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Got my Nexus 4 today, for those in the UK, i bought it on PAYG from o2 (£399)
Been running FLAC files through PowerAMP with my Sennheiser IE7's and they sound as good, if not better than my Cowon J3 DAP.
The Cowon J3 is a high-end DAP so i'm really impressed this phone can compete.
No yellow screen issues so far either, but i've not been benchmarking yet, gonna give it a week before i stress it out.
Yeah I was really surprised with the audio when I first plugged in my XB-1000's. I was expecting mediocre-bad audio quality that you typically get with phones but this seems really great. It's a really well rounded phone.
Wow, surprising, and good to hear. My GS2 really has dead lifeless sound through my ety's. I've taken to using my Pre for MP3's as it sounds infinitely better. I hope others post their impressions here as this may be one thing that pushes me over to this handset once it arrives here. Damn shame they only put max 16g in it if it really is a musical media player. Did supercurio weigh in on it yet?
OverTheBelow said:
Yeah I was really surprised with the audio when I first plugged in my XB-1000's. I was expecting mediocre-bad audio quality that you typically get with phones but this seems really great. It's a really well rounded phone.
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Wow! Can you please compare it with iphone 4/4s? I used to listen to xb-500 with iphone 4s and it sounds pretty good. Interesting to compare nexus to iphone by sound quality. Thanks in advance!
Is it better than Galaxy Nexus? I got budget Sennheiser earphones so I doubt I'll hear much of a difference, but I'm thinking of getting a good pair.
Dragooon123 said:
Is it better than Galaxy Nexus? I got budget Sennheiser earphones so I doubt I'll hear much of a difference, but I'm thinking of getting a good pair.
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YES!, id put the nexus 4 up there with the SGS3 tbh.
noobdeagle said:
YES!, id put the nexus 4 up there with the SGS3 tbh.
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Thats amazing! I am back on my gnexus after selling my sgs3 and the audio of the gnexus is terrible, I miss my sgs3. Hope my N4 arrives soon
noobdeagle said:
YES!, id put the nexus 4 up there with the SGS3 tbh.
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I think the Nexus 4 has the same DAP as the GSIII (US). There is a noticeable sound difference although the amp volume is lower. It still sound much better than the GalaxyNexus + Sound Tweaks.
Actually now I've tried headphones, incredible on stock audio settings with Poweramp.
I have one issue, using the headphone jack with the line input on my car suggests the output is quite low (I used to have an Atrix, I had to turn that down one from full because it distorts!). I now have to turn my car up quite high to be able to hear anything. One thing I am appalled about is the fact the device doesn't seem to play nice with my car charger... i get serious background noise when that is plugged in (no issues on the Atrix)
tehrules said:
Actually now I've tried headphones, incredible on stock audio settings with Poweramp.
I have one issue, using the headphone jack with the line input on my car suggests the output is quite low (I used to have an Atrix, I had to turn that down one from full because it distorts!). I now have to turn my car up quite high to be able to hear anything. One thing I am appalled about is the fact the device doesn't seem to play nice with my car charger... i get serious background noise when that is plugged in (no issues on the Atrix)
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Same here. Low output to car...
GchildT said:
I think the Nexus 4 has the same DAP as the GSIII (US). There is a noticeable sound difference although the amp volume is lower. It still sound much better than the GalaxyNexus + Sound Tweaks.
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i had an international SGS3 with the voodoo sound implementation from siyah, while the Nexus 4 does sound worse its not a whole lot worse.
the main differences fell with the bass they are not quite as deep and the highs are a bit rolled off compared to the SGS3 but not enough to cause an unpleasant listening experience; im sure with time perhaps with DSP manager it will be even closer.
but the bottom line is its not that much worse that id go back to the SGS3 and audio quality was my main concern with the keeping either handset (i've only just put the SGS3 on ebay )
for the comparisons i used Shure SE535;s IEM's
v-haker said:
Wow! Can you please compare it with iphone 4/4s? I used to listen to xb-500 with iphone 4s and it sounds pretty good. Interesting to compare nexus to iphone by sound quality. Thanks in advance!
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I don't have any Apple devices so I can't compare, but I can tell you it sounds really good with my older XB-500's too in comparison to my PC soundcard & especially previous phone (Xperia X10).
It's not head-thumpingly bassy and loud like you'd get with a proper amp, but there is still some good bass and just overall the sound is very pleasant. :good: I think you will be quite happy with how it sounds if you're not overly audiophilic.
v-haker said:
Wow! Can you please compare it with iphone 4/4s? I used to listen to xb-500 with iphone 4s and it sounds pretty good. Interesting to compare nexus to iphone by sound quality. Thanks in advance!
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cant speak for the iphone but!, i have a cowon S9 and as many know sound ALOT better than apple devices and the Nexus 4 is not far off of the Cowon S9 once again not quite as deep bass, or as crisp highs but pretty damn close. (for reference tho SGS3(int) with siyah kernal sounds the same as Cowon S9 + J3)
I noticed a much better audio then I had on my inspire through Bluetooth.
But then again my phone was 2 years old. So I was expecting as much.:laugh:
v-haker said:
Wow! Can you please compare it with iphone 4/4s? I used to listen to xb-500 with iphone 4s and it sounds pretty good. Interesting to compare nexus to iphone by sound quality. Thanks in advance!
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I was using an iPhone 4 while I waited for my nexus, I can say the nexus sounds a thousand times better.
Testing now through Sennheiser HD 280s. Sound quality is excellent to my ears. No hiss, pops. Much better than the GS2, the DAC on that is a pile. Volume could probably be a touch louder, I'm between two and three clicks down from max volume in Google Music for regular listening volume. That may explain the low volumes with car stereos. I'll compare with an iPhone 5 later.
Ah so it wasn't just me! I did notice a difference when switching from my gs2. I use the new xb600. It sounded like crap on my gs2.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Thank you, guys! I'm very impressed with the results! Waiting for the further comparision with other devices
loving the nexus 4 but music hooked up to car stereo sounds like crap compared to the iphone 4s/5.
Output level is extremely low on the nexus as well. What needs to be at a level 20 on my wifes iphone is like a 32 on the nexus 4. Ill experiment w/ the equalizer tonight but as it stands it doesnt compare. (sorry for being unbiased)
I thought the GS3 had better sound output. My n4 just doesnt get as loud. Is there anything I can do to fix this? btw i use google music
I got my Moto X recently and I hear a step down in audio quality from the original Droid Razr or any of my other devices. Music sounds heavily smeared and bass and treble sound quite off. Am I the only one to notice this? I'm not really sure what dac chip it uses, but its certainly not the same wolfson (or ericsson?) in the Razr and not even up to par with Realtek on my desktop. It even has a lot of hiss! :crying: This concerns me a lot because I use my phone to listen to music away from home.
I keep the audio effects off and own a fairly high-end pair of headphones. I've compared audio across 3 headphones and the result is the same.
You should get it replaced. My sound is clear and I get great performance out of the speaker. Almost all comments I've seen are extremely positive regarding the speaker performance. Sounds like you have a defective speaker.
Sent from my XT1055 using xda app-developers app
According to the iFixit page: it's using the Qualcomm WCD9310 codec and passes through the TI TMS320C55. I don't know what that fully means, but if my Gnex is anything to go by: TI isn't bad at their DSP work. What sucks right now is that Faux123's app FauxSound doesn't support the WCD9310 officially so it'll be up to kernel devs to facilitate that.
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Motorola+Moto+X+Teardown/16867
Honestly it doesn't sound defective but it sounds cheap. I don't expect most people to hear it, but I am a bit of an audiophile. I was also wondering if anyone has used portable dacs with their phones or which dacs are confirmed to work with android. This sounds like a good solution to me and an opportunity to get better audio on my computer as well.
marioman94 said:
Honestly it doesn't sound defective but it sounds cheap. I don't expect most people to hear it, but I am a bit of an audiophile. I was also wondering if anyone has used portable dacs with their phones or which dacs are confirmed to work with android. This sounds like a good solution to me and an opportunity to get better audio on my computer as well.
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I listened to my friends moto x hip hop music with Sennheiser ie8 and it sounded OK. At least the bass was deep enough. Not much help here but just wanna tell you that I feel your pain. I had the Nexus 5 and the bass was terrible imo and not low enough. Immediately sold it for a htc one instead.
My Moto X sound looks incredible, at least for me coming from an S3. A tip is to use the built-in audio config that is seen on Settings > Sound > Sound effects, check if it helps
I have had no audio issues with my Moto X at all. No audio "hiss" at all like what OP is experiencing.
I haven't taken the time to try my Moto X with any of my DACs.
marioman94 said:
I got my Moto X recently and I hear a step down in audio quality from the original Droid Razr or any of my other devices. Music sounds heavily smeared and bass and treble sound quite off. Am I the only one to notice this? I'm not really sure what dac chip it uses, but its certainly not the same wolfson (or ericsson?) in the Razr and not even up to par with Realtek on my desktop. It even has a lot of hiss! :crying: This concerns me a lot because I use my phone to listen to music away from home.
I keep the audio effects off and own a fairly high-end pair of headphones. I've compared audio across 3 headphones and the result is the same.
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I think it might be somehow defective. I get zero hiss.
Let's get back to the topic here guys and cease with the bickering
ApriliaM3 said:
Let's get back to the topic here guys and cease with the bickering
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I thought you were talking about the speaker aswell. Tried with the headphone today and I wasn't very impressed either. Although I'm out of headphones and I had to try with the one that came with it, which seems very poor.
I currently own an HTC ONE GPE and trying to make a switch to Moto X. HTC ONE is considered to have the best DAC and best audio volume according to GSM arena. My only worry is audio volume and quality via headphones on Moto X ?
I have done tons of research on the topic and there seems to be mixed reviews on audio quality.
What do you guys say -
Is the audio volume loud enough ? Is it louder or par with iphones ?
Is the sound quality comparable with HTC One ?
Do i need to use low impedance or high impedance headphones ?
Or should i use bluetooth headphones like jay bluebird earbuds ?
Let me know
I thought the moto x had terrible audio quality when I got it but turns out the 3d EQ setting is on my default . to me it made it sound like crap. Turn it off and walla
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
Not sure about the iPhone 5, but my Moto X speaker puts my wifes 4s to shame. And I just use my Samsung ear buds... They sound pretty good to me.
Sent from my Moto X cell phone telephone.....
The moto x's speaker is suprisingly loud, clear, and bassy. Headphones sound great.:thumbup:
Anthony445 said:
The moto x's speaker is suprisingly loud, clear, and bassy. Headphones sound great.:thumbup:
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QFT, all my friends and family were surprised on how loud it was. You won't be disappointed by the speakers performance. It was another reason I chose it over the Nexus 5.
Sent from my Moto X
Definitely louder and richer sound on the speaker than my Nexus 4. However it doesn't sound as good through earphones, at least from what I remember. That could be equalizer settings though.
I had the HTC One Mini, and Iphone 5s before I got the MotoX. The Moto X sound is way louder then both of those. I really notice when I put the Moto X on its back while playing music, it makes it louder. This is with WinAmp as the player. I really like the Moto X for playing music. No complaints here.
My thoughts after a week..
Call quality is good. Nothing to necessarily boast about, but no negatives to report. 75% more than loud enough for me, no complaints about quality on my end.
Speaker sounds good, again nothing to really boast about. I usually don't listen to music from the speaker - podcasts, occasional youtube - so I can't really offer up any detailed diagnosis. Definitely sounds better coming from my Galaxy Nexus, and more than suitable for my daily use.
As for headphones.. I have a decent pair and a crummy pair and they sound comparable with my other devices and music. I mainly use my Jaybird Bluebud headphones and absolutely zero complaints. 16 Ohms* for reference, and they sound great, but I haven't heard any unusual reports about headphone consistency anyways so whatever you have should translate in quality (source consistency provided). Bluetooth issues and 4.4+ seem to be more consistent with speaker setups / car use but don't quote me, but I've had no bluetooth issue between 4.2.2 and 4.4 and my headphones. Can't comment on other bluetooth compatible issues.
Can't find anything in this department to fault the device on, personally, but YMMV, of course :good:
*
lower impedence is generally regarded as a good thing in iems but for reference;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headphones#Impedance
The main loudspeaker on the First is surprisingly good!
I've switched to a Motorola Droid Mini XT1030 for the time being (it's a better phone than the First in specs). Noticed I had the same music video on both phones and decided to do an A/B comparison since I was bored. Holy hell, didn't notice the Droid's speaker being particularly bad until I compared it to the First, and it's a night and day difference. First makes the Droid sound downright awful in comparison.
Speaker quality isn't a huge deal to me, but I was just so blown away at the difference. I guess those ducted speakers like the First (and iPhone) uses are so much better than just a mini-speaker behind a grille. Makes me wonder why all phones don't use ducted speakers.
GnatGoSplat said:
The main loudspeaker on the First is surprisingly good!
I've switched to a Motorola Droid Mini XT1030 for the time being (it's a better phone than the First in specs). Noticed I had the same music video on both phones and decided to do an A/B comparison since I was bored. Holy hell, didn't notice the Droid's speaker being particularly bad until I compared it to the First, and it's a night and day difference. First makes the Droid sound downright awful in comparison.
Speaker quality isn't a huge deal to me, but I was just so blown away at the difference. I guess those ducted speakers like the First (and iPhone) uses are so much better than just a mini-speaker behind a grille. Makes me wonder why all phones don't use ducted speakers.
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Cause 1. That takes away space 2. The design has to be remade
But yes very very good sound quality on this phone.
Sent from my HTC first using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
GnatGoSplat said:
The main loudspeaker on the First is surprisingly good!
I've switched to a Motorola Droid Mini XT1030 for the time being (it's a better phone than the First in specs). Noticed I had the same music video on both phones and decided to do an A/B comparison since I was bored. Holy hell, didn't notice the Droid's speaker being particularly bad until I compared it to the First, and it's a night and day difference. First makes the Droid sound downright awful in comparison.
Speaker quality isn't a huge deal to me, but I was just so blown away at the difference. I guess those ducted speakers like the First (and iPhone) uses are so much better than just a mini-speaker behind a grille. Makes me wonder why all phones don't use ducted speakers.
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Yes out of the box, the eq were set pretty well. Maybe it already used the beats library from htc one? But I was able to almost duplicate the effect with an EQ editor (dsp or volume+) on other phones that didn't sound as good. Hoping to see how well it performs on non-htc roms, maybe the speaker is really good.
hengsheng120 said:
Yes out of the box, the eq were set pretty well. Maybe it already used the beats library from htc one? But I was able to almost duplicate the effect with an EQ editor (dsp or volume+) on other phones that didn't sound as good. Hoping to see how well it performs on non-htc roms, maybe the speaker is really good.
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Listening to prime meridian by ferry corsten or intense by Armin van Buuren using fx boost set up is just awesome on these speakers
Sent from my HTC first using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
All I can say is the audio quality through the headphone jack, and speaker on the Note 4 is garbage! That does not make it a bad phone, because with all its other features, the Note 4 is awesome but for an avid audiophile like me, my phone needs a great DAC/ headphone jack. The iphone 6+ Does have fantastic audio quality, but I use android phones as my workhorse, and Ipad as my consumption device, so iPhone is out for me. I am REALLY hoping that since the Nexus 6 has the 2 front facing stereo speakers, that it is being pushed by a strong high quality DAC. I currently have the M8 , and the audio is quite nice, but I have always wanted a nexus device after owning the HTC Nexus 1 , and the Nexus 6 checks all the boxes for me personally. It just has to have great audio and battery life and I'm sold! Hopefully we can get some reviews of the big sexy nexus before pre ordering starts?
I will admit, I am no audiophile. Can you go into detail on what exactly you notice in a bad audio output?
What headphones are you using?
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
_MetalHead_ said:
What headphones are you using?
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
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V-Modda M100's, B&W P7"s
Schoat333 said:
I will admit, I am no audiophile. Can you go into detail on what exactly you notice in a bad audio output?
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Hiss at higher volumes. Crosstalk/ Interference. Lack of soundstage or depth in the audio. Or lack of volume and "punch" in bass. I'm no "hardcore audiophile" that will ONLY listen to FLAC/ High Res music, as I listen quite often to Play Music on the go and at work @ 320kbps track that are streamed to me. But when reviewing new music or at the house wanting to check out new tracks and just want to be taken in by the music, then I load up some 24-bit/192kHz files, Ah the beauty of Android!
I know I can get a dedicated music player that serves this need, and I have one (Still have my old Zune 120 but with the way digital music distribution being so awesomely convenient through Gplay Store/ Itunes, I just like having a device that can "do it all" if I can find one. The Nexus being pure Android, "supposedly" all day battery life" Amazing screen, with hopefully excellent audio performance and supports High res audio files, sounds like that perfect device for me... Crossing fingers.
awareunlikeu said:
V-Modda M100's, B&W P7"s
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I'm not sure if root is available for the note4 yet, but if it is, install V4A. It helps to a degree. The nexus 5 is not a great when it comes to audio, however, with V4A installed, it is bearable. I use UE900 CIEM.
Edit: I am also hoping the N6 will have a powerful audio chip.
awareunlikeu said:
V-Modda M100's, B&W P7"s
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How do you like the P7's? I bought the P5's years ago but admittedly they don't get much use. I have tried the P7's and while I'm not sure if their sound sig is for me, they were insanely comfortable.
Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk
awareunlikeu said:
Hiss at higher volumes. Crosstalk/ Interference. Lack of soundstage or depth in the audio. Or lack of volume and "punch" in bass. I'm no "hardcore audiophile" that will ONLY listen to FLAC/ High Res music, as I listen quite often to Play Music on the go and at work @ 320kbps track that are streamed to me. But when reviewing new music or at the house wanting to check out new tracks and just want to be taken in by the music, then I load up some 24-bit/192kHz files, Ah the beauty of Android!
I know I can get a dedicated music player that serves this need, and I have one (Still have my old Zune 120 but with the way digital music distribution being so awesomely convenient through Gplay Store/ Itunes, I just like having a device that can "do it all" if I can find one. The Nexus being pure Android, "supposedly" all day battery life" Amazing screen, with hopefully excellent audio performance and supports High res audio files, sounds like that perfect device for me... Crossing fingers.
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If it helps, the new Moto G, a £150/$180 phone, comes with an excellent DAC. Its even more impressive given the price of the device.
I can only assume they'll implement the same solution as in the Moto X. Unfortunately I can't comment on that, but I'd assume it's at least equal or better than the Moto X.
Obviously it can't compare to any dedicated player though. I still regularly notice the huge difference between my Note 2/3 Z3 experience and my old ipod touch 3rd gen. iPod destroys everything still.
feedtheducks said:
I'm not sure if root is available for the note4 yet, but if it is, install V4A. It helps to a degree. The nexus 5 is not a great when it comes to audio, however, with V4A installed, it is bearable. I use UE900 CIEM.
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Yeah those UE900's are some mighty fine phones my friend! But yeah I just want superb audio out of the box without tweaking. I know I can get it if I go back to apple for a phone, but I use iPad, so to me having an iPhone with its boring software when I already have an iPad that I use for consumption/work just seems like unnecessary overkill. As I use Android as my workhorse/EDC device. I have the HTC One M8 right now, and its close to what I want, but I don't particularly care for the software, except Blinkfeed, and I loath the camera. Headphone audio is damn good only because it is the loudest phone on the market right now due to the DAC having to push the BoomSound speakers and also pushing that same power to the headphone jack. But louder is not always better. The iphone 6 Plus's audio quality is quite a bit better, but not as loud, or "punchy". I hope its not too much to expect excellent audio quality with the way Googs is going away from the decently priced cutting corners Nexus devices to the absolute best Android has to offer Android device, which is what the N6 is sounding like they are marketing it has.
istrikerx said:
If it helps, the new Moto G, a £150/$180 phone, comes with an excellent DAC. Its even more impressive given the price of the device.
I can only assume they'll implement the same solution as in the Moto X. Unfortunately I can't comment on that, but I'd assume it's at least equal or better than the Moto X.
Obviously it can't compare to any dedicated player though. I still regularly notice the huge difference between my Note 2/3 Z3 experience and my old ipod touch 3rd gen. iPod destroys everything still.
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I know right.. I think Apple's audio superiority comes from the fact that they use a totally separate processing unit, independent of the processor for Audio processing. Where as Android phones generally use qualcomm's SOC and they dont have there own dedicated DAC. I may be mistaken on some of that lingo, but I think its close enough.
"The Nexus 6 comes with a pair of stereo speakers on the front, just like HTC’s phones. And just like the phones from Taiwan, Google’s phablet gives brilliant sound quality. Movies really draw you in with the combination of that huge screen and those crisp speakers And we could fill the whole house with music just with the Nexus 6
Source
awareunlikeu said:
V-Modda M100's, B&W P7"s
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I am a M-100 user as well, hell year brother!
As for audio quality, personally I never use something as spread out as a Cellphone/Smartphone for quality music listening. Most of the time they are not equipped with the proper magic for good audio compared to PMP's and other quality audio sources. That is why I still carry around a PMP for most of my music listening (Better HW for sound, Storage all for Music, Separate battery for Music).
I know it's almost archaic to still have a PMP and a SmartPhone since the latter can technically do both, but if you want the best audio quality it's best to get a PMP for your audiophile needs. I suggest taking a look for this if you are curious for a PMP recommendation: http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000060437344&MenuID=105026016
As for the N6, its up in the air. But I usually would not bet my wallet that it would make a quality music player. It might be good for some music here and there but as a whole with pro cans it just might not be enough to get the most out of them.
To me the original Moto X audio quality through headphones was great. I ordered a Nexus 5 trying to decide which one to keep and ended up sending the Nexus back. One of the reasons was the audio wasn't as good as the X. I HOPE the N6 will be just as good. Motorola hasn't let me down yet.
I wonder if the N6 will be able to play FLAC lossless files. I really would like to hear my music in it's purist form. I have tried looking on Moto's and Google's spec websites and there is nothing about the audio part of the device....
racerxe24 said:
I wonder if the N6 will be able to play FLAC lossless files. I really would like to hear my music in it's purist form. I have tried looking on Moto's and Google's spec websites and there is nothing about the audio part of the device....
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I am fairly sure FLAC files are supported by the current version of android. I just flashed a completely stock rom, no root on my N5 and I am able to play FLAC on it using Shuttle+.
Power amp pro is worth the purchase. It made my N3 sound soooo much better. Out of the speaker, headphones, and aux out for playing music. Also ViperFX and Volume+ were good at tweaking your sound.
amebiasis said:
Power amp pro is worth the purchase. It made my N3 sound soooo much better. Out of the speaker, headphones, and aux out for playing music. Also ViperFX and Volume+ were good at tweaking your sound.
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+1 for Poweramp
I'm curious how the front speqkers compare to my m8. I love the audio on this phone.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
There are 2 main improvement in android L for sound: low latency and usb-enabled headphones. I'm not an audiophile myself but I guess for startes those two should make a difference.
That being said, unfortunatly, headphones quality output is something hard to tell without specific reviews.
awareunlikeu said:
I know right.. I think Apple's audio superiority comes from the fact that they use a totally separate processing unit, independent of the processor for Audio processing. Where as Android phones generally use qualcomm's SOC and they dont have there own dedicated DAC. I may be mistaken on some of that lingo, but I think its close enough.
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Funny you talk about Apple's "audio superiority" when their headphone jacks across iPad, PowerBook/MacBook, iPhone, and iPod lines have been poorly grounded for years.