DAP vs. smartphones - is sound quality comparable? (NWZ-A729 vs. SGS)

[jzaruba]

Hello

Recently I got myself Galaxy S and was readying to say 'kkthxbie' to my beloved Sony NWZ-A729, just because 'why carry two devices?'
I don't follow the smartphones scene but I was expecting the sound to be on-pair quality-wise, but the SGS left me rather unimpressed, to say the least.
Is it only my own perception (like me being used to the sound of Sony?) or do smartphones still lack behind dedicated DAPs?

I mostly listen to trance, and the NWZ-A sounds way richer to me regardless of what effect I use on the SGS, the difference is most striking in bass.

When I asked about this in one SGS forum I was told that I'm probably deaf because SGS is supposed to be well known for its top-notch sound.

(I read some posts here on devices convergence but the con most replies mentioned was battery, not the sound quality.)

[CrowdAds]

[jupitreas]

I will second your impression that most smartphones are not comparable to dedicated DAPs in terms of SQ; however, some product series break this stereotype. Most notably, I believe the Nokia Xpressmusic/X series is pretty good in the SQ department. Most of these devices actually come with a dedicated audio chip, which is excellent. Traditionally, Sony phones shared some of the software with their Walkman devices as well, and I've been a happy user of a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone for about two years as my secondary DAP with tolerable SQ. It was comparable to say, one of the new Creative devices, which is pretty good for a phone.

I don't have a lot of experience with Android devices but I've tested a few HTC models that my friends use and they had mediocre SQ.

[The DarkSide]

Since the powerAMP app has been created Android is now a viable music experience - even playing FLAC. Check the "Anything But iPhone" section of the forums for more info, ask questions there.

[JK98]

Using a smartphone as an mp3 player is almost like using a smartphone as a camera. While it has some basic functionality, it won't offer the quality and features of a separate device. It would be nice to have a true high quality all in one device that replaces a few dedicated devices, however no one seems interested in making such devices.

it would be nice to find a small netbook with 20+ hour battery life and high quality sound output. I wonder when such a device will appear.

[The DarkSide]

Originally Posted by JK98

Using a smartphone as an mp3 player is almost like using a smartphone as a camera. While it has some basic functionality, it won't offer the quality and features of a separate device. It would be nice to have a true high quality all in one device that replaces a few dedicated devices, however no one seems interested in making such devices.

it would be nice to find a small netbook with 20+ hour battery life and high quality sound output. I wonder when such a device will appear.

A camera wasn't mentioned, so it has no bearing on the OP's requirements. The question was about SQ, and quite a few of us here can attest to what sounds pretty solid on a cell phone nowadays. What phone do you own that you can base your opinion off of JK98?

Second, what the heck is with always recommending/bringing a netbook into the threads all the time? I didn't know it was easily pocketable, and the SQ was so stellar?!?!?!

Stay on topic please, as the topic is not cell phone camera quality OR netbooks:
DAP vs. smartphones - is sound quality comparable? (NWZ-A729 vs. SGS)

As for the Samsung - try powerAMP & see if it's to your liking.

[jzaruba]

Thank for all the replies.

My main concern is the SQ. (As for battery life, I'm OK with it being crappy.)

I tried PowerAMP and my impression was that it does not match the DAP. I will try again though, I played with it only couple of minutes.

[The DarkSide]

I don't think theres any phone ATM that will match a Sony DAP - I would know, as I'm actually a Sony fanboi.

[The DarkSide]

What does this have to do w/the OP's request for assistance JK98???

[nodirectionhome]

i'd say Poweramp comes pretty close to the experience i get with my clip+ and i9 - not quite there yet, but very good and a lot better than phones used to be with their standard music players.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by The DarkSide

What does this have to do w/the OP's request for assistance JK98???

Sometimes I think he in his own parallel universe....

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by The DarkSide

What does this have to do w/the OP's request for assistance JK98???

Sometimes I think he is in his own parallel universe....

[jjrosaria]

Well, IMHO yes, phones still lack behind mp3 players when it comes to sound quality.. although there are some pretty good sounding phones there in the market such as BB, Sony Ericsson and some of the nokias with dedicated audio chip, they still don't match the sound quality of a dedicated music player.. Base on my personal experience, at home I have a nokia e63 (nokia without the dedicated sound chip), Sony ericsson w950i, SE w200i and a nokia e72 to play with with (yeah it does have a dedicated sound chip) and the best sounding IMO would be the e72 and the SE w950i... to be perfectly honest, their quite good on flat EQ and personally I don't notice a lot of difference when using my ordinary UE metrofi 200 earphones, I only then notice the w950i's SQ faults when I plug in my Senns HD555.. On the other hand with the e72, I was still pretty impressed with it when my 555's are plugged in.. But I must admit it doesn't sound as clear as my walkman a728.. Sooo.. that's kinda my opinion, as long as you have a pretty good sounding phone, it's not tooo bad at all as long as your gonna listen with a flat eq.. We're I found phones lacking is when you set the eq as the eq isn't as good as on a dedicated mp3 player that's why IMO it doesn't sound as good.. oh and as long as you don't listen to it with a super hi end earphone/headphones.. I personally don't think it matters that much unless you're at home doing critical listening which isn't really a problem since you're at home and it doesn't matter carrying 2 devices...

[jupitreas]

I also have a Nokia E72 but I disagree that it has good SQ. I find that there is a fair amount of noise and distortion present.

[jjrosaria]

Originally Posted by jupitreas

I also have a Nokia E72 but I disagree that it has good SQ. I find that there is a fair amount of noise and distortion present.

hmmm.. I respect your opinion but IMO it's one of the best Sounding phones out there...