Sound performance through headphone jack

[Saif Rahman]

Hi All,
I am about to buy the Dell Axim X50v from Malaysia. My concern is the sound clarity which I heard mediocre in Dell. I like rich bass/treble. Can the original driver be tweaked to have a better performance?

Another concern is battery life. I will be using it for average 2/3 hour regular use(without Wi-Fi/Bluetooth) + 1 hour Mp3 listening. I can charge every night but will it sustain for the whole day? I don’t wanna buy the extended battery.

Lastly anybody knows any good PDA shop in Malaysia? Thanks in advance for taking time to answer my newbie based questions!

-Saif

[Yackman]

welcome! To me, the sound (with headphones) is as good as an ipod! As for battery life, I use mine with wireless for about 3 hours. You can find some good tips by searching these forums.

Yackman

Yeah, the X50mix vastly improves the audio capabilities of the X50. I dont have an Ipod to compare with, but I can say its much better than the audio on the X5.

[freedomhays]

What headphones do you all use. I need to buy some.
Thanks, Dan

I believe the X50V uses the same audio chip that the iPod does (not sure which generation, either 3rd or 4th). I can use my new X50V for 5 hours of MP3, at least. If you find you need more power, just get an extra battery. It's worth it for me.

[manub]

5 Hours? i take it you turn the screen off? i get about 3 hours from mine, although i normally leave the wifi and screen on

[djengizz]

Can the original driver be tweaked to have a better performance?

Try X50Mix.
I like it a lot and it sounds much better :approve:

[jazzcrazed]

First off, what kind of music are you looking to use?

Second, since I commute via NY subway, sound isolation was a high priority of mine - and therefore, I focused on earplug-style earbuds.

In terms of jazz music, encoded into OGGs varying between 150 and 256 kbps played from GS Player, my X50v greatly improves upon the gain of my X30h (and certainly against my X5 Advanced, whose jack disintegrated from wear). Using Etymotic Research ER-6s, I no longer need a headphone amp to achieve suitable volumes without distortion, and in fact keep it a notch below its maximum.

And, just like my X30h, the sound quality playing Oliver Nelson using a CMoy amp is, in my unesteemed opinion, astoundingly rich and detailed in all regions (though especially in the mids to treble area). Although, because the gain is satisfactory on my X50v, and my CMoy is too bulky to use in the slimmer pockets of my Spring->Summer outerwear, I've been leaving home without it more often. Sound feels quite a bit harsher without it, but it's still satisfying.

However, again, much depends on the music played. By comparison, my Sony EX71SLs, which do not benefit as much from an amplifier as the ER-6s, sound like AM radio playing jazz - but their artificially expanded bass and mid makes Orbital plenty fun to listen to (so I have unique tastes, okay?? ;) ). The fact that they are typically less than half the price of the ER-6s, and provide pretty darn good sound isolation, and sound great with basically all genres of music except those which command high detail in acoustic instruments, make then an easy recommendation.

The X50v is about as good a portable source as I've heard, so the sound is as good as you're willing to invest in good headphones. And if you have the money, you won't be disappointed with a pair of Etymotics. But the EX71SL's, which I got for $40 (saved on shipping since the store's in Manhattan), will please most of the time.

[BoogerFace]

Jazz,

Would you recommend the Sony buds for industrial music?

I've tried several pairs of the $25 earbuds with my x50v and won't even carry them anymore - the tinny audio just drives me up the wall.

Thanks,

-Matt

[srf506]

I use a set of Radio Shack "Titanium" headphones around my home and work. I might look like a WWII pilot walking around, but they do a good job of blocking out outside noise and they sound great. When I travel I use a set of Sony MDR-W08s. They don't sound as good, but are lighter and easier to pack.

[jazzcrazed]

Jazz,

Would you recommend the Sony buds for industrial music?

I've tried several pairs of the $25 earbuds with my x50v and won't even carry them anymore - the tinny audio just drives me up the wall.

Thanks,

-Matt

My experience with earbuds is mostly in the sub-$50 range, either with the crapo red-n-blue buds that come with portables, a pair of $19 Koss "Plugs," and maybe three or four Sony "Fontopia" buds in between. The EX71s beat them all in terms of detail, and by virtue of the fact that they insert themselves deeped into your ear than most, inject a deeper bass than most I've used in the past (except maybe for the Koss Plugs, but the Koss's also lost out significantly in detail).

Though they pale next to the ER-6s in richness, I would say for percussion-saturated industrial music, the EX71s would outperform most earbuds out there.

Still, if you really want the best bass for your money, I'd go with a pair of circum- or supra-aural headphones that cup on top or around your ear - unless isolation is a high priority, for which I find earplug-style buds like the EX71s and the Etys (Shure E3Cs are another option) are unbeaten.

[tallredwookie]

The x50v sounds great with good earphones....the ones I use with my ipod sound wonderful(sonys -70 something) and a cheap pair of sonys have sounded good as well(I use the cheap ones at school).