The Sound Quality discussion thread

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KMino

Senior Member
Sep 15, 2010
616
112
Curious, those whom said it sounds crap have you tried real headphones yet? The stock ones are a lot worse than those supplied with the SGS1. Probably why I jumped the gun and said it was bad...

Plugged in my German budds and it sounds much much better!

The flatness, volume levels etc, should be easily fixed with Voodoo IMHO Perfect hardware (minus the stock headphones), crap implementation by Samsung. Hope they ain't demoing the phone with there headphones, it's a sales killer!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA
 

yeahchan

New member
Mar 21, 2008
3
2
danba:
yes, it's AMB
and sorry no i don't have photos

The sound quality itself out-of-the-box is like S1 without voodoo, it's alright but not as good
With my Westone ES5, I heard lots of background noise.
 
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elfary

Senior Member
Oct 5, 2011
125
15
danba:
yes, it's AMB
and sorry no i don't have photos

The sound quality itself out-of-the-box is like S1 without voodoo, it's alright but not as good
With my Westone ES5, I heard lots of background noise.

With my Westone UM3x i hear background hiss on almost any Android i've ever tried.

The only smartphones i've heard with a pitch black background are iPhone 3GS/4/4S. Unfortunately there is not much freedom of choice sound quality wise. At least if you are planning to listen thru high end iems.
 
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danba

Senior Member
Jun 22, 2008
184
89
danba:
yes, it's AMB
and sorry no i don't have photos

The sound quality itself out-of-the-box is like S1 without voodoo, it's alright but not as good
With my Westone ES5, I heard lots of background noise.
Thanks!

It’s a first step in the right direction, but with probably improper parameter settings (default 16/48 only …)
I’m pretty sure the actual SGS3 USB audio sound quality can be dramatically improved.

1st step of USB audio on Logitech Squeezebox Touch: popping, crackling …
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net.a...able-usb-audio-output-on-the-squeezebox-touch
http://forums.slimdevices.com/showt...or-connecting-USB-DAC-to-Touch&highlight=Udev

Current step: 24/192 asynchronous USB audio, audiophile sound quality …
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net.a...ed-digital-output-applet-for-squeezebox-touch
http://www.mail-archive.com/audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com/msg60808.html
http://forums.slimdevices.com/forumdisplay.php?7-Audiophiles
http://soundcheck-audio.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/touch-toolbox-30.html
 

NA 521"

Senior Member
Jun 9, 2012
111
2
Well you can't send analog audio through the usb cable. The da conversion will always be happening in whatever you have connected to the phone.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA

Of course not- brain fart on my part. What I meant to ask was whether the decoding was happening in the phone or the speaker system. I'm guessing it was decoded, if it was compressed, in the phone.

gbolly,
What file type were you playing? Was the sound better through those speakers when listening through the 1/8" stereo jack or through the USB cable?

Thanks!
 

Kendoji

Senior Member
Dec 7, 2010
171
28
I'm not much of an audiophile, but I've found the sound pretty decent so far on my Grado RS1I, Denon D2000 and V-Moda M80 cans. And I just got my OTG cable so tonight I'll test if my Grant Fidelity TubeDac 11 works with it. :) It already sounded pretty good just going from headphone out to the TubeDac, actually, but that was just a very quick test.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
 
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studiominal

Senior Member
Aug 3, 2010
107
95
Ann Arbor
Reporting some useful information

Zo of SGS3(GT-i9300) measured around 3.0 ohms. I also tried 100Hz as well as 1kHz and it was something like 2.6~3.0, which is pretty suitable for driving most headphones/earphones. I see the Zo of SGS3 is a bit lower than that of Galaxy Note(GT-N7000) so it should drive most of multi-BA earphones reasonably. Now I'm waiting for the voodoo sound for SGS3 to be rolled out! :)

By the way, I'm sad that iBasso D6 won't work with my SGS3. It does pair with SGS3, but the playback counter goes faster than it should. I guess it's something like '24bit only problem' because D6 seems to support only 24bit.

@kurama.k: You can get general information of your headphones/earphones at the homepage of the manufacturer like Sennheiser.
 
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Kendoji

Senior Member
Dec 7, 2010
171
28
So sadly my TubeDac 11 doesn't work via OTG. Fingers crossed that a developer can extend the DAC support to more devices.

I did spend a bit of time with my FiiO E7 / E9 combo plugged in via OTG, which as has already been reported works perfectly. Contrary to what Supercurio seemed to tweet the other day I felt an improvement in sound through the FiiO setup. I tested with a Denon D2000 and Grado SR125 and both seemed to produce a richer and more dynamic sound through the FiiO (compared to stock player with flat EQ). They're both easy cans to drive, but still seem to benefit from the amplification of the E9.

That said, I've found the headphone output quite good on all my cans so far.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
 

danba

Senior Member
Jun 22, 2008
184
89
List of USB DACs interworking with Samsung Galaxy S III for the time being:
. AMB Labs Gamma2 with USB controller TI Burr-Brown TI PCM2707
. FiiO E7 with USB controller TI Burr-Brown TI PCM2706
. Topping TP30 with USB controller TI Burr-Brown TI PCM2704


List of USB DACs non-interworking with Samsung Galaxy S III for the time being:
. FiiO E17 with USB controller Tenor TE7022
. iBasso D6 with USB controller TI TAS1020B
. Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-11 with USB controller Tenor TE7022


The USB DAC Hegel HD20 with USB controller Tenor TE7022 has also some issue with Linux-powered PC:
"I try to connect the HD20 to a computer using Linux Ubuntu. Installation seems fine but there is no sound?
On computers using the Linux Ubuntu operatating system you need to go to settings and choose which soundcard you want to use: the internal or the HD20 TE7022."
http://www.hegel.com/hd20_qa.htm

The USB DAC Audiotrak Prodigy Cube with USB controller Tenor TE7022 has also some issue with Linux-powered PC:
"PRODIGY CUBE supports Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Mac OS X.
PRODIGY CUBE is not fully compatible with Linux, but it has been confirmed that the TE7022L chipset support.
The TE7022L chipset is TENOR's USB controller Chipset.
Please understand that we are not able to support your request for Linux because there are a wide variety of choices in Linux version and range."
http://www.audiotrack.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=37


USB DACs with USB controller Tenor TE7022 work perfectly with some Linux setup:
http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Vendor-ESI


What is going on at the Android Linux kernel level, when USB DACs with USB controller Tenor TE7022 don’t interwork with Samsung Galaxy S III?

Dmesg log output and lsusb log output could detail what is going on.
http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.linux.alsa.devel/96433

dmesg:
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=dmesg

lsusb:
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=lsusb
 
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adithyav

Member
Aug 30, 2010
6
0
Being an audio professional and upgrading from a Nokia 5800 I can't say I'm impressed with this phone's sound. Driving my 250 ohm Beyerdynamic dt770s which is what I typically work with, the GS3 did worse than the old Nokia in terms of both loudness and clarity when listening to some flac tunes. And the builtin speaker is horrible. When you get to usable loudness levels there's a lot of distortion. The stock earplugs simply won't stay in my ears. Even the front speaker sounds worse. Sure it's a phone, you can't expect pro quality, but I was hoping it would at least match my old phone. Hopefully that voodoo thing you're talking about can help. My phone is already rooted and waiting. Btw I have professional gear (better than what gsmarena use) I can do some tests with if anybody wants.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA

I'm having the same issue with the built in speaker. Even for ringtones it distorts horribly at anything above 50-60% volume, so while it does get loud, the distortion is just too much. Anyone else having the same issue with the built in speakers (for any sounds) or is it just a few isolated handsets with poor QC?
 

NZtechfreak

Senior Member
Sep 5, 2008
2,573
999
By the way, I'm sad that iBasso D6 won't work with my SGS3. It does pair with SGS3, but the playback counter goes faster than it should. I guess it's something like '24bit only problem' because D6 seems to support only 24bit.

Interesting, exactly what my E17 does.

---------- Post added at 12:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:27 PM ----------

List of USB DACs interworking with Samsung Galaxy S III for the time being:
. AMB Labs Gamma2 with USB controller TI Burr-Brown TI PCM2707
. FiiO E7 with USB controller TI Burr-Brown TI PCM2706
. Topping TP30 with USB controller TI Burr-Brown TI PCM2704

Add to that list the HiFiMan Express. Great buy at like $40, but will eat battery a bit since it doesn't have it's own supply (unless you connect via externally powered hub, but not the most portable rig that way). With spare or extended batteries could be doable.
 
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danba

Senior Member
Jun 22, 2008
184
89
Thanks!

The USB DAC HifiMan Express has a USB controller TI Burr-Brown PCM2702.

May be, every USB DAC with USB controller Burr-Brown PCM270X should interwork with the SGS3.
 
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kurama.k

Member
Jun 2, 2012
9
0
35
rumaithiya
Thanks again :)

@studiominal thanks again for you're help :)
I'm thinking of getting some new headphones, do you think the sennheiser HD 558 will deliver good sound with the galaxy s3?? Thanks :)
 

jdhommert

Senior Member
Jan 28, 2011
131
6
Ok i've looked through a few pages of this thread..I know nothing about DAC or what it even is or means. I'm guessing its the audio chip. I read the US version won't have the Wolfson DAC which is supposed to be awesome. So will whatever the US version has still be pretty damn good?

Help a retard out. :D
 
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studiominal

Senior Member
Aug 3, 2010
107
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I guess SGS3 will drive it with no problem. But at least I recommend you listen to Senn HD 558 before you actually buy it if you have a chance to put it on your head. Check this out if you need some technical information. http://en.goldenears.net/index.php?mid=GR_Headphones&document_srl=12270

@jdhommert As long as SGS3 variants for US will use Snapdragon S4, those will have Qualcomm's own sound codec (as long as I know). But you don't have to worry about the SQ for using S4 instead of Exynos 4 Quad. because I've seen a few devices that use the sound codec embedded in S4 and they all performed really well. Don't know how they hold themselves against Wolfson-powered phones though.
 
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kurama.k

Member
Jun 2, 2012
9
0
35
rumaithiya
@studiominal thanks alot and I'm sorry for asking so many questions, you've been really helpful, I appreciate it :)
Unfortunately I can't try them cause they don't sell them in my country :( so I will be ordering them from the UK :)
I read tons of reviews, they were all positive and say that the bass isn't overpowering and they sound more natural , which i like :) I listen mostly to pop, rock,dance, electro, house, techno, trance, classical, indie and some rnb, so if you would be so kind to recommend me some headphones you think would work well for my taste, I would really appreciate it :D
 
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teatime0315

Senior Member
Mar 9, 2011
73
9
@studiominal thanks alot and I'm sorry for asking so many questions, you've been really helpful, I appreciate it :)
Unfortunately I can't try them cause they don't sell them in my country :( so I will be ordering them from the UK :)
I read tons of reviews, they were all positive and say that the bass isn't overpowering and they sound more natural , which i like :) I listen mostly to pop, rock,dance, electro, house, techno, trance, classical, indie and some rnb, so if you would be so kind to recommend me some headphones you think would work well for my taste, I would really appreciate it :D

budget?
 
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studiominal

Senior Member
Aug 3, 2010
107
95
Ann Arbor
I see the frequency response of HD 558 is reasonably flat, and I see you're enjoying all kinds of music. I'm currently using HD 650, and if you're willing to pay more than HD 558, I'd recommend you HD 598. HD 650 is also great, but it's got a massive impedance of 300ohms, and... and that price :) Flat headphones are great for most music, and if you sometimes need to listen to music excitingly, you just can use equalizer to boost bass a bit. I'm planning to simulate Sony's Clearbass when supercurio releases voodoo sound with parametric equalizer.

Anyway, I think you've got the best deal already for your music taste.
 
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kurama.k

Member
Jun 2, 2012
9
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rumaithiya
My budget is 300$ to 400$ :)

---------- Post added at 05:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:22 AM ----------

@studiominal thanks so much, ur amazing hehe :)
I might pay a little extra and get the HD 598 then :)
I don't think I'll be needing 300 ohms hehe :D
Yeah I don't know what all that voodoo business is but from what I'm reading its something really amazing. hopefully I'll be able to root my phone and check it out :D
 
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p3t0r

Member
May 7, 2011
29
3
Do you guys listen to music via the stock player? Or other?

I've always used poweramp but noticed that the stock player sounds somewhat louder, maybe pre-amp? no EQ on either.

Trying to work out what the best settings on poweramp would be, leaving eq flat, but dont know whether to turn on tone / limit ...
 

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  • 75
    Hi there!

    So I'm not the only one happy with the promising audio codec in Galaxy S III ? ;)
    20
    Wolfson DAC confirmed by Supercurio.

    Audio codec:

    Wolfson Micro WM1811
    http://www.wolfsonmicro.com/products/audio_hubs/WM1811/
    100dB SNR Class W Heapdhone amp output, ReTune DSP, 3x digital interface.
    Like WM8994 in Galaxy S / Nexus S, except:
    1x stereo DAC instead of 2x.
    2x 2W Speaker amp instead of 2x 1W
    Smaller and probably cheaper, same sound quality expected.

    Audio driver configuration & policy implementation based on TinyUCM (/etc/tinyucm.conf)
    Probable subset of TinyHAL implementing codec configuration in config files instead of having everything hardcoded in ROM or kernel driver at compile time.

    Native sampling rate: 44100 Hz. It means music played will be sent as-is to the DAC instead of being processed by a software up-sampling routine as it is on Galaxy Nexus or other devices with codecs accepting only 48000 Hz.

    AWESOME.
    13
    Crackling sound visualized

    I see quite many people suffering from that 'crackling' sound that comes randomly whenever the music is playing, and I also noticed it. Since this is a bit irritating I wrote a short analysis of the playback sound of SGS3. I played a test signal which plays only 1kHz of sine wave for 10 minutes, and waited until that crackling sound happens again.

    124260454FD959E2282F71


    First, this is a part of the 1kHz signal file that was played through my SGS3, which seems to be OK, but take a look at the next image I attached.

    124274454FD959E1244B29


    Now this throws us a hint that signal is significantly distorted at 00:01.346, but this doesn't actually show everything about noise that's happening during the playback. That's why we need to take a look at the spectrum of the output sound.

    14378C454FD959E1357E9F

    I got you noise!

    Damn Youtube. You just can visit here for the video. http://youtu.be/ObXT-08CYZg

    Actually this noise lasts really short so it was quite hard for me to catch that.
    In the signal file I played, the actual contortion starts at 00:01.26084 and ends at around 00:01.34676. Of course these figures are based upon that GoldWave spectrum analysis; you cannot tell exactly when that noise happened because it just zips away.

    For those who want to take a closer look yourself, watch this video please, or download the file I attached here. You'll see the real body of the crackling noise.

    Hope this is just a bug in the firmware, especially the wrong wolfson dac driver settings from Samsung 'cause I see that rise in the frequencies except for 1kHz is rather consistent.

    +
    Anybody know how to report this issue to Samsung? I tried to report this to Samsung Korea but they redirected me to nowhere.

    ++
    Seems to be related with power management.
    10
    Youtube video

    Sorry for being so late but last day or two has been manic!! Here's a really crappy video I posted on Youtube:

    http://youtu.be/jR6Vc28NEcc
    8
    A digital audio system is composed of:

    406045_3017824090522_1410232016_33249063_365914518_n.jpg


    . A storage module: Music is stored in file as a series of bits 0 & 1 with different encoding formats (MP3, WAV, FLAC…).
    . A player: The player decodes the bits 0 & 1 to PCM digital audio signals.
    . A DAC (Digital to Analog Converter): The DAC converts the PCM digital audio signals to the original analog audio signals.
    . An amplifier: The amplifier amplifies the analog audio signals.
    . A speaker: The speaker restitutes the music.


    Like a PC or a Mac, an Android phone / tablet is a digital audio system.

    386049_3017824530533_1410232016_33249064_602805578_n.jpg



    An Andoid device, running on a kernel with the USB audio feature activated, can output the PCM digital audio stream to an external USB DAC & amplifier, much more efficient than the internal DAC & amplifier.

    376007_3017823650511_1410232016_33249061_1036262226_n.jpg