Smartphone Audio Quality Testing
by Chris Heinonen on December 8, 2013 5:15 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Audio
- Mobile
- Tablets
- Testing
Many readers have been asking for audio testing on phones and tablets, and we are happy to be able to deliver it now. Because I live far away from Brian and Anand, I can’t easily access units they are reviewing so audio data may not run the same day a review is published. I do hope to be able to add it on to everything in the future so that all of our reviews will be as in-depth as possible, from processor to software, display to audio.
I also have to thank Audio Precision for their loan of the APx582 and their access to their offices and support staff. Without that these tests would not be possible. I also wanted to use their equipment as it is the reference standard for the industry and there can be no doubt about its quality. As I do a lot of AV testing as well, I found that more generic sound card methods of testing are becoming limited as the capabilities of products exceeds what they can easily measure. There are no such worries with the Audio Precision.
I also look forward to feedback from readers on the information here, and what else you would like to see tested going forward. Hopefully this will provide another set of data to help you determine if a product will fit your needs, and which vendors are trying to push performance in all categories.
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Impulses - Monday, December 9, 2013 - link
All great suggestions IMO.haukionkannel - Tuesday, December 10, 2013 - link
I allso agree. Maximum volume level is not the same as guality, you have to find measures that are relevant in normal listening volumes. They vary yeas and depends a lot of used headphones. So I would allso recommended of using headphones with different impedanses! One pair of high impedance hifi headphones. One pair of low impedance hifi headphones and one pair of high guality (but commonly used) low impedance headphones.Otherwise it would be like testing 780 triple sli setup using 320p resolution mini monitor...
(Well actually not likely because phones have not been very high guality sound sourses, but I think that you got the point.) Good sound qaulity is important factor to me, so I am very eager to hear more (pun inteded ;-) about these test and allso the results!
DaveSimmons - Monday, December 9, 2013 - link
Thanks for doing this. When my 120 GB iPod dies I'll probably replace it with a smartphone or tablet, so this will help me choose which one to use.estarkey7 - Monday, December 9, 2013 - link
As others have stated, and I will reiterate, Only Anandtech! Bravo!I would love to see a similar article comparing HD Voice for the carriers. I know that test may be more difficult to conduct, but ever since Sprint hyped their HD Voice and didn't deliver, I'd like to see some real engineers do the topic justice.
hlovatt - Monday, December 9, 2013 - link
Congratulations AnandTech, yet again you show the rest of the review industry what they should be doing. Keep up the good work and it should be fascinating to see the full set of results. Thanks.willis936 - Monday, December 9, 2013 - link
Is there any comment on the practical issue of noise at low volumes? Noise floor testing is uncommon but phones are noisy and are typically listened to with sensitive buds. Who cares it'd the dynamic range is 100dB if you never turn the volume up past 30%?pr1mal0ne - Monday, December 9, 2013 - link
I disagree with you testing all phones at maximum volume level1) the max volume differs, some companies may reasonably make the choice to let quality suffer while volume improves. at the least volume needs to be reported alongside these quality discussions. Preferably it would be set to a base volume and tested there.
Tuxedo - Monday, December 9, 2013 - link
Amazing article. I have always been impressed with audio quality on iPhones and disappointed with GS2, GS3, Atrix, Lumia 900 and now OG-Pro. Really shows how much attention Apple pays to the products they build.edwh - Monday, December 9, 2013 - link
what about output impedance?fishjunk - Monday, December 9, 2013 - link
I don't really use the audio jack on my Nexus 5. Are there any tests done on the phone mic and speakers.