As above different headphones will produce different volumes, there are also a number of third party music players such as Playerpro and Poweramp that include a preamp allowing you to boost the max volume. Please be aware that if you choose to use such applications you do so at your own risk as there is a limitation on the max volume for your own safety.
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Poweramp or any app does not increase the output gain of the amplifier it'self which IS in fact the problem with Sony Xperia's.
Apps like Poweramp only change the gain levels of the digital audio stream it'self which is already at 0dB to begin with (as loud as possible without clipping). Sure this will make quieter tracks louder and louder tracks more intense but result in distortion and/or limiting. In the audio path of any digital sound system, the digital audio stream is before the amplifier's input gain (set by Sony and stored in locked directories). The sad part is most music is already mastered as loud as possible with minimal and even sometimes audible distortion to begin with, yet even these tracks are still not loud enough on some Xperia phones at max volume with a lot of decent headphones.
Any audio enthusiast who has opened any Sony Xperia knows they use the same Qualcomm dac/amp combos in most other Android phone however these chips have very high quality converters and amplifiers capable of outputting a full scale 1 volt RMS as a line source and capable of driving a solid .8 - .9 VRMS into most headphones with no audible distortion. This is what most HTC phones and iPhones are capable of except Sony decides to use lower amp gain at some BS value that gets you .4 Volts at best. This severely limits the choices of headphones for the customer and provides no advantage and instead bitchy customers
I have been a cellphone repair tech for the last 4 years and have been working with audio and PA systems for the last 10 and one of the biggest complaints I hear about Xperia's is headphone volume. I have had people try to return headphones they bought from our phone shop because their Xperia isn't loud enough, yet I plug the same headphones into an HTC or iPhone and they can get almost 80% louder.
They end up having me root the phone and adjust the gain values of the dac/amp IC it'self resulting in full scale 1VRMS which makes a night and day difference and allows the customer to have a wider selection of headphones while still being able to achieve a decent listening level.
There are a rediculous amount of threads regarding this issue with Xperia's and I am sick and tired of hearing Sony say this isn't a problem and try to downplay it when I have proven them wrong numerous times.
Please get some HONEST engineers in this thread before I throw up!
My question is WHY? Why does Sony select such low gain values when the amplifier is capable of so much more, even with the same audible distortion levels? There isn't any benefit to this at all and in fact nothing but dissappointment for anyone using anything but very sensitive headphones.
Is it because they fear of being sued as my idea would enable techtonic levels with sensitive headphones? Perhaps they should develope a master volume limit in the settings menu that can be adjusted and locked by parents? Oh wait, no that won't work because then Apple would sue them....
F sakes, I am at a loss. I'll be keeping my iPhone 5s iTunes is a **bleep** but that phone just pounds. Anyone looking for a great Android alternative to Xperia ought to consider an HTC or Meizu, these blow all the other phones away and have more output than iPhone and even some decent dedicated portable players.
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