[Q] N6 vs HTC M8 Boomsound - Nexus 6 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

The embargo is gone, but still no good comparisons..
I really enjoy audio from the boomsound speakers on my M8 and because of that I really hope the speakers on the N6 are good/excellent.. Maybe a person with both phones can help..
The main reason I'm very close to buying the N6 is because of the extremely good development..
All answers are really appreciated! ?

I think the Android Central review touches on this. Phil says it isn't as good as boomsound but better than the typical phone speakers. Here's the small section of the review that addresses the speakers.
"The Nexus 6 does, however, have front-facing stereo speakers, a feature Motorola added earlier this year in its mid-range Moto G. And they're actually quite good. Not quite as deep or responsive as the HTC One M8, but they're darn close. And if you've never experienced proper front-facing speakers on a smartphone before, they'll drastically change the way you use your device."

I've never used a M8 so I can't really comment on it's speakers, but I know they're considered the best. I can say that I started watching a movie on my N6 last night and it was the first time I haven't reached for the headphones while watching a movie on a phone. The speakers are clear and LOUD. I've had roughly 10 different smartphones over the years and nothing even comes close to the sound on the N6.

pside15 said:
I've never used a M8 so I can't really comment on it's speakers, but I know they're considered the best. I can say that I started watching a movie on my N6 last night and it was the first time I haven't reached for the headphones while watching a movie on a phone. The speakers are clear and LOUD. I've had roughly 10 different smartphones over the years and nothing even comes close to the sound on the N6.
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No distortion?
I'm really close to ordering this phone/phablet.. The only thing I'm gonna miss is the extremely awesome audio from my M8.. But if it's close to it plus the awesome developer support then there's nothing holding me any longer ?
Thanks for the reply.. ☺

I don't own an M8 so I also can't do a perfect comparison. However, I must say I am blown away with these speakers. It's the first thing I show off to anyone when they ask about the phone. I have listened to many music videos on full volume without issues. Also enjoyed Transformers the entire way through...something I would have never done with my Nexus 5 or wife's iphone 6+

TOCS88 said:
I don't own an M8 so I also can't do a perfect comparison. However, I must say I am blown away with these speakers. It's the first thing I show off to anyone when they ask about the phone. I have listened to many music videos on full volume without issues. Also enjoyed Transformers the entire way through...something I would have never done with my Nexus 5 or wife's iphone 6+
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I'm just gonna do it! ?
I also owned the N5 and wasn't disappointed as I knew it wasn't gonna be good, but still...
Thank you for the reply ☺

Danish2980 said:
No distortion?
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Not that I noticed. I was streaming from my Plex server and it was loud and clear around 50% volume. Coming from a G3 the difference is night and day.

pside15 said:
Not that I noticed. I was streaming from my Plex server and it was loud and clear around 50% volume. Coming from a G3 the difference is night and day.
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Okay.. Great ☺ thanks

I had the M7 and the sound on the N6 is much better. Can't speak for the M8 though. Still, the N6 has pretty impressive sound compared to any other phone I've owned.

oddlou said:
I had the M7 and the sound on the N6 is much better. Can't speak for the M8 though. Still, the N6 has pretty impressive sound compared to any other phone I've owned.
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Better than the M7?! Now I'm really sure that I'm getting this ☺

M8 sound is much clearer and less tinny than the N6. With that being said, the n6 is better than anything else out there. It's louder than the m8, but the m8 has clearer, better sound.
Sent from my Nexus 6

housry23 said:
M8 sound is much clearer and less tinny than the N6. With that being said, the n6 is better than anything else out there. It's louder than the m8, but the m8 has clearer, better sound.
Sent from my Nexus 6
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Do you think V4A could improve the sound?
Your reply is greatly appreciated ☺

Danish2980 said:
Do you think V4A could improve the sound?
Your reply is greatly appreciated ☺
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I don't know because I don't use it and never will.
Sent from my Nexus 6

housry23 said:
M8 sound is much clearer and less tinny than the N6. With that being said, the n6 is better than anything else out there. It's louder than the m8, but the m8 has clearer, better sound.
Sent from my Nexus 6
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i had the M8 (and now have the N6) and, in my opinion, M8 boomsound produces higher-quality sound (clearer). not only for music, but for the basic tones that i use for email, text messages, etc. the same tones on the N6 sound distorted and tinny; ended up switching to other tones that sounded better on the N6. conversely, YouTube and WatchESPN videos (e.g., college football games) sounded good with little to no distortion. (that was surprising to me.) i also believe that in-call quality (loudness and clarity) is better on the M8. to my ears, N6 in-call sound is noticeably lower compared to the M8. (this of course is a subjective opinion ). wish i knew how to adjust sound output/values in the mixer_path.xml file. i also use V4A, but only when listening to music with in-ear headphones. definitely makes music i listen to sound better at lower volumes. hope this feedback is helpful to the OP (and others).

cortez.i said:
i had the M8 (and now have the N6) and, in my opinion, M8 boomsound produces higher-quality sound (clearer). not only for music, but for the basic tones that i use for email, text messages, etc. the same tones on the N6 sound distorted and tinny; ended up switching to other tones that sounded better on the N6. conversely, YouTube and WatchESPN videos (e.g., college football games) sounded good with little to no distortion. (that was surprising to me.) i also believe that in-call quality (loudness and clarity) is better on the M8. to my ears, N6 in-call sound is noticeably lower compared to the M8. (this of course is a subjective opinion ). wish i knew how to adjust sound output/values in the mixer_path.xml file. i also use V4A, but only when listening to music with in-ear headphones. definitely makes music i listen to sound better at lower volumes. hope this feedback is helpful to the OP (and others).
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All feedback is is extremely useful! Your feedback is less positive, but my decision is made.. I need the development that comes with a nexus and it's still dual speakers ☺

I think the speakers are very good, but not quite as good as the HTC M8. The last 2 steps at the top of the volume slider produce a weird piercing noise that hurts my ears. I'm thinking it might be an issue in the software or driver. Other than that, I'm extremely happy with the speakers.

ryude said:
I think the speakers are very good, but not quite as good as the HTC M8. The last 2 steps at the top of the volume slider produce a weird piercing noise that hurts my ears. I'm thinking it might be an issue in the software or driver. Other than that, I'm extremely happy with the speakers.
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Let's hope it gets fixed.. Glad to hear that you like the speakers ☺

cortez.i said:
i had the M8 (and now have the N6) and, in my opinion, M8 boomsound produces higher-quality sound (clearer). not only for music, but for the basic tones that i use for email, text messages, etc. the same tones on the N6 sound distorted and tinny; ended up switching to other tones that sounded better on the N6. conversely, YouTube and WatchESPN videos (e.g., college football games) sounded good with little to no distortion. (that was surprising to me.) i also believe that in-call quality (loudness and clarity) is better on the M8. to my ears, N6 in-call sound is noticeably lower compared to the M8. (this of course is a subjective opinion ). wish i knew how to adjust sound output/values in the mixer_path.xml file. i also use V4A, but only when listening to music with in-ear headphones. definitely makes music i listen to sound better at lower volumes. hope this feedback is helpful to the OP (and others).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a M8 a few months ago, and agree 100% with what you said. Boomsound is much better than the N6's speakers. I played around with Viper on my M8, but thought it sounded better stock through the speakers on that phone. I'm trying to experiment with Viper on the N6 now in hopes that I can get it to a Boomsound quality level.

Viper didn't really help much. Speakers sound a little better, but it still doesn't come close to the boomsound on the M8.

I have tested against the nexus 9 which had boomsound, and I find the nexus 6 speakers to be louder and overall more enjoyable. Thev nexus 9 speakers with boom sound are a disappointment and don't deliver imo, I was surprised by the speakers on the Nexus 6.
With that being said I have vbarely used my headphones with the Nexus 6 and that is one of the first things i show off along side the screen.

Related

Tinny Audio?

Is anyone experiencing tinny speaker audio on the Vivid/Raider? It's tough to listen to music because its so full if treble and increasing the bass makes it sound too blown out...
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk
Yeah, it's embarrassing trying to laugh at YouTube videos with other people because it's so hard to hear.. I've invested in a pair of Skull Candy ear buds with the mic built in. Worth the money
PostaL cm said:
Yeah, it's embarrassing trying to laugh at YouTube videos with other people because it's so hard to hear.. I've invested in a pair of Skull Candy ear buds with the mic built in. Worth the money
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Haha, good plan. I've got so many headphones I can't even keep track of them...lol. I love the Vivid so the speaker really doesn't bother me.
No Phone Speaker Is Great
I don't think any phone speaker is going to match a good set of earphones or even middling desktop stereo speakers. Some phones may be better than others, but is that the main way we are going to listen to audio - music, movies, phone calls? Yes, I know that if you want to show a video to someone else, you need the speaker.
Several other threads have already noted that the Vivid speaker, like other HTC phone speakers, may not be very good. I've listened to music over my Vivid's speaker. It's okay but not great. It's about as good as the speaker sound on my daughter's iPhone. But you just aren't going to get good sound from a tiny speaker.
Does the volume seem low to you guys?
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk
mike123475 said:
Does the volume seem low to you guys?
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk
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It does, but its not a deal to me to be honest. Anyone ever try those Monster Bluetooth speakers? I wonder how those sound...
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk
Compare to my old Captivate, the volume of the Vivid is much lower.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using XDA App
is there an app that can boost the audio output?
kiddchris said:
is there an app that can boost the audio output?
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Also interested in this. I've seen one that increases the 3.5mm output, but not the speaker. I have my HP Touchpad patched to be louder and it works great. With all the dev support behind the Android platform I'd be surprised if there isn't a simple option to accomplish this.
I've noticed this with all of the recent HTC phones I've used. After having an Evo 3d, Inspire and the Vivid I've come to realize that HTC just doesn't care about speaker output. If I put my Vivid next to my 4s and play the same song the difference in volume and sound quality is crazy.
I downloaded equalizer app and it helped a lot
waltah! said:
I've noticed this with all of the recent HTC phones I've used. After having an Evo 3d, Inspire and the Vivid I've come to realize that HTC just doesn't care about speaker output. If I put my Vivid next to my 4s and play the same song the difference in volume and sound quality is crazy.
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Played with the Rezound again today. First time I really tested built-in speaker. MUCH better than I've come to expect from HTC. Plenty of volume.
Most of these issues, low volume, too much treble, no bass... I was able too fix too some degree with the Volume+ app. It's in the Android market.
It's not perfect, but much better now.
Sent from my HTC Vivid using Tapatalk
Yeah, I noticed that the first time I watched a YouTube video on mine. Even with it turned all the way up it still doesnt have much volume. So, like others have said, Time to invest in a good set of headphones.
Devin.Morris.007 said:
Yeah, I noticed that the first time I watched a YouTube video on mine. Even with it turned all the way up it still doesnt have much volume. So, like others have said, Time to invest in a good set of headphones.
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I'll second the "invest in a good set of headphones" recommendation, but that's probably because I'm an audiophile. (Ultrasone Edition 8 owner checking in)
Still, I use the speaker on my phones... a lot. It needs to be capable of reaching comfortable levels. At the AT&T store, I did my usual factory reset to the Vivid and then tried both Volume+ (have used before on a different handset with mixed results) and an EQ program. They both seemed to work for system sounds but conflicted with streaming programs like Spotify and Pandora. One made things even quieter. The other locked the phone and required that I pull the battery.
I'm surprised to find that apps that increase volume seem to be niche. There seemingly isn't something out there that's stable enough to be relied upon as an all-purpose solution. Of course, this wouldn't be an issue if the manufacturer invested in a quality component in the first place, but I digress.
As previously stated, I'm quite impressed by the speaker in the Rezound, so it looks like there actually IS something good coming from the Beats partnership. (because their headphones are garbage across the board... as is pretty much everything else associated with Jimmy Iovine) By my ears' account, it held up to the speakers found in the average Samsung handset. (i.e. quite loud) And that screen... best I've seen bar none. The screen on the Vivid is my favorite feature of the handset and, in my opinion, the best by far on AT&T, but the extra resolution on the Rezound takes overall fidelity up a notch. With the recent announcement that HTC is planning another high end phone for AT&T perhaps it will be in the same vein and, if it is, that's the handset I'm opting for. As it stands, I may end up going the bang for the buck route to tide me over and then sell it toward an outright purchase if/when it releases. Of course, should the phone not materialize as expected I wouldn't want to be stuck with something that came as a disappointment and I have to say... the Atrix 2 seems to be the most solid across the board handset currently on the carrier. (and one of the best in this regard on any for that matter)
There is a way to make the phone go to speaker, by turning the phone face down. My Vivid came with that box checked. It seems to affect the sound quality of the whole phone. If you uncheck that box, it makes a world of difference, and the phone sounds better, including any music played through the speaker. Just my opinion, but it worked for me.
Settings>Sound>Flip for speaker(uncheck this box).
grunt0300 said:
There is a way to make the phone go to speaker, by turning the phone face down. My Vivid came with that box checked. It seems to affect the sound quality of the whole phone. If you uncheck that box, it makes a world of difference, and the phone sounds better, including any music played through the speaker. Just my opinion, but it worked for me.
Settings>Sound>Flip for speaker(uncheck this box).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested with a song using the HTC music player. With the flip box unchecked, I could hear a little difference in the sound from the external speaker. The song sounded a little "deeper" and less tinny as others have described it. Since I've never used the speaker phone feature, I left the box unchecked.
After upgrading to ICS and getting Beats Audio, I can say that the sound quality is noticeably better when patched into my car's system via headphone jack. Beats Audio doesn't do squat unless you're using the headphone jack though.

Nexus 4 Sound quality = GOOD!

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

Audio Quality on Nexus 6?

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

Headphone Output Quality

I'm coming from a Oneplus One a much better phone for music than my poor old Galaxy S2. How does the Oneplus 3 do compared to its predecessor's? Is it loud, undistorted, have a good range in its built-in DAC for the 3.5mm Jack?
Thanks-
JJ
I haven't got mine yet although from all the reviews i've seen they say the earphone quality is good
It sound really good in my opinion. Even better than my Samsung GT I9000
Yes, with sony headphone the quality is very good
TED
maxl96 said:
It sound really good in my optionion. Even better than my Samsung GT I9000
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No wonder it's gonna be better than a 6 year old phone.
Loving the sound from my Xiaomi Mi Piston 3 on my Oneplus 3..!
It easily tops the quality and power of the Nexus 6. My completely stock OP3 sounds just as good and loud as my rooted N6 using Viper4Android.
Not bad at all, much better than my Nexus 5X.
Sound quality is good and I was a bit worried when I got mine. Coming from a Huawei P8, which I found to be great, I have been very happy with OP3.
I use Neutron player and after I took time to disable some features and enable others, I am very pleased. Output is loud and clear makes my earbuds boom nicely. Overall, no complaints at all. Speaker volume on the other hand... not as good as I'd like.
But, headphone, for me anyway, is most important.
R3Lax1 said:
No wonder it's gonna be better than a 6 year old phone.
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Thats exactly what i was thinking
R3Lax1 said:
No wonder it's gonna be better than a 6 year old phone.
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Mulayan said:
Thats exactly what i was thinking
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Right, so you clearly have no idea :laugh:
Maybe you should look up the Wolfson WM8994
maxl96 said:
Right, so you clearly have no idea :laugh:
Maybe you should look up the Wolfson WM8994
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We are talking about normal Android devices and not some piece of sh*t you found somewhere on the Internet...
Mulayan said:
We are talking about normal Android devices and not some piece of sh*t you found somewhere on the Internet...
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Ahem... I think that the Wolfson WM8994 is the audio chipset of the first Samsung galaxy ( am i right ? ) not a phone...
It has the generic Snapdragon converter. Nothing special but sound quality is decent through the h/phone out. When I had the phone I used it a couple of times with both Grado and Sennheiser cans. No real complaints, not amazing. Good enough imho.
We see here again in this thread that many people mean "loud" when they say "good quality".
Yes, the signal level on the headphone jack is quite high. This has the advantage that high-impedance headphones (i.e. "those big ones for audiophiles") work without problems with the OP3 and are loud enough; on many smartphones, this is not the case.
Furthermore, the dynamic range is really good. I.e., the difference between the quietest and the loudest parts of a recording is reproduced quite faithfully. This is also not a given on smartphones.
The actual sound quality (!) is absolutely OK but of course not on the level of more advanced DACs.
The non-audiophile listener with his usual MP3s of pop music will be completely content.
toy57 said:
Ahem... I think that the Wolfson WM8994 is the audio chipset of the first Samsung galaxy ( am i right ? ) not a phone...
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I never said it's a phone. Do I?
The Wolfson is actually the DAC which is used in The Galaxy S and there was an App called Voodoo Controller by Supercurio which enabled really undistorted and clear output.
Wolfson DACs where also used in some BMW and Mercedes by the way...
Finally mines arrived been using it for a day listening with inateck Aries earphones and I'm very impressed good amount of bass and undistorted Highs. Using viper on oxygenos. Way better than my s2 and not massively better than my oneplus one.
hasenbein1966 said:
We see here again in this thread that many people mean "loud" when they say "good quality".
Yes, the signal level on the headphone jack is quite high. This has the advantage that high-impedance headphones (i.e. "those big ones for audiophiles") work without problems with the OP3 and are loud enough; on many smartphones, this is not the case.
Furthermore, the dynamic range is really good. I.e., the difference between the quietest and the loudest parts of a recording is reproduced quite faithfully. This is also not a given on smartphones.
The actual sound quality (!) is absolutely OK but of course not on the level of more advanced DACs.
The non-audiophile listener with his usual MP3s of pop music will be completely content.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So the sound quality is average as for the phone? So probably big difference compared to good quality mp3 player? I was thinking if zte axon 7 has really better sound quality or just dolby, useless for music 32bit. People say it's noticeably better, but just because it has more bass or whatever, or with dolby on when it can get only worse for music.
Maybe you or anyone else knows something about sound quality, has a good headphones to check it, has some comparison to good portable audio player or decent phone.
I'm not an audiophile but I can appreciate sound quality more than others, I'm using old Cowon j3 player and it sounds really well. Have also OPO which I'm using with Spotify, but can hear sound degradation over Cowon
When it's loud, or has a lot of bass or hurting ears high tones says nothing about sound quality. I would like to know how is the soundstage, if the instruments are separate, if they are heard well not mixed up with other sounds, if the sound is flat or not, you said the dynamic range is fine, that's good.
Do anyone know what sound chip is inside OP3?

Speakerphone (loudness, clarity)

Proper etiquette aside (hint: don't use speakerphone while doing your "business" in a public bathroom), rate this thread to express how you think the HTC U11's speakerphone performs. A higher rating indicates that you love it: it's loud and it's clear.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
The speakerphone is total garbage its absolutely awful if you ask me!
Pneuma1985 said:
The speakerphone is total garbage its absolutely awful if you ask me!
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Not really bad
It is way better than my old s8 plus speaker
But axon 7 spssker is way better
rowihel2012 said:
Not really bad
It is way better than my old s8 plus speaker
But axon 7 spssker is way better
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Yeah I guess im just used to my htc10 speaker with a sound mod... Much louder!
Not sure what you are talking about, there might exist phones where it's even better, but I actually find it extremely loud and clear! Way better than how I remember the M8 to be when it was new (my speakers somehow degraded over time). And, more importantly, people on the other side hear me very well too, with the M8 they were complaining the whole time when I was using the speakerphone.
Black Antitoon said:
Not sure what you are talking about, there might exist phones where it's even better, but I actually find it extremely loud and clear! Way better than how I remember the M8 to be when it was new (my speakers somehow degraded over time). And, more importantly, people on the other side hear me very well too, with the M8 they were complaining the whole time when I was using the speakerphone.
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Click to collapse
Yeah I still see people brag about how much better the M8 speakers were but I have mine still side by side and the M8 speakers are very low.
Black Antitoon said:
Not sure what you are talking about, there might exist phones where it's even better, but I actually find it extremely loud and clear! Way better than how I remember the M8 to be when it was new (my speakers somehow degraded over time). And, more importantly, people on the other side hear me very well too, with the M8 they were complaining the whole time when I was using the speakerphone.
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Click to collapse
Well the 10 with a mod I could hear over my exhaust for my type-s RSX now I can not hear anything unless I literally hold it up to my head.... So to me that says alot! Just booted my m8 and it also has moded audio and it isnt that much louder to be honest.
Pneuma1985 said:
Well the 10 with a mod I could hear over my exhaust for my type-s RSX now I can not hear anything unless I literally hold it up to my head.... So to me that says alot! Just booted my m8 and it also has moded audio and it isnt that much louder to be honest.
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There is a sound mod in viper rom. It made the u11 speakerphone louder for me from what I could tell.
Previously I had Axon 7 and its speakers were much better than those in u11.
thirtyseconds said:
Previously I had Axon 7 and its speakers were much better than those in u11.
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Exactly axon 7 speaker is amazing with lenovo dolby app
Amazing when playing music or watching video, but on a call the sound only comes from the bottom speaker.
ibolito said:
Amazing when playing music or watching video, but on a call the sound only comes from the bottom speaker.
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I also noticed that bug - sometimes during the call sound goes to the bottom speaker and I cant hear anything unless I rotate the phone
Pneuma1985 said:
Yeah I guess im just used to my htc10 speaker with a sound mod... Much louder!
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Click to collapse
Which mode is that, coz my HTC 10 loud speaker wasn't as loud as my HTC One m9
Today I took a shower and during that shower I realized I feel like listening to some music. so use the magic words and I spoke to my phone I said to him ok Google Play Coldplay music in Spotify.
Then the volume was too low, so I spoke to magic words again and ask my phone to increase the volume it worked out just fine.
Awesome!!!
Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
Black Antitoon said:
Not sure what you are talking about, there might exist phones where it's even better, but I actually find it extremely loud and clear! Way better than how I remember the M8 to be when it was new (my speakers somehow degraded over time). And, more importantly, people on the other side hear me very well too, with the M8 they were complaining the whole time when I was using the speakerphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your speakers may or may have not degraded.
The speakers from my M9 were very quiet at some point and the sound sounded like it was cracking.
The problem was that dust got in the grille.
So i just took a toothbrush (dont forget to dry it before using it) and took out the dust.
You have to swipe towards the screen to get the dust out.
One of those small brushes used to clean hair trimmers is good too.
I first saw it here and it actually worked:
https://youtu.be/-NngAUWHHyo
I'm very happy with the speaker. I compare it to my older S6 and my temp OnePlus 5 and the sound coming from the U11 is much richer and warmer. It might not be as loud as the OP5 but the definition is much better where the OP5 sounds louder but very thin and high pitched.
Can someone tell me about the quality of ear piece ? Is it loud enough for hearing the caller from other side in noisy environment ?
Well the quality is amazing but the volume is extremely low unless you crank it to 100...but if you combine it with Viper4Android just use the "eXtra Loud" option set to extreme and Max Gain 4x and max output to 0dB... then half volume is now loud and the quality is still there
Coming from the iPhone 8 the volume is very low and distinct lack of bass.
Quite disappointed to the point I thought my unit was defective.
Hi,
for me,my M8 sounds better then my new U11.

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