Is there a app to improve sound quality Android?

Audio quality issues are common on Android devices. The built-in audio systems often struggle to produce clear, rich sound especially when using headphones or external speakers. This is largely due to the audio being encoded at too high of a volume level, resulting in clipping, distortion, and an overly compressed or muddy sound.

According to Google, “Android Auto is encoding all audio streams (including media and Assistant) at a volume that is too high.” This over-amplification of the audio signal is a major cause of poor audio quality on Android devices and Android Auto systems (Source).

Other factors like inferior DACs (digital-to-analog converters), amplifiers, and audio drivers in Android devices further degrade audio playback quality. Many users complain about tinny, hollow, or tiring sound from their Android smartphones and tablets, especially when listening via headphones.

Built-In Android Audio Settings

Android phones have built-in audio settings that allow users to adjust and enhance the audio quality from their device speakers, earphones or Bluetooth audio accessories. The key settings are located in the Sound settings menu, which can be accessed by opening the Settings app and selecting Sound & vibration (or Sound on some devices).

The most basic setting is the media volume slider, which controls the loudness of music, videos, games and other media. There is also a separate call volume slider for managing the volume during phone calls. Additionally, Android allows you to set different volumes for ringtone, notifications and alarms.

The equalizer option enables you to change the frequency levels and adjust the sound profile to suit different genres of audio. Common presets include Dance, Classical, Rock, Pop and Jazz. There is also a custom equalizer to manually tweak the different frequency bands.

Some other useful built-in settings include reducing bass on speaker, increasing overall volume, mono audio for single earphone use, and normalizing volume across different audio sources.

Besides the Sound settings, features like Do Not Disturb, vibrate mode, timer for turning off media volume and pulling notification slider down to silence can help optimize audio experience and avoid unwanted interruptions.

Third-Party Audio Enhancer Apps

While Android has some basic built-in audio settings, many users seek more advanced audio enhancement features through third-party apps. Some of the most popular and highly-rated Android audio enhancer apps include:

Viper4Android (https://www.xda-developers.com/vi-per4android-review/) – This advanced equalizer app allows you to fine-tune system-wide audio settings and create custom profiles. Features include an 11-band equalizer, sound effects, automatic gain control, and more.

Poweramp (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maxmpz.audioplayer) – Along with being a feature-rich music player, Poweramp has one of the best equalizers available on Android. It offers both graphic and parametric EQ adjustment and preset audio profiles.

Equalizer FX (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devdnua.equalizer.free&hl=en_US&gl=US) – This equalizer allows you to create custom presets and change audio settings on a system level. It has a graphic 5-band equalizer, bass boost, virtualizer, and reverb effects.

jetAudio HD Music Player (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jetappfactory.jetaudioplus) – Along with playing various audio formats, jetAudio has a 32-band graphic equalizer, reverb, enhancers, tag editor, widgets, and other audio adjustment tools.

How Audio Enhancers Work

Audio enhancers use various audio processing techniques to improve the perceived quality and clarity of sound from smartphones and other devices (1). The main techniques include:

Equalization – Boosting or attenuating specific frequency ranges to balance the sound. Mid and high frequencies may be increased to add clarity and definition (2).

Compression – Reducing the dynamic range between loud and soft sounds. This makes quiet parts more audible while preventing overly loud peaks (1).

Limiting – A form of compression that prevents the signal from exceeding a set maximum level to prevent distortion (2).

Stereo enhancement – Widening the stereo image for a bigger soundstage. Differences between left and right channels may be increased (1).

Excitation – Adding harmonic content to add “brightness” and “air” to the treble range (2).

These techniques shape the frequency response and dynamics of the audio to make it subjectively clearer, fuller, and more balanced across the frequency spectrum.

Top Features to Look For

When choosing an audio enhancement app for Android, there are several key features to look for that can improve your listening experience:

• Sound normalization helps balance the volume across songs and videos so you don’t have to adjust the volume constantly. Apps like FXsound offer advanced normalization.
• EQ presets let you optimize the sound profile for different genres like pop, rock, hip-hop, and more. Magic Audio Enhancer has genre-specific presets.
• Surround sound expands the audio for a more immersive listening experience. Apps like Wondershare Filmora can upmix stereo audio to simulated surround sound.
• Frequency and bandwidth controls give you more fine-tuned customization over the sound spectrum.
• Presets for specific listening devices like headphones, earbuds, and speakers help optimize the audio output.

Installation and Setup

Installing and configuring an audio enhancing app on Android is straightforward. Most audio apps can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store. For example, Equalizer FX (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devdnua.equalizer.free&hl=en_US&gl=US) is a popular equalizer and volume booster app with over 100 million downloads.

After installing Equalizer FX, open the app and grant it permission to access your media audio. The main interface will show you the available sound enhancement controls, like bass boost and virtualizer effects. Tap on the equalizer bands to adjust the frequency levels. Enable other options like volume booster for louder overall sound.

Other audio apps like Sound Amplifier (https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/9157755?hl=en) are built into Android and can be enabled through your device’s settings. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Sound Amplifier and toggle it on. You can then customize amplification and audio filters.

Spend some time testing the different settings in your chosen app. Switch between the sound presets and effects while listening to music or videos to determine your preferred configuration. The setup process is quick and allows enhancing your Android device’s sound quality to suit your needs.

Audio Quality Testing

One way to determine if an audio enhancement app is actually improving sound quality is to compare audio clips before and after applying the effects of the app. A simple test is to take the same audio track and convert one version to a lower quality format like 128kbps MP3, while leaving the other as a high quality lossless file like FLAC or WAV.

Then play back both versions and see if you can hear a difference in quality. Pay attention to clarity, imaging, bass response, treble, and overall listening fatigue. Next, run both files through the audio enhancement app and critically listen again. A quality enhancer should make the lower quality file sound closer to the original lossless version. However, even the best apps may not be able to fully match the quality of a high bitrate lossless original.

For a more rigorous test, sites like NPR and The Next Web offer ABX blind testing where you try to detect differences between lossless and lossy files. This removes biases and tests your true audiophile listening abilities.

Optimizing For Headphones

Android phones offer several ways to tweak the settings for optimal headphone audio. One of the easiest ways is to enable the sound boost or volume boost option which can be found under the accessibility or advanced sound settings on many Android phones (source). This boosts the overall volume beyond the normal maximum volume allowed for headphone listening. Just be careful not to overdo it as excessively high volumes can damage your hearing over time.

You can also adjust the headphone audio EQ in the Android settings. Try boosting the midrange frequencies for clearer vocals or add a bit more bass for a fuller sound. The Dolby Atmos setting found on many phones helps create a more immersive listening experience ideal for music or movies (source).

For Bluetooth headphones, check that audio codecs like aptX or LDAC are enabled for higher bitrates and less compression. Try different Bluetooth audio codecs to see which sounds best. Also minimize interference by keeping your phone and headphones close together with minimal obstructions.

Third-party apps like Wavelet can further enhance headphone audio through advanced EQ and tuning options. But start with the basic built-in Android settings first before trying additional apps. With a few simple tweaks, you can take your headphone audio to the next level.

Optimizing For Speakers

The built-in speakers on Android devices can vary greatly in audio quality and volume depending on the phone model. To get the best possible sound from your device’s speakers, there are a few tweaks you can make in the settings:

Go to Settings > Sound & vibration > Volume and drag the media volume slider all the way to the right to maximize volume output from the speakers. You can also try enabling ‘Adapt sound’ in Sound quality and effects which will test your hearing and tune audio specifically for your ears.

Under Sound quality and effects, select the ‘Audio tuner’ option and run through the tuning process which will analyze your speaker’s capabilities and adjust the equalizer accordingly. This can provide a nice boost for music and videos. Additionally, make sure any audio enhancing or surround sound options are enabled like Dolby Atmos which can widen the soundstage.

You can also toggle on ‘Extra volume’ in Accessibility settings to increase the maximum output volume beyond the normal limit at the risk of distortion at very high levels. Just be cautious of blasting music too loudly for long stretches.

Lastly, within individual media and music apps look for any available audio boosting or equalizer settings. For example, YouTube has a built-in equalizer under Audio settings that can be adjusted.

Taking the time to tweak these various sound settings and options can help considerably amplify and improve audio quality coming from an Android device’s built-in speakers.

Conclusion

In summary, using audio enhancer apps can significantly improve the listening experience on Android devices. The built-in Android audio settings provide basic options to adjust volume and enable equalizer presets. However, third-party apps like Equalizer FX and Volume Booster offer more advanced features like bass boost, virtualizer effects, and parametric EQ to customize the sound signature. These apps work by modifying the audio signal before it is output to headphones or speakers. Key features to look for include channel balance, preamp volume, per-band EQ control, audio effects, widgets, and UX. Properly setting up and testing these apps allows optimizing audio for different listening scenarios. Overall, Android audio enhancer apps give users granular control over sound quality and allow enhancing the sonic experience with headphones or speakers.