[heatofamatch]

I try the phone today with TripleFi and i think the sound of the first Xperia Z is much better, much more clarity. Is that only me?

 
At first the M8 may give you the impression that it's got less clarity than a lot of other phones. Including Sony, Nexus5 or even the M7. However if you listen again, you may realize that it doesn't really lack clarity at all -- all the sound elements are well-reproduced and you will be able to easily distinguish the quality of different files (e.g. MP3 vs FLAC) or lesser versus better headphones.
 
The M8 is also better than most smartphones right now in its ability to drive certain headphones and IEMs. Its advantage may not be so obvious if your IEM is fairly easy to drive to a good volume, but with over-the-head headphones, or something a little less sensitive (or higher impedance), I think the M8 sounds fuller and more dynamic.
 
It's also a much more involving, fun sound than Sony's signature sound if you listen to rock or EDM.

 

[dannejanne]

I have had many Android phones and the M8 sounds best out of all of them in my opinion. Very rich sound and it plays music higher than any other phone. No need for volume mod or external amp really for volumes sake.
 
However I have the crackling noise issue. Though it only affects the left channel it seems and it's only on the next to last volume step. So if I go max volume or third from max I don't hear it. So I just have to stay away from the second last volume step. Otherwise my Harman Kardon CL sounds absolutely beautiful with this phone!

 

[Duncan]

I have had many Android phones and the M8 sounds best out of all of them in my opinion. Very rich sound and it plays music higher than any other phone. No need for volume mod or external amp really for volumes sake.

However I have the crackling noise issue. Though it only affects the left channel it seems and it's only on the next to last volume step. So if I go max volume or third from max I don't hear it. So I just have to stay away from the second last volume step. Otherwise my Harman Kardon CL sounds absolutely beautiful with this phone!

That is pretty much it - either keep the volume at no more than 13/15 and all will be good, or - if you're worried that you'll change the volume in your pocket, lower gain by 6db (or get a volume limiter from the play store, and set this at 13/15), and then you can use full volume with little to no problem.

 

[DisCHORDDubstep]

Or get an amp...

 

[jk47]

fwiw
 
lg g3 
 
 
Audio fans will appreciate the 1W speaker at the back of the G3, which is similar to the one found in the LG G Pro 2. However this time LG has also enabled a boost mode, which brings its power to 1.5W.
 
 
 

Speaker Amp

Cirrus Logic CS35L32

 

[elfary]

I have had many Android phones and the M8 sounds best out of all of them in my opinion. Very rich sound and it plays music higher than any other phone. No need for volume mod or external amp really for volumes sake.
 
However I have the crackling noise issue. Though it only affects the left channel it seems and it's only on the next to last volume step. So if I go max volume or third from max I don't hear it. So I just have to stay away from the second last volume step. Otherwise my Harman Kardon CL sounds absolutely beautiful with this phone!

That exact phenomenon was measured in the Galaxy S4 by Jensigner (audio engineer).

It got fixed by a firmwarw update.


Password must contain at least one capital letter, the meaning of life, 14 of your favorite baby names, the Hamlet plot summary and a hug.

 

[Noizlanif]

Hey there folks. First off, I love my M8, better than the wife's S5, and the old Droid X I had. My only question is if im just running an amp off of it (obective2), and I stream alot of my music since i've just started getting back into music, is there a EQ program that I can run to modify my phones settings, if so which would you folks recommend, or is it fine just using the phone?
 
I apologize if this isn't the thread for it, I was just curious if it could be better from a SQ perspective, I guess.

 

[DisCHORDDubstep]

Hey there folks. First off, I love my M8, better than the wife's S5, and the old Droid X I had. My only question is if im just running an amp off of it (obective2), and I stream alot of my music since i've just started getting back into music, is there a EQ program that I can run to modify my phones settings, if so which would you folks recommend, or is it fine just using the phone?

I apologize if this isn't the thread for it, I was just curious if it could be better from a SQ perspective, I guess.

hmm... Well, the phone already has a flat response... What headphones are you using? And yeah... Its a lot nicer than the galaxy s5. Almost any phone is nicer than a galaxy s5... I hate Samsung. The only two companies I would buy is Nokia, HTC, and maybe Vivo or Oppo if they ever come to the USA... Vivo Xshot is the first phone to score over 40,000 on an antutu test.

 

[Noizlanif]

Im currently using some Soundmagic hp100's mainly. Sometimes ath-m50's.

 

[dannejanne]

Im currently using some Soundmagic hp100's mainly. Sometimes ath-m50's.

 
If you are willing to you could unlock the bootloader, root the phone and install Viper4Android and that way you will get a EQ to play with if that's what you want.

 

[Docks]

I feel like a troll saying this... but isn't the 8ohm output impedance paired with hissing for high sensitivity IEMs a deal breaker for you?

 

[Noizlanif]

  I feel like a troll saying this... but isn't the 8ohm output impedance paired with hissing for high sensitivity IEMs a deal breaker for you?

I honestly haven't had an issue with hissing, I know some Non-US phones have a higher rating than the US Based ones, it's a mixed rating from what i've read. Having tested it with a OTG cord and a E17, there wasn't a hiss just like plugging the headphones into the audio jack. Maybe I got lucky, or can't hear it. Either way, I think it still can sound better than it does now. I'm just going to buy a DAC/AMP combo that can be used OTG like. I really don't want to use a different source as I stream alot.

 

[Roscoeiii]

  I feel like a troll saying this... but isn't the 8ohm output impedance paired with hissing for high sensitivity IEMs a deal breaker for you?

Not sure that the 8 Ohm output has been confirmed. I am still looking for impedance measurements for the phone that folks regard as reliable. Someone mentioned very early that gsmarena had it measured as low impedance, though I haven't been able to locate that measurement. And then there is the one Chinese measurement. But there seemed to be some doubts about that measurement. If anyone knows of other impedance measurements, I'd be very curious. 
 
I have not had any hiss issues, with my very sensitive Shure 846s. 

 

[Darkseth]

I have not had any hiss issues, with my very sensitive Shure 846s. 

Same here with my UE 900.

 

[heatofamatch]

See, this must be why civilization is in trouble, if that's considered trolling... cause I wouldn't say that's trolling at all, that's a reasonable Q.
 
I'm also like the other guys: heard the report of hissing/cracking/higher output impedance, went in with a confirmatory bias, but simply did not observe those behavior (at least not yet).
 
My tiny, uneducated suspicion (i.e. you're more than welcome to diss it) is that due to the metal body or circuitry, if your headphone jack is carrying a little bit of static electricity, when you plug it into the M8 you would see more of an effect than with other phones. Other possibilities are myriad: quality control variances or whatever.
 
I also tried my M8 with a DAC. You know what, it sounds cleaner than my previous Sony phone on the same external DAC!  The M8 sounds cleaner, louder than that phone on both that AND non-aptX Bluetooth. Can you blame me for trashing Sony so much, LOL!  But this time my M8 had a constant high-pitched tone coming out the left channel that I haven't been able to troubleshoot. So all I can say is (an alledgely very un-scientific) YMMV.