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Many of us use our phones to listen to music, but let’s face it: some of them sound terrible! To make the most of your phone’s audio, try out these simple tips.
Change Your File Format
To improve the sound quality of your mp3s, look at getting WAV, FLAC or Ogg Vorbis file formats instead. They have a far wider dynamic range than mp3s, and you will hear a lot more depth from your tunes. One thing to think about, however, is that these file formats take up more space, so you won’t be able to carry the same amount of music as before. You will need to upgrade your stock music player in most cases, so look into an app that can handle as many file formats as possible. Power Amp is pretty awesome and comes highly recommended.
Buy New Headphones
For a while, it seemed like smartphone manufacturers were beginning to take audio quality seriously. HTC teamed up with Beats Audio and gave away Beats earbuds with some of their phones, but that practice has stopped now, unfortunately. It means we are left with the dismal headphones that are bundled with the phone. Upgrading these should be your very first step. You could go for some high-end earbuds, but you don’t have to spend a lot to improve things. Check out this Sennheiser HD 598 review to see how superior even a budget pair can be over the standard earbuds you get with your smartphone.
Get A Phone With Excellent Sound Processors
Most people searching for a new phone make speed and display sharpness a priority, but if you want to get the best possible sound quality you need to delve a bit further. Let’s take the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 as an example. It comes with one of two chipsets, but you might find that the Exynos 7 Octa is better for sound. This is because it carries a specialist audio CODEC made by Wolfson. If you are looking for an alternative, try something from the developing market in China. The Vivo Xshot uses high-end audio chips and comes equipped with a great-looking graphic equalizer.
Get An Equalizer App
A good equalizer app will help you fine tune your music exactly how you want it. Equalizer by Smart Android Apps is a great little program that allows you to save your own presets or choose from a range. It also automatically picks up on the style of music you are playing and can adjust it automatically. However, it can be a little fiddly. For something that is great when you are on the move, try Music Volume EQ by K&K Design. It is a simple widget, meaning you can just pull it up and easily adjust the sound anytime you want.
If you are on Android, these tips will make the most of your smartphone’s audio capabilities. Do you have any more tips and advice on making the most of your phone’s audio output? Please feel free to share them with us in the comment section below.
Use an iPhone instead? Head over to our guide to some brilliant gadgets for the iPhone, which includes a divine pair of headphones.