yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Xperia Z3 General] barkohba:
Ok, to each his own sound. I'm just saying that technically, on the basis of measuring and such, Virtual Surround settings like Studio, Concert hall, etc, add coloration and artificialness to the sound, HOWEVER, they options are there for a reason, and if you enjoy that sound more than the original, non altered one, it's yours for the using.

However, I feel like I must reiterate my point again: The MDR 1A/1R firstly are much better than the 10R. The 10r sound really bad to my ears, honestly. Secondly, the MDR 1A are in no way bass enhancing, they are however a bit on the bassy side, somewhat like the V mod M-100, but with NO sacrifice to mids and highs, and clear lean and tight bass.

I see you might be confused by the article. You might want to read it more attentively, and then you'll realize what the title, "Sony's latest headphones tackle high-res and bass-heavy listening" refers to 2 models: The "Tackle high res..." part of the title concerns the picture on the left, the MDR 1A (silver color pictured), while the "Bass heavy listening" part of the title is in reference to the MDR XBA950BT, which are non high-res, wireless headphones with a extra bass enhancing button. the 1A and XBA950 are in no way similar, except of the brand. The Bass Enhancement-enabled XBA950BT are designed exclusively for listening to bass heavy music, and compete with the likes of Beats wireless, etc. The 1A are high res, technically precise headphones, designed to compete with high end good allrounders like certain Sennheiser, Audio Technica, NAD, AKG, and so on.

PS: Yest, the 1A definitely sound very open for a closed back earphone, Sony are very good at making open sounding closed back headphones with good soundstage. While the 1A is relatively new and the reviews are just starting to pop up, the older model, which I also owned, the 1R, had a very big soundstage, and if you check the reviews they almost all say that it probably has one of the most open sound for closed back headphones. They were routinely compared with other high end headphones like the Sennheise rMomentum, and while comparable, better in some areas, worse in others, they were better at soundstaging.

The 1A seem to have slightly less soundstage than the 1R due to their thicker pads, but still sound significantly more open than the likes of the m50x, k550, and momentums.
[Xperia Z3 General] RockStar2005:
Yeah. Maybe on more "premium" equipment I wouldn't feel the need for them, but for what we're dealing with here, they seem to make for a better sound to my ears. lol

You really DIDN'T have to reiterate anything. lol I got your point loud and clear. I should reiterate that I did say in my other post that I was very well aware that the 10Rs were a FULL 2 notches below the 1As (even more so if you count the 1R MK2 model, which falls in b/t the 1R and the 1A). The comments I'd made were based mostly on what I'd read vs what I experienced from trying on the 10Rs. They're all closed-back, which is what I learned from researching them online. I knew that before trying on those headphones. The fact that the 1A's have a more spatial soundstage I didn't really know 'til this week. Yeah the V-Moda M-100 Crossfades are supposed to be sweet too. I had a $30 pair of V-Moda earphones, and for that price, they performed very well, like what I'd expect from $100 earphones. Well it sounds like the 1As got the reported balance issues of the 1Rs resolved, so that's a good thing. I guess it all depends on just how much they are on "the bassy side" as you put it. I'd have to hear it myself. One day I might. Yeah the bass has GOT to be well-isolated and tight for me to like it. Don't want it sounding muddy and/or spilling over into the mid-range and/or treble regions.

Ok I went back and looked at it and yeah that article was not focusing on the 1As' bass output. I had read it elsewhere too though. However, since you seem so adamant about it, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, again since some reviews can over-exaggerate certain details a bit.

Hmm ok. If the 1As were $75+ cheaper than they are now, I'd give them a try. But $300 is still a bit high for me. I got my K550s for about $200 off Amazon. But I will keep the 1As in mind though for sure!

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 General] RockStar2005:
Ok here's one for ya barkohba,

Would you say that the 1As sound LOUDER than the K550s (using the Z3 of course) do with the FiiO E11k amp?? Meaning, would you say the 1A (w/o E11k amp) was louder at peak volume than the K550s + E11k, or no? I'm asking you to compare the 2 based off memory. Just wondering.

Thanks,

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 General] RockStar2005:
Update:

barkohba,

I decided to take you up on your opinion of the 1A. If I return my K550s AND my FiiO E11k amp, and don't buy the case I was gonna buy for the K550s (a total of $285), I would only end up paying $14 more ($299) for the 1As. Since Amazon is giving me 'til January 31st to return any items bought after Nov. 1st (my K550s & E11k amp included, as well as 1As), I decided last night to buy the 1As and they will arrive this Saturday.

Mind you, I'm ONLY keeping them if they meet EVERY claim you made above, so I hope I share your same opinion and enthusiasm about them when they arrive. By that I mean they: 1) Sound as great or greater than the K550s 2) Are as comfortable or more so and 3) DON'T NEED AN AMP TO BE "LOUD ENOUGH" lol. I checked around and even on other sites I saw similar claims like the ones you've made here. I don't mind using an amp, but if these are LOUD AND GOOD ENOUGH w/o one, then I will be very impressed. I also like that they came with their own case (K550s didn't) and also a shorter cable (3.4' vs K550's 10' cable, a minor issue), and more importantly.....a detachable cable. This means if it goes bad I won't have to replace the whole headset, though the replacements are slight upgrades that run like $84 on Amazon. (But the ones that come with the 1A are still premium from what I've read.) That's still cheaper than replacing the whole headset.

I'm not saying I blast my music, but I do like it somewhat loud at times, so I really hope these meet that expectation. Whatever happens, I appreciate you sharing what you've experienced with us here. Everyone here just wants to have a great listening experience, and hopefully these 1As can bring that to us Xperia Z3 owners W/O the need for an amp.

P.S. If it wasn't for these being SONY headphones, I prob wouldn't have enough faith in them to be doing this at all btw. lol I'll post back here next week sometime.

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 General] smaragdhk:
For what it's worth I have auditioned the Z3 yesterday with my Westone UM-Pro50 using the stock music app (walkman) playing both 44.1 kHz 16 bit WAVE and FLAC files as well as 192 kHz 24 bit hi-res FLAC files from my microSD card. I was sceptical that it would be able to adequately drive my Westone UM-Pro50 which have an impedance of 45 Ohms. To be honest I was pleasantly surprised with the dynamics, instrument separation and details. I'm currently using an LG G Pro un-amped and I've been testing against an iPhone 5S, iPad 4 and Macbook Pro 15" (both with Cirrus Logic DAC) versus Samsung Note 4 (Exynos version with Wolfson DAC) and LG G3.

The iPhone 5S and Z3 are sounding very similar with the 5S having more power reserve to drive higher impedance headphones.

I'm still debating wether to go for the iPhone 6 plus or the Z3 (Z4 soon to be announced without confirmation which DAC ).

I found the Z3 to be capable enough to drive my Um-Pro50 without introducing any distortion. I did notice however that as soon as I switched from the standard WAVE and FLAC files to the hi-res FLAC (noticed the HR icon appear in the file icon) that he volume reduced drastically and I had to raise the volume beyond the "warning listening at high volume levels..." message. Skipping to the 16 bit version of the file it became deafening loud again so needed to reduce the volume again.

Almost seems like if either one or both TFA9890 chips are affecting the volume levels depending if the file is standard or high resolution...

my 2 cents...
[Xperia Z3 General] RockStar2005:
I don't really get why the Hi-Res FLAC files would be REDUCING the volume. They are lossless, and have more "sound data" in them than lossy files do. When I play Hi-Res FLAC files on my headphones or car, they always sound LOUDER to me and more full-bodied than lossy mp3 or even lossless CD-Quality music files do. So not sure why that's happening to you.

The guy, Taran, who runs Geeknizer.com and wrote this article (see #3) also elaborated some more on the Z3 with me via e-mail. He said:

Well there are two sides of every DAC: 1. max Sampling and bitrate it can handle and 2. how accurately the DAC is doing it measured in THD, SNR, etc.

LG uses shi**y DACs in their entire phone range. G3 sounded worse than a Note 2.

Today, Z3 is simply above the competition for any music you play. low bitrate to high. That's because the DAC-amp is amazing http://www.nxp.com/documents/short_data_sheet/TFA9890_SDS.pdf

Z3 is great for high res auto cuz of its low distortion DAC-amp combo. Its also has some software tweaks (DSEE HX) to upsampling low res audio to make it sound better. That works by restoring some lost details in low bitrate music.

With Z3 the amp is powerful enough to drive most high-ohm audiophile-grade headphones.

Here's how I would rate them (quality)

Z3 > One M8 > Note 4 > M7 > Note 3 = Z1 = Z2 >> G3

Yeah powerAMP always sounds the best. I purchased it 3 years ago, totally worth every penny.

That's "my" 2 cents.

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 General] iliadis_babis:
Hello and greetings to the forum! I am not that relevant with music - sound issues and stuff, though I listen to music all the time.

I recentley purchased the sony mdr zx550bn bluetooth headset to use it with my Z3 and laptop. As far I can tell, it's doing a pretty good job ( I am using the default walkman app) and the noise cancelling is excellent. Though, I find the music, and music only low on volume. During voice calls, the sound is very loud at max settings, which music is not. Is there any way to make it sound louder? Thanks in advance.
[Xperia Z3 General] barkohba:
No, unfortunately. This is the issue with most cheap wireless headsets. But if you are only interested in wireless headsets, you should get the Sony MDR XB950BT. It's a very good wireless headset with high volume and bass. You can even find it on sale for as low as 150 dollars, which is almost as much as your headset, but they can't even compare on sound quality.
[Xperia Z3 General] iliadis_babis:
Thanks! I don't think I would go for it, maybe when we get proper root access someone will come up with a bluetooth boost. Anyway, thanks a lot!
[Xperia Z3 General] nohcho:
Best buy had xb950bt a few weeks back for a 100 dollars whoch is an insane deal for those headphones
[Xperia Z3 General] iliadis_babis:
I just swapped my zx550bn for zx750bn(I.couldn't find the 950s).HUGE difference, best noise cancelling I have ever experienced, smooth bass and high quality sound (all this by me who just enjoy music, not even close to an audiophile). Totally recommended bluetooth headset! Sorry for temporarily turning this into a headset discussion.
[Xperia Z3 General] abhinav.tella:
Anyone read this, wondering what other people's views are on the following, please read the whole thing before commenting.

Experts Pan HD Audio:

http://www.cnet.com/news/sound-bite-despite-ponos-promise-experts-pan-hd-audio/
[Xperia Z3 General] RockStar2005:
Sony MDR-1As and the Z3

Barkohba and all,

I finally found some time to compare my AKG K550s + FiiO E11k against the Sony MDR-1As. I have to admit, they are pretty fantastic! While some of the reviews (and there were many, mostly by regular users vs critics) said the 1As were too bassy (which is why I did not look at them ((or even the 1Rs)) more closely), I will say that although they CAN be very bassy, and much more so than the K550s, you can simply just turn down the bass on the Z3 using the Clear Bass "dimmer switch" w/o having to mess with your PA EQ settings (again if using Walkman as your main player, I highly recommend the "Soul" preset for best quality). So after much deliberation, I decided I would keep the 1As and return my K550s & E11k amp. But I have no regrets in buying them as they are fantastic!

Once I did that, I found that in song after song comparison vs the K550s/amp, the 1As most definitely held their own, even w/o an amp. The soundstage and sound quality was there, along with the same "punch!" that the K550s/amp offered. The comfort was also there too........ they are both equally comfortable IMO, though the 1As are somewhat less bulky b/c of their smaller size. They have the same "closed-back with an open-backed & spacious sound" attribute as the K550s, which was crucial to my decision. Of course w/o an amp, the 1As were not AS loud as the K550s/amp were, but they were loud enough for me, though I had to take an extra step in order to make that possible. In the Z3's audio settings, I enabled "Dynamic Normalizer", which to me does nothing more but bump up the volume a good notch or two. THAT was key...... now the 1As could really hit all the marks and for most songs, I had the volume at 1-2 notches BELOW max.

The 1As also have a DEtachable cable which the K550s do not. That's great in case the cable goes bad I can just replace it vs buying a new pair of headphones. Also, the cable is shorter than the K550s' (3.4' vs 10'), which I also like b/c 10' is too long for me.

I would say the combo is EQUAL to the 1As in terms of sound quality, so I wouldn't agree that the 1As are better. But being able to sound as robust W/O an amp is pretty remarkable on its own.

The 1As also come with a case (a soft one, not hard, but still) where the K550s do not. I was gonna spend about $25 on a hard case (which I still MAY do, but maybe not), but now I don't have to.

I should note barkohba that people can only hear up to about 20kHz, so the fact that my amp can only go up to 20kHz regardless of what my headphones can do should not matter at all to the soundstage or anything. My K550s w/o an amp are nothing special. The amp noticeably improves their sound quality, so anyone who has an amp should keep this in mind if buying or looking to buy the K550s.

So barkohba, while I don't feel they are better in sound quality or comfort vs the K550s, I do agree they are definitely more convenient. So I thank you for shedding more light on these fantastic headphones and would recommend them to ANYONE! The fact that they're made by Sony makes them even better!! :D:good:

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 General] Johann_London:
Good outcome. I've been following this thread like a TV soap.
[Xperia Z3 General] RockStar2005:
lol

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me (that goes for anyone on here).

RockStar2005
[Xperia Z3 General] abhinav.tella:
RockStar2005 did you read that article?
[Xperia Z3 General] RHBH:
Do you guys think a Shure SE425 (http://www.shure.com/americas/produ.../se-earphones/se425-sound-isolating-earphones) would work ok for Z3?
[Xperia Z3 General] abhinav.tella:
It will work. Good earphones.

If you have not bought it yet, try the Ultimate Ears 700 as well, its also got really good reviews for its price range on multiple sites for sound accuracy.
[Xperia Z3 General] RHBH:
Thanks, I just bought a pair of Sennheiser IE 80 :)

I'll receive them in a few days.

The "weak bass" (based on reviews) is what made me look for another product than Shure SE425.
[Other SmartWatches] atti_clearw:
So what would be a better choice to buy for to my Sony Xperia Ultra???
[Other SmartWatches] simple1i:
If you post the main features ...battery life, cost, IP rating, screen ...etc for both watches you'll get more feedback.

From memory ...even though the S8 is not IP67 (i think) it seems like a better choice, it has a better battery life and cost less.
[Other SmartWatches] atti_clearw:
Can buy a used g2 for $140, and a new S8 for same price. My main concern is if the g2 will be a same usefully with android, and will all the app will work?
[Other SmartWatches] Michael_P:
The difference between the Gear and the S8 is the S8 is a standalone Android device so can use any Android App and doesn't need to be connected to the phone, where most Gear features need the phone.
[Other SmartWatches] atti_mac:
so is it only standalone? I received one yesterday and can't make it work with my sony :(
[Other SmartWatches] comptronics291:
Will the S8 be able to bluetooth sync with a samsung galaxy s5 or is there an app that needs to be installed?
[Other SmartWatches] Tippfehler:
You can try SWApp Link:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2710111&page=1
[HTC Droid DNA] gillim74:
Cant get usb drivers to install on windows 8.1 any help would be greatly apreciated
[HTC Droid DNA] neo_1221:
The drivers included in the Android SDK work fine for me. I had to go into device manager and manually install them (let me select driver, have disk, navigate to SDK\Extras\Google\USB Driver\, select Android Composite ADB Driver).
[HTC Droid DNA] gillim74:
My laptop dont even recognize my phone period.it dont show up as other device or anything its like its not even connected but it charges.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Bugflicker:
Well, I was looking everywhere online to find an app that can assist me in taking macro photos - found nothing.

I have a question to the camera lovers:

When I try to take an up close photo and try to focus, no matter what app I use, I see the focus getting there, I see the object clearly for a glimpse and then it gets blurry again.

I was wondering is there a way to make the focus a little more manual and just stop where the image is clear?

Thanks in advance,

Liad.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] khaledgomgoma:
I took a lot of great macro shots with my nexus 5 stock camera app ( hint : you shouldn't have a bright light at the background ) :
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] simms22:
no. you have to find that line between too close and focused, then never cross the line. if its too close, youll never focus on it. generally, its about 4-5 inches from the phone. also, use touch to focus to focus in on macro shots. here are a few examples..
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] nomancoolboy:
For perfect focusing use camera fv 5 , best for macro shots
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] simms22:
na, the aosp camera is best for macros..
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Bugflicker:
Even when I'm really close it gets focused for a moment and loses it, can't I keep that place where it focuses somehow? I'm trying to take a picture of a bug on my wall, its size is less than 0.5mm so I have to be really close
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] simms22:
you cant get that close. you have to be at the point to where it can focus on it, or past it. ut cant shoot any closer. take the shot, then crop it(but not to close). thats how youll get the macro. again, its about 4-5 inches, no closer.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Bugflicker:
And there's no way to make the focus less automatic?
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] simms22:
touch to focus. use a flash as well. and you cant wait too long, as it wont stay focused long. what i do is ususlly take several shots. ill have the flash on, and ill touch to focus and shoot. i dont wait until it focuses. ill press the shoot button before. but it wont actually shoot until it focuses on the object.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Bugflicker:
Got it. Must say it's really annoying to see the device's focus CAN get there but skips the right place.

Thanks a lot anyway and have a good one!

Liad
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] khaledgomgoma:
Some more macros with the nexus 5 with the default camera app :
[One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] drut:
i have bricked my phone want turn on at all i tried all htc button configurations and nothing at all .... my phone was s-off bootloader unlocked but i send back for warranty and guess what htc gave me new phone instead ;):D
[One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] redpoint73:
How did you brick it?
[One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] drut:
i just play whit terminal in twrp and just type some commend wrong and after reboot my phone won't turn on at all
[One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] suhuf:
this is my problem,help please
[One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] drut:
just do what i did contact htc support team and told them that your phone won't turn on after ota update and that u tried everything all buttons charge all night and nothing happen they will take your phone for repair but because they can't solve problem most probably they will give u new phone that what happens whit mine
[One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] drut:
Only thing because I got new phone I lose s-off
[One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Mr Hofs:
You are worried about losing s-off on a non working phone instead of getting a s-on device that actually works again !?

Never seen that before !

:)
[One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] drut:
No not at all I got new phone and is s-on I m happy about that....my old was sunshine s-off so I have paid 25$ and now I have pay again if firewater does not work
[One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] redpoint73:
So you lied and claimed a warranty replacement for irresponsible actions that you performed while modding the phone. That is immoral and fraud.

Phones aren't for "playing" with, and it sounds like you were doing things without the proper knowledge; or at least not taking the proper care. If you are going to experiment and play around, you need to take responsibility for your actions and be prepared to replace or repair the phone with your own money. If you aren't willing to take that responsibility, don't mod the phone.

If there is any wonder why phone manufacturers lock bootloaders, s-on etc. in the first place; its due to irresponsible actions like this.

---------- Post added at 10:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:15 AM ----------

It unlikely that you did the exact same thing as the OP; and he didn't clearly state what he did anyway. Don't be lazy and just jump on another person's thread and say "me too". The details of your condition and what you did are almost always going to be different than the "other guy".

You need to state the exact details of what you did, otherwise its impossible for anyone to help you, and you won't get any response here.
[One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] drut:
Yes I did but that might help to someone who have problem with qhsusb_bulk I heard lot people did not mod them phones and phone stop working as well so this just message to everyone who is afraid sending phone for repair if u don't like do not read and do not told me what's right or what's wrong cheers
[One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] redpoint73:
Obviously, if a phone is not modded and stops working within the warranty period, its eligible for repair. There is no particularly useful information in your posts.

This is an open forum, and all are entitled to post their opinions as long as they stay within forum rules. "If u don't like do not read" goes both ways.