I want to pose a question in regards to the Bluetooth quality for the new HTC One. I use my phone heavily to steam music, podcasts, and take phone calls over Bluetooth and have had varying results with my past phones. My Blackberry, HOX, and GS3 have very high quality audio over Bluetooth while my GS2 was trash.
Reading about the HTC One X+, many users reported horrible Bluetooth playback. Do we know if the One will follow suit? With such an audio centric device, I hope they took this into consideration. Unfortunately, this would be a deal breaker for me. Knowing how long it takes ATT to push out updates, I don't want to rely on that process either.
Anywho, I'd like to hear your thoughts.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
I would hope just as others who use BT to stream music that the quality would be good, especially since HTC is really pushing music quality with the ONE. But there is no real way of knowing until we all get to use it.
It has aptX, which is the best available in the market now. I have GS3 with aptX and it is quite good. I can tell the difference between BT w/aptX and wired IEMs, but the difference is not huge. Just a little more bg noise; probably would not notice in car.
BaronInkjet said:
It has aptX, which is the best available in the market now. I have GS3 with aptX and it is quite good. I can tell the difference between BT w/aptX and wired IEMs, but the difference is not huge. Just a little more bg noise; probably would not notice in car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what about BT headphones? would there be a huge difference there, or not a big enough one for it to be noticable?
BT headphoones or headset must support aptX as well to provide wireless sound quality almost similar to wired. Check the specs. When I flashed SGS2 first android JB leak firmware (that added aptX codec support to SGS2) I was shocked with the difference in sound quality it my headset with aptX support. Due to poor headphones preamp in SGS2 the BT headset preamp appeared much better and in pair with aptX the sound via BT is better than from minijack.
BaronInkjet said:
It has aptX, which is the best available in the market now. I have GS3 with aptX and it is quite good. I can tell the difference between BT w/aptX and wired IEMs, but the difference is not huge. Just a little more bg noise; probably would not notice in car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you look at the One X+ issues you can see that the problem was generally for call/voice quality not for music quality. I really hope the call quality is fixed for the One. I returned my X+ because of the poor bluetooth call quality, and would have gotten one again if I had ever seen an update for it.
It sounded like the issue was fixed by some custom ROMs and was a software output level issue rather than a hardware issue, so it seems like HTC should have been able to fix this by now. /crosses fingers.
How's the audio quality on the S10 with headphones (bt and wired)? I've rooted and used viper in the past because the built in eq usually caused a volume decrease,regardless of the phone I had.
kheltek said:
How's the audio quality on the S10 with headphones (bt and wired)? I've rooted and used viper in the past because the built in eq usually caused a volume decrease,regardless of the phone I had.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have wired earphones. Quality is top notch. Also volume is high enough. I use klipsch r6m and Sony extra bass xb75
Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
Would love for someone to take some measurements of frequency response, distortion, output impedance, etc.
https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s10-review-1903p3.php
https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s10_plus-review-1901p3.php
Coming from a LG V30 which has a hi-fi built in DAC for its headphone jack...this thing sounds tinny to me. Even with dolby atmos enabled. Funny thing is, I had a $15 usb c dongle just for curiosity and the sound quality is actually better using that. I think unless if they have a built in high quality DAC, then it's unnecessary for phone companies at this point to keep the headphone jack since a cheap dongle actually provides better sound quality than a basic headphone jack does. The sound quality I got from the dongle was a lot closer to my old LG's quality, it's punchier than the S10's jack.
Mudig said:
Coming from a LG V30 which has a hi-fi built in DAC for its headphone jack...this thing sounds tinny to me. Even with dolby atmos enabled. Funny thing is, I had a $15 usb c dongle just for curiosity and the sound quality is actually better using that. I think unless if they have a built in high quality DAC, then it's unnecessary for phone companies at this point to keep the headphone jack since a cheap dongle actually provides better sound quality than a basic headphone jack does. The sound quality I got from the dongle was a lot closer to my old LG's quality, it's punchier than the S10's jack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about companies keep both usb c and headphone jack to make everyone happy [emoji16]
Sent from my Mate 20 Pro
Mudig said:
Coming from a LG V30 which has a hi-fi built in DAC for its headphone jack...this thing sounds tinny to me. Even with dolby atmos enabled. Funny thing is, I had a $15 usb c dongle just for curiosity and the sound quality is actually better using that. I think unless if they have a built in high quality DAC, then it's unnecessary for phone companies at this point to keep the headphone jack since a cheap dongle actually provides better sound quality than a basic headphone jack does. The sound quality I got from the dongle was a lot closer to my old LG's quality, it's punchier than the S10's jack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange, for the most part the headphone jack quality is miles better than almost any dongle I've used in my situation. And I've used literally ALL if them. From Razer, Google, htc, Huawei, xiaomi etc. The only thing that Trump's the headphone jack for me is the Shure usb-c dongle/cable for my se846s. Distortion free and balanced in that situation. Though I do miss plugging them into the headphone jack of an old LG V20 or HTC 10, nothing mobile-wise ever beat that. Ahhh the memories, lol.
Nothing in the world is better than a phone running viper. There just is no substitute in any way. That is literally the only thing I have wanted root for and have missed. I still run an old note as a second phone because it has viper and all my Spotify playlist backed up. if somebody came up with a way to utilize viper without rooting I would have the perfect phone.
I've been using this phone (S10 Snapdragon 855) and doing some tests and looking at other peoples' research for a while now, and I've realized a few things.
1. The S10 (SD855) has a high quality audio codec onboard, but it doesn't work with the headphone jack! To sum it up, the high-res direct_pcm output only works with 3 devices: None of which are the headphone jack.
Code:
Device 1:
- tag name: Aux Device Out
- type: AUDIO_DEVICE_OUT_AUX_DIGITAL
Device 2:
- tag name: Usb Device Out
- type: AUDIO_DEVICE_OUT_USB_DEVICE
Device 3:
- tag name: USB Headset Out
- type: AUDIO_DEVICE_OUT_USB_HEADSET
2. Using a 60 Hz test file and 30 Ohms resistor, I was reading 0.5438V without load and 0.5095V with 30 Ohms load, giving an output impedance of 2.02 Ohms.
3. SD855 version of the S10+ seems to measure better than the Exynos version, and I wouldn't be surprised if this held true for the S10. This information is available in Anandtech's review/comparison of the S10+ SD855 and S10+ Exynos.
QuadraKev said:
I've been using this phone (S10 Snapdragon 855) and doing some tests and looking at other peoples' research for a while now, and I've realized a few things.
1. The S10 (SD855) has a high quality audio codec onboard, but it doesn't work with the headphone jack! To sum it up, the high-res direct_pcm output only works with 3 devices: None of which are the headphone jack.
2. Using a 60 Hz test file and 30 Ohms resistor, I was reading 0.5438V without load and 0.5095V with 30 Ohms load, giving an output impedance of 2.02 Ohms.
3. SD855 version of the S10+ seems to measure better than the Exynos version, and I wouldn't be surprised if this held true for the S10. This information is available in Anandtech's review/comparison of the S10+ SD855 and S10+ Exynos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Andrei (Anand writer) is also a member of xda. You could reach out to him and see whether his units can access the pcm, or whether there's a hw/sw limitation in place.
Prevalent on S10e as well
I can confirm that the audio quality from the headphone jack on the S10e seems to be lacking quite a bit as well. I haven't been able to try decent USB-C headphones on it yet, but I was able to compare it to my old S9 using the same headphones with the same equalizer settings and MP3's (I know - lossy, but I'm just testing audio output here). It is very noticeably less punchy, tinnier and overall cooler than the S9's bassy, warm and full sound.
This is a huge disappointment. I really hope this can be fixed with a software update soon, or even a root. It doesn't sound awful per say as is, but in comparison to previous phones I've had, even dating back to the iPhone 4s, this is pretty unacceptable. The worst part is that no one is saying a thing about it. I must have watched about 20 S10 and S10e reviews at this point and there's even a guy who calls himself an audiophile who fails to notice it. Samsung won't do a thing if no one says a word, no?
AnonimusDinonicus said:
I can confirm that the audio quality from the headphone jack on the S10e seems to be lacking quite a bit as well. I haven't been able to try decent USB-C headphones on it yet, but I was able to compare it to my old S9 using the same headphones with the same equalizer settings and MP3's (I know - lossy, but I'm just testing audio output here). It is very noticeably less punchy, tinnier and overall cooler than the S9's bassy, warm and full sound.
This is a huge disappointment. I really hope this can be fixed with a software update soon, or even a root. It doesn't sound awful per say as is, but in comparison to previous phones I've had, even dating back to the iPhone 4s, this is pretty unacceptable. The worst part is that no one is saying a thing about it. I must have watched about 20 S10 and S10e reviews at this point and there's even a guy who calls himself an audiophile who fails to notice it. Samsung won't do a thing if no one says a word, no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I compared lg g6 with quad dac sabre to the s10e sd855.
On stock without Dolby atmos and few tweaks in settings selected on s10e, the lg is the winner but it comes at cost with less battery life.
When you select Dolby atmos and few tweaks (see below) the sound of sd855 is much more balanced/neutral/warmer than the lg g6 and I prefer it overwhelmingly.
Prior there is a void in the lower/upper midrange on stock.
The tweaks
Choose the adapt sound and choose under 30 years old it helps provide some boost to the gain.
You can also select uhq up scaler and select the first one for more air and if your select bandwidth it's a bit more fuller but less air. I like the air first one (bit upscaling)
The Sound
The lg g6 quad dac has too much filtering whereas the snapdragon with tweaks sounds more balanced/ neutral ymmv.
The Sabres bass is also more muddy than the sd855. The mids and top are more isolated / airy in the sabre dac but the difference il can be made very close.
Happy listening and the enjoy the sound. Love the s10e and sd855.
S10 series with Exynos has dedicated AKM DAC and dedicated headphone amp. You would call it high end DAC. Same as on Note 9, S9, Note 8, S8.
S10 series with Snapdragon uses the Snapdragons SOC build in DAC and headphone amp.
The lack of sound quality or the sound compared to USB-C audio adapters which is differ has nothing to do with audio quality in general with the audio component of the phone. The frequency curve is flat (neutral). And the sound is high resoluted. I used my Beyerdynamic T90 and Sennheiser HD 700 to get an idea of it. The sound components that Samsung uses are very good, only the LG G or V series uses such components but with a better implementation. But S10 series suffers in some interferences. This is why the lab measurements are not as good as they could be like on Samsung S9. But you will not hear impairments with cheap or casual headphones combined with lossy sound sources like spotify or mp4, mp3, ogg.
If your sound sucks the you could use better headphones, an EQ or a dedicated headphone amp. Samsung uses lots of software and oversampling with higher bitrate and frequencies. So you will not get full neutral or bit by bit sound out of the headphone jack.
I use the Exynos version with AKM chips. And for my taste the audio quality for a smartphone is outstanding.
Where did you read that exynos uses akm dac?
If you read the anandtech article on sd855 v exynos in s10 it states:
The Snapdragon Galaxy S10 continues to showcase excellent results with what was in line with Qualcomm’s Aqstic line of DACs over the last few years: a very clean output with very little noise.
Exynos Galaxy S10+
Switching over to the Exynos Galaxy S10 however we’re seeing some pretty shocking results. The phone uses a Cirrus Logic CS47L93 audio codec chip which has actually been used in Exynos variants since the Galaxy S8. Unfortunately in recent years this was surpassed by Qualcomm’s audio chips, and in particular the Galaxy S10 suffers from a pretty bad implementation. Here we’re clearly seeing noise components that are not part of the reference 1KHz signal, with a particularly odd 250Hz component. The measurements were done in sequence with just re-plugging the input from the Snapdragon to the Exynos under the same conditions. Audio output level was calibrated at near -10dbV / 312.5mV RMS on both devices.
In practical terms, there is audible difference between the two as the Exynos unit sounds warmer (in a bad way) and more muffled. The Snapdragon achieves higher clarity and the sound stage appears wider. This was my subjective evaluation using the same Samsung’s included AKG headphones on both units, both having the same software audio settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------- Post added at 03:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:37 PM ----------
Also, I'll add my best sounding settings using sd855 using Qualcomm.
Select adapt sound under 30 and the following:
Some may prefer auto under Dolby atmos, experiment what you prefer.
Happy listening.
xlr8me said:
Where did you read that exynos uses akm dac?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry it's a Cirrus Logic CS47L93 IC (DAC, ADC, ... combination chip), not from AKM. Still of a very good speficiation. I have mistaken it with another hi-fi device which I am currently examining.
I did a 30 minute A/B comparison with S10e Exynos headphone out and a JDS Labs O2+ODAC (DAC+headphone amp) with Sennheiser HD 700 headphones.
Both devices sound exactly the same. No wonders here. They should!
But the S10e Exynos lacks a little bit of resolution which might be interpreted by some people as lack of transparency. Which also tends to mud the bass region a bit. Kick drums disappears into the background a little. Kick drums have not the clear and tight punch as they should. Plus the highs somewhere above 8000 Hz tend to hiss sometimes, not often, which are barely hearable, only with my HD 700. This might be the interferences which i spoke of, might be other components and radio waves that have influence to the components.
I can not confirm that the S10e Exynos sounds different or warmer than other devices, asclaimed by anandtech. If so, we would have a technical design fault.
The S10e with CS47L93 and its implementation does'nt spit out a high end sound which can only be subjectivly heard with good til high end phones. If you use budget phones up to 200€ or dollar you should not or barely hear any differences in an A/B comparison. I beef on a very very very high level where most people can not or will not hear any differences.
So the overall quality of the headphone jack is good but not high end. I would not use it as a main player for music. Only with an external DAC over USB-C. But on the road or in bed i have a good music player squashed in a smartphone. You can play, phone, chat, gawk vids and hear music with it. This is awesome isn't it.
P.S. settings i used for A/B comparison:
S10e audio settings:
- Dolby Atmos = off
- Dolby Atmos on games = off
- Equalizer = normal (which maybe means 'off')
- UHQ Upscaler = Bit-Upscaling
- Adapt Sound = standard (which means 'off')
If this standard settings sound thin, then use other or better headpones. This is neutral sound and flat sound as it should be to evaluate headphone sound. Only headphones can give you what you want. Not the DAC or other technics. Playing around with an equalizer can give you a bit but might not satisfy you.
Audio Player = Samsung build in Music Player
Audio Tracks = Kobra and the Lotus - Prevail II album. An rock/metal album with very good and modern production
Audio Files = 44.1 kHz, 16 bit, lossless FLAC
Playing around with the EQ and Adapt Sound gives good and enjoying result with other headphones for me. The rest does not. I advice to set up your own 'adapt sound' profile. Do it in the the most quiet place. It is a hearing test and boost the frequencies (it's an EQ) you can barely hear anymore. If you need more bass use the EQ additionally and boost 63 Herz up to a max of 3 ticks, 125 Herz up to a max of 2 ticks, and optionaly 250 Herz up to only one tick. The other frequencies should be flat. Now you should have a broad stage with extreme highs and a bit of more bass and lower mids for drum punch. If it's not good use another or better headphone. The Samsung sound settings is not anybodies taste but they are there.
UHQ Upscaler is also an EQ which tends to muddy the overall sound.
Dolby Atmos destroys the whole sound stage and tends to sound compressed. I only found it usable for anything but music. E.g. to boost speech clarity in podcasts.
Bluetooth audio worst than s8+ especially on the bass dynamic, the difference is quite obvious .... Overalls disappointed on the audio quality
And the original AKG earphone too, it's sound very flat and plain compared to S8+ AKG earphone
I observed, having access to many different units, that sound quality among same model has quality deviation.
I ve tested 6-7 s10, s10 plus and sound quality in the whole spectrum, earpiece,headset, Bluetooth, had slight differences from unit to unit.
Some have slight distortion, others are crystal clear, others have more depth etc.
The same applies to other headset companies like apple Huawei etc.
I don't know why this happens but usually it's matter of luck to obtain a perfect sounding device.
Sorry for my mediocre English
Στάλθηκε από το SM-G973F μου χρησιμοποιώντας Tapatalk
Agree. I plugged my S10e into some Yamaha HS8 monitor speakers and it sounded surprisingly bad compared to a proper soundcard. Tinny, missing low end... I was disappointed.
Hello everyone,
I've read pretty everything in this post and I did some research.
I found this huge database about this DAC chip, it has every little detail you'd ever need, Read more here.
Hope it helped anyone...
Hello Friends,
Happy New Year 2022
I have the Galaxy S10 PLUS, the Exynos version.
I am listening to Apple Music with the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones using the Codec LDAC
I am thinking of offering myself one of those Digital Audio Players such as the KANN ALPHA from Astell&Kern.
Will I make a mistake? Since my understanding is that the Galaxy S10 is good enough to listen to High Resolution music?
Thanks for the assistance,
I am wondering how much of a downgrade(if at all) would this device be compared to my LG V20. The most I was able to find was int the GSMArena review, "the phone has a 24-bit/192kH DAC with Hi-Res audio support", but no actual comment on how it performs.
Has anyone tried to pair this device with a pair the ROG 2 with a good pair of headphones? How did it sound? Was it able to power high impedance headphones? If it is - does it have an arbitrary "low impedance mode" that can make it sound underwhelming with headphones that fall just under that limit?(It's a pretty annoying issue with my V20)
Not much help for your questions, but I don't believe it has a dedicated amplifier for the headphone jack, which may not drive high-end headphones.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk
OFTM said:
The most I was able to find was int the GSMArena review, "the phone has a 24-bit/192kH DAC with Hi-Res audio support", but no actual comment on how it performs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, GSMArena did make an interesting comment about the audio output:
"Unfortunately, our review unit came with a disclaimer that the frequency response reading my suffer from a bug with the audio output which is on its was to be fixed via a software update before the phone becomes available."
And AndroidAuthority also expressed similar concerns:
"The inclusion of the headphone port is great, but it’s not the best jack we’ve ever seen in terms of quality. Our testing showed a lesser frequency response than the competition, so keep that in mind if you require tip-top audio."
I'd also be interested to know how much this impacts the actual listening experience.
And I hope this is really just a SW issue, which will be patched later on...
OFTM said:
I am wondering how much of a downgrade(if at all) would this device be compared to my LG V20. The most I was able to find was int the GSMArena review, "the phone has a 24-bit/192kH DAC with Hi-Res audio support", but no actual comment on how it performs.
Has anyone tried to pair this device with a pair the ROG 2 with a good pair of headphones? How did it sound? Was it able to power high impedance headphones? If it is - does it have an arbitrary "low impedance mode" that can make it sound underwhelming with headphones that fall just under that limit?(It's a pretty annoying issue with my V20)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have with a pair of Shure 535's and played with the Audio wizard and sounds great to me.
IMO it's definitely not as good as LGs quad DAC but it's better than the Samsung I had.
Sent from my ASUS_I001DC using Tapatalk
TawkinTrash said:
IMO it's definitely not as good as LGs quad DAC but it's better than the Samsung I had.
Sent from my ASUS_I001DC using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which Samsung model did you have?
edorner said:
Which Samsung model did you have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a Note 9.
The DAC on the Note 9 wasn't bad but IMO the ROG II DAC is lighter, clearer and less distorted.
It definitely is a different sound tho.
I thought the note 9 Snapdragon version sounded equally as good as LG G8's quad HD dac on Shure SE846. ROG sounds slightly grainy or harsher, not sure since I don't have those 2 phones with me anymore to compare. Nothing jumps out at me saying there is something that sounds wrong which is good.
TawkinTrash said:
I had a Note 9.
The DAC on the Note 9 wasn't bad but IMO the ROG II DAC is lighter, clearer and less distorted.
It definitely is a different sound tho.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Galaxy s9+ unlocked us version and it sounds a lot better than this phone.
This phone's DTS equalizer thing messes with the stereo of the music and most of the tracks sound wonky. The sound goes up and down for some instruments. I tried disabling the Audio Wizard app but still the same result. I'm on the latest WW Rom on my Tencent Edition.
still_living said:
I have a Galaxy s9+ unlocked us version and it sounds a lot better than this phone.
This phone's DTS equalizer thing messes with the stereo of the music and most of the tracks sound wonky. The sound goes up and down for some instruments. I tried disabling the Audio Wizard app but still the same result. I'm on the latest WW Rom on my Tencent Edition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I turned the DTS off after like 10 seconds of listening to it and set the equalizer flat to normal.
Sent from my ASUS_I001DC using Tapatalk
TawkinTrash said:
I turned the DTS off after like 10 seconds of listening to it and set the equalizer flat to normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How???!!!
I even tried disabling the Audio Wizard app
still_living said:
How???!!!
I even tried disabling the Audio Wizard app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the Audio Wizard screen at the top right it let me toggle the DTS button on and off. Right now the button only says Outdoor so maybe it changes with your surroundings.
Sent from my ASUS_I001DC using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 09:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:49 AM ----------
Ok so the Outdoor button changes to DTS when you put headphones in. Then you can toggle it.
Sent from my ASUS_I001DC using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 09:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:13 AM ----------
Yea you guys are right. It does sound a little weird when you compare it to an LG V20. Maybe I liked it because it was a different sound.
Although after messing with the equalizer settings it sounds good. I customized the rock profile by raising the 1khz and 2 khz settings.
Sent from my ASUS_I001DC using Tapatalk
Is there a way to completely remove AudioWizard? Or can it be permanently disabled?
I really like this phone but I listen to music a lot, with wired or bluetooth headphones. Using wired I can just connect an external USB C DAC and amp. However I have heard that AudioWizard also affects bluetooth connections? That seems very strange as bluetooth headphones have their own DAC and amp...
It's not as good as LG but it is better than Samsung
---------- Post added at 10:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:38 PM ----------
pox67 said:
Is there a way to completely remove AudioWizard? Or can it be permanently disabled?
I really like this phone but I listen to music a lot, with wired or bluetooth headphones. Using wired I can just connect an external USB C DAC and amp. However I have heard that AudioWizard also affects bluetooth connections? That seems very strange as bluetooth headphones have their own DAC and amp...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can just disable dts.... But it will yield much worse results
Hey folks,
Device details:
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (SM-G998W - Canadian Snapdragon 888 variant)
Soundpeats H1 True Wireless Earbuds (Qualcomm QCC3040 audio chipset, BT 5.2)
So I decided to spend a little more than I like and bought an upper mid range set of True Wireless Earbuds. The biggest selling feature of the set was the new QCC3040 chipset that was recently introduced to replace the QCC3020. The big deal about QCC3040 is the introduction of support for aptx adaptive/hd, as well as a few other features to allow the earbuds to pair separately and seamlessly switch pairing from mono to stereo etc.
The earbuds I went with are the Soundpeats H1. Unfortunately, after getting them paired. Updating firmware and installing EQ app etc, I went into developer options to make sure they were using the new codec etc, and alas they were still using standard aptx. The only 3 options available are SBC. AAC. and Aptx. The other 2 options (which are greyed out) are LDAC & SSC (Samsung Scalable Codec, which as I understand it, is likely the reason for this whole issue).
Samsung has deliberately deactivated these codecs which are automatically present in the soc. To make matters worse, most upper mid range earbuds do not support the SSC codec samsung is trying to force onto it's users. So they deactivate a functionality most would likely consider essential (except most are not even aware they are being mislead here because developer options are hidden well enough that 95% of people will never even know that the high end wireless audio tech they purchased is performing no better than a set of throwaways from walmart).
This gets me to my inquiry. Is there any method through software with which to restore these qualcomm codecs? Would appreciate any info the community here can offer.
Thanks!
Which codecs are unavailable?
LDAC and SSC are the best HD codecs this phone offers. So you need a device the supports one of these. There are some excellent Sony and Panasonic Headsets and Buds that use LDAC.
Some have talked here about upscaling the SBC one to get better resolution by altering the stack. Don't know if it's better than LDAC though.
The codes of which I speak are the Qualcomm ones.
Aptx (which samsung reluctantly introduced with the Galaxy S10 series)
Aptx HD (the SOC of course supports it, but Samsung disables)
Aptx Adaptive (the SOC of course supports it, but Samsung disables)
As for LDAC and SSC. They require extremely expensive devices like Qualcomm QCC51xx chipset devices. Aptx HD and Aptx Adaptive which are supported by midrange and upper midrange QCC3040 chipsets are the only Lossless/HD audio solutions for under $150.
This is an issue that should not be an issue. Samsung actively disables a tech included in the SOC they use just to promote the in house codec they have (SSC), and fail to make that codec compatible with anything except the most expensive audiophile devices.
To put things in perspective. I have a galaxy s21 ultra, which is a 1000 dollar flagship device. I could go out and buy an entry level or mid range phone from Poco, Realme, TCL, etc and using the Soundpeats H1 earbuds I have with QCC3040 chipset. The sound quality, bitrate/bandwidth management etc would be vastly superior after pairing with the Poco phone or the Realme than it would be with a Samsung Galaxy s21.
Well I would've gone with a Note rather than the S21U. In fact I bought my second new N10+ 4 months ago. Nonetheless both models share the same deficiency. Apparently it has to do with licensing fees.
I would like to have it too as I do have quit a few HDCD files who's resolution can be 22 bits if loaded as wav files which preserves the HDCD encryption. A high resolution DAC gleans about 90% of this; no HDCD decoder needed. HDCD is a proprietary Denon technology. So there's that...
The Buds+ sound good if you use PowerAmp's graphic equalizer. Sony or Panasonic LDAC... and that's what you got. Pulling the 3.5mm jack pi$$ed me off proper as using the dongle/C port is cumbersome and bound to damage the jack.
So the Buds+ it is. The are excellent for calls and worth it just for that. They never fall out and have a very long run time.
By all means rag on Samsung Tech support about it. They deserve it. If you get a South Korean tech it's a special treat; they can handle even polite criticism.
I think I broke a few of them.... oops
I have heard mention before that custom rom developers were able to restore Aptx standard codec to galaxy smartphones before Samsung ultimately relented and released a software update that made it available by default.
Is there any reason why rooting, modding or cooking a custom rom would be unable to do the same with Aptx Adaptive and/or Aptx HD on the s21 series?