Help S6 Audio Quality

[Uber-Duper]

Hi Everyone,

Just switched from the i9305 (S3 Exynos 4G) to the 64GB G920i (AUS retail S6).

I have a custom ROM on the S3 (Amcha 4.4.4, 6.10) with Agni Kernel supporting Boeffla sound processing.
The audio reproduction is impressive on the S3 to say the least, and is the reason I was reluctant to upgrade to another phone, after previously purchasing a Snapdragon S4 and being furious with its lack of audio quality.
Now, two years later and $1000 (AUS) poorer, I'm finding myself regretting the upgrade once again. Audio (through different types of headphones) on the S6 does not live up to my expectations. It sounds as if there is a persistent echo filter which dulls the dynamics of the music and causes a subtle, but notable hiss over the sound. Voices sound hollow and metallic, instruments sound very lackluster and not punchy, there's a bit too much bass and treble, and there's an overall scratchy / grating feel, as if the entire tone / frequency / Hz of the audio has been altered.
After a while, it actually hurts my ears to listen to music from the S6, even at a low volume..

Aside from other minor issues that I'm having with the phone (Battery Life, Apps crashing, Phone numbers disassociating from contacts), it seems like it would have been a decent upgrade from the S3 were it not for the major audio issues.

I'm sure that there is a simple solution to my woes. Perhaps the DAC needs better tuning, or maybe the amp is incorrectly configured. Maybe there is some sort of audio filter that can be reworked or altogether removed??
This is my personal current assessment of the audio quality on the S6 playing high quality 320kbps MP3 after testing several different S6 handsets and comparing them to the audio reproduction on my S3 with Boeffla Sound. I'm not in any way bagging Samsung, just simply stating my experience of music playback through the Samsung music app. I'm sure that everyone will have their own opinions, however, I know that even if some of us don't really care one way or the other, we would all appreciate great natural-sounding rich and dynamic music.

Feel free to support this cause in the hope of a positive resolution.

 

[Uber-Duper]

Okay so there was another software update over the weekend on the Samsung OTA updater. This added UHQ audio for music and videos, which can be found above the "Sound Alive" toggle.

After listening to the difference, I have to say that it's a mediocre improvement at best. Yes the resolution is noticeable improved, however, nothing has been done to address the narrow sound stage, and dullness.

I gave the S6 to my housemate to test its Audio performance against my new phone, the Lenovo K3 Note.

The S6 had UHQ turned on and the K3 Note had Dolby Atmos turned on both with no EQ adjustments.
This is what he had to say:
"Music on the S6 is like listening to music in the next room from a narrow doorway, while audio from the K3 Note is like being live in the recording studio."

What's more, UHQ on the S6 can't be turned on when connected to Bluetooth speakers.

C'mon Samsung, what are you guys thinking??

My S6 is going on Ebay, and I'll be much less likely to buy another Samsung phone.

 

[Deleted User]

It was standard practise to play a familiar mediation tune, with tweeting birds, burbling stream water, crickets and other natural noises along with bells and soft music when giving my wife a full massage.

That was using my Note 2.

Since "upgrading" (ha! HA!) to an S6 I've had to go and buy a little sound system.

The audio from the phone's speaker is utter garbage. It was so poor my wife didn't recognize the track and asked why I'd changed it "to that horrible noise?"

I also used to listen to the radio on the Note when killing time such as at airports, as there's very little battery drain via earphones. Tried that on the S6... as well as no SD card, no waterproofing and no replaceable battery.. THERE'S NO RADIO!

I hate and despise this phone soooo much! Last Samsung I'll ever buy, after my wife and I have had 5 of them together. After this, never again. If I wanted an Apple iPhone I'd have bought one.

 

[sutgesdad]

Hi. I like your info about the sound on your Note. I've recently bought one after being very let down by battery life on a Huawei Honor 3C. My Note battery is ten times better but i haven't explored all of its possibilities yet.
Can I ask you if you've had any issues with an Airpush notification popping up on the Note? I'm constantly getting this most annoying thing which is ruining my entire experience with my new phone. Airpush themselves have been no help whatsoever and don't seem able to stop it. I'll upload a screengrab in case yiu've seen it and know how to stop it.
Keep posting Note info please. Thanks. Sutgesdad.
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[Uber-Duper]

Hi, this thread is for the S6 Audio quality. I hope that you've managed to find a solution to your issue. I have not had this pop-up notification at all. I updated to the latest Lenovo ROM. Perhaps they have fixed this.

In continuation of this thread, I've listened to music on my friend's S6 recently, and Samsung still has not improved the experience. I wonder what the S7 sounds like...

If anyone has an S7 and is a bit of an audiophile, please post on the S7 audio quality thread