Does anybody know of an external microphone or and adapter that will allow an external microphone to be connected to the USB jack on the Dash? I need to do some recordings of some meetings, and the VITO Audionotes program is ideal for this. However, the internal microphone on the Dash produces fairly tinny sounding recordings. I really need something with a little better quality.
TIA,
dow
have you tried raising the "MIC auto gain" & lowering the "VAS" ???
raising the auto gain and lower the VAS will produced better results !
MIC auto gain --->>> increase microphone sensitivity & makes sound recording louder
VAS --->>> setting level high/low for when recording should start so that you won't have gaps ( avoid silence gaps with VAS "Voice Activation System")
you can also select the recording quality to high for higher bitrates ...
hopes that helps !!
Thanks for the response. Yes, I've tried that, and the voice quality is still tinny. Additionally, it tends to clip louder or sharper sounds. However, I can plug in the headset and record through that mic, and it's much better. What I'd like to find is an external microphone like what's on my headset, but without the earbuds.
Thoughts?
really ??
I find mine is loud enough to spared
hmmm .... ever thought about the jogger volume got accidentally turned down when the recording are being played back ??
... ( I did that once )
for clarity I do agreed with you in getting external mic ... but for loudness ... I find it's quite capable.
another thing is ... voice/music playback tends to be better when listening through headphones anyway ... not the device's regular external speaker ...
UnicornKaz said:
really ??
I find mine is loud enough to spared
hmmm .... ever thought about the jogger volume got accidentally turned down when the recording are being played back ??
... ( I did that once )
for clarity I do agreed with you in getting external mic ... but for loudness ... I find it's quite capable.
another thing is ... voice/music playback tends to be better when listening through headphones anyway ... not the device's regular external speaker ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah, it's plenty loud, but in this case, clarity is the prime objective. I'll be attending a week-long music workshop next month, and a large part of what I'll be learning has to do with learning by ear, making it necessary to record the classes and sessions. AudioNotes is a great mp3 recording program, and I used it last year with great results on the SDA that I had then. The Dash, however, must have been built with the bargain-basement microphones. Because of this, music recorded live, even in a classroom situation is not acceptable for study use, since the sound quality is so degraded when using the internal mic. After the classes, I'll be transferring the mp3 files to my laptop to be archived for future practice.
Clear as mud?
Hi
I'm a new user with an Excalibur which I bought second hand the other day and generally am fairly impressed with. I have had it unlocked and bought a 4Gb microSDHC Card and upgraded to 6.1 using Kavana's ROM remade by Ricky.
I do have one small problem though, the A2DP is sounding scratchy whenever I use it to play music. It's not like an interference scratchy, but the highs of the music sound clipped and very scratchy, especially noticable at the higher volumes which I am having to use because the volume also does not go especially high, but it's present but softer at the lower volume levels.
I'm using Coreplayer but have the same experience with WMP or in fact any audio application I use. The files are fairly good 320kbps encodes in MP3 and AAC which sound excellent on the computer and I have tried a variety of files as well as some Youtube streams, all with the same results.
The headset is a Sony Ericsson DS-200 which is the dongle type headset where you can plug in your own headphones. The headset and headphones combination again sounds excellent when paired with a Sony Bluetooth walkman and an old SE mobile phone with A2DP.
I'm guessing it might be drivers, or something? I have ordered a wired headphone adaptor but would really like to use A2DP if possible.
Finally, if this is fixable, is there any way to boost the volume? My headset does not have a volume control, but the Coreplayer etc. volume control adjusts the volume - it just doesn't go very high and I can imagine it wouldn't drown out, for instance, public transport noise.
Thanks in advance
Hi
Sorry, should have really done a search! I found this:
http://www.htcwiki.com/page/Tweaks+and+Hacks?t=anon
and tweaked the registry settings and it's sounding considerably better now. Unfortunately it seems to have introduced a bug where the wireless stereo headset icon no longer appears, all that appears is the standard headset icon (the one with the microphone on it) but A2DP is working so I can live with that!
thanks for the link, Ive seen this tweak in other forums but this one the directions were way easier to follow.
After a while the sound through my headphones sounded wierd the voices were super low and the bass almost completely gone.. if I play it through power amp with the volume control on right or left meaning only play out of those sides it sounds perfectly normal... but if I place the balance in the middle it back to the wierd sound... any idea what could cause this and how to fix it.
How about your BT ? How does it sound ? I recently paired my E4GT to my Ford (using SYNC) and I noticed the volume was really low, compared to my old Blackberry 8350 (which worked perfectly). Also the quality of the voice seemed much lower when compared to the Blackberry... it doesn't make sense.
The weird part is that media files are playing exactly as before, so the music sounds very good while call quality is ... well it $#!^...
peryp9 said:
How about your BT ? How does it sound ? I recently paired my E4GT to my Ford (using SYNC) and I noticed the volume was really low, compared to my old Blackberry 8350 (which worked perfectly). Also the quality of the voice seemed much lower when compared to the Blackberry... it doesn't make sense.
The weird part is that media files are playing exactly as before, so the music sounds very good while call quality is ... well it $#!^...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure But an important factor is I did pair my cellphone up with my Car's inbuilt ipod adapter I used a Female ipod to Auxilary adapter to connect my phone to the cars audio system would that have caused it? I tried factory reset everything still sounds the same... I don't know why... would there be any app or program to test the audio quality? like a virtual headphone test or something?
Edit: I played a Dolby headphone test on my phone using the earphones and everything seems okay except for when it does the LFE Hz test at about 80-75 Hz I can't hear anything, but on my computer I can hear all of them here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUrk2W_r5fc
Since I've found Voodoo Sound, I've been aware of alternatives, such as PowerAmp. I never did try PowerAmp today, I must say, it does seem to blow Voodoo Sound of the water, not sure if this is just because of the equalizer, or if Voodoo is still a better option, or if its best to have both on.
As I understand it, PowerAmp is just offering a software optimized equalizer giving you that nice virtual experience of good quality music, while Voodoo Sound is supposedly tapping out the potential of the Wolfson Sound's Hardware.
Opinions and clarifications are much appreciated, do share if you know of something better, just spill your thoughts.
Feel free to include the Rom you prefer for music, the apk you prefer fo music, and what tweaks you're using for music, as well as the earphones/headphones you listen in with.
I'm setup this way:
Rom: CM9 Beta 1
Music Apk: Usually Stock CM9 Music, with DSP Manager uninstalled, atm trying PowerAmp though.
Tweaks: I have Voodoo Sound Plus, trying to listen to music with PowerAmp and Voodoo Sound on.
Listening through: In-ear Phones, Sennheiser CX300's.
Edit: *Disclaimer!* this is probably my third thread this year that is a semi-question asking for your opinions as well as general discussion.
To be on the safe side, I posted in Q&A to avoid getting *****ed at.
Shinydude100 said:
Since I've found Voodoo Sound, I've been aware of alternatives, such as PowerAmp. I never did try PowerAmp today, I must say, it does seem to blow Voodoo Sound of the water, not sure if this is just because of the equalizer, or if Voodoo is still a better option, or if its best to have both on.
As I understand it, PowerAmp is just offering a software optimized equalizer giving you that nice virtual experience of good quality music, while Voodoo Sound is supposedly tapping out the potential of the Wolfson Sound's Hardware.
Opinions and clarifications are much appreciated, do share if you know of something better, just spill your thoughts.
Feel free to include the Rom you prefer for music, the apk you prefer fo music, and what tweaks you're using for music, as well as the earphones/headphones you listen in with.
I'm setup this way:
Rom: CM9 Beta 1
Music Apk: Usually Stock CM9 Music, with DSP Manager uninstalled, atm trying PowerAmp though.
Tweaks: I have Voodoo Sound Plus, trying to listen to music with PowerAmp and Voodoo Sound on.
Listening through: In-ear Phones, Sennheiser CX300's.
Edit: *Disclaimer!* this is probably my third thread this year that is a semi-question asking for your opinions as well as general discussion.
To be on the safe side, I posted in Q&A to avoid getting *****ed at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Soo what's your question exactly? I use Voodoo Sound and Have Bass Boost on and set to sub bass, also will use Power Amp Eq and top that out so it sounds nice plus having a good set of head phones and all is good, what are you trying to figure out is my question.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
XxLostSoulxX said:
Soo what's your question exactly? I use Voodoo Sound and Have Bass Boost on and set to sub bass, also will use Power Amp Eq and top that out so it sounds nice plus having a good set of head phones and all is good, what are you trying to figure out is my question.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's really necessary to have both voodoo control and poweramp or of using both is an overkill, also looking for what others are setup, maybe things they've discovered on each to be better or worse, and what headphone earphones they use.
Hence the title, "voice your preference."
Shinydude100 said:
If it's really necessary to have both voodoo control and poweramp or of using both is an overkill, also looking for what others are setup, maybe things they've discovered on each to be better or worse, and what headphone earphones they use.
Hence the title, "voice your preference."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its defiantly not an overkill it a helper to make better haha. But Running CM7 and using the Klipsch S4
Did you need to quote the op?.. no... its a given that your answering about the OP just sayin.
I'm not quite an audiophile but do enjoy my clear a crisp music. I'm running cm9b1 with my compiled samurai kernel. I use voodoo sound and have my amplifier "deal" at -5 instead of 10 and on bass boost I have it on standard with the db at 8 and the range at 80%.
I also use equalizer off the market have the paid version so I have one of my profiles in a V the left starts towards the top the 2nd is towards the middle and the middle is just shy of the bottom and the last two are similar to the first two if you catch my drift... it makes a V . Have the same deal on my laptop with beats audio the control is setup in a v like design... seems to be a sweet spot to me. Or at least my ears... I listen to a lot of metalcore.. usually their "screams" or dirty vocals aren't very clear but with setup I can hear it all.. with comprehension.
Oh and I have some 17$ phillips and they sound great.. =] have lasted me almost a year now... much longer than ANY headphones I've ever owned.. usually the part by the jack wears/ shorts out and its time for new ones.... not with these.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
I use poweramp and voodoo sound on cm9.
Why not?
CM9b1
Voodoo sound plus
Neutron Music Player
Earsonics SM3 IEMs
Sometimes Headstage arrow 3G portable amp when I can pry it out of my wife's hands
What you need to understand is that Voodoo Sound Control increases power to the device's built in hardware amplifier. This is where it's at. If you can't tell the sound quality difference between the software and hardware amplifiers, you probably shouldn't even use something like Voodoo Sound Control.
The Galaxy S models are among few devices available that have a configurable hardware amplifier. Typically, the volume rockers on phones control the software amplifier, while the hardware amplifier is locked to a single output. This is probably due to output limitations determined by the manufacturer in order avoid lawsuits involving inner ear damage, in the event of an immediate volume change (we're all familiar with Android's rather mediocre sound control quirks due to hardware fragmentation).
Try this:
- Disable Voodoo sound or set it back to default system values, and disable all sound modifications.
- Plug your phone into your car stereo or home speaker system with the 1/8" jack, and crank the volume on your phone all the way up, using Android's system media volume.
- Then, crank up your stereo. It probably sounds like balls.
Okay, now let's experiment with the hardware amplifier.
- Now back the media volume down a few notches to around 80%.
- Increase Voodoo Sound's amplifier controls to +2db or so, enable Hi-fi play, etc. Keep the media volume at around 80%.
- Turn up the volume on your stereo system again. I will be absolutely damned if you don't notice a difference.
PowerAmp's "pre amp" is just an additional software amplifier "boost." Although handy for increasing the volume on particularly quiet MP3 files, it will cause distortion in the same way any software amplifier will. If anything, you will want to lower "pre amp" a tad if you plan to increase the Android media volume to 100%, but in the end, the resulting distortion will always be proportional the the volume.
Props to the developer for Voodoo Sound. It really changed the way I listen to music. Before I buy my next device, I am going to make sure it will eventually be compatible with Voodoo Sound Control.
glen_e said:
What you need to understand is that Voodoo Sound Control increases power to the device's built in hardware amplifier. This is where it's at. If you can't tell the sound quality difference between the software and hardware amplifiers, you probably shouldn't even use something like Voodoo Sound Control.
The Galaxy S models are among few devices available that have a configurable hardware amplifier. Typically, the volume rockers on phones control the software amplifier, while the hardware amplifier is locked to a single output. This is probably due to output limitations determined by the manufacturer in order avoid lawsuits involving inner ear damage, in the event of an immediate volume change (we're all familiar with Android's rather mediocre sound control quirks due to hardware fragmentation).
Try this:
- Disable Voodoo sound or set it back to default system values, and disable all sound modifications.
- Plug your phone into your car stereo or home speaker system with the 1/8" jack, and crank the volume on your phone all the way up, using Android's system media volume.
- Then, crank up your stereo. It probably sounds like balls.
Okay, now let's experiment with the hardware amplifier.
- Now back the media volume down a few notches to around 80%.
- Increase Voodoo Sound's amplifier controls to +2db or so, enable Hi-fi play, etc. Keep the media volume at around 80%.
- Turn up the volume on your stereo system again. I will be absolutely damned if you don't notice a difference.
PowerAmp's "pre amp" is just an additional software amplifier "boost." Although handy for increasing the volume on particularly quiet MP3 files, it will cause distortion in the same way any software amplifier will. If anything, you will want to lower "pre amp" a tad if you plan to increase the Android media volume to 100%, but in the end, the resulting distortion will always be proportional the the volume.
Props to the developer for Voodoo Sound. It really changed the way I listen to music. Before I buy my next device, I am going to make sure it will eventually be compatible with Voodoo Sound Control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. So much. Thank you for this educated post.
Hardware amplifier > software amplifier.
Sent from my SPH-D700
I rely on voodoo sound to maximize my overall hardware output, especially getting that lower level ooompf that the phone generally lacks.
This is especially helpful when using a music player without any sound control- most notably Pandora.
Poweramp is my preferred mp3 player app, and has some nice tweaks I can make when I need to- like if a particular mp3 sounds dull I can turn the tone on or adjust the octaves. Overall I usually have the preamp turned up just to get more volume out of the device.
Definitely Max out voodoo. never completely Max out the phone's volume level, doing so causes distortion.
sent from my secret underground bunker
Equalizer>Poweramp.. just saying works on all sounds on the phone not just the app.... helps make pandora listenable and my mp3's like a studio... or close to my laptop with beats =]
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
Of course your going to get a ton of different opinions in this thread, everyones ears hear things different, so instead of arguing or denying what other people hear, I'll just give you my 2 cents.
I use Voodoo AND Poweramp together through a pretty cheap set of Skullcandy Titans listening to predominantly metal/punk/progressive music. Voodoo is mostly used by me to have a more fine tuned volume control, and to reduce/prevent distortion like so many have mentioned earlier. If you notice the stock volume control only has like 9 steps, where Voodoo can go up by 1-2 db at a time. This gives you alot more fine tuning possible with your volume level. I've found stock android steps are either too quiet, or too loud once I bump it a notch...
Oh and then theres the poweramp side, I just have always loved poweramp, even been a fanboy. Since the days of Android Music players where NOBODY had an EQ I've been using it with great success. I've tried the stock music player/EQ, PlayerPro, as well as 5-6 others I've only kept for a day or two, and my ears always take my back to poweramp. Other music players may tout the same features, but to me Poweramp just sounds better to ME personally. My best buddy has the same phone, same rom setup, and prefers Voodoo and stock music player though... again it's just a matter of what your ears like to hear.
glen_e said:
What you need to understand is that Voodoo Sound Control increases power to the device's built in hardware amplifier. This is where it's at. If you can't tell the sound quality difference between the software and hardware amplifiers, you probably shouldn't even use something like Voodoo Sound Control.
The Galaxy S models are among few devices available that have a configurable hardware amplifier. Typically, the volume rockers on phones control the software amplifier, while the hardware amplifier is locked to a single output. This is probably due to output limitations determined by the manufacturer in order avoid lawsuits involving inner ear damage, in the event of an immediate volume change (we're all familiar with Android's rather mediocre sound control quirks due to hardware fragmentation).
Try this:
- Disable Voodoo sound or set it back to default system values, and disable all sound modifications.
- Plug your phone into your car stereo or home speaker system with the 1/8" jack, and crank the volume on your phone all the way up, using Android's system media volume.
- Then, crank up your stereo. It probably sounds like balls.
Okay, now let's experiment with the hardware amplifier.
- Now back the media volume down a few notches to around 80%.
- Increase Voodoo Sound's amplifier controls to +2db or so, enable Hi-fi play, etc. Keep the media volume at around 80%.
- Turn up the volume on your stereo system again. I will be absolutely damned if you don't notice a difference.
PowerAmp's "pre amp" is just an additional software amplifier "boost." Although handy for increasing the volume on particularly quiet MP3 files, it will cause distortion in the same way any software amplifier will. If anything, you will want to lower "pre amp" a tad if you plan to increase the Android media volume to 100%, but in the end, the resulting distortion will always be proportional the the volume.
Props to the developer for Voodoo Sound. It really changed the way I listen to music. Before I buy my next device, I am going to make sure it will eventually be compatible with Voodoo Sound Control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no, trust me, I do know what Voodoo Sound does, I did need a post like yours to confirm my speculation on Hardware Amp > Software Amp though. So far, after reading everyone's replies, I think I'm going to definitely continue to primarily use Voodoo Sound, and use an equalizer off the market, or poweramp's equalizer. Thank you all for taking the time to voice your setups and preferences. Much appreciated!
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
Love the info this thread has provided, I have a pair of creative aurvana neodinium DJ headphones and without voodoo control they are generally too quiet to enjoy, however without proper EQ's I cannot listen to certain artists (kid cudi) without hearing craclkes and pops due to the limitations of the neodinium speakers.
Sent from my MIUI V4 Epic 4G via Tapatalk 2 beta 4
xopher.hunter said:
Love the info this thread has provided, I have a pair of creative aurvana neodinium DJ headphones and without voodoo control they are generally too quiet to enjoy, however without proper EQ's I cannot listen to certain artists (kid cudi) without hearing craclkes and pops due to the limitations of the neodinium speakers.
Sent from my MIUI V4 Epic 4G via Tapatalk 2 beta 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try messing with miui equalizer settings I have a great set up
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
Cm9b1....run voodoo plus. Set of shure ec2's, a pretty ok car system, and a polk studio speaker home system with a nice denon amp. I think I killed my hearing back in high school, but I've realized now that a "clean" or pure source makes the best sound for me. I can't hear minute differences that well but I CAN usually tell.....good to bad. My old crappy mp3 player with cheap headphones compared to my epic with the shure's is obvious. But I can't really tell you why
I do need to do that software/hardware comparison though. And I've never used poweramp.....ill have to try it.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA
Neutron + Voodoo Sound + Galaxy S + AKG 319
I actually usually turn my phone media volume to 100% and leave voodoo at -2db, ill try turning down my media and turning up voodoo
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
I tried to do a search for headphones over the speaker but didn't come up with anything, so...if a thread like this is already out there please point in right direction and delete then. Alrighty on to the question.
When you plug your earphones into the phone you get to listen to some radio(FM) but you also have the option to play the FM radio over the speaker itself, which is awesome. Now I want to know IF something like that is possible for youtube as well? I can't see anything that can enable me to choose the speaker itself(like with FM radio) and instead forces me to listen to it over the earphones.
Is there an option like that and if so, where?
Yes, I'm well aware that this might seem like a completely stupid question, but at any given time someone has to be the idiot that asks it :victory:
BerndM14 said:
I tried to do a search for headphones over the speaker but didn't come up with anything, so...if a thread like this is already out there please point in right direction and delete then. Alrighty on to the question.
When you plug your earphones into the phone you get to listen to some radio(FM) but you also have the option to play the FM radio over the speaker itself, which is awesome. Now I want to know IF something like that is possible for youtube as well? I can't see anything that can enable me to choose the speaker itself(like with FM radio) and instead forces me to listen to it over the earphones.
Is there an option like that and if so, where?
Yes, I'm well aware that this might seem like a completely stupid question, but at any given time someone has to be the idiot that asks it :victory:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand why this option would need to exist. Headphones need to be plugged in for FM radio to work because they act as the antenna, which is why you get the option to use the speaker, alternatively. YouTube doesn't need an FM antenna, so just unplug your headphones if you want to use the speakers.
craig0r said:
I don't understand why this option would need to exist. Headphones need to be plugged in for FM radio to work because they act as the antenna, which is why you get the option to use the speaker, alternatively. YouTube doesn't need an FM antenna, so just unplug your headphones if you want to use the speakers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because the audio is louder... Have you tried to listen to a radio station through FM on the speaker and then go and listen to a stream of it at full volume? Somehow it seems that the volume can go higher with the earphones plugged in than to have it NOT plugged in. Yet...It could perhaps be argued that the stream sounds less loud(regardless of the fact that the volume is maxed out) because it is indeed a stream and it might have some interference.
But if the volume can actually go higher as a result of the earphones being plugged in, why can't we have the option then to have the volume louder if we so choose, by plugging in the earphones and maxing out the volume over the speaker? Like we do with FM...?
I take it though, from your response, that such a thing is not possible?
BerndM14 said:
Because the audio is louder... Have you tried to listen to a radio station through FM on the speaker and then go and listen to a stream of it at full volume? Somehow it seems that the volume can go higher with the earphones plugged in than to have it NOT plugged in. Yet...It could perhaps be argued that the stream sounds less loud(regardless of the fact that the volume is maxed out) because it is indeed a stream and it might have some interference.
But if the volume can actually go higher as a result of the earphones being plugged in, why can't we have the option then to have the volume louder if we so choose, by plugging in the earphones and maxing out the volume over the speaker? Like we do with FM...?
I take it though, from your response, that such a thing is not possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh, I think I'm starting to follow. There are a number of factors that are likely causing this differentiation, none of which have to do with having headphones plugged in.
A radio station's FM broadcast and internet broadcast are processed and compressed in different ways. FM compression is analog, while internet compression is digital, and there are crazy different algorithms, but both come down to fitting the "signal" or "data" into a particular bandwidth.
With FM, a station just throws the signal out in all directions, and while it's technically not comparable, there is less need for compression here, as with the internet broadcast, the more listeners there are, the more taxing it is, thus the digital signal is likely more compressed. This is probably more or less the reason for the discrepancy.
Also the streams could be normalized differently. Or any number of other variables. For all intents and purposes, the FM stream and internet stream are two completely different things.
I hope this helped!
(And no, as far as I know there's no option to do what you want, but even if there were, it wouldn't have the effect you're looking for )
Why would compression affect volume? It's not like you need more bits to go louder.
BenPope said:
Why would compression affect volume? It's not like you need more bits to go louder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FM audio doesn't have bits, for starters, it's analog radio waves. Functionally, an FM broadcast path is analog to analog to analog, where as a digital broadcast path is closer to "analog to digital to analog."
And from a technical standpoint, yes, more bits *does* equal louder. The more you compress digital audio, the more audio is being removed from the stream. MP3 compression (and probably M4A/AAC) remove the high-end and low-end frequencies:
In a compressionless, raw, audio file, a ton of bits are wasted on sound that is beyond the range of human hearing, and the range that speakers can produce. The point of digital audio compression is to eliminate the functionally "empty" bits, however the more compression there is, the more it starts removing what humans/speakers CAN process. As you approach high compression, mp3s will lose more and more sound, but even with mild compression, you're going to lose the crispness of the highs (like cymbals) and the lows (bass guitars/synths.) This will give it a muddy sound, and as there are less cymbals and bass guitars, the sound is technically quieter. In fact, if you were to compress an mp3 down to like 1Kbps, it's going to mostly sound like static. But I'm not aware of any audio tools that will let you go that low. Online radio stations typically broadcast at 64Kbps or 96Kbps. Which is crap. (Of course I haven't listened to online radio in years, it's probably better by now.) To put it another way, an FM transmission can broadcast at full strength, whether one person is listening or a million. With a digital broadcast, one million listeners will be far more taxing on bandwidth than just one person listening, so it's not cost-effective to broadcast with the same signal quality as FM. Of course FM is subject to radio interference, but that's not selective the way digital is. On FM you'll hear other noises on top of the signal, but as long as your signal is relatively decent, you're not losing much.
Without teaching a course on audio processing, basically:
More processing = more degradation.
More compression = more degradation
Analog is very different than digital for a multitude of reasons that I'm not going into.
EDIT: Also, FM does use compression, but it's a different type. Rather than removing audio based on pitch frequency as digital compression does, it uses dynamic compression, more akin to what a guitarist's compression pedal would do. It makes the quiet noises louder and the loud noises quieter, definitely makes quiet songs louder than if you were listening to an mp3, which doesn't do this type of compression.
ANOTHER EDIT: Unless the topic steers back towards mobile development, I won't indulge this thread anymore. XDA isn't for audio discussions (yes, I know I'm the one who took it off the rails in the first place.) If anyone is still confused as to why FM audio and digital audio sound different, you can PM me.