Develop Bugs

[Q] Behringer UCA202 DAC - sounds horrible compared to headphone jack/bluetooth

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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
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

My new Audiophile headphones problem.

Hello, I am very much kind of headphone lover guy.
Recently, I bought Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 32Ohm (32Ohm version for portable users).
But the sound is not coming to its best. I plugged the same headphone to iPhone and it's working awesome. iPhone quality is same as it work on macbook and PC.
So, I was worried, is my headphone supportable on my Nexus 5 or I just have to invest in buying mp3 player.
I will provide link, where you all cann see the specifications and tell if that is supported on this device or not, because I am not that much of technical guy.
Headphone Link - http://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/shop/dt-770-pro-32-ohm.html
I have rooted my phone and is currently running on ElementX kernel and Chroma ROM.
Hope you guys can help me.
Thank you.

Is it quality that's bad or volume level? Or a bit of both?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

More of a volume. The quality is good.

Try this - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.n5rvb.nexus5realvolumebooster
Also i always use poweramp with the preset set on rock. Always find it the best sounding
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Install any kernel management app, like kernel adiutor, and in sound menu raise headphone gain.

So I just did what you said. I already have paid version poweramp and installed volume booster, set it to 19 and 95 for headphone and speaker. Set my present to rock, but I was just little curious, are you also facing a little distortion in the sound or just me? Because I think, I can listen the distortion, maybe because these are kind of Audiophile headphones, so they are giving deep detail of every sound.
As far the volume matters, its 2.00AM, so very much silence environment but I can definitely feel the volume is increased.

How much did I set the headphone gain too?
I already installed the volume booster app, should I also gain on this app too?

Try these!!!!!
These are the "loudest" and best in-ear buds you can get!!!! http://amzn.com/B00WI79EK0 They are Zorloo "Z:ero". Forget about booster apps, eq apps, etc... This thing has a inline "DAC" it plugs into the "USB" port and not the 3.5mm jack. Read up on it!!! I have wasted money on many in the ear, over the ear, everything under the sun to get the best sound and these are my latest find. (Thanks to an article about the Nokia 808 and how people are pimping them out). I cant say enough how LOUD!!!!!!!!!! they are.
YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!
I think they are lurking under the radar because its not a "Brand" name like Shure, Whitestone, or any of the "high" end stuff people are used to paying 100's of dollars for. But the technology using "DAC" has been around and if your looking for something to drive your "over the ear" stuff maybe a usb cable micro to mini adapter and then a USB DAC Stick might work for you... I am sure you can also try to "hack" the "Z:ero" by cutting off the "ear buds" and then going to the local "radio shack" and getting a 3.5mm stereo input jack and soldering the four wires to it and you just made yourself a custom low cost "DAC"...
Just a quick review I google...
http://www.soundguys.com/zero-digital-earphones-review-5997/
Try them!!!

Install viper for android. It helps with the sound processing on the N5 immensely.

I was going to say something about the impedance, but my headphones are a higher impedance than that 35ohm, and I'm pleased with the quality and volume. I know you are not looking for just volume, you are looking for volume and quality. Something I found in the past with some of the Android EQ settings (didn't matter which app) some of the settings like bass boost, would actually lower the volume coming to my headset.
A good set of headphones shouldn't have to have any EQ settings changed at all, leaving it on flat should be the best, and for preference, you can always use flat as a reference.

Every headphones is different from others: if you want a boost in volume/quality, you should try an amplifier like FiiO E6 (http://www.amazon.it/FiiO-E6-Amplif...6?ie=UTF8&qid=1439893840&sr=8-6&keywords=fiio )
32 ohm is a bit high for a smartphone, so there is a possibility that Nexus can't handle that well.

I have a pair of 32 ohm dt770 as well as 32ohm mmx300 Beyerdynamic. They both work fine.
They definitely shine with a good headphone amp, but if you're running without one straight to a phone or laptop, definitely get 32 ohm. It's the lowest they make for mobile type uses.

HTC 10 Audio Thread

Hi all,
Just wanted to put a thread together to talk around the audio capabilities of the HTC 10. From what I can see, the audio is split up into a couple of different areas:
1) Good quality internal hardware (DAC and separate amps for speakers and earphone),
2) Powerful two way speaker setup,
3) Better than normal earphones to take advantage of the hardware, and
4) Good quality software with the Personal Audio Profile System.
5) There is also Airplay support for those with 3rd party airplay speakers.
What hardware are people currently using (earphones, headphones, portable amps, portable usb DAC's)? When the phone is released, it will be good to get peoples impressions and reviews. Also to understand how different hardware affects those experiences (ie. different earphones work better or worse with this phone)??? Also, could this phone be good enough to take you away from dedicated hardware you might have (proper portable music players)?
One thing that I have noted which I haven't seen noted anywhere else is the Personal Audio Profile System being the same as what Aumeo has/is coming out with with their device (click here).
I personally have a couple of pairs of AKG over ear headphones and a pair of Flare R2Pro in-ear phones. Once I get my HTC, I will compare them with the hi-res ear-phones they come with and share my thoughts.
Open questions:
1) What DAC's are being used? What is inbuilt from Qualcomm or specialist 3rd party hardware?
2) What type of 3.5mm connector is being used (AHJ or OMTP), we believe AHJ based on previous HTC phones but could do with confirming)

rav101 said:
Hi all,
Just wanted to put a thread together to talk around the audio capabilities of the HTC 10. From what I can see, the audio is split up into a couple of different areas: 1) Good quality internal hardware (DAC and separate amps for speakers and earphone), 2) Powerful two way speaker setup, 3) better than normal earphones to take advantage of the hardware, and 4) Good quality software with the Personal Audio Profile System. Over these, there is the point that it works with Airplay which has a lot of support in terms of the 3rd party speaker market.
Just curious to see how people feel about the Audio capabilities of the 10 and whether that might be enough to take you away from dedicated hardware if you current use that?
One thing that I have noted which I haven't seen noted anywhere else is the Personal Audio Profile System being the same as what Aumeo has/is coming out with with their device (click here).
I currently have a couple of AKG over ears which I can't drive directly from my LG G4 without having a portable amp in the middle. I also have a pair of Flare R2Pro in ear phones that are quite hard to drive. Can't wait to test these out with the 10 when it comes out!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 10 recognizes that you have plugged (wired) earphones into the jack and offers you two options for customization, a 'quick question' method and a more detailed method that requires listening to tones on left then right in different frequency ranges. You then have the option to 'save' the audio profile for those earphones. If you plug a different set of earphones in, the device recognizes it and offers you to use the existing profile or create a new one (you can store multiple profiles). This does not work with BT earphones, by the way.
The sound is superior to anything I've ever heard on any audio device. It can make cheap earphones sound good (although I recommend at least midrange earphones), and with decent earphones (I use a Shure pair) it's terrific.

hgoldner said:
The 10 recognizes that you have plugged (wired) earphones into the jack and offers you two options for customization, a 'quick question' method and a more detailed method that requires listening to tones on left then right in different frequency ranges. You then have the option to 'save' the audio profile for those earphones. If you plug a different set of earphones in, the device recognizes it and offers you to use the existing profile or create a new one (you can store multiple profiles). This does not work with BT earphones, by the way.
The sound is superior to anything I've ever heard on any audio device. It can make cheap earphones sound good (although I recommend at least midrange earphones), and with decent earphones (I use a Shure pair) it's terrific.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's awesome news that it does this for wired earphones!
Which pair of Shure earphones do you use? And other than these headphones, have you had a chance to try them with any other different sets of earphones?? Have you had a chance to try them with any over ear headphones, ones that might be harder to drive?
Whilst I have your attention. Have you had a play around with different audio formats / qualities? MP3 vs 24bit FLAC to see how much of a difference this makes on this setup?
Regards,
Ravi

rav101 said:
That's awesome news that it does this for wired earphones!
Which pair of Shure earphones do you use? And other than these headphones, have you had a chance to try them with any other different sets of earphones?? Have you had a chance to try them with any over ear headphones, ones that might be harder to drive?
Whilst I have your attention. Have you had a play around with different audio formats / qualities? MP3 vs 24bit FLAC to see how much of a difference this makes on this setup?
Regards,
Ravi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't drive with earphones on (that's illegal here).
I have used the Personal Audio Profiles on 3 different pairs of earphones; a test set supplied with the test phone, Shure e3c's and an over-the-ear Audio-Technica pair. The Shure's and the test earphones are the best. The test earphones are my current daily (and may well be what comes in the box for some models, but I don't know because they don't tell us).

How do the speakers sound? As good as HTC One M7/8/9? Better?

hgoldner said:
I don't drive with earphones on (that's illegal here).
I have used the Personal Audio Profiles on 3 different pairs of earphones; a test set supplied with the test phone, Shure e3c's and an over-the-ear Audio-Technica pair. The Shure's and the test earphones are the best. The test earphones are my current daily (and may well be what comes in the box for some models, but I don't know because they don't tell us).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, to clarify when I say 'harder to drive' I mean over ear headphones that have a higher impedance. In this case, on other less powerful music players (or other phones), the headphones sound quiet even at max volume.

Trying to find out if it will have aptx hd enabled but no info. Also air play to aiport to dac should sound pretty decent
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app

I am excited to see the phones response ranges in a test.
Would be cool to have my vinyl rips playing as good as it can get without a $1000 DAP.

Locklear308 said:
I am excited to see the phones response ranges in a test.
Would be cool to have my vinyl rips playing as good as it can get without a $1000 DAP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that the embargo has lifted, I presume we will start seeing more in depth reviews and those should hopefully include more detailed audio tests.
I use a fiio e12 to amp my current phone (LG G4). Nothing fancy but pretty sure the HTC 10 will do much better than that setup now. :victory:

madcowintucson said:
Trying to find out if it will have aptx hd enabled but no info. Also air play to aiport to dac should sound pretty decent
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am curious about this too as i will be buying the new lg bluetooth headset.

The audio is one of the main reason why I want this beast!
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Me too! I own a pair of mid-to-top range RHA T10 and I am really anticipating how these will sound with the HTC 10. I am a audiophile and the sound quality is really important to me.

My last two phone's have been the HTC M8 and LG G4. I have found that I use my phone less for music now that I'm using the G4 than the M8 and its because I just enjoy it less. Can't wait to hear how these sound with a good pair of earphones.

Audio Jack
Does anyone know what kind of audio jack standard the HTC 10 will use? Is it AHJ or OMTP?
Then i'll know if I can use the inline controls of my RHA T20i's as currently with my HTC m8.
Edit: Btw - I strongly advise using the Neutron app if you want high-end music. Already supports FLAC but last update also added DSD support for the SACD fanatics
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.neutroncode.mp

Hopefully USB Audio works as well! Have they mentioned that at all?

Heretic Infidel said:
Does anyone know what kind of audio jack standard the HTC 10 will use? Is it AHJ or OMTP?
Then i'll know if I can use the inline controls of my RHA T20i's as currently with my HTC m8.
Edit: Btw - I strongly advise using the Neutron app if you want high-end music. Already supports FLAC but last update also added DSD support for the SACD fanatics
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.neutroncode.mp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Found this.
http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...87-note-headset-standards-omtp-ahj-apple.html
Says HTC uses AHJ...

rav101 said:
Found this.
http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...87-note-headset-standards-omtp-ahj-apple.html
Says HTC uses AHJ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why on EARTH is there more than one? This would be standardized now days like USB...

Is the audio upconversion/upsampling BS something that can be disabled from settings?

I am happy with the sound quality of the 10 through the speakers as well as through the jack

What type of DAC is in the HTC 10? Because just amping the Qualcomm native DAC won't result in clean awesome audio, just louder. I'm hoping is cirrus/Wolfson or Ess Sabre premium DAC's

What is the best audio converter via usb type-c?

Hello, I have broken the pixel 2 adapter after having used it for more than 2 months, very poor construction quality and very normal audio. I'm looking for an adapter that delivers better audio quality and if it can be more power, it does not matter the price but it's not crazy either. I have some Audio Technica Ath-m40x and some in-ear Fiio F9. I was looking at a post that compared some adapters and what you can appreciate is that the HTC adapter is much better and apparently the better than the razer. Anyone recommend me another or with this I will be happy?

Maybe this video can answer your question.
https://youtu.be/_0div1uRciQ
Galeonero said:
Hello, I have broken the pixel 2 adapter after having used it for more than 2 months, very poor construction quality and very normal audio. I'm looking for an adapter that delivers better audio quality and if it can be more power, it does not matter the price but it's not crazy either. I have some Audio Technica Ath-m40x and some in-ear Fiio F9. I was looking at a post that compared some adapters and what you can appreciate is that the HTC adapter is much better and apparently the better than the razer. Anyone recommend me another or with this I will be happy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I recommend Apple's USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter.
- smaller and slimmer compared to Google's adapter
- no echo (in calls)
- quieter than the Google adapter, as noted here
The quieter volume is a blessing for those with sensitive IEMs, where even the lowest volume can be too loud. Especially in WhatsApp voice calls.
With Google's adapter and my (sensitive) Shure SE215s, even the lowest volume on my Pixel 2 was often too loud. Using the Apple USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter, I have more leeway: previously uncomfortably loud voice calls are now perfect.

Thank you for your response, I bought the Hidizs Sonata hd cable v2 about 2 months ago. It is an excellent purchase

Galeonero said:
Thank you for your response, I bought the Hidizs Sonata hd cable v2 about 2 months ago. It is an excellent purchase
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? I just ordered one befor a week well still waiting the SONATA HD 2 because i get very crazy about this quit volume of the pixel and not so good sound the main reason to order the Sonata even with earbuds with about 30 Oms indemendance volume to the max doesnt sound as loud as they have to... compared to my old HTC 10 with loud and crystal Hi Res Audio so im wondering the the Sonata will improve that.

tsalta said:
Really? I just ordered one befor a week well still waiting the SONATA HD 2 because i get very crazy about this quit volume of the pixel and not so good sound the main reason to order the Sonata even with earbuds with about 30 Oms indemendance volume to the max doesnt sound as loud as they have to... compared to my old HTC 10 with loud and crystal Hi Res Audio so im wondering the the Sonata will improve that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look, my overall score is 4/5.
It has a LOT of power, I use it with my Fiio F9 PRO and Audio Technica ATH M40X I do not pass 30%. The sound is good, I think it's better than the google dongle but it's not the big thing as they say on their website, do not expect an extraordinary quality sound but it's not bad at all.
The construction is quite good and durable, although you have to be very careful as well, my advice is that when you have it connected and put it in your pocket, put it up on the connector and that it is inside the adapter, that only the cable comes out .
I really like that you have a case so you keep it and it does not break because you put it in your backpack and it hits you.
But like any Dongle that connects via usb-c has its counter and is that it disconnects very easy and I suspect that it can break faster the smartphone connector.
I do not recommend it because it is uncomfortable to take it, it is better to buy the Fiio bluetooth adapter BTR3 or the EarStudio ES100

Galeonero said:
Look, my overall score is 4/5.
It has a LOT of power, I use it with my Fiio F9 PRO and Audio Technica ATH M40X I do not pass 30%. The sound is good, I think it's better than the google dongle but it's not the big thing as they say on their website, do not expect an extraordinary quality sound but it's not bad at all.
The construction is quite good and durable, although you have to be very careful as well, my advice is that when you have it connected and put it in your pocket, put it up on the connector and that it is inside the adapter, that only the cable comes out .
I really like that you have a case so you keep it and it does not break because you put it in your backpack and it hits you.
But like any Dongle that connects via usb-c has its counter and is that it disconnects very easy and I suspect that it can break faster the smartphone connector.
I do not recommend it because it is uncomfortable to take it, it is better to buy the Fiio bluetooth adapter BTR3 or the EarStudio ES100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice im planing to use it with some of mine Hi res Earbuds a nd Headphones that i love to use back when i had a JACK on my HTC so will compae the quality with that Sonata and the same earphones earbuds using external DAC like Sonata compared to the build in in HTC 10 i hope at least the sound to be close as posible.

tsalta said:
Thanks for the advice im planing to use it with some of mine Hi res Earbuds a nd Headphones that i love to use back when i had a JACK on my HTC so will compae the quality with that Sonata and the same earphones earbuds using external DAC like Sonata compared to the build in in HTC 10 i hope at least the sound to be close as posible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many people say that it has a sound very similar to or better than the LG V20 and v30. But honestly I have no idea I never tried one

[DISCUSSION] Headphone Jack performance

I wanted to start a thread discussing the performance of the headphone jack. I'm a bit disappointed considering Sony's audiophile history with their walkmans and LDAC codec.
Yes, I'm nit picking about a $13XX dollar phone but for this price, I was expecting a bit more that just average performance.
For comparison I do have a LG V40 with it's quad dac and it powers my audio technicas perfectly fine with High-Impedance mode.
On the MK ii, I don't get the full sound with out an external dac coming into play.
I'd like to ask other MK ii owners if having just a headphone jack is enough to power your earbuds/iems/headphones.
Going to do a bit more in detail research within a couple of days but I think Sony just wanted to slap a headphone jack just to say it has one.
Ps- I'm no audiophile but having a full sound for the headphones I have is a must.

Thank you! This thread is very interesting.
I have reduced hearing and I badly need a smartphone with high-output. My LG V30 with it's QUAD-DAC has no problem giving me enough volume even on my favourite pair Hifiman HE-4xx.
I was hoping that Sony 1 mk2 was an alternative, but maybe not................ ?

R800x_user said:
I wanted to start a thread discussing the performance of the headphone jack. I'm a bit disappointed considering Sony's audiophile history with their walkmans and LDAC codec.
Yes, I'm nit picking about a $13XX dollar phone but for this price, I was expecting a bit more that just average performance.
For comparison I do have a LG V40 with it's quad dac and it powers my audio technicas perfectly fine with High-Impedance mode.
On the MK ii, I don't get the full sound with out an external dac coming into play.
I'd like to ask other MK ii owners if having just a headphone jack is enough to power your earbuds/iems/headphones.
Going to do a bit more in detail research within a couple of days but I think Sony just wanted to slap a headphone jack just to say it has one.
Ps- I'm no audiophile but having a full sound for the headphones I have is a must.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may want to make the distinction between headphone jacks that can and cannot drive high impedance headphones as a headphone jack that can't can still be good as in clear, little to no distortion with good response and sound reproduction.
In this case its more like LG's has gone out of their way to include a dac that can power high impedance headphones (which is rare in the first place, in addition to the jack being rare) so if high impedance headphones usage is a top priority, then sticking to LG would be recommended.

I have a Meizu Pro usb dac which has a good reputation. The volume of the Meizu is a bit higher, but the audio quality of the Sony is equal. You just have to increase the volume 2 or 3 notches. The Sony uses the Qualcom dac and excellent Cirrus amplifier chips. I use my Beoplay H6 over the ear headphones for listening. The volume being a bit lower is no problem for me, I still can get serious hearing damage if I want to.
The audio is detailed, excellent channel separation, noise is undetectable.

jwalesh96 said:
You may want to make the distinction between headphone jacks that can and cannot drive high impedance headphones as a headphone jack that can't can still be good as in clear, little to no distortion with good response and sound reproduction.
In this case its more like LG's has gone out of their way to include a dac that can power high impedance headphones (which is rare in the first place, in addition to the jack being rare) so if high impedance headphones usage is a top priority, then sticking to LG would be recommended.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sho-Bud said:
I have a Meizu Pro usb dac which has a good reputation. The volume of the Meizu is a bit higher, but the audio quality of the Sony is equal. You just have to increase the volume 2 or 3 notches. The Sony uses the Qualcom dac and excellent Cirrus amplifier chips. I use my Beoplay H4 over the ear headphones for listening. The volume being a bit lower is no problem for me, I still can get serious hearing damage if I want to.
The audio is detailed, excellent channel separation, noise is undetectable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah LG has done the headphone jack justice, but I was expecting a bit more out of the mark 2 for it's price point.
Like hi-res audio. I get it's mainly a photography oriented product. I mean I guess I got used to only using half of the volume steps provided by the LG phones.
I just had high expectations out of Sony in the audio department. Great camera. As for the dac mentioned above, i have a couple so I'm not too worried about getting any more of them. I have a couple of headphone I can try out besides my audio technicas.

The audio capability of the phone is lacking
Bluetooth volume is pretty poor even though it's decent quality
The 3.5mm Jack absolutely doesn't have that much power to drive much more than basic iem 8 to 16 ohm level. Can't push my 150ohm cans at all

Definitely louder than the previous phones. I'm just happy that the jack is back. I did notice a difference with bluetooth vs wired on WH1000XM4. Volume was definitely louder on bluetooth, but can really notice the difference in quality despite LDAC. But that's just me.

R800x_user said:
Yeah LG has done the headphone jack justice, but I was expecting a bit more out of the mark 2 for it's price point.
Like hi-res audio. I get it's mainly a photography oriented product. I mean I guess I got used to only using half of the volume steps provided by the LG phones.
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But it does have Hi-Res audio. Volume is a bit lower, but is also the curve of the volume control. With the LG the volume control is linear, with the Sony starts to increase real slow, until over half of the volume.

Sho-Bud said:
But it does have Hi-Res audio. Volume is a bit lower, but is also the curve of the volume control. With the LG the volume control is linear, with the Sony starts to increase real slow, until over half of the volume.
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Yeah volume has to be over half way to start making decent sound. Regular buds are fine though. I have some kz iems and it's fine with those. Just higher impedance isn't for this phone.

My Beoplay H6 headphones have an impedance of 30 Ohms. They work great with the Sony. I can't compare, these are the only wired headphones I have.

The audio quality is perfect with my XBA-N3AP or WH1000XM3

niaboc79 said:
The audio quality is perfect with my XBA-N3AP or WH1000XM3
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Oh snap, how are the XBAs?
Currently, I'm using AKG N700nc2( using them wired )

R800x_user said:
Oh snap, how are the XBAs?
Currently, I'm using AKG N700nc2( using them wired )
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XBA are amazing, well balanced and no extra bass like many earphones.
With an upgraded cable it's even better [emoji106]
Envoyé de mon XQ-AT51 en utilisant Tapatalk

niaboc79 said:
The audio quality is perfect with my XBA-N3AP or WH1000XM3
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I think using its headphone jack to push N3AP do not working perfect, the human voice is low, the sound ‘s analysis goes bad, compare to use usb-3.5 dac line. I use IE60.

highlightshadow said:
The audio capability of the phone is lacking
Bluetooth volume is pretty poor even though it's decent quality
The 3.5mm Jack absolutely doesn't have that much power to drive much more than basic iem 8 to 16 ohm level. Can't push my 150ohm cans at all
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Poor volume, I can still get hearing damage by the levels of volume here.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Monster_Dawn said:
I think using its headphone jack to push N3AP do not working perfect, the human voice is low, the sound ‘s analysis goes bad, compare to use usb-3.5 dac line. I use IE60.
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I haven't tried with a dac, I will try to compare with my XA50ES
Envoyé de mon XQ-AT51 en utilisant Tapatalk

For everyone who isn't satisfied with the performance of the headphone jack:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/xnext-walkman-v1-0-xperia-1ii-5-ii-t4192117
Require a rooted device

[email protected] said:
For everyone who isn't satisfied with the performance of the headphone jack:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/xnext-walkman-v1-0-xperia-1ii-5-ii-t4192117
Require a rooted device
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Apologies for replying to an old threat, but what became of this? The link is now dead unfortunately. Was it an actual improvement or deleted because it was non-functional? Thanks.

Coleh said:
Apologies for replying to an old threat, but what became of this? The link is now dead unfortunately. Was it an actual improvement or deleted because it was non-functional? Thanks.
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Try to dm peter. I didn't have a chance to save this.

Sony Xperia 1 II most probably uses a Qualcomm audio codec. Can be their flagship Aqstic WCD9341, a dedicated audio chip. Only a proper tear-down will reveal the details. As I found out this audio chip contains a very good DAC section and can produce nearly 1 Vrms at headphone out when implemented in high performance mode.