[RockStar2005]

That sounds good! And what about rest of the spectrum? Is it still a slight V-shaped response or more L-shaped? I'm guessing separation, details etc. are better than on M8?

The rest of the spectrum I'd say is pretty neutral and very well-balanced. Oh yeah..............all those things are FANTASTIC on the 10. It's a clear improvement over the already really good sound quality of the M8!

I've heard of V-shaped (yuck! lol), but what's L-shaped??! lol

 

[RockStar2005]

@PsiCore ... RockStar2005 is the go to guy regarding the SQ of the HTC10 LOL. The 10 is a lot more dynamic through the frequency range than the M8. Much better clarity and separation. But then again, it depends on the daisy chain re music files and headphones. I have had more or less every flag ship phone and the 10 beats them all. IMHO

Thanks voxie. Yeah, I did my research! LOL

I had the M8 as well and I remember I needed to root it and get the Harman/Kardon mod installed on it to make it sound REALLY good.

Yes........the quality of your headphones AND music DO matter too! Over the last few years, I've been getting heavily into downloading Hi-Res and CD-Quality music files. To me, it's worth it, but it can add up. For CD-Quality, I either just rip the CDs I ALREADY have but no longer make the mistake of doing so to mp3, but to ALAC/FLAC and then 512 kbps AAC files. Or else I either buy the CDQ ones online or lately I got wise and sometimes just buy "used but in 'like new' condition" CDs off Amazon or eBay for certain albums I like that AREN'T available in Hi-Res and then just rip 'em. Usually you can find them even cheaper than online CDQ albums. Just have to make sure the CD itself is not damaged. For headphones, AKG all the way! lol At least for under $500-$800 ones. I recommend the AKG K550, K550 MK II, or K551. They all sound the same........... and are INCREDIBLE! If interested, lemme know. For music player, I feel that Poweramp is the best.

More here on downsampling & purchasing Hi-Res/CDQ files to save room and battery power. Skip Walkman part at top.

Note: dBpoweramp and Poweramp have NO relation to each other.

 

[zachgraz]

Hi folks,
I am hesitating to get one of my HTC 10s rooted for warranty reasons but out of curiosity: has anybody Viper4Android running on their HTC 10s ? Does the installation of V4A deactivate Boomsound or can they work at the same time ? Somehow I like Boomsound too.
I have successfully used V4A for years on other phones and really got used to it's great features. Would be nice to have it running on HTC 10 - but, as I am pretty sure of - no root, no V4A.

 

[RockStar2005]

Hi folks,
I am hesitating to get one of my HTC 10s rooted for warranty reasons but out of curiosity: has anybody Viper4Android running on their HTC 10s ? Does the installation of V4A deactivate Boomsound or can they work at the same time ? Somehow I like Boomsound too.
I have successfully used V4A for years on other phones and really got used to it's great features. Would be nice to have it running on HTC 10 - but, as I am pretty sure of - no root, no V4A.

Zach,

When I had my M8, I'd rooted it (and unlocked bootloader AND did "S-Off") so I could install the Harman/Kardon mod on it for better audio. HTC is actually VERY pro-dev, as you can see here. I recall installing Viper4Android on my M8 with no issues, so you'll prob be fine. I would talk to them too for more info before doing anything though. I don't recall V4A messing with BoomSound on my M8 though.

 

[voxie]

Thanks voxie. Yeah, I did my research! LOL

I had the M8 as well and I remember I needed to root it and get the Harman/Kardon mod installed on it to make it sound REALLY good.

Yes........the quality of your headphones AND music DO matter too! Over the last few years, I've been getting heavily into downloading Hi-Res and CD-Quality music files. To me, it's worth it, but it can add up. For CD-Quality, I either just rip the CDs I ALREADY have but no longer make the mistake of doing so to mp3, but to ALAC/FLAC and then 512 kbps AAC files. Or else I either buy the CDQ ones online or lately I got wise and sometimes just buy "used but in 'like new' condition" CDs off Amazon or eBay for certain albums I like that AREN'T available in Hi-Res and then just rip 'em. Usually you can find them even cheaper than online CDQ albums. Just have to make sure the CD itself is not damaged. For headphones, AKG all the way! lol At least for under $500-$800 ones. I recommend the AKG K550, K550 MK II, or K551. They all sound the same........... and are INCREDIBLE! If interested, lemme know. For music player, I feel that Poweramp is the best.

More here on downsampling & purchasing Hi-Res/CDQ files to save room and battery power. Skip Walkman part at top.

Note: dBpoweramp and Poweramp have NO relation to each other.

Hi RockStar2005, best wishes.. appreciate the input and your thoughts. Have the AKG K550's but....cant get a proper seal. Have a pair of AKG 601's that need a nuclear reactor to power them. Poweramp is the best,

 

[RockStar2005]

Hi RockStar2005, best wishes.. appreciate the input and your thoughts. Have the AKG K550's but....cant get a proper seal. Have a pair of AKG 601's that need a nuclear reactor to power them. Poweramp is the best,

Voxie,

Sure, no problem! Glad to help.

I've heard people say that before. Try to play with the adjustment on the K550 while it's on your head, including angling the earcups. That may help. It does for me. I'm fine with mine, but there's also other alternatives like trying different earpads. I've heard the Brainwavz angled velour ones help, and even make the sound, soundstage, etc better. Looks into that here. Also see comment below from an Amazon user:

Spoiler

Review: (5/5 stars)
Nice upgrade!
Here are my opinions of these pads, after a month or two of ownership.
They are currently on a set of AKG K550 headphones. The circumference of the K550's are a bit larger than the upgrade pads. It took some stretching to get them to fit. The pads are tall and they help with the headphones clamping. They are firm yet comfortable and can be worn for extended periods of time without fatigue. The velour is nice because they do not trap too much heat. The foam and velour is breathable so your skin won't sweat.
Take note that they will change the sound of the headphones they're on. They have seemed to reduce some of the bass, because of this, the headphones became brighter. The K550 have some bass emphasis so the pads have served to flatten the response curve. If you prefer more bass in your cans, buy the leather version. I enjoy a flat curve which allows me to discern details such as quality of recording, sound engineering, quality of instruments, etc. A good recording of an orchestral piece is absolutely amazing with the upgraded K550.
The soundstage has also widened since these pads are taller than the stock K550 pads. The angle of the drivers are adjusted because these pads are angled. The stock pads make the driver angle to be perpendicular to your ears. The angled pads tilt the driver angle so that they're parallel to how the ears are shaped. This makes it feel as if the sound is coming from in front of you, rather than to either the left or right channels. I like this effect because it feels more natural, as if you're in the room with the music source and they are right in front of you. This has helped immensely with my counterstrike as I am able to better pinpoint footstep locations.
The velour does attract dog fur, so have a lint roller on hand.
Overall, I am happy with this purchase. It's an inexpensive upgrade which will dramatically change your can's characteristics. see less
By Amazon Customer on October 17, 2015

IF you want more bass, then he suggests buying the leather ones, found here. There are also the angled leather ones, but not sure if they're better than non-angled leather ones.

Good luck! Lemme know what you do.

 

[PsiCore]

I've heard of V-shaped (yuck! lol), but what's L-shaped??! lol

L-shaped is elevated bass and mids / highs relatively on the same level (behind the bass obviously).

I'm running my M8 and Fiio X5iii with Neutron, because I love to mess around with parametric EQ
The best player imo is Rockbox (not visually haha), but unfortunately it's not working on Android 5.x

The last few days I compared the Fiio and HTC and although the X5iii is a bit better than the M8, it's not night and day difference. If the M10 is a clear improvement, than I'll definitely need to get rid of one brick
The only gripe - I love the two sd card slots on Fiio...

 

[voxie]

Voxie,

Sure, no problem! Glad to help.

I've heard people say that before. Try to play with the adjustment on the K550 while it's on your head, including angling the earcups. That may help. It does for me. I'm fine with mine, but there's also other alternatives like trying different earpads. I've heard the Brainwavz angled velour ones help, and even make the sound, soundstage, etc better. Looks into that here. Also see comment below from an Amazon user:

Spoiler

Review: (5/5 stars)
Nice upgrade!
Here are my opinions of these pads, after a month or two of ownership.
They are currently on a set of AKG K550 headphones. The circumference of the K550's are a bit larger than the upgrade pads. It took some stretching to get them to fit. The pads are tall and they help with the headphones clamping. They are firm yet comfortable and can be worn for extended periods of time without fatigue. The velour is nice because they do not trap too much heat. The foam and velour is breathable so your skin won't sweat.
Take note that they will change the sound of the headphones they're on. They have seemed to reduce some of the bass, because of this, the headphones became brighter. The K550 have some bass emphasis so the pads have served to flatten the response curve. If you prefer more bass in your cans, buy the leather version. I enjoy a flat curve which allows me to discern details such as quality of recording, sound engineering, quality of instruments, etc. A good recording of an orchestral piece is absolutely amazing with the upgraded K550.
The soundstage has also widened since these pads are taller than the stock K550 pads. The angle of the drivers are adjusted because these pads are angled. The stock pads make the driver angle to be perpendicular to your ears. The angled pads tilt the driver angle so that they're parallel to how the ears are shaped. This makes it feel as if the sound is coming from in front of you, rather than to either the left or right channels. I like this effect because it feels more natural, as if you're in the room with the music source and they are right in front of you. This has helped immensely with my counterstrike as I am able to better pinpoint footstep locations.
The velour does attract dog fur, so have a lint roller on hand.
Overall, I am happy with this purchase. It's an inexpensive upgrade which will dramatically change your can's characteristics. see less
By Amazon Customer on October 17, 2015

IF you want more bass, then he suggests buying the leather ones, found here. There are also the angled leather ones, but not sure if they're better than non-angled leather ones.

Good luck! Lemme know what you do.

@RockStar2005 Thanks for the share. Very much appreciated. Just ordered the Brainwave Leather Sheepskin Pads. Didn't go for the Gift Wrap option! Again thanks for your help. The AKG were sitting on my drawer gathering dust, so looking forward to using them again with this mod. Will update. Cheers.

 

[RockStar2005]

L-shaped is elevated bass and mids / highs relatively on the same level (behind the bass obviously).

I'm running my M8 and Fiio X5iii with Neutron, because I love to mess around with parametric EQ
The best player imo is Rockbox (not visually haha), but unfortunately it's not working on Android 5.x

The last few days I compared the Fiio and HTC and although the X5iii is a bit better than the M8, it's not night and day difference. If the M10 is a clear improvement, than I'll definitely need to get rid of one brick
The only gripe - I love the two sd card slots on Fiio...

Ahh ok. lol Makes sense.

Neutron is great! That is prob my 2nd fav player.

Yeah you should compare the 10 (not M10) with your FiiO. I had a $299 Oppo HA-2 amp/DAC and back in January when I still had my Sony Xperia X Performance, I gave the 10 a try vs. my Oppo. My 10 MATCHED if not exceeded the sound quality and volume of my HA-2, where my Sony XP couldn't. So I sold off both my XP AND the Oppo, and just kept my 10. Just sayin'. lol

Oh well......... 10 ftw though! lol

 

[RockStar2005]

@RockStar2005 Thanks for the share. Very much appreciated. Just ordered the Brainwave Leather Sheepskin Pads. Didn't go for the Gift Wrap option! Again thanks for your help. The AKG were sitting on my drawer gathering dust, so looking forward to using them again with this mod. Will update. Cheers.

voxie,

No problem! Glad to help. Please send me a PM after you've tried them out or just post here so I know how they sounded, how easy/difficult it was to put them on the K550, etc.

Haha yeah that option would've been PRETTY pointless! lol

Oh nice! Then I'm definitely glad I gave you that info! AKG forever!!!!!!!!!!

Yes please do. Cheers.

Also, akg fanboy kindly used his sound chart interpretation expertise to create this AKG K551 10-band custom EQ, which I can say has noticeably IMPROVED my listening experience since I started using it (vs. "Rock", which is only really good on speakers/in the car). Since the K55X series are all pretty much like 100% the same soundwise, I recommend you try it on Poweramp or whatever player you use for better results. The Brainwavz pads may alter it a bit more, but I still think it will sound better than "Rock". lol Let me know.

 

[PsiCore]

.
Yeah you should compare the 10 (not M10) with your FiiO.

Lol, for a second I thought I'm in the wrong thread. Than realised I incorrectly called the 10 as M10 the whole time... Anyway, strange why they just didn't kept the M10.

 

[RockStar2005]

Lol, for a second I thought I'm in the wrong thread. Than realised I incorrectly called the 10 as M10 the whole time... Anyway, strange why they just didn't kept the M10.

LOL no big deal.

I am quite sure it was b/c they wanted to show that the 10 was a very "different" phone from the M9, which didn't get as much love as the M7 and M8 did. So they dropped the M. Also, I think they thought that "10" was closer to the common phrase "Perfect 10" than M10 would've been. They were prob right there. lol

 

[JaeYoon]

The only audio player so far I like over HTC 10 would be Aune M1S.
"Old school dap really" with no album art support or digital out etc.

Though it lacks HTC10s warm sound sig and Graphical Features. I think both are warranted keeping.

 

[RockStar2005]

The only audio player so far I like over HTC 10 would be Aune M1S.
"Old school dap really" with no album art support or digital out etc.

Though it lacks HTC10s warm sound sig and Graphical Features. I think both are warranted keeping.

Wait, what about the Shanling M5 you suggested just a bit ago? If I was looking into DAPs again I'd prob get that one, despite the price.

 

[JaeYoon]

Wait, what about the Shanling M5 you suggested just a bit ago? If I was looking into DAPs again I'd prob get that one, despite the price.

Shanling M5 is like her bigger sister.
It cost 449 compared to 250. But no doubt Shanling m5 is great