yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
Good to hear that this works. For those interested in doing this, here is what I'd suggest:

Since the lowest impedance that seems to be OK is ~ 15 ohm, look at the impedance versus frequency of your headphones. Look at the LOWEST impedance point for frequencies less than 2 kHz. Then the difference between that lowest value and 15 ohm is the value of the resistor you should add to avoid the instablity (crackle) and not sacrifice too much volume.

Example: Your headphone impedance curve shows your phones, which have a "nominal" impedance of 12 ohm actually drop down to 8 ohm at say 150 Hz. So you should add a (15-8) = 7 ohm resistor in series with each headphone channel. You could either get a 1 % resistor value close to that, or take the next closest standard value of 10 ohm.

---------- Post added at 08:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 AM ----------

"Software fix" ?? seriously? lol Although I'm always hopeful with any response from Samsung, it is very very unlikely that this can be fixed as a software update that maintains the default flat frequency response and great audio performance (at 16ohm or greater). Perhaps Samsung can magically simulate in firmware/software the effect of adding a few extra "virtual ohms" of output series resistance?

---------- Post added at 08:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:39 AM ----------

Here is the number I called at "Samsung Mobile Support" on May 20, 2013 (the person I talked to had never heard of this audio problem and said his "boss" would look at the information). I stressed that this problem does NOT occur for the S3 and that many owners of the S4 have reported the audio problem (in listening tests) for many different types of iems with impedance below ~ 15 ohm:

1-888-751-4078

If you have access to this phone number and decide to call, please reference this page of measurements:

http://www.jensign.com/S4Distortion

and a link to this XDA discussion thread and also the one at Hi-Fi:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/662314/galaxy-s4-and-audio-crackling-issue-with-ue600/45
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Lienot:
Hello,

this is OT, but in this thread are so many HiFi Fans like in no other thread. So I will try to ask my question...

I just bought the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 4 - The price is usually much higher and I bought it for 29,99 Euro (about 38 $)

The reviews are pro and contra. I wanted to ask if someone knows them - and if even better - someone used them with a galaxy S2/S3/S4 phone.

Many reviews write that there is less bass and the quality is not good, the bass is no problem, I use EQ. But if the quality is as bad as some write I will have a problem. I ordered them, I paied via paypal and I think they will arrive in two or three days.

I am thankful for every piece of information from people who really used this headphone.

All the best,

lienot
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] elfary:
Just read an Engadget interview with Wolfson's CEO. He speaks about Qualcomm and mentions that the S4 9505 is the first device where Qualcomm has engineered the audio in a separate chip from the main processor. May be that has something to do with the struggle with very low loads.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
You mean this article:

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/22/wolfson-ceo-mike-hickey-interview/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

Maybe somebody here can post a comment to the discussion on that page regarding the i9505 and SGH-I337 which all seem to have this crackle problem, but the i9500 (which has the Wolfson audio) does not.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] masc81:
I havethe same issue. AKG K3003 and the sound is horrible. Hope they solve it soon, because the by-packed earphones are horrible.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
wow impressive headset! at nominal 8 ohm impedance, i can't imagine how horrible they would sound on the S4 I9505. Can you try them on an S3?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] donovan2123:
Update.

Been using the Samsung galaxy s4 i9505 all day today and still not crackling or distortion.

So maybe 3rd handset lucky it seems.

First crackled and distorted badly

Second crackled and distorted but was better than first device.

Third seems perfect. I'm using power amp with bass turned up half way.

Sound magic E10 used on the 3 devices.

Regards
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] masc81:
No need to try them. My colleague also has the K3003 and an S3, it works perfectly.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] gazmo147:
I have tried 2 different pairs of monster beats tours, with 2 different i9505's one black one white, and got distortion on atleast the last 5 volume levels
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ipmanwck:
Any one used AKG451 ??
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
I posted a comment to that article today. Have a look at the response :) ... I am exagerating in the number of S4 users having this problem?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] NZtechfreak:
They might not crackle, but I wouldn't imagine they sound anywhere near their best given the frequency response will be wonky with the S3 output impedance ~3.5ohm. The Note 2 on the other hand shouldn't have problems with its 0.90 impedance.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] trenzterra:
By the way, does anyone experience a ticking/popping sound between tracks using the default player? It's like the sound driver turning off and on again. Seems more apparent with low-impedance earphones, and doesn't seem to occur with gapless players such a Play Music. Just curious!

---------- Post added at 02:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:49 AM ----------

Congrats! The E10 is a 16ohm dynamic IEM so it may lay on the borderline of crackle/does not crackle for some. Dynamic drivers usually have a fairly constant impedance curve throughout.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] tyoung88:
Was fed up so switched and received my GT-I9500 today and happy to report that my headphone distortion issues are over. Coming in loud and strong all the way up to volume level 15.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] NZtechfreak:
Thanks for that confirmation, I think now three of us have reported no crackling on the i9500 with a variety of low impedance IEMs that crackled with the i9505. Seems pretty solid now that the i9500 does not have this problem.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] deelz001:
any news on a fix from samsung?/
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
I've received no feedback yet. If you have specific experience with this problem and have access to this Samsung Mobile support phone number, please call them (NA number below) and raise the visibility:

1-888-751-4078
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] one0one:
I called Samsung support in Switzerland... he never heard about that problem and claimed that i can only use the "original" Samsung headset.

To witch i replied that i want that written down in a letter that i can only use the boxed headset with my 700CHF mobile. I would forward the letter to consumer protection. He then changed his mind ;)

I also pointed to that thread to witch he replied "i dont give a ****, internet is full with bull****" not in english, but exactly in this manner...

He now said that he will pass this issue further and that i will receive an answer...

I really dont know. im thinking about putting my phone on ebay and getting an HTC one... F*** Samy! Very dissapointing story!

Cheers
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] JuniorGG:
I've just carefully tested my Shure SE110 IEMs and my much cheaper AKG K309 earbuds (not in-ear type), on the S4 of my colleague, who bought it from Vodafone.

No issues at all, no matter the volume setting, even playing with all possible settings of the equalizer. Actually, I liked the sound pretty much.

The unit is an I9505, with H/W version 02.

The reason for this post is just to provide some indications of earphones that work.

Shure IEMs have constant 27 ohm impedance up until about 1kHz, and then it raises up to about 200 ohm at 20kHz. Not shure they're still sold on the market though. They sound very balanced on the S4 with tight loud bass, and no boom box effetc whatsoever. Highs are a little bit weaker but very pleasant and easily recoverable with a tad of equalisation. Mids are pretty decent. I like these earbuds a lot, and paid about 100 USD for them.

AKG K309 are very cheap but honest "open air" earbuds, for casual listening when I don't want to be isolated from the environmental sounds. Thay should have impedance of around 16 ohms, but I only have the nominal value and no graph. On the S4 they sound much lighter (less bass) than the Shure, and also much less loud, but they don't trigger the ringing distortion and for casual listening IMO they're fine.

I was so disappointed of hearing of this problem that I was at the point of cancelling my order at Vodafone (since I'm still waiting for my unit to arrive). Now I must say I'm very relieved and will not cancel it.

OT: Sadly, instead, I noticed that the display at the very full brightness (with automatic dimming switched off), is indeed brighter than that of the S3, but noticeably LESS bright than that of my S2, which yet under direct sunlight, is not fantastic.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
Wow that is completely unacceptable behaviour from someone in support. I'd report that immediately and get that dude fired!

"Pass this issue further .." I've heard that one twice from the Samsung supports I've contacted here in Canada. So that is pretty much a stock response in their caller-PR manual.

---------- Post added at 10:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 AM ----------

Thanks for this feedback. Your Shure iems are well above the impedance level where things are problematic with the I9505 S4 and helps confirm that the S4 DOES indeed provide very good audio quality if you use high-enough impedance phones.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] 299792458:
Well I've stumbled on this thread...will need to read through it (34 pages, sheesh), but just wanted to say I received my Verizon Galaxy S4 yesterday and am having severe issues with my Sony XBA-4 IEMs. These are rated at 8 ohms at 1 kHz.

Glad I'm not alone (misery loves company) but I'm pretty disappointed to say the least.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] droidrob:
It is very disappointing, but it seems that if every 9505 has this problem, then we will just have to live with it, although it is annoying as now I will have to buy new IEMs that are over 16 ohm...

Will 20ohm definitely be safe?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
Based on what owners have reported here, 20 ohm should be OK provided that the impedance doesn't dip below that at any frequency.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] owgees:
How can you check what h/w Version you have?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] NZtechfreak:
Make sure to check Golden Ears/Innfer Fidelity or similar sources to see what the impedance is beneath the 1KHz value that manufacturers give. Balanced armature IEMs tend to vary quite a bit, and tend to be lower than their 1KHz impedance at lower frequencies. Less an issue if you're getting dynamic driver IEMs since their impedance tends to be a lot flatter, but I would still check specific measurements over the frequency curve regardless before purchasing (most of the best IEMs are BA ones).
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] nazutto:
Same problem here. Audio-Technica CKS77 (14 ohms) attached to a 9505 sold by the brazilian carrier VIVO. If I set the volume over 60%, I get those annoying crackling in every music or video...

The original earphone works fine though. But they sound so bad compared to CKS77 :(
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] NZtechfreak:
Type *#2222# into the dialler.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
Here is a prototype for a bare-bones very high performance "quad buffer" circuit I tested which provides outstanding performance. Since each channel uses 4 opamp circuits, the output is very clean up to ~ 1.2Vpeak (current limit of the opamps) into 10 ohm. Note that the maximum peak output voltage of the unmodified S4 (with open headphone load) is 0.80Vpeak. Output impedance of this buffer is ~ 0.5 ohm so you won't loose any volume with low impedance earbuds. And of course it removes all traces of the crackling:

High Performance Quad Headphone Buffer
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] i4mt3hwin:
Shrink that into a small adapter and I'll pay $$$$ for it -- haha.

Anyway, I got my 75ohm adapter from ebay and it fixes the crackling completely but yeah, the volume is too low to actually enjoy the music. Even with Faux's sound mod turned to full its no use. I'm asking the guy to do a custom 15 ohm one for me, he hasn't responded yet. I wish he could extend the jack or taper the ends too -- the adapter doesn't work with my S4's case.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Ryphoon:
Has anyone here also had any issues with volume being terribly low in the first place? Have tried 3 sets of third party headphones / earphones and even at 100%, the sound is quite low for music and calls. Have tried the adapt sound and checked all the sliders too and nothing. Even my Fiio E11 at 100% didn't improve the volume much at all. I have also noticed minor crackling. Stock earphones are fine however. Very frustrating after jumping ship from ios.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] trenzterra:
Hmm did you ask if he could taper the ends? The adapter feels kinda large for me too.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] i4mt3hwin:
Yeah he responded to me last night, says he can't do either just change the ohm value. I wish there was an inline solution instead of this adapter. It's completely incompatible with my case. Obviously Jensigner's buffer solution would be ideal with no impedance drop. Or you know, Samsung could just acknowledge the issue and perform trade ins for people who actually care to have it fixed. I mean at this point I guess I don't expect them to recall 10 million phones or whatever they've sold. But I do want a fix from them.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
With most protective cases, most adapters are just too large. I have a bunch of different adapters and none of them clear the case headphone hole. Instead of hunting around for a premium tapered adapter (I really like to use what I have), I did two things which many here will probably cringe at :). Since my protective case isn't too expensive, I chose to carefully ream out the case headphone hole a bit wider. I also very-carefully filed-down the collar of a dual-headphone adapter shown below which works perfectly. Then I can use any other larger headphone plug, which don't fit in the widened case hole, with this modified adapter plug:

The photo above shows a representative range of different 3.5mm stereo plug sizes and the modified case and dual-adapter plug.

Another solution for a series-resistor adapter which isn't quite as slick as the simple compact plug-in adapter mentioned above is to modify a 3.5mm stereo extender cable like that shown below. I'd carefully cut the cable roughly in the center, separate out the L/R channels and grounds, and insert your optimum Rs resistor value in each lead, solder, and finish with heat-shrink tubing. Heck it wouldn't be difficult to make the cable even more useful and put a very small switch in-line to select the Rs or short them out to use it as a usual extender:

Hey come to think of it, Samsung should be on the hook to provide this type of adapter for all S4 I9505 and SGH-I337 owners who are experiencing bad audio due to low impedance iems :fingers-crossed:
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] marci4na:
mine is ok!

i'm using sennheiser cx300 II 16 ohm PERFECT.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] gandalf027:
I'm also using the CX300 II and it's very bad. (9505)
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Tim182:
I can confirm I have an issue too when using my Sennheiser HD595 with a FIIO E11 amp...

Plug the Sennheiser in directly and there is no crackling, only when I use the amp. The phone alone is however not able to drive the headphones properly, especially at the lower end. The crackling mainly occurs between/towards the end of a track when the music fades out. I have tested cables, amp and headphones and all seem fine so its 100% related to the phone.

No crackling with stock earbuds or even the Apple earpods

---------- Post added at 03:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:52 PM ----------

Yes! That's exactly what I am experiencing! I9500
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] wified:
I have the i337 32Gb model, HW version 0.2

I do not hear any cracking with Senn. CX300, Klipsch Image S4, and an old pair of Sony MDR-EX51.

But when I connect my 2.5mm headset that I've used for years - Plantronics MX150 - the cracking is unbearable at any volume above 2.

When I connect the FIIO E6 headphone amp with the Plantronics MX150, the cracking disappears.

(To do this I have a cable that separates the mic from the headphone, then I amplifiy only the headphone, and recombine the mic and amp'ed heaphone volume in a 2.5mm plug.)

So, the resistance of the FIIO E6 is enough to eliminate the cracking, but this solution is not practical for daily use.

Does anyone know if this would solve the cracking issues with my 2.5mm headset?:

Custom iPhone Headset Adapter - 3.5mm TRRS Male to 2.5mm TRS Female

I have been using this adapter with the Galaxy S2 with success for the past couple of years to connect the Plantronics headset:

2.5mm Female to 3.5mm Male Headset Adaptor
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
I doubt that any adapter cable which involves any components or "impedance matching" in the mic part of the jack will do any good. I have done various tests with a 4 pole plug to RCA cable (identical configuration to the standard Samsung 4 pole headphone plug). This involved looking at the L/R audio output (into a 10 ohm load to measure the "crackle") while I loaded down the mic-line with various loads. This did absolutely NOTHING to the crackle problem. Cable is shown below:

What does this "crackle" actually look like in terms of a normal music track? below shows a scope trace of this "crackle" (with 10 ohm loads) during normal music playback. It always occurs in the negative part of the signal and I'm now 95% sure this is a hardware design issue due to improper "output buffering" of the audio headphone driver, (something evidently that the I9500 with Wolfson audio out gets right). Adding an output series resistor in each of L/R channels (as discussed above) is a passive way to fix the crackle but at the expense of (1) lower output headphone drive levels and (2) possible tone changing of the output depending on your particular headphones:
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
Build Your Own!

Here are the parts needed to build a short "cable adapter" version of the series-resistor adapter:
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] wified:
Instead of using a 2-ring/3-pole plug, it would be great if someone could build and sell a 3-ring/4-pole plug adapter that would cover every possible need - I need to plug a 2.5mm adapter into that for a headset. Using something like this:

Could anyone make a 3-ring/4-pole male to female 3.5mm cable like this with the appropriate 10 Ohm resistors?

As far as making it myself, does anyone know where to get the parts?

I can't figure out which resistors to get? -- 1/4w, 1w, 5w -- ? I figured I'd get 15 ohm resistors.

I could solder those together, if I could get the parts. Thanks for any help you could be.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
I was trying to keep it simple .. just address the distortion issue with readily available plugs and jacks without making it more complex with the 3rd mic conductor. The 3 conductor parts I mention and cable are available at Radio Shack (The Source here in Canada). As for resistor wattage, say the maximum possible output voltage is ~ 1V (actually 0.8Vpeak for my S4). So you want the resistor to be rated so that if the headphone output somehow shorts out, the series resistor doesn't fry. So with a 10 ohm resistor, the rms power dissipation is (Vp^2)/2/R = 50mW so a standard 1/4W or 1/8W lower value is fine. Space in the female inline jack will probably be very tight so it is good to plan it out very carefully before burning your fingers on that soldering pen.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] okiru880:
Anyone actually managed to successfully use a usb audio out cable yet? I'm trying to hook it up to a portable Fiio amp.

I ordered one from Ebay that was advertised as compatible with the S4 but cannot get it to work, although works fine with the S2 which it was supposedly incompatibe with...

Also, has anyone noticed that 3rd party (non Samsung) cables are a really tight when pushing/pulling out of the micro usb socket?

I have a UK Snapdragon 9505
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] NZtechfreak:
Of course, I reported it in the accessories forum in my connectivity thread (FYI if you're going to use USB audio you'll need a DAC as well as that amp).
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] okiru880:
ahh.. does that mean that we are only able to get digital audio out? No analogue 'line out' from the S4's DAC?

If so, this is a real shame - the headphone out to an amp is ok but just doesn't quite cut it!
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] pancernik:
My Fiio e07k doesn' work with i9505.

Wysłane z mojego GT-I9505 za pomocą Tapatalk 2
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] NZtechfreak:
The e07k and E17 are a problem with most Android handsets, FiiO is aware, up to them to sort it out in future products. You might want to try the app USB Audio Recorder Pro, many devices with USB OTG but not USB audio, or devices that cannot work with certain DACs, are able to work via that app. It is far from a perfect solution, since it isn't designed to be a music player, but if you really have to have it...

---------- Post added at 12:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:32 AM ----------

Yes, that's right.

Honestly for me its great, but in an ideal world a true line out would be nice for people just wanting to amp stuff. The Smart Dock has a line out, but that's it as far as I know.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ipmanwck:
I have just received my second S4 to see if crackle is any different ? I think not but will check later. Really disappointing if it still crackles :( wish they sold the 9500 in uk.

---------- Post added at 02:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:20 PM ----------

Look at 0930 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeRcKHF4bDc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Leave a comment also.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
The headphone out of the S4 (I9505 version) when used with a separate amplifier is one of the best available from smartphones. Have a look at the RIGHT section of these audio measurements (under open-load which will be similar to using the headphone out into a separate amplifier). The excellent audio characteristics are virtually identical to those reported at GSMArena for the S4 I9595 .. and in some cases better:

So you can expect superb audio when using the headphone out of your S4 into your line-in of your favorite hi-fi receiver/integrated-amplifier. I'll extend the results above (measured for 16bit/44.1kHz CD-audio .wav) to higher-def. audio (24bit/48kHz) as time permits and possibly up to 96kHz if that is available in a music player for S4 (I think Poweramp supports playback of that HD format).
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ipmanwck:
But my headphones still crackle ?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] masc81:
Yeah not sure how this helps us. The audio may be superb when connected to an amplifier, but it sounds ****ty with my headphones.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] puremind:
This is great news. To those who have the crackle, just buy new earphones. I am so happy I can have the best of both worlds: great audio and LTE!