Audio quality
Contents
In the beginning, we said that the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is well equipped in terms of audio. The sound taken care of by AKG. Well known from the Harman group. And since Harman is now Samsung… you’ll get it. We also see Dolby Atmos and a headset from… yeah. AKG.
Samsung uses a lot of good parts in this top model. We can expect the same for the amount (Note 9 is for sale from 749 euros). You can’t feel this on your own. But also noticeable when, for example, we listen to the built-in speakers. There is a loudspeaker at the bottom of the phone and at the top of the screen. We start up Tidal and end up on Toto. The sound is good, very good even for a phone. Voices are clear and bright. Don’t expect miracles in the area of low, but for a phone we are surprised by the sound that comes out of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. There is no need for an additional Bluetooth speaker to quickly watch a youtube movie. The sound from the phone is more than enough. By turning on the Dolby Atmos function, we can hear the sound change. The image becomes much more spatial. It literally jumps out. For people who like to watch a media on the phone, this is a very big advantage. Even though headphones are better, of course.
We grab the AKG in-ears and put on some music by Muse. The AKG in-ears are fine, but we have to play them just as well. This took us a little over a week. We are very satisfied with the quality of the AKG in-ear. It makes a good sound. We do hear a preference for pop and dance music. The layer is strongly present, but does not dominate. We decide to put on our naughty shoes and grab the Hifiman Sundara. Strangely enough, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 manages the Hifiman Sundara well. It’s not comparable to a real headphone amp, but if we sit on the couch on Sunday and scroll through Tidal, this is a great combination.
Apps
No smartphone without apps… And yes: we also use a lot of apps. Just as fast are the most commonly used Roon, BlueOs and Sonos. We don’t take the cloud services into account for a while. We use the apps a lot when testing and also when listening to music on a daily basis. It is important for every user of such an app that it works well and that it responds quickly. We have some frustrations about that with our tablets on the editorial staff. Well, they’ve been going on for a couple of years. And then you get that. Time for renewal.
But the operation with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is a “Walk in the park”. Roon starts up quickly and the flow of the music feels wonderfully smooth. We move through the water like a fish. At Roon, we didn’t have any deadlocks or long-winded moments when the app didn’t respond. With the BlueOS and the Sonos app the experience is similar. On BlueOs, the Galaxy Note 9 can also be rotated a quarter turn, as the app then changes to landscape mode. The large and sharp display provides a very pleasant experience with the operation of the apps.
Rounding off…
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has a great screen, good battery and fast performance. A great key feature, the Pen. Why don’t other brands have that? It’s a great phone for everyday use and with Samsung Dex maybe even more. We paid a lot of attention to the audio. We are so grateful to Samsung that they did keep the headphone jack on the phone. The cooperation with AKG does a lot of good for the sound quality. But Samsung has also paid attention to quality on the inside. For movie lovers even Dolby Atmos is available.
We have experienced the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 as a true partner in audio. Whether it was relaxing on the chair with headphones listening to music, or endlessly exploring Tidal with the precision of the S Pen. We audiophiles can no longer do without a smartphone and audio is more intertwined in our smartphone than we can imagine.
