Develop Bugs

Attempting to optimize headphone sound

I would like to use my Evo as a MP3 player when I exercise like I used to with my old Sony Ericssons and my iPhones, but the sound quality compared to just about every other phone or mp3 player I have ever owned is not very good.
Right now I am running Ava's Z3 ROM. It's supposed to have some audio enhancements. I also bought PowerAmp and use DSP Manager. I configure and tweak as much as I can. I would like the sound to be a bit louder through the headphones. The phone speaker and in-call volume are fine.
As far as I am aware there is no way whatsoever on this planet that the headphone volume can be increased, even if just a small amount, to the HTC Evo.
So beyond what I have done already, does anyone have any more ideas on how to get better sounding and perhaps louder music without actually having to change the mp3 itself?
Thanks!

Change your kernel.

There was just a thread about this here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=913585&highlight=sucks
I listen to music on mine all day long in a pretty loud environment (well, a lot of fan noise anyway) with no issues at about 3/4 volume . . . so I think the problem some people are having are with the earbuds/headphones they are using. Maybe try some with a lower impedance.

lovethyEVO said:
Change your kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read that some kernals can up the speaker volume and in-call volume but don't have much effect on media stuff, especially when it comes to headphones.
Is there a specific kernal you know of that boosts headphone volume?
Thanks!

NHLWil said:
There was just a thread about this here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=913585&highlight=sucks
I listen to music on mine all day long in a pretty loud environment (well, a lot of fan noise anyway) with no issues at about 3/4 volume . . . so I think the problem some people are having are with the earbuds/headphones they are using. Maybe try some with a lower impedance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I did a search, but just in the Q&A forum.
Some people are happy with the volume of the phone. I'm just used to things being a bit louder. When I'm running I hate hearing the sound of my feet and the wind etc..etc. The headphones I use have an impedance of 16. Is that too much?

[Q] Audio quality

Does any body else find that the Audio quality is very low? or is it just me?

it's definitely just you.
the phone can drive my AIAIA TMA-1 headphones almost as well as my Hi-MD MiniDisc recorder. these headphones have 40mm drivers, so they're not measly headphones.

oscillik said:
it's definitely just you.
the phone can drive my AIAIA TMA-1 headphones almost as well as my Hi-MD MiniDisc recorder. these headphones have 40mm drivers, so they're not measly headphones.
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I googled it and, those are expensive headsets. I wanted to know how, the sound is with the stock headsets that come with the phone? if you've tried them. I also heard that the new music player has a EQ now, is that true?

mklass said:
Does any body else find that the Audio quality is very low? or is it just me?
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ht*p://w*w.swedroid.se/forum/58657-ljudchip-2.html#post818634
Frequency response...
Sent from my V9 using XDA App

qnet said:
I googled it and, those are expensive headsets. I wanted to know how, the sound is with the stock headsets that come with the phone? if you've tried them. I also heard that the new music player has a EQ now, is that true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tried em with the stock earphones provided and even they are louder than my Beats Solo's Hmmm... And yes you are correct the new music app does come with EQ its quite good too
I meant the audio from the actual speaker its self any ways and not ear phones
Edit...
Come to the conclusion that its the audio cable, because it doesn't fit flush.

mklass said:
Just tried em with the stock earphones provided and even they are louder than my Beats Solo's Hmmm... And yes you are correct the new music app does come with EQ its quite good too
I meant the audio from the actual speaker its self any ways and not ear phones
Edit...
Come to the conclusion that its the audio cable, because it doesn't fit flush.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I like my music and, that's one of the things I wanted to know about. It seems to be the least thing with most reviews because, they hardly ever mention it.

qnet said:
I googled it and, those are expensive headsets. I wanted to know how, the sound is with the stock headsets that come with the phone? if you've tried them. I also heard that the new music player has a EQ now, is that true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried the stock headset (which is exactly the same as the headset that comes with the Nexus S) and the stock headset is alright. Better than Apple earbuds, but not earth shattering. If you're half-way serious about music then you are more likely to use your own earphones/headphones anyway
mklass said:
I meant the audio from the actual speaker its self any ways and not ear phones
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Click to collapse
ahhh in that case then, yes the built in loudspeaker is very quiet. Much quieter than the Nexus S.

oscillik said:
I've tried the stock headset (which is exactly the same as the headset that comes with the Nexus S) and the stock headset is alright. Better than Apple earbuds, but not earth shattering. If you're half-way serious about music then you are more likely to use your own earphones/headphones anyway
ahhh in that case then, yes the built in loudspeaker is very quiet. Much quieter than the Nexus S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using Klipsch S4A with comply tips. They sound great with the nexus s. My GN should be here Wednesday, looking forward to seeing how TI compares to the Wolfson.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

oscillik said:
ahhh in that case then, yes the built in loudspeaker is very quiet. Much quieter than the Nexus S.
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Click to collapse
Really??? That's the only thing I hate on my Nexus S 4G - Low volume speaker, sometimes I dont even hear when my phone rings, or barely hear another person when using speakerphone..
Wasn't the case with Epic 4G (Sprint's Galaxy S), it was very loud.
I've tried Voodoo sound but it only helps headphones audio.
I was really hoping Galaxy Nexus would improve in that...

oscillik said:
I've tried the stock headset (which is exactly the same as the headset that comes with the Nexus S) and the stock headset is alright. Better than Apple earbuds, but not earth shattering. If you're half-way serious about music then you are more likely to use your own earphones/headphones anyway
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I do have my own headphones but, I figured if it sounds good with the stock ones, it will really sound good with mine.

volume through earphones i find is quite good! Just the external volume for ring/sms tones is heaps low!!!

zok-star said:
volume through earphones i find is quite good! Just the external volume for ring/sms tones is heaps low!!!
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I use custom ringtones from an app called zedge, they're really great. If you download a certain ringtone or message notifier it can be louder.

I'm missing calls like crazy because of the low speaker volume output. I can't hear the text or email notifications either.
I'm not sure why they used such a low volume speaker on this unit. That's one thing that Motorola has always gotten right... a very loud speaker.
Oh well...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

soon enough I'm guessing the regulars will have a kernel with audio boost. Just like for the nexus one. Just food for thought.
I'm not worried about it. Nexus one had the same threads going on at the time.
*I don't have my GN yet

DiNoise said:
Really??? That's the only thing I hate on my Nexus S 4G - Low volume speaker, sometimes I dont even hear when my phone rings, or barely hear another person when using speakerphone..
Wasn't the case with Epic 4G (Sprint's Galaxy S), it was very loud.
I've tried Voodoo sound but it only helps headphones audio.
I was really hoping Galaxy Nexus would improve in that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may well be possible via an update - my HTC desire HD was woefully low.. Very quite from the speaker.. After an update a few months ago I noticed a significant improvement!

Wow. I thought my GN was faulty. Setting such a low speaker volume is criminal

I can attest to he quality of the audio output on the device (via the headphone jack) to be pretty decent. On par with the 4S, if that says anything. They're powering my headphones well enough.
The speakerphone? Yeah, there's no denying that it isn't top-notch.
Sent from my GNex

Actually my loudspeaker is par. Doesn't compete with matrix loudness though. It is very clear though and no bass. My earpiece is very clear too. It could definitely use a little boost though. Earphones with mics is very loud and clear. Same for Bluetooth.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

alias3800 said:
I can attest to he quality of the audio output on the device (via the headphone jack) to be pretty decent. On par with the 4S, if that says anything. They're powering my headphones well enough.
The speakerphone? Yeah, there's no denying that it isn't top-notch.
Sent from my GNex
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? I was curious about this as well. I compared my Galaxy Nexus and iPhone 4S just now with the bundled headphones. My 4S feels much louder and had more base. The Nexus sounded low and didn't have "thump". There's always a slight hiss in the background too.

I can barely here anything from the external speaker.. The system volume like locking he screen or tapping on icons.. Can't hear them on full voulme also! its so faintt..

[Q] Audio Quality

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!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

Audio Quality Through Headphones

What is the audio quality like through the headphone jack?
A good pair of headphones & Flac with both built in music player & Poweramp?
Is it as good as both the S5 & the M8 or is it better?
Ta

I think the quality is good. However some handsets have a problem with internal noise, i also had this issue but it kinda fixed itself after the first few days.

Baguett said:
I think the quality is good. However some handsets have a problem with internal noise, i also had this issue but it kinda fixed itself after the first few days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by internal noise? Buzzing from headphone jack?

@home said:
What is the audio quality like through the headphone jack?
A good pair of headphones & Flac with both built in music player & Poweramp?
Is it as good as both the S5 & the M8 or is it better?
Ta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i use poweramp and Westone UM3x in-ears or Beyer Dynamic Custom Pro, and for sure no worse than S4 and M7 which i pre-owned, and similar to directly from my Macbook Pro, too. so i personally am very pleased with the sound...:good: and no hissing or other issues here ...

@home said:
What do you mean by internal noise? Buzzing from headphone jack?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah something like that. But i just read people having this issue made it go away by changing from dalvik to ART in settings. When i think about it (i also changed to ART) that was when my issue also was gone. So yeah apparently a software issue.

jomansch said:
i use poweramp and Westone UM3x in-ears or Beyer Dynamic Custom Pro, and for sure no worse than S4 and M7 which i pre-owned, and similar to directly from my Macbook Pro, too. so i personally am very pleased with the sound...:good: and no hissing or other issues here ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would it is better then the S4 & the M7, I didn't think they where all that good.
S5 & M8 are a good yard stick.

@home said:
I would it is better then the S4 & the M7, I didn't think they where all that good.
S5 & M8 are a good yard stick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tried a lot of mobiles this one is the best quality i've ever heard

olivierdo said:
i tried a lot of mobiles this one is the best quality i've ever heard
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Click to collapse
Fantastic. Looking forward to trying mine out.
Do you use stock or a 3rd party music player?

GSM arena ran a bunch of tests and basically found that the G3 has the highest output quality of any Android device, up against the S5, M8, Find7, and Z2. It's not the loudest, but there will be mods for that.

Baguett said:
Yeah something like that. But i just read people having this issue made it go away by changing from dalvik to ART in settings. When i think about it (i also changed to ART) that was when my issue also was gone. So yeah apparently a software issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I changed from dalvik to art. But the noise remains in the left ear plug after reboot (checked and art is still selected). Any ideas?

SomeGuyDude said:
GSM arena ran a bunch of tests and basically found that the G3 has the highest output quality of any Android device, up against the S5, M8, Find7, and Z2. It's not the loudest, but there will be mods for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I did read that, but it's always nice to hear from users first hand. :good:

kruso said:
I changed from dalvik to art. But the noise remains in the left ear plug after reboot (checked and art is still selected). Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Crap! I just tested again and now i also have a silent buzz when i play music. This is really not right. Also i have this beep-beep sound the moment i plug in my headphones.

Is this buzzing present when playing through Bluetooth headphones?

@home said:
Yeah I did read that, but it's always nice to hear from users first hand. :good:
Click to expand...
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I can tell you that it's the best mobile I've heard. I play Spotify @320 through Shure SE846's and sure it's not the absolute top notch but it's REALLY good. Like, I don't feel the need for an external Amp/DAC.

@home said:
Is this buzzing present when playing through Bluetooth headphones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope
---------- Post added at 04:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:12 PM ----------
@home said:
Fantastic. Looking forward to trying mine out.
Do you use stock or a 3rd party music player?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with poweramp and withour direct volume control, without any egalzer..nothing, the sound is simply amazing.

The M8, G3, Note 3, and S5 all had pretty good sound quality with headphones imo. I really couldn't say which is the best. They all sounded pretty good and comparable to each other. I still use my ear buds from the HTC Rezound. I don't care what anyone says but those were some good headphones for a free pair.
Sent from my LG-D851 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Maybe it's just me but I find the volume to be on the low side (using Google Play Music All Access) and the sound doesn't sound warm like it did on my SGS3

Varming said:
Maybe it's just me but I find the volume to be on the low side (using Google Play Music All Access) and the sound doesn't sound warm like it did on my SGS3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out the mod in the developer section. You can make it plenty loud very easily (with root).

Skizzy034 said:
The M8, G3, Note 3, and S5 all had pretty good sound quality with headphones imo. I really couldn't say which is the best. They all sounded pretty good and comparable to each other. I still use my ear buds from the HTC Rezound. I don't care what anyone says but those were some good headphones for a free pair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be EXACTLY why you can't tell any of them apart, LOL. It's like saying Blu-Ray and DVD look the exact same when you're watching them on your 13" CRT TV.
And no... the stock buds that come with a phone aren't good. They're terrible. Quite literally the only good things you can say is that they put sound in your ear and it's possible to buy worse ones at a 7/11.

Stock earphones from the HTC M7 and M8 are great for free headphones quite loud and good sound.
I have a pair of JVC extreme in earphones that I bought for £15 quid and they are loud, also have a pair of Dre Beat's Solo's and they sound good.
I'd say the stock volume for the rear facing speaker is very loud for a back firing speaker I was quite shocked at just how loud it was.
Headphone volume was on the low side though.
I used a guide in the dev thread to boost the auido volume of both speaker and headset and then used Viper4Android and WOW oh WOW.
Best sound I've had out of a phone.
I've owned alot aswell. Coming from the Nexus 5 the sound of the G3 blows it away.
I would 100% suggest rooting. Increasing the values as per the guide and getting Viper4Android installed

Question Pixel 6 Pro Audio Crackle

Is anyone else getting an audio crackle when tapping the mic icon for voice typing? I remember this was fixed through software on my Pixel 2xl years back. It basically pops, sounds like it's clipping. VERY annoying.

Great...
Google still can't provide proper speaker and mic since Nexus 4. How many years has it been now they been providing worst audio and mic performance?

zymphad said:
Great...
Google still can't provide proper speaker and mic since Nexus 4. How many years has it been now they been providing worst audio and mic performance?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did a factory reset to see. The microphone in google own messaging app didn't seem to crackle, but through Textra it did.

No crackle for me even on max volume.
What I did notice is that the stereo speaks are imbalanced in terms of volume. The selfie camera side speaker sounds way more "muted" than the charger side speaker.

Cares said:
No crackle for me even on max volume.
What I did notice is that the stereo speaks are imbalanced in terms of volume. The selfie camera side speaker sounds way more "muted" than the charger side speaker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. MAYBE the volume levels are the same on both sides, but the selfie side definitely SOUNDS different. I also dislike the way notifications sound. It sounds like it's coming from the back of the phone going away from me, making it sound like it's coming from a different phone a couple feet away from me.

Cares said:
No crackle for me even on max volume.
What I did notice is that the stereo speaks are imbalanced in terms of volume. The selfie camera side speaker sounds way more "muted" than the charger side speaker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Audio balance has always been an issue with Pixel phones, although they made a change to the series 5 which boosted the ear piece one was called adpative sound, maybe it works as well for 6
Adaptive Sound link

Cares said:
No crackle for me even on max volume.
What I did notice is that the stereo speaks are imbalanced in terms of volume. The selfie camera side speaker sounds way more "muted" than the charger side speaker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not entirely sure there are speakers there. I can't find a teardown video yet.

zymphad said:
Great...
Google still can't provide proper speaker and mic since Nexus 4. How many years has it been now they been providing worst audio and mic performance?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you actually got the phone? All I've seen you do is comment after comment about how rubbish it is but nothing from you directly?
If you hate it so much don't get one.

No crackle for me. I use the mic often and play podcasts through the speakers of the day. The speakers are good, clear and can get loud if ineed them to.

The popping/crackling sound is happening on my pixel 6 non-pro model. If sound is playing and I either type or move around to different screens this happens. Looks like I am returning it.

So far I've only noticed pixel 6 pro speakers crackling playing genshin impact, easily heard on the main menu, but so far only noticed it in that specific title. Not while playing music or other games. So I'm hoping it's software related and I don't have defective hardware.

No crackle so far, just rocken Music.

pjc123 said:
The popping/crackling sound is happening on my pixel 6 non-pro model. If sound is playing and I either type or move around to different screens this happens. Looks like I am returning it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you do a video for us, showcasing when this happens exactly and what kind of noise gets created?

Too late, returned the phone and earbuds. Between this, the lousy fingerprint reader and the phone randomly calling people, I am done.

pjc123 said:
Too late, returned the phone and earbuds. Between this, the lousy fingerprint reader and the phone randomly calling people, I am done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont get how people get so many issues with phones lol... I've never had problems with any of my phones and I've had many...
My FP works 100% of the time, it is just a bit slower than the rest, but even then, just barely. I have a S21 Ultra in front of me right now and after testing both, I can definitely say that the S21 Ultra is a bit faster, the Pixel one is actually more accurate. I would prefer to have it in the back like previous models.
Having said that, if I did have those issues you described I would return it too.

I feel like it's a software thing, honestly. Because when i first setup myh device before I downloaded all the updates, there wasn't any audtio crackle at high/max volume. After I downloaded the updates, it's there slightly.

I don't have crackling or distortion, but I'm getting a good deal of sibilance from both speakers. Here is a definition of sibilance.
Sibilance
I listen to a lot of YouTube podcasts and videos and this is driving me crazy. I wanted to see if anyone else is having this problem before I see about returning the phone. Adaptive sound and balance control makes no difference.

I have a 6 Pro and have noticed crackling from bottom speaker since purchase when turning speaker on during phone calls. For me I otherwise really like the phone. I will be doing a repair or exchange once more phones become available.

I got my replacement brand new 6 pro, and now this one has distorted and crackling sound from the earpiece speaker. When i press the middle part of the screen anywhere.

I have turned off the adaptive audio, and I can hear the balance over blutooth changing. With one headset when listening to a mono podcast, you can hear the audio balance shifting randomly around.
With another bluetooth headset (my hearing aids), the balance starts out biased to the right, but the longer you listen the more it drifts to the left. Stopping and starting the audio stream immediately corrects it.
What is going on -- I have had every OnePlus Pro model since the 6, never had any issue like this.
Anyone have anything similar and or no how to fix? It is so annoying....