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.

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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is the exactly scenario i meant by some audio are softer by default.

How loud is the speaker volume

How loud is the speaker volume on the HTC One X in comparison to the HTC Sensation.
I find HTC sensation to be very low in terms of loudness especially when playing music
As I am getting a upgrade in coming months I need to know

mulkman said:
How loud is the speaker volume on the HTC One X in comparison to the HTC Sensation.
I find HTC sensation to be very low in terms of loudness especially when playing music
As I am getting a upgrade in coming months I need to know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very loud
i have problems turning the alarm sound down, somehow it doesn't stick....
more like it's the same volume regardless of what the volume bar shows

I played a song on both at the same time and the volume was the same, so not loud enough in my opinion.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

Its louder than most phones and the speaker is of a good standard. Its not quite as loud as Samsung note or gs2 it nearly. Volume+ boosts it a bit too.
I would consider it one of the best I have tried for android. You'll not be disappointed.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

trickyhenry said:
Its louder than most phones and the speaker is of a good standard. Its not quite as loud as Samsung note or gs2 it nearly. Volume+ boosts it a bit too.
I would consider it one of the best I have tried for android. You'll not be disappointed.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh crap... I actually bought a Samsung Note from Amazon Germany a couple of months ago and had to return it *specifically* because the speaker volume on that phone is ******. I seriously can't tell from your comment if you have ever used a phone with a good speaker that is clean and loud. And what's up with the "you can increase the volume with Volume+"? Is this some kind of joke or are you the master of stating the obvious? Should I assume that pressing Volume- reduces the volume as well? And pressing the power button turns the phone off?
In any case, if you are telling me that the One X is "good", but "not as good as the Note", and, as I said the Note is a piece of crap to begin with, then I am staying clear of the One X. A loud, clear speaker is absolutely essential in my book

djpav said:
Oh crap... I actually bought a Samsung Note from Amazon Germany a couple of months ago and had to return it *specifically* because the speaker volume on that phone is ******. I seriously can't tell from your comment if you have ever used a phone with a good speaker that is clean and loud. And what's up with the "you can increase the volume with Volume+"? Is this some kind of joke or are you the master of stating the obvious? Should I assume that pressing Volume- reduces the volume as well? And pressing the power button turns the phone off?
In any case, if you are telling me that the One X is "good", but "not as good as the Note", and, as I said the Note is a piece of crap to begin with, then I am staying clear of the One X. A loud, clear speaker is absolutely essential in my book
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
volume+ is an app

i have the note and the one x, the note speaker is a bit louder, feel a bit jealous from my wife's motorola razer, it's speaker is very loud and the voice is very clean.

i couldnt here my one x , standing next to a Gatlinggun. so its useless in war times.

If you want a good speaker go buy a Motorola defy. That's the best loud speaker on any phone IMHO.
Yes volume+ is an app.
Notes speaker is better than most. Maybe you have a dud. Try volume+ to increase volume.
HTC one x speaker is not as loud as notes.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

i used to have a Sensation and now own a One X.
The speaker is muchz better imo, which i really like!

djpav said:
Oh crap... I actually bought a Samsung Note from Amazon Germany a couple of months ago and had to return it *specifically* because the speaker volume on that phone is ******. I seriously can't tell from your comment if you have ever used a phone with a good speaker that is clean and loud. And what's up with the "you can increase the volume with Volume+"? Is this some kind of joke or are you the master of stating the obvious? Should I assume that pressing Volume- reduces the volume as well? And pressing the power button turns the phone off?
In any case, if you are telling me that the One X is "good", but "not as good as the Note", and, as I said the Note is a piece of crap to begin with, then I am staying clear of the One X. A loud, clear speaker is absolutely essential in my book
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have just made a complete arse of yourself, wind your neck in.

Speaker volume and clarity is my number one issue when choosing a phone, followed by battery life and screen resolution. I've used a Motorola Milestone (Euro version of original Droid) for years. Recently I won an HTC Sensation in a prize draw. It's a better phone than the Milestone in every way, bar the lack of a hardware keyboard and the terrible speaker.
The keyboard I can just about live without, but the speaker on the HTC was what killed it for me. I went back to my trusty Milestone after a week, because the speaker is so much better! The Milestone wakes me up every day (and I'm a very heavy sleeper) and the HTC failed every day with its feeble volume. Having some some research into this, I think Motorola phones have by far the best speakers in the industry. Otherwise, they are not quite as cutting edge as the likes of Samsung or HTC. Personally, I'm looking to the new Razr Maxx HD as my next phone, which hopefully will tick all three of my boxes.
SF

[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
Click to expand...
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.

M9 boomsoumd speakers seem to be really low

I've owned the M8 and finally decided to get the M9 and the Boomsound speakers seem to be a let down so far.
I have it set to Music mode and full volume and can barely hear anything. My wife Lg G4 and Sisters Note 4 seem to o be a lot louder. Any fix?
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA Free mobile app

mikaeldalc said:
I've owned the M8 and finally decided to get the M9 and the Boomsound speakers seem to be a let down so far.
I have it set to Music mode and full volume and can barely hear anything. My wife Lg G4 and Sisters Note 4 seem to o be a lot louder. Any fix?
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same here, but only with ringtones and notifications.

Try this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/mod-dolby-atmos-t3109446 o
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2211163

Try to switch from Dolby Theatre to Dolby Music.
If you got root then install Viper4Android and boost the speaker with the tweaks, but it looks like HTC have put a hardware limiter, so above a certain level of tweaking the speakers will keep the same volume, it's still better than stock volume though.

MegaGalan said:
Try this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/mod-dolby-atmos-t3109446 o
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2211163
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has anybody tried the first link (Dolby Atmos) with Viper Rom? Any side effects besides battery drain? Glitches?

I installed the second link mod (Dragon soundmod)..No Luck. The boomsound speakers are NOT loud at all. I love the dual speakers but I prefer the loudness of the Lg G4 back speaker.
With the name BOOMSOUND and all the praises reviewers give this phones speakers, I expected more.

I prefer some quality with my loudness.

Try a song with a higher bit rate or a higher grade video with decent audio quality. You'll see that it is actually loud, HTC just haven't allowed people to break their speakers, something which has happened time and time again since the m7. In terms of audio quality its still the best there is, in terms of loudness, no there's phones out there, including the iPhone 6 with louder speakers. Maybe they could have given more. I'm still happy with it. if I was upset I'd use a mod, but if its going to affect the battery then no I wouldn't bother. Acid mod was good iirc

mikaeldalc said:
I installed the second link mod (Dragon soundmod)..No Luck. The boomsound speakers are NOT loud at all. I love the dual speakers but I prefer the loudness of the Lg G4 back speaker.
With the name BOOMSOUND and all the praises reviewers give this phones speakers, I expected more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure you don't have a hardware problem? Saying "I can barely hear them" strikes me as odd. My speakers aren't deafening, and they're certainly not as loud as a dedicated portable speaker (I have the HK One and use that often), but the M9 is definitely louder than other phones I've seen. My son has a G3 and is always telling he wishes he had the M9 speakers on his.
You might take it back to the store and compare with a floor model.

iElvis said:
Are you sure you don't have a hardware problem? Saying "I can barely hear them" strikes me as odd. My speakers aren't deafening, and they're certainly not as loud as a dedicated portable speaker (I have the HK One and use that often), but the M9 is definitely louder than other phones I've seen. My son has a G3 and is always telling he wishes he had the M9 speakers on his.
You might take it back to the store and compare with a floor model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats what i was thinking about doing. I just watched a video on youtube that compares the HTC M9 to the Xperia Z3, GS6 and iphone 6. The HTC didn't hit as high on the decibel scale as the GS6, so i dont think its a hardware issue but im definitely gonna stop by a tmobile or something and compare.

i installed the dolby atmos mod and it is better than it used to be.

Tommydorns said:
Has anybody tried the first link (Dolby Atmos) with Viper Rom? Any side effects besides battery drain? Glitches?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the biggest let down is the volume of the M9 IMO..... It sounds better, but just isn't as loud. I use mine all the time around the office or at home when doing some things around the house and don't want to use my Bluetooth speaker or ear-buds, so the lower volume killed that option for me.
I started using the Dolby Atmos (first link) on my M9 last week..... Made a world of difference! You get a slight volume boost, plus more global EQ options and it works along with the stock Dolby/Boomsound of the M9. I don't really notice much of a drain, unless I'm doing nothing but listening to music, and at that it's maybe an extra percentage or two per hour. When not using it, I can't tell a difference? You can also turn it off/bypass it. If you don't like it, you can flash the remove zip to take it off.
There's an option in it called "Volume Leveler" that really increases the volume, but you can hear some "funky" compression kick in on loud parts and some distortion..... but for general listening, it works best as a volume boost. I'm actually afraid to turn it up 100% in that mode for the sake of blowing a speaker?

I have the same issue but on comparison to an m7 they are exactly the same. If any difference the m9 is clearer but if you're not too good at hearing then you might not notice any difference at all.
Sent from a stolen HTC M9