Tinny front speaker? - AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Good evening all,
I am noticing that my Note 4's front-facing speaker has become tinny during normal conversations while holding to ear.
I read all subject lines in troubleshooting forum without any mention of front speaker problems.
I hold my phone to my head and volume is never maximized.
I can't imagine it's blown, and it hasn't been dropped .
Coming up on my 90-day Costco window for replacement.
Any input welcomed?

Mines using that. It seems to boost the sounds during calls so I'm not complaining

Mine seems top blow my ears out when I use it so it seems adequate.
The best answer world be to try another note 4 and see if it sounds the same.

Related

Speaker Hack?

Ok, so I've searched the forum about the speaker quality on the TP2. After playing around with my TP2, I can say that I am impressed with the volume/quality when comparing it to my Kaiser. BUT, the design is a bit flawed when using the phone tilted for watching videos, as mentioned in this thread - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=520823
This makes me wonder if there could be a potential hack for the in-call ear speaker, because it's actually very good in quality - much better than the Kaiser. I'm wondering if it can be hacked to be used at a boosted volume when playing back media, thus utilising all 3 speakers on the phone and giving an all-angle audio extravaganza! My old C550 shared the ear speaker as the external speaker, so I'm wondering if something can be done with the TP2 ear speaker to a similar effect.
Any opinions?
What about SRS WOW?
Have you tested¿
brynweb said:
BUT, the design is a bit flawed when using the phone tilted for watching videos, as mentioned in this thread - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=520823
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Click to collapse
I was pretty pissed that my Acer Aspire One's speaker was on the bottom. It's completely useless. In that instance though, there was plenty of room for speakers in the screen bezel where they would have been usable. For the TP2, there aren't a lot of good places to put it. And since they wanted speakerphone access by flipping the phone over, that placement made sense for enterprise purposes.
I do hope your idea improves its media player creds, but I wonder if amped up audio from the front speaker won't end up sounding as flat as muffled sound from the larger speaker(s?) beneath.

Moto Hint

Who is planning to get a Moto Hint? I am curious how the experience of having bot ha Moto 360 and the Moto Hint will be. I wonder if the two devices will compete for your words or if they will have a synergy making having both worthwhile. I do a lot of talking on the phone so a nice bluetooth headset really interests me.
the only thing i'm worried about with the hint is that it will really look like you're talking to yourself
Oh dang I actually haven't heard about these but I think they look like they'll be a pretty good product for those who use such devices. I would splurge but I don't think I would actually use it very often...
I was curious and found the Moto Hint last night at Best Buy. It fit great in the ear and was really comfortable. I could hear callers clearly. Issue is that callers could not hear me well. I was told that every few words were clear then there would be a gap of silence while I continued to speak. I tried with the Note 3 and iPhone 5 and both had the same results. I then covered the sensor making the Hint believe it was in my ear and spoke directly into the mic about an inch from my mouth. Callers heard everything I said clearly. It appears that the BT mic is too far from the mouth to pick up speech properly. I had high hopes for the Hint and am disapointed that it didn't operate as advertised. Will give it the benifit of the doubt and swap it out for another one before giving up.
Make sure the two microphones are aligned and pointed toward your mouth and not your eyes. You may have to consciously rotate the back of the unit upwards slightly when you put it in the ear so microphones line up such that they point to your mouth. Found this in user guide and it works great with this slight adjustment in ear.
where do you live? i cant seem to find the moto hint on bestbuys website. Looking at motorola website doesn't seem like they are on sale yet T^T i wanna try this headset out pretty bad lol
mistamista2000 said:
I was curious and found the Moto Hint last night at Best Buy. It fit great in the ear and was really comfortable. I could hear callers clearly. Issue is that callers could not hear me well. I was told that every few words were clear then there would be a gap of silence while I continued to speak. I tried with the Note 3 and iPhone 5 and both had the same results. I then covered the sensor making the Hint believe it was in my ear and spoke directly into the mic about an inch from my mouth. Callers heard everything I said clearly. It appears that the BT mic is too far from the mouth to pick up speech properly. I had high hopes for the Hint and am disapointed that it didn't operate as advertised. Will give it the benifit of the doubt and swap it out for another one before giving up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also don't see it on the Best Buy website or Amazon. I found it at the Best Buy in Alexandria, VA. I decided to try another unit since the first was so bad. The Best Buy at the Pentagon City location had five in stock. This one is much better. Tried it last night and the person on the other end of the call could hear and understand everyword I said. Not so good this morning so I will follow gadgetg's instructions. I really like the look and feel of the Hint. Will try it for a few more days before I make the decision to keep it or not. My Plantronics Voyager Edge works great, but definitely not as attractive and discreet as the Hint.
Lucky! Keep us updated!
I Def like the way it looks! I would use it at work most considering i mostly use only one eat with my current setup
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Free mobile app
mistamista2000 said:
I also don't see it on the Best Buy website or Amazon. I found it at the Best Buy in Alexandria, VA. I decided to try another unit since the first was so bad. The Best Buy at the Pentagon City location had five in stock. This one is much better. Tried it last night and the person on the other end of the call could hear and understand everyword I said. Not so good this morning so I will follow gadgetg's instructions. I really like the look and feel of the Hint. Will try it for a few more days before I make the decision to keep it or not. My Plantronics Voyager Edge works great, but definitely not as attractive and discreet as the Hint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in the DC area. I'll have to check those places out. Hopefully they have some left in stock.
I just left a bestbuy in Jax FL and they didn't have them in the system yet
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Free mobile app
I wonder if the hint is using sensors to detect jaw vibrations like this headset
http://www.amazon.com/Jawbone-II-Bluetooth-NoiseAssassin-Packaging/dp/B001AQYUWC
Got the Hint yesterday at my local best buy in Miami and I really want to like it but I'm still on the fence. Calls are nice and loud with no issues with being heard. My issue is with streaming audio and how quiet it is compared to the call volume. I have the call volume at the lowest setting it's so loud but the streaming has to be over 3/4's just to be able to hear it. It also sounds a but tinny but I imagine the tiny speaker is doing its best. I turned off the Moto voice always listening feature since I'm using it with a iphone 6+ and I imagine that will also help a bit with battery life. If anyone has any suggested settings to improve streaming volume or battery life please chime in. I got the best buy 2 year insurance for $20 so I can always trade this one in if they ever come out with a different hardware version later on.
My wife really wants the Gear S when it launches and thought the hint would be the perfect accessory for it. Just worried she will lose it!
Is hint can used for other phone has not motovoice? Any limition will be?
mmx6688 said:
Is hint can used for other phone has not motovoice? Any limition will be?
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Click to collapse
Yes you can. I'm using it with an iPhone 6 plus and it works great. The only limitation is you can't use moto voice. I have to press the mdf to call Siri.
edlex said:
Yes you can. I'm using it with an iPhone 6 plus and it works great. The only limitation is you can't use moto voice. I have to press the mdf to call Siri.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for info. I read some review say the stream sound like music is low and difficult to hear, how about yours? And any problem when talk, need to adjust you head or just feel free to talk in air?
mmx6688 said:
Thanks for info. I read some review say the stream sound like music is low and difficult to hear, how about yours? And any problem when talk, need to adjust you head or just feel free to talk in air?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call volume is very loud but audio streaming and music volume is much lower for some reason.
edlex said:
Call volume is very loud but audio streaming and music volume is much lower for some reason.
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Click to collapse
I see. Maybe need report back to moto.
I posted this on the Motorola Forums, but those of you with a Hint or thinking of getting one may find it useful
A US friend recently bought me a 2nd gen Moto Hint on his visit to the UK and I've got to say that the microphone
performance is really erratic. I did loads of testing and searching on the internet in case the problems were:
a) Related to the Nexus 5 I was using
b) Related to a faulty unit
c) Related to me not using the correct "gel" or positioning it in my ear correctly.
After a LOT of digging and reading the few reviews out there, I found that in quite a high proportion of the reviews I did eventually find, people mentioned about how others heard them; that people speaking into the Hint came across as quite faint and distant - exactly the problems I was getting.
A bit more digging and testing later, and I managed to eliminate both a) & b) from the equation... using a really crude test
involving a Bluetooth recorder app, I uncovered the following (Hope this helps!):
Option1.
Believe it or not, I can get consistent clear audio recorded - and subsequently call quality where others can hear me
very clearly if I... Take the Hint out of my ear and BLOW HARD into the front mic before quickly putting it back on!! I know it sounds crazy, but every time I do this, the Hint's mic works flawlessly for me (I should add, there is no debris or or anything else blocking the hole to actually be cleared and my ears are clean )
And this trick works whatever the orientation of the Hint in your ear is.. it can be positioned so the mic is level with your eyes, pointing a bit further down towards your mouth, whatever... this to me, completely dispells any previous info about rotational position in your ear being critical to mic's pick up (no consumer device suitable for everyday use should be that sensitive to position IMHO)
FYI, an audio engineer friend of mine thinks the sudden burst of white noise caused by blowing into the mic, might re-set the noise cancelling audio sampling start up processes but without pulling the thing apart and reverse engineering its code, they're at a complete loss to comprehensively explain why this should work..
FYI 2, The same audio engineer friend thinks the noise cancelling algorithms are broken in some way which is the root cause of the mic pick up being so poor out of the box, and could be fixed with a software update. They've got an older Moto Elite Sliver with Mics positioned no closer to the mouth than the Hint and the mic audio quality in comparison is damned good without having to resort to tricks..
Option 2. A bit more fiddly but also do-able, is to hold your hand up around your ear "Secret Service Agent/FBI Agent" style. Don't actually touch the hint, just have a couple of fingers brushing against the top of your ear with your palm and wrist towards your mouth to help channel the audio from your mouth into the Hint's mic. YMMV and in someways, having to do this to get enough audio to the mic kinda defeats the purpose of having such a small Bluetooth earpiece - may as well hold your phone up to your ear instead!
Anyway, I hope my findings help someone who's had problems, might've left it in a drawer etc.

Speaker issues/low quality

Greetings, sorry if this is redundant thread but I feel maybe this would get buried under the RL reviews. I have seen this behavior on 4 Pixel 2 XL's so far, one being mine, one being my friends and the two other's being from Verizon and Best Buy displays. Rather than explain here is a small video, excuse the mediocre quality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7FoxEZjgi0&feature=youtu.be . Not sure if it's a case of small poor quality speakers and the volume is set too loud and will be lowered in a future software update? I'm wondering if speakers are just trash in general and it's either put up with it or return it? Or the slight possibility of a bad batch of devices? Or just some freak luck to see 4 units exhibiting the same exact symptoms. Video and music playback do have the same issue at louder volumes, just not to that extent with using the speakerphone with voice calls. Has anyone else noticed this on their new devices? Thanks for your input.
Based on what i tried at verizon and comparing to my iphone 7+ its not good. Not that loud and lack of bass
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
My speakers sort of have a hum/buzz at higher volumes... Do yall's?
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
nldxda said:
My speakers sort of have a hum/buzz at higher volumes... Do yall's?
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Yes, that's exactly what was going on to all four of the devices that I have listened to. My device, my friends device and two demo devices from Best Buy and the Verizon store. It seems to be most noticeable when making calls on speakerphone as was indicated in the video I posted. Music/videos it's still there but not as bad cause possibly the max volume isn't as loud vs a voice call. I'm guessing the speakers are too small and Google set the max volume way too high for what the speakers are capable of. Or could be something else I'm not aware of . Either way for $1k it's pretty sad.
Edit: Decided to get a replacement from Google. Hopefully the next unit isn't as bad.
Supposedly the corners of the screen are adhered to the rest of the phone using some kind of foam backers (look up the ifixit breakdown on this device). Because it's not a 'glue" and closer to a foam, this is apparently what is causing the perceived "buzzy" sound when the volume is too loud.
I will say I was watching videos on youtube last night while my phone was sitting on my dining room table, and it sounded crisp and clear even at 75% loudness. I did not notice any buzzing vibrations going through the display or the phone from the speakers.
Im curious if you hear more noise when pluged in for charging. This was issue when we had nexus 6 with stereo speaker.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
zetsumeikuro said:
Yes, that's exactly what was going on to all four of the devices that I have listened to. My device, my friends device and two demo devices from Best Buy and the Verizon store. It seems to be most noticeable when making calls on speakerphone as was indicated in the video I posted. Music/videos it's still there but not as bad cause possibly the max volume isn't as loud vs a voice call. I'm guessing the speakers are too small and Google set the max volume way too high for what the speakers are capable of. Or could be something else I'm not aware of . Either way for $1k it's pretty sad.
Edit: Decided to get a replacement from Google. Hopefully the next unit isn't as bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed this on 3 different Pixel 2 XLs as well. Does your replacement have it?
Mine does this as well. I'm pretty sure every one of them does. I called Google support last night and of course the tech was either playing dumb or hadn't heard of this but I really can't see how they don't know this is an issue.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
I've noticed about 50% and higher and with high pitched tones on the bottom speaker of my pixel 2 xl gets like a weird vibration or rattle sound. Like something is loose or the speaker is rattling the screen.
I've been listening to mine with music full blast and no issues. Don't alter the sound with the equaliser and it's great. Bottom speaker is louder than the top, but no issues like these on mine.
I just got my 2nd RMA. All of the phones, including the original one, have exhibited the buzzing/vibration from the bottom firing speaker that you all speak of. There is a large thread that confirms this from pretty much everyone. It's very obvious at volume levels of about 80% or higher on my current device. I'm also starting to wonder if the earpiece is crappy too. I just made several rounds of calls and during each call, I could pick up a buzz during low pitched feedback from the other end.
Here is the other thread that covers this exactly. https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2-xl/help/speaker-rattle-distortion-t3699373
---------- Post added at 10:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:10 AM ----------
biffwitch said:
I've been listening to mine with music full blast and no issues. Don't alter the sound with the equaliser and it's great. Bottom speaker is louder than the top, but no issues like these on mine.
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Click to collapse
It's not noticeable when playing music, especially if it's something that's fast paced. Instead, watch a YT video with dialogue, i.e. Linus Tech Tips, at full volume. You'll hear it then.
brnhrd said:
I noticed this on 3 different Pixel 2 XLs as well. Does your replacement have it?
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Click to collapse
Yup, I'm still on my original XL 2 cause there was dirt/dead pixels on my 2nd device. After hearing people don't have the issue on the speakers (which I find hard to believe). I would like to see someone without the issue supposedly doing a speakerphone call above 40% volume to show there's no distortion. So I have my third one coming and I'm pretty sure I'll end up keeping my original. I have zero confidence that I'll get a better or equal screen (w/o dead pixels or black debris particles under the glass). Makes you really think that LG has piss poor QC since the glass is generally fused in OLED displays so you would imagine they would be producing in a sterile environment.
Got one in the mail today and it sounds way better on speakerphone calls. Still has a little of the distortion at 100% volume but it's very minuscule compared to before. Manufacture date of 11/21/17.

Front speaker rattle/distortion

Does anybody else notice when watching videos, particularly, with people talking, that the bottom speaker rattles and distorts at higher volumes >50%?
I filed a RMA replacement for this very reason. My new device is shipped out today.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I have it too.
JeffBea said:
I filed a RMA replacement for this very reason. My new device is shipped out today.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using XDA-Developers Legacy app
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Click to collapse
Budwise said:
I have it too.
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Do you think they'll do some kind of update like lower the overall volume to mask this? I've looked on reddit and a lot of other people are having the same issue.
I decided after posting here that it was bad enough that I would roll the dice on an RMA replacement as well. Anything above around 50% just sounds like crap and the entire glass surface kinda buzzes in your hand. I don't see that being fixed in software...
Budwise said:
I decided after posting here that it was bad enough that I would roll the dice on an RMA replacement as well. Anything above around 50% just sounds like crap and the entire glass surface kinda buzzes in your hand. I don't see that being fixed in software...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me know how your RMA device ends up. I was thinking that this could be due to the fact that the bottom speaker is louder than the top and that making them even would alleviate the problem?
Exact same issue. Also hope to hear how goes from those that RMA. I too notice it most with voices like the Google Assistant vs wider soudscape in music or video.
My speakers have very minor distortion on the highest volume, but any lower and there's none. Honestly the highest volume is much too loud for me anyway. These are the loudest speakers I've ever heard on a phone. They're just about as loud as my laptop.
No point in doing a RMA for this "issue" the volume is too high for the speakers. That or it's unbalanced, It's especially prevalent when you're making a call via speaker phone and ALL the volume is going through the bottom speaker. Both my friends units have it, I've been to three different Verizon stores and they all have it and same with the Best Buy units. Google will most likely lower the overall volume or correct the balance in a software update.
Shake, Rattle, and Roll.
xbox_clive said:
Does anybody else notice when watching videos, particularly, with people talking, that the bottom speaker rattles and distorts at higher volumes >50%?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same complaint. RMA unit (that was brand new) also had the rattling. Annoying. Every tech I chat with has not heard of this problem but it is covered in the Pixel product forums and here. I'm RMA'ing this one as well for the hellofit .. and because I just love re-setting up the phone and my watch... etc.
jeffreysleong said:
I had the same complaint. RMA unit (that was brand new) also had the rattling. Annoying. Every tech I chat with has not heard of this problem but it is covered in the Pixel product forums and here. I'm RMA'ing this one as well for the hellofit .. and because I just love re-setting up the phone and my watch... etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly you're probably just wasting your time and frustrating yourself. Out of all the units I've seen around 8~ both pure black and panda they all had the rattle especially on speakerphone calls because all the volume is coming only from the bottom. It's probably just cheap ass LG speakers that cannot handle the volume that Google has set. I'm assuming they will push a software update to make speakerphone calls on both speakers and lower the overall volume.
Actually, the rattling on my devices was out of the top speaker... One of the speakers was tuned louder than the other. Can't remember which one.
I got a rma. Same problem.
This speaker issue is probably the final issue that will make me return this phone. The rattle is really annoying. The other big issue is color accuracy. Natural and Boosted are not sRGB and too muted. Saturated mode is like cartoon land and browns appear as orange.
These issues would be far less magnified if this phone costed $200 less. But at this price, it's just not worth it for me. Feels like too many compromises.
Yeah noticed the rattle too on the bottom speaker. It's very noticeable at the 75% or above. I don't remember my original device having this so I'm not sure if it was just quieter as this one does seem noticeably loud.
I spoke with Google about this issue today and they stated the upcoming November update should fix it. I HIGHLY doubt it's a software issue, but I figured I would give it a chance. I still expect to have to RMA this thing after receiving the update.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
This is a hardware fault in my opinion if you so lightly touch the speaker mesh it moves around, and it doesn't seem very firm to me. Not to mention the dust issue, I had my phone for a day or so and already I can see the dust build up around the speaker mesh (I'm very clean I don't just put my phone in any place). Too much room around the speaker mesh is probably an issue for long-term
I have this issue with my pixel 2 xl. I rma'd it and got another brand new replacement. The replacement device has the same issue.
The Nexus 6p had the same issue when it was released, Google then pushed an update and or was all fixed. Getting in this RMA vicious is not going to solve it.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
I have this also but I thought somebody on YouTube said that Google turned the top speaker down for this reason but maybe they didn't turn it down enough.

[Minor Mod] Fix the low volume issue from the Earpiece. If you think you have it.

Hi everyone.
I wanted to share a tip with you in regards to the Earpiece volume.
Ive been on the Mix wagon since it started with mi Mix. I was so happy with it but, so disappointed with the pizo sound technology.
I hated it; the sound was not good at all. I would always try to increase the volume during calls even though it was at max.
Then I bought the Mix 2S for my wife, the Earpiece on that device was so good I was just waiting patiently for the next Mix.
Mix 3 drops, bought at at launch. My joy wasn't for a long time though.
Tried the Earpiece and it sucked big time. I went back to always trying to increase the volume during calls even though it was at Max.
I would always ask people to speak up during calls. Am sure u did the same at one point when it's busy and crowded or if you work at a noisy place like an airport (my case).
Then I figure it out it wasn't the Earpiece - nor my Ear in case you were thinking it- it was STUPID Xiaomi with thier tin tiny holed grill piece. The front and back grill pieces are holed so tiny their easily get blocked. Hence less and less volume over time.
I had the courage to remove the front earpiece grill - FYI it was just glued-and never been more satisfied with the Mix 3. My calls volume in the middle of the bar and the voice is loud and clear.
Sorry for the long story and try it if you think u have the same issue I had.
You still make phone calls??
I have the same problem!!
Hii there!! I have the same problem!
If yo slide the phone (essentially uncover the inner earpiece), its increase the in call volume ??

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