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Sony xperia XZ range audio quality

Nov 12, 2016 at 1:53 AM Post #151 of 235
@rockstar I definitely would consider a portable music player like walkman which is definitely superior to a phone. Honestly, why wouldn't it be at 300 dollars? I've only ever used my zune HD but I have only just stopped using it when I realized the music coming from my phone is superior quality wise. 
 
Not to mention how great the Sony walkman app is. it's really the best stock music app out there. It takes a bit to get over the lack of loudness (which btw is software, not hardware it's the louder than the iphone 6 plus according to some). however, Once you get over it you realize its amazing sound quality. 
 
I've been using my z3 in my car and my friends changed thier mind about the phones sound quality sucked once you got over the volume issue of it you realize how crisp the sound is, how well the bass is and not overwhelming like the m8 which my friend uses and just drowns out the entire song. The bass is very clear, and the overall sound is well balanced. Maybe the volume isn't a big deal because of the car you can just crank up the volume to higher. 
 
 
maybe if you hook it up to a speaker system you might discren the difference better? I have a friend who said the XZ is not really a massive improvement but notices a REAL improvement when playing 24/192 khz sound files. he said it was truly great. 
 
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Also, as far as the spec numbers alone are not conclusive. The 3gb might not seem like much but like how rockstar mentioned, outdoes phones like the s7 with less. Thats because in the modern world (sony admitted this themselfs) software optimization is more important. That's why Sony even outpaces phones like the oneplus3 and even comes close to iphone 7 speed which is uneahrd for an adnroid. And mind you the oneplus 3 has 6gb of ram as well. QHD and more ram is really just a gimmick that companies use to hide their poor optimization and implementations. My z3 has better display than the s7 side-by side. Amoleds have really bad color reproduction and oversaturation issues. 
 
And the Sony xz display is amazing. 
 
Think of it like this: you have two cars and one has 300 horsepower the other has 700 horsepower. You think by sheer power alone taht the second car would win a race. However, there are more factorsr that can change everything including the size of the car, the aerodynamics, the suspension etc. So the horsepower alone is not conclusive enough. Now imagine companies marketed their superirioty via horsepower alone. tahts what its like now. 
 
And when it comes to things that are not gimmick or things that actaully matter sony dlievers for the most part: 23mp camera with RGBC sensor and laser autofocus, 13mp front, dual sparkers front facing, ip68, micro sd, HI-res audio with NC, alkaledio metal, unique beatuiful design, qnovo battery technology, great software? Really they deliver on user experience. 
 
 
yes, even my friend admits teh auto mode is what sony seems to have a hard time optimizing. however, when he uses the manual mode it blows away all smartphone cameras in both low light and bright light. Use 20mp-23mp for bright light and faster shutterspeed while mantining the lowest iso. 
 
Nov 12, 2016 at 12:56 PM Post #152 of 235
aertus, 
 
Well 2 years ago I would've said yeah, why wouldn't it be superior at $300? But now we have phones like the HTC 10 and LG V20. lol That's why. I suspect that both phones (esp the V20) could very well match or possibly even outdo the A17 perhaps??  I think ANYTHING is possible. LOL
 
Yeah, I definitely do like the Sony Walkman/Music app a lot. If Poweramp didn't exist I can say with at least 99% certainty that I'd be using Music for sure. Well, regarding the lack of loudness, that's what those portable amps are for. But not everybody is willing to buy one (i.e. you lol). I am, but I believe the HTC and LG phones at this point can very well supply enough volume as well. The V20 phone's 3.5mm port is monitored by a special program that actually MEASURES the impedance of the headphones you connect to it. So it has normal mode (average volume max), aux/external device connected mode (higher volume max), and high impedance mode (super high volume max). I found a way for my cousin to trick to the V20 into thinking the headphones you connect to it are "aux" level impedance on here. He tried it, and it worked. Just have to connect the headphones first I believe and THEN the phone. He said now they're "loud as F!". lol Sony should implement a similar type of process. 
 
So you're saying the M8's sound quality is bassy........on speakers or headphone/speaker/3.5mm port?? Well either way, your friend could simply just EQ the bass down a little 'til it sounds more balanced. On headphone listening, you wouldn't need an "in-between" device to deal with the bass..........but you would to give you more volume. I had both phones myself for months in 2014, and I thought they both sounded great. I noticed though as I'd mentioned earlier that some of the songs that I had to use custom EQs on the M8 didn't need those custom EQ anymore on the Z3. But that was 2 years ago............if I get the HTC 11 next year, which is very likely, I'll be making sure I take notice of that stuff once again. 
 
Yeah, software optimization is very important. People say (on the flip side) well Sony Xperia cameras have higher resolution but that's just a gimmick cuz they're not as good. Maybe in the past that was a yes, but even though the S7, HTC 10, and XP all got the same score of 88 on DxoMark, in MY OWN comparisons, the XP beat them both out in terms of color accuracy (vs. S7) and sharpness/detail when zooming in (vs. HTC 10). So I guess if Sony's gonna use "higher numbers" than the rest, they have a good reason for it. For HTC's sake next year, they BETTER mother f'ing get that camera ON PAR with the rest in terms of sharpness/detail when zooming in. They are getting SO close though! lol
 
Some ppl I know say that Super AMOLED is better than LCD, but I don't buy it. They say the AMOLEDs have wider angle views. Mehh. I think they're full of crap. lol
 
I still feel that at this point, Sony's auto mode is pretty much perfect. I haven't really compared it with Manual Mode. Maybe I will one day. We'll see. 
 
Nov 12, 2016 at 3:09 PM Post #153 of 235
rockstar2005 said:
 
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well tahts the thing the a17 is a flagship device from 2 years ago right? If they came up with one right now I'm certain it would blow away any smartphone. But I know they probably dont release a new one every year. 
 
as far as I can tell. the z3 ability to play clear music, with instrument seperation is superior to the m8. I've even played a hi-fi resoltuion audio in my car and it sounded amazing still even if the sound speakers are not-hi supported it made a difference imo. 
 
well, like I said with DXo you gotta look at each category seperately sony always outdoes others in color and probably even more so with the XZ. More megapixels, is generally better assuming everything else is equal. Sony didn't just have the highest megapixel count of any smartphone, it also had the LARGEST sensor of any smartphone with a 1/2.3 which is as big as compact point and shoot cameras and it had that since like the z2 I believe (maybe earlier?). But yeah, it took a bit for others to catch up, and Sony being the maker of all the sensors will likely come up with more innovations for its cameras. Heard they are working on graphene sensor that is more sensitive to light. 
 
yeah IPS lcd are superior due to the many improvements. JDI is a really big joint collaboration between 3 companies that have a lot of expertise in this area (most people don't know what JDI is). But yeah they are really color accurate and great to look at. 
 
Nov 13, 2016 at 12:05 PM Post #154 of 235
aertus said:
  well tahts the thing the a17 is a flagship device from 2 years ago right? If they came up with one right now I'm certain it would blow away any smartphone. But I know they probably dont release a new one every year. 
 
as far as I can tell. the z3 ability to play clear music, with instrument seperation is superior to the m8. I've even played a hi-fi resoltuion audio in my car and it sounded amazing still even if the sound speakers are not-hi supported it made a difference imo. 
 
well, like I said with DXo you gotta look at each category seperately sony always outdoes others in color and probably even more so with the XZ. More megapixels, is generally better assuming everything else is equal. Sony didn't just have the highest megapixel count of any smartphone, it also had the LARGEST sensor of any smartphone with a 1/2.3 which is as big as compact point and shoot cameras and it had that since like the z2 I believe (maybe earlier?). But yeah, it took a bit for others to catch up, and Sony being the maker of all the sensors will likely come up with more innovations for its cameras. Heard they are working on graphene sensor that is more sensitive to light. 
 
yeah IPS lcd are superior due to the many improvements. JDI is a really big joint collaboration between 3 companies that have a lot of expertise in this area (most people don't know what JDI is). But yeah they are really color accurate and great to look at. 
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Sony makes different Walkmans at different price levels. The A17 was the $300 one, and they have a $600 and $1200 one (and now a couple that are like double or triple THAT!). I've tried the newer $600 one and it was pretty sweet! The newer model of the $300 one (sequel to A17) are the A20-series Walkmans. Basically the same but newer/faster processor. Not really sure they sound any better though? So it all depends on how much you wanna pay, but the $300 A17 is FANTASTIC IMO, or else I wouldn't have started my own thread on it. lol If you're interested in the A17 or whatever, and buy any one of the Walkmans, let me know. 
 
Well when the HTC 11 comes out and I decide I want it, I'll order it and compare it with my XP. I'll be putting extra focus on instrument separation and soundstage too, on top of everything else. 
 
Yeah I know. I was just stating that the "overall rating" on DxoMark can be misleading if you don't delve into it deeper. 
 
Nice on graphene sensor, and JDI thing yeah that's cool too. I'm just not sure if I will stick with Sony next year or not. I have to research battery life on newer phones like XZ and whatever phones come out next year. The battery life on my XP is simply inexcusable. 
 
In other news.........regarding your XZ, see this.
 
Nov 13, 2016 at 8:59 PM Post #155 of 235
rockstar2005 said:
   
Sony makes different Walkmans at different price levels. The A17 was the $300 one, and they have a $600 and $1200 one (and now a couple that are like double or triple THAT!). I've tried the newer $600 one and it was pretty sweet! The newer model of the $300 one (sequel to A17) are the A20-series Walkmans. Basically the same but newer/faster processor. Not really sure they sound any better though? So it all depends on how much you wanna pay, but the $300 A17 is FANTASTIC IMO, or else I wouldn't have started my own thread on it. lol If you're interested in the A17 or whatever, and buy any one of the Walkmans, let me know. 
 
Well when the HTC 11 comes out and I decide I want it, I'll order it and compare it with my XP. I'll be putting extra focus on instrument separation and soundstage too, on top of everything else. 
 
Yeah I know. I was just stating that the "overall rating" on DxoMark can be misleading if you don't delve into it deeper. 
 
Nice on graphene sensor, and JDI thing yeah that's cool too. I'm just not sure if I will stick with Sony next year or not. I have to research battery life on newer phones like XZ and whatever phones come out next year. The battery life on my XP is simply inexcusable. 
 
In other news.........regarding your XZ, see this.
Click to expand...

well the htc11 comes out that wont really be a fair comparison cuz you'd be comparing a 2017 flagship with a semi 2016 flagship (since you don't even have the xz). however, my friend has the XZ and the s7 and he says it's way better than the s7 quality wise. Even the z3 probably still better than the s7. He will be getting the Htc10 too to compare with them as well. 
 
yeah....speaking of dxo. Whats up with them one month no iphone 7plus no xperia xz. I'm getting tired waiting. 
 
Nov 13, 2016 at 10:12 PM Post #156 of 235
aertus said:
  well the htc11 comes out that wont really be a fair comparison cuz you'd be comparing a 2017 flagship with a semi 2016 flagship (since you don't even have the xz). however, my friend has the XZ and the s7 and he says it's way better than the s7 quality wise. Even the z3 probably still better than the s7. He will be getting the Htc10 too to compare with them as well. 
 
yeah....speaking of dxo. Whats up with them one month no iphone 7plus no xperia xz. I'm getting tired waiting. 
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lol I STILL don't agree with you that the XP was a "semi-flagship". The XZ is better but like you said about the 11 vs XP, it's also newer than the XP. lol And I would even argue the XP looks cooler too. 
 
That's cool. But still, it's also how HTC treats its U.S. customers vs. how Sony Mobile does that is factoring into my decision too. Also of course battery life, camera quality, etc. 
 
I haven't checked, but I dunno. Maybe you should e-mail them and ask? I'm sure they have a customer service/contact us option. 
 
Nov 17, 2016 at 10:30 PM Post #158 of 235
rockstar2005 said:
aertus (and all), 

JUST posted a new review on the brand new Sennheiser HD 598 Cs closed-back headphones. You said you were looking for new headphones........you DEF wanna read this before buying anything. 

All, please feel free to comment or ask questions THERE. 

Thanks! Enjoy!
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Cool, I will be reading that for sure. I heard a sound demo of the b&o h6 and I think they have captured my interests
 
Nov 23, 2016 at 12:43 PM Post #161 of 235
Still have a similar opinion if the phone from my initial review. As a phone it's pretty great. Had to send it back for a new one though cuz for the life of me could not receive a single text. Works now tho. It's speedy, great screen (1080 or not, this screen rocks). It's slim design and rapid charging are great. It's just like the Z5 to me but in a better box. It's definitely more like stock Android than its ever been...

Audio quality is very good. Detailed, accurate, better sound staging than my HTC10 if by a small margin :unamused:. It's not as warm as the HTC10 and TO ME that translates to not ad musical, but it's a fine device. The only (MAJOR) issue is that it's underpowered. Some say thats a software issue. Whatever it is, it's underpowered. Cannot power my audio Technica m50x or my audeze LCD something or other to the levels I require. The HTC gets there, almost runs out of room, but it gets there.

I guess that's my summation, lol.
 
Nov 23, 2016 at 1:39 PM Post #162 of 235
club968 said:
Still have a similar opinion if the phone from my initial review. As a phone it's pretty great. Had to send it back for a new one though cuz for the life of me could not receive a single text. Works now tho. It's speedy, great screen (1080 or not, this screen rocks). It's slim design and rapid charging are great. It's just like the Z5 to me but in a better box. It's definitely more like stock Android than its ever been...

Audio quality is very good. Detailed, accurate, better sound staging than my HTC10 if by a small margin :unamused:. It's not as warm as the HTC10 and TO ME that translates to not ad musical, but it's a fine device. The only (MAJOR) issue is that it's underpowered. Some say thats a software issue. Whatever it is, it's underpowered. Cannot power my audio Technica m50x or my audeze LCD something or other to the levels I require. The HTC gets there, almost runs out of room, but it gets there.

I guess that's my summation, lol.
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Wow.....interesting. So for detail and accuracy both are equal? Or would you say one is slightly better?
 
Nov 23, 2016 at 5:37 PM Post #163 of 235
yeah its a software limitation on the xperia phones as far as they were first made. You can root the phone and remove the limitation but I wouldn't recommend it it might ruin something else with the phone. but yeah the phone is powerful hardware wise, sony just limits the volume. 
 
Nov 23, 2016 at 8:22 PM Post #164 of 235
aertus said:
  yeah its a software limitation on the xperia phones as far as they were first made. You can root the phone and remove the limitation but I wouldn't recommend it it might ruin something else with the phone. but yeah the phone is powerful hardware wise, sony just limits the volume. 
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Yeah. They do that IMO to save battery power. The Sony Walkman A17 (and well, ALL the Sony Walkmans from what I've read) that I used to own was the same way. It could get pretty loud, but def not REALLY loud. 98-99% of the time it was fine for me though. 
 
Yeah be careful with rooting and unlocking the bootloader. I know unlocking the bootloader can PERMANENTLY mess up the camera and all your pics will come out fuzzy. 
 
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