[Sony Xperia 5 II Real Life Review] ryanjsoo:
As an audio-lover coming from HTC's and later the Google Pixel devices, the Xperia 5 II got me very excited not only for retaining Sony's signature dual front-firing speaker setup but also for re-introducing the headphone jack. I understand that I am very much in the minority here with my wants and needs but, having access to a wealth of audio gear and competing audio-focused smartphones, I thought it would be helpful to draw some attention to one of the 5 II's best-performing features that hasn't been given justice yet online. Jump to the speaker quality section to skip the rambles.

To add context, I've owned the Xperia Z2 and loved it overall. However, while it ticked a lot of boxes, I was left dissatisfied with the performance of each feature - i.e. the cam was noisy and slow, the speakers very tinny, the headphone out lacking volume and I haven't returned to Sony until now. Until then, I was content with HTC's approach, their Boomsound stereo speakers were much richer and louder, the headphone jack implementations up to the U11 were also very good; the 10 especially had a dedicated audio section which delivered a very low noise floor, albeit a higher output impedance which made it a no-go for expensive multi-driver earphones.

Before the 5 II, I owned the Pixel 3 and 4, the Pixel 4 I found to offer the best speaker quality with good sound chamber design providing nice fullness and volume albeit at the cost of no headphone jack and abysmal battery size and life. So of course, audio is a priority for me. I have a wide collection of high-end earphones and headphones and like to travel light without an additional DAP, dongle or BT receiver. The 5 II is an audio lover's dream with regards to its speaker quality/volume/setup and headphone jack output. It also comes across as a substantially more refined Android experience than past Xperia's I've used to the extent that it rivals Pixel smartphones in fluidity.

Speaker Quality -

Though not the best on the market, of the devices I've owned, the Pixel 4 actually has the best speaker quality in terms of max volume, frequency balance and bass extension and I would say any user would be satisfied with the performance. The speaker setup on the 5 II is immediately more immersive and symmetrical - I'm not a huge fan of the popularisation of downward-firing woofer + earpiece tweeter as I find the volume discrepancy between the two distracting. The stereo setup is a big plus here for media consumption, and something I missed from my old HTC's and the PIxel 3. The 5 II, thankfully, also has far better speaker quality than previous Xperia's.

They are no longer tinny in the slightest with a nice body and balance to the midrange. With Dolby on, you even get a little bass punch in addition to a healthy jump in volume. There's more depth and fullness on the Pixel 4, but the difference was not as big as expected and I can personally forgive that given the real symmetry and stereo separation of the dual front-firing setup. Max volume is also excellent, easily as good as the Pixel and the audio reproduction is clearer and more balanced in the midrange. As such, vocals are easier to discern e.g. listening to videos while showering. I also don't find the 5 II to distort as much at max volume, where the Pixel 4 earpiece speaker became peaky and distorted on the top few notches. So though the Pixel may measure louder in some reviews, in use, the 5 II has the same useable volume range and both easily sufficient for listening to/sharing videos and music in loud environments.

It would be great to see Sony continue to work on the speaker quality in future models with a bit more bass extension, but this is definitely not an area where potential buyers should feel concerned that the 5 II is lacking.

Headphone Jack -

Onto the headphone jack, I have read that Sony have utilised custom amplifiers in their phones rather than the in-built audio from the Qualcomm chipset in previous models, and I wouldn't be surprised if this was also the case on the 5 II. In my eyes, a good audio source should provide 3 fundamental qualities:

- A low output impedance

- Ample driving power with low noise floor

- Linear frequency response

The 5 II ticks all boxes and it ticks them well for IEMs especially. It has a relatively low output impedance, just a few ohms at most. I tested by hooking up the Xperia and my desktop amp (THX789 with 1-ohm impedance) to the Campfire Audio Andromeda (5-driver BA earphone) with an in-line switcher. This revealed a slight bass drop-off, but pretty similar audio balance overall, a very good result. The Andro is notoriously sensitive to source impedance meaning that the vast majority of other IEMs, even high-end multi-drivers such as those from Empire Ears, Shure, etc, will sound accurate and faithful to their design on the 5 II - whereas, a higher OI will result in a shift in the sound signature.

Similarly, it has a flat response when measured using right RightMark Audio Analyser (Dolby off) and a black background with zero hiss even on the sensitive Andro. Of course, the detail retrieval and soundstage are not as strong as the THX desktop amplifier, but this is one of the best phones I've used in terms of audio output; it is simply clean and balanced. Even the LG V30 with its ESS audio hardware is not vastly more resolving and its output impedance is only slightly lower (measured at 1.5ohms) so both are equally good choices for the audio conscious. Power output is on the lesser side but easily adequate. I required 60% volume to get the Focal Clear to a comfortable listening volume leaving plenty of headroom for listeners preferring higher volumes. The THX amp obviously had a tighter, more extended bass but surprisingly, the Sony was not too bad, delivering a balanced sound and good soundstage. There was no bass drop-off and good detail retrieval. Impressive for a phone driving a high-end full-size headphone.

TLDR -

I think this is a pretty impressive smartphone all around and it's good to see that being recognised by critics and users. I am not personally hugely enamoured by the camera performance coming from the Pixel but there's definitely potential there especially if you like to tinker in post. The screen with warm colour temp in creator mode is a sight to behold with great accuracy to boot, and the battery life and audio performance are both sensationally good. In fact, 2-day battery life is very achievable with 3hrs SOT per day, not something I could say about any phone that I've owned prior. So hope this write up helps hobbyists on the fence. If you're looking for a good all-rounder smartphone with a clean headphone out, this is a great option!