After a months long hunt for a decent music player in android (v11+) seems to reach and end for me.
Documenting my findings here - which might be helpful for someone looking for a decent app which could reproduce near bit-perfect audio in mobile devices.
I have tested over 30 apps, listing only which worth mentioning.
Any built in android/ Motorola music/EQ is disabled - they were doing their best to spoil the sound quality in all possible ways, muddy, muffled, saturated, etc.
No EQ is used in any app/eq off, mostly tested with high fidelity music (44khz cd rips to 192khz vinyl).
No external DAC/Amp is used.
Top ranked:
Fallen heroes:
Notable mentions:
Horrible mentions:
Documenting my findings here - which might be helpful for someone looking for a decent app which could reproduce near bit-perfect audio in mobile devices.
I have tested over 30 apps, listing only which worth mentioning.
Any built in android/ Motorola music/EQ is disabled - they were doing their best to spoil the sound quality in all possible ways, muddy, muffled, saturated, etc.
No EQ is used in any app/eq off, mostly tested with high fidelity music (44khz cd rips to 192khz vinyl).
No external DAC/Amp is used.
Top ranked:
1. Onkyo HF Player (https://www.intl.onkyo.com/downloads/applications/hf_player_android.html)
This is the best when it came to sound reproduction. No bells and whistles pure sound.
UI is not the best, as one can see in modern day apps. Not many things user can customise.
But hey all i want is pure unsaturated sound - and this deliver just that.
This is not for everyone but for serious listener only.
2. Eon Player Pro
User is given option to bypass android sound system - which does the wonder.
Good sound quality, almost similar to Onkyo's quality with modern days UI and user customizability.
This is the only app i found that was able to push album art in lockscreen, it was creating a secondary lockscreen not the moto default one, so user had to swipe twice to unlock phone.
3. Pulsar Pro
This is the right blend of app, almost near bit-perfect and the best UI out the the lot.
Has replay gain, pre/post amp, etc what one could expect in a pro music player and functioning as intended.
Has audio playback speed and pitch shift function - is very handy if user listen to audiobooks.
Im keeping it in #3 because in very few tracks, it was altering the purity of music when replay gain were turned on. specially on country/lock&pop type music.
But it performed in Metal, D&B, electronic, etc genres slightly better then EON and on par with HF player.
Fallen heroes:
4. Phonograph Music Player
Once my player of choice, now abandoned by developer - has compatibility issues with android 11 and relied in native android sound system which is pathetic by default.
5. Neutron Player
This was probably the first music player i purchased, sad to see this player failed, one praised by the audiophile community and was my default flac player in 20015-16, now became the victim of google's bad policies.
Seems like this player has given up and not adapting to today's devices due to various restriction imposed by google.
6. Poweramp
Don't know why i even tested it or keeping it in this section.
I got this in ages ago while there was a offer i got it for 50rs or so.
Never liked it, not liking it these days as well.
Notable mentions:
7. Foobar
It is my default player in iOS and windows.
While its doing wonder in iPhone and iPad as my default music app, its not able to do its magic in android.
UI is dated and complicated as well.
8. AIMP
Sound reproduction is in par with top-3 listed above, somehow i dont like it because of the dated interface and complication with android 11.
Horrible mentions:
9999999. Boom: Music Player, Bass Booster and Equalizer
Any music related search in app store bring this app in top search results.
This is a product where marketing budget is 100x than development budget.
Never seen a music app this bad, which promises everything but failed to deliver even primary objective - playing decent music.
Will install some separate EQ system without any information to user - as if default android does not come with a system wide pathetic EQ system.
If user need a system wide EQ we have Viper.
This app is the only serious competitor of google - Lets make music play bad. Google is doing that on purpose - to sell YT music... why this Boom app is doing i am clueless.
Aarogya Setu of music app - STAY AWAY : This app will try to connect every data stealing services on this planet - facebook, twitter, appboy, baidu, newrelic, bugsnag, apploving, amplitute, is just name a few.
Over 53 tracker were pinged within first minute of app usage by nmap! god knows how much data it will collect by the time one finished listening to one song. Restricting internet making this player go mad.
Fun facts - paid version of boom cost 4,000/- where as EON is available for just 150/- ( Rs.70 only with offer)
