mobile DACs any benefits? - Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Questions & Answers

I won't dispute mobile DACs benefits such as Chord Mojo or Fiio. Just wanted feedback from those who have set up the N9 with a DAC...
Thanks in advance

Note 9 already equipped with very decent DAC to drive entry level ~ mid end drivers with impressive detail. Unless you are trying to drive DSD128 or DSD512 with 80K headset. Then you will need another AMP + DAC.

Have not tried my DAC/AMP yet. C5A or something. My V20 has been my DAP and I have been using my AKGN60s. Pretty sure the Cirrus logic or Wolfson in Exynos version is better than the snapdragon Aqstic. The snapdragon DAC is just middle of the road.

I am using mine withe sony PHA-3/Hidizs HD100 with HD app and HD headphone/earphone and ripped music in lossless format. They blew the phone 3.5mm jack away and you would never go back to 3.5mm phone jack.

Related

S5 USB AUDIO Out - for the Audiophiles

Just in case anybody was wondering. S5 USB Audio out works .. Hooray !
I haven't extensively tested how much better the audio sounds with USB vs directly from headphone.
My setup
S5 >> USB OTG Cable >> USB Cable to my hippo cricri Amp >> Headphones out.
In case you were wondering, s3 and s4 LTE+ didn't support that. The Note 3 did.
I use s3 us cellular version and works with fiio e17. The same for s4 lte 9505 and note 3.
Sent from my GT-I9192 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
calinormy said:
I use s3 us cellular version and works with fiio e17. The same for s4 lte 9505 and note 3.
Sent from my GT-I9192 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you're right.. If I remember correctly the Fiio e17 was one of the few dac that works with the s3 and the s4... However, the s3/s4 couldn't work with the bulk of the other dacs, but the note 3 had no problems.
Wonder if I could hookup threw the USB on my Kenwood deck.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
bucket81 said:
Wonder if I could hookup threw the USB on my Kenwood deck.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is SO exactly my thought. I love how simple my iPhone would plug into that and I could control it with the stereo, charge it, etc. Can't wait to try this in the morning.
what the headphone out like on the S5 , I normally use a JDS Labs C5D with my S4.
klownem said:
what the headphone out like on the S5 , I normally use a JDS Labs C5D with my S4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine doesn't seem to be working. Any way to troubleshoot the issue?
I have a nuforce udac3
This is exactly what I'm looking for to handle noise when I fly. Just using a LOD from my iPod and iPhone into a low cost Cmoy a few years back made a difference in quality, so getting the digital out of my S5 would be sweet. Previous Androids (the Note and Dell Streak) had low output, at least for my aged Shures. I couldn't hear well over the engine noise in my crappy seats.
Anyone have it working with a portable DAC Amp? I've been looking for a reason to buy a new travel amp and 'phones. I'd like a lower cost amp as losing/damaging it is a real possibility.
delawaredrew said:
This is exactly what I'm looking for to handle noise when I fly. Just using a LOD from my iPod and iPhone into a low cost Cmoy a few years back made a difference in quality, so getting the digital out of my S5 would be sweet. Previous Androids (the Note and Dell Streak) had low output, at least for my aged Shures. I couldn't hear well over the engine noise in my crappy seats.
Anyone have it working with a portable DAC Amp? I've been looking for a reason to buy a new travel amp and 'phones. I'd like a lower cost amp as losing/damaging it is a real possibility.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Emailed nuforce, this is the response;
We can't confirm any reports that the uDac-2 will work for any Android device, because we don't support it. However, it is experimental, and it might be possible.
The uDac-3 is different than the uDac-2. It will not work on Android because Android does not currently support asynchronous USB playback. The uDac-2 is synchronous, which is standard, and the uDac-3 is asynchronous, and requires OEM drivers for Windows, but Mac OS supports it natively.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought this from eBay for 99p http://www.ebay.com/itm/310964760519 and it's just freaking amazing how much better it sounds through the headphones, and the controls on it actually control the volume and mute of the phone like the original headphones do.
Nice thread, but the USB audio out worked just fine for me on the S3 and S4.
Sounds like your DAC wasn't compatible with those models. Or vice versa as the case may have been.
.
USB Audio worked fine on my S3 and S4 as long as it was a touchwiz based ROM and the setting for usb-audio was enabled. However, the setting is missing (or moved?) on my S5.
Did those who got it to work just plug it in with an OTG cable and have it work? Or did you enable USB-audio out? If I recall, that setting was part of the DockMode settings, which Samsung removed.
BTW, the portable amp I'm using is a cheap one recommended on some Hi-Fi forums. It's found on eBay, called ELE HI-FI 01.

Audio quality

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,

How do you rate Audio quality of Mi9?

Hello.
How do you guys rate the sound quality taken by a filmed video or a call, does the Mic sounds good enough for this device?
Btw, what about Bluetooth or Speaker, are all well playing or is there a lil inconsistency in lac of bad output?
How's the sound quality using wired earphone? I plan to upgrade from G6 with quad DAC but I'm afraid with the sound quality.
megadust said:
How's the sound quality using wired earphone? I plan to upgrade from G6 with quad DAC but I'm afraid with the sound quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went from HTC 10 to this phone, the difference is definitely there
The included adapter is an analog one (meaning no DAC, just wiring from phone's internal audio dac)
I wouldn't say it's *bad* per se, it's just the most generic solution by qualcomm implemented. No fancy stuff.
However they did implement it good enough to be used by most ppl, but it's probably coming up short by audiophile standard.
The sound is flat, damp, and just a bit loose in my personal opinion. It just somehow got just a bit of sound stage in there though so that's arguably a plus.
I ended up with an external DAC by moshi as daily driver.
So if you're expecting the internal DAC to be as good as some high-end smartphone, probably not. However if you're mostly using it for web video / streaming, and can accept the sound is just damp, it's good enough.
P.S. You're going to use an typc-c to 3.5 mm adapter anyways, so just get a decent adapter (moshi adapter on the cheap side, audiolab p-dac on the higher end side), and call it a day.
jerry855202 said:
I went from HTC 10 to this phone, the difference is definitely there
The included adapter is an analog one (meaning no DAC, just wiring from phone's internal audio dac)
I wouldn't say it's *bad* per se, it's just the most generic solution by qualcomm implemented. No fancy stuff.
However they did implement it good enough to be used by most ppl, but it's probably coming up short by audiophile standard.
The sound is flat, damp, and just a bit loose in my personal opinion. It just somehow got just a bit of sound stage in there though so that's arguably a plus.
I ended up with an external DAC by moshi as daily driver.
So if you're expecting the internal DAC to be as good as some high-end smartphone, probably not. However if you're mostly using it for web video / streaming, and can accept the sound is just damp, it's good enough.
P.S. You're going to use an typc-c to 3.5 mm adapter anyways, so just get a decent adapter (moshi adapter on the cheap side, audiolab p-dac on the higher end side), and call it a day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your explanation!
I expect the sound quality at least to be on par with my old S6 (which is a bit lower than G6). I tried my friend's new mi9 and I found it so dull and lack of everything (I'm only using low end cans 1more triple driver).
Do you find moshi DAC is on par with G6 (or maybe HTC 10)?
megadust said:
thanks for your explanation!
I expect the sound quality at least to be on par with my old S6 (which is a bit lower than G6). I tried my friend's new mi9 and I found it so dull and lack of everything (I'm only using low end cans 1more triple driver).
Do you find moshi DAC is on par with G6 (or maybe HTC 10)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if you're using e1001, that's definitely good enough to hear the difference TBH. The integrated stuff is flat at best, but I'd call it pale (and damp).
And yeah, the moshi dac has been working out pretty well for me, I'm mostly in for the 3yr warranty but the sound is at least on par, if not more than HTC 10 in my opinion. To be fair HTC did a nice job on their audio on 10 so that's saying something.
But I mean, for $25 on a 24/192 audio adapter I'm happy with what I have. (It also works on PC, but I think most external DAC does.)
If you want something more close to sony A-series walkman quality, you'll probably have to check p-dac.
Also, mandatory:
* audio is a very personal experience, these are my personal experience and preference, you should probably try before you buy and shop around. *
jerry855202 said:
Well if you're using e1001, that's definitely good enough to hear the difference TBH. The integrated stuff is flat at best, but I'd call it pale (and damp).
And yeah, the moshi dac has been working out pretty well for me, I'm mostly in for the 3yr warranty but the sound is at least on par, if not more than HTC 10 in my opinion. To be fair HTC did a nice job on their audio on 10 so that's saying something.
But I mean, for $25 on a 24/192 audio adapter I'm happy with what I have. (It also works on PC, but I think most external DAC does.)
If you want something more close to sony A-series walkman quality, you'll probably have to check p-dac.
Also, mandatory:
* audio is a very personal experience, these are my personal experience and preference, you should probably try before you buy and shop around. *
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. Where did you buy the moshi dac for $25? Is it usable while charging the phone?
Use Bluetooth or upgrade to something which does?
My Sony wh1000xm3 sound great!

! HELP ! Audio quality from LG to Pixel - Bluetooth VS Type C dongles?

G'day XDA community!
Being the type that aims to get the most out of my headsets, I've always been Pro - 3.5mm jack. The clarity, the bass, and the ability to fine-tune everything about my audio experience has always been a high priority for me. Always stuck to my LG phones because of the Quad DAC support. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Now my V30 is on the way out. Lost count of the amount of factory resets, custom ROMs and other tricks I've done to fix my spotty 4G signal and, worse still, my 'cracking' sound from time to time. Tried ATH-M30x's, Bose QC 25 Acoustics, and even the el' cheapo $2 earbuds from the local gas station, and there's simply nothing to do about it. Warranty is a no go, either.
SO, I'm fairly set on purchasing a orange Pixel 4 XL, but the *hesitant* no 3.5mm jack concerns me. A lot of my stuff still uses the blessed 3.5mm connector, and I'm wondering if investing in a good quality Type C to 3.5mm connector would give me comparable/better quality to my V30 (H930DS model), or if I'd need to just bite the bullet, and invest in some GOOD Bluetooth headphones.
Apologies if it's a ridiculous question to many, but the limited research I've done online seems to indicate that early BT headsets gave craptastic audio, but I'm not familiar on the state of BT audio at the tail end of 2019. The great hardware in the phone is what's clinching the sale to me, especially the 90hz display and the wireless charging *bloody finally!*.
Cheers mates! :good:
rayzerblayde said:
G'day XDA community!
Being the type that aims to get the most out of my headsets, I've always been Pro - 3.5mm jack. The clarity, the bass, and the ability to fine-tune everything about my audio experience has always been a high priority for me. Always stuck to my LG phones because of the Quad DAC support. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Now my V30 is on the way out. Lost count of the amount of factory resets, custom ROMs and other tricks I've done to fix my spotty 4G signal and, worse still, my 'cracking' sound from time to time. Tried ATH-M30x's, Bose QC 25 Acoustics, and even the el' cheapo $2 earbuds from the local gas station, and there's simply nothing to do about it. Warranty is a no go, either.
SO, I'm fairly set on purchasing a orange Pixel 4 XL, but the *hesitant* no 3.5mm jack concerns me. A lot of my stuff still uses the blessed 3.5mm connector, and I'm wondering if investing in a good quality Type C to 3.5mm connector would give me comparable/better quality to my V30 (H930DS model), or if I'd need to just bite the bullet, and invest in some GOOD Bluetooth headphones.
Apologies if it's a ridiculous question to many, but the limited research I've done online seems to indicate that early BT headsets gave craptastic audio, but I'm not familiar on the state of BT audio at the tail end of 2019. The great hardware in the phone is what's clinching the sale to me, especially the 90hz display and the wireless charging *bloody finally!*.
Cheers mates! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't call the quality of Bluetooth headphones "craptastic" but the quality certainly is noticably worse than wired headphones. A GOOD set of Bluetooth headphones will cost you a lot more for worse quality (but not bad). There are also other downsides to consider like RF interference and the fact that the headphones will have to be replaced every 3-5 years.

USB-C to 3.5mm adapter / Dongle Recommendation

Coming from Pixel OG what adapter/dongle does everyone recommend getting?
I use the dongle from my pixel 2. That works fine.
Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk
I have been happy with this, I think it sounds better than the stock one.
Soditer Pixel 2 Headphone Adapter,USB C to 3.5mm Adapter,USB C Dongle Headpone Jack Has Realtek DAC Hi-Res, Type c Earphone Convert for Pixel 2/2XL/3/3XL, MacBook 2017 IPad Pro 2018, Moto Z2, OnePlus https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LC9SCGC/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_dbcTDbGXE3X5N
CyberpodS2 said:
I have been happy with this, I think it sounds better than the stock one.
Soditer Pixel 2 Headphone Adapter,USB C to 3.5mm Adapter,USB C Dongle Headpone Jack Has Realtek DAC Hi-Res, Type c Earphone Convert for Pixel 2/2XL/3/3XL, MacBook 2017 IPad Pro 2018, Moto Z2, OnePlus https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LC9SCGC/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_dbcTDbGXE3X5N
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can score Apple's dongle at Target for $9.00ish
Shponglized said:
You can score Apple's dongle at Target for $9.00ish
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read from other post they are quiet and not as loud as google one or some other brands. Cant seem to get a definite answer.
I got this one. Works pretty good and I like it's form. Feels pretty sturdy.
CHILISON USB C to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter, Type C to Aux Audio Cable Compatible with Google Pixel 2/Pixel 3/XL/iPad Pro 2018, Essential Phone and More USB C Devices https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WYWTKK2/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_XHyTDbFKGZMN3
IBasso dc02 if u care about sound quality more
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
r29 said:
I read from other post they are quiet and not as loud as google one or some other brands. Cant seem to get a definite answer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is confirmed. Definitely more quiet (apple). Purchased one the other day, to get reasonable sound you have to have the media volume at maximum.
Then I went and purchased the google version and the same sound on the same headphones, it was only half volume.
Does anyone know if the DAC using the Google dongle is any better than it was with the Pixel 2? With my P2XL plugged into a powered studio monitor the overall volume was low and it clipped horribly with the phone volume more than about 75% making it essentially useless for audio playback in this way. I'm hoping they've improved either the phone audio output or the capability of the dongle.
I tried reusing my OnePlus USB-C to 3.5 dongle and my Pixel 4 XL does not like it. Looking for a replacement.
pixelsquish said:
IBasso dc02 if u care about sound quality more
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have shure se535 so audio quality definitely something I want.
ibasso dc02 is so expensive in Canada to order from Amazon qq
Apex i ITR said:
I tried reusing my OnePlus USB-C to 3.5 dongle and my Pixel 4 XL does not like it. Looking for a replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto. Can't use the one from my old Moto Z.
I bought a new Google dongle (the $12 one) and it works great. The problem I was having was the dongle that came with my P2XL. Using it on both the new and old phone, same results. Using the new dongle on both phones, both sound great with plenty of volume. Best $12 I've ever spent on audio equipment. 8-D
r29 said:
I have shure se535 so audio quality definitely something I want.
ibasso dc02 is so expensive in Canada to order from Amazon qq
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try the Razer phone dongle. It was good with the Pixel 2XL, haven't tried it with the 4XL as I lost that dongle, but I'm gonna be re-ordering one as a backup to my iBasso dc02.
picked up one of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SM5MQN8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 that allows charging and music playback
dimm0k said:
picked up one of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SM5MQN8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 that allows charging and music playback
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is the audio quality on it? does it work with calls?
mrro82 said:
I got this one. Works pretty good and I like it's form. Feels pretty sturdy.
CHILISON USB C to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter, Type C to Aux Audio Cable Compatible with Google Pixel 2/Pixel 3/XL/iPad Pro 2018, Essential Phone and More USB C Devices https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WYWTKK2/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_XHyTDbFKGZMN3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a different brand, but the same style and I love then and they do work on the Pixel 4XL
pixelsquish said:
IBasso dc02 if u care about sound quality more
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the recommendation @pixelsquish
I just got one of the iBasso DC02 from HiFiGo
OMG... what a frigg'n amazing little piece of tech!!!
ViPER4Android + Bose QC20 + iBasso DC02 = Amazing audio experience
The iBasso DC02 is a little spendy. But I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy another, if I have to.
The Apple dongle, that I picked up at an airport kiosk, is now in the junk drawer. It'll due in a pinch (ie. for a phone call). But the difference between the Apple dongle and the iBasso is stunning.
Hint - I found a nice little review here, where there's a coupon code for a few bucks discount.
Has anyone tried the Moshi model from Google's store?
pdfruth said:
Thanks for the recommendation @pixelsquish
I just got one of the iBasso DC02 from HiFiGo
OMG... what a frigg'n amazing little piece of tech!!!
ViPER4Android + Bose QC20 + iBasso DC02 = Amazing audio experience
The iBasso DC02 is a little spendy. But I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy another, if I have to.
The Apple dongle, that I picked up at an airport kiosk, is now in the junk drawer. It'll due in a pinch (ie. for a phone call). But the difference between the Apple dongle and the iBasso is stunning.
Hint - I found a nice little review here, where there's a coupon code for a few bucks discount.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fantastic! Really glad you liked it. I listen to my Meze Rai Penta through the IBasso and it's gorgeous for a mobile phone solution
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Categories

Resources