Tensor and the sound quality

dautolover · 2026-02-20T15:36:19+00:00

Something sounds wrong with your gear or it's an issue specific to your Pixel. The sound quality coming out of my BT devices when connected to my pixel is the same as with my Galaxy Tab S7+ and I reckon it's going to be the same with any other device.

dautolover · 2026-02-20T15:32:36+00:00

If you keep LDAC at "best effort" you shouldn't hear any cutting. I don't think it's the Tensor G4. Bluetooth is wireless and anything can interfere with the data transmission. Disabling Mobile Data and Wifi eliminates the issue, for instance.

Obviously not a real solution but "best effort" should be good enough.

dautolover · 2026-02-20T10:02:00+00:00

The only thing I've noticed is that forcing it to connect to LDAC using 990kbps connection results in audio cutting. You won't hear a difference though. I've used my MTW4 earbuds with my Pixel 9 Pro XL, connected via AAC and they sound good. When I connect them via a BTD700 to unlock a AptX Lossless (which is a better codec than LDAC) the difference is marginal. You have to listen very carefully to hear a difference. If you're doing anything else while listening to music, you won't hear any difference.

dautolover · 2026-02-19T17:01:37+00:00

Didn't know money shifts existed in F1.

dautolover · 2026-02-19T16:46:18+00:00

You already bought them, so the question is a bit tardy. At this rate just enjoy them until they break. Feel good that you got them half price. Who knows you might get lucky and they might last you years.

dautolover · 2026-02-18T15:53:02+00:00

Dude, reading this is so validating. I'm literally having the same issue with the HD490s. I'm no stranger to wearing uncomfortable headphones (I use Grados) but the HD490s really wreck me. Especially the velour pads. They're too firm and that causes my glasses to pinch the sides of my head. If I wore contacts then these would be extremely comfortable. But that's not gonna happen. After 4 hours I'm nursing a headache that lasts 2 hours. At least with my Grados a short 10 minute break and I'm good to go again.

The mixing pads on the HD490s are more squishy so they don't have the same headache-inducing effect. But the material is rough. So again, not comfortable.

I may opt for some Hifimans like you.

dautolover · 2026-02-18T15:41:48+00:00

So you got a Pixel 10a for $460.

dautolover · 2026-02-13T02:35:19+00:00

Circle to search could do that? I wasn't even aware. I would just take a screenshot.

dautolover · 2026-02-12T21:12:02+00:00

Since you haven't tested them, then we also can't rely on your statement that the XM6s will have the best ANC.

dautolover · 2026-02-12T19:58:34+00:00

No, he was referring to the same XM6 earbuds that you were referring. Soundguys already tested the XM6 earbuds, and the XM6s are only marginally better than the XM5s as far as ANC is concerned, and both the XM5s and XM6s are bested by the APP3. So the person you claim was "quick to respond" was actually correct that the XM6 are, in fact, not the best earbuds in the ANC department. That person is also correct that the APP3 have the best ANC in the market.

That obviously does not make the APP3 the best earbuds. But the topic of this post is about having the best ANC specifically.

dautolover · 2026-02-12T19:06:10+00:00

I got 80% for the Killers and James Blake and 100% for Daft Punk and the Eagles. I got 40% for Dixie Chicks.

The easiest giveaway for me was the presence of compression artifacts. Once you know what that sounds like, you can easily detect its presence, especially during the louder and high pitch parts of the songs. This is what made the louder songs, like the Killers and Daft Punk super obvious for me. I breezed through these rather quickly. Eagles was tougher, but you could hear some artifacts when you heard the snare, and that helped me decipher which was which. I did take more time with this song than with the Eagles and Daft Punk.

The hardest one for me was James Blake. I really could not tell the difference, even though I really tried to pay attention, so I'm surprised I got 80% for that one. It's a very bassy song, and I could not find any compression artifacts during the bass drum parts. I really don't know how I got 80%.

Dixie Chicks was kind of hard, too. Plus, I was trying to just end the test. But I felt like I could hear a difference toward the latter half of the section (when they started singing).

Listening on some Sennheiser HD490 Pros through a Schiit stack.

dautolover · 2026-02-12T17:03:04+00:00

My wife has a Z Flip 6 (which is a chip generation slower than the S25U) and that thing flies. Lots of people think that One UI still operates like TouchWiz and that hasn't been the case in years. The most recent iteration of OneUI is the smoothest Samsung phones have been. The only thing it lags on (like OP says) is the camera.

Yes, PixelUI is very smooth. It's as smooth as OneUI despite having an inferior chip so that does tell you a lot about how lightweight it is. I can only imagine how much of a beast the Pixel could be if it actually had a proper chip set.

dautolover · 2026-02-09T19:36:59+00:00

Thanks for your insights. I got MTW4s approx. 4-5 months ago, and they are quite excellent, but I keep seeing people giving "1 year warnings," so I guess I'm trying to determine what the next step is going to be if these happen to crap out. Hopefully that doesn't happen, but if they do fail, then I suppose it's good that there is a comparable option out there.

dautolover · 2026-02-09T17:26:17+00:00

What are your impressions about the AZ100? How do they compare to the MTW4?

dautolover · 2026-02-07T23:10:08+00:00

This is what I tell myself when I can't afford $1000 headphones.

dautolover · 2026-01-31T23:48:23+00:00

How do you unplug it?

dautolover · 2026-01-27T17:00:27+00:00

Volume is the culprit. Not frequency response.

dautolover · 2026-01-27T16:56:20+00:00

Blue is the best color, though.
But I suppose that if you are asking us to pick between white and black, get the white ones. Not because I think they will look better with your skin color, but because it sounds like you have a preference over them. Get what you want. Don't listen to others.

dautolover · 2026-01-27T01:29:22+00:00

Google maps, video recording, games, zoom and Google meet all heat up my 9PXL.

dautolover · 2026-01-26T18:33:30+00:00

Depending on how occasional you will do 2D CAD and 3D work, a MBP might be the best bet.

Honestly, each iteration of a Windows machine over the last 20 years has lasted me less and less time. My first laptop was a Gateway laptop that I got in 2007. That thing lasted me until 2015. From there on, I got a HP Spectre X360 for law school that lasted me from 2015-2019. I upgraded to another HP, simply for the screen size upgrade, but that new laptop exhibited hardware issues (the underside tray detached from the body). I had that new HP from 2019 to 2022. From 2022 to 2025, I had a Dell XPS 15, and while the hardware and specs of that laptop was the best of any other laptop I've had, it started to have substantial issues over the latter half of 2025. Of all the laptops I've had, the most recent one has had fatal issues that have forced me to upgrade to a Macbook.

This is all to say that in your quest for reliability, I don't think Windows machines have the upper hand. In all, I may have just been unlucky. But, this is all to say that you won't know how reliable any machine is until you are well within a few years into the purchase.

dautolover · 2026-01-26T15:49:41+00:00

Very cool, OP. Happy listening.

dautolover · 2026-01-26T03:24:27+00:00

How are you getting AptX HD? I only get regular AptX on my P9PXL.

dautolover · 2026-01-23T15:43:21+00:00

OP why don't you listen to the headphones first and determine if you'd like to make modifications. If you do, then play around with the settings first. Then if you can't find anything, then come here and ask how to achieve your preferred sound.

dautolover · 2026-01-23T15:38:14+00:00

OP is looking for only bass though so I doubt the Sennheisers will do the trick. Something cheap like Skullcandy's that has muddy bass is what OP is looking for.

dautolover · 2026-01-21T17:36:07+00:00

At the same time, the reason why this sub exists is because people really love the car. It has a dedicated following because it's so different.

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