[mdiogofs]

Can someone help figuring this out:
 
Gmsarena in this Oneplus One review http://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_one-review-1101p7.php says the audio quality is great with an amplifier but bad with headphones.
 
So, imagine if a plug a Cayin C5 amp to Oneplus One, the sounds become great? If i plug just a VSD3S to Oneplus One the sound become bad?
 
Is this it? What's the difference in the graph with headphones and without headphones?
 
"

Solid audio output

With the OnePlus One we were somewhat worried that audio quality might be one of the corners the company has cut to achieve its lower-than-expected price tag. The first part of our test (the one where the phone is connected to an active external amplifier strongly suggest otherwise, though.

The smartphone impressed us with very high volume levels and excellent readings in every part of the test.

It's not all roses though - plugging in a pair of headphones caused quite a lot of degradation. Its volume levels plummeted to only average levels, the frequency response started missing the mark now and then, while the IMD and the stereo crosstalk increased too. It's a decent performance here, particularly given the market segment, but not quite the audiophile experience that the first part of the test was.

"
 
 
 
Is this it, plug an amp and it all become roses?

 

[thepooh]

I heard that the Xperia Z3 can read DSD out of the box !? Did anyone tried it, is it native DSD playback and how it sounds?

 

[rantrile]

A small question regarding Iphone 4: if I'll jailbreak it, will it affect the sound quality or will the sound signature be in any way different?
And, should I update the IOS to the latest 7.x.x prior to jailbreaking?
(I assume that updating the IOS won't affect the sound / signature?)

 

[getclikinagas]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/746014/vivo-x5max-audiophile-powerhouse-sabre-es9018k2m-dac-yamaha-yss-205x-signal-processor-sabre-es9601-headphone-amp-and-opa1612-amplifier

 

[milford30]

  Hi all,
 
Saw this article and decided to dig further and find out more about Audio for Smartphone
 
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Phones-for-audiophiles-5-Android-handsets-with-quality-sound-processors_id63856

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I would like to find out what are the factors or what determines one smartphone is better than the other in terms of audio?
 
ie audio codec? aptX ? processor?
 
Cheers!
 
ps; this is my very first post in this forumn and I would like to find out more which phone is good for audio / what additional devices that i can do to enhance the audio features / functions for my smartphone. (using primarily internet radio, SKY.FM / Pandora & some MP3). I would greatly appreciate if anyone can advice me / point me to the correct sub-forumn topics

 

 
So basically they test: 
Signal to noise ratio- will it hiss? you don't want hiss!
How loud does it go? -most teens want it loud, good for large headphones, not good for low impedance iems.
Crazy distortions when you plug in headphones? If the line has spikes in it, don't buy it as your daily listening device.
 
Apart from that you want an enjoyable sound, that depends on a whole lot of other factors, go for a well known DAC company like wolfson.
 
As for internet radio etc, it isn't very good quality audio, just look a phone that has a low signal to noise ratio, a smooth line and decide on how much power you need depending on which headphones/iems you are using.
 

  Can someone help figuring this out:
 
Gmsarena in this Oneplus One review http://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_one-review-1101p7.php says the audio quality is great with an amplifier but bad with headphones.
 
So, imagine if a plug a Cayin C5 amp to Oneplus One, the sounds become great? If i plug just a VSD3S to Oneplus One the sound become bad?

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Is this it? What's the difference in the graph with headphones and without headphones?
 
"

Solid audio output

With the OnePlus One we were somewhat worried that audio quality might be one of the corners the company has cut to achieve its lower-than-expected price tag. The first part of our test (the one where the phone is connected to an active external amplifier strongly suggest otherwise, though.

The smartphone impressed us with very high volume levels and excellent readings in every part of the test.

It's not all roses though - plugging in a pair of headphones caused quite a lot of degradation. Its volume levels plummeted to only average levels, the frequency response started missing the mark now and then, while the IMD and the stereo crosstalk increased too. It's a decent performance here, particularly given the market segment, but not quite the audiophile experience that the first part of the test was.

"
 
 
 
Is this it, plug an amp and it all become roses?

 

 
How good it sounds depends on the DAC, that graph means if you plug in an amp, you don't get much distortion. If you just plug in iems, then you get all those spikes = distortion. This means the headphone out is not well designed and most probably an after thought.
 
Plugging in an amp in the headphone out port is usually a bad idea, it will amplify the hiss too. If you must have an amp, use one with a compatible USB dac for your phone, this cuts out the hiss problem from the headphone out. 

 

[rosw]

Hi Guys,
 
which is more important?
 
onboard sound processor but without aptX
 
Yamaha YSS-205X chip for the karaoke mode, SABRE ES9601 DAC and TI’s OPA1612 amplifier kit. or 
Hi-fi experience with an OPA1612 Super-high Resolution Amplifier, an advanced ES9018K2M DAC
 
or without onboard sound processor but with aptX 
 
for playing audio files / MP3 via Bluetooth headphones ?

 

[thepooh]

Why using bluetooth if you want to improve the sound quality? Everybody knows that bluetooth will further compress the sound signal

 

[milford30]

  Hi Guys,
 
which is more important?
 
onboard sound processor but without aptX
 
Yamaha YSS-205X chip for the karaoke mode, SABRE ES9601 DAC and TI’s OPA1612 amplifier kit. or 
Hi-fi experience with an OPA1612 Super-high Resolution Amplifier, an advanced ES9018K2M DAC
 
or without onboard sound processor but with aptX 
 
for playing audio files / MP3 via Bluetooth headphones ?

 
From experience, a good dac > aptx support, but it is hard to say because there are so many factors, especially because I have no idea what the other phone is and have not heard the Sabre dac.

 

[mdiogofs]

How good it sounds depends on the DAC, that graph means if you plug in an amp, you don't get much distortion. If you just plug in iems, then you get all those spikes = distortion. This means the headphone out is not well designed and most probably an after thought.
 
Plugging in an amp in the headphone out port is usually a bad idea, it will amplify the hiss too. If you must have an amp, use one with a compatible USB dac for your phone, this cuts out the hiss problem from the headphone out. 

Thanks!
 
But i don't have any hiss at headphone out. Oneplus One is dead silent. And when i plug, for instance, a FiiO E6 with Havi B3P1, it sounds quite good. No hiss, good detail...Just a little cold sound but that's FiiO effect i think (and not Wolfson more enjoyable dac). So, when plugging in headphones the output there's resistence in the "sound line" but when i plug an amp, the amp don't make that resistance because it's an active "current" device, so it estabilizes somehow. That is what i get from the measures...
 
But you're right, a OTG USB DAC is the way the go But, the headphone out is not bad with an active amplifier, gsmarena says it's very perfect at measures. But the DAC is the DAC and it's not a Wolfson...But was a very interesting sound indeed. People here also say that. So it's actually very aceptable for "on the go" and i'll use usb dac at more "calm" places. As i use Spotify, that's why i wont go to a dedicated DAP for now.  

 

[milford30]

  Thanks!
 
But i don't have any hiss at headphone out. Oneplus One is dead silent. And when i plug, for instance, a FiiO E6 with Havi B3P1, it sounds quite good. No hiss, good detail...Just a little cold sound but that's FiiO effect i think (and not Wolfson more enjoyable dac). So, when plugging in headphones the output there's resistence in the "sound line" but when i plug an amp, the amp don't make that resistance because it's an active "current" device, so it estabilizes somehow. That is what i get from the measures...
 
But you're right, a OTG USB DAC is the way the go But, the headphone out is not bad with an active amplifier, gsmarena says it's very perfect at measures. But the DAC is the DAC and it's not a Wolfson...But was a very interesting sound indeed. People here also say that. So it's actually very aceptable for "on the go" and i'll use usb dac at more "calm" places. As i use Spotify, that's why i wont go to a dedicated DAP for now.  

 
I forgot to mention it would amplify the not so good dac as well. The amp will show up as resistance as well, but most are designed so that it is very low.
 
If you're happy with it, then trust your ears, measurments can only tell you so much.

 

[ryanshakespeare]

Hey guys, im looking for a device that has great sound quality via the headphone jack. My s4 sounds awfull and I broke my ipod recently.Any recommendations?

 

[alnilam]

Hey guys, im looking for a device that has great sound quality via the headphone jack. My s4 sounds awfull and I broke my ipod recently.Any recommendations?

Complete Guide to Android Smartphone Audiophile
http://geeknizer.com/complete-guide-to-android-smartphone-audiophile

Phones for audiophiles: 5 Android handsets with quality sound processors
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Phones-for-audiophiles-5-Android-handsets-with-quality-sound-processors_id63856

The 5 best smartphones for music
http://www.androidpit.com/best-smartphones-for-music

 

[rosw]

Very detailed Review of the audio aspects of Meizu MX4 Pro VS Vivo Xplay 3S
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKj5nZieijs
 
(ps: spoken in mandarin chinese)

 

[ryanshakespeare]

Would u recommend to change phones or buy a dac?

 

[rosw]

Another PRC phone is out 
 
http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/feature-hands-xiaomi-mi-note
 
One thing we didn’t quite expected is the emphasis on audio. The Mi Note is packed with an ESS ES9018K2M stereo digital-to-analog converter (DAC), dual ADI ADA 4896 op-amps, dual Texas Instruments OPA1612 op-amps, and two independent 44.1kHz and 48kHz clock oscillators. On paper at least, the Mi Note is a very capable high-res (24-bit/192kHz) audio player
 
what do u think?