Stock Music Player workaround - ZTE Axon 7 Guides, News, & Discussion

Many of you included myself complain about stock music player. It has uncountable problems but as far as I know it is the only player which can use the built in high end DAC. The most annoying thing is that it plays song in alphabetic order if files appear at all and secondly it is very slow.
I would suggest a temporary solution what I did and it works perfectly so far.
Delete all playlist (m3u, cue etc.).
Remove a metadata from files too.
Remove all songs with metadata from the phone!!!
Delete all record from "My Playlist" in the initial screen. (I was able to do it just one by one)
Reset Music Player by deleting cache and data in Application Settings
Reboot phone
Then open Music Player and play songs from Folder option. It will be enough fast and all songs appear and in filename order.
In order to remove metadata from files I would suggest using Mp3tag
http://www.mp3tag.de/en/
If you collect your files in any structure on the PC, all you can do is to move root folder into Mp3tag screen, select all songs and remove tags by right clicking. Then you can copy files to phone.
!!! Be careful !!!
Don't remove tags from your archive music folder. You cannot undo. Always create temporary folder and copy wishing music files there in order to remove metadata (tags).
Good lock!

obladi64 said:
as far as I know it is the only player which can use the built in high end DAC.
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where the heck did you read this load of bull?

Flaîm said:
where the heck did you read this load of bull?
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I have read discussions about it but no one was sure in any other player uses it obviously. If you know such please share it with evidence too. Thanks in advance.

obladi64 said:
I have read discussions about it but no one was sure in any other player uses it obviously. If you know such please share it with evidence too. Thanks in advance.
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unless your device somehow is capable of utilizing magic to process and output audio there's nothing but the only active DAC to do this task, which you can set in your audio settings.
edit: sorry for being a sarcastic ****

Flaîm said:
unless your device somehow is capable of utilizing magic to process and output audio there's nothing but the only active DAC to do this task, which you can set in your audio settings.
edit: sorry for being a sarcastic ****
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Except there is two DAC for output : AKM and SD820 built-in.

Flaîm said:
unless your device somehow is capable of utilizing magic to process and output audio there's nothing but the only active DAC to do this task, which you can set in your audio settings.
edit: sorry for being a sarcastic ****
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Ok I was not so precize. Other players don't use AKM dac directly. They do it just via Android which convert all audio input to 48/16 output. Let me know if I am wrong but justify it with something please. Of course then this stream goes to AKM DAC but this not the way we wish it. I welcome any non stock player which can drive dac directly in same way as stock one does. Sooner or later it will be available hopefully but now I don't know any.

If the "Headset HiFi" control in Settings is to switch between SD820 and AKM DACs, then I'm able to use the AKM DAC with other media players that pass audio processing/decoding to the OS (as opposed to fancier players that utilize their own built-in decoding methods/codecs). In my music player of choice (Clean Music), I can switch between the two "Headset HiFi" options (Standard & Super) in the middle of a song and, after a pause to transition, hear a difference between them.

obladi64 said:
Ok I was not so precize. Other players don't use AKM dac directly. They do it just via Android which convert all audio input to 48/16 output. Let me know if I am wrong but justify it with something please. Of course then this stream goes to AKM DAC but this not the way we wish it. I welcome any non stock player which can drive dac directly in same way as stock one does. Sooner or later it will be available hopefully but now I don't know any.
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didnt know of that. any sources that this is the case?
edit:
according to this documentation it should be a systemwide default value - unless ZTE ****ed that up
https://developer.android.com/reference/android/media/AudioFormat.html

xtermmin said:
If the "Headset HiFi" control in Settings is to switch between SD820 and AKM DACs, then I'm able to use the AKM DAC with other media players that pass audio processing/decoding to the OS (as opposed to fancier players that utilize their own built-in decoding methods/codecs). In my music player of choice (Clean Music), I can switch between the two "Headset HiFi" options (Standard & Super) in the middle of a song and, after a pause to transition, hear a difference between them.
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I have bad news which is good news actually. SD820 DAC is not used in A7 at all. There are two additional DACs and one ADC. "AKM AK4961 DSP CODEC, which can be considered the primary chipset for Hi-Fi audio playback and recording. The AKM AK4490EN DAC is an independent Hi-Fi audio sampler". This later is what you turn on when set "Headset HiFi" option. So SD820 ADC/DAC don't play at all.
http://www.androidauthority.com/taking-audio-next-level-zte-axon-7-706898/
and same is on ZTE site as well.
I have doubts that you can hear the difference between the two AKM chips while you don't between Clean Player and the built in ZTE player. Although I don't listen 4961 but I do Clean Player. The difference is significant especially if record is 44.1 kHz because conversion of it to 48 kHz is more difficult than of 96kHz record.

obladi64 said:
I have bad news which is good news actually. SD820 DAC is not used in A7 at all. There are two additional DACs and one ADC. "AKM AK4961 DSP CODEC, which can be considered the primary chipset for Hi-Fi audio playback and recording. The AKM AK4490EN DAC is an independent Hi-Fi audio sampler". This later is what you turn on when set "Headset HiFi" option. So SD820 ADC/DAC don't play at all.
http://www.androidauthority.com/taking-audio-next-level-zte-axon-7-706898/
and same is on ZTE site as well.
I have doubts that you can hear the difference between the two AKM chips while you don't between Clean Player and the built in ZTE player. Although I don't listen 4961 but I do Clean Player. The difference is significant especially if record is 44.1 kHz because conversion of it to 48 kHz is more difficult than of 96kHz record.
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Actually, the SD820 DAC is used and enabled. People with fancy players like PowerAmp (the latest alpha) report that in the app's settings, the only DAC that shows up in the list is the SD820 DAC. No AKM DAC listed.
I'm not an audiophile or anything, but when I have Super selected, the audio has a little more of a "punch" to it, while Standard I can kinda hear a bit of a ceiling. (this is all without ATMOS, of course)

xtermmin said:
Actually, the SD820 DAC is used and enabled. People with fancy players like PowerAmp (the latest alpha) report that in the app's settings, the only DAC that shows up in the list is the SD820 DAC. No AKM DAC listed.
I'm not an audiophile or anything, but when I have Super selected, the audio has a little more of a "punch" to it, while Standard I can kinda hear a bit of a ceiling. (this is all without ATMOS, of course)
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SD820 in Poweramp: I cannot say anything pro or contra. I try to be smart from commercial b...ts. I don't know any well detailed technical quide. Based on these as engineer I would say that SD820 DAC is not used at all. Phone reports SD820 DAC for third party softwares due to compatibility reason but in real AKM chips works. Like I said I don't know it surly but most likely. I am also searching for the correct answer.
I believe that you hear the difference especialy if PowerAmp turns SD820 on somehow.
Otherwise the two AKM chips are different therefore they should sound differently. To hear it is just question of headphone price. Of course it is without ATMOS.

guess we need @rikin93 to use his contacts to get a definitive answer

Flaîm said:
didnt know of that. any sources that this is the case?
edit:
according to this documentation it should be a systemwide default value - unless ZTE ****ed that up
https://developer.android.com/reference/android/media/AudioFormat.html
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No. It is justify my concern rather.
"Expressed in Hz, the sample rate in an AudioFormat instance expresses the number of audio samples for each channel per second in the content you are playing or recording. It is not the sample rate at which content is rendered or produced. For instance a sound at a media sample rate of 8000Hz can be played on a device operating at a sample rate of 48000Hz; the sample rate conversion is automatically handled by the platform, it will not play at 6x speed."

obladi64 said:
No. It is justify my concern rather.
"Expressed in Hz, the sample rate in an AudioFormat instance expresses the number of audio samples for each channel per second in the content you are playing or recording. It is not the sample rate at which content is rendered or produced. For instance a sound at a media sample rate of 8000Hz can be played on a device operating at a sample rate of 48000Hz; the sample rate conversion is automatically handled by the platform, it will not play at 6x speed."
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you missed the important part:
As of API M, sample rates up to 192kHz are supported for AudioRecord and AudioTrack, with sample rate conversion performed as needed. To improve efficiency and avoid lossy conversions, it is recommended to match the sample rate for AudioRecord and AudioTrack to the endpoint device sample rate, and limit the sample rate to no more than 48kHz unless there are special device capabilities that warrant a higher rate.
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which means that it can be programmed to output at 192 khz, but 48 khz should be the default value if there's no additional hardware.
or am i just misinterpreting this whole paragraph?
so either no player can play at 192 khz, or every player plays at 192 khz

Flaîm said:
you missed the important part:
which means that it can be programmed to output at 192 khz, but 48 khz should be the default value if there's no additional hardware.
or am i just misinterpreting this whole paragraph?
so either no player can play at 192 khz, or every player plays at 192 khz
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Yes, someting like that. Since it is Androud part it is 48 kHz. I used Clean player as altarnative and I prove that there is difference between this and stock.
So as I understand it says that every source is converted to 48kHz and this is sent to dac. You can play 44.1 or 192 kHz source it doesn't matter streams will be converted to 48. Stock player alone can bypass it so far. And it is important in case of CDs as well becuase 44.1 to 48 conversion is the one of the ugliest thing can happen here.

obladi64 said:
Yes, someting like that. Since it is Androud part it is 48 kHz. I used Clean player as altarnative and I prove that there is difference between this and stock.
So as I understand it says that every source is converted to 48kHz and this is sent to dac. You can play 44.1 or 192 kHz source it doesn't matter streams will be converted to 48. Stock player alone can bypass it so far. And it is important in case of CDs as well becuase 44.1 to 48 conversion is the one of the ugliest thing can happen here.
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i just tested listening to some flacs in my regular player, vlc player and the zte player with my beyerdynamic custom one pro. either all of them were outputting the same format, or i am just not able to hear the difference.

Flaîm said:
i just tested listening to some flacs in my regular player, vlc player and the zte player with my beyerdynamic custom one pro. either all of them were outputting the same format, or i am just not able to hear the difference.
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So I am not fan of VLC Player therefore it is not installed on my phone. May be I felt wrongly and there is no difference because it doesn't exist at all and every player drives DAC appropriately. All I know is that I listened music by Clean Music for weeks and than I exchanged to ZTE player. Going through the music repertoire I was surprised. Anyway I am human too.
After all the fact is that you didn't here difference proves only one thing, namely you cannot hear the difference. Here and now.
I will study developer link what you suggested more thoroughly and also I am still waiting for the correct technical details from Android experts. Until I use ZTE player which works fine in above mentioned way. All song appears, all in order, no lag and sound brilliant. What else is needed?

Music Player DAC issue **Fixed**
Hi, I have a fix to using the DAC on non-stock music apps.
So I received my Axon yesterday.
Ipgraded from the Lenovo Vibe X3. I first ran in on the DAC problem on the X3.
In my experience all of these dedicated DAC phones follow the same approach, i.e., LG V10, Vivo Xplay 5, Vibe X3, Axon 7, and (I as sum) LG V20 as well.
There is already a thread on XDA explaining this in detail. -> http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v10/general/music-apps-using-dac-t3252596
In short, the apps listed on the V10 page will use the DAC. Although the Vibe X3 had a dedicated DAC toggle, and the Axon 7 doesn't.
To test whether the DAC is being used by a music app on the Axon 7 is:
1. Plugin high fidelity headphones (so you will be able to hear and verify the difference in music), if you can do it with regular earphones/headphones, good for you. and kickass hearing btw
2. Play music on the music app you want to test. (Refer the LG link I posted)
3. while the music s running in the background, go to Settings -> Sounds & Vibration -> Headset Hi-Fi -> and switch between Standard & Super settings.
IF that app is using the DAC, you'll notice a slight pause (when the DAC switches on/off) and of course the difference in sound quality.
Note: Switch Dolby off or ignore it when testing the app, cos for some reason switching Dolby Atmos on/off produces the same gap in playback as the DAC.
On the Vibe X3 it didn't.
I used to use PowerAmp earlier, cos I found that best for my taste.
Then I discovered Neutron, and fell in love with that.
However then I bought a DAC phone & both Power-amp & Neutron don't use the DAC(or I wasn't able to make them)
As per a lot of users online "Poweramp Alpha" can be made to use the DAC on such phones, somehow. I tried fiddling around with it, got fed-up & left it.
If someone has the patience to figure it out AND explain it to me, I'd be grateful, cos Poweramp is my player of choice in terms of UI & ease of usability.
Neutrons latest changelogs mention it can use DAC usage as an update. But I can't notice the difference in the method listed above, or maybe its referring to USB DACs.
Now my player of choice adter going through the list of DAC supported music apps is Pulsar. - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rhmsoft.pulsar
Reason being, I found it to be the lightest/cleanest player which supports the DAC and can relatively smoothly handle my 10K+ collection of 320kbps MP3 & FLAC collection.
You guys can go through the list of apps on the LG V10 page and decide. which suits you best.
h/t @stupc. I've found his thread to be the most informative and bang on in solving the problem of 3rd party DAC phones throughout the net. And trust me, I've searched. Went crazy trying to solve this when I first bought the X3
Hope this helps.
Mods: Please move the post/thread to the appropriate section if required and close the thread as solved.
Hit Thanks if this helped.

Evil0verlord said:
[...]
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thank you for your answer.
the method to check whether the seperate DAC is being used supports my observation, that i wasnt able to hear a difference between all 3 players i've used.
but i guess the question remains whether the output is in 48khz or 192khz for all of them :/

I'm sceptical about the differing sound quality when switching the "Headset HiFi" setting. I noticed that the volume increases significantly when the setting is on, and goes quieter when switched off. This is a well known and proven psychological sales tactic for audio. The human brain subconsciously associates louder sound to be of higher quality.
In this case it would be very difficult to perfectly volume match the on/off setting of the "Headset HiFi" toggle for a proper blind test. I don't believe any user testing can be trusted unless it's done blind, as confirmation bias could easily take precedence.
Some good reading:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoacoustics
EDIT: I just did some more rudimentary testing with consumer quality mp3s and the ZTE music app, toggling the Headset HiFi setting on/off. The difference in frequency response is very noticeable even when not using high end FLAC encodings. There are significant bumps in bass and treble, even when compared to other sources I have with known flat sound signatures.
So you're asking, what does this mean? There's two scenarios:
1) if the Headset HiFi toggle is indeed switching between the Axon high end DAC and the SD820 standard DAC, the Axon DAC is far from neutral and has a coloured sound with unnaturally increased bass and treble response. This is arguably positive for the average consumer who likes the visceral sensation of an unnatural U-shaped equalizer, but will be disappointing for audiophiles looking for a flat sound signature.
2) the second possibility is that the Headset HiFi toggle does not change which DAC the system is using, but rather is like a Loudness button found on many stereos. When volume decreases, the human ear perceives low and high frequencies dropping off faster than other mid range ones. Loudness buttons are added to stereos so that low volume listening frequency response sounds closer to what the ear perceives at higher volumes.

Related

Parametric equalizer

There does not seem to be ANY app or implementation of a parametric equalizer for ANY device.
Whether it is something that uses the hardware parametric EQ present on some DAC's, something that does it in software, be it the audio player or a system-wide app like the way dspmanager works, where is the parametric EQ?
Sure it may be a challenge to control the hardware properly, but every media player has a fixed-band equalizer. It is not much more work to make it fully parametric.
The early iPods had enough capability to run a 5 band parametric with Rockbox firmware. Many users get these powerful phones in order to be able to stream music, and have it sound right.
Is there ANY app for ANY phone that can correct frequency response precisely?
Search for astro player nova. It's got a 5 band.
Questions or Problems Should Not Be Posted in the Development Forum
Please Post in the Correct Forums
Moving to Q&A
Sorry, thank you.
Is there one that works globally, as DSP Manager does, but parametric? If it doesn't appear within a month I am undertaking my first Android project...
A computer replacement (Just snickered imagining someone using the HDMI out with a USB keyboard and mouse into the charging port) without a parametric eq is a car without a stereo.
Well Astro Player and Astro Player Nova both have 18 band, but no parametric.
Come on, it HAS to exist. Even a little private project somewhere.
k00zk0 said:
There does not seem to be ANY app or implementation of a parametric equalizer for ANY device.
Whether it is something that uses the hardware parametric EQ present on some DAC's, something that does it in software, be it the audio player or a system-wide app like the way dspmanager works, where is the parametric EQ?
Sure it may be a challenge to control the hardware properly, but every media player has a fixed-band equalizer. It is not much more work to make it fully parametric.
The early iPods had enough capability to run a 5 band parametric with Rockbox firmware. Many users get these powerful phones in order to be able to stream music, and have it sound right.
Is there ANY app for ANY phone that can correct frequency response precisely?
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what kind of phone do you have?
k00zk0 said:
Sorry, thank you.
Is there one that works globally, as DSP Manager does, but parametric? If it doesn't appear within a month I am undertaking my first Android project...
A computer replacement (Just snickered imagining someone using the HDMI out with a USB keyboard and mouse into the charging port) without a parametric eq is a car without a stereo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you ever find one or make one?
I agree
Too old post, but I googled it searching about this...
There is too many opinions at forum from "audiophile" aboutapps like dsp manager, v4a or any other eq, but some times thats make not complete result or has no result directly.
In my opinion the most direct way from file to hardware, the best audio quality we make. But at the same time the most common headphones/earphones has poor frequency response/sensibility to enjoy our music and need a little frequency correction and some dynamics compression maybe, for some music genres or movie's audio.
This is where I would like to have a simple linear phase sound processor, with at most 3 bell parametric bands, one for bass boost, one for put in mid/high range for attenuate certain resonant peak (particularly in common earphones 4 a 6 kHz freq response is awfully bad), and one more for trebles. And a dynamic comp to prevent eq result overflow and boost low level sounds. No MORE
sorry my poor English.
Try adsp player for android

Here's some news, Poweramp now has a new test build.

Yes, Max has finally released a test build (790) to replace 704 so those who like it, log in, download and test away. Read the first page for notes and assess any bugs. I have installed it but at work so no chance to use it yet.
http://forum.powerampapp.com/topic/...te-read-first-post-before-commenting/?page=20
Remember you MUST have a Poweramp forum account and log in to get the download.
I usually use Jet Audio HD but got a bug where it doesn't allow Tom Tom navigation to override audio focus for voice prompts so at present using Player Pro as my daily driver. Here We Go navigation works ok with Jet and Player Pro works fine with either so there's something funny between Tom Tom and Jet.
I hope the new Poweramp works ok, there are bugs and missing features so I will keep the others installed and assess Poweramp as Max addresses the bugs and rolls out more features.
Edit: Having a play with it at work, boss has left for the afternoon.
Whilst my work BT speaker (Jawbone Big Jambox) aux in is connected to my Axon 7 by wire and I played with output settings in Poweramp, set to use Audio Track, I get a marked difference in speaker volume output when switching between Headset HiFi Standard and Super in the phone audio settings. This is working better than before. I'm only on MP3 though so harder to assess as the files are not Hi Res but if I set the Big Jambox to max volume and the phone to max volume then switch from Standard to Super it's much louder and does sound better. That Jambox really cranks on this! It will overload the aux in and I have to set it back two notches so seems to be playing at too high a voltage for the Jambox input jack. Need to play with this some more. Will have a listen on my Backbeat Pro headphones tonight and also in the car on it's HiFi as that has a great dynamic range and quality with BT and wire.
Install it as a secondary player due to missing features. Max the dev will be adding stuff as things progress but I find it not quite fully functional enough to call a daily driver. I feel it's less bugs, more just not all features added and expect as he hears feedback will slowly add them in.
Here's my test setup. Dedicated page aside of my home screens with app shortcuts and widgets for easy comarison listening.
Got it yesterday. Sound-wise, it's solid. Audio flinger reports proper playback at the selected sample rate.
I had some issues with the volume whenever I got a notification even with "Audio ducking" and "short notification interuption" disabled. The volume drops, but never comes back up. I've seen on the PA forum that disabling "Float32" in the OpenSL HD settings (even if you're using Hi-Res output) fixes it. Haven't tested this yet, though. Will do it when I've got my IEMs with me.
Other than that and the obvious UI bugs, it's a good step forward, despite taking 2 years to do it.
Interestingly, the actual volume control behavior was fine on my phone. I have issues with Jet Audio though. It doesn't mesh with Tom Tom navigation app voice prompts. Got fed up with that despite the rest of it working well and great sound and have been using Player Pro for a while. It behaves reliably and now adjusted, sounds great too. Both Jet and Player Pro sound better than Poweramp for me. I have PP set as default player and is on auto start up.
I emailed Jet Audio and Tom Tom about my issue. Tom Tom have been in contact. Nothing at all from Jet. I'll probably end up uninstalling Jet.
I tested this briefly, to say it's a beta preview is an over exaggeration. It's an alpha and is way more alpha than 704. I use Poweramp near everyday and love it but I tried testing 790 but there is so much missing functionality it is just no good for a daily driver. Shame both couldn't exist on the same device, I wouldn't mind testing it then!
TBF I thought that max would have been further on with its development after the time it has taken. I know he is working on this by himself so kudos to the guy but it is so unfinished, for me, it's back to stable 704. I will try again in May with the next test build.
Sent from my ZTE A2017 using Tapatalk
Yeah, so much functionality missing, I still have it installed but it just doesn't sound as good as Jet or Player Pro for me so the point of having it at all is questionable. Max took so long to get this far with it that others have risen to the top instead.
It reminded me of Neutron a little. You have to really fiddle with it to get good sound. With Player Pro the settings are simpler but just what I need and the good sound is there. Pity the skins are ugly.
With Poweramp, I don't like the wavebar and no skip buttons. The widget wasn't fully functional etc, just not enough I liked in it for a 2 year wait. Will uninstall. See how it goes once worked on further.
Just from curiosity I had a listen with VLC. I have it for video. On wired output it's not great but did sound very nice on my backbeat pro 2 headhones over bluetooth. Not a good audio player though.
After a few days with Poweramp and finally making the jump from Nougat to Oreo, I'll have to agree. It's more alpha than the previous alpha. I lost the Hi Res option after installing AEX 5.4. Quite disappointing but it's expected. To me, anyways.
I'll keep an eye on development but I'll be using UAPP for now. Simple UI, Hi Res works great and it sounds awesome. Hopefully Max is able to refine and polish PA in less time it took him to make it.
I had another play with it last night, found that just need to route everything through HD off the QC SoC. I mostly use bluetooth these days so 24 bit off the SD820 is fine. I could lose the DAC finally and not really worry but not ready to give up the 3.5 jack though..... Sometimes it's handy.
I had 2 Poweramp widgets on an extra homescreen and couldn't remove them. Had to uninstall the app to get rid of them. Too much broken functionality but with polish I think it will be good overall.
Edit: I'd like to know how the AKG DAC is implemented in this phone. It's almost as if it routes through the DAC if using HD and Super is enabled so it may not matter what the music thinks as long as it uses hi res?
The more I use new Poweramp the better I like it. Makes me want the missing functions implemented. Definitely not giving up on Poweramp.
dantedakilla said:
After a few days with Poweramp and finally making the jump from Nougat to Oreo, I'll have to agree. It's more alpha than the previous alpha. I lost the Hi Res option after installing AEX 5.4. Quite disappointing but it's expected. To me, anyways.
I'll keep an eye on development but I'll be using UAPP for now. Simple UI, Hi Res works great and it sounds awesome. Hopefully Max is able to refine and polish PA in less time it took him to make it.
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Hi-res never worked. Now it's the same as before, it'll tell you it's working but it's not (it's written though, hi-res doesn't work in Oreo).
---------- Post added at 09:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:16 PM ----------
RobboW said:
I had another play with it last night, found that just need to route everything through HD off the QC SoC. I mostly use bluetooth these days so 24 bit off the SD820 is fine. I could lose the DAC finally and not really worry but not ready to give up the 3.5 jack though..... Sometimes it's handy.
I had 2 Poweramp widgets on an extra homescreen and couldn't remove them. Had to uninstall the app to get rid of them. Too much broken functionality but with polish I think it will be good overall.
Edit: I'd like to know how the AKG DAC is implemented in this phone. It's almost as if it routes through the DAC if using HD and Super is enabled so it may not matter what the music thinks as long as it uses hi res?
The more I use new Poweramp the better I like it. Makes me want the missing functions implemented. Definitely not giving up on Poweramp.
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I didn't get anything of what you said here, but i'll tell you what i know:
-poweramp won't output hi-res in Oreo, and it will happily tell you that it is - hence, you have to use dumpsys media.audio_flinger as always
-What do you gain by routing everyrthig through the low power DAC? (Again, ZTE said it's a DAC inside the AK4961, not SD820). I wonder if that DAC actually works with 24-bit, but at least it is specced that way.
-What do you mean by the last paragraph? The DAC will output whatever kind of sound you input it, it won't "only" play hi-res.
Btw it's AKM, AKG is a headphone manufacturer
Other thing: Disable hi-res output. Use the normal OpenSL output. That way it'll sound just like good olde Poweramp
If I go back to OpenSL it sounds markedly inferior.
I keep mixing up AKG and AKM lol.
What I meant was if I have the phone set to output on Super setting and the music app is using Hi Res it does seem to sound louder and better in general, as if the phone just puts it through the AKM DAC anyway, despite the app thinking it's using the SD820. With Poweramp 790 alpha the phone will still overload the input on my car hifi when at full volume so it seems it's using the DAC, not the SoC.
Choose an username... said:
Hi-res never worked. Now it's the same as before, it'll tell you it's working but it's not (it's written though, hi-res doesn't work in Oreo).
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As in the output setting is completely gone after jumping to Oreo. I did get the Hi Res on 704 to work when I was on 7.1.2 using either the samsung uhqa cheat or lenovo hifi cheat. It wasn't true hi res, but there were differences when I swapped between the sample rates. So it still "worked" in a way.
790's hi res worked on 7.1.2 but it looked like it was detecting the qualcomm DAC and not the AKM. I might have to resend the hi res request in the Poweramp forum.
dantedakilla said:
As in the output setting is completely gone after jumping to Oreo. I did get the Hi Res on 704 to work when I was on 7.1.2 using either the samsung uhqa cheat or lenovo hifi cheat. It wasn't true hi res, but there were differences when I swapped between the sample rates. So it still "worked" in a way.
790's hi res worked on 7.1.2 but it looked like it was detecting the qualcomm DAC and not the AKM. I might have to resend the hi res request in the Poweramp forum.
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In my case (8.0.0) it is there. Sound is worse with it turned on though (much lower volume basically)
Choose an username... said:
In my case (8.0.0) it is there. Sound is worse with it turned on though (much lower volume basically)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have volume issues with other players? Because ever since I installed Oreo 8.1, the volume's dropped quite significantly across the whole phone. UAPP and Poweramp play at really low volume now. Could be an Oreo thing or an Ainur thing. I'm not sure.
dantedakilla said:
Do you have volume issues with other players? Because ever since I installed Oreo 8.1, the volume's dropped quite significantly across the whole phone. UAPP and Poweramp play at really low volume now. Could be an Oreo thing or an Ainur thing. I'm not sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it is an Oreo thing. As soon as I went from RR-N to RR-O I noticed my headphone volume dropped significantly. I'd love to know the solution
What do people recommend for HD audio using the DAC? I'm using the RR remix ROM and have Viper installed. I guess Play Music uses the DAC? I've only ever used Poweramp
baconboy said:
What do people recommend for HD audio using the DAC? I'm using the RR remix ROM and have Viper installed. I guess Play Music uses the DAC? I've only ever used Poweramp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
USB Player Pro. In one of their recent updates, they added support for DAC chips on phones. Axon 7 included.
dantedakilla said:
Do you have volume issues with other players? Because ever since I installed Oreo 8.1, the volume's dropped quite significantly across the whole phone. UAPP and Poweramp play at really low volume now. Could be an Oreo thing or an Ainur thing. I'm not sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, that's most definitely an Ainur thing. If you installed Poweramp beta, be sure to disable OpenSL ES HD output (supposedly hi-res) because that will lower the volume quite a lot.
Also install the B32+B10 bootloader if possible. That one seems to have fixes for audio.
In stock Nougat it's fine. I turned volume to max and switched between. The volume steps are different but max is fine. I found it sounded better with Float32 switched on.
dantedakilla said:
USB Player Pro. In one of their recent updates, they added support for DAC chips on phones. Axon 7 included.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No way, the first and only time I tried USB Player Pro it literally killed my SD Card (I don't understand how)
I've been trawling Google Play and revisiting music apps. It seems Onkyo HF Player has had a bit of a revamp. It's getting quite good now. It has widget and notification functions etc. Still no auto start though. One thing I like is it shows the output in now playing. With my backbeat pro 2 cans in wired mode and turned off the app is playing a 44.1KHz MP3 and upsampling to output at 48K. If I go into phone sound settings and turn on Dolby Atmos then go to the headphone setting and switch between standard and super there's no difference. If I turn off Atmos and switch from standard to super it gets louder and soundstage expands. Interesting....
It still has that great user configurable parametric EQ too
Playing a hi res WAV or FLAC also shows on screen. I assume the Axon 7 won't output above 48K though? I suspect this is running off the SD820.
So if it plays above 192K what does it signify? Nothing?
Or the DAC?

Poor bluetooth audio quality

Hey guys,
I have connected my A3 to a roidmi in my car and i have noticed there's a very poor audio quality over a blurtooth. I have also checked it with a stereo in my living room. Does anyone else got a same problem? How to get over it?
jedrzej03 said:
Hey guys,
I have connected my A3 to a roidmi in my car and i have noticed there's a very poor audio quality over a blurtooth. I have also checked it with a stereo in my living room. Does anyone else got a same problem? How to get over it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya i do have this problem, its a bug that hasn't been fixed yet. Turn volume down by 3 steps and you will be fine.
just enable developer options and set it to the highest quality, by default it is using the lowest bandwidth with the lowest quality
There is an even more serious bug with this phone and Bluetooth : if you get a call while streaming audio to a Bluetooth headset, music stops as expected, but then playback fails after the call has been ended. You need to reboot in most cases in order to get back music playback.
Tested with several Jabra and Plantronics headsets and different music players.
stopa10 said:
There is an even serious bug with this phone and Bluetooth : if you get a call while streaming audio to a Bluetooth headset, music stops as expected, but then playback fails after the call has been ended. You need to reboot in most cases in order to get back music playback.
Tested with several Jabra and Plantronics headsets and different music players.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works fine for me. Try get a log of the issue to see if something can be diagnosed
Harakiri23 said:
just enable developer options and set it to the highest quality, by default it is using the lowest bandwidth with the lowest quality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure it's actually doing this? Because when I switch Bluetooth to using another codec or higher quality, then hit back button, then go back into dev options, all the settings are back to default, so I don't think it actually does anything. I have a Bose qc 35, which is supposed to support aac.
stopa10 said:
There is an even serious bug with this phone and Bluetooth : if you get a call while streaming audio to a Bluetooth headset, music stops as expected, but then playback fails after the call has been ended. You need to reboot in most cases in order to get back music playback.
Tested with several Jabra and Plantronics headsets and different music players.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It happens with me too
jedrzej03 said:
Hey guys,
I have connected my A3 to a roidmi in my car and i have noticed there's a very poor audio quality over a blurtooth. I have also checked it with a stereo in my living room. Does anyone else got a same problem? How to get over it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this Magisk module and increase the bitrate of SBC codec. You might need to experiment a little to find the best value for your setup. Start at the max (or just use the recommended value) and gradually decrease until it's stable. High bit rate SBC can have higher quality than APT-X (HD) - you will need to disable "HD Audio" in Bluetooth device setting to force usage of SBC.
I was using it with Mi A1, but haven't tried with A3 yet.
https://github.com/Magisk-Modules-Repo/gjf_bt
Btw. changing BT codec in developer settings never worked for me, not sure what's the purpose of it
Same problem for me. My bluetooth headset sucks at this device. I hope we can find an easy solution immediately
_mysiak_ said:
Try this Magisk module and increase the bitrate of SBC codec. You might need to experiment a little to find the best value for your setup. Start at the max (or just use the recommended value) and gradually decrease until it's stable. High bit rate SBC can have higher quality than APT-X (HD) - you will need to disable "HD Audio" in Bluetooth device setting to force usage of SBC.
I was using it with Mi A1, but haven't tried with A3 yet.
https://github.com/Magisk-Modules-Repo/gjf_bt
Btw. changing BT codec in developer settings never worked for me, not sure what's the purpose of it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not the bitrate, it happened with me many times before so i can tell, phone boosts the volume past max for some reason which causes distortion, reducing volume fixes the issue
_mysiak_ said:
Try this Magisk module and increase the bitrate of SBC codec. You might need to experiment a little to find the best value for your setup. Start at the max (or just use the recommended value) and gradually decrease until it's stable. High bit rate SBC can have higher quality than APT-X (HD) - you will need to disable "HD Audio" in Bluetooth device setting to force usage of SBC.
I was using it with Mi A1, but haven't tried with A3 yet.
https://github.com/Magisk-Modules-Repo/gjf_bt
Btw. changing BT codec in developer settings never worked for me, not sure what's the purpose of it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm trying this module. I turned on Bluetooth snoop logging to see if I can see what bitrate I'm actually getting connected with. There is text .log file enough which is only few bytes and a larger binary file with
cfa extension. You don't happen to know what format this is, do you?
barth2 said:
I'm trying this module. I turned on Bluetooth snoop logging to see if I can see what bitrate I'm actually getting connected with. There is text .log file enough which is only few bytes and a larger binary file with
cfa extension. You don't happen to know what format this is, do you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CFA is a binary btsnoop file containing all the packets related to BT connection. It should be possible to open it on a PC in Wireshark. I couldn't find a way to open it on Android directly.
_mysiak_ said:
Try this Magisk module and increase the bitrate of SBC codec. You might need to experiment a little to find the best value for your setup. Start at the max (or just use the recommended value) and gradually decrease until it's stable. High bit rate SBC can have higher quality than APT-X (HD) - you will need to disable "HD Audio" in Bluetooth device setting to force usage of SBC.
I was using it with Mi A1, but haven't tried with A3 yet.
https://github.com/Magisk-Modules-Repo/gjf_bt
Btw. changing BT codec in developer settings never worked for me, not sure what's the purpose of it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my case (JBL Free X), this is not an solution, it's only quite better, when i set bitrate higher than 574
I think I have found solution for this problem. I have installed miui 11 on my mi a3. Then I have installed magisk and gjf_bt module. Noises no more. For some reason this module doesn't works on stock rom
stopa10 said:
There is an even more serious bug with this phone and Bluetooth : if you get a call while streaming audio to a Bluetooth headset, music stops as expected, but then playback fails after the call has been ended. You need to reboot in most cases in order to get back music playback.
Tested with several Jabra and Plantronics headsets and different music players.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem... after a factory reset it worked for a week ... now the problem returned ... did anyone find a solution?

Parametric Equalizer

Hello,
i bought a LG V30 a few days ago, because i want to use it as DAC or DAC/AMP.
Before i used an Axon 7 with Viper4Android, a headphone amp (Schiit Vali2) and a custom VDC file for Viper4Android with these settings.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/v999jbft39506ma/Sennheiser HD800.pdf?dl=0
It made a huge difference to use my headphone (Sennheiser HD800) with or without these parametric equalizer settings.
Perhabs it is useful for you, here a link with many different eq settings. Think this can improve sound quality of many headphones or inears.
https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets
1. Most important part, i want the best possible sound quality. Ainur Sauron, Ainur Narsil, Whiskeyomega Soundmods, https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/themes/magisk-bring-24-bit-output-aosp-pie-t3900863 .....
Dont know, because im new with this phone...
2. I need a parametric equalizer with 10 bands. Viper4Android use VDC files, but i read somewhere that Viper4Android only can handle 48000. And i wanna use the full potential from this Quad DAC.
It is an option for me to use USB Audio Player Pro and if i am right, it is possible to use inbuild parametric eq with only 6 bands.
3. If best sound quality is only with stock roms possible, its ok for me. But if it makes no difference i prefer custom roms. My device is H930, do you have any recommendations?
Hope someone can help me to squeeze the best audio quality from these wonderful device.
Thank you
Adriano
I don't think you can use viper4android with the DAC because viper4android will resample the audio back down to 16 bit @ 48khz. Thus it's pointless to use the DAC + v4a at the same time. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Hi
1.) best possible sound quality - thus you want as little processing as possible (audiophile paradigm) - go with AINUR NARSIL
2.) viper4android is outdated, closed source and is supposed to offer worse quality vs. JamesDSP, both are limited to 48 kHz though
https://github.com/james34602/JamesDSPManager
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-reformed-dsp-manager-t3607970
So if you want to go that route, you'll limit yourself to 48 kHz and 16 bit.
according to https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq
USB Audio Player PRO
USB Audio Player PRO is an Android app with improved USB audio drivers for usage with USB DACs. USB Audio Player PRO is not system-wide but works with local files and many streaming services though not with Spotify. USB Audio Player has Toneboosters Morphit plugin which has parametric equalizer. This app and the plugin are not free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UAPP with the Morphit plugin (additional purchase) would be the (best?) way to go to retain best possible quality with a parametric equalizer.
Someone needs to try that though and e.g. toggle the quad / SABRE DAC and see how well it works with UAPP and the MorphIt plugin
3.) nope, in fact there's more processing on LG Stock ROMs and thus it sounds warmer and different than the less processed and colder output on AOSP-based ROMs - thus the quality on AOSP-based ROMs should be closer to source (less processing = "better", less additional artifacts and distortions)
LG Stock ROMs are a must though if you're dependent on voLTE or voWiFi
Hope that helps

LG V60 volume limitation

I upgraded from a V35 to a V60 and an very happy with the audio quality.
However, I listen to classic rock. Now I find that either Android, LG or Verizon has limited the LG V60's volume to 75% while using plug-in headset earphones and/or plug-in earbuds.
After two months of phone calls, in person visits to Verizon and web seatching there is nothing that can be done from a user perspective, that I can find. I've tried a couple of "volume booster" apps with zero success.
I've found this limitation using LG's earbuds, every set of earbuds I own, and, with Beyerdynamic 770's (250 ohm, Note, after reading reviews, I assumed the V60 would drive those 770's w/o issue). The limitation also exists played thru a NobSound DAC.
I've seen mention of "Poweramp" in other audio related threads, used in the thread to boost output from 48khz to 192khz, which should be amazing. But there are several similarly named apps...my guess is the aforementioned app is "PowerAmp Full Version Unlocker", for $5.49. Would this help volume as well?
Is there anyway to defeat this limitation?
Even a 10% increase would be satisfactory.
What if you turn on the DAC setting in the quick-settings? I'm sure you already thought of that.
svetius said:
What if you turn on the DAC setting in the quick-settings? I'm sure you already thought of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, no effect.
I'm using the Neutron Player app which has a 'use on-board device's volume control' option you could turn off & use your DAC. I did this to use my tablet with an iFi DSD nano and the next time I used the [stupid] USB C to 3.5mm dongle without the DAC, it nearly blasted my ears. So if you try it, be careful when you're not using an external DAC.
The app is a pain to setup but that's because, in part, it has so many configuration options. Think Android vs iPhone taken up several notches. Once it's setup, you'll get used to the GUI/Ux itself which I did not find intuitive. Anyway, there's a free eval. version if you wanted to check it out.
Mojo1114 said:
Yes, no effect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm....I know this kind of sucks, but how about an external DAC? Those usually work via USB C and can provide very loud, very clean output.
Op is using a DAC.
The limitation also exists played thru a NobSound DAC.
yep_nexus said:
I'm using the Neutron Player app which has a 'use on-board device's volume control' option you could turn off & use your DAC. I did this to use my tablet with an iFi DSD nano and the next time I used the [stupid] USB C to 3.5mm dongle without the DAC, it nearly blasted my ears. So if you try it, be careful when you're not using an external DAC.
The app is a pain to setup but that's because, in part, it has so many configuration options. Think Android vs iPhone taken up several notches. Once it's setup, you'll get used to the GUI/Ux itself which I did not find intuitive. Anyway, there's a free eval. version if you wanted to check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. It seems an app will be the solution. And I've seen Neutron Player mentioned in other threads.
To repeat your method as I understand it: Neutron allows me to turn off the phone's volume (which will bypass the 75% limitation) and send the raw signal via Neutron to my external DAC which will ultimately control volume?
And Im a bit confused by your advice to use caution the next time I plug in my phones directly into my phone with my wired headphone's 3.5 jack? That implies the phones limits are permanently bypassed? Am I understanding you correctly?
I'm also curious over PowerAmp app as well. Not being tech savy, intuitive is a plus.
And again, many thanks for taking the time to comment!
Mojo1114 said:
To repeat your method as I understand it: Neutron allows me to turn off the phone's volume (which will bypass the 75% limitation) and send the raw signal via Neutron to my external DAC which will ultimately control volume?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct!
Mojo1114 said:
And Im a bit confused by your advice to use caution the next time I plug in my phones directly into my phone with my wired headphone's 3.5 jack? That implies the phones limits are permanently bypassed? Am I understanding you correctly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, so Neutron has another setting (and it could be Android too, not sure), that starts the app automatically when you connect headphones. Or at least it offers to start, and you can easily accidentally tap it when it pops up. I wanted to bypass my tablet's volume when I connected my external DAC, since that has a hardwire volume control so I enabled that 'bypass device's volume' control. However, later when I went to use my tablet to watch a quick video I plugged in my every day earphones, probably tapped Neutron player unintentionally, and it started playing at max volume. On my V60 phone that probably isn't super loud, especially from what you're saying. However on my Samsung tablet it was screaming loud. It happened long enough ago that I've forgotten the exact circumstances.
Anyway, that control doesn't permanently bypass the phone's volume control. You can shut it off, and I can't say for sure if it has any affect on other apps. I only made that mistake once. Later I realized the volume in Neutron was loud enough with my DAC connected. The internal volume may well be bypassed automatically. I guess I need to listen to some music again through this rig soon to test it out. Unfortunately for both of us that won't be tonight.
Mojo1114 said:
I'm also curious over PowerAmp app as well. Not being tech savy, intuitive is a plus.
And again, many thanks for taking the time to comment!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't used PowerAmp since it first came out in the early 2000s with the advent of MP3s. But chances are it is more intuitive than Neutron Player. I'm a professional audio engineer by trade & tech nerd, yet still get caught up in the menus and different screens all the time. If it didn't sound so good and stream DSD files right along side PCM audio, and stream my entire music collection from my NAS, I'd kick it right to the curb.
My pleasure. Hope this helps! Cheers.
Any real solution for this yet? I think it can be bypassed with root access to the build prop or the sound mixer found in system/vendor/etc.
Any rooted user care to check?
Are you saying this can be fix in build prop?? Which entry?
I'm about to root my phone. Have already BL unlock it.
hooutoo said:
Are you saying this can be fix in build prop?? Which entry?
I'm about to root my phone. Have already BL unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should be in one of those two files. Most likely the sound mixer file though. I don't know exactly how the entry will look but i would guess something like "headphone volume limitations = max 75"
Change 75 to 100 save and reboot.
Again this is all just guesswork I'm not a developer and haven't rooted this particular phone yet and likely won't unless we get a custom aosp.

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