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Topic: mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone (Read 20988 times) previous topic - next topic
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mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Is it possible to find out if a certain smartphone has lower, higher, or the same audio output quality as a mp3 player ?

For example, how can I find out if Nokia Lumia 520 smartphone has a lower quality audio output than Sony NWZ-E385BLK mp3 player, so that I know if the phone and the mp3 player are required, or if the smartphone is sufficient ?

Or, how can I find out what smartphones have audio output quality equal or greater than a standard portable mp3 player, so that I can use only one portable device instead of two ? Based on what criteria can I choose a smartphone on which I can connect my preffered Sennheiser headphones, and get the same audio quality as if I connected the same headphones to a portable mp3 player ?

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #1
gsm arena is the only website I've seen that looks at the audio quality of phones in any remotely scientific way:

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_520-review-920p6.php

The results for the 520 look competitive with high end mp3 players, so I would not worry about it.

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #2
Then where can I find similar audio tests for mp3 players, so I can compare them with the audio test results from gsmarena ? Also, where can I find similar kind of audio tests for notebooks, desktop motherboards, and dedicated sound cards ?

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #3
Then where can I find similar audio tests for mp3 players, so I can compare them with the audio test results from gsmarena ? Also, where can I find similar kind of audio tests for notebooks, desktop motherboards, and dedicated sound cards ?


You can check Google, but properly run tests are rare enough for MP3 players and completely unheard of for motherboards.  Very few people pay attention to these kinds of things.  You might find results for a few popular devices like ipods, sansas, but you're probably out of luck if you want to know about some obscure Sony player.

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #4
Happy Lumia 520 owner chiming in. If there's any difference in audio quality between it and my zunes or clip+, I don't hear it on my meager headphones, and the output volume is surprisingly loud for an unamped device. More so than the mentioned daps. The Lumia 520 is hands down an absolute steal for the price considering the 620 is twice the price and only offers a clear black display but smaller battery. That being said I still prefer dedicated daps for a)battery life, when its charge time I still have music, and b)I hate being blasted out with email and text notifications.

Edit:Just did a sloppy back to back of my 520 and Zune 30 at max volume they actually seem about the same level wise. Which just goes to show you how far entry level phones have come. Still like having a dap around cause go figure:gapless playback is still broken in wp8, but works just fine on the 7 year old Zune haha.

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #5
New member here. I had the same question as you. So, I measured the output of the smartphone and mp3 players by connecting the audio output to the mic input of the PC and then look at the spectrogram. What I found is that upto 75% volume, the output is clean. Anything above that, the harmonics start appearing in the output. But, I can't say whether the harmonics are audible. But, they are there.

Here is one sample from Nokia 5230 at about 70% volume. It is a linear sweep and you can see the harmonics and some noise at 19khz but it is -70dB below the test signal.

Nokia 5230 linear sweep
. So, I don't use it much)


As long as you listen to at medium volume and not using high impedance headphones, you don't have to worry.





mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #6
First, by going into the microphone input you are probably clipping in the sound card.

Second, this really should be measured under the kind of load presented by headphones to be accurate.

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #7
Measuring without a load doesn't really tell you anything so I wouldn't pay attention to those plots.

If you want to test, a better idea is to use RMAA as well, since it will quantify things like distortion as well as provide the frequency response.  Just make sure you use an actual load impedance.

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #8
First, by going into the microphone input you are probably clipping in the sound card.

Second, this really should be measured under the kind of load presented by headphones to be accurate.


I did adjust the input gain so as not to clip. I don't have professional equipment to do a proper test. This is just out of curiosity.


mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #9
Measuring without a load doesn't really tell you anything so I wouldn't pay attention to those plots.

If you want to test, a better idea is to use RMAA as well, since it will quantify things like distortion as well as provide the frequency response.  Just make sure you use an actual load impedance.


I know that the headphone amplifiers are designed to drive a 16-32 ? load but most mic inputs are about 1k? isn't it? Also, mic inputs are pure resistance and no reactive component. So, it should be easy to measure. What am I missing?

Anyways, I measured 2 smartphones and 3 mp3 players. All of them have a flat frequency response and clean output upto 75% volume. It it proves me anything, it is that we should enjoy our music and not analyse it too much 

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #10
Measuring without a load doesn't really tell you anything so I wouldn't pay attention to those plots.

If you want to test, a better idea is to use RMAA as well, since it will quantify things like distortion as well as provide the frequency response.  Just make sure you use an actual load impedance.


I know that the headphone amplifiers are designed to drive a 16-32 ? load but most mic inputs are about 1k? isn't it? Also, mic inputs are pure resistance and no reactive component. So, it should be easy to measure. What am I missing?


Yes, so without putting a load you are just measuring the device's output into high impedance, which is not very meaningful.  Once you add a load you will see that there are actually substantial differences between many devices. 


mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #12
The results for the 520 look competitive with high end mp3 players, so I would not worry about it.


The noise / dynamic range values are suspiciously high / low, though. They're a full 12dB higher / lower than an iPod Classic. Might be problematic with some material, and / or some IEMs? Unless GSMarena used a sub-par ADC to conduct their measurements.

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #13
The Microsoft store sells the Lumia 520 for $59. What does the apple store sell the classic for? Hell they sell the shuffle for more. And if using iems you will never see 75% output. With my iems I max out at 5/30 volume. I haven't noticed any noise issues, but I wouldn't know specifically what to listen for. Same with DR. But at that price, the audio output is surprisingly strong, and provides a quite enjoyable listening experience, as well as smartphone experience. If only msoft would fix gapless...

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #14
Lumia 520 is very good in terms of audio quality.
Don't get confused with the graphs or charts or RMAA results. Most of the differences are not audible at normal environments and equipments.

The only thing it lacks is an eq. But it looks like it already has some eq applied. Bass and treble looks enhanced.

Wp8 plays only mp3 or wma and at lower bitrates you cant really tell any discrepancies compared to mp3 players.

But beware of the format support, file management support and other limitations of WP8.

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #15
First, by going into the microphone input you are probably clipping in the sound card.

Second, this really should be measured under the kind of load presented by headphones to be accurate.


I did adjust the input gain so as not to clip. I don't have professional equipment to do a proper test. This is just out of curiosity.



Adding a headphone load takes just a y-cable and of course a pair of headphones.

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #16
Lumia 520 is very good in terms of audio quality.


That is potentially a TOS 8 violation without reliable confirming evidence.

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Don't get confused with the graphs or charts or RMAA results.



Graphs and charts are in my "Mother Tongue". Its called tranditional audio technology and you might try to give it some respect some day. ;-)

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Most of the differences are not audible at normal environments and equipments.


That is something I'd like to judge for myself, thank you!

Quote
The only thing it lacks is an eq. But it looks like it already has some eq applied. Bass and treble looks enhanced.



There are no global rules for enhancing bass or treble, so both the non-adjustability and the existence of nonflat response are black marks against it.

Quote
Wp8 plays only mp3 or wma and at lower bitrates you cant really tell any discrepancies compared to mp3 players.


Several more potential black marks.

My personal benchmark music player is the Sansa Fuze/Clip  product line and I know how it measures and how those measurements translate into sound quality. Given that one can get Fuzes for like $40 why would I get excited over a $60 product that does not perform as well and lacks many useful features?

Quote
But beware of the format support, file management support and other limitations of WP8.


More black marks. Do people buy this product because it hurts so good or what? ;-)

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #17
I hear WP has pretty lousy apps in general, but I'm sure you can find basic stuff like music players for it on the windows store.

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #18
Arnie, are you feeling cranky? If you would like to judge for yourself, the Lumia 520 is a mere $59 at the Microsoft store. $9 more than the sansa clip zip, of which I am a huge fan of, you can't get more smartphone for the money. If you use mp3 or aac, I'm not sure why format support would be an issue. I realize this is an audio forum, but the fact you get a free gps as part of the deal makes the Lumia 520 a no brainer.

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #19

Quote
The only thing it lacks is an eq. But it looks like it already has some eq applied. Bass and treble looks enhanced.


Sorry, I just looked at the frequency response at Gsmarena. Its not boosting the low frequencies. May be its just my headphones impedance that makes a little bump in the low frequencies.  i confirmed this by making a listening comparison with my laptop and old galaxy note. My cheap iem produce bass only in 520. In others i have to use EQ.

To OP, the output impedance of the audio device can make a difference in the frequency response.


Quote
My personal benchmark music player is the Sansa Fuze/Clip  product line and I know how it measures and how those measurements translate into sound quality. Given that one can get Fuzes for like $40 why would I get excited over a $60 product that does not perform as well and lacks many useful features?

More black marks. Do people buy this product because it hurts so good or what? ;-)


My understanding is that the OP asked if an mp3 player is needed in addition to the smartphone. Not whether a smartphone is needed in addition to a mp3 player.

The said drawbacks are not for this device, its for WP8, an android phone will have less drawbacks than this device.

if the OP has Lumia 520, i would suggest to do a listening comparison with mp3 player. If going to buy it, I suggest buying it. If these drawbacks bother, buy android phone.

 

mp3 player output quality compared to smartphone

Reply #20
I hear WP has pretty lousy apps in general, but I'm sure you can find basic stuff like music players for it on the windows store.


Not really. Most of the music apps for WP uses the built in music players features. It uses the library, decoder of the built into WP.
they just provide different interfaces and library views.

A 3rd part app cannot open mp3 files or any other files associated with the built in app from phone or sd card. It can only if the app accesses the files through onedrive.

There is one paid video player app that can access sd card and play flac files too.

WP8 needs Rockbox:'(