[heatofamatch]

Well I'm reporting back after 3 weeks with the HTC one m8. I think it is a great phone in every respect apart from audio. Just couldn't get on with baseline hiss, which is definitely worse than on my m7. Also, I'm afraid that I've concluded that no android phone over heard (both HTC one models, Sony xperias z, z1, z2, Samsung galaxy s4) can compete with the iPhone 5s in terms of clean output, timing and accuracy. Don't get me wrong I appreciate all the flexibility of android, removable storage, drag and drop etc, but the phone I keep coming back to for listening enjoyment is the 5s. Can't be doing with having to carry an attenuator around all the time, and don't feel I should have to to get rid of hissing and cracking. Why can apple manage this and it seems to evade most android manufacturers?

I'm in no way a fanboi and if someone can make a hiss free android handset with one of those gorgeous 1080p screens, I'm totally sold.

Just my humble opinion

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk

 
Finally auditioned the M8 and I was pleasantly surprised. Now, my situation is kinda unique; there's one not particularly hi-fi IEM that I need my next phone to drive well, the Bose QC20. Out of all recent hi-end smartphones, only the 5S/5C and M8 seem capable of driving it satisfactorily - with the M7 in #3 spot perhaps - possibly because those two have the highest headphone-out voltage?* Other phones like the Z2 really sound okay with most other IEMs, but the M8 is really good at driving the QC20.
 
No electronic gadget has surprised me like this in a very long time. The M8 (and the M7) made me stay back and listen a little more, which has not happened since the iphone/itouch 5 debuted with that digital amp.
 
I've always been very happy with the Apple sound, like you said, I enjoy that sheer timing/control/sharpness/tightness and power. Just 24 hours ago I'd assumed that I'll need to go back to iOS for improved audio, & was desperately trying to figure out how I could live with iOS when I really just can't anymore. e.g. iOS7 really killed the usability of every IRC app, disconnecting them after 2-3 mins in the background, regardless of settings. People say, oh you can open IRC on a PC then use your phone to access it... but on gadgets of this caliber, that offends me even more than having to use an attenuator! 

 
So, It's a pleasure to find out that I've been posting in the right thread after all. I'm a future M8 owner for sure, it's only a matter of when.
 
*per test figures I saw over at phonearena.com

 

[ryanjsoo]

   
Finally auditioned the M8 and I was pleasantly surprised. Now, my situation is kinda unique; there's one not particularly hi-fi IEM that I need my next phone to drive well, the Bose QC20. Out of all recent hi-end smartphones, only the 5S/5C and M8 seem capable of driving it satisfactorily - with the M7 in #3 spot perhaps - possibly because those two have the highest headphone-out voltage?* Other phones like the Z2 really sound okay with most other IEMs, but the M8 is really good at driving the QC20.
 
No electronic gadget has surprised me like this in a very long time. The M8 (and the M7) made me stay back and listen a little more, which has not happened since the iphone/itouch 5 debuted with that digital amp.
 
I've always been very happy with the Apple sound, like you said, I enjoy that sheer timing/control/sharpness/tightness and power. Just 24 hours ago I'd assumed that I'll need to go back to iOS for improved audio, & was desperately trying to figure out how I could live with iOS when I really just can't anymore. e.g. iOS7 really killed the usability of every IRC app, disconnecting them after 2-3 mins in the background, regardless of settings. People say, oh you can open IRC on a PC then use your phone to access it... but on gadgets of this caliber, that offends me even more than having to use an attenuator! 

 
So, It's a pleasure to find out that I've been posting in the right thread after all. I'm a future M8 owner for sure, it's only a matter of when.
 
*per test figures I saw over at phonearena.com

It only gets better with the purexaudio mod over at xda, the only sound mod that actually increases sq, not just some stupid eq like v4a which everyone is fawning over.

 

[flgatorz]

They aren't.  HTC ha done it for years as well, they just left it off the original One and folks are happy that they brought it back.

 

[flgatorz]

Wrong, all the EVOs have had it.

 

[Duncan]

I'm still genuinely confused as to why four pole plugs offer a higher gain than their three pole brethren...
 
Any technical views on this?
 
Seems I can lower the gain (whether hard or software) and then get a boost with a four pole adapter...
 
Odd!

 

[Baroninkjet]

The plot thickens!
 
http://www.cnet.com/news/sprint-htc-one-m8-harman-kardon/
 
http://www.cnet.com/products/htc-one-m8-harman-kardon-edition/
 
"According to Sprint, the phone delivers music reproduction that holds six times the amount of data found on a standard CD. That's certainly a bold factoid, one we swallow with a huge grain of salt. Using a technology called Clari-Fi, the handset supposedly will fill in the highs and lows of music often lost during the audio compression process of MP3 files."

 

[fixxxer667]

So, this came up today...

http://www.engadget.com/gallery/htc-one-m8-harman-kardon-edition/2592763/#!slide=2592763

Harman Kardon edition of the HTC One M8 to come out on Sprint.
After a bit of swearing, I read that it's just software tweaks and format support.

And then I just started laughing when I saw the description of the Harman Kardon "Clari-Fi" description.
reminded me of the Creative "Crystalizer" sausage to steak audio enhancements.

Either way, if there's anything decent there, software or tweaks-wise, it won't be long before the folks over at XDA make it available for non H-K devices.

EDIT: hahahahahha, Baroninkjet, I got held up in Skype before posting this and didn't notice yours.

 

[Omnom]

I know its a tad off topic...
But what are you guys using as screen protectors? Any advice of what to get, what not to get etc.
Im gonna get myself a Spigen Gunmetal case, but Im not sure protection wise what I should get for the screen.
My phone arrives tomorrow!!!!!!!!!

 

[kantana]

II'm using a tempered glass screen protector from Armorz, it's the thin one @ 0.2mm. Other companies like Spigen also offer them but the Armorz has nice rounded corners. Plastic protectors scratch too easily and need to be replaced once/month but glass ones last for ages for me.

 

[Omnom]

Where abouts did you order this one from? Does they ship to New Zealand?

 

[kantana]

  Where abouts did you order this one from? Does they ship to New Zealand?

Try the armorz website, the one I got was the stealth extreme lite, they may ship or you can order through a dealer.

 

[suman134]

  Somebody knows the answer?

 
    thant 2nd line after 10k is 20k , not 11k .

 

[Omnom]

  Try the armorz website, the one I got was the stealth extreme lite, they may ship or you can order through a dealer.

Yeah im looking at their website and I cant seem to find it.
http://www.armorz.com/en/products/Films/HTC/The-new-hTC-one/l86
It does not give me the option for the extreme lite version. And it will not let me purchase it directly from the store. Strange!

 

[kantana]

  Yeah im looking at their website and I cant seem to find it.
http://www.armorz.com/en/products/Films/HTC/The-new-hTC-one/l86
It does not give me the option for the extreme lite version. And it will not let me purchase it directly from the store. Strange!

Strange their website lists it as coming soon but it's been out in the shops in Hong Kong since Apr 11th!  You can try searching for their dealers or look at other brands eg Spigen or Glast.

 

[BF3 Player]

The Engadget article says
 

The tweaked M8 can also play 24-bit, 192kHz lossless .FLAC files

 
I thought the standard M8 can do that already?