Wired headphones audio quality - Huawei Mate 9 Guides, News, & Discussion

I have not found any reviews on audio quality. I only use the flac format for my audio collection so it would be nice if the mate 9 delivers good quality output.
Any ideas, links to specific audio reviews?

There was one review on YouTube that mention the audio quality of the mate 9 but as far as I know there is no significant improvement from the mate 8 which produced excellent clarity and lowest noise.

I'm pretty sure that they upgraded the dac

blackspp said:
I'm pretty sure that they upgraded the dac
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I assume so. Let us wait for audio reviews.

blackspp said:
I'm pretty sure that they upgraded the dac
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Emerald Core said:
I assume so. Let us wait for audio reviews.
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Check this out:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Huawei-Mate-9-Phablet-Review.182825.0.html
:good:

That's extensive. One needs a master in smartphone sciences to comprehend all that

If you are really into audio get a portable DAC. Lg or ZTE.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

https://www.youtube.com/results?q=Huawei+Mate+9&sp=EgIIAkgA6gMA

intruda119 said:
https://www.youtube.com/results?q=Huawei+Mate+9&sp=EgIIAkgA6gMA
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Thanks for sharing that link.
That's seriously **** if audio's important. For me it is so now what...
What makes it worse is the LC V20 will come to Europe in midget form. Sheit!!

However, going back to the extensive gsmarena test:
Audio output is solid
When plugged into an active external amplifier, the Huawei Mate 9 posted excellent scores top to bottom, hinting at perfectly accurate audio reproduction. Its loudness was just above average so no real reasons for complaining here.
Headphones only cause a small drop in volume so it’s only average and a contained hike in stereo crosstalk. Overall the output remains very clear and while it’s not quite the best performer out there the Mate 9 certainly won’t let you down in any significant way.
http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_mate_9-review-1520p7.php

Let me tell you that it wouldn't replace my external DAC/AMP. Mate 9 is a very good sounding compared to current competition. I wished if they could integrated a branded dac. The phone simply excels in every other aspect.
I think V20 is still the best in headphone quality as a stand alone. I haven't tested the V20 but I guess the specs say it all ?

blackspp said:
Thanks for sharing that link.
That's seriously **** if audio's important. For me it is so now what...
What makes it worse is the LC V20 will come to Europe in midget form. Sheit!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
blackspp said:
However, going back to the extensive gsmarena test:
Audio output is solid
When plugged into an active external amplifier, the Huawei Mate 9 posted excellent scores top to bottom, hinting at perfectly accurate audio reproduction. Its loudness was just above average so no real reasons for complaining here.
Headphones only cause a small drop in volume so it’s only average and a contained hike in stereo crosstalk. Overall the output remains very clear and while it’s not quite the best performer out there the Mate 9 certainly won’t let you down in any significant way.
http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_mate_9-review-1520p7.php
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Exactly what I was going to say, GSMArena made a deep test and the audio part seems "decent", which for me is more than enough. If you really care about audio, maybe LG V20 or Axon 7 would be the way to go.

Big phone small sound..
https://youtu.be/3Gb9OicXcTo

cultofluna said:
Big phone small sound..
https://youtu.be/3Gb9OicXcTo
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I saw that as well, but I have read some other reviews and the say that audio is pretty good, and stereo sound is as well.
Is the only review that says that audio is crap on Mate 9, besides is known that PocketNow, The Verge and BGR are Apple fans. If it's not Apple, is not good enough.

Vivi Xplay 6 is potentially going to be one of the best sounding smartphones this year

cultofluna said:
Big phone small sound..
https://youtu.be/3Gb9OicXcTo
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Emerald Core said:
Vivi Xplay 6 is potentially going to be one of the best sounding smartphones this year
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"The Mate 9's audio capabilities are equally beefy — up to a point. The phone combines a rear-firing loudspeaker with the main earpiece in a dual-speaker setup, similar to the HTC 10 or Huawei P9 Plus. At max volume level, the output is louder than you'd ever want it to be, which is great if you're showing someone a video in a crowded bar. But above around 50 percent volume, playback becomes increasingly tinny, with some distortion creeping in.
Fortunately, we've found that wired audio output is excellent with this phone. The 3.5mm jack (yep, it has one of those) is capable of driving demanding studio headphones with just as much power as the HTC 10."
http://www.androidcentral.com/huawei-mate-9

Galaxo60 said:
"The Mate 9's audio capabilities are equally beefy �¢?? up to a point. The phone combines a rear-firing loudspeaker with the main earpiece in a dual-speaker setup, similar to the HTC 10 or Huawei P9 Plus. At max volume level, the output is louder than you'd ever want it to be, which is great if you're showing someone a video in a crowded bar. But above around 50 percent volume, playback becomes increasingly tinny, with some distortion creeping in.
Fortunately, we've found that wired audio output is excellent with this phone. The 3.5mm jack (yep, it has one of those) is capable of driving demanding studio headphones with just as much power as the HTC 10."
http://www.androidcentral.com/huawei-mate-9
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I know all of that because I owned a Mate 9. It sounds excellent in both headphones and speakers. Speakers sound louder than ip7 but less detailed. As for headphones, it sounded better than my HTC 10.

blackspp said:
I have not found any reviews on audio quality. I only use the flac format for my audio collection so it would be nice if the mate 9 delivers good quality output.
Any ideas, links to specific audio reviews?
Click to expand...
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i test with my pi audio mr2
it still carry the huawei signature sound
-full body
-bassy but not bloated
-frontal vocal
-kinda remind me of what makes fiio x5 different than x3
my only complaint:
-theres lack of decay or reverbation.for example, snare drum or any hollow instrument doesnt sound as hollow as it should
like many review such as gmarena said; its no dap replacement, but its one of the best offered by smartphone
lg v10 or v20 might be better
and imo, dap like fiio x3 sound better

According to this review, the Mate 9 is at the bottom of the barrel for flagship devices:
I mean for most people it will be good enough but no DAC/amp replacement. It won't be able to drive demanding headphones. One thing that I can say is that the measurements made by the reviewer does not match what the audio codec in the Kirin 960 is capable of. So unless there is a hardware bottleneck somewhere it would be possible to improve it through software if Huawei wanted to. High performance audio usually results in higher power consumption so the current state of the audio quality might be a compromise between performance and battery life.

Trixanity said:
According to this review, the Mate 9 is at the bottom of the barrel for flagship devices:
.
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Well, whatever the reviewers say or measure, my M9 sounds pretty good on my Bose cans, no complaints whatsoever!

Related

Audio Quality - DAC

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
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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.
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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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Headphone Jack Audio Quality

I am thinking of switching from a Nexus 6p. Im disappointed with the audio quality from the headphone jack. I tested with my v-moda Crossfades and the sound is disappointing compared to my old the Note 5. It is very low. Since Huawei makes both is the audio quality poor too? Anyone test the audio quality compared to the Nexus 6p?
do u mean the audio quality is low or also the volume?
im using AKG K374 high quality earphones with my mate 8 and i must say im very impressed by the audio quality and volume. admittedly, im comparing it to my previous Nexus 5 which rather lacked in volume capacity at stock, but could be artificially boosted via custom mods. in that case though, the quality distorted quite noticeably with increasing volume. I dont hear this happening with the mate 8, u can crank up the volume to the max (not recommended, because the max volume is VERY high already at stock ) and there are still no distortions audible.
all in all, from a mediocre audiophile perspective (since i dont consider myself a high-end audiophile user but rather a medium to advanced one), I cant say i have anything to complain about
best thing for u to do is to check it out in person though, audio is a VERY subjective experience
More or less thé same using my kit, maybe a tiny bit lower volume and less bass
Skickat från min HUAWEI NXT-L29 via Tapatalk
the mate 8 headphone sound is way better and louder than nexus6p i tried it
I own the mate 8 and 6P
Skickat från min HUAWEI NXT-L29 via Tapatalk
thats what i meant with audio being very subjective haha
Sent from my Huawei Mate 8 NXT-AL10 using Tapatalk
The Mate 8 has fantastic sound in quality headphones. The dynamic range and clarity is incredible. It's just as good as my Meizu Pro 5 that has an internal DAC built into it. Never experienced better sound in any other phone.
I usually use my Sennheiser Momentum or Focal Spirit One headsets for listening to music and I can tell that Mate 8 kind of sucks at this chapter. Volume is pretty low, mids are mixed with highs and there's no sound stage whatsoever. Luckily, I still have my od iphone 4s which I use for listening to music, there is absolutely no comparison in audio quality.
Bottom line, imo: I wouldn't buy mate 8 for music, it sucks hard.
I own the mate 8 and iPhone 6s
the mate 8 sucks with 3.5 and Bluetooth audio
Sent from my HUAWEI NXT-L29
This review reflects my own thoughts.
http://m.gsmarena.com/huawei_mate_8-review-1367p7.php
Sent from my Huawei Mate 8
dannejanne said:
This review reflects my own thoughts.
http://m.gsmarena.com/huawei_mate_8-review-1367p7.php
Sent from my Huawei Mate 8
Click to expand...
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I'm with you. The sound is fantastic.
maxld said:
I'm with you. The sound is fantastic.
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Click to collapse
Yeah such depth in the sound. The range is great I hear sounds in songs I've never thought of before. Crystal clear. My Harman Kardon CL sounds fantastic with it.
Sent from my Huawei Mate 8
I'm sticking with whatever the audio that came with the phone. I just used AudioFX equalizer widget to change the equalizer, and I get the sound I want. Surprisingly the equalizer effect works also on 3rd party apps, not just the music apps. Very surprising, wondering if this is a fix done in a marshmallow.
I am having a similar problem, very good sound with my in-ear headphones, but catastrophic sound when plugging the mate 8 to my car stereo with a cinch cable. No problems with iPhone. How can that be? Could it be the cable? Should I buy one of those expensive ones with gold plugs etc.?
marcelo.emmerich said:
I am having a similar problem, very good sound with my in-ear headphones, but catastrophic sound when plugging the mate 8 to my car stereo with a cinch cable. No problems with iPhone. How can that be? Could it be the cable? Should I buy one of those expensive ones with gold plugs etc.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea. Today I have connected Mate 8 with mini jack - mini jack cable to my in-car aux and everything was okay. I didn't hear any quality drop.
I am a head-fier. With stock dts function enabled, I am quite amazed.
Polonius said:
I am a head-fier. With stock dts function enabled, I am quite amazed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For being a phone the sound in headphones is nothing short of amazing. I'm amazed every time I listen to music with my Harman Kardon CL.
I use it now NXT-L29 B170, Sennheiser MOMENTUM, and 1More, In-Ear.
The sound, simply fascinating, wonderful!
Much audio one mod I used it under the years, was never good, the stock rom.
Galaxy S2, Xperia X10, XperiaS, LG G2, Mate7, but, now the Mate8, the first telephone where the sound is not needed to touch it! :good:
perna_hungarian said:
I use it now NXT-L29 B170, Sennheiser MOMENTUM, and 1More, In-Ear.
The sound, simply fascinating, wonderful!
Much audio one mod I used it under the years, was never good, the stock rom.
Galaxy S2, XperiaS, LG G2, Mate7, but, now the Mate8, the first telephone where the sound is not needed to touch it! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Sound mods like Viper4Android or something seems like it would be counter-productive on this phone. It really does not need it. I've always wanted it on my previous phones. I don't want to mess with the sound to introduce noise or whatever. On this one I won't touch a thing it's pretty much perfect as is.
dannejanne said:
Agreed. Sound mods like Viper4Android or something seems like it would be counter-productive on this phone. It really does not need it. I've always wanted it on my previous phones. I don't want to mess with the sound to introduce noise or whatever. On this one I won't touch a thing it's pretty much perfect as is.
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Click to collapse
Yeah!
Maybe, yet so much, i the Chinese music app I use it.
I listen music, 320 kbit/s of MP3 online, on the other hand to download, because of the regio only 128 kbit/s.

How is the sound quality in the NON QUAD DAC version?

Hi guys, just want to know how is the sound quality in the NON QUAD DAC version. Is it good enough? Maybe like the HTC 10, Axon 7 or Galaxy S7 sound quality? I know it must be worse than the QUAD DAC version, but how much worse? Is it still worth it or if i'm looking for a good sound smartphone i should look for another one? Where i live the version being sold is the 32GB H870.
Same as like LG G4. Over compressed weak output.
My only hope:Root-custom kernel.soundmode (Imperium G4 rom included)
kabirjedi said:
Same as like LG G4. Over compressed weak output.
My only hope:Root-custom kernel.soundmode (Imperium G4 rom included)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's that bad? It doesn't has a more simple DAC? It's using the Qualcomm one?
Mate! The HTC 10 sound quality is worlds apart from this phone. I have the g6 and am returning it due to the weak audio output. Don't know why LG gave us Europe nothing. Oh well.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
godofpornings said:
Mate! The HTC 10 sound quality is worlds apart from this phone. I have the g6 and am returning it due to the weak audio output. Don't know why LG gave us Europe nothing. Oh well.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
That's sad to hear. I'm not going to buy it then.
I think it sounds pretty good.
General consensus is that it sounds just a bit worse than the V20's Quad DAC and better than Galaxy S7, close to HTC M10's quality. Most users and reviewers are impressed.
I believe it does have a DAC. At least i've read that somewhere but i'm not 100% sure.
Offcorse it all depends on headphones. If you have cheap, ****ty headphones no amount of DAC can help you.
WstrKuNoužč said:
I think it sounds pretty great.
General consensus is that it sounds just a bit worse than the V20's Quad DAC and better than Galaxy S7, very close to HTC M10's quality. Most users and reviewers are impressed.
I believe it does have a DAC. At least i've read that somewhere but i'm not 100% sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not anywhere near HTC 10 audio quality.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
godofpornings said:
Its not anywhere near HTC 10 audio quality.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
I don't own HTC 10 so i can't know that BUT i did see a lot of ppl on forums saying and agreeing it's pretty close to it quality wise.
WstrKuNoužč said:
I don't own HTC 10 so i can't know that BUT i did see a lot of ppl on forums saying and agreeing it's pretty close to it quality wise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No no no. The HTC 10 has a built in DAC and a amp which really makes the music stand out compared to any other phone I have ever owned. Too bad I sold it after a year and upgraded to the g6.
The g6 is a amazing phone only let down by the audio output. If they put the quad DAC in all units then that would of made this phone godly.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
godofpornings said:
No no no. The HTC 10 has a built in DAC and a amp which really makes the music stand out compared to any other phone I have ever owned. Too bad I sold it after a year and upgraded to the g6.
The g6 is a amazing phone only let down by the audio output. If they put the quad DAC in all units then that would of made this phone godly.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As i said i think it does have DAC. It is true that the output volume is not as high as M10's BUT that also depends on headphones.
If you got a pair of good headphones it's gonna sound great and loud. The headphones that come with G6 are pretty crappy tho...
All-in-all M10 is an audiophile phone so it's probably designed for high and low quality headphones meaning even crappy headphones sound okay-ish or at least a lot better than on other "normal" phones.
WstrKuNoužč said:
As i said i think it does have DAC. It is true that the output volume is not as high as M10's BUT that also depends on headphones.
If you got a pair of good headphones it's gonna sound great and loud. The headphones that come with G6 are pretty crappy tho...
All-in-all M10 is an audiophile phone so it's probably designed for high and low quality headphones meaning even crappy headphones sound okay-ish or at least a lot better than on other "normal" phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's true. I'm using the hi Res headfones I got from the HTC 10. The g6 has no DAC. The sound quality is very poor for a flagship phone for £600 I must say. But each to there own.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
I use the free vlc player and the 10 level equalizer along with my library of flac music. I run it onto my fender audio system (jetta) via Bluetooth and the sound is incredible. Deep bass, great mids and vocals. The sound with the headphone jack into the aux port isn't noticably better. I highly recommend vlc's free player, I had no idea that it would sound so good. Just play around with each equalizer level till your music sounds the way you want it to. Make sure you start with the levels flat, then go from there. I also put my music on a 128gb Samsung microsdxc card which I purchased on Amazon for only 30.99 I also highly recommend this card. Not as fast as more expensive cards but sound quality can't be beat. Model MB-MP128D. Peace..
Sound is OK it's not bad. But compared to my V10 the sound pales. Not as clean output or wide/deep sound signature.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
LOL. Every digital device that outputs sound has to have a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter), it just converts those 1 and 0 binary codes to electric signal. It's just the quality differs due to price. Some DACs have enough power on their own to drive small headphones, what sets "audiophile" smartphones apart is the addition of an Amp, it takes the electric signal from DAC and amplifies it to drive more power to large headphones with high impedance.
Is there any point in keeping my g5 for its b&o dac or not I have a s8 now well law has had it 6months
Can I use Google headphone adapter from Pixel 2 on my LG G6? Dac and Amp inside Google's headphone adapter is pretty good and powerful, same as Iphone 7 headphone adapter. I bought G6 few days ago (version without Quad DAC) and I think this should be one of possible alternatives for great sounding headphones quality.
Windforce0511 said:
Can I use Google headphone adapter from Pixel 2 on my LG G6? Dac and Amp inside Google's headphone adapter is pretty good and powerful, same as Iphone 7 headphone adapter. I bought G6 few days ago (version without Quad DAC) and I think this should be one of possible alternatives for great sounding headphones quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes,
I use the adapter from an Essential PH-1
Normal one doesn't sound very good but with quad-DAC it is outstanding IMO.
quadacless g6 sound big nothing....
tech_head said:
Yes,
I use the adapter from an Essential PH-1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is it compared to Google's one? I know adapter from Google is sounding 99% same as one from Iphone. I haven't tried Google one yet, but one from Iphone is very powerfull and have wide sound stage. I don't know where tu buy it btw..

Audio Quality Thoughts

So I just got my HTC U11 today and spent a few hours setting it up. I finally got around to trying out the phone's audio capabilities.
USonic - they sound good for out of the box earphones, but they're definitely not as good as my V-Moda Forza's. I could tell immediately. I doubt I'll use this.
DAC adapter - I'm conflicted. I'm still trying to decide whether or not the adapter sounds as good as my HTC 10. My initial impression is that it's not as good. The 10 has a cleaner, fuller soundstage. I'm really bummed about the BoomSound Dolby and tuning mode not being present on the U11. I've never really listened to the 10 without that mode on, so maybe that's the reason. The U11 doesn't sound bad though.
What do you guys think?
Good enough for 90%
Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
richteralan said:
Good enough for 90%
Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much this, most people will love it but I think anyone who had a HTC 10, an Axon 7, S7 Edge (Exynos, volume modded) will notice a bit of a step down. More so the AMP is weak rather than the DAC being bad (although Juan at PocketNow numbers show the DAC to be worse than the HTC 10, Axon 7, S7 Edge, iPhone 7).
I'm contemplating getting a Fiio K1
I just compared the sound quality between my 10 (without BoomSound on) and the U11, and they do sound quite similar.
This leads me to my disappointment -- why did they remove the BoomSound frequency tuning from the U11? It's nice that they have it for the USonic earphones, but why would you need to create multiple audio profiles for those earphones, if there's literally only one pair of earphones that can take advantage of that feature.
I'll have my thoughts later today using a dt770 as my comparison between the 10 and 11. They normally require more power than my HD600. I don't use high impedance/low sensitivity HPs with phones anyway but I figured I'd test.
djbutter said:
I just compared the sound quality between my 10 (without BoomSound on) and the U11, and they do sound quite similar.
This leads me to my disappointment -- why did they remove the BoomSound frequency tuning from the U11? It's nice that they have it for the USonic earphones, but why would you need to create multiple audio profiles for those earphones, if there's literally only one pair of earphones that can take advantage of that feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wondering this as well, you can't edit the audio profiles anyway so what is the point in having more than one profile
I've been happy about the audio quality so far. The problem I have is that we only get 1 of the DAC to 3.5mm adapter cables included. Now in order to use my music at home, in car, and at work I now have to carry the cable around with me. It is not ideal to have to carry around an adapter. Getting the included earphones is cool (sound okay) but would rather received a total of 4 adapter cables.
I went to order 4 more and found out that they are in pre-order status. I'll just have to wait until they come in. Once I have an adapter everywhere then I won't be so pissy about it. Really wish they would have kept the 3.5mm, then phone would be considered my best phone ever.
psawjack said:
I've been happy about the audio quality so far. The problem I have is that we only get 1 of the DAC to 3.5mm adapter cables included. Now in order to use my music at home, in car, and at work I now have to carry the cable around with me. It is not ideal to have to carry around an adapter. Getting the included earphones is cool (sound okay) but would rather received a total of 4 adapter cables.
I went to order 4 more and found out that they are in pre-order status. I'll just have to wait until they come in. Once I have an adapter everywhere then I won't be so pissy about it. Really wish they would have kept the 3.5mm, then phone would be considered my best phone ever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There really was no need to remove it, only to use a worse DAC/AMP in the adaptor.
GSM spoke highly of the headphone output. (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_u_11-review-1620p6.php)
Great audio output
The HTC U11 did splendidly in the first part of our audio test. When hooked to an active external amplifier it delivered very loud and perfectly accurate output.
When headphones come into play the volume remains nicely high and the only reading to take a hit is stereo crosstalk. It's a moderate amount of damage there and will all the other aspects of the performance remaining excellent, it's a great showing overall.
HTC U11 (headphones attached)
Frequency response: +0.05, -0.11 (+0.05, -0.02)
Noise Level: -94.1 (-93.7)
Dynamic Range: -94.1 (93.8)
THD: 0.0017 (0.0018)
IMD + Noise: 0.0067 (0.105)
Stereo crosstalk: -94.5 (-53.7)
HTC 10 (headphones attached)
Frequency response: +0.01, -0.03 (+0.06, -0.09)
Noise Level: -93.2 (-92.8)
Dynamic Range: -93.2 (93.0)
THD: 0.0022 (0.014)
IMD + Noise: 0.071 (0.141)
Stereo crosstalk: -92.8 (-77.9)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My own personal experience, I found my DT770 to sound great but was 2 notches of volume below the 10. The 10 at volume 13/15 was the U11 at 15/15. I definitely can hear the crosstalk difference GSM has measured. Heard that before I saw the measurements. Overall, I can definitely live with this. Just hope I don't put myself in situations where I need to charge and listen.
My first impressions are that I'm not particularly impressed by the Usonic earphones - but then I don't usually use the earbuds that come with a phone.
Given the reviews here, I was a bit surprised to find the sound from the U11 adapter sounds better on first hearing than I was getting from the HTC 10, but then I haven't yet done a proper A-B comparison - it could be I was playing it a bit louder, or 'new device' enthusiasm...
As I said it already the 3.5mm adapter lacks Boomsound and this make a big difference with HTC 10, HTC can implement it in the FW of the adapter but we need to let them know we want it.
mosincredible said:
GSM spoke highly of the headphone output. (http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_u_11-review-1620p6.php)
My own personal experience, I found my DT770 to sound great but was 2 notches of volume below the 10. The 10 at volume 13/15 was the U11 at 15/15. I definitely can hear the crosstalk difference GSM has measured. Heard that before I saw the measurements. Overall, I can definitely live with this. Just hope I don't put myself in situations where I need to charge and listen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. I can see the logic behind HTC's decision, and I actually don't disagree with it. They dropped the headphone jack but added noise cancellation and a decent pair of earphones. This targets that iPhone userbase that only uses the awful in-box white ear buds. It's definitely better value for the money for the average user.
Perhaps they needed to compromise on sound quality, but it still sounds pretty fantastic with the adapter. It may not sound as good as the 10 (honestly though it's pretty close), but I'm not mad about it.
Which Boomsound speaker mode do you guys prefer? Music it theater mode? I feel like music more is crisper while tester is a bit longer but muddier.
MinimalistChris said:
Which Boomsound speaker mode do you guys prefer? Music it theater mode? I feel like music more is crisper while tester is a bit longer but muddier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use theatre mode all the time but yes it is muddier than music mode which sacrifices volume for better audio quality
About stereo crosstalk can you ''fix'' it with V4A?
Or there are no way to enhance stereo?
MinimalistChris said:
Which Boomsound speaker mode do you guys prefer? Music it theater mode? I feel like music more is crisper while tester is a bit longer but muddier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I usually use theatre mode. If I'm playing through the speakers, volume is more important to me.
On another note, I'm having this horrible issue with BT audio. When playing music in google play music through BT earphones (jaybird x2) or my home speaker (LG soundbar), occasionally there's a really loud, awful screeching noise!
Anyone else have this issue?
Otherwise, BT audio is noticeably improved over the 10!
djbutter said:
On another note, I'm having this horrible issue with BT audio. When playing music in google play music through BT earphones (jaybird x2) or my home speaker (LG soundbar), occasionally there's a really loud, awful screeching noise!
Anyone else have this issue?
Otherwise, BT audio is noticeably improved over the 10!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was listening with aptX in my car for a while today and I had no issues along with noticing no difference. Same volume level when connected to an Audioengine B1 that has a 2 volt output to my Audison bit-Ten. Wish I could do a quicker back and forth test with my 10 but I'd have to sync the Bluetooth over and over.
I have to admit that I'm a little bit worried about the sound quality on the u11. One of the things that I really enjoyed on the m8 m9 and the 10 was the Dolby audio enhancement. I have been using that in combination with power amp music player for years and you'd be surprised what kind of sound quality I get out of my Sennheiser HD 558's. I can hear the bass in music the way it is meant to be heard, almost felt, I don't hear that distorted bass sound that you tend to hear on lower end devices.
This may sound stupid to some people but if the sound quality is not at least the same as what I get on my 10 then I'm going to send the phone back. I just got done trying out a $300 pair of Bluetooth headphones with my 10 and I was not impressed, they were close in some areas but for $300 I want more than close. There is a cheaper pair that I have been thinking about trying with the 11 but I'm not sure that I'm going to want to invest all of this money just to be able to say I own the new flagship, and get half decent sound out of it with headphones, especially when for all intents and purposes I'm perfectly happy with my 10.
Right before the phone ended up shipping out to me I was debating on canceling my order because once the feeling of new shiny device wore off I started the question what about the new phone actually got me excited and to be perfectly honest the answer for me is really nothing. I think edge sense could be cool but the apparent lack of support from case manufacturers has me a bit scared as well. I have never owned an all glass phone before and I don't think you could pay me enough to use this phone without any full-body protection I understand that the camera is much better but honestly I don't see a problem with the one that I have. So this could be the first year that I actually hang on to my phone.
I just paired this phone with the Fiio K1 DAC. Much better audio experience. The HTC 10 apparently was better than the K1 by about 10% so the fact that the K1 sounds so good compared to the adapter is quite telling

Audio quality

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)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's nice to hear.
mic
razielmcr said:
That's nice to hear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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

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