[energie]

another question....is 9505 compatible with fiio e07k?
thanks

 

[hidaven]

What's the best set of in earbuds for the s4, id like some nice tight clean base over the stock ones. i mostly listen to vocals, jazz, accoustic, instrumental, etc. no hard stuff at all. Also, do I need a higher or lower impedance? Lastly, will these inner earbuds with the in line remote/ mics work with the s4? I only see the dreaded iPods and iPhones that are listed to work via the manufacturer.

Thanks all!

 

[jasonb]

I know this is an older post, but I use the Vsonic GR01, which is very similar since it uses the same TWFK ba drivers. I absolutely love the S4 with my GR01. No crackling or distortion, and plenty of volume on tap.
Quote:

Thinking of getting an S4 or HTC one but really concerned about this issue. I've got a pair of Fischer Audio DBA-02 mkii's which are 43ohms but i've heard that the impedance can move around.
 
Has anyone got a graph for the dba02 mkii? I can't find one anywhere. Or even better, has anyone heard the s4 with these headphones?

 

[chailee80]

Just talked to a mate who recently received a firmware update for his imported i9505 and he tells me the crackling issue has been fixed so it looks like Sammy might be on to the issue. I have a Telstra branded S4 and no update for me yet unfortunately.

 

[energie]

flash fw with odin

 

[ardilla]

Samsung i9500 vs i9505 audio
 
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4_i9500_vs_i9505-review-930p5.php
 

 

 

Audio quality evenly matched

 

Both Samsung Galaxy S4 versions did greatly in our audio quality test. They both had excellently clean output in both testing scenarios and despite the fact that they use different audio chips, their output is quite hard to tell apart.

The Qualcomm-powered Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4 had the tinniest of edges in the headphones-plugged-in testing scenario, exhibiting slightly cleaner audio output, but we doubt anyone will be able tohear the difference. The Exynos-packing I9500 Galaxy S4 makes up for it with an advantage that's a bit easier to hear on your own - slightly higher maximum volume levels.

No matter which of the versions of the Samsung flagship you choose, you will be more than happy with its output and certainly we wouldn't advise you to make your selection based on the audio output - it's just that it's too close to call here.

And here go the results so you can see for yourselves.

[size=inherit] [tr][size=inherit] [td] [size=inherit]Test

[/td] [td] [size=inherit]Frequency response[/size][/td] [td] [size=inherit]Noise level[/size][/td] [td] [size=inherit]Dynamic range[/size][/td] [td] [size=inherit]THD[/size][/td] [td] [size=inherit]IMD + Noise[/size][/td] [td] [size=inherit]Stereo crosstalk[/size][/td] [/size][/tr] [tr][size=inherit] [td] [size=inherit]Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4[/size][/td] [td] +0.03, -0.04[/td] [td] -94.5[/td] [td] 93.4[/td] [td] 0.0036[/td] [td] 0.016[/td] [td] -93.0[/td] [/size][/tr] [tr][size=inherit] [td] [size=inherit]Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4 (headphones attached)[/size][/td] [td] +0.03, -0.02[/td] [td] -93.0[/td] [td] 92.9[/td] [td] 0.0084[/td] [td] 0.062[/td] [td] -77.5[/td] [/size][/tr] [tr][size=inherit] [td] [size=inherit]Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4[/size][/td] [td] +0.03, -0.08[/td] [td] -95.9[/td] [td] 93.2[/td] [td] 0.0030[/td] [td] 0.0092[/td] [td] -96.4[/td] [/size][/tr] [tr][size=inherit] [td] [size=inherit]Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4 (headphones attached)[/size][/td] [td] +0.03, -0.08[/td] [td] -96.0[/td] [td] 93.3[/td] [td] 0.0031[/td] [td] 0.089[/td] [td] -95.5[/td] [/size][/tr] [/size]

[/size]  

 

[chailee80]

another question....is 9505 compatible with fiio e07k?
thanks

Sadly no. I cannot get my i9505 to work with my e07k. People have tried different roms as well without success. The only way it currently works is using the USB audio recorder pro app. However the app is not free, it does not play mp3s, it'll only play wav, flac, ogg and aiff from what I can tell.

 

[jasonb]

Trade up to the E17, it works perfectly with the S4 even without the USB audio recorder app. 
Quote:

Sadly no. I cannot get my i9505 to work with my e07k. People have tried different roms as well without success. The only way it currently works is using the USB audio recorder pro app. However the app is not free, it does not play mp3s, it'll only play wav, flac, ogg and aiff from what I can tell.

 

[energie]

yea i bought e17, now waiting my lod

 

[ardilla]

Checked out a S4 in a shop today - it drove my Blox M2C (30 ohm / 110 dm/mW) very nicely at 1/3 volume and also my (unmodded) Fostex T50RP -(50ohm / 98dm/mW) - quite OK at 80% volume. I only heard sample track from Samsung on the stock player, so cannot really comment on the SQ except it sounded punchy and not lacking in power, it could play louder my ears tolerate, and I didn't notice any clipping or disortion. 

 

[jasonb]

Yup, mine does great with my 32ohm - 108db/mw Vsonic GR01. One third volume is usually where I'm at with them.  
Quote:

Checked out a S4 in a shop today - it drove my Blox M2C (30 ohm / 110 dm/mW) very nicely at 1/3 volume and also my (unmodded) Fostex T50RP -(50ohm / 98dm/mW) - quite OK at 80% volume. I only heard sample track from Samsung on the stock player, so cannot really comment on the SQ except it sounded punchy and not lacking in power, it could play louder my ears tolerate, and I didn't notice any clipping or disortion. 

 

[Alan278]

Hi.  Deciding between the HTC One and Samsung S4.  Trade-offs either way and I settled on the S4 until I read an article this morning which said the S4 audio quality is not good.  Of course after looking around I've seen issues and differing opinions on both, so I'm confused now.
 
Music audio quality (rather than phone/voice) is very high priority for me, and if there is a noticeable difference between the two phones I will go with the one with better audio quality.
 
I see jasonb is very happy with the sound from his S4.   Are others on this site?  Does anyone have specific experience between the two and is there a difference?  
 
Some background facts  - 

1. it will be U.S. Sprint versions of either of these phones (i9505 for s4? no wolfson?)
2. I plan to use no external DAC/Amplifier
3. My ear-buds (Heir A.4) are 25 ohm impedance
4. I expect I'll return if there is a "defect" like an ongoing crackling issue in either phone not fixed with an immediate update

 
Thank you all in advance for your help...

 

[ardilla]

^ I'm in the same position, seems like there is no clear difference in audio quality from all the stuff I've read. HTC One-users are sometimes complaining about a hiss, GS4 users sometimes have been complaining abouut a crackling noise with low impedance stuff, but that seems to have been fixed with a software upgrade. Further, it seems like the HTC hiss is mostly beacuse of 3rd party software compability issues ("PowerAmp"-app). Whathifi thinks the Xperia Z > ONE > S4 from what I gather, but seems more like Xperia Z is slightly better than ONE/S4 and they are both decent. I really like my present older Xperia, and have no problem accepting that the Z is a good source/amp. However, it's bulky, square shape is a turn off for pocketability...  

 

[chailee80]

I'm no audiophile but I find the audio quality of the i9505 S4 to be decent enough. Nothing amazing but more than good enough for music on the go. The audio quality tests run by GSMArena shows it has excellent output. I think the bigger issue is the lack of volume when used with a lot of headphones. If you like loud music you will need a sensitive set of cans. Personally I get the best volume out of my Sennheiser CX-300-II iem's I only have to have the volume around 50-60% to have it quite loud where as my with my HD598's I have to have it around 100% and even then it's not that loud.
I believe the HTC One uses the same DAC so sound quality should be the same however it appears to have a better amp as reviews I've read say it goes much louder than the S4.

 

[ddanois]

Aren't all smartphones capable of providing a digital output like the iPod? If so, why would there be any difference from different phone sources?