Develop Bugs

Speaker/headphone volume VERY low.....

I sold my HD2 on Thursday and let me say first off that I have no regrets whatsoever: I absolutely love this phone. Before I sold the HD2 I played some music tracks on both devices through the loudspeaker and headphones jack and noticed a HUGE differential in volume.....I thought the HD2 speaker was pretty tinny but it was at least audible; the Desire speaker volume is incredibly underpowered...being practically inaudible in a moderately noisy environment. This problem seems to extend even as far as the headphones socket since some of the songs I was unable to play at full volume on the HD2 for fear of bursting my eardrums are simply not loud enough for me on the Desire.
Am I the only person to think the volume levels are too low? Is there perhaps a way to increase the pre amp levels. It's as quiet as the first generation iPhone which was REALLY BAD.
Any thoughts from anyone here?

Hi there - I've been searching online to see if anyone else has been having this problem and came across your post.
Had my Desire for a week now, and I love it. But the volume via headphones is WAY too low. Stupidly too low. I can't hear it on the tube at all, for example.
I was looking forward to using it - and Spotify, in partcular - as a replacement for my aging iPod. But there's just no way.
I can't believe this is common to every phone, as surely there would be more people complaining about it. Are there different firmware versions knocking about? It's got me pretty frustrated.

Ok this is not nice, speaker volume is very important to me. This is the first time I see somebody be this negative about it though...
Damn..
Further, you coming from the HD2, any more thoughts you want to share about the switch?
How is the 4.3 inch to 3.7 inch 'jump'?
Kind regards

Screen size is not a problem for me, colours are beautiful on the Desire and the screen seems note responsive. I tried using the HD2 for a day after getting the Desire and hated it bycomparison! Only massive annoyance though is that it is nowhere near as loud.
I suspect that people are still in their honeymoon period with the phone and that complaints will start to surface about the speaker volume in time. As far as I can recall all my other Android devices were a lot louder than this.

Don't have the device yet but in a video review the guy said the speaker was pretty loud, so it's probably only a software problem
chipshop said:
Had my Desire for a week now, and I love it. But the volume via headphones is WAY too low. Stupidly too low. I can't hear it on the tube at all, for example..
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Juste buy in-ear headphones ! your ear will thanks you, pushing the volume to 100db because the tube is masking noise : not a good idea believe me.

I too, coming from an iPhone, find the headphone volume painfully low.
I use an under speaker pillow to listen to podcasts without disturbing the wife, and on the iPhone she'd sometimes complain that she could hear it. Now with the Desire I find that sometimes I can't hear it and that's at full volume.

I know this is probably obvious but I take it you have gone through. Audio settings
And maxed the volume? And checked any volume controls on headphones? If both set to max
And still not loud then the handset is faulty so get it replaced
Now!!
Mine set to max would be at ear bleeding levels!!

The speaker quality isn't great, but considering I don't use them that much it is good enough for me.
Am a little surprised with the headphone issues, considering that I have my volume set just under halfway and it is more than loud enough for me.
I am using my Sennheiser earphones, but the volume is fine with the supplied HTC ones too.

what kind of bit-rates are you using for music? ... 128? or more, ... as the quality effects the loudness somehow I believe.
try experimenting with different bit rates and see how that goes

leoni1980 said:
Screen size is not a problem for me, colours are beautiful on the Desire and the screen seems note responsive. I tried using the HD2 for a day after getting the Desire and hated it bycomparison! Only massive annoyance though is that it is nowhere near as loud.
I suspect that people are still in their honeymoon period with the phone and that complaints will start to surface about the speaker volume in time. As far as I can recall all my other Android devices were a lot louder than this.
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I think this might be due to new UE regulations about maximum volume in mobile devices, though im not 100% sure if its already in the system.
However Im pretty sure that in couple days/weeks there will be some hacks/apps/ to change that

So have I got a faulty phone?
Or are people just overly forgiving??
Everything is set to max. I've also noticed that the Mic quality in videos is also shockingly poor in terms of volume. I wonder if all of these functions are shared by the same chipset.

leoni, I'm having just the same problem. I think it must be a problem with some of these phones. I can't believe that people are just being overly forgiving.
I'm not looking to push the volume up too high, but if I can't hear it when there's a little background noise going on, then that's a serious design flaw.
I'd like to do a comparison with another Desire at some point, hopefully I'll bump into someone using one soon...

Just to answer some of the above questions/suggestions:-
I'm using MP3s in 256k bit rate format. All volume controls are set to max and there is no volume control on the headphones I am using.

I'm sending mine back. I'm due an upgrade on Monday anyway so I'll test one in the shop and see if It's the same. The headphone volume is the main issue for me; its just too low.

I also think that the volume is way too low. Just out of curiosity, could this be a Rom issue? I'm using the stock TMO Rom. To the people who think it's loud enough, which Rom are you on?

My biggest problem is with the volume through the headphones....speaker volume I can live with, though it is crap and tinny

I think this must be an issue on your phone or you expect it to be crazy loud. I swapped out my ipod for this today on a good set of headphones (AKG KE518LE's) and the volume levels seem identical. As for the speaker, i find mine is a tad on the loud side to be honest. I find myself having to knock it dont a few notches on the volume.

alex101uk said:
I think this must be an issue on your phone or you expect it to be crazy loud. I swapped out my ipod for this today on a good set of headphones (AKG KE518LE's) and the volume levels seem identical. As for the speaker, i find mine is a tad on the loud side to be honest. I find myself having to knock it dont a few notches on the volume.
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are you on TMO ROM?

Loud speaker isn't audible above the sound of my shower, which is a real shame as coming from a n95 8gb the loud speaker was great. Oh well. I'm a forgiving type!

I have found music volume to be pretty low but I'm fairly convinced it is a software/Rom issue because the volume in some applications is loud! Doesn't made much sense. Running T-mob here.

G2 Call Volume

Is there any app/hack that can increase the G2's Call Volume? It's rather low.
"Fortune Favors The Bold." - Virgil "The Aeneid"

Nope, it's hardware limitation, maybe you aren't holding it centered over your ear or you have a defective unit, because I noticed when I hold it wrong the sound isn't as loud as it should be

The in call volume should be fine. Mine is very loud. My Xperia X10 on the other hand was unusable and 3 replacements sucked balls as well. You probably have a defective unit if it's truly too low.

Louder G2
The only way I found out is an app through the market called louder volume hack v4.1 but you need root access and a custom rom for it to work other wise it will force close on ya. The app is $3.10 but I guess worth it if you want a louder speaker I think the speakers fine and nothing like the crappy speaker stock on the HD7 but I agree it can be louder.
G2 on Cyanogen SparksMod HotSauce V 0.1
Overclocked 1.8 ghz

My wife is going trough this same issue. At times the phone is loud, and others it's real low to the point she has to use speakerphone to hear. She will probably end up getting a replacment, but is dreading the swap out.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2

Problem I had..

Well I returned my phone with a full refund.
The volume was so low on my GNex I could hardly hear YouTube videos/Music /Notifications so I returned it. Is this the same on all GNex? (Volume Bug was another reason for returning)
Long story short I regret returning it cause I loved ICS but the volume problems were enough to drive me crazy.
So my question - Is the volume low on your Gnex's ? I don't want to pick one up again if the volume truly is that low compared to other phones.

recklesslife85 said:
Well I returned my phone with a full refund.
The volume was so low on my GNex I could hardly hear YouTube videos/Music /Notifications so I returned it. Is this the same on all GNex? (Volume Bug was another reason for returning)
Long story short I regret returning it cause I loved ICS but the volume problems were enough to drive me crazy.
So my question - Is the volume low on your Gnex's ? I don't want to pick one up again if the volume truly is that low compared to other phones.
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Click to collapse
forget about GNexus.
have yourself actually come across any devices that have a speaker that is loud enough for you under crowd environment? (even my xoom doesn't provide volume loud enough). plus you have to check if the audio of that music/video is originally softer or louder. certain audio/video are slightly softer by default. hence its really hard to measure.
i find the GNexus is loud enough under quiet environment.

Yeah, it is a bit low compared to other phones. If that's a deal-breaker then that's unfortunate. Maybe along the line someone will make a custom kernel/rom that will boost the volume though so you should keep an eye out.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

qwerp_ said:
forget about GNexus.
have yourself actually come across any devices that have a speaker that is loud enough for you under crowd environment? (even my xoom doesn't provide volume loud enough). plus you have to check if the audio of that music/video is originally softer or louder. certain audio/video are slightly softer by default. hence its really hard to measure.
i find the GNexus is loud enough under quiet environment.
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Click to collapse
Chrono_Tata said:
Yeah, it is a bit low compared to other phones. If that's a deal-breaker then that's unfortunate. Maybe along the line someone will make a custom kernel/rom that will boost the volume though so you should keep an eye out.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
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Thanks for the replies guys. Well I currently have an iPhone 4S which is perfect sound wise and so is my Dell Venue Pro. I can hear them both easy without a problem but I couldn't hear my Gnex when I was in the house talking to family. I may have had a faulty phone? Was well quiet. Considering the Galaxy Note right now but really want the Gnex again.

It is more quiet than my previous HTC Desire. But I love that it is not too loud that you are close to hearing the speakers cracking. I am not afraid to put the device in full volume anymore.

I found it way too low (as in I was close to returning it) but use Volume+ to boost it up to very respectable levels without distortion. Was happy with that then had Volume+ crash a couple of times so hoping for a proper patch (official or community) at some point.

Can't find the thread anymore, but some users with the same problem reported good results using Volume+. Think it was mainly the speaker volume when ringing that was an issue for him/her/them.
Might be worth a shot!

recklesslife85 said:
Thanks for the replies guys. Well I currently have an iPhone 4S which is perfect sound wise and so is my Dell Venue Pro. I can hear them both easy without a problem but I couldn't hear my Gnex when I was in the house talking to family. I may have had a faulty phone? Was well quiet. Considering the Galaxy Note right now but really want the Gnex again.
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Click to collapse
do bear in mind that the iphone and dell venue both have side loaded speakers. and primarily all new android phones has their speaker at the back of the phones. ny default, the audio is blasted away from you (if you are watching youtube). you need some sort of deflector to deflect the audio back to the front to make it louder.
for instant, if you are listening to music, and have the phone facing backward, i don't think you will have any big issues.

qwerp_ said:
do bear in mind that the iphone and dell venue both have side loaded speakers. and primarily all new android phones has their speaker at the back of the phones. ny default, the audio is blasted away from you (if you are watching youtube). you need some sort of deflector to deflect the audio back to the front to make it louder.
for instant, if you are listening to music, and have the phone facing backward, i don't think you will have any big issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but sound on my old Galaxy S2 was good with the speaker on the back. (Sold it before picking up the Gnex) I'm Androidless at the moment.. so its between picking this back up or the Note.

recklesslife85 said:
True, but sound on my old Galaxy S2 was good with the speaker on the back. (Sold it before picking up the Gnex) I'm Androidless at the moment.. so its between picking this back up or the Note.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have not really tested the SGS2, so i can't comment much in that. primarily throughout all nexus i had, Nexus one, Nexus S and now Galaxy Nexus, they are all about the same, i would say.
maybe you should give +Volume a shot, it could be something samsung has modified in their touchwiz to boost the volume, like how the Beats ranges from HTC.

qwerp_ said:
i have not really tested the SGS2, so i can't comment much in that. primarily throughout all nexus i had, Nexus one, Nexus S and now Galaxy Nexus, they are all about the same, i would say.
maybe you should give +Volume a shot, it could be something samsung has modified in their touchwiz to boost the volume, like how the Beats ranges from HTC.
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Click to collapse
Yeah true. I'll try +Volume if I can force myself to pick one back up haha! Thanks for the input anyways.

I found the ringtones and notifications quite low, but all i do is use Audacity to boost the volume of my ringtones then put them on my phone!
Problem solved

Evileddie said:
I found the ringtones and notifications quite low, but all i do is use Audacity to boost the volume of my ringtones then put them on my phone!
Problem solved
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Click to collapse
I'll check it out, thanks.

Evileddie said:
I found the ringtones and notifications quite low, but all i do is use Audacity to boost the volume of my ringtones then put them on my phone!
Problem solved
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Click to collapse
this is the exactly scenario i meant by some audio are softer by default.

[Request] In Call volume increase?

This is something that I really mis from my s3 probably the thing I would pick if I could change one thing. The phone gets decently loud when playing music (and the quality is amazing) but in call volume I constantly wish it got louder and the same is true for the speaker phone while in call. I think even just alittle bit louder would make a huge difference since for me at max volume its right at the edge.
Anyone else feel the same? I cant be the only one and I have good hearing lol. Please someone fix this!
So far I am seeing my problems disappear one by one as mods come out (share button in blinkfeed, green battery now clear, 30 volume steps for games and music, ect)

That's odd... I find it too loud already just setting it up 2 steps below the middle level of the volume when in call.

Maybe you have a dud. I can hear mine at almost max volume just like a speakerphone on a cheap device. It really is quite amazing
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

altimax98 said:
Maybe you have a dud. I can hear mine at almost max volume just like a speakerphone on a cheap device. It really is quite amazing
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
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IDK my dads HTC seems to exhibit the same behavior. I will test more to be sure but I doubt its hardware related since my speakers sounds strong with no distortion or anything.

Quieter Sound?

The N7 is just too loud. I like that it CAN get loud but it doesn't get quiet enough. Even 1 tick seems like its super loud. At night in bed I usually have to turn the audio off to watch videos or use headsets. I had to turn my keyboard volume to 1 and system volume to 1 cause the clicks were too loud.
I know this is a weird question but anyone know a way to lower the lower volume settings? I'm running CM Kanged and perhaps they have the volume increased for other devices.
On my OG N7 I would have it 3-4 clicks in or higher. 1 seems like 7 compared to the old N7.
Too damn loud. I know there are apps to make it louder but I haven't seen anything to lower it. Some custom ROMs can provide more steps for greater control but 1 is too loud. I need like a .15 or .25
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

So totally agree, too loud! no idea what the solution is either and I've looked around. Hopefully there's some mod for stock but I'd be willing to do just about anything.

Er... my shiny new N7 is not too loud. (Production date September 13.)
It's significantly louder than my old N7, but far from being really "loud".
Also, it does absolutely not have the reported problem of hiss when turning down volume.
Perhaps production batches differ in loudness?

Mine doesn't hiss and I'm not saying it is glass shattering but at night when everyone is trying to relax I have 2 options, Volume Muted or Volume Notch 1. Volume Notch 1 is still too loud and my family gives me the stink eye.
The max sound is fine but I think the lower portions should go lower.

player911 said:
Mine doesn't hiss and I'm not saying it is glass shattering but at night when everyone is trying to relax I have 2 options, Volume Muted or Volume Notch 1. Volume Notch 1 is still too loud and my family gives me the stink eye.
The max sound is fine but I think the lower portions should go lower.
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Click to collapse
Agreed. I suggest using XPosed Framework if you are rooted, and look for the XVolume module (last module in the downloads section of the app). It breaks the volume into 30 steps. I'm going to test this out for myself and let you know my results.
EDIT: Doesn't seem like it helped very much.
___________________________________
Phone: HTC EVO 4G LTE
Rooted, Custom Rom & Kernel
Tablet: ASUS Nexus 7.2
Rooted, Stock Rom & Kernel

I wish my Nexus was louder hahaha
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app