Develop Bugs

Is there, or will there ever be, a Galaxy phone with a 'audio driver' that's not crap

I have a Galaxy Nexus and I love the thing but holy hell the audio on this thing is pathetic. I had a Droid Charge prior to this which was a total piece of **** but the Camera and especially the audio were amazing! It got even better after loading a Voodoo Kernel and I was able to use my phone as a replacement for my iPod.
Now I'm on the Galaxy Nexus and I love the phone, everything about it is amazing, except the sound is pathetic. Even with the Xperia and Bravia engines and all that it's just terrible. In-call audio is even worse, I'm asking people to repeat themselves almost constantly. What happened with the Droid Charge that they couldn't add in to the Nexus? Does the Nexus 4 have a better audio driver? You would think this would be one of the most important features to such a beautiful phone!
Any thoughts on this?

ZeppelinJ0 said:
I have a Galaxy Nexus and I love the thing but holy hell the audio on this thing is pathetic. I had a Droid Charge prior to this which was a total piece of **** but the Camera and especially the audio were amazing! It got even better after loading a Voodoo Kernel and I was able to use my phone as a replacement for my iPod.
Now I'm on the Galaxy Nexus and I love the phone, everything about it is amazing, except the sound is pathetic. Even with the Xperia and Bravia engines and all that it's just terrible. In-call audio is even worse, I'm asking people to repeat themselves almost constantly. What happened with the Droid Charge that they couldn't add in to the Nexus? Does the Nexus 4 have a better audio driver? You would think this would be one of the most important features to such a beautiful phone!
Any thoughts on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This did wonders for mine.

gregc2009 said:
This did wonders for mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I actually just installed this. It's not bad! What settings are you using and what player? Sadly I use Spotify mostly so most the effects don't carry over properly.

gregc2009 said:
This did wonders for mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that definitely made an improvement but its a shame that our speaker is such crap and we don't have the more advanced audio internals that other phones have.

SGS 1 probably had the best audio hardware of all Galaxy phones... Everything after was worse... Not sure about the latest.

Sdobron said:
SGS 1 probably had the best audio hardware of all Galaxy phones... Everything after was worse... Not sure about the latest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a shame that Samsung had to cheap out on the internals once the screen started getting bigger.

Its really comes down to hardware. In our case, very cheap hardware. There is only so much it can be improved by some software.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Sdobron said:
SGS 1 probably had the best audio hardware of all Galaxy phones... Everything after was worse... Not sure about the latest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, Galaxy S with Wolfson DAC + voodoo sound by Supercurio was legendary. Yamaha DAC on its successor was a piece of junk.

Do any of you guys know of a non-bulky DAC setup that would work with the Nexus?

m.kochan10 said:
Indeed, Galaxy S with Wolfson DAC + voodoo sound by Supercurio was legendary. Yamaha DAC on its successor was a piece of junk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kinda odd that Nexus S had Wolfson too, but got a crappier chip in GN.

madd0g said:
Kinda odd that Nexus S had Wolfson too, but got a crappier chip in GN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same components except for camera. Economies of scale make that cheaper than cheaping out.
I use bluetooth stereo headphones specifically to get around the GNex's poor audio output.

Sv: Is there, or will there ever be, a Galaxy phone with a 'audio driver' that's not
Sometimes i find manufacturers' decisions really hard to understand.
Edit. economies of scale is a good point.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

The audio chip in the galaxy nexus is not poor like you guys say. It may not be a Wolfson but it is one of the better chips out there. If you want bad listen to the Yamaha chip in the galaxy s2.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

blackhand1001 said:
The audio chip in the galaxy nexus is not poor like you guys say. It may not be a Wolfson but it is one of the better chips out there. If you want bad listen to the Yamaha chip in the galaxy s2.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps. More worse is the loudspeaker, my mates Galaxy Ace plays louder then GNs "PC speaker" quality one.

Sv: Is there, or will there ever be, a Galaxy phone with a 'audio driver' that's not
blackhand1001 said:
The audio chip in the galaxy nexus is not poor like you guys say. It may not be a Wolfson but it is one of the better chips out there. If you want bad listen to the Yamaha chip in the galaxy s2.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sorry but being better than Yamaha is really nothing to brag Of course I agree with you that Yahaha DAC is a real crap. Audio chip on GN is not bad, but it's worse than its predecessor which is still kind of step backward.
Anyway my best audio experience so far was with galaxy r (tegra2) that was equipped with wolfson DAC.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Its a developer's phone.
Plus the Gnex had a 350 price tag at the time. They have to sacrifice some features to keep it affordable.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

madd0g said:
Perhaps. More worse is the loudspeaker, my mates Galaxy Ace plays louder then GNs "PC speaker" quality one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know its off topic but man I wish the GN had a bigger speaker. The audio output is indeed good despite not being Wolfson, as a couple people said but that speaker makes this phone less of a phone than anything.

I'm guessing a lot of you have damaged hearing from over-exposure to loud sounds as I've not once had to ask someone to repeat themselves whilst on a call. Now, it could be down to the network I'm on but the Nexus is 100% fine to me. The only issue I have is the speaker isn't exactly loud but then again neither was my old One X so I'm not too fussed about that - it is a phone after all!

EddyOS said:
The only issue I have is the speaker isn't exactly loud but then again neither was my old One X so I'm not too fussed about that - it is a phone after all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This doesn't make sense. A phone should have a loud speaker so you can definitely hear it ring and notify you.

CADude said:
This doesn't make sense. A phone should have a loud speaker so you can definitely hear it ring and notify you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can hear it, I'd just like it a bit louder for the odd times my phone isn't in my pocket

Sound qualitiy

Hey guys,
I was recently provided with an iPhone, since my users here all have this, so that I can provide support.
I don't realy like the device, the way it's made, the "childish" interface and the way it's all "stuck" with the design.
But, lets give credits where it's due: The things a dang good mp3 player.
I'm using my phone (LGOG) for mp3 player in my car, and I've tested the iPhone. Let me tell you, the thing sounds a lot better than the LGOG
So, here's my question: is there any way to make the LGOG a better player, I've tried this thing:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5Sb2Nrb0RldkF1ZGlvIl0.
but it doesn't realy change anything.
Any idea?

I would suggest installing nexus louder mod from xda if you are running a aosp Rom... Also rootbox has faux sound support which makes it a bit easily tweakable

Try this one:
-ugly UI
-best sound ever
http://neutronmp.com/downloads/category/1-google-play.html

I'm currently on stock and I've tried dozens of mods similar to DSP Manager from CM.
Some of them work, but not too well. Sometimes the ecualizer resets, when you pause the current song and resume it the effect diasapears and things like that. All of that using the Play Music app ( too big of a music collection to have it on the phone and using another player ).
On CM the DSP works really well. And on stock the default player has an option to improve sound quality.
Enviado desde mi LG-E975

Rockguy40 said:
Try this one:
-ugly UI
-best sound ever
http://neutronmp.com/downloads/category/1-google-play.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried it, makes it better, but still lacks some punch!
I'll have to try some CM rom and DSP to test, but I kinda like the stock rom...

I feel the same. But with CM and DSP it's a lot better. I linked Poweramp to use DSP Manager and the LG Headphones sound considerable better. Although they are a 20 $ pair of headphones and they can't be compared to a 50 or 100$ pair

Deonix said:
I feel the same. But with CM and DSP it's a lot better. I linked Poweramp to use DSP Manager and the LG Headphones sound considerable better. Although they are a 20 $ pair of headphones and they can't be compared to a 50 or 100$ pair
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually its 40$ worth, probably most expensive stock ear buds for smartphone, with exception of htc beats.
Ah, also except the apple - 110$ for stock **** is just unbelievable

Take a look at Viper4Android

Tim4 said:
Actually its 40$ worth, probably most expensive stock ear buds for smartphone, with exception of htc beats.
Ah, also except the apple - 110$ for stock **** is just unbelievable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm on what planet? On Amazon the LG Quadbeats are 20$http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronic...F8&qid=1375522627&sr=8-1&keywords=lg+quadbeat. In Europe they are like 16 euros which equal ~ 20 $.
The Apple earpods are 24$> http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MD827LL...&qid=1375522523&sr=8-1&keywords=apple+earpods
The HTC beats were expensive but their contract ended with Beats for the premium headphones.
If they were 40$ they would have sounded better )

Deonix said:
Hmm on what planet? On Amazon the LG Quadbeats are 20$http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronic...F8&qid=1375522627&sr=8-1&keywords=lg+quadbeat. In Europe they are like 16 euros which equal ~ 20 $.
The Apple earpods are 24$> http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MD827LL...&qid=1375522523&sr=8-1&keywords=apple+earpods
The HTC beats were expensive but their contract ended with Beats for the premium headphones.
If they were 40$ they would have sounded better )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In LG Store? They sell it for 40$ in Seoul
110$ - saw it by my own eyes. My friend lost his stock from iphone5, so we went to an apple store (Not sire if its legit though) and thats it: 110$ .
We both were like this so we went to another place and he bought iphone compatible set from other brand.
I knew iphone5 data cable is freaking expensive, but white **** called iphone earbuds just blowed my mind.

I don't know what kind of ear buds came with yours, but mine are pretty crappy, even if they are 20 or 40$. I have ones from Sony that cost me 18$ and are way, way better than the ones that came with my G.
Enviado desde mi LG-E975

It's not about the hearphones, it's about the device.
I'm pretty sure if you plug in the LG's quad beat in the iPhone 4s, the sound will be better.

Tim4 said:
In LG Store? They sell it for 40$ in Seoul
110$ - saw it by my own eyes. My friend lost his stock from iphone5, so we went to an apple store (Not sire if its legit though) and thats it: 110$ .
We both were like this so we went to another place and he bought iphone compatible set from other brand.
I knew iphone5 data cable is freaking expensive, but white **** called iphone earbuds just blowed my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm.. So things in Korea are expensive... 110 for the Apple earpods is the greatest joke I have ever heard ))) considering how many great headphones you can choose for that price.
The ones on Amazon for LG are original. Did not expect LG products to be expensive in Korea. Hmm, I saw that the LG OG bumper sells for 30$ on ebay from Korea. Which is a lot for a bumper and it sucks that you can't find it outside Korea/Asia....
I see LG will have a different approach with the G2 accessories.
In the tests GSMArena.com did.. Real audio tests... the G came out with a clean but rather silent output.
Sent from my LG-E975 using Tapatalk 2

Buch of non-sense, you have the official price on the website:
http://store.apple.com/kr/product/MD827FE/A/리모컨과-마이크가-장착된-apple-earpods?fnode=49
40 000 korean dollars are about 35$ US.

I've tested with AOKP Geeb canadian and the sound is "better" than stock, but still not as good as on the iPhone.
I don't think it can get any better.
Thanks anyway!

Will the AT&T Note 4 finally have the Wolfson DAC?

I'm pretty sure the international variant will but what about the AT&T Qualcomm variant? I hear many great things about Wolfson and it would be icing on the cake if the AT&T version finally had it. Did a lot of google searching with no results, or I just suck at researching...

I believe the Snapdragon versions utilize the DAC on the qualcomm SOC. GSMArena did a review though, claims very good audio. A little trouble with crosstalk, but here's to hoping an app or a tweak will resolve that issue.

silentecho13 said:
I believe the Snapdragon versions utilize the DAC on the qualcomm SOC. GSMArena did a review though, claims very good audio. A little trouble with crosstalk, but here's to hoping an app or a tweak will resolve that issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a shame :/ I mean music still sounds great on my S4 thanks to Poweramp but it would've been nice for that little extra boost. Oh well, I usually listen to music when I run and I am really not gonna be running with a phone this big in my hand. Can't say how many times my otterbox saved my S4. I'll just stick my S4 for workout music and leave the Note in the car for peace of mind.

This is why I can never use an Android phone for my music. No matter how good the tests fair, they never measure up when it comes to the only test that matters to me. My ears. That's why I purchased a refurbished iPod 5.5 gen a couple of months ago. Qualcomm's dacs aren't terrible, but they're not great either.
Also, Cirrus Logic bought out Wolfson in August, so the Wolfson of old may no longer exist.

I picked up an external usb dac(Dragonfly 1.2) a few months ago, awesome purchase and works with my current phone over OTG. Hopefully it works with my incoming Note 4.

I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of a Wolfson DAC as well, which means a lack of tuning the DAC itself.
I may go with the external DAC option provided it works on the Note 4.

After playing with the EQ and Adapt sound, the quality is noticeably better then my S4, I'm quite satisfied this time, but still want Wolfson.

Did you get your phone and did the dac work?
---------- Post added at 03:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:01 PM ----------
Nizda1 said:
I picked up an external usb dac(Dragonfly 1.2) a few months ago, awesome purchase and works with my current phone over OTG. Hopefully it works with my incoming Note 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get to test this out yet! ....??????

Better DAC?

I had the S7E and frankly the headphone audio was terrible. I've since moved to the HTC 10 and the audio is excellent.
Now I'm not expecting HTC level audio, but something better then the s7e would be nice. Even just better software processing.
Has anybody compared any of these devices from an audio standpoint?

Since it's the same hardware as the S7 I'd expect the same sub-par sound quality unfortunately. The US version keeps getting the shaft in this regard.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

I'm curious to find this out as well...
I had the S7 Edge and it wasn't bad just not as good as the HTC 10 - audio on the HTC was a standout feature.
I wish Samsung would put more effort in this area - in their defense though, they have been known to include some nice Wolfson DAC's in past Galaxy phones like the Note 5. I think it varies depending on which model you purchase (Exynos/Qualcomm).
Apple is rumored to improve audio on the iPhone 7 since they remove the headphone jack, so let's see if Samsung responds and gives more attention to it on the S8 and beyond.

HNIC215 said:
I'm curious to find this out as well...
I had the S7 Edge and it wasn't bad just not as good as the HTC 10 - audio on the HTC was a standout feature.
I wish Samsung would put more effort in this area - in their defense though, they have been known to include some nice Wolfson DAC's in past Galaxy phones like the Note 5. I think it varies depending on which model you purchase (Exynos/Qualcomm).
Apple is rumored to improve audio on the iPhone 7 since they remove the headphone jack, so let's see if Samsung responds and gives more attention to it on the S8 and beyond.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess even being able to use a USB DAC would be nice too.

busab said:
Since it's the same hardware as the S7 I'd expect the same sub-par sound quality unfortunately. The US version keeps getting the shaft in this regard.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the Exynos S7E & that was pants in the audio dpt both headphone & speaker. It's not a good start for the N7 - $h it audio,,,,

@home said:
I had the Exynos S7E & that was pants in the audio dpt both headphone & speaker. It's not a good start for the N7 - $h it audio,,,,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I keep waiting on Samsung to up their audio game but every year I'm disappointed. Audio doesn't even seem like an afterthought.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

Plus now since there is no Root most likely we can't even use viper4android
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

This is why I'm thinking of getting a Note 4 C to go with my Note 5, cause that was brilliant with audio having a wolfson dac.

How does the S7 compare to the Note 4, S4 or S5 in audio quality? You guys have me nervous about my pre-order since I use headphones so much. I don't have anything super fancy, just some Shure SE215's

I use a Cyrus/Usher home audio system plus Grado and Sennheiser cans for headphone listening.
It depends if you call booming bass and searing highs 'good quality' audio?
If you care about music reproduction the Exynos version is actually very good. - Wolfson co-developed Lucky DAC.
I also have a Audio quest Dragonfly Black external DAC and although I use it if I listen critically the difference is not night and day.
If you're unlucky enough to have the Snapdragon version (for several reasons) you won't enjoy your audio as much. It uses the integrated chip.
Headphone amplifier power is limited in both versions. It goes plenty loud (for many unfortunately the decisive factor as to 'good sound') but it won't please head bangers.
If you value your hearing you probably won't want to go there.
The included head buds are useless by the way. I'd bin them asap.
(S7E Exynos user)

drummerman said:
I use a Cyrus/Usher home audio system plus Grado and Sennheiser cans for headphone listening.
It depends if you call booming bass and searing highs 'good quality' audio?
If you care about music reproduction the Exynos version is actually very good. - Wolfson co-developed Lucky DAC.
I also have a Audio quest Dragonfly Black external DAC and although I use it if I listen critically the difference is not night and day.
If you're unlucky enough to have the Snapdragon version (for several reasons) you won't enjoy your audio as much. It uses the integrated chip.
Headphone amplifier power is limited in both versions. It goes plenty loud (for many unfortunately the decisive factor as to 'good sound') but it won't please head bangers.
If you value your hearing you probably won't want to go there.
The included head buds are useless by the way. I'd bin them asap.
(S7E Exynos user)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But the thing is the S7E Exynos isn't very good with headphone audio, that's the whole problem.

naruto.ninjakid said:
Plus now since there is no Root most likely we can't even use viper4android
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note 4 N910C was totally fine [at least for my non-professional view] w/o Viper. I didn't want to root for 6 months or so in order not to null my warranty. Right now it's even better w Viper. I wish someone can review and make side-by-side comparison for Note 7 (I guess Exynos version) and Exynos Note 4 in terms of SQ!

@home said:
But the thing is the S7E Exynos isn't very good with headphone audio, that's the whole problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

The Note 7 has Qualcomm's new Aqstic codec, and the S7E does not. This is the same one used in the HTC M10. That should help some, although the amp may be the weak link in the chain at this point.
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/relea...m-powers-next-generation-samsung-galaxy-note7
(in first paragraph)
Sent from my SM-N920V using XDA-Developers mobile app

PsiPhiDan said:
The Note 7 has Qualcomm's new Aqstic codec, and the S7E does not. This is the same one used in the HTC M10. That should help some, although the amp may be the weak link in the chain at this point.
Sent from my SM-N920V using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that for EU version or the US?

@home said:
Is that for EU version or the US?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Qualcomm is the company that makes the Snapdragon chip, so it's got to be the US version.
Sent from my SM-N920V using XDA-Developers mobile app

PsiPhiDan said:
Qualcomm is the company that makes the Snapdragon chip, so it's got to be the US version.
Sent from my SM-N920V using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I thought.
I'm talking about the Exynos version. Same as the S7E.

@home said:
That's what I thought.
I'm talking about the Exynos version. Same as the S7E.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... which uses a Wolfson derived DAC. Likely better than Qualcomms solution, code notwithstanding.
Ultimate limitation is the DAC/amplifier chip ... ie. hardware.
Either way, you would be better off using an outboard DAC as mentioned previously or something like a high resolution player from Fiio if you want the last ounce of performance.
No phone will come close to a well implemented and dedicated player.
Forget about Viper and other similar players. Pretty lights that's it. It will do absolutely nothing for your audio other than adding some fancy looking equalizers. Use either Samsungs own player or the one from Google. Black player is another good one and simple.

drummerman said:
... which uses a Wolfson derived DAC. Likely better than Qualcomms solution, code notwithstanding.
Ultimate limitation is the DAC/amplifier chip ... ie. hardware.
Either way, you would be better off using an outboard DAC as mentioned previously or something like a high resolution player from Fiio if you want the last ounce of performance.
No phone will come close to a well implemented and dedicated player.
Forget about Viper and other similar players. Pretty lights that's it. It will do absolutely nothing for your audio other than adding some fancy looking equalizers. Use either Samsungs own player or the one from Google. Black player is another good one and simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well maybe they have improved the DAC/amplifier chip for the Note 7.
It's annoying that a definite answer cannot be found on the net somewhere.

@home said:
Well maybe they have improved the DAC/amplifier chip for the Note 7.
It's annoying that a definite answer cannot be found on the net somewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm monitoring http://www.head-fi.org/ time to time. I guess sooner or later some reviews of Note 7's SQ will appear!

Pixel and Pixel XL Audio Quality

I'm on the verge of picking up a new phone. I originally wanted the Note 7, but waited and then heard about the LG V20 with its Quad Dac. I'm still holding out hope that the Pixel XL has some really nice audio out capabilities (at least better than my Xperia Z3v or Galaxy Note 3). I prefer the quicker updates the Pixel will get, but still. My main use right now would be the 128gb model as I use my phone everyday for listening to music (as well as typical phone stuff). I refuse to carry a DAP and a phone. So basically, what do you guys think? I haven't seen anything discussing the audio capabilities.

waytoocrazy said:
I'm on the verge of picking up a new phone. I originally wanted the Note 7, but waited and then heard about the LG V20 with its Quad Dac. I'm still holding out hope that the Pixel XL has some really nice audio out capabilities (at least better than my Xperia Z3v or Galaxy Note 3). I prefer the quicker updates the Pixel will get, but still. My main use right now would be the 128gb model as I use my phone everyday for listening to music (as well as typical phone stuff). I refuse to carry a DAP and a phone. So basically, what do you guys think? I haven't seen anything discussing the audio capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have heard anything in particular with respect to audio quality either.....but if your looking for headphone quality I doubt it will get better than lg v20....if you looking for speakerphone quality then you may as well save some money and get the 6p with the dual front facing speakers and still get pure Google experience and updates.

Either wait for the V20 ( slow updates, hard to root, no development...I have a v10)
Or get the Pixel and a outboard DAC/like a Opportunity HA2.
The 6P with the dual front speakers is obviously the better option for video without headphones.

The best all around solution is 6p and use viper4android to get the quality audio experience you seek plus ffs plus current Android updates

Well, I was looking for a device that had a decent DAC built in. I'm not sure what the Snapdragon 821 brings to the table. I do not subscribe to using software/DSP/EQ to make the audio sound good. I use nice headphones to listen to my music so I don't want to muck it up with software that "fakes" the sound. I don't want to add external devices (such as my Cambridge DacMagic XS or Oppo HA-2) as I'm trying to trim down to a single device.

The best sound by far will be the Htc with viper4android as it rocks I doubt you will find any smartphone that has as good of audio as the Htc 10 with viper4android.

M9guy said:
The best sound by far will be the Htc with viper4android as it rocks I doubt you will find any smartphone that has as good of audio as the Htc 10 with viper4android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking about the HTC 10, but Viper4Android is something I wouldn't use. It seems to just be an EQ. I don't use EQ nor do I have any interest whatsoever in doing so. It doesn't increase the quality of the audio coming out of the device.

waytoocrazy said:
Well, I was looking for a device that had a decent DAC built in. I'm not sure what the Snapdragon 821 brings to the table. I do not subscribe to using software/DSP/EQ to make the audio sound good. I use nice headphones to listen to my music so I don't want to muck it up with software that "fakes" the sound. I don't want to add external devices (such as my Cambridge DacMagic XS or Oppo HA-2) as I'm trying to trim down to a single device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat as you. I used a HTC m8 and purchased a Nexus 6p for pure android. The Nexus DAC was terrible so I traveled with both phones. Last month i sold my 6p in anticipation of the event because of HTCs history with audio. I'm regretting that now: I'm sure if the Pixel had a dedicated DAC Google would have played it up during the event.
I'm currently researching a phone to replace my m8: It seems like best are the LG G5, v10 upcoming v20, Axon 7, and of course HTC10. The HTC10 will probably be my next phone: it sucks because it seems like you always have to compromise something.

djstone86 said:
I'm in the same boat as you. I used a HTC m8 and purchased a Nexus 6p for pure android. The Nexus DAC was terrible so I traveled with both phones. Last month i sold my 6p in anticipation of the event because of HTCs history with audio. I'm regretting that now: I'm sure if the Pixel had a dedicated DAC Google would have played it up during the event.
I'm currently researching a phone to replace my m8: It seems like best are the LG G5, v10 upcoming v20, Axon 7, and of course HTC10. The HTC10 will probably be my next phone: it sucks because it seems like you always have to compromise something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed! To be honest, I find the Xperia Z3v merely acceptable. It is a little better sounding than my Galaxy Note 3 was. I'm not even looking for something "powerful" as I have 25-32ohm headphones. Though they are quite resolving and I enjoy using them around the house and when I go out in general. If in the end, the Pixel doesn't have good sound (ie... needs to be at least 24/192), and the V20 isn't going to work for me. I'll just keep using my external DACs.

Nexus6p or V20 would work for now...

waytoocrazy said:
Well, I was looking for a device that had a decent DAC built in. I'm not sure what the Snapdragon 821 brings to the table. I do not subscribe to using software/DSP/EQ to make the audio sound good. I use nice headphones to listen to my music so I don't want to muck it up with software that "fakes" the sound. I don't want to add external devices (such as my Cambridge DacMagic XS or Oppo HA-2) as I'm trying to trim down to a single device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the same reason I am still using Nexus 6 as my daily driver, i tried many phones (Note 4, N6P, Note 5, S7 Edge, Note 7 SD820 version etc..) in the last 2 years and no phone has better audio quality thru audio jack than N6. HTC 10 has some what better audio quality but I don't want to downgrade screen size below 5.5".
It infuriates me whenever people suggest Viper/Arise etc.. to make up for the poor DAC in the phone.
Hoping pixel phone has decent DAC.

I'm going to get the V20 due to the audio quality of the Note 7 (and I'm guessing it's not great on the Pixel either). Quad DAC is going to be amazing.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA-Developers mobile app

waytoocrazy said:
I was thinking about the HTC 10, but Viper4Android is something I wouldn't use. It seems to just be an EQ. I don't use EQ nor do I have any interest whatsoever in doing so. It doesn't increase the quality of the audio coming out of the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If people stopped having such solid opinions on things, they'd be pleasantly surprised by what they find. At least, try using viper4android. You have no idea the difference it can make.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA-Developers mobile app

PsiPhiDan said:
I'm going to get the V20 due to the audio quality of the Note 7 (and I'm guessing it's not great on the Pixel either). Quad DAC is going to be amazing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
InsertDumbNick said:
If people stopped having such solid opinions on things, they'd be pleasantly surprised by what they find. At least, try using viper4android. You have no idea the difference it can make.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he said..... you should try V4A....you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Funny how people criticize a phone for not having front facing speakers, but the HTC 10 doesn't have them and it is one of the best sounding phones out there right now... and yes, I have a 6P as well. I encourage everyone to save their judgement for when we actually get to hear it or someone gives a review on it.

droidguy22 said:
It infuriates me whenever people suggest Viper/Arise etc.. to make up for the poor DAC in the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So True!
PsiPhiDan said:
I'm going to get the V20 due to the audio quality of the Note 7 (and I'm guessing it's not great on the Pixel either). Quad DAC is going to be amazing.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm very much leaning that way myself.
InsertDumbNick said:
If people stopped having such solid opinions on things, they'd be pleasantly surprised by what they find. At least, try using viper4android. You have no idea the difference it can make.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bsg411 said:
What he said..... you should try V4A....you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As for the others who continue to suggest V4A or other software EQ/DSP... enlighten me on how painting a smiley face on a turd of a DAC makes it sound better? It doesn't... it simply alters the sound. I have multiple headphones that I use for different genres of music. THAT is what I use to alter the sound that I'm looking for. EQ and DSP are only meant to cover up the shortcomings of the headphones native sound signature. How would I know if I'm making things worse by polishing a Turd of a DAC by warping the sound signature? If I wanted to make things more "bassy" or "echoey" or whatever you want. I'd just pick up a pair of Beats headphones and call it a day. I'm sure it is a fantastic piece of software, again... it is completely opposite of what I'm looking for. Though, thank you for letting me know that it is out there. The 5 YouTube videos I watched let me know that it wasn't something I'd be interested in beyond a novelty.

bsg411 said:
What he said..... you should try V4A....you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used it. It helps, but it's still lipstick on a pig. The amp and DAC make a much larger difference. I liked Viper4Android on other devices but there will be no comparison to a phone with a vastly superior DAC. The HTC One M8 was by far the best audio quality I'd ever heard before because of its DAC and amp combo. Did much better than my other phones paired with V4A.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA-Developers mobile app

It's already known the pixel phones won't have a DAC and your interest level in pure sound quality is high and clearly outweighs the custom Roms or pure Android experience or early updates you get with Google phones...so I'm not sure what the hesitation is.... Get the phone with the DAC. Honestly the pixel phones are over priced and hardware specs are not comparable to the price.... I'll be keeping my 6p

bsg411 said:
It's already known the pixel phones won't have a DAC and your interest level in pure sound quality is high and clearly outweighs the custom Roms or pure Android experience or early updates you get with Google phones...so I'm not sure what the hesitation is.... Get the phone with the DAC. Honestly the pixel phones are over priced and hardware specs are not comparable to the price.... I'll be keeping my 6p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. I'll keep an eye on them, but the more I find out about it, I don't think it is the right device for me.
Thanks again!

There is some potentially good news here, Guys. I just read the hands-on with Anandtech and while they didn't mention much about the audio quality, they did say that it has the Qualcomm Aqstic audio codec. So, yes, it's Qualcomm, but it's of much higher quality than the "normal" Qualcomm. The Aqstic is the same DAC/codec used in the HTC 10 which I find little fault with. I think the V10 is still a tad cleaner with a better noise floors, but these are extremely minor differences. For pure Google, fast updates and a nice design, I can easily settle for a Qualcomm Aqstic audio solution rather than an exotic "quad DAC" which still hasn't been released or heard by any audiophile reviewers I don't think. I'm all in for this phone.
-Collin-