Its quite astonishing that no one is talking about LG G4's sound quality over the headphones while other flagship devices like HTC One (M9), Samsung Galaxy S6, Sony Xperia Z3+ etc. are being talked about a lot in terms of their audio quality over the internet. While GSM Arena is saying that the audio quality is a step back from the the previous G-series I'm not really sold. Actually I've stopped trusting GSM Arena after their mediocre reviews on Sony flagships over and over again which actually do sound better than samsung flagships in many aspects (GSM Arena tends to excessively flatter samsungs' audio quality. At least I think so.)
So, I was wondering If the audio quality of G4 over the headphones is really that bad as the GSM Arena guys are saying? I'm not concerned about the speakers at all. I'm on a Sony Xperia Z3 right now. But was considering buying a G4. As a music lover sound quality is something that is a must for me and Sony tends to satisfy me all the time unlike HTC which is all about volume output and produces exaggerating (sometimes crappy) bass and harsh trebles.
So, I want to get feedback from actual users who are using G4 as their prime music listening device. How does it sound over the headphones? Is it punchy or just dull? What's about the bass and the clarity? Any reply would be helpful. TIA.
The Audio Quality on the LG is by far the worst Ive ever heard lol
It sounds cheap.
I had iphone , Galaxy S4, Z3 and now the G4.
While iPhone 4s and Z3 had an awesome soundquality the S4 was something in the middle.
I heard mixed reports on G4's audio quality, some people liked it even more than M9 and others hated it.
But what about max volume with wired and BT? My M9 has exellent audio quality over BT but the sound volume could take an extra 30%, I hope G4 has a louder BT.
Is viper4android making the G4 sound quality better?
I have just moved from an xperia z3 to the lg g4 and the only reason being sound quality and a superior display. The sound quality is better than z3 in terms of loudness. Clarity wise Sony was better for me but a good sound mod can fix that im sure. Been 4 days since I bought the LG G4 and the sound is much much louder and I love it
U can enhance the sound with Viper4Audio but if the soundprocessor is crap there is no way around it.
Don't get me wrong, the G4 is easy to handle, has an awesome Display and I like it and will keep it.
And this thread is about soundquality not loudness.
For the Z3 are countless mods to make the sound louder.
Btw. for me the is no difference in loudness between Z3 and G4
Owner of an international G4 H815 and an international S6 Edge. Also an audiophile, and as tests I used my Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro, Shure SRH-750DJ and AudioTehnica M50x.
Overall the G4's sound was worse, the bass sounded like crap and the overall sound was as if it compressed my music to 128kb/sec. Poweramp, Google Play Music and LG Music Player used for tests.
To achieve my perfect sound with any of the headphones above, on the S6Edge it took less than 5 min in Viper4Android. On the G4 I'm still searching for it, haven't been able to fix that horrible sound of the low frequencies in the past week since I purchased the phone.
And don't even get me started on the Sony Z series, they're just as bad as a 10$ mp3 player
Agree, but not with the Z3. I like the clear and precise sound especially for electronic music. If it would not be made by Sony it could be good [emoji14]
If u find some good Viper settings for the dumb bass I think a lot oft ppl would appreciate it if u share.
Tiene mal sonido entonces? Ahora mismo tengo un meizu mx4 pro y su sonido es increíble en todos los sentidos, se nota que tiene un buen DAC.
Queria comprar un lg g4 pero me da miedo que el cambio se note mucho
Enviado desde mi MX4 Pro mediante Tapatalk
Damn!
I don't want to switch from my M9 to G4 if the sound is crap.
I use my phone as my primary audio source in my car and for sports.
Better take a Note 4/edge then
What do you think about BT with Apt-X is there a really difference between all devices ?
salehin4070 said:
Its quite astonishing that no one is talking about LG G4's sound quality over the headphones while other flagship devices like HTC One (M9), Samsung Galaxy S6, Sony Xperia Z3+ etc. are being talked about a lot in terms of their audio quality over the internet. While GSM Arena is saying that the audio quality is a step back from the the previous G-series I'm not really sold. Actually I've stopped trusting GSM Arena after their mediocre reviews on Sony flagships over and over again which actually do sound better than samsung flagships in many aspects (GSM Arena tends to excessively flatter samsungs' audio quality. At least I think so.)
So, I was wondering If the audio quality of G4 over the headphones is really that bad as the GSM Arena guys are saying? I'm not concerned about the speakers at all. I'm on a Sony Xperia Z3 right now. But was considering buying a G4. As a music lover sound quality is something that is a must for me and Sony tends to satisfy me all the time unlike HTC which is all about volume output and produces exaggerating (sometimes crappy) bass and harsh trebles.
So, I want to get feedback from actual users who are using G4 as their prime music listening device. How does it sound over the headphones? Is it punchy or just dull? What's about the bass and the clarity? Any reply would be helpful. TIA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice to see someone post and be interested in the sound quality. Me as an audiophile and sound engineer and always hunting for the best sound quality money can buy. Keep in mind the reason why customers say the lg sound is bad is for the reason that It doesn't have the spiked up eq like the Samsung and HTC devices being bass and treble out of the box with maxxed out volume capabilities getting the audio chip to got even over its limit just buy tweaking the software. LG on the other hand leaves the sound natural and flat, along with limiting the maximum volume to retain the clarity at full blast on all the frequencies. Sony has done a terrific job in their audio for mobile as well. I always stay away from Samsung and HTC on that aspect. LG sound is flat with good extensions of sub bass and highs, bass is tighty yet punchy, mids and voices aren't recessed nor foward but all just right, and highs are very well extended for that clarity but can be a bit sharp depending song. Instrument separation is by far very very good with sound stage fairly big. Compared g4 sound with s6 and m9 and sony. S6 and m9 made me want to puke. Sony made me want to keep the phone but the g4 was exactly the same but a bit better in my opinion plus the much more features. Hope this helps. Always keep in mind that the reason why consumers say g4 is wack sound is for two reason for it one doesn't have ear bleeding volume, and two that it isn't heavy bass be treble like the s6 and m9. Bluetooth sucks on the g4 in sq for some reason. I suggest you go to a carrier store and try all three phones with your own set of hp
I prefer the sound of HTC ONE M7 than my new LG G4. But I want to know if there is a difference between all devices in Bluetooth Apt-X ?
Otherwise I listen with Jetaudio and PowerAMP, and play with EQ.
Edit : I asked because my bluetooth headphone is broken so...
Viper dsp audio makes a world of difference
Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk
deadgods said:
Viper dsp audio makes a world of difference
Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even for BT?
Mediocre quality.
Sent from my A0001
vegetaleb said:
Even for BT?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes even for bt
Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk
I wish that AnandTech was still doing equipment based audio reviews like this.
(Anyone out there have access to Audio Precision gear? It'd be interesting to see what a G4 does...)
Can someone compare G4 with Note 4 audio quality with or without V4A?
vegetaleb said:
Can someone compare G4 with Note 4 audio quality with or without V4A?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Volume is super low on the g4.
Sent from my A0001
wadamean said:
Nice to see someone post and be interested in the sound quality. Me as an audiophile and sound engineer and always hunting for the best sound quality money can buy. Keep in mind the reason why customers say the lg sound is bad is for the reason that It doesn't have the spiked up eq like the Samsung and HTC devices being bass and treble out of the box with maxxed out volume capabilities getting the audio chip to got even over its limit just buy tweaking the software. LG on the other hand leaves the sound natural and flat, along with limiting the maximum volume to retain the clarity at full blast on all the frequencies. Sony has done a terrific job in their audio for mobile as well. I always stay away from Samsung and HTC on that aspect. LG sound is flat with good extensions of sub bass and highs, bass is tighty yet punchy, mids and voices aren't recessed nor foward but all just right, and highs are very well extended for that clarity but can be a bit sharp depending song. Instrument separation is by far very very good with sound stage fairly big. Compared g4 sound with s6 and m9 and sony. S6 and m9 made me want to puke. Sony made me want to keep the phone but the g4 was exactly the same but a bit better in my opinion plus the much more features. Hope this helps. Always keep in mind that the reason why consumers say g4 is wack sound is for two reason for it one doesn't have ear bleeding volume, and two that it isn't heavy bass be treble like the s6 and m9. Bluetooth sucks on the g4 in sq for some reason. I suggest you go to a carrier store and try all three phones with your own set of hp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I have some hopes now. At least someone is saying that G4 sounds better.
Related
Deciding between these two for my next phone. Can anyone comment on the sound quality for playing music through headphones? Thanks.
I'm using Ultrasone dj1 pro (229$ at amazon) and I'm really satisfied with the quality. I'm listening through them about 8h/day. Also playing through a pair of active speakers (those tho not so expensive ones, M-audio AV40) and same there.
Can't say i heard a difference between this phone and my old S3 with wolfson chip.
With that said I've not listened to Z2.
From a quick liisten to my wife's Z2 and my Note 3 and G3 I would say they detail is similar between the Z2 and G3, which are both better than the Note 3. But I found the G3 to be more neutral and present a more realistic sound stage. The issue with the G3 is that it does not work with all headphones, please search the forum on this issue.
Sound quality was one of those prios for me too in determining whether or not buying G3 as my next device after Htc One-X as it has decent audio quality thanks to beats audio. And G3 is not worse than it. I use Pioneer HDJ-500K at home, and connecting to the car audio via aux ti listen to music from my local storage as well as online sources like spotify, tune-in radio etc, shortly happy with my selection. Had no such issues mentioned in other threads. (D855, 32/3Gb EU model, ontouched)
My g3 got a weird hissing sound not always tho but you will notice it when its there. Tested both devices and i say they are almost the same on default.
jah said:
From a quick liisten to my wife's Z2 and my Note 3 and G3 I would say they detail is similar between the Z2 and G3, which are both better than the Note 3. But I found the G3 to be more neutral and present a more realistic sound stage. The issue with the G3 is that it does not work with all headphones, please search the forum on this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting... I find the Z2 has a better Bass but the G3 is louder which could possibly make the a Treble seem higher.
I have just acquired aptx compatible Sony MDR 1RBT headphones and the Wolfson DAC in the LG G3 is amazing much better than the Sanpdragon Note 4
for loudspeaker, g3 is louder. will have to ask audiophiles which sounds better in loudspeaker mode.
when using default headsets and default normal equalizer, g3 wins on treble and z2 a bit better on bass.
While I don't totally trust GSMArena's reviews, they are one of the few review sites that offer loaded headphone out measurements, and the Moto G 2014 caught my eye in that it seems to have a vastly improved headphone out compared to past models, which seems to be on par with the Quallcomm solutions used in LG G2, Nexus 5, while maintaining somewhat lower IMD.
A lot of times implementation is more important than the silicon, and I love to use my mobile as a portable music player, hence I am still hanging on to my old i9000, but I think it may be about time to move on.
So the question for this community is, how do people think this phone sounds? There are things like spurious processor noise and radio noise that won't show up on common measurement methods, but are obvious and annoying as heck (Nexus 7 1st gen's random buzzing comes to mind)
This affordable phone with a promising looking headphone out as well as SD card expansion capacity seems like a probable new music phone for me, any thoughts?
It doesn't sound as good as the i9000, unsurprisingly (I'd still be using one if it had a flash...), but for the price, it is pretty damn good. Mine doesn't exhibit any audible interference via the headphone jack; it's really clean compared to some China brand budget phones I've tried... The same cannot be said of the earpiece speaker, which picks up the radio when it is working hard due to poor reception. Hopefully it isn't radiating excessively at frequencies that would harm your health... I spoke to Motorola about it and they refuse to deny or confirm the issue, but I'm certainly not the only one.
Let's just say the output is good enough to merit using decent headphones. I found the quality was high enough to warrant buying a better pair of portable cans, and to be honest, I find the AKG K481s I subsequently bought have more obvious deficiencies than the Moto G, itself. I rather suspect that on a limited budget, the Moto G paired with decent headphones would definitely be up there with most flagships paired with cheaper headphones.
The headphone output of the Xiaomi Redmi 1S is also supposedly surprisingly good for a budget device. Either way, if you want to do more critical listening, Android 5.0 supports USB DACs...
@rufflove: Thanks for the detailed reply. By picking up radio you mean it's picking up on the local AM/FM radio?! That's rather interesting... If money was no subject LG G3 or Samsung Note 4 looks rather good in the headphone out department, but those are too rich for my blood. I am only interested in a well built phone with moderately good specs, but good headphone out and perhaps a okay camera.
USB DACs may be an option, but I am really not a fan of lugging another piece around, attached by wire. Similar quality to i9000 can be obtained through a Sansa Clip for a rather low cost.
Sorry, no, I mean the cellular radio interferes with the earpiece, especially when signal strength is poor...
If money were no obstacle, I'd be tempted by a Vivo Xshot or the LG G3 in particular for the best camera and audio.
Yeah, my housemate had a Sansa Clip -- incredibly good for the money. I used to have a Rio Carbon and was mortified when I lost it abroad... I'm not convinced any of this expensive new high sample rate kit is anything more than another way of fleecing people... On the USB front, I use a cheap Behringer UCA202 USB audio interface at home. They're unbelievably good value for money, though they have problems driving low impedance headphones... Great for hooking up portables to hifi gear.
I checked the GSM Arena review before getting an XT1068 and was still not convinced about how good headphone output would be, based on past experience of budget devices. But all I can say is that I was pleasantly surprised by the Moto G. The Redmi 1S seems to be the only other worthy competitor atm, but reports of the screen being too reflective put me off. That and the fact that I would have more confidence in Motorola than Xiaomi when it comes to build quality. There are a couple of very capable developers working together on the 1S, though.
Sound quality is not that good compared to previous phones (e.g Galaxy Ace 2 and Experia Mini). E.q makes little difference.
I take moto g2 because got more chance to get lollipop than sgs3. Some people says moto got better speaker than samsung. Camera i think better in s3. i use cameramx app.
Now about headphone sound quality. Its not what i needed. Too loud and sound is not clean at max volume. But i use playerpro and is ok. So if you need better quality find phone with dedicated audio chip, i mean like sgs3,4,5 or htc one m7,8. Some of them is my next phone when they will be still in store and get lollipop
I was blown away by Moto G's 2014 sound quality paired with decent headphones - I doubt any other device could do any better.
squidlr said:
I was blown away by Moto G's 2014 sound quality paired with decent headphones - I doubt any other device could do any better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which headphones do u use...?
ifu said:
Which headphones do u use...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony ZX310
Sent from my XT1068 using XDA Free mobile app
nereis said:
While I don't totally trust GSMArena's reviews, they are one of the few review sites that offer loaded headphone out measurements, and the Moto G 2014 caught my eye in that it seems to have a vastly improved headphone out compared to past models, which seems to be on par with the Quallcomm solutions used in LG G2, Nexus 5, while maintaining somewhat lower IMD.
A lot of times implementation is more important than the silicon, and I love to use my mobile as a portable music player, hence I am still hanging on to my old i9000, but I think it may be about time to move on.
So the question for this community is, how do people think this phone sounds? There are things like spurious processor noise and radio noise that won't show up on common measurement methods, but are obvious and annoying as heck (Nexus 7 1st gen's random buzzing comes to mind)ual
This affordable phone with a promising looking headphone out as well as SD card expansion capacity seems like a probable new music phone for me, any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would put the sound quality of the Moto 2014 on the very good side. It may not deliver enough punch for demanding headphones (It's not a Cowon, like all smartphones) but the sound is very clear, noise free.
I use it as my main listening device coupled with a Graham Slee Voyager headphone amp and the sound is very very good.
Hmm. My ears must be failing me. My Moto G doesn't sound that good through any of my head/ear phones. For reference I use Senn HD 480, AKG K450 headphones and Shure E2c in ears. The in ears sound the best with the right material.
@V4lve
true dat but you should try furnace kernel and app for increasing volume
Also does anyone have a flashable zip for viper4android or beats bass which works with bluetooth
Hi All,
I want to know whether this phone will have a dedicated audio chip for great sound quality with headphones like the HTC M9 .
Everything else looks perfect for me with this phone...
Hope the sound quality will be great..
Reagards
Varun HB
hbvarun said:
Hi All,
I want to know whether this phone will have a dedicated audio chip for great sound quality with headphones like the HTC M9 .
Everything else looks perfect for me with this phone...
Hope the sound quality will be great..
Reagards
Varun HB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think anyone has reviewed the phone yet. All flagship devices seem to have great audio reproduction these days. I would keep an eye on GSMArena, they do really good audio reviews.
GSM had great things to say about Huawei's past phones as far as quality goes. The volume was their issue. "Excellently clean but quiet" on the Mate 7. "Excellently clean but averagely loud" on the P8. Which is an improvement from one year to the next
I'm curious to see if the Nexus 6P can match the HTC M9 in sound. All the 'hands on' videos I've seen make no mention of the sound... grrrr just wish someone can test the loudspeaker on this phone.
Nizzay! said:
I'm curious to see if the Nexus 6P can match the HTC M9 in sound. All the 'hands on' videos I've seen make no mention of the sound... grrrr just wish someone can test the loudspeaker on this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They will. The hands on was in a crowded room, probably not a good place to test speakers.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Given that both this and the Moto X Pure have stereo speakers, I'm curious which one sounds better?
hbvarun said:
Hi All,
I want to know whether this phone will have a dedicated audio chip for great sound quality with headphones like the HTC M9 .
Everything else looks perfect for me with this phone...
Hope the sound quality will be great..
Reagards
Varun HB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could always try an external DAC / AMP. If you don't mind using bluetooth, the E3 and E5 dac/amps might work out well.
E5: http://amzn.com/B00MXJYDUO / http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-e5
E3: http://amzn.com/B00J79KNPM
If you can stand using a wired dac/amp, I love my http://www.headphone.com/collection...ppo-ha-2-portable-headphone-amplifier-and-dac
---------- Post added at 05:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:56 PM ----------
Now that I think of it, I've heard the Fiio stuff and even that would probably provide better audio for you. And these won't break the bank. The E6 is just an amp, but is super tiny. The E17K is a full DAC / AMP.
E6 Portable: http://amzn.com/B005HJWWW8
E17K: http://amzn.com/B00RPD7KP8
hbvarun said:
Hi All,
I want to know whether this phone will have a dedicated audio chip for great sound quality with headphones like the HTC M9 .
Everything else looks perfect for me with this phone...
Hope the sound quality will be great..
Reagards
Varun HB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has a hardware adsp so yes to dedicated chip
It doesn't have apt-x for bluetooth, so i'm going to assume it's just the built in that comes with the 810 and nothing special.
if audio is high on the wish list, might want to focus on the LG V10 that will have the ess sabre dac/headphone amp. unfortunately only one speaker and probably a higher retail price
http://www.marketwired.com/press-re...ution-audio-in-new-v10-smartphone-2060494.htm
hbvarun said:
Hi All,
I want to know whether this phone will have a dedicated audio chip for great sound quality with headphones like the HTC M9 .
Everything else looks perfect for me with this phone...
Hope the sound quality will be great..
Reagards
Varun HB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One M9 doesn't have a dedicated DAC.
It uses the one integrated in the Snap810.
Since the G1 I have been chasing a good camera and good audio. In my opinion the Nexus devices have not had either. As such I have gone through many non-Nexus devices trying to find one I'm satisfied with. Through various flagships if I am happy with the camera and audio I inevitably dislike (usually hate) something else about the device. This has resulted in an approximate 6 month upgrade cycle, which, is not particularly fiscally responsible. Over the last three years my original Nexus 7 continues to work without issue. The audio on the N7 is terrible so I don't use it for that. An N4 and N5 were sold after about 6 months because I did not like the camera/audio in those devices.
I would happily pay extra for a Nexus device with a dedicated DAC and headphone amplifier ala the LG V10. If the DAC and amplifier from the V10 were in the Nexus 6P I would be over the moon. For me the DAC/amp quality remains the largest open question with the Nexus 6P. I have mobile DAC/amps that I now only use at my desk as with IEMs the difference in sound quality is not worth the hassle when mobile/active. Anyway I hope in the future a very high quality dedicated DAC and amplifier combination comes to a Nexus device. Until then I really really hope the 6P makes me stop looking for something better for at least a year.
I've been using my HTC M9 > OTG > Fiio Andes > Shure se535s with great results. Much better audio than straight from handset to IEMs. Hoping for similar results with 6P. Volume is never an issue with the Fiio in the signal path.
I'm going to see how long i can stay stock Marshmallow with my next phone. Considering this, I was very torn between the N6P and V10. It would be fantastic to ditch the external amp/DAC and rubber bands with the V10. (ESS Sabre! F YEAH!) Not sure which phone will end up having the better camera. I also don't care for the LG UI at all! So, Having the latest updates and general nexus flexibility won the day. It was such a close decision that it still gnaws at me though.
Posted this in the Official Review thread but know it'll get more attention in this one.
Headphone Output Voltage (Volts)
Apple iPhone 6 1.017
HTC One M9 1.022
LG G4 0.764
Samsung Galaxy S6 0.54
Google Nexus 6P 0.34
Google Nexus 5X 0.287
Paltry numbers which is what I expected. Clean but soft. Great loudspeaker results though.
Loudspeaker Loudness (dB)
Apple iPhone 6 74.5
HTC One M9 72.8
LG G4 79
Samsung Galaxy S6 73.7
Google Nexus 6P 78.4
Google Nexus 5X 69.2
Went to the Phone Arena 5X Review Multimedia section and added the 6P to the list. Waiting for the GSMArena results now to get the full rundown.
mosincredible said:
Posted this in the Official Review thread but know it'll get more attention in this one.
Headphone Output Voltage (Volts)
Apple iPhone 6 1.017
HTC One M9 1.022
LG G4 0.764
Samsung Galaxy S6 0.54
Google Nexus 6P 0.34
Google Nexus 5X 0.287
Paltry numbers which is what I expected. Clean but soft. Great loudspeaker results though.
Loudspeaker Loudness (dB)
Apple iPhone 6 74.5
HTC One M9 72.8
LG G4 79
Samsung Galaxy S6 73.7
Google Nexus 6P 78.4
Google Nexus 5X 69.2
Went to the Phone Arena 5X Review Multimedia section and added the 6P to the list. Waiting for the GSMArena results now to get the full rundown.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure I'll care much about this but we will see
I'm coming from an m8 so maybe I'm spoiled but never had issues with past 5 phones using headphones.
Use good headphones and sound usually good. Rarely listen on full blast.
I like the speaker output on 6p though!
And I shouldn't hopefully notice a drop when I Bluetooth music/podcasts in car
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Disappointing
You caught my attention in the General thread and I was going to quote you over here. Where did you find the headphone output test results on the 6P? I did not see them on Phone Arena but may well have missed it. I am looking forward to GSMArena test results. Or at least I was. The numbers you posted show a weak amplifier was used. That indicates that audio system quality was given short shrift. As previously stated in this thread the DAC/Amp is my remaining concern for the 6P. The apparent improvement in the camera had me hopeful that significant improvements in the audio might be coming as well. For now that looks decidedly unsure.
mosincredible said:
Posted this in the Official Review thread but know it'll get more attention in this one.
Headphone Output Voltage (Volts)
Apple iPhone 6 1.017
HTC One M9 1.022
LG G4 0.764
Samsung Galaxy S6 0.54
Google Nexus 6P 0.34
Google Nexus 5X 0.287
Paltry numbers which is what I expected. Clean but soft. Great loudspeaker results though.
Loudspeaker Loudness (dB)
Apple iPhone 6 74.5
HTC One M9 72.8
LG G4 79
Samsung Galaxy S6 73.7
Google Nexus 6P 78.4
Google Nexus 5X 69.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sewannabe said:
You caught my attention in the General thread and I was going to quote you over here. Where did you find the headphone output test results on the 6P? I did not see them on Phone Arena but may well have missed it. I am looking forward to GSMArena test results. Or at least I was. The numbers you posted show a weak amplifier was used. That indicates that audio system quality was given short shrift. As previously stated in this thread the DAC/Amp is my remaining concern for the 6P. The apparent improvement in the camera had me hopeful that significant improvements in the audio might be coming as well. For now that looks decidedly unsure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Google-Nexus-6P_id9587/benchmarks
Whole list of benchmarks PhoneArena did on the 6P along with other recent phones and the ability to add additional phones.
The Fiio amp has a Wolfson DAC that is the same as in many flagship phones e.g. iPhone, Samsung, etc. I have had multiple older HTC flagships but not the M9 and in those devices they used a stronger amplifier with a crap DAC i.e. paying lip service to audio quality. Assuming the post above is correct and the M9 uses the Qualcomm integrated DAC that explains one component of the improved audio you experience. The Fiio amp also has a very modest amplifier, which, as you point out for IEMs is more than adequate for the purposes of volume. You do not mention amplifier distortion (generally inverse relationship to volume) and the Fiio amp you are using likely provides a small improvement in distortion. If my assumptions above are correct you why you experience improved audio is obvious. Of importance though there is absolutely no reason that you should have to carry another device to see this improvement. The Fiio Andes is a $100 device (component cost likely less than $20) that is effectively the audio system in the iPhone with possibly a slightly better amplifier.
I hope I am not coming across as a jerk here as that is not at all what I am trying to do. My device history is littered with these unecessary tradeoffs. The iPhone consistently delivers and Apple markets very good audio quality. When we consider Android manufacturers specs race with Apple (display, camera, etc) it is my opinion that audio regularly gets short shrift and that does not make sense to me.
tgearman said:
I've been using my HTC M9 > OTG > Fiio Andes > Shure se535s with great results. Much better audio than straight from handset to IEMs. Hoping for similar results with 6P. Volume is never an issue with the Fiio in the signal path.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I currently have the G4 and the UI is terrible and the camera is very inconsistent. HTC phones have been wildly inconsistent (signal, wifi, etc), the components fail (camera, speaker, etc), and their commitment to audio quality is more pomp than circumstance (e.g. Beats with a meh DAC and decent amp). Samsung's hardware is good but the UI is more obnoxious albeit more polished than LG's; I have not kept any Samsung phone more than a couple of months so I am not sure if I would get the component failures like I have with HTC. Motorola's have had great signal and have been very durable but have been locked down, had terrible audio quality, and poor camera performance. All devices have been flagship models. None of them have received quick or even consistent updates. If they were carrier versions of the device they are loaded with bloat. Thus, to get decent performance I have flashed many custom ROMs with very inconsistent results and myriad other issues associated with the more locked down devices. I have not tried the more niche device makers because of concerns about developer support although I am sure there are or have been some good ones if I would have looked more closely. Throughout the Nexus devices get consistent updates and continue to work well even when the component specs are in terms of tech ancient (e.g. Nexus 7). At one time I regularly used custom ROMs but as I no longer have the time to keep up with that path I have sought to move to stock over the last year or so.
That's all a long winded way of saying I want a stock Android device with an ESS Sabre DAC and ESS amplifier. I want the Android VS IOS spec war over display, camera, etc to come to audio quality as everyone will benefit. In summary, "ESS Sabre! F YEAH!".
Elnrik said:
I'm going to see how long i can stay stock Marshmallow with my next phone. Considering this, I was very torn between the N6P and V10. It would be fantastic to ditch the external amp/DAC and rubber bands with the V10. (ESS Sabre! F YEAH!) Not sure which phone will end up having the better camera. I also don't care for the LG UI at all! So, Having the latest updates and general nexus flexibility won the day. It was such a close decision that it still gnaws at me though.
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Hello all audiophile Z5 owners!
How is the headphone output on this phone?
Is the quality good and loud?
Where can I find more specifications of the headphone jack and internal amp?
TordFuglstad said:
Hello all audiophile Z5 owners!
How is the headphone output on this phone?
Is the quality good and loud?
Where can I find more specifications of the headphone jack and internal amp?
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Click to collapse
I wouldn't say I was a proper audio file but the audio on the z5 is good its really clear and louder than previous Z phones but once again sony have missed the loudness trick.
After reading GSM arenas review of the C5 ultra and the M5 saying without headphones the volume levels were 'excellently high' and with headphones they fell to below average on the C5 and fell on the M5 too but it was so high on the M5 to start off with that that it still remained a good volume. So this means that the M5 is louder than the Z5 range, I had high hopes for the Z line then they tested the Z5C and it just got a average.
According to GSM Arena.
Audio quality has its ups and downs
The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact did a very good job in the first part of our audio quality test, where it's connected to an active external amplifier. The scores it got were great top to bottom but it only matched them with an average volume level so we can't quite call it perfect.
Plugging in a pair of headphones harm the stereo crosstalk but it remained decent, but it also introduced a bit of frequency response deviation and brought the volume down a notch. Not too bad of a showing, but certainly not one worth bragging about.
I can't consider myself an audiophile but I will say the Z5 audio is an.improvement over the Z5 in both clarity and volume. It doesn't approach ZTE Axon level of quality and HTC M9 volume but it is adequate for the casual listener. I have dsee hx switched on which disables all other audio settings.
how is the volume in z5 compare to z3
entra6 said:
how is the volume in z5 compare to z3
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louder than Z3 but imo could be louder yet still
RCJ89 said:
louder than Z3 but imo could be louder yet still
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Exactly, well stated.
Coming from the Z1 it's a massive improvement on just about every level: Cleaner, wider and louder. It's very good, I'd say - I've certainly enjoyed listening to music on it very much!
"Loud enough"? How loud do you need it to be? Any louder than it is and I'm sure you'd hurt your hearing: it's plenty loud.
Timaustin2000 said:
Coming from the Z1 it's a massive improvement on just about every level: Cleaner, wider and louder. It's very good, I'd say - I've certainly enjoyed listening to music on it very much!
"Loud enough"? How loud do you need it to be? Any louder than it is and I'm sure you'd hurt your hearing: it's plenty loud.
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Tbh there are many phones alot louder than the Z5 and the whole sony range and people are not complaining. There are phones from HTC, Iphone, Note 4/5/Edge Plus and especially Xiaomi and Meizu that are alot louder.
RCJ89 said:
Tbh there are many phones alot louder than the Z5 and the whole sony range and people are not complaining. There are phones from HTC, Iphone, Note 4/5/Edge Plus and especially Xiaomi and Meizu that are alot louder.
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Of that I have no doubt but do people put those phones to max volume? Do they need to? The ability and necessity are two separate things.
The Z5 is plenty loud for just about any headphone need, so far as I can make out. I'd certainly never put it to max.
Allright, so I purchased the graphite black Z5 yesterday. I have done some quick listening to the audio out of the jack through my ATH IM50 in ear monitors and haven't broken in the hardware yet. But I can definitely hear a difference from the Z3. All over the sound is very clear, it seems like a good separation and I can definitely get some really smooth low tones and crisp higher tones as well. I haven't been fooling around with the EQ yet. But feel like I don't need to.
About the loudness, I feel it is louder than the Z3 and very much loud enough to run a pair of good IEM's like the IM50's. I am listening now and have the volume two down from maximum. Probably won't be as loud with some big headphones. But any a person with a little self respect will have a headphone amp for that purpose. :good:
Timaustin2000 said:
Of that I have no doubt but do people put those phones to max volume? Do they need to? The ability and necessity are two separate things.
The Z5 is plenty loud for just about any headphone need, so far as I can make out. I'd certainly never put it to max.
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Fair enough for me its the bigger expensive headphones that make the difference with less expensive headphones like in ear or on ear it is never loud enough, in a busy street i still can hear noise around me.
I know some people who do have them on max volume definitely. I always had my note 4 on max volume and my HTC M7 and my 6S but only with lesser expensive headphones on headphones £200 and over no need to but even when are not at max they are still louder than Z5 at Max volume. Each to their own at the end of the day but sometimes its not always practical for me to carry around my larger headphones so I use in ear ones than I can just put in my pocket.
Hi,
I'm also trying to squeeze perfect sound from android. I use this portable DAC
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/audioquest-dragonfly-v12-usb-dac/
via USB OTG cable. For playback I use "USB audio player pro". It can stream very high resolution audio files. At the moment I'm listening music on Audio technica ATH M50x headphones.
Sound with external DAC is a way better than directly from audio jack
RCJ89 said:
Tbh there are many phones alot louder than the Z5 and the whole sony range and people are not complaining. There are phones from HTC, Iphone, Note 4/5/Edge Plus and especially Xiaomi and Meizu that are alot louder.
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That's unfortunate. One of the reasons I sent back my iPhone 6s, and opted to get a Z5 Compact is because I didn't think the sound of the 6s was much of a step up from my iPhone 4s. I was hoping the Z5 would be louder and fuller, especially for in-ear headphones at the gym. Might just be the headphones I've been using though. Maybe an upgrade in that department would resolve any potential issues I might have with the Z5.
I use sennheiser mm50 ip in ear phones with poweramp set to rock preset and to me the sound is nice crisp quality at loud enough volume levels
Sent from my Xperia z5 by Tapatalk
@TordFuglstad & @Timaustin2000 I've been enjoying your camera works (on 'that' thread) very much. Maybe you guys could post on the 'regular' photo thread at times
Don't get me wrong, guys. Before dropping > $100 on a pair of cans, maybe an 'audiophile' should get a cheap $50 DAC first. But it's not very convenient - we all know. That's why I'm looking at LDAC for the first time (wireless SQ is usually terrible compared to wired). LDAC could still be over-hyped, I'm willing to give it shot for the first time. But I can't find too many LDAC headphones to choose from. Any suggestions?
I read that there is no custom DAC in the Z5 (vs. Z3), but they added LDAC support. Unfortunately, I can't find almost any headphones that support it. I was really hoping they would have added it to the SBH bluetooth line by now.
How does the audio quality compare to HTC Butterfly s (which I have now) or I9505 Galaxy S4? What about HTC M9 or iPhone 6?
I take GSMArena's results with a grain of salt. I bought the Butterfly s partly based on their review saying the volume was loud and that there was no distortion. Unfortunately, while the audio quality is great at medium-high volumes the bass distorts above 12/15, and there is hissing with IEMs.
My questions are 1) do these hiss? and 2) do they distort with bass? (test track would be Daft Punk - Touch)
I'm a hardcore SONY audiophile, and while the Z5 is fantastic, the Walkman ZX2 is still by FAR my favorite mobile music player when coupled with the XBA-Z5 in-earphones ( made in Japan ) and/or Z7 headphones ( made in Japan) by Sony,
followed in close 2nd place by the newer less pricey ZX100 Walkman, which is a step up from the A series.
Lol even the A series is stomping on the Z5. No point to compare it to the zx2/1/100
Sent from my E6653
Hi experts,
I'm a long time Xiaomi user coming from Mi A1 thinking to buy this Mi 9T in US.
I'm not to happy with the A1 audio quality, especially over the headphones. I tried different brands, but not much luck. My GF has a note6pro, my family 5a..
Looking at the gsmarena site they are not impressed too with headphone test on this model, not sure it can be trusted though.
My main concern is the microphone and echo/noise canceling.
Can you guys give me a "real life review"?!
Check other thread, there many other (me included) confirm audio quality is suprisingly good, contrary to rumors. Maybe updates improved it?
I can say it is just as good as my amazing LG V20 with quad DAC! And the LG V series are the bechmark when it comes to android audio quality.
Only my problem is that volume is low, but AFAIK that is EU regulations, and should be easy to hack/fix, and would not apply anyway AFAIK for US version.
Just got my Mi 9T, and it is just STUNNING! A piece of art. I still catch myself staring at its beauty.
I would like to know about this too. And once again, there is NO EU regulation limiting volume. Manufacturers are meant to warn users when the volume is getting loud so they can confirm they want to proceed. If the phone companies can't read the rules, that's not the EU's fault. Enough with the fake news.
There's two modes of audio in the 9t "hi-fi" or regular.
I think that the option it's meant to switch from the audio chip modes, regular or performance (I think it's the best chip it has Qualcomm for audio, or at least they made it sound like that).
This performance mode uses more power, like 5 times more, and I am almost certain that gsmarena reviewed it without this setting on, that's why the poor results.
Look at this for more info of the chip.
https://www.qualcomm.com/products/wcd9375
Interesting for the consuption I didn't know ! and I can confirm that the sound quality is very good.
For the volume mine is very loud, impossible to put at max but it depend of your earphones impedance and many others things. (you have to play good quality sample music like FLAC and a good player like "AIMP" or "Poweramp" that can be "bit perfect"
Yes, I did a blind test against my creative Sound Blaster E1 (the phone supports DACs over USB C as well) and it is indistinguishable from that nice and proper DAC, IN THE HI-FI MODE. The source was lossless stuff from Tidal and the earbuds used were my trusty HiFiMan RE400a earbuds. I can verify that one has to listen at like two clicks below the full volume for everything to come through (i.e. the volume is a bit low, but baseline audio performance is excellent)
soumen08 said:
Yes, I did a blind test against my creative Sound Blaster E1 (the phone supports DACs over USB C as well) and it is indistinguishable from that nice and proper DAC, IN THE HI-FI MODE. The source was lossless stuff from Tidal and the earbuds used were my trusty HiFiMan RE400a earbuds. I can verify that one has to listen at like two clicks below the full volume for everything to come through (i.e. the volume is a bit low, but baseline audio performance is excellent)
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That's nice to hear.
mic
razielmcr said:
That's nice to hear.
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I would be also interested in the microphone handling in the topic of Audit quality. On Mi A1 ppl always complained when I was using a headset as the noise canceling part did not work. Same for Speaker mode..
Also why "Hi-Fi audio" is not on by default as it claims to increase audio quality.
Regarding the phone calls I can tell that my factory set 9T is poor. I cannot hear and understand what people say when calling. (Never had this on any phone before) Weird sound and some echo. And nowhere any audio settings in phone.
marko-mb said:
Regarding the phone calls I can tell that my factory set 9T is poor. I cannot hear and understand what people say when calling. (Never had this on any phone before) Weird sound and some echo. And nowhere any audio settings in phone.
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I don't have that problem. Phone calls are clear
Regarding audio quality over a headphone jack = it is worst audio quality I have ever tested from any smartphone be honest. I also know people who see it the same way. I went to Mi9T from Pocophone and never had this issue there - poco is still in my house, I gave it to my wife so I can really compare between the two. Tried both normal and hi-fi modes on Mi9T.
Audio over BT is fine on other hand - thats most important for me
I was testing audio quality on SONY WH-1000MX3
What could be the reason for this I dont know. The audio chip should be great. I have tried many versions of MIUI as well.
Tested right now with Beyerdynamic dt770 Pro 250 Ohm version. My source file is from deezer to have a better idea of an average quality of a song someone might listen to.
Hi-Fi is enabled and i can say that audio quality is pretty good. I wouldn't compare it to LG Quad Dac but the phone is powering 250 Ohm studio headphones very well.
People usually evaluate audio quality by the amount of bass. IMO its good enough.
@Nexus5-32GB I have the same impression. I came from a Zuk Z2 Pro and audio quality is poor. Bass is OK but mids and treble are too high. I'm using the same Senheiser MX-30G as always and the difference is noticiable even in Hi-Fi. My wife's Redmi 4A have better sound.
I am using poweramp music player to listen to music, and the audio quality is just superb! Previously I used google play music with mi sound enhancer and the audio quality is pretty mediocre compared to poweramp.
I tested hifi with AudioTechnica M50. It does make a difference and I feel it is a lot louder so much that I'm afraid of pushing volume to max. I like my hearing very much. You don't need portable amps with this phone for the most part. It's probably not audiophile approved or something like that but it sounds very full.
billiken_27 said:
@Nexus5-32GB I have the same impression. I came from a Zuk Z2 Pro and audio quality is poor. Bass is OK but mids and treble are too high. I'm using the same Senheiser MX-30G as always and the difference is noticiable even in Hi-Fi. My wife's Redmi 4A have better sound.
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What player are you using?
Using Google play the sound it's ****.
Using Tidal it's heaven, don't know why.
Exactly, if you use it right the sound is very good but if you listen mp3 with googlemusic, sure the best earphones can't do anything for you
razielmcr said:
What player are you using?
Using Google play the sound it's ****.
Using Tidal it's heaven, don't know why.
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I don't think it's a player issue 'cause I always use the same player. I always compare the sound using Spotify. I use Spotify on all my family devices.
billiken_27 said:
I don't think it's a player issue 'cause I always use the same player. I always compare the sound using Spotify. I use Spotify on all my family devices.
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Yeah, it doesn't make any sense, I know, but in my case that happend, playing throug play music was horrible and understandable that people complain about it, but with Tidal it's beyond anything i've heard.
Other users have notified that they too notice when playing through play music.
actually is awesome
brombadeg said:
Hi experts,
I'm a long time Xiaomi user coming from Mi A1 thinking to buy this Mi 9T in US.
I'm not to happy with the A1 audio quality, especially over the headphones. I tried different brands, but not much luck. My GF has a note6pro, my family 5a..
Looking at the gsmarena site they are not impressed too with headphone test on this model, not sure it can be trusted though.
My main concern is the microphone and echo/noise canceling.
Can you guys give me a "real life review"?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from a zte axon 7 I was really doubtful about the sound quality, but I'm impressed about it, it has a hifi logo on the box and sounds really good, with a couple of good headphones I can't listen no difference with the zte axon 7, also had a poco f1 and it sounds a thousand times better than the poco