yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RockStar2005:
Hey Subhani,

Well apparently DSEE HX isn't JUST for mp3s then if it even improved a Hi-Res file like FLAC! That's great news....... thanks for sharing! I started downloading some Hi-Res FLACs just recently, and I def notice an improvement in sound quality and volume too. I get them from here: www.hdtracks.com (not a huge library, but it's growing), and soon I will be getting them from here too: https://ponomusic.force.com/ccrz__HomePage. Pono has songs but they won't be available for download until I think late 2014/early 2015. Unlike hdtracks, Pono will let you d/l individual tracks instead of just albums.

Yeah a great pair of headphones does help! And an amp (or DAC) will help too. I just decided to buy the Sennheiser HD 598s (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042A8CW2...TF8&colid=1A8RN6F641F1I&coliid=I35QT7Z8LDB7EC) for a variety of reasons, and also the FiiO E6 portable amp too which has been said by many to not only add volume but also clean up the sound even more than the phone itself can: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HJWWW8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Many 598 purchasers have said you won't really reach full capacity with your headphones w/o one of these, and they're pretty cheap too, but still offer great quality.

A few ppl already tried that app Sub but although it DID work on my M8, apparently it doesn't work on the Xperia Z2 or Z3 phones, which really sux. So far no luck yet there. So I'm looking at alternatives.

Thanks,

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] corallus:
DSEE will upscale 16bit flac files but does not action at all on 24bit as they are already optimum. Walkman also attaches a little gold HR badge to 24bit to signify they are hi res audio.
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RockStar2005:
Corallus,

Ahh ok. That is good to know. I was a lil surprised when he said it was affecting his FLAC files. lol But that makes perfect sense. And I like that Sony does the gold badge thing so you know (or are reminded) that those songs are Hi-Res.

Thanks,

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Tmel14:
Am pretty set on getting this phone but this thread has worried me a bit as music is probably the primary function of my phone use apart from messaging.

I have all my music saved as files so would be playing it through Walkman rather than Spotify, can someone advice me what the audio output through Walkman is like compared to an iPhone 5S? Both in terms of quality and volume, I like to play my music quite loud sometimes and I'm concerned it's going to be too quiet...
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RockStar2005:
I haven't got the Z3 yet, but everyone here is saying the sound quality of the Z3 using Walkman app (with all the various settings enabled like ClearAudio+, DSEE HX, etc) is even better than PowerAmp's is. And PowerAmp is amazing......... I should know, I have it (currently on my HTC One M8). lol

On another thread (http://xdaforums.com/z3/general/dsee-hx-hi-res-audio-t2868556) that I subscribe to, it's been said that getting the FiiO E6 portable amp does wonders for those who think the Z3's volume is not loud enough (not everyone does though, but it's more likely on headphones vs earphones). But also, it has been said to clean up the sound even more so as well, not to mention a TON of great reviews. I just bought one with the Sennheiser HD 598 headphones. They will come in on Tuesday. Can't wait! (I get my Z3 on Wed 10/29). But even the all the great reviews for the 598s on Amazon (and there are many) include several ppl who say that if you really wanna see what your earphones/headphones can do, you need to get the E6 amp (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HJWWW8...TF8&colid=1A8RN6F641F1I&coliid=I35GVXCEN58IW9). Only $28..... kinda hard to beat, esp with what it does for that price. You can leave the EQ off on the amp......... put amp volume up to max, then keep volume at near max on your phone.

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Tmel14:
An amp probably isn't for me, try to carry around as little as possible. Can the Walkman and all the various settings + earphones make the volume comparable to the HTC & iPhone?
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dl12345:
Whether or not you need to use a headphone amplifier would depend mostly on the impedance of your headphone. Low impedance IEMs will be fine as is, whereas cans with higher impedance such as the Sennheiser HD800s will almost certainly need to be amped to get to the right volume level when playing off a mobile device
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RockStar2005:
dl,

Thanks for posting all that good info. I'm getting the Sennheiser HD 598 headphones on Tuesday actually from Amazon, as well as the FiiO E6 portable headphone amp too. How much do you think the amp will help my 598s based on the following info?

HD 598

sensitivity: 112 dB

impedance: 50 ohms

Thanks!

RockStar2005

---------- Post added at 03:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:38 AM ----------

The E6 is pretty tiny, but seems to do a lot considering its size and price. Here are some pics of it (scroll down).

http://www.fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000038039712&MenuID=105026001

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Tmel14:
Ah I hadn't realised it was so small! Ok well it's good to know there's a back up option if I don't think it's loud enough as it is.

Is there an option on Sony's music software to increase the volume of certain tracks like on iTunes?
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dl12345:
Have a read of this article which should answer your question quite well. Sennheiser always quote headphone sensitivity in a directly comparable fashion allowing you to compare headphones quite easily without needing to make complex conversions. According to the article, when powered from a Galaxy S4, headphones with a 112 dB SPL (such as yours) were marginal in terms of loudness.

You will probably need the amp, but with this type of higher end headphone it's desirable in any case as the amp will probably also make a material difference to sound quality. I'd recommend that you audition a DAC/AMP combination such as the HRT Microstreamer that would give you both a superior D-A conversion through the USB jack as well as the headphone amplification. Your headphones may benefit from both
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RockStar2005:
dl,

Interesting article. Thanks for sharing! I dunno if I understood all of it, but I think what it's saying is that the amp will drive the higher quality headphones more than just the smartphone will, and that allows you to reach the maximum capacity & sound quality of what the headphones can achieve, which is kinda the point. lol And even if it is loud enough, you still can benefit from the amp giving the headphones better sound quality. The higher-impedance (or higher-resistance) headphones require more voltage but since they can handle it, they DON'T distort at higher volumes (when extra voltage is pouring in) either, where the lower-impedance (or more sensitive) headphones at high volumes DO distort because they don't have the resistance level that the higher-impedance headphones do to handle the extra voltage. Does that sound about right?

Ok that's good to know then! I will def give the amp several tries to see what it can do for me. The thing is with this phone, it already has a built-in DAC as most smartphones do, but the one on the Z3 can handle 24-bit/96kHz processing. I know from the experts that it's not ALL about the numbers, but the design quality of the DAC itself. But I don't feel like I really need something like the HRT, at least at this time. Maybe down the line? The HRT is $200 too, so that's pretty pricey since I already just got the Sennheisers for $181 (though they retailed for $320). Plus, I don't think I'll really mind having the E6 amp since it's so tiny, but the HRT is bigger, and that I might mind too. If I'm not blown away by the volume & sound quality of the E6 (in combination with the Z3), then I'll def consider the HRT more strongly.

Thank you for all your advice and tips! Much appreciated.

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dl12345:
Yes, that's more or less correct.

Yes the Z3 probably has a better DAC than most smartphones especially if it's rated at 24/96. However you're totally correct that it's not all about the numbers. There are many components that go into producing an audiophile quality DAC/amp combination. And it ultimately boils down to a simple question of economics. The limited bill of materials on a smartphone means that they're capped out with respect to how much can be spent on the audio circuitry. The HRT Microstreamer that I referred to costs $200 because it uses high end components like Burr-Brown DACs. It has circuitry in it that you'd typically find on an expensive piece of hifi equipment and so it's fundamentally more capable than what you'd find in any smartphone. I use it because I have a set of $1,000+ custom in ear monitors that are very sensitive to the quality of the source, however in your case you'll probably be OK with the Z3 DAC and Fiio amp combination. Just be careful though - this audio thing is a slippery slope and you'll soon find yourself spending more of your hard-earned cash in the quest for audio perfection :)
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RockStar2005:
dl,

Ok great! It makes sense too b/c higher-end headphones aren't known to distort at higher levels, are they?

Haha yeah, it can get expensive real fast if you're not paying attention. I guess I got lucky with the E6 amp. If I'm not satisfied with it though (meaning it doesn't sound AMMMAZZINGGG! lol), then I will def keep the HRT in mind. I added it to my Amazon wish list/shopping list just in case. Maybe I'll ask for it as a x-mas or b'day present if I wanna get it. lol

Thanks again man!

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] subhani:
I mentioned earlier that a I could notice that my Z3 was noticeably richer, bassier and had better fidelity than my iPhone 6+, using the same low cost earphones. The volume levels were near identical. Granted, I was just playing a random Maroon 5 track from youtube on both devices to control the variables as much as I could.

[MENTION=283382]ROCK[/MENTION] I tried the app you suggested and it didn't work. Both the equaliser and sound boost app. NP.

Now I will check out the websites for flac files.
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RockStar2005:
Sub,

It's funny cuz I'm hearing now all of a sudden that the Z3 is much louder than ppl were initially saying on here. Someone on xda (here or the DSEE thread) said that it was louder than the (my current) M8 (Z3 comes out 10/29 for me), and now you're sayin' louder than iPhone 6+? Wow. lol

Yeah they didn't work for anyone else on here either. lol That's why I'm buying the E6 amp off Amazon. You can see from the previous posts and on DSEE thread that it's a very popular (not to mention inexpensive & TINY) option to improve both the volume AND sound quality of your Z3 headphone output.

Even if I don't feel like the Z3's volume is an issue, it should still make my FLACs and mp3s sound even better in conjunction with Walkman's DSEE HX (and other options).

Yeah go for it! I noticed a difference on my $30 V-Modas b/t mp3 and FLAC, so I totally think it's worth having, even more so on more premium headphones (and with E6). But I'll only d/l albums/songs I TRULY love b/c it's not cheap. lol

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] subhani:
[MENTION=5874212]RockStar2005[/MENTION] see above. I said they were NEAR identical. The edge probably goes to the 6+. And that gap is completely negligible. Unless that gap widens when using more expensive cans instead. Certainly not louder than the 6+ and definitely not louder than the M8.

Thanks for the link to the e6. It's so tiny and inexpensive, would be a no brainer to order one.

Just for laughs, I learn everyday a new way in which the iPhone 'just works' and is 'user friendly'. LOL. I sent the 59mb FLAC file to the 6+ and it doesn't recognise it. It wouldn't tell me that, I had to figure that out myself.
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RockStar2005:
Subhani,

Oh am I bad. I skimmed it too fast and just focused more on the first part The fact though that they were "nearly identical" still says a lot about the Z3's volume. Aside from a list I saw on phonearena.com, many ppl on here said Z3's headphone volume was too low. So I dunno! lol

Yeah the M8 was rated the loudest in terms of voltage, 1.28........... and iPhone 5 was like 1.00. Though the list said 0.30 for Z3 Compact (Z3 wasn't listed), but I read posts like yours and it makes me think maybe the Z3 Compact was off? lol

Yeah man, I think it's a great device considering what it's capable of. That's cool that you can clip it to your belt too if you want, or just rest it on your desk, bed, floor, etc. (scroll down some to see pics) You can keep EQ off on it and just use Z3's EQ which is what I plan on doing once I get mine.

lol......... yeah iTunes does not CURRENTLY play FLAC files. You need to convert it to AIFF (uncompressed, so takes up more room) or ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec, compressed, but STILL lossless ftw) for it to play on iTunes. I did that for a few albums so I could play them on my friend's iTunes. For conversions, I'd highly recommend the dbPoweramp (no relation to PowerAmp that I know of) audio converter. You get a 3 week free trial with it then you pay after that. I'm still in the trial. lol Here is link. I'm wondering if you can just uninstall it after 3 weeks and then reinstall it to avoid paying for the full version? lol Not sure. I tried 1 or 2 other converters and they were total crap. lol This one did it right, keeping the compression level of the ALAC to about the same as the FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec, which DOES play on almost any phone music playing app). I know HDtracks.com also gives you the option to download in AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, etc. So if you really wanna only play the Hi-Res FLACs on iTunes, you should just download in ALAC. Then you'll DEF have no problems with iTunes ever again.

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] subhani:
[MENTION=5874212]RockStar2005[/MENTION]

No biggie. That's right. The iPhone 6+ edges it only marginally in volume power. I've had another listen and there is no doubt of it. But you will certainly NOT go to the Z3 and think 'why is it so quiet'? If you do, for some unbelievable reason, then you have the e6 in your arsenal.

Thanks for the tip on the file compatibility issues on iOS. Gonna be very handy indeed. Cheers.
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RockStar2005:
Subhani,

That is promising news! But even if they were equal or Z3 was actually louder, I'd still buy it for that price simply b/c it also has been said to clean up/improve the sound quality as well.

Yeah no problem. Apparently, ppl have been askin' for years for Apple to make iTunes FLAC-compatible, and recently there's been talk that it's really gonna happen, but nothing has been officially mentioned to the public, so who knows? Seems silly to me that it plays mp3s and AACs (which are lossy like mp3s but considered a notch higher/better), and ALACs and AIFFs, but not FLACs? Yeah, I've learned A LOT in the last 3-4 weeks. LOL

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RockStar2005:
Hey everyone,

Finally got a chance to try out the new Sennheiser HD 598 headphones and the FiiO E6 portable amp on my current HTC One M8. Yeah, lemme tell you........ these headphones are GREAT, but with the amp put into the mix, the sound goes from a solid A-/A to a bonafide A!!

Not only does the E6 CLEARLY amplify the sound, but i thought I wasn't gonna use its EQ settings (of which it has 3)......... EQ2 though........ if Harman/Kardon mod on my M8 wasn't unleashing the sound enough already on its own (as Z3's DSEE HX and/or Hi-Res will), it + EQ2 on amp unleashes it to a whole new level!! lol No joke!

I tried amp w/o its eq, just amp itself..... volume was louder, but not doing any "cleaning up" or adjusting to the sound........ which is what's supposed to happen in that setting I guess. But yeah, when you activate EQ2 (blue backside indicator light on), you can hear even MORE of the guitar and bass too. So for me........ phone on whichever EQ setting sounds best, volume at about 70%-75% (Z3 may need to go louder though cuz M8 is naturally louder for headphones).......... E6 DEF will be included, kept on and EQ2 activated with amp volume at full blast...........and headphones. I tried playing both mp3s and FLAC tracks, and it was f'ing amazing!!! I highly recommend this setup, and these headphones too if ur looking to buy. I paid $181 for mine off Amazon which is great considering the retail price is $320.

The only negative for both these headphones and the amp is that the connector cables' "butt" is too fat and even with my Spigen case which has perfect cutouts for connecting cables to the phone, it would go in but not stay put, so I had to remove the case on phone to try them out. I'm gonna hit Radio Shack or else Best Buy to find adapters for these cables with slim "butts", or else I'll have to use them with no phone case. We'll see what happens.

Thoughts and questions?

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dl12345:
Glad to hear you're happy with the sound. Nothing better than a sound setup that makes you smile when you listen.

What about using a dremel to widen the hole in your Spigen case a bit?
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RockStar2005:
dl,

Thanks dl. Yeah I'm pretty happy with all of it. Can't wait to test it out on my Z3 when I get it next Wed.

I don't have one of those. How much are they?

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dl12345:
You definitely don't want to buy it for a once off job. Too expensive and overkill. Maybe you can borrow one? It's a high speed rotary tool and one of the cone shaped grinding bits would probably work well to enlarge the hole neatly
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RockStar2005:
dl,

Ok. I don't know anyone who has one. I think I'll just look for a couple adapters for these cables. If not, I'll just take the case off when I wanna listen to music. Hopefully I'll find something.

Thank You,

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Tmel14:
Having had the phone for almost a week now, I have to say I’m pretty impressed with the audio. In an ideal world it would have one or two more notches to go up volume-wise but generally it’s loud enough and the sound quality is really decent.

Question for anyone using the Walkman app - I could be imagining things but I swear when I first loaded all of my music on, the smart playlists could hold loads of songs (for instance Newly Added held all the songs – about 5,000 – that I’d just put on and Recently Played had all the songs I’d played in the last week) but as of last night the smart playlists can only hold 50 songs. I did have to clear all media storage data last night as I was having a problem with Album and since doing this I noticed the 50 song thing on my smart playlists.

Am I just imagining things and have they always only been able to hold 50 songs or has my phone suddenly changed this?
[Galaxy S 4 Mini Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Flatric:
At the Moment I'm on Dirty Unicorns Rom and Twrp, I want to test the New S5 Rom and in the threat they say I have to install official Kitkat first, but if I do this and I don't like it can I restore my Dirty Unicorns backup anyway? And can somebody pls give me a step by step tutorial how to install the S5 Rom and how to change back to Dirty Unicorns?
[Galaxy S 4 Mini Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] XxM4tzexX:
Restoring is always possible. In the case you officially flash the kk firmware and you dont like it (which I doubt :D) you first have to reflash a recovery and then restore your old system. Flashing works the same as every rom/zip. Is it a whole ROM or only the S5 launcher?
[Galaxy S 4 Mini Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Flatric:
the whole ROM http://xdaforums.com/galaxy-s4-mini/development/serranos-dev-team-s5-gt-i9190-i9195-t2890052 thanks for reply
[Samsung Infuse 4G] kkartheekin:
I have searched but I have got solutions only for status 7, not for status 0.

Sorry for being a noob, please help.

This is an excerpt from the error log I got..

Starting recovery on Mon Sep 29 03:56:00 2014

framebuffer: fd 4 (480 x 800)

ClockworkMod Recovery v2.5.1.3 - Voodoo lagfix

Command: "/sbin/recovery"

ro.secure=1

ro.allow.mock.location=0

ro.debuggable=0

persist.service.adb.enable=1

ro.factorytest=0

ro.serialno=

ro.bootmode=unknown

ro.baseband=unknown

ro.carrier=unknown

ro.bootloader=unknown

ro.hardware=sgh-i997

ro.revision=48

ro.debugable=1

ro.build.id=FROYO

ro.build.display.id=FROYO.UCKE4

ro.build.version.incremental=UCKE4

ro.build.version.sdk=8

ro.build.version.codename=REL

ro.build.version.release=2.2.1

ro.build.date=2011. 05. 24. (화) 17:33:17 KST

ro.build.date.utc=1306225997

ro.build.type=user

ro.build.user=mycall.ahn

ro.build.host=SEP-21

ro.build.tags=release-keys

ro.product.model=SAMSUNG-SGH-I997

ro.product.brand=samsung

ro.product.name=SGH-I997

ro.product.device=SGH-I997

ro.product.board=SGH-I997

ro.product.cpu.abi=armeabi-v7a

ro.product.cpu.abi2=armeabi

ro.product.manufacturer=Samsung

ro.product.locale.language=en

ro.product.locale.region=US

ro.wifi.channels=

ro.board.platform=s5pc110

ro.build.product=SGH-I997

ro.build.description=SGH-I997-user 2.2.1 FROYO UCKE4 release-keys

ro.build.fingerprint=samsung/SGH-I997/SGH-I997/SGH-I997:2.2.1/FROYO/UCKE4:user/release-keys

ro.build.PDA=I997UCKE4

ro.build.hidden_ver=I997UCKE4

ro.build.changelist=1013248

ro.tether.denied=false

rild.libpath=/system/lib/libsec-ril.so

rild.libargs=-d /dev/ttyS0

ro.sf.lcd_density=240

dalvik.vm.heapsize=64m

dalvik.vm.execution-mode=int:jit

ro.opengles.version=131072

persist.sys.timezone=America/New_York

ro.monkey=0

windowsmgr.max_events_per_sec=55

keyinputqueue.use_finger_id=true

media.stagefright.enable-player=true

media.stagefright.enable-meta=true

media.stagefright.enable-scan=true

media.stagefright.enable-http=true

keyguard.no_require_sim=true

ro.config.alarm_alert=Good_Morning.ogg

ro.config.ringtone=1_ATT_tone.ogg

ro.config.notification_sound=01_Sherbet.ogg

net.bt.name=Android
[Samsung Infuse 4G] OfficerJimLahey:
Did you disable voodoo lagfix?
[Samsung Infuse 4G] kkartheekin:
Doesnt work after disabling the Voodoo Lagfix

I tried. I disabled the Voodoo Lagfix and still it has the same error. :crying:

Installing update...

Error in /sdcard/........<rom file>

(Status 0)

Installation aborted.
[Samsung Infuse 4G] OfficerJimLahey:
Might be a bad download (doubtful if it's happening across many), or even a Froyo problem. Did you try installing ICS (this ROM is usually a stepping stone as it is more forgiving to install)?

If Froyo is being a pain, you could try with one step up (Gingerbread) by choosing option D (and following the instructions in the link below):

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1613523

Hope this helps.
[ONE Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] AxelRoldos:
Hi everyone,

I've been doing some searching, maybe I'm just an idiot and can't find it lol, but I'm using Mahdi right now and, for the most part, I am happy. But I also never really gave stock cm11s a chance, and I hear it's optimal for the best performance, so I'd like to see how it performs for me.

Anyway, the only features I actually really need is the ability to assign functions to the Navbar (like, long press button x to achieve affect y) and the Navring. I'd like to keep slim regents, but it's cool. What's the best way for me to achieve stock, but with just these features? Is there a way I can sort of cherry pick it and flash a zip over stock?

Thanks for your help in advance!