Z3 Headphones/Earphones Audio Output

Tmel14

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I was torn between Z3 & HTC M8 but I'm pretty much set on buying the Z3 now, the only thing that I have reservations about is the audio output through headphones, especially in terms of volume. I don't have a particularly expensive pair of in-ear phones, or have a desire to buy some but aside from messaging, music is my primary use for my phone so this is a really important selling point for me.

I know that Xperia range has a history of poor audio output and I've read some differing things in regards to the Z3. I've seen people say the music output is better through Walkman than Spotify (which is fine by me as my music is saved locally) and you can use apps to boost the volume. Unfortunately I won't get to try one out before buying so could anyone advice me how it stacks up against iPhone audio? One thing I do really like about my 5S is that the audio is good quality and can go very loud. Music is important to me and my phone is my sole music player so if anyone who has used Z3 a lot for music could advise me, I'd be very grateful.
 

smooth4lyfe

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I use my Z3 as my MP3 player, as I have done with all my phones. I can say for sure that the Walkman app with "Clear Audio+" enabled makes the songs sound much clearer. Definitely more better and noticeable compared to my S5. As for the loudness, it may depend on the kbits of the mp3 file, but it can get pretty loud. Louder than the S5 for sure. I actually enjoy using headphones with this phone
 

Tmel14

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I use my Z3 as my MP3 player, as I have done with all my phones. I can say for sure that the Walkman app with "Clear Audio+" enabled makes the songs sound much clearer. Definitely more better and noticeable compared to my S5. As for the loudness, it may depend on the kbits of the mp3 file, but it can get pretty loud. Louder than the S5 for sure. I actually enjoy using headphones with this phone

Thanks for that. Do you find it's loud enough to block out external noise or have you had instances where you kinda wish it could go up a few more notches?
 

smooth4lyfe

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Well the earphones the phone comes with are noise canceling, and they sound pretty good, you should have no problem with noise canceling if you have good headphones.
 

Awais Baba

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I had the same confusion like you have right now. I was a hardcore user of Iphone then I got tired of IOS so I switched to Samsung S3 and trust me the first thing that kicked me in the teeth was headphone output. Almost 40% low the only option I had was to root it which i didn't and then kept on then I heard about the waterproof 20 megapixel G lens Sony Z3 with high res audio " Again kicked in the teeth Bro this is all BS Big time BS. The anger I have for Sony is u limited first they defamed "G" brand by making this crappy noisy unstable camera "(both cameras are useless.front & Back) then they fooled me with high res audio and walkman. The Audio from the headphones is same like S3. Comparing it with Iphone is -40%. So my suggestion is if you are a music lover than stay away from it. It has all the great stuff the Stereo speakers on the phone are super fine Classy design looks nice and solid cleaner GUI than samsung. but headphone output is useless... How can you differenciate between high res and low res when you only have a little sound to listen.... Look for somthing else if your priority is listining music.
Pardon my spelling mistakes if any.

Edit:
I am new here & the funny thing is My reason of joinig this forum was to find a way to boost up the headphone output volume on my xperia Z3. lolz
 

JBeef

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Erm I got a bit confused with all that anger above. Are you saying that the z3 has a useless camera? Because it doesn't. Also how loud do you need your music to go? I have an ipod touch and a z3 and both play music sufficiently loudly. Maybe you should get your hearing checked out if you're having such problems. I'm not trying to be snarky either. My experience with my Z3 would be if full volume isn't loud enough you're either going to damage your hearing or you already have.
 

lkbig

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How many other z3 owners have issues with the audio output? I listen to a lot to of music so this is a big deal to me. I am coming from a Nexus 4 and am seriously considering this phone.

Posted via Android Central App
 

Awais Baba

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Look dude I don't know about your standards & I will not judge you or your eyes like you judged me. Thanks for disrespecting me in a genius way.
First of all go to Sony care website and see what all the users are saying about the low volume output of Sony Xperia series. Secondly the camera is useless I've had experience with Apple since "IPhone 3" then I switched Galaxy S3 when it came in the market. I have Galaxy S5 now, and bought Z3 two weeks ago (reason for telling you this is I like to try new gadgets whatever attracts my attention) This isn't my first smartphone.

Now the front camera on Z3 does lacks the major details and applies sharpness filter after heavy noise reduction which makes them use less Sony Shoots at 1920x1080 which I know is because the front camera is 2mp but still its not what Sony cameras are known for I don't know how come you didn't notice the soft images that come out from that front camera as compared to the other brands. I don't take selfies but I do use front camera for hangouts video calls etc and take pictures now and then & I can clearly see the noise and loss of detail, now although the primary cam is 20mp, the only option to use it is full manual & still get crappy images even at ISO 100 but way better than the front cam. I have 3 "G" series Lenses Photography is my hobby I know how great these lenses are. I'm talking about the facts the here "G" is being defamed. Why don't you compare the image results b/w Z3 and other phones yourself. 75% people buy products from the reviews they watch on Youtube or read on sites & most of those reviewers don't test/use them as a regular user does.

If you compare 4k video from Sony with for example S5 you'll notice the 4k from Sony seems a little better than its 1080 but it no where looks like "The 4k" as its looks on S5. As far as the Audio output is concerned again I don't know what your standards are If I had to judge you I would say you're like a 10 year old kid who thinks his toy is the greatest than others and listens to jingle bells at night on his bed. I'm neither deaf nor have problems with my ear Im just a music lover and I like quality. I can understand your love for Sony I'm a Sony fan too and you definitely have no idea how much I love Sony. You probably think I'm here to spread hate, No Sir!!! I paid for something and I didn't get what it promised me, Someone above there asked a question & I replied and yeah I understand my emotions got in there too. If you don't agree with me that's fine I'm not here to force anybody, but for those who are confuse I would suggest you to try an audio (mp3) file on IPhone 5s or HTC M8 with your daily headset than play the same file on Z3 you'll notice the difference in seconds. I didn't do that because I thought "oh its Sony they are awesome as always plus they have introduce high res audio of course the music will amaze me. Haahhhh!
By the way here is a review/comparison of Audio Output voltage from phonearena. HTC M8 has the highest output which I just tested today and its true.

Now if you still don't agree than go ahead buy it whatever makes you happy.

Try it before you buy it that's all I can suggest you.
 

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scoty024

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I can say that my S5 was always at the loudest volume when using my headset (wired and wireless) and on this phone I have no reason to go beyond 60%. It is WAY louder than most phones I've used.

Posted via the Android Central App
 

Ayman Zendo

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I have just bought the new z3 dual sim, coming from an HTC one m7. And the difference is BIG.

Whether I'm using the standard headphones, my mid range pioneer headphones, or my car AUX connection with an amplifier, the HTC gives a much louder audio output. Even when I increase the volume level of my car to 70% .. it can't match a 30% volume level on the HTC.

I believe that through Walkman app and by enabling the enhancements, I get a more clearer and a higher fidelity output. But .. If I were to use soundcloud to stream music. The HTC wins comprehensively.

Even when receiving calls through my headphones or the car's AUX .. the HTC gives better, louder output. I dunno how to describe it since I'm not a music expert, but you get the feeling the HTC has higher volume across all frequencies (higher bass, higher treble) as well .. where as the Z3 gives not just lower output, it falls even lower on the bass and treble fronts.

I was actually looking for ideas to change this, I know one of my friends did something to his nexus 5 to get over the low audio volume problem. I would appreciate your help.
 

Neub13

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:/
I wish I knew about the audio level before I got my z3. It's fantastic in all areas but audio. Unfortunately, music is most of my purpose.

Posted via the Android Central App
 

JBeef

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Have you tried pumping up the levels in the equaliser in the sound settings? I moved all levels up from 0 to 4 and it seemed much louder.
 

jedisc

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i came here looking for mods for the volume too, the speaker volume is even less than my sammy s2 which is not quite loud enough. This means definitely missing the occasional call and notification. Kind of a deal breaker for a top tier phone, and if its not then the camera definitely puts it there. Go to gsm arena you can compare all dif phones and it 'clearly' shows its images as slightly inferior to the s4 which just isnt good enough given the z3c is so much newer.

A real shame as the z3c is about your only option for a one handed use phone that isnt using 3 year old tech inside.
 

mdelaney1986

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I am a life long audio enthusiast and cellphone repair tech, I have spent a lot of my spare time testing the audio on smartphones with everything from lab equipment to various types of headphones and music. The conclusion that I have come to is that anyone who wants the freedom to select from a wide variety of headphones including some higher end ones that are higher impedance (quieter) or the freedom of tweaking an equalizer without clipping should consider a phone with as much audio headroom as possible (a louder device).

The pre amp control on an equalizer must be attenuated by the same amount as the increment of the eq band that is turned up the most in order to avoid clipping. This results in quieter overall sound unless the master volume can still go loud enough to get it back to a decent level. Loud volumes on devices are important for active sound refinement and the desire for them doesn't necessarily mean the listener has poor hearing. Headroom is very important for active sound refinement which most headphones today cannot survive without.

I found the entire line of Xperia smartphones to be the quietest of all the phones considered to be high end. Even the Samsung S3 Mini and iPhone 3GS blew the full size Z3 out of the water. The loudest I have tested are the HTC One M8, and iPhone 5s. The Samsung GS5 and most other HTC phones were pretty loud as well.
 
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The Xperia Z3 is probably the best sounding smartphone on the market right now.
If all you want is to boost the volume on it, root it and install Viper4android FX.
I guarantee you'll be satisfied, I know I was.
The fact that a device dosent play super loud certainly dosent mean that it sounds bad.
I have an LG G2 with hi res audio and it sounds very good, but you'll need to ditch those Sony stock earphones for something of much higher quality (think hi end gear). Then you'll really appreciate all the potential the Z3 has to offer.
My wife has one and im telling you right now, I will make it mine very soon. LoL.

Posted via my gorgeous LG G2.
 

Venuprasad94

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I was torn between Z3 & HTC M8 but I'm pretty much set on buying the Z3 now, the only thing that I have reservations about is the audio output through headphones, especially in terms of volume. I don't have a particularly expensive pair of in-ear phones, or have a desire to buy some but aside from messaging, music is my primary use for my phone so this is a really important selling point for me.

I know that Xperia range has a history of poor audio output and I've read some differing things in regards to the Z3. I've seen people say the music output is better through Walkman than Spotify (which is fine by me as my music is saved locally) and you can use apps to boost the volume. Unfortunately I won't get to try one out before buying so could anyone advice me how it stacks up against iPhone audio? One thing I do really like about my 5S is that the audio is good quality and can go very loud. Music is important to me and my phone is my sole music player so if anyone who has used Z3 a lot for music could advise me, I'd be very grateful.

I have the same requirement as u...only music....xperia z series phones have an amazing audio quality..i dnt knw why unsaid as they were not loud or poor...
I.ve recently bought xperia z3 and a proud ex owner of xperia z...the audio quality was simply awesome....u have to understand tht producing loud volumes doesn't mean a phone has great audio quality....even old jorean phones may do this...The Aspects tht mainly decides a phone audio quality were...Clarity...rich details..ways of customising to make it in the way we wish....None of itz like Htc n iPhones have these...they don't even have an inbuilt EQ to adjust bands according to our needs...
One thing (also the only thing) tht htc one is better than xperia z3 is the loudspeaker volume...
Sony has given tons of custmising options such as clear audio+,DSEE, Digital Noise Cancellation..Equaliser...S-Force surround...etc...even the walkman app is a eye candy...itz interface blews away all the phones...
Coming to the functioning of all those..
CLEAR AUDIO+
if u r confused between adjusting the EQ...
Turn on this..
It automatically adjusts the audio quality based on the tracks u listen...
DSEE (Dynamic sound enhancement engine)
It upscales normal tracks n plays them in high resolution...
The differences r minute and can be noticed only when u lower ur current playing track's volume to medium n then turning On it...
Later u can increase tht as per ur wish..
Itz a really appreciating feature
Z3.. Also has 3 surround modes
STUDIO...CLUB...CONCERT..
None of itz rivals offer these...
It also has Digital noise Cancellation feature..tht blocks all the outside ambient noise n gives u a richer audio experience without any horn or engine noise wherever u r...
But inorder to enjoy this feature u nees to have a noise Cancellation earphone or headphones available in sony store..
AUDIO QUALITY
Coming to the audio quality of z3..
Sony has the best audio quality and better than all...
It offers rich details...crisp n clear sound than only offering loud volumes than its competitors like Htc one m8 and iPhones...
All u need to do is...connect and Experience a headphone...
 
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