I hate Apple with a passion and I was rather excited to have a viable (superior) alternative to the iphone with the Touch Pro2. Everything about this phone has been fantastic until just now when I plugged in my headphones. I'm something of an audiophile and thus use some decent headphones. In the course of my listening, here are my findings:
The Touch Pro 2 performs great with less sensitive headphones (like Beyerdynamic DT770 80ohm), but with sensitive headphones like Grado's it sounds like CRAP.
Even more disappointing, using sensitive high end earbuds like my Super.Fi Pro 5's reveal SIGNIFICANT and DISTRACTING electrical noise. If you listen to quiet music like some classical or jazz, you will definitely notice it. While annoying, at least with music, the music itself usually overwhelms the noise.
Unfortunately, watching a video is a completely different story. In short, watching a video on this phone is like Chinese Water Torture with the electrical noise easily heard 100% of the time.
It's simply unacceptable for a manufacturer to produce a device in this day and age that has this kind of interference. They should really test a $500 device with earbuds that cost more than $10.
The whole point of this phone is for power users, and power users like us are the exact demographic that would have expensive (usually high sensitivity) headphones.
The noise is worst in the left channel.
This is on a Verizon TP2 for reference. Is this possibly just a defective phone or do others experience the same noise? FWIW you probably won't notice it with normal ibud's.
I have a pair of Sony MDR-EX71SL Fontopia's and dont have any issue with device feedback or interference. While they arent as nice as your headphones, they do a pretty good job, and have been a fantastic match on my Sprint TP2. Video/Music, no difference. I did tweak the equalizer a bit (Audio booster in programs menu), but that was for personal preference, and my music tastes.
What add-on programs have you installed? There could be something that got screwed up...
Otherwise take it in to the store with another MP3 player that has the same mp3 on it as your tp2 and have the rep listen to both, and ask to try it on a demo phone they have there, I'm sure they'll fix you up.
headshok said:
I have a pair of Sony MDR-EX71SL Fontopia's and dont have any issue with device feedback or interference. While they arent as nice as your headphones, they do a pretty good job, and have been a fantastic match on my Sprint TP2. Video/Music, no difference. I did tweak the equalizer a bit (Audio booster in programs menu), but that was for personal preference, and my music tastes.
What add-on programs have you installed? There could be something that got screwed up...
Otherwise take it in to the store with another MP3 player that has the same mp3 on it as your tp2 and have the rep listen to both, and ask to try it on a demo phone they have there, I'm sure they'll fix you up.
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Hmmm, your Fontopia's look like they only have 100db sensitivity rating compared to 119db of my headphones. That could be why you don't hear the noise (please note that I'm not putting down your headphones, as sensitivity has very little to do with actual sound quality - it's simply an electrical measurement).
I can't hear any noise on my Sennheiser eh150's, nor on my 6.5" component speakers in my car.
Well... I'm surprised you would expect good sound quality from a device aimed squarely at the business market. The iPhone is designed for multimedia and does some businessy stuff on the side. The TP2 is designed for business use and does some multimedia stuff on the side. The performance is what you would expect, given that goal.
Shasarak said:
Well... I'm surprised you would expect good sound quality from a device aimed squarely at the business market. The iPhone is designed for multimedia and does some businessy stuff on the side. The TP2 is designed for business use and does some multimedia stuff on the side. The performance is what you would expect, given that goal.
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+1
If I want to listen to music I pull out my mp3 player and Shure's.
computerpro3 said:
Hmmm, your Fontopia's look like they only have 100db sensitivity rating compared to 119db of my headphones. That could be why you don't hear the noise (please note that I'm not putting down your headphones, as sensitivity has very little to do with actual sound quality - it's simply an electrical measurement).
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Well that sucks your not happy with the audio quality. I'd try to check the same song with your buds on another persons phone, and rule out a faulty device.
But if its not specific to your device I guess in this case more expensive isnt always better.
I'm very happy with the sound quality of my Fontopia's, I have a 16gb gen 2 ipod touch and I there is no quality difference between it and the TP2....
Absolutely no noise-floor issues here, using Shure se530s. In a direct comparisonj between my TP2 and the 3GS I would say the TP2 is easily as good, if not better.
Sounds like you have a faulty phone. Not to be patronising but did you try a different USB/3.5mm adapter? I had one that was very "crackly", swapped it and that was perfect.
barneypooch said:
Absolutely no noise-floor issues here, using Shure se530s. In a direct comparisonj between my TP2 and the 3GS I would say the TP2 is easily as good, if not better.
Sounds like you have a faulty phone. Not to be patronising but did you try a different USB/3.5mm adapter? I had one that was very "crackly", swapped it and that was perfect.
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Okay, your shures have the exact same sensitivity as my UE's, so it should be able to pick up the noise. Have you tested with video using HTC Album?
What about background hiss while music is playing?
My phone is starting to develop the oil slick problem so I might just swap it out anyway.
Also, just a note, the Verizon phone has the 3.5mm jack, so no need for a dongle. Internally though, I do wonder what the electronics look like, and if it's just a hardwired (though smaller) dongle.
I use the Sennheiser CX300-B ear buds and can definitely hear background hiss. I can hear it when I initially plug them in then, if I don't do anything the hiss goes away until it plays something. Sounds like when the amp turns on then I hear the hiss. I hear it for music, voice prompts everything. You can hear the same thing by pausing the music and you will hear a hiss for a couple seconds, then it goes away.
When I have music playing I cannot hear it, but do hear it during the quiet times of the song.
I've found this to be true with these earbuds for pretty much any player I use that is not dedicated to audio only. I always figured they just do not spend the $$ to put in good audio capabilities in the multi-use devices.
dave
If I listen to the FM radio I can definitely hear interference, usually listening to NPR (talk radio). Though not sure if it is slightly less then perfect reception or an actual sound issue. I feel as though the mini usb connector is less then ideal. It has a lot of wiggle. Wonder if that is part of the problem.
This is with the factory ear buds.. have yet to really listen to music on it, or with good ear buds.. or through my car stereo(where I usually listen to music with my phone)
OK, after typing all that I guess I am not sure if mine has this problem! LOL But I will leave this post here so I can update it after I use the sound output more.
I think it is laughable to use the word audiophile and earbuds in the same sentence.
Your best headphones for monitoring are over the ear
Don't have any issues with my Verizon unit. I have hooked it up directly to RXV3800, Sennheiser HD380, and M-Audio DSM2 and hear nothing I have not heard with other MP3 players including the ipod.
I noticed my Verizon TP2 had flatter sound than my mp3 player with the same phones, but after a little EQ adjustment in Nitrogen, they sound just fine.
You guys have way too much time on your hands to complain about those things.
dezoris said:
I think it is laughable to use the word audiophile and earbuds in the same sentence.
Your best headphones for monitoring are over the ear
Don't have any issues with my Verizon unit. I have hooked it up directly to RXV3800, Sennheiser HD380, and M-Audio DSM2 and hear nothing I have not heard with other MP3 players including the ipod.
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I find it's laughable that you don't know what you're talking about.
My earbuds are every bit as good as your headphones, and earbuds exist (like the UE11) that obliterate even the best studio monitors in detail, frequency response, linearity, immediacy, transient resoponse, etc. In fact, they obliterate studio monitors in literally everything MAYBE soundstaging and impact.
www.ultimateears.com
Besides, you completely missed the entire point of the thread by saying "Nope, everything good driving my low sensitivity headphones!"
For the umpteenth time, you will not be able to hear this noise with low sensitivity headphones (as I confirmed with my DT770's). This problem only relates to driving high sensitivity cans.
lovingHDTV said:
I use the Sennheiser CX300-B ear buds and can definitely hear background hiss. I can hear it when I initially plug them in then, if I don't do anything the hiss goes away until it plays something. Sounds like when the amp turns on then I hear the hiss. I hear it for music, voice prompts everything. You can hear the same thing by pausing the music and you will hear a hiss for a couple seconds, then it goes away.
When I have music playing I cannot hear it, but do hear it during the quiet times of the song.
I've found this to be true with these earbuds for pretty much any player I use that is not dedicated to audio only. I always figured they just do not spend the $$ to put in good audio capabilities in the multi-use devices.
dave
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This confirms what I was saying. The sensitivity of your earbuds is 112db, which is far higher than the other posters 100ish range.
It would appear that this might not just be a defective phone that I have, and that it could actually be a more widespread problem.
computerpro3 said:
This confirms what I was saying. The sensitivity of your earbuds is 112db, which is far higher than the other posters 100ish range.
It would appear that this might not just be a defective phone that I have, and that it could actually be a more widespread problem.
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Except that he claims to hear it on several devices, not just this phone. Also he claims to hear it only during the quiet parts, not during actual sound reproduction, whilst you hear it at all times...
It could be the adapter, a faulty phone, or just a phone not designed for high-end hedphones.
Good luck with this. I love high quality headphones but use bluetooth to listen to music (yes, I hear the difference, but when I have cables they always get wonky and stop working properly).
Now if the phone had KLEER technology I'd happily go for that
This sounds more like thread on bragging about your super duper headphones than anything to do with the TP2.
But maybe they arent so super duper if cheaper ones sound better.
Get past it, if you want a dedicated music player that lets you become immersed in 1024bit crystal clear audio go get whatever that is.
If you want a music player that sounds pretty damn good, can also take phone calls, browse the web, manage your schedule, send/receive emails and txt, take pictures, go buy a cheaper set of headphones.
why use expensive earpiece
why use all that fancy stuff .. can you really hear a difference? whats wrong with the set of stock headsets that come in the box with the phone?
I have noticed that the speaker on my EVO has gone out. It sounds like something is hitting the speaker when volume is the loudest, and it is trying to hit a low tone. Has anyone else had issues with the speaker on their EVO?
I just got a brand new EVO yesterday and the speaker sounds terrible likes it blown, with the volume all the way up people don't sound very good.
Warranty that! My speaker is great even at high volume. I use my phone as a Pandora radio all the time and never have issues, although the lows are weak. But that's normal for a small driver like this.
I think I will (or try to) get this worrentied. I think it will be difficult to show this to the Sprint Rep, but I will try. It sounds like the cheap headphones that comes with MP3 players after a few months.
mine is blown too... lame
Was wondering everyone's opinion on how good the Note II is when listening to music? Does this have the same audio chip as the International version? Thanks.
As far as I know, the hardware is virtually identical to the international version, with the "customization" from AT&T being the major difference. I found the external speakers to play very well for mids and highs, but lacked any sort of bass.
As for the headphone input, it sounds great, as expected, when paired together with decent headphones. I havent really seen any noticable difference between any phone or Ipod that I have used concerning the headphone jack quality.... So I'm not entirely sure if its even a valid point to be asking about or bringing up.
Regardless, you won't claw your ears out when playing music through your phone.
Thanks for the response, this is a huge aspect of the phone for me since I use my phone to listen to music. Will there be any Voodoo sound mods/app for this phone? Was just wondering.
There is quite a bit of customization in the stock music player. I have able to produce some pretty good sound with a set of $20 Koss earbuds and playing with these settings.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
I have my Astro A40's hooked up to my Note II here at work and they sound great. I am using the Google Play option so I uploaded my iTunes library to the Google servers and just stream the content. Overall can't complain about the quality.
As far as I've been able to tell, it sounds the same as the international n7100. Actually, it's a bit louder (in volume.)
Awesome, thanks for the info guys definitely going to get this phone now!
NumairRana said:
Awesome, thanks for the info guys definitely going to get this phone now!
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One of the main reasons i was hesitant to switch from an IPHONe was for the audio quality, Honestly i think note 2 has beter sound quality than the ipod, im hearing the vocals much better, it sounds so much nicer on this, Also the external sound is RETARDEDLY Loud once you put loud booster mod, and just change the equalizer a bit, especialy turning up clarity to the max.
Problems with audio playback
Whenever I lock the screen with the audio playing and the headphone jack inserted, I get stuttery playback. The audio breaks in between. Does anybody have the same problem? Can anyone think of a solution? I tried turning off all the motion features to check if sensors being on caused it, but that was not the case. It looks like some kind of buffering problem when screen is locked or turned off. Any help would be appreciated.
I got my note 4 dev edition on Tuesday. I like to listen to podcast via pocketcasts and music through amazon prime music app, pandora and spotify. I notice at low levels there is an annoying hiss/ white noise that constantly is audible. I use these same apps on my iphone 6 plus and have never experienced this. I usually use yurbuds that direct the sound directly into the ears but it occurs with my old samsung earphones as well. (Verizon to cheap to allow them to include the earphones).
Is anyone else experiencing this? I tried to go into the play music app and use the equalizer but this had little affect. Is is an issue in 4.4.4 or could I have a bad phone or bad DAC??
I get the same problem as well with a Canadian Note 4 (N910W8). It's very annoying trying to listen to audiobooks or podcasts. Did not have this problem with the same audiobooks on Nexus 4. It seems like the hissing / static does not get louder by raising the volume so it's always present if volume is not muted and is very noticeable with spoken voice. Tried several players and it happens with all so it's not just Samsung Music with SoundAlive. I hope this is something that can be eventually improved and not "by design".
Are you plugged into a USB charger when you are listening?
mithusingh32 said:
Are you plugged into a USB charger when you are listening?
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I thought that might have been the problem as well but it sounds exactly the same when plugged in or not. It sounds like hissing and a bit of crackling after spoken words or pauses between sentences, very noticeable even at only 1 volume step from muted. Probably happens to music, videos and games as well but may not be as noticeable.
I've tried stock, custom roms, volume mods and Viper4Android and tried different players that I know use different playback methods.
I don't think there's a quick fix for this problem and we'll probably all have to live with it. Here's hoping Samsung's Lollipop update brings improvements.
Weird. I dont get a hiss at all unless its plugged into a USB charger.
Might be a hardware issue.
Turns out that it's affecting all 3 of my Sennheiser headphones but not the stock headphones. Never had a problem with these headphones on any device I had within the last 7 years.
It has to do with the low impedance of my headphones and the fact that the Note does not provide enough power to drive the headphones correctly. I went and purchased a 36ohm impedance adapter on eBay (from awaudio) and it got rid of my problem! My remote control on the headphones no longer work with the adapter but the microphone does. I've also got a 14ohm adapter in the mail that I've yet to try so I cannot currently comment on using more or less than the 36ohm I've got now.
I found the idea to try this reading through long threads in the Galaxy S3 forums so this isn't a new problem to Samsung. Many people have exchanged their S3s to correct the problem to no avail. The good news is that the problem was eventually fixed in a firmware update so I guess it's possible for the Note 4 as well but I'm not holding my breath for that.
I believe that the sound may not be quite as strong with the adapter but the ROM I'm using has the sound boost mod and is more than loud enough so I cannot complain. There may not be an easy way to fix this on a Verizon device if you need the volume as loud as with the stock headphones.
Night and day difference when listening to audiobooks or podcasts with low impedance headphones.
Power might be the issue, but I know a lot of others dealt with this and replacing ended up working. I think on the n2 the headphone Jacks were a bit loose but don't remember