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..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

Speaker making slight hissing and a click noise

Is anyone getting these slight clicking noise from the speaker whenever the phone is in use, like opening an app for example. I got my phone phone from the launch event (5th in line!! ) and i only noticed when it was really quiet in my room these noises came from the speakers.
To check, open an app and quickly put your ear to the speaker and I hear a hissing noise then a soft click. Always happens when i open an app!
I went back to Phones4U, the guy could tell it was faulty so I got it replaced..now same problem!! (not as loud as before, but still there)
Anyone having the same problem? can anyone check for me? this can't be normal!

saffad said:
Is anyone getting these slight hissing noise from the speaker whenever the phone is in use, like opening an app for example. I got my phone phone from the launch event (5th in line!! ) and i only noticed when it was really quiet in my room these noises came from the speakers.
To check, open an app and quickly put your ear to the speaker and I hear a hissing noise then a soft click. Always happens when i open an app!
I even went back, the guy could tell it was faulty so I got it replaced..now same problem!! (not as loud as before, but still there)
Anyone having the same problem? can anyone check for me? this can't be normal!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I have that problem. It's one of those things that you don't really notice until you know it's there, then you hear it all the time
Someone on another forum posted they had the same, so it might not be an isolated problem.

Isn't that just the touch click?
Try Settings/Sound/Touch sounds.
Personally I rather like it..

TonyHoyle said:
Isn't that just the touch click?
Try Settings/Sound/Touch sounds.
Personally I rather like it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I have that turned off.
It happens whenever the speaker is used - when the sound stops there is a quiet hiss, followed by a pop as the speaker switches off.
Try it - hold the speaker right up to your ear, and use the volume rocker to hear the beep. Afterwards there is hiss followed by a pop.
It's not noticeable enough to be an issue (for me) in normal use, but you can hear it if you're in a quiet room.

Shodney said:
No, I have that turned off.
It happens whenever the speaker is used - when the sound stops there is a quiet hiss, followed by a pop as the speaker switches off.
Try it - hold the speaker right up to your ear, and use the volume rocker to hear the beep. Afterwards there is hiss followed by a pop.
It's not noticeable enough to be an issue (for me) in normal use, but you can hear it if you're in a quiet room.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can hear it on my G2x... I'm sure it's not an issue and your just being paranoid because you dropped a whole bunch of cash on a new phone

TonyHoyle said:
Isn't that just the touch click?
Try Settings/Sound/Touch sounds.
Personally I rather like it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The click comes like 3 seconds after you make an input, so it doesn't sound right and it just sounds random (and annoying).
thanks tho!
Edit: Turning off Touch sounds, seems to stop it, whenever im using the phone..but yeah still happens whenever the speaker is in use but that i can live with that!

Shodney said:
No, I have that turned off.
It happens whenever the speaker is used - when the sound stops there is a quiet hiss, followed by a pop as the speaker switches off.
Try it - hold the speaker right up to your ear, and use the volume rocker to hear the beep. Afterwards there is hiss followed by a pop.
It's not noticeable enough to be an issue (for me) in normal use, but you can hear it if you're in a quiet room.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Happens with my OG Droid. I only started noticing it one late night when for no reason I had the speaker right up next to my ear.
I don't think it's anything to worry about

KiNG OMaR said:
I can hear it on my G2x... I'm sure it's not an issue and your just being paranoid because you dropped a whole bunch of cash on a new phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heh, that's certainly got something to do with it
As I say it's not really an issue, and it's not unique to this phone (as you point out). Just one of those annoying niggles - it depends on how sensitive you are to these things

Yes - I have the same problem with my new Galaxy Nexus. In fact, even if it's not a problem for most people, I'd say it is a problem for Samsung because I returned my phone yesterday and got it swapped out. The new one has the same problem, so I assume it's an Android software problem rather than a hardware glitch.
So that's at least two returns caused by this problem. Hope we get a fix at some point!
p.s. Phone is great by the way, even with the annoying click.

Guys
This is hardware problem. And it happens on most of the speakers however its more or less noticeable on some devices.
I have quite good quality monitors (studio speakers) and i can hear something hissing in the back.
Let me put it that way.
Every speaker needs electricity to work. The noise you are hearing is the actual electric current coming through the speakers. The sudden pop and lack of the hiss means that speaker has been turned off. For obvious reasons there is no point for the speaker to work constantly....
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda premium

I can't hear any click when I plug headphones in, so maybe you're right - the click could be when the amplifier that powers the internal speaker turns off...
However, for some reason I still get a click if the phone is in silent mode. I guess putting it in silent mode doesn't guarantee it keeps the amplifier turned off.

I hope it's just the speakers; the DAC in my HD2 hissed for a few seconds after any sounds even through my headphones. The hissing was always there when there was sound. It was quite depressing. I'm hoping for a good DAC in the Galaxy nexus.

I've got a click (sounds just like a quite speaker pop) from the back cover.
Turn your GN over and push the back cover, on the "Google" logo (below the camera flash). Then quickly release your finger.
Sometime it can happen with only the lightest of touches. If i put my phone down on my chest, the pick it up.
If you look really closely you can see the cover moving just below the camera surround.

Issue has been reported to google.
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=22307
I have this issue on my gnex. Its def a sw problem. I took the back cover off and still have the issue.

slightly different, but also hiss related...
my rezound does the same thing when headphones(or aux to car) are plugged in and nothing is playing. once you start to play something you don't notice it. and its a confirmed issue.

It's a hardware issue guys, depends on the audio chip I believe. Impedance-related.

Here is the other thread with this annoying sound
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=20087759
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

It isn't just on the speaker either. Atleast on my Galaxy Nexus, I can hear it when listening on high end professional in-ear headphones. I can verify that it is almost certainly a signal isolation problem. The activity causes the DAC (the thing that makes a digital signal into an analog signal that speakers and headphones need) to kick on for a few seconds and until it shuts off you can hear the noise coming out of the DAC. It's pretty substantial on mine though, so I'm wondering if I got a bad unit. I'll have to stop by a Verizon Wireless store and plug in to the display unit to see if it is any better. I never noticed this on my Galaxy S (Fascinate).

My unit is also affected, it was made in Vietnam. I checked the Google Code issue tracker link (http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=22307) and I can see many people confirming this also. This is definitely not how the speaker should work - I checked another Samsung phone (SGS II) and there's no such "clicks". There's some silent noise but not the click.
I can hear it from the speaker only, not through the headphones.
I think many users are unaware of the issue because it is often only noticeable in a silent environment.

Yes getting same issue. Have tried different ROMS to no avail

[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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Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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

Ear speaker rattle/static noise

Noticed this happening the other day. I can still hear fine to some degree, but it sounds like the speaker has rattling or static sound. Wondering if anyone else has had this issue? I'm running the latest project nexus build, though I don't think its related. Speaker still functions as it should, just with all the feedback noise. Any help is much appreciated, hoping there could be a different solution than replacing the speaker.

My earpiece speaker rattles and/or buzzes at higher volumes - not excessively high volumes either, but levels you might need in a noisy environment. I have to turn it down a bit to stop it. If it was any worse, I'd request a replacement. The earpiece speaker is not terribly high quality compared to most of my previous phones.

grabber5.0 said:
My earpiece speaker rattles and/or buzzes at higher volumes - not excessively high volumes either, but levels you might need in a noisy environment. I have to turn it down a bit to stop it. If it was any worse, I'd request a replacement. The earpiece speaker is not terribly high quality compared to most of my previous phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly when I turn my volume down I still get the same amount of feedback, just at a lower volume.

I have only noticed it since I received the March 2016 Security Update.
Edit: I should probably say I have noticed it more since I received the March 2016 Security Update.

I have a Nexus 5X H790 bought in the US, and here in Brazil this model has not yet been arrive. With less than a month has problem in the ear speaker. The voice was distorted, noisy. I lost the warranty, but changed by a Nexus 5 (2013) speaker. Yes, they are compatible, and the replacement is very easy.