[RockStar2005]

  yeah sony actually has software limitation. Someone who removed the software limitation said it was louder than the iphone 6 plus. 
 
Dude I think the Zune HD and the Sony walkman at that time were wayyyy superior products to the overpriced Ipods. I reemember ZUNE HD getting unwarranted mockery and hate when everything about it was amazing including the incredible UI, battery, and sheer sound quality. It's louder, but the z3 has better sound seperation and wider soundstage than the zune. It's very old and I feel like sony deserves praise there. 
 
zune hd for most underrated tech product ever? Along with the sony player that came out during that year. 
 
Son'y stabilization has always been ahead and they used EIS which is clearly superior to OIS in video because EIS doesn't have the wobbly effect of OIS. Idk what Sony is using now some sort of hybrid EIS/sensor shift but it's way ahead of the comptition. I'm not sure if it works for photos though but it takes good pictures better tahn the s7 so does it matter?
 
Heard someone say that the DAC in the XZ is of comprable quality to HTC10 not sure though since not many people have tested out the new XZ. maybe some reviewers who know about sound quality will though?

 
Oh wow, there's a way to remove the limitation via a root? That's cool. LOL!
 
Yeah........the Zune HD was IMO ahead of it's time. It was CHEAPER than the iPod and had internet, HD Radio, Windows OS on it, etc. I remember being really p'd off that more people weren't buying it and esp so when MS discontinued it. I discovered some really great bands like Interpol through that HD Radio, which gave you access to more underground stations that you don't get on regular radios. 
 
Not sure on the Sony player from that year/era, but oh totally............most underrated tech product ever: The Zune HD. lol It would be really cool if MS brought it back and just updated its specs. Maybe in "Round 2" it would perhaps catch on more than the original did and become a big hit? Who knows?! 
 
In the past it appeared that the Xperia phones only had a version of OIS on the video, not the pictures. I never heard of EIS. But yeah their new stabilization is supposed to be MONEY! I think it does work on photos too? 
 
I dunno.........the HTC 10's DAC has gotten A TON of high praise, so it's hard for me to believe the XZ is as good, but maybe it's close? I don't even know if the XP or XZ has a dedicated DAC and/or dedicated amp or not? The Z3 I believe had twin dedicated DACs, but not sure now what's up. From my thread I had posted one scathing review of the XP's audio, but then one review saying the XZ's (both have same audio technology) is like the best out there right now. But it's just one........where the HTC 10 has MANY. So I really don't know. lol 
 
Oh and one more thing..................CHICAGO CUBS WIN IT BABY!!!!!!!!! FIRST TIME SINCE 1908!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LMAOOOOOOOOO!!!! VERY PROUD TO BE A CHICAGO CUBS FAN TONIGHT!! 

 

[RockStar2005]

Just ordered the XZ, wanna see how it compares to my HTC 10. I don't know that there is any comparison, but I was getting the itch to buy something new. With all the audio processing Sony develops for their equipment you'd think they would out the effort into some nice hardware. I'm nit expecting much, so maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. I sure hope so.

I bought the international version. I was told it would work seamlessly with T-Mobile. It was also cheaper and had an extra 32gigs of storage and the fingerprint sensor.

Cheers...

 
Hey club, 
 
That's awesome! 
 
Well I have a thread (2 actually, but one is focused on headphone comparison) comparing the sound quality of the XP/XZ and the HTC 10. I'd VERY MUCH appreciate it if you posted your comparison results there, specifically in my headphone-focused one here. If you do, please mention which headphones you used, and judgments on the main stuff like clarity, soundstage, instrument separation, bass/mids/treble quality, etc. (Thanks in advance if you do!!)
 
I own the int'l XP club, and I use it on T-Mobile. Works just fine! Just no VoLTE (including HD Voice) & Wi-Fi Calling cuz Sony Mobile was too cheap to pay to have it certified with T-Mobile (which T-Mobile requires) on their unlocked phones (though the call sound quality is STILL fantastic). HTC however DOES actually give a crap about its U.S. customers and not only got their unlocked phones certified for all that with T-Mobile but also made sure to give ppl a WORKING fingerprint sensor on their U.S. version locked phones (unlike Sony). So kudos to them. lol You got the int'l XZ so fingerprint sensor will be active for you. 
 
Yeah I got the dual-sim XP too. Didn't really have a choice on that one but at least when you eventually sell it you can charge more $$. lol 

 

[zjred]

I've tested XZ with DSEE, ClearAudio+ off and used a pair of PS500e.
 
Using the stock Music app, everything sounded slightly more natural than my iPhone 6 except the app seemed to be tuned for bass, maybe a notch up from usual. I can tell better instrument separation, but the extra bass muffles up remastered retro tracks a little. On modern dance tracks, I guess the extra bass will be appreciated by most, but I'll leave that to everyone else as that's not my preferred genre.
 
On UAPP, everything sounded balanced. No bass overload and instrument separation is apparent. Comparing to iPhone 6 again, this feel one step up, sounding livelier. I like the audio quality given that this is coming from a phone's internal DAC. Comparing this to a colleague's S7 Edge, I find this more natural as well. The S7 Edge sounded a tad too 'digital'.
 
One thing about the XZ, I haven't been able to connect it to an external DAC. I've tried both Type A --> OTG cable and also the stock mini to type C cable from JDS Labs, but my ODAC just wouldn't connect. Have also testing the PHA3 and PHA1A at a Sony shop today, nothing connects. Probably some software issue. Have lodged my feedback with Sony customer support and waiting for some response.

 

[RockStar2005]

  I've tested XZ with DSEE, ClearAudio+ off and used a pair of PS500e.
 
Using the stock Music app, everything sounded slightly more natural than my iPhone 6 except the app seemed to be tuned for bass, maybe a notch up from usual. I can tell better instrument separation, but the extra bass muffles up remastered retro tracks a little. On modern dance tracks, I guess the extra bass will be appreciated by most, but I'll leave that to everyone else as that's not my preferred genre.
 
On UAPP, everything sounded balanced. No bass overload and instrument separation is apparent. Comparing to iPhone 6 again, this feel one step up, sounding livelier. I like the audio quality given that this is coming from a phone's internal DAC. Comparing this to a colleague's S7 Edge, I find this more natural as well. The S7 Edge sounded a tad too 'digital'.
 
One thing about the XZ, I haven't been able to connect it to an external DAC. I've tried both Type A --> OTG cable and also the stock mini to type C cable from JDS Labs, but my ODAC just wouldn't connect. Have also testing the PHA3 and PHA1A at a Sony shop today, nothing connects. Probably some software issue. Have lodged my feedback with Sony customer support and waiting for some response.

 
hey zjred, 
 
Grado headphones? Ok cool. 
 
Oh.......a word of advice z.......if playing music using the STOCK player........ change the EQ preset to "Soul". Just trust me on this one. It's the best setting by FAR! Gives the vocals more presence and adds a bit of weight to the drums as well. It may even balance out the bass better? Not sure. I used that preset on (well copied it over to) to my former Sony Walkman A17 player, and it made a noticeable improvement on that as well. It basically just takes the mid-range 2.5kHz EQ band and raises it up like 3 notches (or to about JUST past halfway b/t "0" and "max"). Just try it out and yw. LOL
 
Regarding the extra bass, on the Xperia EQ screen at the bottom is a "Clear Bass" control/dimmer switch. Just slide the switch over to the left until the bass is at a suitable level. I would leave DSEE HX off, though I haven't tested it in a while, so it may be better now? But ClearAudio+? Oh man, keep that crap OFF. lol It's the worst. I also keep Dynamic Normalizer off too. All that stuff is for if you have cheap headphones IMO. But your Grados are NOT cheap headphones, so you don't need all that. 
 
UAPP? Ok. I use Poweramp myself. I find that to be the best of the best in terms of sound quality and ease of use. The Sony stock Music app though is a very close second to it. Yeah I had the S7 Edge and S7.................the audio on both phones is just ATROCIOUS. 
 
With regards to the cable, I found this OTG cable on Amazon and have been using it ever since. The one side is a female MicroUSB port. So for that you'd need a short OTG MicroUSB (male on both sides) cable, which you may have already? I had to replace that OTG cable (Amazon one) just recently as first one went bad. But what you can do is buy that Amazon cable, then (since it's MicroUSB not MicroUSB-C) just get an adapter to make it MicroUSB-C compatible with your XZ (my XP is regular MicroUSB, so I don't need the adapter at this time). 
 
I had the Sony PHA-2 about a year ago for a while but at the time I didn't know how to connect it to my Z3 to make the DAC work too. Only the amp. Sometime after I sold it I found out how to connect it to activate the DAC too, but by then it was too late. lol Now I use the Oppo HA-2, which is outstanding and even matches what some $600 amp/DACs can do like the Celsus Sound Companion One I used to own (WOW........I just saw they lowered the price on the CO BIG time! lol). I also read on here that one guy pitted it against the famous $600 Chord Mojo and could NOT hear a difference either.  

 

[aertus]

yes I agree with rockstar. Clearaudio is too agressive and dynamic normalizer should be turned off. Only keep DSEEX on and I'd leave the EQ settings on flat. 
 
Also, im kind of a newbie on this but isn't EQ always supposed to be flat. IF I want to listen to music the way the artist intended it to wouldn't it be a bad idea to mess with the EQ settings. I often find it can sound better with my cheap headphones but I don't want to listen to an altered sound of my music. 
 
What's the purpose of EQ and when should you tamper with it if ever. 
 
 
Also, how does the XZ compare with the z3? Would you say it's better?

 

[club968]

Many would say they didn't like clearaduio+ activated. That it made the music sound artificial. I loved it on my Sony zx2, made the music a little warmer I thought. So I kept it on all the time, lol. All these sound enhancements really ate up the battery though.

 

[RockStar2005]

  yes I agree with rockstar. Clearaudio is too agressive and dynamic normalizer should be turned off. Only keep DSEEX on and I'd leave the EQ settings on flat. 
 
Also, im kind of a newbie on this but isn't EQ always supposed to be flat. IF I want to listen to music the way the artist intended it to wouldn't it be a bad idea to mess with the EQ settings. I often find it can sound better with my cheap headphones but I don't want to listen to an altered sound of my music. 
 
What's the purpose of EQ and when should you tamper with it if ever. 
 
 
Also, how does the XZ compare with the z3? Would you say it's better?

 
I should clarify more on the EQ preset thing. I ALWAYS use the "Flat" setting on my Poweramp and would with other apps or players. But with the Sony Music app (and also any Sony Walkman), there's just SOMETHING about that preset that makes such an improvement IMO. You can all test it out yourselves if you fall under that category. But if using Poweramp or ANYTHING else, then yeah stick with Flat. If aertus feels that DSEE HX is worth it (it only gets applied to mp3s, not sure on AAC files), then I guess it's worth testing out. I would as well but since I use Poweramp I have no need to. I don't think it works unless you're actually USING the Sony Music app, right? 
 
Yes aertus, EQ should ALWAYS be on Flat. But what I said regarding the "Soul" preset is an exception that ONLY applies to Sony players/app players. It is my opinion and I've had others on the Sony Walkman A17 thread I started a while back agree with me on it too, so I stand behind it. But I understand that not everyone hears things the way I do. I just suggest trying it out (if you "qualify") and if you or whoever doesn't agree, then keep it Flat.
 
In the past I used to always keep it on "Rock" in Poweramp. That was back in my pre-Hi-Fi days. It sometimes may sound better, but I noticed after I got into Hi-Fi that sometimes "Rock" would cause certain treble-y parts to make a "pop" sound b/c it was too much on the headphones. But on Flat I NEVER have that issue, neither did I when using "Soul" on my old Walkman. That "pop" sound came from the Treble EQ bands being up a bit too high, but "Soul" keeps that area flat still, so it's all good. The most I do nowadays is giving just a small bump to the bass sound on certain songs via my Oppo's "Bass Boost" function, which only adds a very tiny "subtle" amount without overshadowing anything else. I only use it sparingly really. In my car I might only turn up the bass a notch or two MAX. Again, it's so subtle you barely notice it, but it does IMO make some music sound better. 
 
I'd like to know that too. Does the XZ outdo the mighty Z3? Or no. 

 

[RockStar2005]

Many would say they didn't like clearaduio+ activated. That it made the music sound artificial. I loved it on my Sony zx2, made the music a little warmer I thought. So I kept it on all the time, lol. All these sound enhance!EMTs really ate up the battery though.

 
Hey club, 
 
I've heard some ppl say ClearAudio+ is great, so I guess to some people it's worth having. I guess it depends on what EQ settings you use and also of course what kind of headphones you have. Yes, that is another drawback of those functions is that they drain more battery power in the process. lol

 

[club968]

Hey club, 

I've heard some ppl say ClearAudio+ is great, so I guess to some people it's worth having. I guess it depends on what EQ settings you use and also of course what kind of headphones you have. Yes, that is another drawback of those functions is that they drain more battery power in the process. lol

Yeah I guess everyone has their preferences on their settings.

I also think the general consensus is that these settings are only effective when using the Sony music app. I can't remember but I think when I selected the eq in the Google music app it diverted to these same settings instead if it's own eq. If memory serves me right. When I clicked in the Google music eq in my only DP-X1 there was a separate Google music eq. And currently with my HTC10 there is no Google music eq selection at all, lol.

 

[RockStar2005]

Yeah I guess everyone has their preferences on their settings.

I also think the general consensus is that these settings are only effective when using the Sony music app. I can't remember but I think when I selected the eq in the Google music app it diverted to these same settings instead if it's own eq. If memory serves me right. When I clicked in the Google music eq in my only DP-X1 there was a separate Google music eq. And currently with my HTC10 there is no Google music eq selection at all, lol.

 
lol 
 
Everyone should just use Poweramp and call it a day. lol I've tried like 7-8 other players, and in terms of sound quality and ease of use, Poweramp takes the cake! There's just a PUNCH that it has when playing music that other apps don't. I like that it lets you save custom made (or preset) EQs to be used on only CERTAIN songs. A SMALL handful of songs still sound a bit bassy on my Bang and Olufsen 2nd Gen H6s, so for these I had to create my own special EQ with the bass turned down JUST a bit. Poweramp lets me save that custom EQ onto only the songs I want, so whenever they come on, I never have to mess with the EQ ever again (at least not until I get a new phone.........but it's only like 6-8 songs, so it's a 5 min job and I'm done). 

 

[aertus]

   
I should clarify more on the EQ preset thing. I ALWAYS use the "Flat" setting on my Poweramp and would with other apps or players. But with the Sony Music app (and also any Sony Walkman), there's just SOMETHING about that preset that makes such an improvement IMO. You can all test it out yourselves if you fall under that category. But if using Poweramp or ANYTHING else, then yeah stick with Flat. If aertus feels that DSEE HX is worth it (it only gets applied to mp3s, not sure on AAC files), then I guess it's worth testing out. I would as well but since I use Poweramp I have no need to. I don't think it works unless you're actually USING the Sony Music app, right? 
 
Yes aertus, EQ should ALWAYS be on Flat. But what I said regarding the "Soul" preset is an exception that ONLY applies to Sony players/app players. It is my opinion and I've had others on the Sony Walkman A17 thread I started a while back agree with me on it too, so I stand behind it. But I understand that not everyone hears things the way I do. I just suggest trying it out (if you "qualify") and if you or whoever doesn't agree, then keep it Flat.
 
In the past I used to always keep it on "Rock" in Poweramp. That was back in my pre-Hi-Fi days. It sometimes may sound better, but I noticed after I got into Hi-Fi that sometimes "Rock" would cause certain treble-y parts to make a "pop" sound b/c it was too much on the headphones. But on Flat I NEVER have that issue, neither did I when using "Soul" on my old Walkman. That "pop" sound came from the Treble EQ bands being up a bit too high, but "Soul" keeps that area flat still, so it's all good. The most I do nowadays is giving just a small bump to the bass sound on certain songs via my Oppo's "Bass Boost" function, which only adds a very tiny "subtle" amount without overshadowing anything else. I only use it sparingly really. In my car I might only turn up the bass a notch or two MAX. Again, it's so subtle you barely notice it, but it does IMO make some music sound better. 
 
I'd like to know that too. Does the XZ outdo the mighty Z3? Or no. 

dude I definitely agree with you. And yes all the settings are for the music app only. However, the EQ is actually build in hardware wise so it will effect music videos as well but I haven't confirmed that myself just what someone else said. 
 
Yeah no doubt. i've tested the EQ settings myself and they make noticable differences in the sound. Idk what magic Sony uses but all of their ehencments are legitimate. The problem I have with the EQ is that while it makes a difference I'm somewhat of a purist. I wanna listen to the songs the way the artist intended it so I can judge the sound and music for what it is? Does that make sense? 
 
I've the tested the EQ settings on my zune HD and they are horrible so I always turn them off. However the EQ settings on my sony z3 music app is just magic idk how sony does it and is actually pleasant but because of that purist mentality of listen to what the artist intended I just keep it to flat now. DSEEX does make a difference most notably with mp3 320kbs files and even 16bit fFLAC files. It's a true and tried technology that sony uses in their home systems. The clear audio to some people sounds good, but to me It ruins the seperation of sound so I turn it off. It actually does good for speakers oddly enough. But i don't like it for headphones use. Dynamic normalizer either makes the song louder or doesn't do anything I believe from what I've experienced 
 
Also, my music is pretty varied anything from eletronic music with synths, rap, to indie music that uses a lot of reverb and ambient effects. So idk what the "soul" setting does but I do remember that being a pleasant one. Easy listenting setting was also pretty good too. Idk like I said I put it to flat cuz its what the artist intended. But yeah Sony does all their music enhancement stuff done right and actually makes a difference. 

 

[club968]

lol 

Everyone should just use Poweramp and call it a day. lol I've tried like 7-8 other players, and in terms of sound quality and ease of use, Poweramp takes the cake! There's just a PUNCH that it has when playing music that other apps don't. I like that it lets you save custom made (or preset) EQs to be used on only CERTAIN songs. A SMALL handful of songs still sound a bit bassy on my Bang and Olufsen 2nd Gen H6s, so for these I had to create my own special EQ with the bass turned down JUST a bit. Poweramp lets me save that custom EQ onto only the songs I want, so whenever they come on, I never have to mess with the EQ ever again (at least not until I get a new phone.........but it's only like 6-8 songs, so it's a 5 min job and I'm done). 

Poweramp has always been my go to music app until I started using the HTC 10. For some reason I always got some low volume distortion when using Poweramp. Neutron did a better job so I use that with the 10. With my other phones, it's always Poweramp!

 

[RockStar2005]

  dude I definitely agree with you. And yes all the settings are for the music app only. However, the EQ is actually build in hardware wise so it will effect music videos as well but I haven't confirmed that myself just what someone else said. 
 
Yeah no doubt. i've tested the EQ settings myself and they make noticable differences in the sound. Idk what magic Sony uses but all of their ehencments are legitimate. The problem I have with the EQ is that while it makes a difference I'm somewhat of a purist. I wanna listen to the songs the way the artist intended it so I can judge the sound and music for what it is? Does that make sense? 
 
I've the tested the EQ settings on my zune HD and they are horrible so I always turn them off. However the EQ settings on my sony z3 music app is just magic idk how sony does it and is actually pleasant but because of that purist mentality of listen to what the artist intended I just keep it to flat now. DSEEX does make a difference most notably with mp3 320kbs files and even 16bit fFLAC files. It's a true and tried technology that sony uses in their home systems. The clear audio to some people sounds good, but to me It ruins the seperation of sound so I turn it off. It actually does good for speakers oddly enough. But i don't like it for headphones use. Dynamic normalizer either makes the song louder or doesn't do anything I believe from what I've experienced 
 
Also, my music is pretty varied anything from eletronic music with synths, rap, to indie music that uses a lot of reverb and ambient effects. So idk what the "soul" setting does but I do remember that being a pleasant one. Easy listenting setting was also pretty good too. Idk like I said I put it to flat cuz its what the artist intended. But yeah Sony does all their music enhancement stuff done right and actually makes a difference. 

 
I'm with you no being a purist, esp now more than ever. But if I FEEL the music more with just a tiny adjustment, then it's worth it. Like I mentioned earlier, some songs on Flat STILL sound too bassy on my H6s, so I have to alter them with my own custom-made preset. Now the music actually SOUNDS balanced/neutral. It's not just about the EQ, the headphones matter too. Sometimes you have to adjust the EQ to really get the best sound, I've found. On softer more acoustic songs "Bass Boost" on my Oppo isn't good, but on some harder rock it can really elevate the music too. I go on a "track by track" basis when judging whether or not to use it. Some bands I like, like Garbage or Foghat, sound better with it on. 
 
DSEE HX affects CD-Quality FLAC files too? Hmm ok.......... I think I remember now it basically affects ANYTHING under the minimum Hi-Res resolution, which is 24-bit/44.1kHz. I downsample ALL my Hi-Res to High Quality (like 512 kbps CBR) AAC cuz I know I won't hear a difference. And it takes up less space and less battery power to play. 

 

[RockStar2005]

Poweramp has always been my go to music app until I started using the HTC 10. For some reason I always got some low volume distortion when using Poweramp. Neutron did a better job so I use that with the 10. With my other phones, it's always Poweramp!

 
That's interesting. I remember when I switched from my HTC One M8 to the Sony Xperia Z3 that certain custom EQ presets I'd created that I needed on the M8 (using Poweramp) to make certain songs sound more balanced were no longer necessary on the Z3. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but yeah, I did notice a change. Must have something to do with how HTC "tunes" their phones' audio. 
 
Hmm........I have my Poweramp settings saved as a file for easy restores. It might take care of that distortion issue too. I made adjustments to all the sound settings which you may not have known about but I researched them all a while back and now they're saved forever. lol
 
You can download it from my Google Drive here. Applying/importing the file into Poweramp takes a little effort, but not much at all really. Basically, download it to your phone, move (or cut & paste) the file into the following folder (Internal Storage --> Android --> data --> "_com.maxmpz.audioplayer"). You MUST put it in that folder or else it won't work. Then, go to Poweramp, tap on Menu (3 dots at upper right button), Settings, Menu button again, Import Settings. Poweramp will install the setttings from my file, reboot itself (not the phone), and then it'll be set. Try it and let me know if it helps or not. 

 

[club968]

That's interesting. I remember when I switched from my HTC One M8 to the Sony Xperia Z3 that certain custom EQ presets I'd created that I needed on the M8 (using Poweramp) to make certain songs sound more balanced were no longer necessary on the Z3. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but yeah, I did notice a change. Must have something to do with how HTC "tunes" their phones' audio. 

Hmm........I have my Poweramp settings saved as a file for easy restores. It might take care of that distortion issue too. I made adjustments to all the sound settings which you may not have known about but I researched them all a while back and now they're saved forever. lol

You can download it from my Google Drive here. Applying/importing the file into Poweramp takes a little effort, but not much at all really. Basically, download it to your phone, move (or cut & paste) the file into the following folder (Internal Storage --> Android --> data --> "_com.maxmpz.audioplayer"). You MUST put it in that folder or else it won't work. Then, go to Poweramp, tap on Menu (3 dots at upper right button), Settings, Menu button again, Import Settings. Poweramp will install the setttings from my file, reboot itself (not the phone), and then it'll be set. Try it and let me know if it helps or not. 

Hey far out, thanks!!!!! I'll try it out right away and see if it helps. I've tried messing with a lot of settings people suggested. I'll give this a shot too. Poweramp is my favorite player....I've tried desperately to get it to work with the best mobile phone for audio with no success so far, lol.