Audio on the note 4 - Galaxy Note 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Morning all, I've always had an android phone, more recently I've joined a well known financial firm and obtained a brand new iPhone 6 for literally nothing, which is essentially the anti Christ in my eyes, to my dismay I realised that not only was this phone everything I thought it wasn't it's also got superb battery life and is ridiculously louder than my note 4 with far better bass, my question is this, can lollipop sound be boosted, I'm currently on echo pop Rom, the audio with ael kernel doesn't work as it should by all accounts. But having owned an S3, I know Samsung phones are toned down when it comes to the audio.
My iPhone is pure stock, it's audio is amazing, both on headphones, Bluetooth and speaker volume.
All help appreciated.

@dladz IPhone? You know that santan will come for your soul tonight, right? But to get back on the subject, I have to agree on the sound, I personally think that with the same Headset the iPhone sounds better then the stock Note4. Battery life of the iPhone is the same or a little less then the Note4. Regards

My dogs names marley, weird. But I agree, the audio is superior. Samsung shouldn't hold their audio back, think they've always done that though. .

Hi, I would say that the audio from the note 4 is better than the iphone, but only when you are using google play music. This is because it is one of the few apps that doesn't use Samsung's software equaliser, The DAC on the snapdragon 805 is better than that of the iphones cirrus logic chip, plus it supports 24 bit 192 khz audio decoding on the chip. I'm surprised that there hasn't been more praise for the note 4's audio.
P.s. The Note 4 (SM-N910F) & SoundMagic E10 are a stunning combo.
Sent from my SM-N910F using XDA Free mobile app

I all bull****. Iphones audio quality is rubbish. No equalizers, viper audio is far superior.
Sent from the first Samsung Galaxy ever

I'm sure theres a few thread knocking around in the apps and themes section. They will probably up the default volumes by a bit by altering the default values in the system, then I would use Viper Audio, which I also agree is superior.
I literally could not believe the difference once Viper was installed and configured it blew me away.
Samsung may have a better way of decoding the audio but what good is that with a small shi**y speaker.
I think personally if you want a phone for its audio quality its HTC one all day.

Brava27 said:
I all bull****. Iphones audio quality is rubbish. No equalizers, viper audio is far superior.
Sent from the first Samsung Galaxy ever
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Click to collapse
Did you actually read what I wrote ? I have always hated apple. I got this phone for next to nothing, the only reason I chose it is because I've never has one, that being said I didn't start this thread to spark a debate, that's not what this is so if you want to come in here and moan on about apple and say the audio is terrible then don't, I asked a question, if you do not have an answer then kindly either remove your comment or don't write anything.
Viper audio is a good mod, as is acid sound mod too. However, at stock levels the iPhone is miles ahead. Even with the note 4 tweaked the iPhone was ahead. I haven't tried acid mod as I don't think it's available for the note 4 as of yet but besides that I think it's a lost cause.

jshq97 said:
Hi, I would say that the audio from the note 4 is better than the iphone, but only when you are using google play music. This is because it is one of the few apps that doesn't use Samsung's software equaliser, The DAC on the snapdragon 805 is better than that of the iphones cirrus logic chip, plus it supports 24 bit 192 khz audio decoding on the chip. I'm surprised that there hasn't been more praise for the note 4's audio.
P.s. The Note 4 (SM-N910F) & SoundMagic E10 are a stunning combo.
Sent from my SM-N910F using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with the chip, we know from HTC that great things can be done with it, however this isn't HTC it's Samsung and the speaker is tinny and low (at stock) I just compared the two devices with the same song..please try it next time you're in a phone shop, the difference is undeniable.
Haven't used sound magic, but I do own the 910f, at least until the M9 comes out anyway.
If acid mod comes out on the note 4 I have no doubt that the audio will vastly improve, last time I used this (or even needed it) was on my galaxy S3, the audio on that phone was similarly shocking, with that mod it was one of the loudest phones I've ever heard.
On your second point. I completely disagree with it, Google play makes no difference in this comparison.
I have tried, I also use power amp which is undoubtedly the best player to ever grace android.

mklass said:
I'm sure theres a few thread knocking around in the apps and themes section. They will probably up the default volumes by a bit by altering the default values in the system, then I would use Viper Audio, which I also agree is superior.
I literally could not believe the difference once Viper was installed and configured it blew me away.
Samsung may have a better way of decoding the audio but what good is that with a small shi**y speaker.
I think personally if you want a phone for its audio quality its HTC one all day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a few threads, not the one I was looking for (acid mod) but again like you said it's a terrible speaker, also if you think about it, with HTC (besides the speakers) you have an active eq, software that adapts and adapts well, that's literally what the iphone has, they also own beats now too which is essentially what the eq was on HTC devices, I'm guessing that they might have used some code from the beats software for boomsound.
With viper , as much as it may help , it's not an active eq, it doesn't mould to the music the way the other two do, neither does acid.
Louder ? Maybe. Better audio quality ? I'm not so sure.

dladz said:
Agree with the chip, we know from HTC that great things can be done with it, however this isn't HTC it's Samsung and the speaker is tinny and low (at stock) I just compared the two devices with the same song..please try it next time you're in a phone shop, the difference is undeniable.
Haven't used sound magic, but I do own the 910f, at least until the M9 comes out anyway.
If acid mod comes out on the note 4 I have no doubt that the audio will vastly improve, last time I used this (or even needed it) was on my galaxy S3, the audio on that phone was similarly shocking, with that mod it was one of the loudest phones I've ever heard.
On your second point. I completely disagree with it, Google play makes no difference in this comparison.
I have tried, I also use power amp which is undoubtedly the best player to ever grace android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do like HTC for their boom sound speakers, but when I have my headphones on I'm more of an audiophile. It may be a selective carrier thing or just software variations but with play music (actually, after some testing, all non samsung audio player apps) have a much more natural and slightly louder sound. There must be some software sound enhancement trickery on the touchwiz side.
I do understand that sound is subjective, so what I hear others may hear differently. These are just my obeservations

jshq97 said:
I do like HTC for their boom sound speakers, but when I have my headphones on I'm more of an audiophile. It may be a selective carrier thing or just software variations but with play music (actually, after some testing, all non samsung audio player apps) have a much more natural and slightly louder sound. There must be some software sound enhancement trickery on the touchwiz side.
I do understand that sound is subjective, so what I hear others may hear differently. These are just my obeservations
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try audiotechnica w5000's never heard anything quite like them before. Cost you an arm and a leg but the audio is phenomenal.

the solution is
doing a root an install Walkman player fuul ported from its Z3
really amazing Sony is with its sound technology
---------- Post added at 04:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:28 PM ----------
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2730431

crazydeepman said:
the solution is
doing a root an install Walkman player fuul ported from its Z3
really amazing Sony is with its sound technology
---------- Post added at 04:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:28 PM ----------
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2730431
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't tried that before but I did own a Z1 which i rooted, the audio for me wasn't out of this world, the iPhone still has much better audio i'm afraid, htc definitely better audio.
Sony does have some plus points but don't think the audio is better mate.

Related

GSMarena audio review

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one-review-912p7.php
Unfortunately, it's not as helpful as it could be:
Only compares phone to other Qualcomm devices (no Apple, no Samsung/Wolfson). And they consistently ignore Qualcomm shortcomings in s/n to other devices.
Don't tell you if tests were made with/without Beats. Both would have been nice.
Would be nice if they did their Android tests with standardized player, e.g., Poweramp or Neutron. But no.
BaronInkjet said:
But no.
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/cancels order. Switches off the internet.
I read somewhere on the net, sorry I don't remember where, that the One audio is very much like the Nexus 4 - Through the earphone jack
@home said:
I read somewhere on the net, sorry I don't remember where, that the One audio is very much like the Nexus 4 - Through the earphone jack
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Click to collapse
I hope not. Had a N4 of those for a few days, and it was among the worst music phones I've ever heard. I don't think it will be though.
p.s. Interesting to note how different the GSMarena was for N4 than what others found. It's review stats were not bad. Mine was much closer to the supercurio frequency response chart (See the N4 audio thread), with rapid treble falloff. After that, I take everything from GSM with a grain of salt.
Something to do with the snapdragon chip, I wish I could remember where I read it:crying:
Visited P4U in Market Street, Manchester, where they had a silver HTC One (unfortunately locked in a guard thingy).
The speakers were pretty impressive, compared to my friend's iPhone 4S, Galaxy Note 2 and my other friend's Galaxy S3...And of course much better than my Desire HD.
Only could test music that was already on the phone for demonstration purposes, so it wasn't really a direction comparison, but there's no doubt that the HTC One's dual front facing speakers are louder (duhh) but also clear.
The speakers and sound are so good IMHO that I have been using it to play radio and music around the house.
None of the on-board music seems to showcase the tone and range very well, but listening to some classical, talk radio and pop music just sounds amazing for a phone. You don't even have to crank it up to full volume to hear the quality of reproduction.
It's not going to replace your music system, but playing music in the kitchen or office for example with the speakers directly facing one person is very impressive.
This is one of the standout features for the phone, and I really get why they ate advertising it on TV.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
I find the speaker test on gsm arena nonsense or they have a faulty device because the one is far louder than phones whihc they are tryign to claim it is on par with like the s3, one x or one x+ for example and it is far louder than a note 2. yet in certain test like rining for exmaple they claim to note is is louder no way.

Musical quality using headphones

Here's a question. Currently I am on an iPhone 5, and it looks like I'll be making the switch to the S4. But before I do, I need to be reassured of one thing.
I use my iPhone 5 as my main and only music player. I have a pair of $150 Monster Turbines, and I take my musical quality very seriously relative to the iPhone 5. My question is, does the S4 have ATLEAST the same or better SQ in all ranges?
Is this app dependent? ROM dependent? I'm new to Android, but not technically unsavvy by ANY means..
Just need to know..
I had the same worries as you did. I came from the iPhone 4, running an ATH-m50 setup up with a fiio e5 amp and switched over to the HTC one x+and have transitioned very smoothly. I recommend finding a player per your taste though.
Take a look at power amp and neuron player! I hope this helps.
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda app-developers app
Well there is a feature called 'adapt sound' you go through a hearing test. After the test is done it auto EQ's the EQ's in the music player. I have monster inspirations (noise cancelling) and beyerdynamic T1. With adapt sound on in both cans there's better upper range clarity when differentiating between instruments. I like having the feature on. Makes the music more enjoyable of sorts.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
There seems to be a lot of mixed opinions. It's not that the Qualcomm audio chipset is bad, it's actually quite good, but it up samples audio from 24bit/44khz to 48khz if I'm correct, which kind of degrades the quality a little. I doubt a $150 pair of headphones is gonna be affected by this though. Now if you were rocking some real hardcore audio equipment like $500+ custom monitors, then this might be noticeable.
Apple products still are on top when it comes to audio player quality. I doubt it'll be noticeable with your headphones
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
Don't even think a second about sound quality. It's awesome with S4. I use shure se530 head phones. You want to tweak the sound you may use Power Amp. That is what i use. I tried Iphone (3/4/4S/5) several times and sound is better with Power Amp in Galaxy S3/S4(Snapdragon also). Without Power Amp you may not like the sound that much.
varunkumars said:
Don't even think a second about sound quality. It's awesome with S4. I use shure se530 head phones. You want to tweak the sound you may use Power Amp. That is what i use. I tried Iphone (3/4/4S/5) several times and sound is better with Power Amp in Galaxy S3/S4(Snapdragon also). Without Power Amp you may not like the sound that much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I recommend trying Gone Mad Music Player, so much better then Power Amp in my opinion
As many have said. Power amp is worth the purchase.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
iphone 5 is a good music player of course.
in android some app can improve the SQ for us. such as poweramp and more.
If you can score an international version, it was supposed to get the much higher quality Wolfson audio chips:
http://www.sammobile.com/2013/04/18...-for-galaxy-range-of-smartphones-and-tablets/
I think the t-mobile version might also have the same hardware as the international version...?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
I'm using Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones with Westone cables. I find the S4 sound quality pleasing, but lacking in bass.
Screams from
d1esel daddy said:
I'm using Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones with Westone cables. I find the S4 sound quality pleasing, but lacking in bass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a major problem for me, as 90% of my music is hip hop.
My monster turbines were designed to accentuate bass
I have a 15' sub in my car, that I LOVE to flex, and if it gonna be as bassy and clean as it is like my iPhone (on hip hop EQ) then we've got problems...
EpicMango said:
This is a major problem for me, as 90% of my music is hip hop.
My monster turbines were designed to accentuate bass
I have a 15' sub in my car, that I LOVE to flex, and if it gonna be as bassy and clean as it is like my iPhone (on hip hop EQ) then we've got problems...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S4 isnt lacking in bass at all. It has more bass than my HTC Vivid did...and that was a "Beats"-advertised phone. The S4 has terrific sound quality for a phone. And if you want a nice EQ, get Poweramp. It is well worth the purchase. And if you enjoy bass, don't worry - you can crank the bass up insanely high with Poweramp.
I was very worried about audio quality before getting the S4. And I am absolutely satisfied.
Oh and before you go looking at the HTC One, there have been reports of bluetooth audio streaming distorting the high frequency sounds. The S4 doesnt have this problem.
Sent from my Galaxy S4.
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bobgodd said:
If you can score an international version, it was supposed to get the much higher quality Wolfson audio chips:
http://www.sammobile.com/2013/04/18...-for-galaxy-range-of-smartphones-and-tablets/
I think the t-mobile version might also have the same hardware as the international version...?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tmobile has exact same hardware as att...has been discussed in one of the official bootloader unlock threads
slapdaddy said:
The S4 isnt lacking in bass at all. It has more bass than my HTC Vivid did...and that was a "Beats"-advertised phone. The S4 has terrific sound quality for a phone. And if you want a nice EQ, get Poweramp. It is well worth the purchase. And if you enjoy bass, don't worry - you can crank the bass up insanely high with Poweramp.
I was very worried about audio quality before getting the S4. And I am absolutely satisfied.
Oh and before you go looking at the HTC One, there have been reports of bluetooth audio streaming distorting the high frequency sounds. The S4 doesnt have this problem.
Sent from my Galaxy S4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would definitely not say the s4 has terrific sound quality....you can't base it off the fact your vivid had beats as that's just a software eq...you've obviously never had a phone with a Wolfson dac....those phones have the best sound quality of every phone-,and with voodoo sound you can tweak it at the hardware level
When it comes to portable music....my infuse is my main player...it blows the s4 and HTC vivid sound quality out of the water
Now the s4 sound quality is acceptable and not bad in any way...just wouldn't say its terrific...this is coming from an audiophile with studio monitors and studio monitor headphones
BTW, I had a vivid too...think I remember your name
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2
d1esel daddy said:
I'm using Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones with Westone cables. I find the S4 sound quality pleasing, but lacking in bass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am running the same setup (stock cables) and previously used a FiiO E6 amp when I had these with my Galaxy S 2... With the S4, I don't need the portable amp and like others stated, PowerAMP is my recommended player - well worth the purchase. I jumped onto PowerAMP right as soon as I found out that it does both FLAC and Gapless, and the interface is beautiful and easily links to the lockscreen (not rooted).
As far as audio quality, I love the V shape audio that PowerAMP(Techno preset) produces onto my IEM's and I also have an iPad Mini (I think Wolfsons audio chip) and yet still prefer the audio from the S4...
Audio becomes very subjective at this point, but I have NOT been disappointed with my S4 and audio quality - especially comparing it to my old Galaxy S II...
mg2195 said:
Tmobile has exact same hardware as att...has been discussed in one of the official bootloader unlock threads
I would definitely not say the s4 has terrific sound quality....you can't base it off the fact your vivid had beats as that's just a software eq...you've obviously never had a phone with a Wolfson dac....those phones have the best sound quality of every phone-,and with voodoo sound you can tweak it at the hardware level
When it comes to portable music....my infuse is my main player...it blows the s4 and HTC vivid sound quality out of the water
Now the s4 sound quality is acceptable and not bad in any way...just wouldn't say its terrific...this is coming from an audiophile with studio monitors and studio monitor headphones
BTW, I had a vivid too...think I remember your name
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope never had a Wolfson unfortunately. And I said terrific...for a phone lol. I have never had a phone with sound quality this good. And it will only get better with newer Sammy phones because of their deal with Wolfson. As for the Vivid, I remember reading your name a few times over there and yeah Beats is a software adjustment on the Vivid, but the sound quality was better on the Vivid than it was on my Inspire...and now better on my S4 than on my Vivid.
And yes I am an audiophile as well...I have studio cans and when it comes to absolute pure music quality, I use my desktop comouter as the setup is fantastic for a quality listening experience. But for a modern phone on the market. ..well I dont know of any quadcore phones that have a Wolfson chip...not yet anyway that is. I'm very sure this will change soon though...and its about time manufacturers started to pay more attention to the audio quality in their phones. There are those of us who need it...to basically survive lmao.
Bottom line for me is that there may be better phones out there for music quality, but they lack the horsepower of the S4. And there is a lot more that I do with this phone than just listen to music. The sound quality may not be Wolfson good, but it's definitely good enough and gets the job done very well as far as I'm concerned.
Oh and if someone is very concerned about music quality, there are external DACs that can be attached to the phone's micro USB port which are phenomenal. Though they are as big as the phone is, they work well lol.
Sent from my Galaxy S4.
slapdaddy said:
Nope never had a Wolfson unfortunately. And I said terrific...for a phone lol. I have never had a phone with sound quality this good. And it will only get better with newer Sammy phones because of their deal with Wolfson. As for the Vivid, I remember reading your name a few times over there and yeah Beats is a software adjustment on the Vivid, but the sound quality was better on the Vivid than it was on my Inspire...and now better on my S4 than on my Vivid.
And yes I am an audiophile as well...I have studio cans and when it comes to absolute pure music quality, I use my desktop comouter as the setup is fantastic for a quality listening experience. But for a modern phone on the market. ..well I dont know of any quadcore phones that have a Wolfson chip...not yet anyway that is. I'm very sure this will change soon though...and its about time manufacturers started to pay more attention to the audio quality in their phones. There are those of us who need it...to basically survive lmao.
Bottom line for me is that there may be better phones out there for music quality, but they lack the horsepower of the S4. And there is a lot more that I do with this phone than just listen to music. The sound quality may not be Wolfson good, but it's definitely good enough and gets the job done very well as far as I'm concerned.
Oh and if someone is very concerned about music quality, there are external DACs that can be attached to the phone's micro USB port which are phenomenal. Though they are as big as the phone is, they work well lol.
Sent from my Galaxy S4.
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Couldn't agree with your post more
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

[Q] Loss of audio quality on custom roms

Hi, first time android owner here. I recently switched to the CM nightly builds, which I am loving, however I have noticed the audio quality has dropped of dramatically since switching from the standard oppo fw. Now I am streaming my music from google play which AFAIK was unaffected by the dolby sound and the dirac audio features of the oppo ROM. Is this something that should be expected? Its bad enough that Id rather not listen to music at all. Also is there a possibility of porting the audio features of the standard Oppo ROM to the current CM builds?
At this point I think id rather use a buggy, less functional oppo rom with great sound quality and that just sucks:crying:
I'm a music lover and have pretty good ears, I really like cm10.1 and other roms but the reason I left it (besides being a beta tester) is because of lag that happens after a few hours and also because of the issue with audio quality. Yeah it looses quality. Oh and camera quality as well
Sent from my Oppo Find 5
I haven't noticed much of a drop in quality, but I didn't stay on stock for long. Maybe I'll switch back to stock on the next beta and see what the audio and camera are like. I have no camera on my current ROM.
Sent from my Find 5 using Tapatalk 2
I should mention I'm also streaming over blue tooth when making this comparison.
earphones
osmosizzz said:
I'm a music lover and have pretty good ears, I really like cm10.1 and other roms but the reason I left it (besides being a beta tester) is because of lag that happens after a few hours and also because of the issue with audio quality. Yeah it looses quality. Oh and camera quality as well
Sent from my Oppo Find 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well didi you try to listen music with different earphones ? Shipped earphones can only work ith dirac "ON".
I tryed to use Oppo earphones on HTC and they sounds poor. Also I found poor sounding Find 5 with HTC beats audio earphones.
If you find some conclusion pls let me know, because I'm not willing to use custom rom ..... for now. :victory:
THX
Grimmy91 said:
And do you think that oppo has a better audio than htc or with the beats EQ the One is better ? Maybe with using some good headphones like AKG sennheiser etc...
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Click to collapse
I have had both HTC One X, and the Droid DNA and I think Oppo sounds better. I don't know about the New HTC One with Boom-Sound though?
Grimmy91 said:
And do you think that oppo has a better audio than htc or with the beats EQ the One is better ? Maybe with using some good headphones like AKG sennheiser etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oppo is champ !!! But they(OPPO & DIRAC) made calibration with shipped earphones.
When u use other earphones u must disable DIRAC
otherwise sound is crap.
DIRAC sounds good only with shipped earphones and far far better than anything eles !
I am big audiopile and so far there was no phone to listen music on.
http://www.cabasse.com/cabfx2012/ba...ic-on-wall-baltic-on-base-santorin-30?lang=en
I own a pair :victory:
whynotbgd said:
Oppo is champ !!! But they(OPPO & DIRAC) made calibration with shipped earphones.
When u use other earphones u must disable DIRAC
otherwise sound is crap.
DIRAC sounds good only with shipped earphones and far far better than anything eles !
I am big audiopile and so far there was no phone to listen music on.
http://www.cabasse.com/cabfx2012/ba...ic-on-wall-baltic-on-base-santorin-30?lang=en
I own a pair :victory:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely agree. Dirac sounds horrible with anything other than the stock earphones.
osmosizzz said:
Completely agree. Dirac sounds horrible with anything other than the stock earphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like Dirac is nothing more than marketing bull**** to describe an EQ preset that works around crummy earphones... Kinda like HTC's Beats Audio (which is just a crappy EQ preset too).
No No No
Entropy512 said:
Sounds like Dirac is nothing more than marketing bull**** to describe an EQ preset that works around crummy earphones... Kinda like HTC's Beats Audio (which is just a crappy EQ preset too).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not bull.... and for sure this is not just an EQ preset like HTCs Beats Audio.
Most of brands use branded cost effective solution (EQ based) to impress customers but Oppo does not.
DIRAC correct phase to firms up the bass, removes resonances, focuses the stereo image and makes voices stand out like you never have heard them before.
whynotbgd said:
It's not bull.... and for sure this is not just an EQ preset like HTCs Beats Audio.
Most of brands use branded cost effective solution (EQ based) to impress customers but Oppo does not.
DIRAC correct phase to firms up the bass, removes resonances, focuses the stereo image and makes voices stand out like you never have heard them before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All marketing mumbojumbo for "cheesy postprocessing and/or lame EQ preset"
The fact that it only works to "fix" Oppo's cheap earbuds is a clear sign that it is just an EQ preset designed to compensate for the deficiencies of cheap earbuds.
All of the research I've read indicates that DIRAC serves to do only one thing: Compensate for cheapo earbuds to make them sound better. It will make good earbuds/earphones sound like crap, and is unncessary with them.
When you can get Monoprice 9927s for <$10:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10823&cs_id=1082303&p_id=9927&seq=1&format=2
http://lifehacker.com/5991079/monoprice-improves-on-the-best-7-headphones-youll-ever-buy
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-headphones-under-30/
And Comply foam replacement tips for $15:
http://www.complyfoam.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Comply-T-400-Isolation-Earphone-Medium/dp/B002NUJ2RM/ (for the non-waxguard version, waxguard is $20 for three pairs)
It's pointless to waste time working around crappy cheap OEM buds.
Edit: In general, Comply foam tips are one of the best "bang for your buck" upgrades for any earbud (except ones that already have foam tips)
Yeah, honestly, this crap is like the same BS they pull with Pixel count in cell cameras.
I have some very nice Westone buds that sound amazing on any phone I've had. Turn off all the garbage and you get yourself a hell of an audio experience. These guys feel like they have to provide some audio gem in name because these bloody devices are phones, not good quality audio gear. If you want to bump your audio experience, go get a portable amp and melt your brain.
The Oppo and CM sound great. Only need I have for the DSP is to tweak the sound of the speaker for voice calls.
Is there a different type of bluetooth used by cm compared to stock Oppo ROM? I read something about different compression formats like apt-x. Perhaps cm just needs a bluetooth overhaul.
crackalac87 said:
Is there a different type of bluetooth used by cm compared to stock Oppo ROM? I read something about different compression formats like apt-x. Perhaps cm just needs a bluetooth overhaul.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had no issues with Bluetooth with my Sony bluetooth headset.
Google completely replaced the entire Bluetooth stack with 4.2
crackalac87 said:
Is there a different type of bluetooth used by cm compared to stock Oppo ROM? I read something about different compression formats like apt-x. Perhaps cm just needs a bluetooth overhaul.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to have the s3 and apt x enables headphones and the sound quality is just on another level! Standard bluetooth SBC suports stereo up to 345kbps but idk why, for the most part, they end up sounding bad in most cases. Apt-x lets better audio pass though with minimal compression.
read these two wikies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBC_(codec)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apt-X
now for dirac, it may just be an eq thing but idk. speaker sound much better with audio calls and just playing music. there is bass, and mids added (looking like an eq thing as of now). When it comes to music listening, without any mod, cm10 doesnt sound that great. With the V4A sound mod, it sounds really good. V4A sound mod on stock rom helps but not too much. IDk what oppo has done, butif there is no specific hardware thing within the phone that is activated with any rom, then i guess it;s an eq thing? anyone correct me if im wrong
osmosizzz said:
I used to have the s3 and apt x enables headphones and the sound quality is just on another level! Standard bluetooth SBC suports stereo up to 345kbps but idk why, for the most part, they end up sounding bad in most cases. Apt-x lets better audio pass though with minimal compression.
read these two wikies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBC_(codec)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apt-X
now for dirac, it may just be an eq thing but idk. speaker sound much better with audio calls and just playing music. there is bass, and mids added (looking like an eq thing as of now). When it comes to music listening, without any mod, cm10 doesnt sound that great. With the V4A sound mod, it sounds really good. V4A sound mod on stock rom helps but not too much. IDk what oppo has done, butif there is no specific hardware thing within the phone that is activated with any rom, then i guess it;s an eq thing? anyone correct me if im wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm positive it's an EQ thing. Might be able to achieve similar results by playing with DSP Manager
I feel like the audio quality improved on the external speaker with cm10.1
osmosizzz said:
speaker sound much better with audio calls and just playing music. there is bass, and mids added (looking like an eq thing as of now). When it comes to music listening, without any mod, cm10 doesnt sound that great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Entropy512 said:
I'm positive it's an EQ thing. Might be able to achieve similar results by playing with DSP Manager
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having big battery issues with my Galaxy S2 and was considering the switch to the Find5, the good sound quality being one of the strongest argument for me so the fact that Dirac is only an EQ to compensate crappy earbuds is kinda bumping me out
A long long time ago I used to listen to music on a iAudio X5 / Shure E4g combo, with great quality (the integrated EQ helped, but still wow, great sound). Now I'm on the GS2, and it's fine with a pair of Ultimate Ears 400vi but I'm not coming back to crappy earbuds, so if the only plus of the Find5 in the audio corner besides the speaker is an EQ then I guess I'll have to wait until the next big cheap thing
What do you think? Considering Oppo opened its sources from the start is it possible that the sound capabilities of the stock rom get ported to other roms like CM?
osmosizzz said:
With the V4A sound mod, it sounds really good. V4A sound mod on stock rom helps but not too much?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How does it work on CM? Gotta test that right away on my S2
You definitely have to play with v4a until you get the right sound for you. And sound settings varies from headphone to headphone
Sent from my Find 5 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
---------- Post added at 05:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:00 PM ----------
May be an eq thing but stock ROM produces better sound and louder volume. Bass is also stronger on stock ROM.
Sent from my Find 5 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
whynotbgd said:
When u use other earphones u must disable DIRAC
otherwise sound is crap.
DIRAC sounds good only with shipped earphones and far far better than anything eles !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
took your statement and did a test myself on stock rom and on firefly (international) , found some good music and hooked up the stock headset in the find 5, sounds great with DIRAC , as you said, then switched headset after have playing music in a periode, then tested with DIRAC enabled on my beats audio headset (stock from htc sensation xl), and sound was still really good, not much diffrent, only beats had more bass , but that headset is also a inear headset, which usually gives more bass.
Then just today, after flashing a codefireXperimental rom, as name say, not released at all, and then tested both headsets again, this time, ofc without DIRAC, but nothing else, no audio mods at all. and stock headset is a little bit more bad in cfxp than in stock with DIRAC, but not at all as in other custom roms ive tried. then switched to beats headset, very little diffrent here, from stock rom with DIRAC and now in custom rom.
After all, i think that audio quality ,cant only be blamed at DIRAC , if you look in this link , its pretty impressive who uses DIRAC, so im sure its not crap only
whynotbgd said:
Shipped earphones can only work ith dirac "ON".
Also I found poor sounding Find 5 with HTC beats audio earphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats not true, it works fine without DIRAC enabled, and after testing my own beats headset with dirac and without in custom roms, i dont hear at all that the sound is more bad with Dirac than it is without, infact i like the audio more with my find 5 and beats audio, even in cfxp, than i do with beats audio on my htc sensation xl.

The audio quality on this thing melts my face

Picked this phone up today despite the complaints. The first thing I noticed is the sound. The included head phones sound pretty good, but on my bose head set it feels like my face is melting. I don't know what they changed between the S6 and the note 5 yet but holy cow. Keep giving it to me.
So it sounds better?
svengalis said:
So it sounds better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say I have a "golden ear" but it definitely has better high's, better lows, and more drool coming out of my mouth from the sound. So I would say yes.
eousphoros said:
I wouldn't say I have a "golden ear" but it definitely has better high's, better lows, and more drool coming out of my mouth from the sound. So I would say yes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the next update for the s6 and the edge has the audio improvement update in it
Totally agree...i use Gear circle and Gear level U wireless buds and the sound is amazing and so much louder with my note 5 compared to my Note Edge...love it
Any idea if the boosted headphone sound works for bluetooth enabled headphones like the JayBird X2?
what about the call quality? In ear speaker loudness, loudness over speakerphone etc. I don't understand why these things are always almost not mentioned in any reviews, it is a phone first of all, right?
I also noticed that the sound in my via Bluetooth is much louder and clearer. I'm very happy with it.
Sent from my SM-N920T using XDA Free mobile app
yes the new note five will be running a higher bit rate for audio which will make audio sound better. More so if you have higher quality music files. Makes me happy you posted about this because I heard about the improved audio and now I know its true if others are posting about it
The.sound is excellent
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using XDA Free mobile app
Yes just got my Note 5 yesterday also and did some testing between my iPhone 6 plus and LG G4 and the Note 5. The Note 5 is definitely the clear winner. The LG G4 is definitely sounding compressed, not sure why LG did this as the LG G2 had superb audio and was known for that. I honestly think the king now is the Note 5! ?
Sent from my LG-H815 using XDA Free mobile app
Anyone comparing the sound to the S6 or S6 edge? I have the S6 edge and the audio quality is not good, especially over bluetooth. Using the bletooth in my car or over my bluetooth speaker sounds hissy and pretty terrible while the same car and speaker sounded great with the htc one m8.
rx7boy22 said:
Yes just got my Note 5 yesterday also and did some testing between my iPhone 6 plus and LG G4 and the Note 5. The Note 5 is definitely the clear winner. The LG G4 is definitely sounding compressed, not sure why LG did this as the LG G2 had superb audio and was known for that. I honestly think the king now is the Note 5!
Sent from my LG-H815 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with everything you said and I had those same devices. The only one that comes close to the Note 5 for me is the Sony Z3+, but I have so many complaints about that device that I'm not going to keep it. Anyway, my findings match yours and I couldn't be happier.
Wrathor said:
Anyone comparing the sound to the S6 or S6 edge? I have the S6 edge and the audio quality is not good, especially over bluetooth. Using the bletooth in my car or over my bluetooth speaker sounds hissy and pretty terrible while the same car and speaker sounded great with the htc one m8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if this helps you since I don't use BT, but with IEMs via the headphone jack I find the Note 5 to be warmer and fuller sounding with less emphasis on treble like the S6 Edge I have. Also, while I initially thought the "UHQ Upscaler" was going to be a gimmick, it adds a surprising amount of punch to the audio! Overall, I'm like a kid in a candy store with this thing. I should also mention I use several high-end pairs of IEMs (Sony XBA-A3, MDR-EX1000, Dunu DN-2000j, etc.).
-Collin-
Sound is noticeably better but after using m8 and Nexus 6 nothing to write home about
---------- Post added at 12:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 AM ----------
Why must Samsung insist on putting the speaker grill on the side where it covers it up.
Love the audio quality I am so happy. So happy.
The UHQ setting is actually enabling 192khz hardware output on the audio chip.
CollinFX45 said:
I agree with everything you said and I had those same devices. The only one that comes close to the Note 5 for me is the Sony Z3+, but I have so many complaints about that device that I'm not going to keep it. Anyway, my findings match yours and I couldn't be happier.
Not sure if this helps you since I don't use BT, but with IEMs via the headphone jack I find the Note 5 to be warmer and fuller sounding with less emphasis on treble like the S6 Edge I have. Also, while I initially thought the "UHQ Upscaler" was going to be a gimmick, it adds a surprising amount of punch to the audio! Overall, I'm like a kid in a candy store with this thing. I should also mention I use several high-end pairs of IEMs (Sony XBA-A3, MDR-EX1000, Dunu DN-2000j, etc.).
-Collin-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey buddy you seems like an audiophile....do you think note 5 sound matches those of some dedicated players like fiio x3 ?
and do you know exactly what is done internally when we switch on the UHQ Upscaler ?
and do you or anyone knows what DAC is used this time in Note 5 ?
saj2001ind said:
hey buddy you seems like an audiophile....do you think note 5 sound matches those of some dedicated players like fiio x3 ?
and do you know exactly what is done internally when we switch on the UHQ Upscaler ?
and do you or anyone knows what DAC is used this time in Note 5 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there - I'm not an audiophile, but I do appreciate a good, quality output. I actually haven't used a dedicated player; the most I've done is got an E17 DAC/Amp for headphones, but it wasn't worth the trouble for me personally.
The DAC is anyone's guess, but it should be Wolfson (as were most, if not all the Samsungs before it with Exynos processors).
Cheers,
-Collin-
CollinFX45 said:
Hi there - I'm not an audiophile, but I do appreciate a good, quality output. I actually haven't used a dedicated player; the most I've done is got an E17 DAC/Amp for headphones, but it wasn't worth the trouble for me personally.
The DAC is anyone's guess, but it should be Wolfson (as were most, if not all the Samsungs before it with Exynos processors).
Cheers,
-Collin-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey buddy it's good u use E17. ..so compared to ur E17 does the note 5 sound better or same quality?
I had E18 but like you I found that too combursume
Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk
saj2001ind said:
Hey buddy it's good u use E17. ..so compared to ur E17 does the note 5 sound better or same quality?
I had E18 but like you I found that too combursume
Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried the E17 with the Note 5 yet, but I suspect it will only make it louder. I'll give it a try tonight. E18 would be the better choice for the Note 5, but oh well
-Collin-

S7 Edge sound quality

Hi There,
First time posting here =]
I wanna make a move and ditch that boring iPhone and get the Galaxy S7 Edge.
I was wondering how is the sound output through the 3.5mm port compared to that of the iPhone.
When i plug my iPhone into a headset or my car's aux port, i get a loud and clear output, but when i used my brother's Nexus 5 or 5X, eventhough the output was as clear as the iPhone's, it wasn't as loud.
I was wondering where the S7 falls in this equation.
Cheers!
Wanting to know this also. Having a custom dsp inside hopefully the sound is decent somewhat
Am waiting to know the details as well before I shell out the dough. Everything else about the S7 sounds amazing, so, hoping they have really upgraded the audio dac from S6 era, and meet LG G5s B&O Dac half way if not more.
It uses Sound Alive and it's decent. V4A coupled with Dolby Atmos will obviously be better though.
I can only compare it to the M9 and S5, M9 being my last phone. S5 being my last Samsung phone. I can say that the speaker quality is good and it's surprisingly loud. I don't need to cup my hand over it.
ahrion said:
It uses Sound Alive and it's decent. V4A coupled with Dolby Atmos will obviously be better though.
I can only compare it to the M9 and S5, M9 being my last phone. S5 being my last Samsung phone. I can say that the speaker quality is good and it's surprisingly loud. I don't need to cup my hand over it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it work system wide ?? Can you verify if its active when using SoundCloud please ??
I plugged in my $30 Xiaomi pistons into my S7 edge, iPhone 6s, S6 edge, Nexus 5x, and Nexus 6. I'm no audiofile and I don't know jack feces about audio quality but I thought I'd have a listen. Anyways here's the differences that I could(n't) tell between them:
The S7, S6, and 6s sounded the same to me. Pretty good.
The Nexus 5x sounds a tiny bit different to me but I'm not sure in what way. Still good though.
The Nexus 6 sounded the worst to me, but it's by no means bad in my opinion. Again, I can't put my tongue on what it is that sounds different or why it sounds different.
Bottom line, S7 edge sounds find through headphones if you're just the average music listener.
idksomuch said:
I plugged in my $30 Xiaomi pistons into my S7 edge, iPhone 6s, S6 edge, Nexus 5x, and Nexus 6. I'm no audiofile and I don't know jack feces about audio quality but I thought I'd have a listen. Anyways here's the differences that I could(n't) tell between them:
The S7, S6, and 6s sounded the same to me. Pretty good.
The Nexus 5x sounds a tiny bit different to me but I'm not sure in what way. Still good though.
The Nexus 6 sounded the worst to me, but it's by no means bad in my opinion. Again, I can't put my tongue on what it is that sounds different or why it sounds different.
Bottom line, S7 edge sounds find through headphones if you're just the average music listener.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How was the volume compared to the iphone (with earphones)?
Btw is it SD or Exynos?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
DroidBiteApple said:
How was the volume compared to the iphone (with earphones)?
Btw is it SD or Exynos?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Snapdragon version on T-Mobile. So I don't know if by volume you meant how loud the phone gets or something else. Anyways I listened to how loud the phones got on max volume and I damn well blew out my eardrums so thanks a lot you poopy face
In all seriousness though, the iPhone 6s sounded just barely louder than the S7 and the S6 edge is a quieter. I didn't try with the Nexus though. Brb I think my ears are bleeding.
idksomuch said:
I have the Snapdragon version on T-Mobile. So I don't know if by volume you meant how loud the phone gets or something else. Anyways I listened to how loud the phones got on max volume and I damn well blew out my eardrums so thanks a lot you poopy face
In all seriousness though, the iPhone 6s sounded just barely louder than the S7 and the S6 edge is a quieter. I didn't try with the Nexus though. Brb I think my ears are bleeding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha! Sorry about that!
And yeah i meant how loud it can get
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The effects are system wide.
DroidBiteApple said:
How was the volume compared to the iphone (with earphones)?
Btw is it SD or Exynos?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Compare to iPhone 6s Plus the sound quality from phone jack are about same but Galaxy s7 has better eq setting. iPhone 6s Plus volume is 20 percent larger tho. I mean thro head phone not loud speaker
---------- Post added at 06:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:06 PM ----------
DroidBiteApple said:
How was the volume compared to the iphone (with earphones)?
Btw is it SD or Exynos?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I mean the sd version .
It's 20% less loud then the iPhone through the headphone jack? It doesn't have a loud digital amp then, that is a bummer. I was hoping it could drive a decent pair of over-ear headphones like my ipod can.
IPhones generally are loud out of the box. Most android don't get near as loud. Quality wise, idk about the snapdragon variant but I know Samsung with the exynos pairs a Wolfson dac...the dac in the s6 could handle loudesound but Samsung just didn't make it that loud for Quality purposes
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
MDaveUK said:
It's 20% less loud then the iPhone through the headphone jack? It doesn't have a loud digital amp then, that is a bummer. I was hoping it could drive a decent pair of over-ear headphones like my ipod can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using a Sony xda-a3 and it can get very loud on Galaxy s7. Not sure about over ear tho
bear in mind that the SD 820 version of the s7/s7 edge will have the integrated QualcommsDAC and I think the exynos version of the phone will use the much better WOLFSON DAC. I have heard both variants through headphones and the exynos version sounds louder and more richer.
The S7 Edge is louder than my last phone the S5. I would say that Samsung improved the speaker in the S7 Edge.
I would have loved to see a dual speaker on the S7 Edge. The other speaker could have went where the headphone jack is and the headphone jack could be up top in between the Sim card drawer and microphone.
I'm not a fan (ascetic wise) of front facing speakers on a phone. Yeah I know the sound would be better but the phone loses it elegance.
DroidBiteApple said:
Hi There,
First time posting here =]
I wanna make a move and ditch that boring iPhone and get the Galaxy S7 Edge.
I was wondering how is the sound output through the 3.5mm port compared to that of the iPhone.
When i plug my iPhone into a headset or my car's aux port, i get a loud and clear output, but when i used my brother's Nexus 5 or 5X, eventhough the output was as clear as the iPhone's, it wasn't as loud.
I was wondering where the S7 falls in this equation.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from the Harmon Kardon M8 and I'm seriously considering trying to find another phone because the audio is so "meh" on the S7. It's about half as loud as the M8, the sound is not nearly as clear. I listen to classical music and have never had a problem until this phone. I plugged it into the audio jack in my car today and had to turn both the car and phone volume all the way up in order to even hear any minorly quiet parts of the opera I was listening to (Fidelio isn't exactly quiet).
The tracks are muddy most of the time and certain vocal timbres are randomly accentuated, overpowering the rest of the track.
I understand that Samsung isn't in the market to satisfy audiophiles with their audio quality, but it's a far cry from acceptable in my mind.
I will say that pop music provides a much better experience as it's recorded at higher volumes, but it's still extremely lacking.
Just to clarify, I tried every audio mode and even tried modifying the decibel levels manually with very little noticeable variation. On the flip side, I tired out the LG V10 a couple of weeks ago and it's brilliant. I haven't heard better audio in a phone. Too bad it's design and battery life is under par.
roycedavies said:
I came from the Harmon Kardon M8 and I'm seriously considering trying to find another phone because the audio is so "meh" on the S7. It's about half as loud as the M8, the sound is not nearly as clear. I listen to classical music and have never had a problem until this phone. I plugged it into the audio jack in my car today and had to turn both the car and phone volume all the way up in order to even hear any minorly quiet parts of the opera I was listening to (Fidelio isn't exactly quiet).
The tracks are muddy most of the time and certain vocal timbres are randomly accentuated, overpowering the rest of the track.
I understand that Samsung isn't in the market to satisfy audiophiles with their audio quality, but it's a far cry from acceptable in my mind.
I will say that pop music provides a much better experience as it's recorded at higher volumes, but it's still extremely lacking.
Just to clarify, I tried every audio mode and even tried modifying the decibel levels manually with very little noticeable variation. On the flip side, I tired out the LG V10 a couple of weeks ago and it's brilliant. I haven't heard better audio in a phone. Too bad it's design and battery life is under par.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry to hear that.
I don't understand why in 2016 we can't get a "complete" all rounded device..
It just feels like we have to settle for an almost perfect device, even though we pay a hefty price for it...
By the way are you using the SD version or the Exynos version?
I heard that the Exynos version has a supposedly better DAC... Maybe an owner can comment?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I would not compare anything with a nexus 5 (not sure about 5x). The Nexus 5 and 6 were good at performance, but they really skimped out on everything else like camera, battery life (n5), sound, and probably some other things but can't think off the top of my head. Point being, these early nexus phones should be more considered like entry/beta phones for google to help develop their UI and iron out their OS.
Think about it... what's the best way to get real life user data to help develop something quick enough to catch up to their competitors? Build cheap phones with a good enough processor/memory to run their OS.
Don't get me wrong, they are great performance phones, but hardware specs... they skimped... I'm not even sure if they had a stock built in equalizer for the nexus series, but that wasn't really what they were aiming to achieve unlike the HTC series with their boom,beats,dolby,harmon, etc sounds they partnered up with.
Just my 2 cents.
DroidBiteApple said:
I'm sorry to hear that.
I don't understand why in 2016 we can't get a "complete" all rounded device..
It just feels like we have to settle for an almost perfect device, even though we pay a hefty price for it...
By the way are you using the SD version or the Exynos version?
I heard that the Exynos version has a supposedly better DAC... Maybe an owner can comment?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you about the almost perfect phone situation. I must say that compared to the phones already on the market, the S7 is pretty amazing. Maybe I am just spoiled from using my M8.
To answer your question, I was unaware there were different versions so I do not know which one I am using. All I know is that it's black and from At&t. It's a 32gb model all stock. Haven't even unlocked the bootloader yet.

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