Well, after lurking XDA for about six months, I finally actually need to post about something. Also please note that I am not an audiophile by any means, I just listen to music a lot.
I have owned a Desire since its Australian launch, and it is unequivocally the best phone I have used since the venerable Nokia N95.
I also have an iPhone 3GS provided by my benevolent employer, which in general I don't particularly like.
There is only one thing about the iPhone that is going to make it hurt to give it back to my employer when I leave at the end of this month. Audio volume.
Specifically, when I have my Desire connected to an external amplifier such as the car stereo (a daily occurence) or the stereo in my loungeroom, while it sounds pretty good, it cannot match the iPhone for volume, or the general 'meatiness' of the sound, and in the car it means I have to turn the stereo's volume up way higher than I do compared to when I use the iPhone, while still not getting sound of the same quality.
I have looked at the Dell Streak based on positive comments about its audio quality, and I will buy one in a heartbeat if I can establish that its sound is noticeably louder and or better than the Desires.
My question is: Which Android phones have the best audio quality when connected to an external amp, and can any match the iPhone?
Or has anyone used both the Desire and the Streak for external audio that can give some feedback?
I have tried GSMArena, but their technical measurements of audio quality mean nothing to me.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Of all my phones so far, the only one that even comes close to matching if not exceeding the iPhones audio quality is the Samsung Galaxy S.
I have the exact same experience with my Desire. What helped me greatly was to install the music player PowerAmp, which is in the market. On the equalizer settings page increase the preamp slider to the point before it starts to distort. I still need to crank the volume a bit in my car but it's much better than before. The bass, treble & EQ also work very well. Hope this helps.
I am considering switching from the SGS2 to the X. The sound quality while listening to MP3's on the S2 was average at best even with tampering with all the settings etc.
What is the quality of the sound like on the X ? Anyone know what DAC is inside ? I have a set of Shure E535's and want to make best use of them. If the quality is the same as the SGS2 i think i will use the bit i have saved and buy a Cowan Z2 and keep the SGS2.
Thanks for any advice
I'm interested in this myself. I've already ordered the phone though, as I need a new one.
I'm hoping I finally can put away my mp3-player, but I guess it will still be some years until a phone reach Cowon sound quality. :--/
finduz said:
I'm interested in this myself. I've already ordered the phone though, as I need a new one.
I'm hoping I finally can put away my mp3-player, but I guess it will still be some years until a phone reach Cowon sound quality. :--/
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The original Samsung Galaxy S and any other device with a Wolfson DAC came close, with Supercurios Voodoo app. Best sound on a mobile device! But SamsUng dropped the Wolfson for a Yahama DAC on the SGS2! Wonder what DAC the HOX has!
i'm no mod, but i already made a thread about this.
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finduz said:
I'm interested in this myself. I've already ordered the phone though, as I need a new one.
I'm hoping I finally can put away my mp3-player, but I guess it will still be some years until a phone reach Cowon sound quality. :--/
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i don't think a phone is ever going to include good audio. the amount of people that actually use expensive headphones and lossless files are too small for the companies to care. i sold my Cowon D3 because they messed up trying to use Android 2.2 with insufficient hardware. i'm looking at the S9, J3, or X7 now. i'll use the beats audio eq bs until i have the spare 250-280.
brent8577 said:
i'm no mod, but i already made a thread about this.
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i don't think a phone is ever going to include good audio
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My good ol' Sony Ericsson w950 had a fantastic sound quality!
As a user of an iPhone with high end multidriver in ear monitors (Westone UM3x and Shure SE420) sound quality ranks very high in my list.
Thus i would appreciate if some owner of multidriver iems could chime in with an opinion on the headphone out sound quality. With all effects turned off. If the audio hardware is any good (low output impedance, low distorsion and low crosstalk) the sound should be very good (Just as it is off the iPhone headphone out) and no need of audio tweaking would be necessary.
elfary said:
As a user of an iPhone with high end multidriver in ear monitors (Westone UM3x and Shure SE420) sound quality ranks very high in my list.
Thus i would appreciate if some owner of multidriver iems could chime in with an opinion on the headphone out sound quality. With all effects turned off. If the audio hardware is any good (low output impedance, low distorsion and low crosstalk) the sound should be very good (Just as it is off the iPhone headphone out) and no need of audio tweaking would be necessary.
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On every iPhone/iPod I've tried since their inception the DAC hasn't been the talking point, and flaked out when the eq is modified, even with a decent pair (sennys/shures) of 'phones.
I think buying a phone to replace a (good/non-ipod) portable player is a bad idea.
It's also entirely subjective; you could have a Cowon S9 and top-end in-ear sound-cancelling headphones, but if you're listening to 192kbps CBR mp3s you may as well be using your phone and a pair of £20 Porta-Pros - in most situations the source is the bottleneck, then the headphones, then the DAC. (IMO, of course)
qpop said:
On every iPhone/iPod I've tried since their inception the DAC hasn't been the talking point, and flaked out when the eq is modified, even with a decent pair (sennys/shures) of 'phones.
I think buying a phone to replace a (good/non-ipod) portable player is a bad idea.
It's also entirely subjective; you could have a Cowon S9 and top-end in-ear sound-cancelling headphones, but if you're listening to 192kbps CBR mp3s you may as well be using your phone and a pair of £20 Porta-Pros - in most situations the source is the bottleneck, then the headphones, then the DAC. (IMO, of course)
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I just asked for an opinion from a high end iem user about the HTC One X headphone out. Honestly I don't need your view on portable audio. But thanks for enlightening me.
Parameters like the impedance output impedance are nothing but subjective. iPhones output impedance is lower than 2 so they will always get a linear signal to your multidriver iem where a high z source like the galaxy S2 will get a pretty skewed signal that will ruin the frequency response of the iems.
Sound and electricty are sciences even if some people find it hard to believe and prefer esoteric approaches to the matter (That's specially true amongst Cowon fans
elfary said:
As a user of an iPhone with high end multidriver in ear monitors (Westone UM3x and Shure SE420) sound quality ranks very high in my list.
Thus i would appreciate if some owner of multidriver iems could chime in with an opinion on the headphone out sound quality. With all effects turned off. If the audio hardware is any good (low output impedance, low distorsion and low crosstalk) the sound should be very good (Just as it is off the iPhone headphone out) and no need of audio tweaking would be necessary.
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There is way more to those 3 factors for sound quality, plenty of things have those but don't sound good.
Anyways for most multidriver IEMs to make the most out of the IEM you will want some sort of amperage, even my Cowon C2 isn't powerful enough to make some IEMs shine (power doesn't always need to equal volume, but power to drive with authority)
My Soundaudio Rocco-P however, at the same volume, blows the Cowon out of the water, and there was a time you could of gotten it only for $1 + shipping on head-fi
But the SGS > SGS2 that is IMO but neither hold a candle to the C2 or the Rocco.
To the OP the cowon is a fine DAC but if you just need music playback (and if you need FLAC) there might be better options in your budget
I'm still looking for portable setup that doesn't involve carrying a brick around that will power my modded Fostex T50RP
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qpop said:
On every iPhone/iPod I've tried since their inception the DAC hasn't been the talking point, and flaked out when the eq is modified, even with a decent pair (sennys/shures) of 'phones.
I think buying a phone to replace a (good/non-ipod) portable player is a bad idea.
It's also entirely subjective; you could have a Cowon S9 and top-end in-ear sound-cancelling headphones, but if you're listening to 192kbps CBR mp3s you may as well be using your phone and a pair of £20 Porta-Pros - in most situations the source is the bottleneck, then the headphones, then the DAC. (IMO, of course)
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First of all, many ipods and the iphones sound great, their EQ sucks but their SQ is quite good, really good if you pass the headphone out, and use the line out into an amp via a LOD.
They are not the end all of players though.
Porta pros are amazing IMO, they are one of my fav headphones under $100
Any update on DAC? Audio Quality?
Personally waiting for GSM Arena to do their audio test. Below from The Verge's review:
AUDIO
Audio quality on the One X is superb across the board. The earpiece offers clear, loud calls, and the rear-mounted loudspeaker does as well — for whatever reason, HTC's managed to make this placement of the loudspeaker work far better than Samsung did with the Galaxy Nexus, which produces exceptionally quiet, easy-to-muffle sound. Callers reported that I was easy to hear even in significant background noise and wind, a good sign that this phone's dual-mic noise canceling system is really well tuned.
The 3.5mm headphone jack outputs clean, noise-free music — clean enough that I was easily able to pick out the depressingly low bitrate of Rdio's tracks. Of course, the One X carries the Beats Audio branding, as most HTC devices are now expected to (HTC owns 51 percent of Beats, after all). I find it ironic that the One series' tagline is "Amazing Camera, Authentic Sound" when Beats' audio processing is anything but authentic — in fact, if anything, it intentionally diverges from the artist's intentions. Every time I hear music with Beats enabled, it just sounds like bass boost to me, which is a trick we've seen in various forms in portable audio products for at least 30 years.
I'm not saying some users don't appreciate Beats — it definitely makes music more "exciting" sounding — but if you're looking for "authentic" music reproduction, Beats definitely isn't the answer. Personally, I'll be leaving it turned off. And fortunately, it's easily toggled either from Settings or from the notification tray while music is playing. It should also be noted that Sense 4.0 (and Sense 3.6 as found on HTC's Android 4.0 upgrades for older devices) makes Beats processing compatible with any audio app, which is a big improvement; previously, it only worked with HTC's baked-in apps.
Now that a few people are receiving their One X's can anyone answer my question please
Daemos said:
To the OP the cowon is a fine DAC but if you just need music playback (and if you need FLAC) there might be better options in your budget
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Yeah its just music playback i want if i have to get another device. What do you think of the Cowon J3 ??
I agree nikzDHD about waiting for the GSM Arena review. I read the Verge review earlier and it sounds good though i would prefer a more detailed review on the subject.
darrenjdoc said:
Now that a few people are receiving their One X's can anyone answer my question pleaseYeah its just music playback i want if i have to get another device. What do you think of the Cowon J3 ??
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Honestly, I wouldn't trust the verge's gsmarena's or most other techsite's for their "audio quality" reviews.
just FYI. having fancy bar charts, graphs etc isn't the end all, having someone be able to compare it to another device, with tons of experience, using high end audio gear is MUCH more important.
Unfortunately phones usually don't get tested in audiophile type things and you are better at looking at audiophile forums and seeing if experienced members have used them.
I'm just saying for SQ, cowon isn't the best there is, but their EQ system is one of the best, but EQ can't replace energy, soundstage, or detail reproduction, all it does is emphasize certain regions of the sound changing the "sound signature" like I said my RoCoo P is superior to the Cowon but is far cheaper, but the UI sucks, and it's missing features, but I use it almost every day when I need to walk somewhere.
I suggest reading here: http://www.head-fi.org/f/15/portable-source-gear then after reading through there potentially asking your question there, but please do list your headphones, source type, type of music, and if you *need* eq or not.
It all depends on your budget and how large of a device you want to carry. I can recommend things like the ibasso DX100 or hifiman HM-801 which are basically almost as good as you can get in a portable audio player, but they cost more than a new phone, and they are very bulky.
um.. no disrespect/no intended banter to the above poster
but we simply just want to find out if the audio quality is sufficient for use of mp3s
in comparison to say the S2, which everyone knows has disappointing sound quality . Yes we all know the S1 had a good DAC etc, this thread is more so about the phones sound quality and not about how much of an audiophile we are etc.
I need to know as if it's good enough, I don't have to bring my Cowon J3 with me everyday to work as well : )
darrenjdoc said:
Now that a few people are receiving their One X's can anyone answer my question pleaseYeah its just music playback i want if i have to get another device. What do you think of the Cowon J3 ??
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I can't recommend the sansa clip enough. Cheap, good battery, flac support and even better with a portable amp! One of the best sounding players I've had.
thanhson87 said:
um.. no disrespect/no intended banter to the above poster
but we simply just want to find out if the audio quality is sufficient for use of mp3s
in comparison to say the S2, which everyone knows has disappointing sound quality . Yes we all know the S1 had a good DAC etc, this thread is more so about the phones sound quality and not about how much of an audiophile we are etc.
I need to know as if it's good enough, I don't have to bring my Cowon J3 with me everyday to work as well : )
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What is "sufficient"? What is "good enough"? It varies for different people.
If you want to know if it plays music, yes it'll play mp3s. If it's good enough to you or not, I can't say.
I can tell you this, in terms of SQ I'd rank what I've used as this SGS2 << SGS1 < rockboxed Sansa Clip/fuse (first gen) < Rockboxed earlier ipod < Cowon players < RoCoo P
This is of course FLAC, if we add mp3 playback I'd say the iphone/ipod touch fits in better than the SGS1 but can = sansa clip/fuse
These are also only what I'd consider portable DAPs.
The OP wanted to know if they should keep the SGS2 and get a J3 or get a one X instead and was focused on audio quality.
I just happened to say I think he could get better than the J3 for better SQ for the money. I'm just trying to help the OP.
Most people just want to carry one device, I've also got a rockboxed Sansa Clip its small enough to take anywhere and sound quality is very good. Again to OP Sansa Clip is the cheapest way of getting some good sound but good sound is only good if you pair it up with a good set of headphones to take advantage of it.
If only Supercurio lived in the UK I would of let him borrow my phone his analysis is very good.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
I have a Sansa clip+ lying in a box that i haven't used in a long time and just rockboxed it. Teamed with my Shure E535's and a few flac albums this little guy sounds heads and shoulders above my SGS2. Actually shocked how such a small player can sound so good. Going to get a portable amp and this will save me a few quids. Many thanks for the replies
nice! Yeah a rockboxed clip+ is definately the way to go for small awesome sound. They are also basically impossible to beat at the price you can get a clip+ and fuze for
if you want my help, let me know how much you want to spend on an amp and i'll point you in the right direction
But basically in terms of portable (and affordable amps) ibasso, jds labs and fiio (if you get their higher end stuff)
Good luck with your search, hopefully you can find a good amp that pairs well with the 535's
Anyone else noticing hiss through the headphone jack when sound is played?
Steps to reproduce:
Use earphones
Get sound to play shortly or at low volume (a notification works fine)
I'm hearing a good amount of hiss through earphones (loudness depends on headphone sensitivity: much less audible on my stock ipod earphones, much more noticeable on my Shure IEMs)
ronandi said:
Anyone else noticing hiss through the headphone jack when sound is played?
Steps to reproduce:
Use earphones
Get sound to play shortly or at low volume (a notification works fine)
I'm hearing a good amount of hiss through earphones (loudness depends on headphone sensitivity: much less audible on my stock ipod earphones, much more noticeable on my Shure IEMs)
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nope...sitting here as I write this listening to music using Samsung Focus S buds. NO hiss at high or low volume.
I tried a koss headset this morning and my phone rebooted.....but no hiss.
I have also noticed the hiss whenever watching movies or listening to music. Depending on volume, it can be pretty strong sometimes.
Sent from my Lumia 900
alodar1 said:
I tried a koss headset this morning and my phone rebooted.....but no hiss.
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I'd reboot myself too, if you plugged Koss headphones into me...
Cuz you hava a good ear piece, lmao
Yup, my senn IE8s and Ety ER4p are both producing noticeable hiss at low volumes, sounds like the gain is way up and the line level is low.
There were some amazing KOSS headsets back in the day, especially known for their electrostats. I'd pick a KOSS ESP950 over a dr. dre beats, BOSE, HK, or whatever else is popular out there these days.
+1 on the Koss. I used to use Radio Shack Optimus - those were all Koss - and some of the best sound headphones under $50 I have ever owned.
I have Sennheiser CX300-II's and they are quiet compared to other headsets and bass response is sub-par (compared to what they sounded like in my iphone). My Klipsh Image One's sound awesome, but the mic/volume don't work (and the AHJ detects and then disables the phone's mics, so lots of features 'break' with it, trying a Fiio LU1 adapter in a few days). My rocket fish cheapos work the best, and sound the most 'normal' with good bass response, general sound - however they hiss - which is less noticeable at higher volume!
I'm in the market for a new phone to replace my Vibrant and I narrowed it down between this phone and the SGS3. However the real factor is whether or not I can crank up the volume really loud as I frequent the gym and need the extra thump without distortion. (Volume+ isn't really an option as I feel it doesn't get the job done: high treble, but terrible bass)
I've read about Voodoo LOUDER coming to this phone and know about the sound control tweaks from currently existing Gnex Kernels: but I just can't find the answer about how loud it can get. Any first hand experience from fellow audiophiles would be appreciated. Does the sound control affect the volume or just the clarity?
*note- On the Vibrant, I crank up the headphone amp to the full 5dB and always hover around the +1 - +5dB range at all times. I'm also using Brainwavz M4 IEMs if that means anything.
I'm not really well versed in audio stuff, but as far as loudness goes, I plug my ****ty little ear buds in I can hear my music at 80 MPH+ over the sound of wind noise and a motorcycle engine.
Nit sure if that helps, good luck.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
It helps a little, but more clarification would work. I really want to if the loudness can be compared to Voodoo sound evenly.
Coming from the Epic 4g which had voodoo sound it is very much louder. I use Equalizer from the market but the audio by itself is quite loud. I have to stop around 60%-70% otherwise it's just too loud.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Yes, the sound boost from kernels can get painfully loud
I had a vibrant with voodoo.....
I don't think the gnex is quite as good, but it's not bad at all.
I was finally able to get my hands on a Gnex and was able to do some real world testing using some cheap JVC marshmellows, Brainwavz M4 IEMs, Klipsch s4 IEM and my Sennheiser HD555s.
The loudness between a Voodoo'd Vibrant/Nexus S/Infuse is the same as the Gnex with HPS turned on. This is with the headphone amp for the Voodoo Control app turned to +5dB and the Headphone Volume Boost turned up to 3 using the Trickster MOD control app. I did a blind test between phones using the different IEMs and couldn't tell the difference. This is good.
Sound quality between the phones is 'comparable'. What I mean is that sometimes some music might sound better on the Wolfson equipped phones, some might sound better on the Gnex. I figured the reason for that was because the two DACs are simply different. On the Infuse for example with my s4s I found that there was too much bass in the lower levels. Playing it on the Gnex, the lower levels evened out nicely. On the other hand, the mids-highs using my M4s were much better on the Vibrant than the Gnex. In conclusion: using DSP manager or another equilizer should bridge whatever differences your ears may be hearing for the whole spectrum; confirmed that with the JVCs and the Sennheisers. Interesting enough using the HD555s on the Gnex with HPS +3 caused the music to cutout and stop playing. When I lower the volume the phone doesn't cut out the music anymore....I am using the Fancy kernel on SlimBean 4.2.1 with the xLOUD mods
TL;DR- Loudness/SQ for Gnex with HPS is just as good as Voodoo'd Galaxy S phones for us that workout at the gym and need the extra volume boost. There are small SQ differences but nothing an equilizer can't fix.
Guys i am planing to buy sennheiser HD 518 and i have a confusion that these headphones will work great with our S3 or do i need an external amp for sound quality issues. thanks for ur help guys!!!
They should sound good. I have a pair of Audio Technica M50's and they sound great. Plenty of bass and the highs are just perfect. I also have the AC!D mod installed, and it makes a very big difference. The only two problems that I have is that at a low volume you can hear a hiss, but that's due to the amplifier in the phone. The second problem is that I have to download only high quality music. Anything besides high quality sounds like crap.
I just bought these last week and I'm no expert on head phones and such, but I can tell you straight they sound almost perfect to me, I don't think you'll be needing any external amplifier for it as they sound pretty great to me.
I have Sennheiser HD555 and I can say the sound quality is exceptional (very detailed and clear with 192kbps ogg). Don't worry the sensitivity because I only need to turn half way.