Best sound quality on a tablet?

[MikeLip]

This is a generalized question, and isn't even limited to Android. But those of you who have had a chance to play with a number of tabs, and the subset of you who have paid close attention to sound quality, which has the best? The Samsung 10" tabs, especially the 2, with their pair of front firing speakers look like good contenders. Platform doesn't have to be Android - I also understand the iPad3 is pretty good. My Playbook is quite good, but you can't get Netflix on it without contortions. The Nexus 7 is pathetic, and the two Asus Transformers I have (TF201 and 700) are OK but not great.

I don't expect sound like my home stereo, but decent to good sound (no bass of course, but what do you want in such a small enclosure) should be achievable.

None of the tab reviews ever seem to look at sound. Display, yes. Whining about Android overlays, yes. Sheer bit-busting and data-jamming, yes. Sound, almost never.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Out of the speakers that are built-in? NONE. They are all terrible. Some can go loud (can't remember which specific ones, and I haven't heard them all in person) but the quality will suck.

 

[MikeLip]

I was reasonably sure that would be the answer. I sat and listened to my tabs yesterday and none of them sounded even as good as a 1970s transistor radio. Not even the Asus TF700. The Nexus 7 sounded awful but I expected that. The Samsung 7 Plus actually wasn't bad for voice - I was surprised. I suppose if I want decent sound I need to put on the 'phones.

 

[patfactorx]

Motorola tablets by a large margin

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[MikeLip]

Really? I hadn't even considered them. You've compared them to, say, the Galaxy Tabs? Serious question. I might try one.

 

[patfactorx]

Yah Moto makes the best sounding and loudest speakers of all OEMs

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[philja]

Any news on the topic? I have tried different tablets in Office Depot demo stand and the best and loudest sound was on Lenovo Ideapad s2109 with quad speakers on back. Second place was Samsung Galaxy tab 2 10.1 with two speakers on front. Others like Toshiba Excite 10 and Asus tf300 was really quiet. So I have bought Lenovo but at home I have discovered that when you hold Lenovo in the hands the speakers are not that loud versus when the speakers stay against wall or some other object which reflect sound back to you, so looks like putting the speakers on back panel is pretty dummy idea. The quad speakers are still loud but not that much as they were in demo stand.

 

[MikeLip]

Unfortunately no. I finally settled on an iPad3 and I also got an Asus TF700. I'm not sure why I got the Asus - in terms of display and performance it's on par with the iPad3, but the best apps are still on the iPad. I just wish it had built-in GPS. Anyway, nothing seems to be particularly good or bad in terms of sound. The Asus and iPad are about equal. I suspect that something with front firing speakers like the Samsung would be better, but I am more or less giving up on any kind of acceptable sound from tab speakers. Samsung seems to be lagging in display and operating system updates, so I am not sure I want to pay out the money for a small sound improvement and have to take a step back in performance. If Apple either can't do good sound or won't be bothered - and they are basically driving the tab market, like it or not - I don't see anyone else doing it either.

 

[philja]

I see your point. I still have about 10 days to decide if I want to keep Lenovo with quad speakers and sacrifice on performance, because the 1Ghz dual CPU speed is really sucks, but it is enough to watch YouTube and other Flash media content on the go.The specs for Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 are pretty much the same as Lenovo Ideapad S2109 but it costs much more 399$, versus 249$ for Lenovo, so it is out of question. Do I want speedy IPAD3 or/and TF700, maybe / maybe not. First it is not as powerful like Toshiba Portege r830/z830 (600$) thin laptop which screen is 13.3 inch and weight 2.4/3.2 pounds, second if I want Siri I would rather go with IPOD 5th generation and third for Android Apps I have Google nexus 7 inch tablet which is always with me.

 

[MikeLip]

I find myself reaching for the 7 more than anything else. It does everything I need, really, and does it very well. Plus it's a lot easier to haul around. The sound is pretty awful, but as I said nothing is all that great. The iPad has some nice drawing apps which are missing from Android, like Paper 53 and an almost real drafting app - Touchdraw. I use those on the road. I am hoping the 7" iPad is a winner. It might displace the Nexus 7.

 

[PhillipWilliams]

The Windows 8 Phone HTC 8X has Beats by Dr. Dre.

Maybe the same feature is found in newer pads somewhere.,

 

[MikeLip]

I had Beats on my DNA. Sounds OK. Right now it looks like the only tabs using Beats are from HP. And according to the reviews (see Engadget) the cheap hardware is destroying whatever advantage Beats supplied. Hopefully a tab will come out with decent sound AND Beats!

 

[saxojon]

l use external speakers only. Internal speakers always seems to be ****. l use a speaker called Music Angel. Light weight and cheap (don't know if its available in the US). That or a good pair of head phones.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[CiaoBella1]

You are absolutely right about the reviews. I broke my Nexus 7, so I borrowed an iPad (don't know which model), but it's a couple of years old and is a 7" screen. I listen to books. I could barely hear the sound. I realized after reading dozens of specs, that what the Nexus 7 (2013) had was/is is revolutionary, especially the display specs, so I am repairing it. Meanwhile, I bought a Samsung Tab A and although the speaker is in the back, which sucks, the sound is quite good. Since it's up high, I can elevate the tablet so the back isn't leaning into a soft towel or something that blocks the sound. Lenovo Yoga tablets got the best audio reviews. The only reason I didn't buy one, is the store that I intended to leave with a tablet (and I did) carried a few brands and none were Sony or Lenovo.

It's rather amazing that few, if any, reviewers even discuss tablet audio. That means that search engines are too limited, of course.

 

[MikeLip]

I got a Nexus 9. Turns out it's actually pretty good. So finally I found one. It's also funny how this thread comes back to life for a post or two then goes to sleep

 

[Erik Baran]

If you're looking for a solution for streaming in bed, I might have a solution for you. I have my Tab 4 on a goose neck tablet stand attached to the headboard of my bed, and the tablet is facing down towards the bed, a couple of feet above me. Add a logitech blue tooth folio with a keyboard and a mouse and you're set for anything, tablet related, while laying in bed. I use a JBL Charge 2 for speakers. The folio, mouse and a micro sd card makes the tablet a nice little portable laptop, too.

 

[Wellpark1]

The original Koboarc (now defunct) had fantastic sound quality and to front facing stereo speakers. Unfortunately it had an early version of android4 which was unable to upgrade flash! The charging point was flimsy too. My wife still has one which works which she uses as an dresser!

 

[CiaoBella1]

Without a doubt, ASUS - the collaboration that resulted in the Nexus 7 2013. What you want are front-facing speakers. Now Dolby is available on Samsung and a few other brands.

 

[wenso smith]

Lenovo Yoga
Asus ZenPad
Apple iPad6th gen are the tablets for better sound clarity

 

[anon(10181084)]

Galaxy Tab S3, no doubt