Qualcomm Aqstic is an add-on feature in 820. Phone manufactures need to pay Qualcomm extra to use it. For example Oneplus3 choose to keep the price down and use 820 with the standard DAC.
I doubt it is software only.
This is exactly it, and people have been misunderstanding what Qualcomm is doing. Snapdragon has the compatibility to accommodate their own in house design of DAC. Before 820, it was all built in (standard), on 820, manufacturers has the option to "opt for" the superior and dedicated DAC which was "specially designed by Qualcomm" to work well in their own system on chip.
1/ standard integrated DAC
2/ Astiq DAC
However the manufacture prefer, and good thing is that it is tunable too, HTC tuned it toward more warmth and colorations to be more appealing to the mass. It is not neutral or natural, but is enjoyable, none the less.
This is an integrated DAC, but it is only an option....and it is qualified as discrete. The reason why HTC 10 is compatible with all 3rd party apps without constant upgrade is the "hardware comparability" as an integrated by Qualcomm. The V10 is more natural and neutral, but I dislike the fact that it constantly bump into 3rd party app bugs that need fix. The HtC10, on the other hand ? Is excellent
The bonus thing on the HTC 10 is the audio quality over Bluetooth. It is very good, it is even better than my Zx2 Bluetooth to my Lexus....especially the soundstage presentation.
I can tell you that as phone Eco system goes...every android phones with 3rd party DAC, including Axon 7, will always have problems with Android 3rd party app bugs. It is one of the down side of Android, unless it was built within the hardware like Qualcomm is doing.
So my conclusion ? HTC 10 is the best phone for the money on usability, comparability, sound quality, connectivity out there. No other phones matches it, period.
