Any changes to the DAC or sound of M9?

[Zod1010]

The M8 received lots of praise for the quality of the sound pushed to the headphones. Does anyone know if they've altered or improved the sound hardware (i.e. the DAC)? Thanks.

 

[msm0511]

The M8 received lots of praise for the quality of the sound pushed to the headphones. Does anyone know if they've altered or improved the sound hardware (i.e. the DAC)? Thanks.

Everything I read said they pushed the Dolby software to the headphone output as well, and has got nothing but high marks in the audio department. A few reviewers said the M9 isn't quite as loud using the external speakers, but the clarity is much better.

 

[Zod1010]

Thank you.

For me, the external speaks are a "nice to have". I keep on hoping, that as smart phones become a primary source of music listening, audio quality will become a point of competition among hardware vendors, but that has yet to happen.

 

[msm0511]

Thank you.

For me, the external speaks are a "nice to have". I keep on hoping, that as smart phones become a primary source of music listening, audio quality will become a point of competition among hardware vendors, but that has yet to happen.

It seems to me that some of the companies that make larger screen phones that tout great displays for video watching, audio would be a big area of focus as well. Thus far, it seems to be an afterthought though. Who really wants to watch super hi-def content with tinny sound? I know I don't

 

[That70sGAdawg]

Thank you.

For me, the external speaks are a "nice to have". I keep on hoping, that as smart phones become a primary source of music listening, audio quality will become a point of competition among hardware vendors, but that has yet to happen.

HTC is your best bet then as they first made the ugly "Surround" Windows Phone a few years back with pop up stereo speakers. Except for the Blackberry Bold 9000- HTC has consistently made the phones with the best speakers of their time!

As far as the DAC in the new phone- we won't know until an iFixit type tear down..

 

[msm0511]

HTC is your best bet then as they first made the ugly "Surround" Windows Phone a few years back with pop up stereo speakers. Except for the Blackberry Bold 9000- HTC has consistently made the phones with the best speakers of their time!

As far as the DAC in the new phone- we won't know until an iFixit type tear down..

The BB Bold had good speakers? I never really heard them.

 

[Zod1010]

As far as the DAC in the new phone- we won't know until an iFixit type tear down..

Thanks. I figured that might be the case.

For my money, the speakers could sound like pure crap if the sound pouring into my headphones was well delivered.

 

[SharkyNY]

If you go by the numbers provided by GSMarena, then its actually better than the M8:

The best audio output got even better
Consistently excellent - it's the kind of boring we like to see in our smartphone tests. HTC keeps setting the bar for audio output higher and higher and yet it somehow manages to beat it with each of its next flagships. The One M9 is yet another benchmark setting device, delivering output way beyond the reach of any of its competitors.
The smartphone delivers flawlessly clean output both with an active external amplifier and when you plug a pair of headphones. Even the stereo crosstalk spike that's a permanent fixture in the output on just about every other smartphone out there is nowhere to be seen with our standard headphone set.
Volume levels are equally impressive - the One M8 was already pretty loud, but the M9 blows it out of the water and again that's both testing scenarios. There are only a few smartphones louder than the M9 in the whole history of the industry, but none of them can match its clarity. A top performance indeed and one that even HTC will struggle to improve on.

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_m9-review-1230p7.php- Scroll down to the bottom for the RMAA test data. One of the main reasons I'm willing to overlook some of the negatives of the M9 is the audio quality. I use my phones as my main portable audio players these days, so audio quality is really important for me when buying a phone.

 

[That70sGAdawg]

The BB Bold had good speakers? I never really heard them.

Yes, back 6-7 years ago the original Bold 9000 had separate speakers ports on the top left and right. It had a "horn type" porting system (but no extra amp). If you put it on your chest at night the stereo separation was very clear and evident. It in no way compares to the current M HTC series though..

 

[Zod1010]

Scroll down to the bottom for the RMAA test data. One of the main reasons I'm willing to overlook some of the negatives of the M9 is the audio quality. I use my phones as my main portable audio players these days, so audio quality is really important for me when buying a phone.

This is very reassuring. I too use my phone as my primary source for portable audio and have no desire to double the bulk with a FiiO type DAC or amp.

 

[Matty Anderson]

I assume it using the WCD 9330, which is the newer audio codec that comes with the Snapdragon 810.

 

[Gary Friderichsohn]

This is very reassuring. I too use my phone as my primary source for portable audio and have no desire to double the bulk with a FiiO type DAC or amp.

Exactly. I grew tired of carrying around a "brick" of phone,amp/dac, and charger. That shouldn't be necessary in this day and age. But Andrew of AC pissed me off with his "I don't know I am no audiophile" reply to my question about headphone out quality in a review of another phone. But yet he will go on and on about the camera. Nobody asked him to be an "audiophile".

 

[Gruff35]

Thank you.

For me, the external speaks are a "nice to have". I keep on hoping, that as smart phones become a primary source of music listening, audio quality will become a point of competition among hardware vendors, but that has yet to happen.

Design wise, competitors had to pay attention to HTC. However, those competitors actually drive the smartphone market in other areas. Hence, you have not seen more phones with top/bottom speakers. Apple/Samsung think its not important right now and don't think it gives HTC a huge edge. I think someone pointed out most people use headphones. That loud sound is what impressed me about the M7. I only use the speakers on my M8 for youtube at home, music at home, or speakerphone. For some reason its hard for people to hear me at times on speakerphone. Not sure if its Sprint or my phone.