I bought a fiio e6 on amazon and sound quality has improved tremendously. Even with my a2dp receiver in my car, the improvement was great. Any other experience?
What kind of headphones are you using? i suspect that makes much more of a difference than the amp
I'm planning to get an E6 by the end of this month. Together with AKG K240 MK II. I will need the amp anyway, but it'll be good to know what ear-/headphones you are using.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
Just tried my E6 on my i9100. Absolutely no change at all. Tried 5 different IEM's and 2 different headphones, they all sounded the same.
Maybe your E6 is broken!
I use it with akg K317 and in my car with a beewi bba100.
I've ordered an e5, which I should receive tomorrow, from what I've read the bass boost on the e5 is better than that of the e6.
I'll report back on any change on the sound quality, although don't expect anything in-depth, I'm no audiophile
without a proper lineout from the phone, the sound will either be same or worst in most cases. Because what youre doing is amplifying an amplified signal. So, if the amplified signal from the phone is bad, i'm pretty sure your external amplifier cant fix that.
You would need the Samsung official car dock for true line-out audio. Either that or make your own cable like the one here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20710266&postcount=14
Maybe Bluetooth audio would also work, if you have a Bluetooth receiver with a decent DAC.
No matter what you use, it will not improve the overall sound of the device as it uses a cheap and crappy sound card. Any sort of amp including the Fiio E6 only brings EQ to the music, not to mention you actually lose sound quality because your using a jack to jack method unlike the iPod where they have special cables that connects directly into the DAC of the iPod because of the special provide cables which over-passes the direct headphone jack port. (Search up Fiio L9 Cable) Also when using the jack to jack cable that's provided with the Fiio E6 it lowers the loudness of the sound when connecting via phone to the amp.
Of course then there's the human ear, if you feel like it sounds great, good for you but in reality the sound is worse with EQ added to make you think it sounds great.
If your an audiophile you have to accept that the SGS2 isn't the best music device. Cowon for example or the SGP are good sounding music players. It's a waste of money to buy a Fiio E6 Amp unless your using an iPod to be honest cause it significantly improves the iPod devices.
That's my 2 cents, take it or leave it as you wish.
Blegh said:
without a proper lineout from the phone, the sound will either be same or worst in most cases. Because what youre doing is amplifying an amplified signal. So, if the amplified signal from the phone is bad, i'm pretty sure your external amplifier cant fix that.
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Yeah, I noticed no change in sound quality with my e5. However it can make it a LOT louder, so if that's something you need, you might still want to consider getting one of these
Intercrew said:
unlike the iPod where they have special cables that connects directly into the DAC of the iPod because of the special provide cables which over-passes the direct headphone jack port. (Search up Fiio L9 Cable)
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The galaxy s 2 does also have line out which bypasses the headphone jack (for example the samsung car dock does line-out over the micro usb port) but there doesn't seem to be anything available to buy to do this without the dock. However as claimui said you can make your own cable too
Related
Does anyone know if it is possible to get an LOD for the Epic 4G Touch?
In case you have no idea what this means, here's your lesson in audiophile gear for the day:
Line Out Dock (a.k.a. LOD), n.: a cable commonly used on audio devices which creates a "line out" similar to a headphone jack but with no volume control and often better analog signal quality. This is useful in that it allows a user to bypass the headphone jack of a device and run the audio signal straight into an external amplifier. This is often done when an audiophile-type individual has headphones which benefit from a audio source with greater output power than a portable device typically provides.
Examples of LOD's:
Apple iPod/iPhone
Sansa Fuze
Bazirker said:
Does anyone know if it is possible to get an LOD for the Epic 4G Touch?
In case you have no idea what this means, here's your lesson in audiophile gear for the day:
Line Out Dock (a.k.a. LOD), n.: a cable commonly used on audio devices which creates a "line out" similar to a headphone jack but with no volume control and often better analog signal quality. This is useful in that it allows a user to bypass the headphone jack of a device and run the audio signal straight into an external amplifier. This is often done when an audiophile-type individual has headphones which benefit from a audio source with greater output power than a portable device typically provides.
Examples of LOD's:
Apple iPod/iPhone
Sansa Fuze
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I googled epic 4g touch dock:
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones-accessories/EDD-D1D9BEGSTA
Samsung HM3700 Stereo bluetooth headset
I bought the Samsung HM3700 Stereo bluetooth headset which comes with one. I am sure Monoprice.com has one or even Ebay; but if it's worth 24.99 to yah you can buy the headset.
Sort of what I'm after, but not really. I don't want a dock, I want a cable. This is for portable listening on the go with an amp.
Thanks!
Gorguts said:
I bought the Samsung HM3700 Stereo bluetooth headset which comes with one. I am sure Monoprice.com has one or even Ebay; but if it's worth 24.99 to yah you can buy the headset.
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Click to collapse
Not sure I see what you're talking about; our just looks like a bluetooth headset to me.
The pinout for micro usb is the same across phones, right? If so, this should work.
fonseca898 said:
The pinout for micro usb is the same across phones, right? If so, this should work.
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Wow...if this works...
Does it mean I can listen to pandora on my phone and stream it through this LOD into my cars aux ports for superior sound quality?!
fonseca898 said:
The pinout for micro usb is the same across phones, right? If so, this should work.
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Click to collapse
That is quite interesting and just might work.
What remains to be seen is whether or not that provides superior sound quality to the headphone jack. It just occurred to me that the Samsung car dock (which I have) is essentially the same thing as that USB micro to 3.5mm jack plug unless the phone has software which can recognize the difference. In this case, volume would still be controlled via the phone. I might have to test and see if I can hear a difference in sound quality, but I doubt it (or at least doubt that the dock will be better.)
I have both the official samsung desk dock, and car dock. They both have 3.5mm audio line out. Isn't that what you're asking for? I didn't know it had a "fancy" term though..
Edit: Maybe it's not exactly what you're asking for. I think you're hoping to get line level straight out of the DAC, which I don't think is possible with the SGSII. The audio dock line out is around the same quality as the headphone jack (as far as my "non audiophile" ears can tell) and it's certainly volume-controlled by software. Anyhow, some of the new custom ROMs out have beats audio and dspmanager built-in, which go a long way into tweaking the way audio exits the device. You may want to look into that.
Yeah the desk dock is still less portable than I'm looking for. I have DSP Manager on my phone and it helps to some extent. Guess I'm just stuck with the headphone jack. Thanks!
im pretty sure you need usb-host first, i think a usb dac has been used back on the nook color w/cm7 but then you lose portability and all that.
related?? http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24614
might not sound true, but it is: my car does not have an audio system, and it is old that installing a system will cost me more than I want to spend now, so...
I am looking for portable speakers to use in the car, to install myself somewhere (separate speakers or a single block), that are either wired or bluetooth. but I want them to be loud enough to override the car noises.
Last year I got a Samsung YA-BS3000 blutetooth speaker (on a big sale), but returned them immediately because the volume was lower than my devices internal speaker.
What portable speakers can provide good sound volume and quality? 95% of the time I listen to podcasts, so I don't need music pro speakers.
I checked online and found good reviews about the JBL flip or JBL Micro II, but none of the reviews say if they are suitable for car usage.
I am ok to pay up to $100 or so for good speakers that can make my drive less annoying.
Any tips are welcome.
I'd consider getting one of those 12v lighter adaptors that lets you plug in standard electrical cords, and buy a non portable speaker that you can plug in to your phone via the 3.5mm aux jack.
You'll likely get the best boom for your buck that way.
Otherwise, I've used an iHome Bluetooth speaker that got decently loud for use even in a warehouse.
Alternatively, if volume is the problem, get a speaker you plug in via the aux, and buy a cheap headphone amp, like a Fiio E6 or E5.
Excreted from my Nexus 5
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
jRi0T68 said:
I'd consider getting one of those 12v lighter adaptors that lets you plug in standard electrical cords, and buy a non portable speaker that you can plug in to your phone via the 3.5mm aux jack.
You'll likely get the best boom for your buck that way.
Otherwise, I've used an iHome Bluetooth speaker that got decently loud for use even in a warehouse.
Alternatively, if volume is the problem, get a speaker you plug in via the aux, and buy a cheap headphone amp, like a Fiio E6 or E5.
Excreted from my Nexus 5
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, thanks for the variety of solutions.
I went with the first idea, but went with a desktop/laptop speakers that are USB powered, bought for €10, and I have a lighter adapter to USB, and from the shop till home the sound was ok, now I have to install them with hidden cables and try.
will evaluate other ideas. and btw, I will read now your headphone buying guide....
So I found a Behringer UCA202 DAC online for really cheap and thought why not try it just for fun. Everything I've read says having one can help a bit and I figured at the least it would sound the same, but I plugged it into my Nexus 5 via OTG then plugged the AUX cord to my Jeep into the DAC and all bass and pretty much any other level of detail is gone from my music whether it's from Pandora, YouTube HD, or FLAC audio files. Audio sound quality is equal to listening to music over old mono bluetooth, you hear it fine but any highs and lows are removed. Has anyone else used this DAC that could give some suggestions?
Otherwise it's just as I assumed, DACs are pointless on good quality phones and that's why I can't find any DAC threads with the Nexus 5 involved.
herqulees said:
So I found a Behringer UCA202 DAC online for really cheap and thought why not try it just for fun. Everything I've read says having one can help a bit and I figured at the least it would sound the same, but I plugged it into my Nexus 5 via OTG then plugged the AUX cord to my Jeep into the DAC and all bass and pretty much any other level of detail is gone from my music whether it's from Pandora, YouTube HD, or FLAC audio files. Audio sound quality is equal to listening to music over old mono bluetooth, you hear it fine but any highs and lows are removed. Has anyone else used this DAC that could give some suggestions?
Otherwise it's just as I assumed, DACs are pointless on good quality phones and that's why I can't find any DAC threads with the Nexus 5 involved.
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Click to collapse
Ummm, it's not a DAC. It's an interface.
theesotericone said:
Ummm, it's not a DAC. It's an interface.
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Click to collapse
Yes, with a DAC in it. You need a DAC to get audio output through USB, there is no analog audio output through USB/USB OTG...
herqulees said:
Yes, with a DAC in it. You need a DAC to get audio output through USB, there is no analog audio output through USB/USB OTG...
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Yes it has a DAC but it's not meant as a stand alone DAC. It's an interface or soundcard. Does your phone have enough juice to even operate the thing? Also for a device that sells for less than 30 bucks what exactly where you expecting? Get a real DAC. You will notice a huge difference. Until then do some more research on what you have and see if your meeting it's power requirements.
This is actually a pretty good review of the unit with lots of technical info.
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/behringer-uca202-review.html
theesotericone said:
Yes it has a DAC but it's not meant as a stand alone DAC. It's an interface or soundcard. Does your phone have enough juice to even operate the thing? Also for a device that sells for less than 30 bucks what exactly where you expecting? Get a real DAC. You will notice a huge difference. Until then do some more research on what you have and see if your meeting it's power requirements.
This is actually a pretty good review of the unit with lots of technical info.
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/behringer-uca202-review.html
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Click to collapse
While I can't see power being an issue I suppose I'll test with my Nexus 7 and laptop. I know it's a cheap DAC but I've read many reviews using this DAC with tablets and phones for car audio, along with the nwavguy in-depth review and testing showing how it's not a multi-hundred dollar unit but still does amazingly well. My issue is it doesn't even sound decent. It sounds like I'm playing rap/hip-hop through an old Nokia on speaker phone, you can hear it clearly but there's no depth.
So I tossed this DAC in a closet after I got bored of trying to make it work right and forgot about it for a year or so till earlier today when I found it while cleaning. My Nexus 5 has been retired and serves no purpose other than a security camera now. I now have a Samsung Galaxy S5 and an RCA Maven Pro tablet. The RCA Maven Pro is an 11.1inch 2-in-1 Android tablet with detachable keyboard for around $120. You'd assume it's horrible thanks to the brand and price but they managed to cut corners in all the right places it seems. Downsides are no GPS, 1GB of RAM, terrible cameras, and a horrible speaker. Other than that it has faithfully replaced my $1200 laptop with zero issues other than adjusting to ditching Windows.
Now back on track when I listen to music I'm either using an aux cord plugged into my work truck or bluetooth when using headphones or in my new car. When doing a side by side comparison bluetooth, to no surprise, shows no difference between my Maven and S5. However when using an aux cord the RCA doesn't put out as much bass and highs are... I guess not as clear? I think audiophiles are insane most of the time so it's hard for me to describe when I do notice a difference. Anyways I plugged the UCA202 into the RCA's USB port (no OTG here, it has a full size USB port) and plugged my Sony MDR-XB950BT headphones in to it with an aux cord (these headphones are 100% passive when wired, no bass boost or other enhancements) and sound quality is just as great as my S5, all bass and highs are restored. Just to further the test I plugged it into my S5 and did the same test with the same results. These are the same FLAC song files from the same network location that my Nexus 5 was playing a year ago.
The whole time the issue was something in my Nexus 5. What it was I don't know and sorry you guys I don't plan on investigating, I just wanted to inform everyone that the Behringer UCA202 is in fact a quality budget DAC since this thread is a top Google result for "Behringer UCA202 Android". If you have a cheap device that you want the audio to be on par with the high end phones this will do it, and for my original purpose of at the same time giving a bit of amplification for a weak head unit without distortion it does that decently too. To finish this off I am NOT an audiophile. Just a human with human hearing that likes songs with bass on car head units that weren't always designed for it (I glued a 80mm CPU fan to the back of the HU in my Jeep ) So take my finer details however you'd like.
the DAC works great for my Nexus 7 2013 model.
maybe otg cable is sh1tty
Sent from my D820 CAF using Tapatalk
Just bought a jaybird x3 from Amazon I would say it cannot match the b&o play headphone comes with the phone with quad DAC enabled, anyone has better suggestion is that even Bose sport wireless will be about the same? Welcome any suggestion or I should stick with wired one just Bluetooth is so much more convenient, love to hear anyone with BeatX or similar ones
Replaced the standard ear tip with the foam type comes with jaybird x3 sounds significantly better
You need to use wired headphones to take advantage of the dac
I use the Creative Sound Blaster E3 combined with b&o play headphone that came with the phone and to me it sounds just as good or may be better than the phone with wired headphones. If the sound of the E3 is not up to par you can always substitute any 3.5mm headphone out for the B&O.
The Quad DAC will only activate with an audio cable plugged in. So unfortunately Bluetooth will not be able to take advantage of it.
However, the V20 does support AptX, which essentially allows for high quality audio through a BT headset, headphones, speakers, etc. Though I am far from an audiophile, I honestly do hear a definitive difference between an AptX supported headset vs a non AptX set.
Amazon has an extremely large selection of BT 4.1 (which features the ability to display the battery % of your headset on your phone), waterproof, AptX supported headphones. You just have to find the ones that fit your needs.
Good luck.
I use Samsung Gear IconX (truly wireless ones) with V20, very decent sound not much worse than included B&O H3! There's a bunch of them brand new unpacked on Ebay starting from like 80$ or so! Most folks change eartips on IconXs, the large ones from milliion year old Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic worked for me famously, balanced sound and punchy bass, perfect for workouts. One very neat feature of IconXs that you can store 4gigs of songs and use as a standalone mp3 player and I personally think SQ is even better than paired with V20! Lastly, you can track steps and heart-rate but that's something I don't use...
I use the Apple AirPods when I need the convenience of Bluetooth. For wireless ear buds they sound really good when you pair them with Apple Music. I don't like the sound with Tidal tho.
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
vam1230 said:
I use the Creative Sound Blaster E3 combined with b&o play headphone that came with the phone and to me it sounds just as good or may be better than the phone with wired headphones. If the sound of the E3 is not up to par you can always substitute any 3.5mm headphone out for the B&O.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh I don't really know creative still makes things like this sounds interesting and it is about the same price as my jaybird x3, thanks for the suggestion
Lgv20user said:
The Quad DAC will only activate with an audio cable plugged in. So unfortunately Bluetooth will not be able to take advantage of it.
However, the V20 does support AptX, which essentially allows for high quality audio through a BT headset, headphones, speakers, etc. Though I am far from an audiophile, I honestly do hear a definitive difference between an AptX supported headset vs a non AptX set.
Amazon has an extremely large selection of BT 4.1 (which features the ability to display the battery % of your headset on your phone), waterproof, AptX supported headphones. You just have to find the ones that fit your needs.
Good luck.
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Click to collapse
Yes v20 actually does support aptx HD but not easy to find a headphone that supports that except from LG and from the reviews it seems doesn't matter so much
Zenroid said:
Yes v20 actually does support aptx HD but not easy to find a headphone that supports that except from LG and from the reviews it seems doesn't matter so much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TaoTronics Bluetooth In Ear Headphones Wireless Earbuds Sports Magnetic Earphones with Built-in Mic (Sweatproof with IPX5 Splash Proof Rating, aptX St https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYMSLFL/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apap_gKUSnifT9FZbE
I don't have high standards by any means, but these headphones are perfect for me. Great sound, durable, sweat resistant, long battery life, etc.
Jaybird is at the top when it comes to bluetooth, and you won't find any bluetooth earbuds that sound better than the X3.
Sent from my LG-LS997 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I use the Samsung Level U:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YA8L3YA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
which show to support aptX:
https://www.aptx.com/products/samsung-level-u-wireless-bluetoothr-headset
now the LG V20 supports aptX HD:
https://www.aptx.com/products/lgv20
but the aptX HD is backward compatible with the aptX. I think the Samsung Level U work great and sound great
Bose QC35 and Bose SoundSport Wireless, Word!
My brother has been through quite a few different ones including the Jaybirds and the best earbud pair imo was Monsters sport ones (ill have to get the model number for ya later as I dont recall). To be honest I thought my $30 Taotronic sport ones I got off Amazon sounded just as good as the Jaybirds did.
I've seen Bose has a new wireless in ear buds with active noise cancelling so those might sound pretty good. Haven't read anything about them yet though
I just posted this on another thread, well worth the price.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=71356965&postcount=154
In my opinion the absolute best sounding bluetooth headset on the market right now is the Definitive Symphony 1, these things sound awesome for BT, even the bose BT headsets don't compare imo.
Best Bluetooth Earbuds
Have you seen the top 5 best sounding bluetooth earbuds you can buy. It might be the best for your need :laugh:
I have the Vmoda Crossfade Wireless 2 and they sound awesome with the phone. My Bludio UFO I just got today I think sound better at a much lower cost. Either way, the Bluetooth sounds great and the option to plug in for even better sound is there.
Don't mean to rain on the earbud parade but to get the best sound you need something with bigger drivers. I recently bought the Sharkk Claro from Amazon for $44.99 and it has ANC and Apt-X and it sounds pretty good.
I've been really happy with Mixcder over the ear headphones. I have a pair of the MS301 and my wife has the HD601. Both use Apt-x low latency, which seems to really help the audio quality.
I have been trying a lot of custom ROMs recently on my Z2 Plus and I noticed the audio quality from the 3.5mm headphone jack is not particularly good on any of them. When listening to a piece of music or a podcast with quiet sections, a crackling noise is audible that makes it hard to hear any detail in the audio. The problem is most notable at low volume levels of just a few notches. I tried disabling any audio enhancements like the 'AudioFX' app that comes with Lineage-based ROMs, but this did not make much difference.
I listened to the same MP3 files on my ZTE Axon 7 and the audio is crystal-clear with no crackling present in the slightest. I'm using a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50 monitor headphones.
I know the ZTE Axon 7 has a Hi-Fi audio DAC which might explain why it sounds so much clearer, but I didn't expect the difference to be this much... Is the bad audio quality just a limitation of the ZUK Z2's hardware, or is it something that the custom ROMs are not implementing correctly?
Which ROMs have the clearest audio quality from the headphone jack?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lenovo-zuk-z2/themes/magisk-v17-x-zero-audio-patch-t3843893
Flash this mod and use neutron/ poweramp with 24 bit hifi audio enabled.
There is a noticable difference in audio quality
senthamizhan said:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lenovo-zuk-z2/themes/magisk-v17-x-zero-audio-patch-t3843893
Flash this mod and use neutron/ poweramp with 24 bit hifi audio enabled.
There is a noticable difference in audio quality
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Click to collapse
Thanks, I actually tried both of these tips before making this thread but I wasn't overwhelmed by the difference in audio quality... When playing music I still hear the crackling/static kind of noise during the quiet parts. I think it's probably a limitation of the hardware more than anything else.
Do you guys think using a 3.5mm to Type-C adapter with a built-in DAC would solve this problem? Then I could play music through the Type-C port instead of using the headphone jack.
P650SE said:
Thanks, I actually tried both of these tips before making this thread but I wasn't overwhelmed by the difference in audio quality... When playing music I still hear the crackling/static kind of noise during the quiet parts. I think it's probably a limitation of the hardware more than anything else.
Do you guys think using a 3.5mm to Type-C adapter with a built-in DAC would solve this problem? Then I could play music through the Type-C port instead of using the headphone jack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can always use a external dac via usb c port. Someone from zukfans.eu said it is working. But external dacs are expensive. Type c to 3.5mm jack adapters wont do anything if it does not have any dac inbuilt
senthamizhan said:
You can always use a external dac via usb c port. Someone from zukfans.eu said it is working. But external dacs are expensive. Type c to 3.5mm jack adapters wont do anything if it does not have any dac inbuilt
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Okay, thanks. The reason I mentioned the Type-C adapters is because I thought some of them were marketed as having an inbuilt DAC. But that could be wrong and the ZUK might not have compatibly to use it anyway.
Yeah, I don't like the thought of buying an external DAC since I don't intend on keeping this phone much longer anyway. I'm just having trouble choosing my next handset since the smartphone market is so stagnant at the moment. LG V30 would be good for audio quality but it uses PWM which hurts my eyes too much.
try paranoid rom nougat version, it was the only rom in which I felt the audio quality was better. ZUK 2 clearly have poor hardware, my old moto g3 sounds much better.