Verdict on Nexus 5 audio quality?

The speaker is okay, nothing to write home about but not terrible. I'd say it's better than the Nexus 4 but certainly not as good as the HTC One M7/M8. The headphone jack is awful. I'm not quite an "audiophile" but the sound is not good. It's still listenable, but it's a significant step down from the HTC One M7 or Galaxy S3 I've used in the past. It's actually to the point where I would rather listen to music over bluetooth than use my headphones because the quality drop over bluetooth isn't as significant as the difference in DAC quality between the N5 and my bluetooth receiver.

All in all, audio quality is probably the one thing that makes me regret the phone. If you plan on using headphones with the phone a lot, and don't want to deal with a USB DAC (including the issues getting it working on the Nexus 5) I would avoid the phone. I wish I had waited and picked up an HTC One M8 honestly, and that would be my recommendation. Now that they've dropped the "Beats" branding the audio quality is actually very good without the overpowering bass of the original M7.

ajm786 said:

Now that the Nexus 5 has been out for a while now, and should have went through multiple iterations of hardware revisions, what is the verdict on the Nexus 5's audio quality? This is both speakerphone and headphone.

It is known that the Nexus 5 has really shoddy audio quality, especially from the headphone port. See here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7567/smartphone-audio-quality-testing/4

For me, this is really important, as I'm an audiophile, and I need to have excellent sounding audio. I'm on a Galaxy Note 3, but considering coming to the Nexus 5 as I've really had it with the ridiculous random reboots with the Note 3.

I'd really like to get some input from people who can contribute subjectively as well as those who might have tested it like Anandtech did.

Thanks in advance!

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I use Poweramp & Flac files on my N5 & klipsch headphones, while ok it's by no means great.

You have the Note 3 atm, the N5 is no where near as good audio wise.

I had the N3 & tried the S5 both are way better than the N5.

Atm I use the M8 for proper audio quality.

It's your choice, the N5 is a great device but not for music.

I use beats headphones and Viper4android, along with poweramp and flac as stated above and I have pretty good sound. Not nearly as sweet as the M7 was but definitely above average. I think a combination of good after market headphones and a reliable audio mod can make a so-so sound situation much better. If you have the means and sound is important, then you may want a different device. But if you don't or already have the N5, there are ways to improve the sound significantly. That's my penny and a half.

Mine sounds great using Poweramp and some Klipsch earphones

Honestly, the sound is definitely sub par. I get it, it's a $349-$399 phone & corners are cut somewhere. I have been to see bands play & my siblings & friends with different phones record bands & clips & their playback makes my n5 look like garbage. (They have note3, m7, iPhone 4s/5/5s). Headphone jack isn't awesome either.
I stream music a lot in my car using an auxiliary wire & it isn't awesome, but it isn't atrocious either.
Sound & battery are really killing me with this device.

ajm786 said:

should have went through multiple iterations of hardware revisions...

...I'd really like to get some input from people who can contribute subjectively as well as those who might have tested it like Anandtech did.

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There have been no hardware revisions at this time so everything is the same as when Anandtech did their tests, and no one tests like Anand does so you've already read the best info out on the subject.

I think the audio quality is above average for a mobile device, but isn't in the same league as the hardware used for the high end Samsung or HTC phones. Software mods such as Viper4Android can make up most of that difference.

The only real issue with the external audio is the stereo crosstalk in the upper volume steps which I've not needed to use as it's plenty loud for my ears.

Came from an S4, and expected to be disappointed by the audio quality of the N5, but I wasn't. The speaker does suck though. N5 + faux sound + Sony MDR-1R headphones = not too shabby an experience (prefer it to the S4).