever hardware you're using.
Would be bad ass of the DAC could work with Bluetooth but unfortunately that's literally impossible since a DAC requires a wired source.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I downloaded it and yes it does help even with Spotify thank you very much. It helps some. I'm now getting the infamous static over Bluetooth.
I actually asked my dude to come over who has 2016 dodge charger (I have a 2013 300) because I was starting to think maybe I'm just tripping. I hooked my phone up in his car via Bluetooth and played a song by Migos (lol horrible artists but they have a lot of dynamic beats) I first played it on my phone with the said app running In the background. First thing he said is "why it sound like that?" I told him wait until we listen to the whole song. We then had him hook up his s7 edge via Bluetooth and there is a CLEAR difference. Much higher *quality* bass. Much more "fuller" highs. Not that the V20 does not get loud...That's not the case. The V20 will get loud but sounds like crap...
So to play devil's advocate. I pull out his aux cord from his center console and made sure I turned DAC on and played the same song. Yes. DAC does help with the quality especially when playing 320kbps music. It sounds great. Yet still, I still find the lows sloppy, muddy, and just not quality in my opinion. I expected alot more out of this phone audio wise, and call me crazy, I am extremely let down as I find the Samsung's have a much more natural, full, sound profile. Maybe I just prefer the Samsung audio profile vs LG's implementation. I know when it comes to clean low end bass, Samsung's have a clear advantage. Even with Bluetooth headphones.
I am going to continue messing with the equalizer app I downloaded and hope to find that great balance I am looking for. I may ultimately end up returning the phone. Seems fickle, but having to do all of this and use antiquated aux cords and rooting etc just to get the sound I want is overkill to me especially when there are no promos thru T-Mobile for this phone right now..
Rant end.

Try out Napster.
They have a built-in equalizer unlike Spotify.
And their built-in equalizer is a little better than the stand alone equalizer I mentioned earlier.
Just make sure your not running both equalizers at the same time. Also make sure that the phones volume is turned down to start off with, than increase once music is playing.
The phones output thru auxiliary seems to be a little higher than most head units can handle, when the volume is max out on the phone.
I also have a second device called sound shocker. It allows me to keep the phones volume low, but maximize the quality of the music and have high volume output from the head unit.
Go check it out at sound shocker.com
Also being on T-Mobile, dont forget you have the Hi-Fi settings. Adjusting the dB in the settings will also have great effect when playing thru auxiliary chord.

Oh....one more thing.... Under the accessibility settings under hearing, make sure you have stereo turned on or off to suit your preference.

Any news on non-stock music players utilizing AKM DAC?

Hi, I'm from Europe and yesterday I received my brand new A2017G. It's on B09 software version and OTA isnt finding anything newer. Sadly I read in many places (and tested it by myself) that only stock music player can output music to the AKM DAC. Are there any possibilities for me to achive desired result (I mean non-stock players do the same) on stock rom? I assume that I'd have to root and flash some custom rom but I would like to do it in the last resort (I use many banking apps which don't work that good with root and custom roms)
I can't hide the fact that this function is quite a dealbreaker for me. The phone is all great but if I can't use my favourite music player - for example PowerAmp, the what's the point. Stock music player is extremely lacking - and that is saying it lightly.

I have used many players which works fine (with Dolby Atmos) with the stock Rom..
Actually it's Pi music player. But you have Phonograph too and several others. Just give them a try too see it's what you want.
By the way, the last version of the stock Rom for G models is Nougat B10.
Envoyé de mon ZTE A2017G en utilisant Tapatalk

ma_ko said:
Hi, I'm from Europe and yesterday I received my brand new A2017G. It's on B09 software version and OTA isnt finding anything newer. Sadly I read in many places (and tested it by myself) that only stock music player can output music to the AKM DAC. Are there any possibilities for me to achive desired result (I mean non-stock players do the same) on stock rom? I assume that I'd have to root and flash some custom rom but I would like to do it in the last resort (I use many banking apps which don't work that good with root and custom roms)
I can't hide the fact that this function is quite a dealbreaker for me. The phone is all great but if I can't use my favourite music player - for example PowerAmp, the what's the point. Stock music player is extremely lacking - and that is saying it lightly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
JLLE said:
I have used many players which works fine (with Dolby Atmos) with the stock Rom..
Actually it's Pi music player. But you have Phonograph too and several others. Just give them a try too see it's what you want.
By the way, the last version of the stock Rom for G models is Nougat B10.
Envoyé de mon ZTE A2017G en utilisant Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All apps can use the AKM DAC, actually. if you don't believe me go to the sound toggle and, well, toggle it a few times. Now hi-res is another matter, but I believe you are not talking about that specifically. if you are, then only Neutron and maybe those apps jlle mentioned work (i.e. not poweramp)
Just use Poweramp if you don't care about hi-res files and that stuff

The question is - I honestly don't know. I just wanted good audio quality. At first I installed poweramp, listened to some songs at the sound was decent. However when during playback I went to android settings -> sound -> headset hifi and switched between super and standard nothing happened. There was no change in music. I assume it's a setting for headphones only but I tested several pairs and nothing. But when I used stock music player I could toggle that setting with audible effect. Another thing (I guess) is Dolby icon visible when you pull down status bar. Is it the same as Dolby Atmos in sound settings? Does it works when using phone's speakers only or you can use it with headphones also? Anyway, on poweramp tapping it brings no change (it won't activate) whereas in stock player it works splendidly...

ma_ko said:
Is it the same as Dolby Atmos in sound settings? Does it works when using phone's speakers only or you can use it with headphones also? Anyway, on poweramp tapping it brings no change (it won't activate) whereas in stock player it works splendidly...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the same and it works with the speaker or headphons. In speaker I would leave Dolby on,does it's job quite well with it but for headphones I'm turning it off to take use of the AKM dac/super mode,but to really hear a difference you've got to have a pair of high impedance headphones.Also in Poweramp there should be a setting somewhere that makes Dolby work again,but may turn poweramps equalizer off, but I don't know where/what the setting is called since I'm only using spotify atm.

F.Y.I., Poweramp only works with HIFI if you use the beta, and include a couple work-arounds in your build.prop. Not the easiest thing in the world to get running, but it sounds great once you do.

Dolby and Hi-Fi audio quality are two totally different things. Dolby is the separate audio processing software that works on both speakers and headphones, but does not get too well with Poweramp, while Hi-Fi audio is a setting for choosing which audio processor outputs when using headphones ( the integrated Snapdragon audio proc or the AKM one).
On my A2017G there is a pretty subtle, but clear difference when using Poweramp, between the two Hi-Fi settings: the Super one is a bit louder, has more bass and better soundstage. This can be changed without problems when listening to music using Poweramp.
The Dolby software, though, sometimes can be activated, but then it cannot be deactivated until I stop the music and also the interface still shows that it's deactivated, even though the sound has changed.
My recommendation is to just use the Hi-Fi thing in Settings with the PowerAmp EQ because the Dolby software is not too versatile. This sounds really nice with my headphones.

pinkywinky said:
F.Y.I., Poweramp only works with HIFI if you use the beta, and include a couple work-arounds in your build.prop. Not the easiest thing in the world to get running, but it sounds great once you do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
naw. It doesn't work at all. The workaround I posted just reroutes the audio path in some obscure way, and it makes sound better out of it (for some reason the equalizer makes more difference) but the sound goes into a mixer path and gets downsampled to 48k. You get to use Viper4Android and Dolby with it though.
It also kills the camera

ma_ko said:
The question is - I honestly don't know. I just wanted good audio quality. At first I installed poweramp, listened to some songs at the sound was decent. However when during playback I went to android settings -> sound -> headset hifi and switched between super and standard nothing happened. There was no change in music. I assume it's a setting for headphones only but I tested several pairs and nothing. But when I used stock music player I could toggle that setting with audible effect. Another thing (I guess) is Dolby icon visible when you pull down status bar. Is it the same as Dolby Atmos in sound settings? Does it works when using phone's speakers only or you can use it with headphones also? Anyway, on poweramp tapping it brings no change (it won't activate) whereas in stock player it works splendidly...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it usually lets you change between super and standard . You should find a difference in the soundstage and better, more defined bass.
The "standard DAC" (also akm, seemingly, but powersaving-oriented) is used for the speakers, and Atmos is designed for phone speakers too. You CAN use it on headphones, but it'll give you a bunch of noise. It doesn't work with Poweramp unless you use 704 and follow my guide on how to "enable hi-fi" on it (the camera will break, you'll need to use another camera app). But it's not worth it unless you use Viper4Android
---------- Post added at 01:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:48 AM ----------
ma_ko said:
The question is - I honestly don't know. I just wanted good audio quality. At first I installed poweramp, listened to some songs at the sound was decent. However when during playback I went to android settings -> sound -> headset hifi and switched between super and standard nothing happened. There was no change in music. I assume it's a setting for headphones only but I tested several pairs and nothing. But when I used stock music player I could toggle that setting with audible effect. Another thing (I guess) is Dolby icon visible when you pull down status bar. Is it the same as Dolby Atmos in sound settings? Does it works when using phone's speakers only or you can use it with headphones also? Anyway, on poweramp tapping it brings no change (it won't activate) whereas in stock player it works splendidly...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it usually lets you change between super and standard . You should find a difference in the soundstage and better, more defined bass.
The "standard DAC" (also akm, seemingly, but powersaving-oriented) is used for the speakers, and Atmos is designed for phone speakers too. You CAN use it on headphones, but it'll give you a bunch of noise. It doesn't work with Poweramp unless you use 704 and follow my guide on how to "enable hi-fi" on it (the camera will break, you'll need to use another camera app). But it's not worth it unless you use Viper4Android

Choose an username... said:
naw. It doesn't work at all. The workaround I posted just reroutes the audio path in some obscure way, and it makes sound better out of it (for some reason the equalizer makes more difference) but the sound goes into a mixer path and gets downsampled to 48k. You get to use Viper4Android and Dolby with it though.
It also kills the camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I'm a little confused here. I've feel like I've had so many discussions on what actually uses the HIFI DAC on this forums (you seem to be one of the few that know we use 2 different AKMs). What procedure are you talking about though? Currently I use AINUR, which supposedly someone with an AXON worked with to get the audio down the right path, and I also use the work around to get Poweramp to use the HIFI mode. From what I heard this should output 24bit 96khz. Unless you are implying that poweramp downgrades audio then upsamples it?
In any case, all 3rd party ROMs use the HIFI DAC by default. Maybe not the full extent, but to be honest the most important thing for HIFI music is mastering. But even so, without full DAC control I still think the phone sounds much better than most others. I do want to try out that custom "ROM" though, see what the controls do.

For my ears, using the bare bones ZTE player produces better sound with headphones, but it just isn't worth dealing with the limits of that player.

pinkywinky said:
I guess I'm a little confused here. I've feel like I've had so many discussions on what actually uses the HIFI DAC on this forums (you seem to be one of the few that know we use 2 different AKMs). What procedure are you talking about though? Currently I use AINUR, which supposedly someone with an AXON worked with to get the audio down the right path, and I also use the work around to get Poweramp to use the HIFI mode. From what I heard this should output 24bit 96khz. Unless you are implying that poweramp downgrades audio then upsamples it?
In any case, all 3rd party ROMs use the HIFI DAC by default. Maybe not the full extent, but to be honest the most important thing for HIFI music is mastering. But even so, without full DAC control I still think the phone sounds much better than most others. I do want to try out that custom "ROM" though, see what the controls do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The "procedure" is the workaround you use. It doesn't do what you believe. Poweramp seems to believe that it is offloading via a direct path but it is going through a mixer path. Therefore Poweramp (maybe) processes at high resolution, but it gets downgraded at the output, and you get 48kHz. If you don't believe me that the output is 48 use media.audio_flinger
Ainur has the AK4490 patch integrated. It's no use since a) stock ROMs use it (they have the switch) and b) since long ago all ROMs have integrated the AK4490 patch on them.
You can get Hi-Res on stock and custom M and N ROMs but you have to use Neutron which is horrible. Doesn't work in O ROMs at the moment
i think we had a big discussion with the 2 akm's thing before though, but someone asked ZTE and they replied that they also used the DAC that's inside the AK4961. so i dunno

All you need is this.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jetappfactory.jetaudioplus
And optionally get the AM3D plugin from within the player. It has everything you could need, even AGC. I've tried so many players and always come back to Jet. Neutron is more flawed from a user interaction perspective and I don't like it.
---------- Post added at 11:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 AM ----------
argblah said:
For my ears, using the bare bones ZTE player produces better sound with headphones, but it just isn't worth dealing with the limits of that player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I usually keep the stock music app disabled but every now and then Jet gets an update so I enable and listen to stock, then listen to Jet.
Every time, Jet sounds better and I disable stock app again.
I keep Dolby Atmos turned off using BT or 3.5 jack for music and have it on with the inbuilt speakers or if playing a video whatever the audio listening device.

I've been using Gone Mad player for a while now, quite happy with it. Works great with BT in car, headphones, hirez etc.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gonemad.gmmp

I just use the deep buffer remover mod from XDA to have the Super DAC setting working for all headphone output. I posted about it ages ago back here https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/how-to/list-music-players-outputting-to-akm-dac-t3695058
Sent from my ZTE Axon 7 using XDA Labs

https://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/hires-audio-driver
http://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/uapp-trial

aosp said:
https://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/hires-audio-driver
http://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/uapp-trial
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks a lot for the links. I just purchased the Pro from Play Store after I tested the same song versus neutron player on a pair of ath m50x.
the sound on USB audio is much much better.
I'm waiting to test it on my gf's htc 10 when she's home, should be even better
I highly recommend getting the trial guys