Database Develop

Audio quality

According to GSMArena the S8+ can reproduce sound at 32-bit/384kHz but the new Note 8 has downgraded to 24-bit/192kHz? I know at this point its all rumour yet GSMArena are usually reliable. IF this is accurate I do ponder Samsung's logic. I live in the hope this is untrue as its a deal breaker for me as music is much more significant than the camera that I never use.
Ryland

I think we'll have to wait and see. Logically it doesn't make any sense to downgrade any features from the S8 (besides the battery capacity due to the S Pen space), so hopefully that info is incorrect.

Samsung lost the plot on audio a while ago. Head amp usually poor and Snapdragon devices don't use any special DAC.

Ultra High Quality Audio Playback
UHQ 32-bit & DSD support
PCM: Up to 32 bits
DSD: DSD64/128
*DSD64 and DSD128 playback can be limited depending on the file format.
Audio playback format
MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DSF, DFF, APE
*Some files may not be supported depending on codec used.

And what about aptx HD?

Any info on the DAC hardware in the Exynos version of the Note 8. Shame we wont have the Quad DAC like in the LG V20.

jah said:
Any info on the DAC hardware in the Exynos version of the Note 8. Shame we wont have the Quad DAC like in the LG V20.
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Same DAC as the SGS8 and 8+ Rather peeved the Note 8 doesn't come with dual speakers. For the hideous cost it bloomin well should! Very disappointing for those of us who enjoy mobile music. If Samsung don't make vast improvements in this area next time around I may well revert to Sony. But then again the whole idea of the Note 8 is that S-pen that I find fantastic? I guess what I seek can't be found?!
Ryland

Ryland Johnson said:
Same DAC as the SGS8 and 8+ Rather peeved the Note 8 doesn't come with dual speakers. For the hideous cost it bloomin well should! Very disappointing for those of us who enjoy mobile music. If Samsung don't make vast improvements in this area next time around I may well revert to Sony. But then again the whole idea of the Note 8 is that S-pen that I find fantastic? I guess what I seek can't be found?!
Ryland
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Click to collapse
Samsung have gone backwards. With Exynos they used to use high quality Wolfson DACs.

I was also very much wanting dual speakers. I mean, I don't use the on-board speaker a ton, but I would definitely use it more if it was dual. Plus just for things like games, even speakerphone calls, etc - would have been nice. Maybe next time around.

jah said:
Samsung have gone backwards. With Exynos they used to use high quality Wolfson DACs.
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Click to collapse
Wolfson was bought out by Cirrus logic in 2014. The SGS8+ has a Cirrus logic DAC meaning Wolfson. :highfive:
On the exynos variant that is, NOT the Snapdragon.
Ryland

Ryland Johnson said:
Wolfson was bought out by Cirrus logic in 2014. The SGS8+ has a Cirrus logic DAC meaning Wolfson. :highfive:
On the exynos variant that is, NOT the Snapdragon.
Ryland
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Click to collapse
What's ur source of this info ?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Ryland Johnson said:
Wolfson was bought out by Cirrus logic in 2014. The SGS8+ has a Cirrus logic DAC meaning Wolfson. :highfive:
On the exynos variant that is, NOT the Snapdragon.
Ryland
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Click to collapse
Cool thanks. But even the new Cirrus Logic is unlikely to be as good as the quad DAC in the LG V20. Strange since Samsung bought Harmon Kardon to improve the audio of its devices. I'll be annoyed if they don't offer aptx HD.

jah said:
Cool thanks. But even the new Cirrus Logic is unlikely to be as good as the quad DAC in the LG V20. Strange since Samsung bought Harmon Kardon to improve the audio of its devices. I'll be annoyed if they don't offer aptx HD.
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Click to collapse
Hi, the V20 had quad ES92B ESS Sabre DAC's. In terms of technical sound reproduction the V20, on paper, is superior to the DAC on the Note 8 however............. IN terms of sound reproduction there are numerous factors that affect the end result IE, what we hear.
The amplification process and, of course, the ear buds or head phones in terms of a mobile device. Not to mention the source material and the ambient we are trying to listen in.
In general the V20 should outshine the Note 8 IF all parameters are equal. In real life seldom are said parameters equal. To that end to truly hear the difference we would need to be in a studio with identical volume presets, head phones, high end source material and music genre.
For a mobile device that is not really meant to compete with dedicated Hi-res portable players costing hundreds of euros, I think most of us including the so called audiophiles like me will be happy taking into consideration we won't have to carry around a second device. I guess its the same with the cameraphiles who will be happy with taking less accurate pictures BUT not having the need to carry a dedicated canon DSLR?
Ryland

Ryland Johnson said:
Hi, the V20 had quad ES92B ESS Sabre DAC's. In terms of technical sound reproduction the V20, on paper, is superior to the DAC on the Note 8 however............. IN terms of sound reproduction there are numerous factors that affect the end result IE, what we hear.
The amplification process and, of course, the ear buds or head phones in terms of a mobile device. Not to mention the source material and the ambient we are trying to listen in.
In general the V20 should outshine the Note 8 IF all parameters are equal. In real life seldom are said parameters equal. To that end to truly hear the difference we would need to be in a studio with identical volume presets, head phones, high end source material and music genre.
For a mobile device that is not really meant to compete with dedicated Hi-res portable players costing hundreds of euros, I think most of us including the so called audiophiles like me will be happy taking into consideration we won't have to carry around a second device. I guess its the same with the cameraphiles who will be happy with taking less accurate pictures BUT not having the need to carry a dedicated canon DSLR?
Ryland
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Click to collapse
No. High bit rate FLAC and decent £150 headphones will show the difference. But it is a personal preference issue. If you use your device for listening to music while commuting you probably wont use FLAC at 96khz 24 bit versus mp3 at 320 kbps. I can easily tell the difference because i like really good quality.

jah said:
No. High bit rate FLAC and decent £150 headphones will show the difference. But it is a personal preference issue. If you use your device for listening to music while commuting you probably wont use FLAC at 96khz 24 bit versus mp3 at 320 kbps. I can easily tell the difference because i like really good quality.
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If you are totally in to audio quality one doesn't use a mobile phone one uses a dedicated hi res player.
Second point. Music and how we individually hear its reproduction is totally subjective and impossible to standardise as no two individuals taste in reproduction are the same. In the ever shrinking world of dedicated Hi-Fi separates it is accepted industry knowledge that different amplifiers, speakers and sources including the interconnects have a certain sound stage. Marantz, Quad, Meriden, Macintosh, A&R, shure, Sennheiser, Denon et al, the list is endless and all have their own style of sound.
When you write you can tell 'The' difference I respectfully suggest you mean you can certainly tell 'A' difference, such a difference is your hearing and what you enjoy. On a very basic level some enjoy a more treble, high end, sound stage while others enjoy a more lower end base focused sound stage. the equations are as endless as are the listeners hence the choice we have. There is no such animal as 'The best'. :good:
Ryland

Ryland Johnson said:
If you are totally in to audio quality one doesn't use a mobile phone one uses a dedicated hi res player.
Second point. Music and how we individually hear its reproduction is totally subjective and impossible to standardise as no two individuals taste in reproduction are the same. In the ever shrinking world of dedicated Hi-Fi separates it is accepted industry knowledge that different amplifiers, speakers and sources including the interconnects have a certain sound stage. Marantz, Quad, Meriden, Macintosh, A&R, shure, Sennheiser, Denon et al, the list is endless and all have their own style of sound.
When you write you can tell 'The' difference I respectfully suggest you mean you can certainly tell 'A' difference, such a difference is your hearing and what you enjoy. On a very basic level some enjoy a more treble, high end, sound stage while others enjoy a more lower end base focused sound stage. the equations are as endless as are the listeners hence the choice we have. There is no such animal as 'The best'. :good:
Ryland
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Click to collapse
I know what you mean being an owner of a Linn turntable and Naim amplification. There is subjectivity but also general consensus which says FLAC sounds much better than mp3s. Even my wife who is not an audiophile can tell the difference between normal bit rate Mp3s and extreme OGG quality on Spotify on her S8.
We are getting away from the issue. If LG can include a Quad DAC which most audiophiles would consider a good solution for smartphone audio and a V20 is only £300 why can’t Samsung do something about their poor audio compared to the fantastic cameras they have.
I'm not interested in having a philosophical abstract dialogue With you. I want Samsung to use a better DAC and headamp, period.
End of conversation.

jah said:
I know what you mean being an owner of a Linn turntable and Naim amplification. There is subjectivity but also general consensus which says FLAC sounds much better than mp3s. Even my wife who is not an audiophile can tell the difference between normal bit rate Mp3s and extreme OGG quality on Spotify on her S8.
We are getting away from the issue. If LG can include a Quad DAC which most audiophiles would consider a good solution for smartphone audio and a V20 is only £300 why can’t Samsung do something about their poor audio compared to the fantastic cameras they have.
I'm not interested in having a philosophical abstract dialogue With you. I want Samsung to use a better DAC and headamp, period.
End of conversation.
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Click to collapse
Nice amp' and table. Not seen a Linn TT for some years now. What speakers are you using?
I agree with your paragraph regarding LG's use of DAC's and Samsung's apathy to improve, hell we can't even get two speakers out of them. I have threads here that state this very point.
It was nice to debate with you:good:
Ryland

What audio DAC chip does the Note 8 use?

What audio dac chip does the Note 8 use? Former note 5 and 7 owner here. I love the dac on my LG v20(note 7 replacement)! Will I be disappointed when my note 8 arrives?

Coming from the lg v20 u probably will be.. I've owned must top end galaxy phones and the DAC does let me down, its not awful but nowhere near as good as the lg ot htc...
Sent from my SM-G950F using XDA-Developers Legacy app

The S8+ DAC is great. I am no audiophile, and can't compare to the V20, but it sounds great to me. And I believe the same DAC from the S8 is in the N8. I think there was another thread here that had that info earlier today or yesterday.

teegunn said:
The S8+ DAC is great. I am no audiophile, and can't compare to the V20, but it sounds great to me. And I believe the same DAC from the S8 is in the N8. I think there was another thread here that had that info earlier today or yesterday.
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I have the LG V20 and the Note FE, the V20 is in a different league when compared to last year's Note.

jah said:
I have the LG V20 and the Note FE, the V20 is in a different league when compared to last year's Note.
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Like I said I can't compare to the V20. The S8+ seems to have better sound than the Note 7, and I expect the Note 8 to also have better sound since the Note 8 is the same as the DAC on the S8+ (I believe). Whether it is on par with the V20 I can't say and from others have said here doubtful the Note 8 will be as good as the V20 in this area. But for me it is more than good enough if it's on par with the S8+.

I've had the Note 7, V20, and S8+. I can say that the N7 audio sucked. The V20 was amazing. The S8+ sounds just as good from what I can tell. When I got the N7, it was terrible. I was afraid that the S8+ would be equally bad, but it's not. It's a world of difference. I'm using Westone W4R between all 3 devices.

EvoKnvl said:
I've had the Note 7, V20, and S8+. I can say that the N7 audio sucked. The V20 was amazing. The S8+ sounds just as good from what I can tell. When I got the N7, it was terrible. I was afraid that the S8+ would be equally bad, but it's not. It's a world of difference. I'm using Westone W4R between all 3 devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My wife has a Galaxy S8 and with high res music above CD quality the V20 is much better.

Hi, the V20 had quad ES92B ESS Sabre DAC's. In terms of technical sound reproduction the V20, on paper, is superior to the Cirrus logic (Formally known as Wolfson) DAC on the Exynos Note 8 however............. IN terms of sound reproduction there are numerous factors that affect the end result IE, what we hear.
The amplification process and, of course, the ear buds or head phones in terms of a mobile device. Not to mention the source material and the ambient we are trying to listen in.
In general the V20 should outshine the Note 8 IF all parameters are equal. In real life seldom are said parameters equal. To that end to truly hear the difference we would need to be in a studio with identical volume presets, head phones, high end source material and music genre.
For a mobile device that is not really meant to compete with dedicated Hi-res portable players costing hundreds of euros, I think most of us including the so called audiophiles like me will be happy taking into consideration we won't have to carry around a second device. I guess its the same with the cameraphiles who will be happy with taking less accurate pictures BUT not having the need to carry a dedicated canon DSLR?
Ryland

apologize for the following question-
how does note 8 stack up against htc10,...i know i know it's a silly question, yet curious, i haven't tried the v20 quad dac ... people highly praise it though
i'm just a simpleton ...i was earlier a edge plus user, had to switch because of samsung not giving memory slot.
music+camera are my main priorities , but miss the deep blacks of sAMOLED.

What about bluetooth audio?
I use a Samsung bluetooth dongle with high quality earphones & the FE sounds fine. How about the V20 or Note 8?

Good question. Does the Note 8 have Apt X?

V20 has aptx HD which is amazing as long as you a headset that supports aptx HD. I don't believe the Note8 will have aptx HD as Samsung use their own UHQ codec.

The s8+ had Atpx, so the note 8 should have.

Ryland Johnson said:
Hi, the V20 had quad ES92B ESS Sabre DAC's. In terms of technical sound reproduction the V20, on paper, is superior to the Cirrus logic (Formally known as Wolfson) DAC on the Exynos Note 8 however............. IN terms of sound reproduction there are numerous factors that affect the end result IE, what we hear.
The amplification process and, of course, the ear buds or head phones in terms of a mobile device. Not to mention the source material and the ambient we are trying to listen in.
In general the V20 should outshine the Note 8 IF all parameters are equal. In real life seldom are said parameters equal. To that end to truly hear the difference we would need to be in a studio with identical volume presets, head phones, high end source material and music genre.
For a mobile device that is not really meant to compete with dedicated Hi-res portable players costing hundreds of euros, I think most of us including the so called audiophiles like me will be happy taking into consideration we won't have to carry around a second device. I guess its the same with the cameraphiles who will be happy with taking less accurate pictures BUT not having the need to carry a dedicated canon DSLR?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will be a looooong time if ever before phones catch up to DSLR's. It will be a long time before phones catch up to dedicated audio players, because as you said they can't provide the necessary amplification (especially without significant distortion).
Back on topic, if the international Note 8's carry the Cirrus logic DAC's, what will the US (Qualcomm 835) Note 8's carry? What does the US S8/S8+ carry? I assume it will be the same. The V30 and it's quad DAC comes out soon, too. I don't think the Note 8 will match that one, either. However, I want my S-pen. So, I just want to be good. I don't expect V30 greatness.
Back off topic, a few people mentioned AptX in this thread. AptX makes Bluetooth audio less awful, but it's no replacement for a quality DAC and wired headphones. It shouldn't even be part of this discussion.

jah said:
V20 has aptx HD which is amazing as long as you a headset that supports aptx HD. I don't believe the Note8 will have aptx HD as Samsung use their own UHQ codec.
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@home said:
The s8+ had Atpx, so the note 8 should have.
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Click to collapse
Aptx and AptxHD are two different things. As far as I'm aware, AptxHD is only available for Snapdragon SoCs, so the international Note 8s will almost certainly not have AptxHD.
---------- Post added at 11:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:31 AM ----------
allargon said:
It will be a looooong time if ever before phones catch up to DSLR's. It will be a long time before phones catch up to dedicated audio players
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Very true but that wasn't his point. The cameras and audio output for phones have advanced to the point where they're 85% as good as dedicated devices (DSLRs and audio players) and most people can't justify carrying another bulky, inconvenient device just to get that extra 15% performance gain. Maybe the Note 8 camera(s) can't match the latest DSLR cameras but it might be a match for a DSLR from 5 years ago, which is still pretty damn good and exceeds most people's needs.
I was tossing up between getting the Note 8 and the V30 because whilst I wouldn't say I'm an audiophile, I do like my music to sound awesome. The Quad DAC was pretty tempting but none of the major carriers in Australia stock LG phones (except Telstra and **** that) so I would've had to buy it outright. There's also the matter of perspective. I'm coming from a Note 3, so while the DAC in the Note 8 will undoubtedly be inferior to the DAC in the V30, it will still be a huge step up from what I'm used to. If I want some extra oomph in my music, I'll use my Fiio Q1 (and Viper4Android).

Torquemada288 said:
Aptx and AptxHD are two different things. As far as I'm aware, AptxHD is only available for Snapdragon SoCs, so the international Note 8s will almost certainly not have AptxHD.
---------- Post added at 11:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:31 AM ----------
Very true but that wasn't his point. The cameras and audio output for phones have advanced to the point where they're 85% as good as dedicated devices (DSLRs and audio players) and most people can't justify carrying another bulky, inconvenient device just to get that extra 15% performance gain. Maybe the Note 8 camera(s) can't match the latest DSLR cameras but it might be a match for a DSLR from 5 years ago, which is still pretty damn good and exceeds most people's needs.
I was tossing up between getting the Note 8 and the V30 because whilst I wouldn't say I'm an audiophile, I do like my music to sound awesome. The Quad DAC was pretty tempting but none of the major carriers in Australia stock LG phones (except Telstra and **** that) so I would've had to buy it outright. There's also the matter of perspective. I'm coming from a Note 3, so while the DAC in the Note 8 will undoubtedly be inferior to the DAC in the V30, it will still be a huge step up from what I'm used to. If I want some extra oomph in my music, I'll use my Fiio Q1 (and Viper4Android).
Click to expand...
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I know that aptx and aptx HD are different! Aptx HD headphones are very rare. The aptx codec is not limited to certain SoC as the headphones i have are not SD!
See this about Android O and LDAC and aptx.HD
http://www.androidauthority.com/bluetooth-audio-android-o-758401/

jah said:
I know that aptx and aptx HD are different! Aptx HD headphones are very rare. The aptx codec is not limited to certain SoC as the headphones i have are not SD!
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Sorry, you are correct. Aptx HD is a Qualcomm product and I naturally assumed that phones that don't use a Qualcomm SoC wouldn't have this ability. My bad.

Sound chip in Note8 (SM-N950F) - Cirrus CS47L92

Pubbaa said:
apologize for the following question-
how does note 8 stack up against htc10,...i know i know it's a silly question, yet curious, i haven't tried the v20 quad dac ... people highly praise it though
i'm just a simpleton ...i was earlier a edge plus user, had to switch because of samsung not giving memory slot.
music+camera are my main priorities , but miss the deep blacks of sAMOLED.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the HTC10 could drive headphones harder than ANY portable device on its own that I used and sounded pretty good at it too.
And the faded looking LCD is the reason why I punted it. Compared to my Note5 it made me sick.

allargon said:
It will be a looooong time if ever before phones catch up to DSLR's. It will be a long time before phones catch up to dedicated audio players, because as you said they can't provide the necessary amplification (especially without significant distortion).
Back on topic, if the international Note 8's carry the Cirrus logic DAC's, what will the US (Qualcomm 835) Note 8's carry? What does the US S8/S8+ carry? I assume it will be the same. The V30 and it's quad DAC comes out soon, too. I don't think the Note 8 will match that one, either. However, I want my S-pen. So, I just want to be good. I don't expect V30 greatness.
Back off topic, a few people mentioned AptX in this thread. AptX makes Bluetooth audio less awful, but it's no replacement for a quality DAC and wired headphones. It shouldn't even be part of this discussion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, Thanks for the reply. I don't know for sure what the snap dragon use I understand they have their own system and the DAC is possibly part of the SD processor? This would need research and as I will be purchasing the International Xynos mobile I don't follow the SD programme. Sorry I cant be helpful on the SD mobiles.
Regards, Ryland.

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.
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---------- 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,

Question Buds or Wired Earphones

Curious what users are doing for audio. Wired eaphone options are pretty thin if you're connecting via USB but they provide the range that Bluetooth can't match. I've had mixed results, what's your take?

varcor said:
Curious what users are doing for audio. Wired eaphone options are pretty thin if you're connecting via USB but they provide the range that Bluetooth can't match. I've had mixed results, what's your take?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am only using Buds series for a while as they came free with the S-series in Australia when pre-ordered. Very convenient.

Buds+ you need a set if for nothing other than phone calls. That's all I use on my 10+
Using the c port for audio output all the time is going to screw up cables and maybe the port it's self. Tell Samsung to not jack off

varcor said:
Curious what users are doing for audio. Wired eaphone options are pretty thin if you're connecting via USB but they provide the range that Bluetooth can't match. I've had mixed results, what's your take?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I use a USB C to 3.5mm convertor and good wired haedphones (with a wider soundstage and instrument separation) for immersive listening at home (usually in the eveing after dinner, before I go to bed). I use the dongle mainly becasue I already have wired headphones that I don't want collecting dust - and I don't want to spend a lot on larger wireless headphones when a relatively cheap adapter can do the same thing for me.
2. Galaxy Buds live for use during the workday for calls and casual music streaming while going running in the morning, or other outdoor activity. Very comfortable for long use, strong reliable connection and good mic quality for phone calls. Easy to carry around without a tangle of wires.
If I did not have a pre-existing collection of earphones, and was given a gun-to-the-head choice of just one device, I'd choose the wireless earbuds over the wired ones, simply because it fits my needs the best. YMMV.

The big Buds+ thread:
Galaxy Buds, Buds+ Set up
Install the Galaxy Wearable and Galaxy Buds software. Update software and Buds firmware, this is important because the old versions sound sucks. Turn on/go to Developer Options in Settings and on the Bluetooth Codec setting toggle on Samsung's...
forum.xda-developers.com
I haven't used to Buds Pro so I can't comment on them but their body is a different design from the Buds and Buds+. The Pros may not stay in as well though.
The Buds/Buds+ are identical dimension wise.
The wings and ear pieces are interchangeable between these two models.
They don't fall out, ever. For calls you can put them in loosely and they still stay put. The Buds+ bring longer battery life (very long) and better sound Q than the Buds, I have both.

With respect to audio listening devices I'm compelled more towards sound quality than convenience. Buds are developing as the market grows with improved acoustic profiles and software integration for codecs. They also provide a higher flexibility for physical variations like exercise and two way communications.
The biggest drawbacks are the diminished range of audio signals, reliance on the Bluetooth subsystems and charging metrics. In my youth and midlife I spent years in a variety of bands. Rock, alternative, blues, techno and even country. Lots of nights preforming live gigs and even more time in studio sessions. As a result my listening skills are pretty well developed.
Not a big believer in high priced units knowing a $50 set can put a pair of $300 sennheisers to shame. When I surrendered my S10 Plus to my wife I started researching wired units with USB Type C Connectors. Dongles while useful for retaining a good 3.5 jack unit are just another link in the chain so I've dismissed them.
What I've found is there isn't much to chose from, just a handful. Much to my dismay 1MORE Quad Driver, which offers pristine audio quality have yet to expand beyond it's 3.5 jack. So I settled on the next best option which had to deliver a solid bottom and midranges, which most units lack, they're too tinny and treble focused.
In the interim I found a decent set of Samsung/AKG Type C noise cancelling earphones. They no longer manufacture them but a few sellers in South Korea still stock the item. Not expensive at $70 USD and the sound quality is a solid 8 on a scale to 10. Strong response in all ranges and very comfortable in my ears, YMMV. Another plus is the noise cancelling doesn't sap a lot of power which can lead to reduced volume. In conjunction with Poweramp and some solid tunes, life is good!

varcor said:
With respect to audio listening devices I'm compelled more towards sound quality than convince. Buds are improving as the market grows with improved acoustic profiles and software integration for codecs. They also provide a higher flexibility for physical variations like exercise and two way communications.
The biggest drawbacks are the diminished range of audio signals, reliance on the Bluetooth subsystems and charging metrics. In my youth and midlife I spent years in a variety of bands. Rock, alternative, blues, techno and even country. Lots of nights preforming live gigs and even more time in studio sessions. As a result my listening skills are pretty well developed.
Not a big believer in high priced units knowing a $50 set can put a pair of $300 sennheisers to shame. When I surrendered my S10 Plus to my wife I started researching wired units with USB Type C Connectors. Dongles while useful for retaining a good 3.5 jack unit are just another link in the chain so I've dismissed them.
What I've found is there isn't much to chose from, just a handful. Much to my dismay 1MORE Quad Driver, which offers pristine audio quality have yet to expand beyond it's 3.5 jack. So I settled on the next best option which had to deliver a solid bottom and midranges, which most units lack, they're too tinny and treble focused.
In the interim I found a decent set of Samsung/AKG Type C noise cancelling earphones. They no longer manufacture them but a few sellers in South Korea still stock the item. Not expensive at $70 USD and the sound quality is a solid 8 on a scale to 10. Strong response in all ranges and very comfortable in my ears, YMMV. Used in conjunction with Poweramp and some solid tunes, life is good!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Poweramp... whatever earphones or buds you use, use Poweramp to dial them in. I would hate my Buds without it for listening to music.
It's graphic equalizer is second to none.
Poweramp has a steep learning curve but is extremely configurable. Applicable only if you have a music database.

blackhawk said:
Poweramp... whatever earphones or buds you use, use Poweramp to dial them in. I would hate my Buds without it for listening to music.
It's graphic equalizer is second to none.
Poweramp has a steep learning curve but is extremely configurable. Applicable only if you have a music database.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One badass feature Poweramp has which other platforms lack is the preamp slider which actuates as a great gain function, it's versatility second to none.

Guys aren't you a little concerned about the safety of the TrueWireless (TW) buds? I mean, the fact that they have a direct wireless connection passing directly trough your brain, doesn't feels a bit weird.. Something about it seems fishy to me when I think of limiting radiation exposure.
I use Bluetooth headphones where the BT receiver is under my neck. The cable is separately connected to the KZ ZS6 which have 4 speakers in each headphone. The sound is out of this world.

Most buds employ direct wireless connectivity. Does the BT signal cause damage to the brain? Ask an ENT Specialist but the buds don't transmit BT, they recieve it. Excess volume is the number one harmful side effect in near tympanic audio signals. My question is if you're going to use a wired connection in your BT configuration, why not use wired earphones? The audio quality is superior and you won't need to worry about BT scrambling your brain.

varcor said:
Most buds employ direct wireless connectivity. Does the BT signal cause damage to the brain? Ask an ENT Specialist but the buds don't transmit BT, they recieve it. Excess volume is the number one harmful side effect in near tympanic audio signals. My question is if you're going to use a wired connection in your BT configuration, why not use wired earphones? The audio quality is superior and you won't need to worry about BT scrambling your brain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well actually the wired vs wireless quality is not something to even discuss. The above headphones I mentioned, eat any other headphones I have ever tried for breakfast when it comes to quality.
The buds do receive and emit BT and it is happening right next your ears. The bigger issue I mean is that the 2 TW headphones are directly communicating with each other trough some sort of electromagnetic connection that I had never heard of until I googled "how do True Wireless headphones work." That direct connection is not BT and it is emitting and receiving at the same time, directly trough your brain... You feel me?
No one is talking about that and no one is assuring us it is safe. It is almost as if it is magic and no one should be even thinking of it.
The BT headphones with a cable that I showed above, have their BT antenna in the little black thingy you see on the pic, it is usually hanging under my neck, which is at least 20+cm from my brain.
I am aware we cannot fully escape radiation but we could at least try to limit the artificial type a little bit when we can. Just my 2 cents.

Yeah the massive amounts EM radiation that Nicola Tesla subjected himself to killed him at the early age of 86
If a little low energy EM is all it takes to TKO today's whatevers... good luck with the hard stuff.

babyboy3265 said:
Well actually the wired vs wireless quality is not something to even discuss. The above headphones I mentioned, eat any other headphones I have ever tried for breakfast when it comes to quality.
The buds do receive and emit BT and it is happening right next your ears. The bigger issue I mean is that the 2 TW headphones are directly communicating with each other trough some sort of electromagnetic connection that I had never heard of until I googled "how do True Wireless headphones work." That direct connection is not BT and it is emitting and receiving at the same time, directly trough your brain... You feel me?
No one is talking about that and no one is assuring us it is safe. It is almost as if it is magic and no one should be even thinking of it.
The BT headphones with a cable that I showed above, have their BT antenna in the little black thingy you see on the pic, it is usually hanging under my neck, which is at least 20+cm from my brain.
I am aware we cannot fully escape radiation but we could at least try to limit the artificial type a little bit when we can. Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Near Field Magnetic Induction (NFMI) is the wave you're concerned with, not the BT wave. It's been around a lot longer than BT, first used in hearing aids decades ago. Can't say if it's harmful but I'm sure studies have been done. You really like your setup, whatever works for you but I won't agree sound quality is capable of matching a good wired set. BT doesn't have the range wired sets offer, regardless of how you tweak the codecs, the conductivity is inherently deficient.

I have a pair of Shure se846 earbuds that I connect via the Shure USB/DAC cable and it sounds absolutely fabulous when listening to anything CD quality and above. For convenience sake however, I use the Sony WF 1000XM4s and they sound really just as good. Especially with the LDAC codec.

chetly968 said:
I have a pair of Shure se846 earbuds that I connect via the Shure USB/DAC cable and it sounds absolutely fabulous when listening to anything CD quality and above. For convenience sake however, I use the Sony WF 1000XM4s and they sound really just as good. Especially with the LDAC codec.
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Click to collapse
The biggest problem with S21 Ultra Codecs is they squashed aptX Adaptive, aptX Low Latency and aptX HD even though the Snap 888 SoC supports it. The reason, they're pushing their own Scalable Codec, Galaxy Buds and they don't want to pay Qualcomm's licensing fees. The aptX Codec available on the device is an older, vanilla version, not much different than SBC. Cheap bastards!

varcor said:
The biggest problem with S21 Ultra Codecs is they squashed aptX Adaptive, aptX Low Latency and aptX HD even though the Snap 888 SoC supports it. The reason, they're pushing their own Scalable Codec, Galaxy Buds and they don't want to pay Qualcomm's licensing fees. The aptX Codec available on the device is an older, vanilla version, not much different than SBC. Cheap bastards!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You got LDAC and SSC. Get the Buds+ and be happy. I'm using them right now, been using them for the last couple hours... their battery life is really long and they sound good. They link up seamlessly with a Samsung phone. Samsung actually got it near perfect... finally
Or jump ship to the newest Sony with the codecs you want plus a 3.5 mm jack.

Given a choice I'll take a vinyl over a cd or anything digital every day of the week. Why, because it's direct sound, BT just gets in the way. The Samsung/AKG ANC's are dirt cheap with great response throughout the entire range.
Was listening to some old tunes, The Best of Simple Minds. What separates them from others is their dynamic composition and arrangement. As a musician when I listen to a song, I feel the song as a whole, but I'm paying much closer attention to each of the individual instruments. When you can hear the sound of the guitar pick hitting strings, not the reverberation of strings, the click of the pick, your know your audio signal is tight.
When I upgrade it's going to be wired with 4 drivers, likely the 1More Quad Driver, may have to deal with a dongle. There's virtually zero overlap of frequencies. Put that set in your ears and you'll throw rocks at any BT device on the planet.

varcor said:
The biggest problem with S21 Ultra Codecs is they squashed aptX Adaptive, aptX Low Latency and aptX HD even though the Snap 888 SoC supports it. The reason, they're pushing their own Scalable Codec, Galaxy Buds and they don't want to pay Qualcomm's licensing fees. The aptX Codec available on the device is an older, vanilla version, not much different than SBC. Cheap bastards!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I totally agree there. Don't know why they did this but at least I can use LDAC and it sounds even better than aptX

Buds+ is mandatory for a Samsung phone if for nothing other than calls. Music sounds pretty good using SSC.
Now the real bad news...
No sealed system can faithfully reproduce the sound stage. You must have a minimum of 2 stereo open air speakers*. The stereo (or more) acoustic waves need open air to interact with one another to reproduce the sound stage. This is what creates the electronically coupled sound stage ie where it was recorded to your listening area.
Headsets and earbuds destroy the sound stage.
Even DTS and Dolby headphone solutions don't come close to the complex sound stage an open air system reproduces.
Read it and weep ( you will when you hear the difference).
*minimum 12 - 50,000+ hz frequency response for optimum sound stage

Question Unlocking / Reactivating Qualcomm codecs (Bluetooth Audio)

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?