Apache MP3 Playback quality has mild static? - General Topics

I'm noticing very faint static when I play back my music files in Windows Media on my Sprint 6700 (Apache). I've tried different headphones and ruled that out. I know the files are good...they play back fine on my Imate Jam.
My guess is that the software or ROM isn't optimized in some way and its causing the distortion.
Anyone else notice this? Any ideas for improving the quality?

After 3 days with the 6700, I'm sending it back. I've been a fan of HTC products back to the first XDA. I've owner 4 of their phones - the XDA, PDA2K, I-Mate JAM, and now the Sprint 6700.
While it's a great product in many ways, it misses the mark in terms of audio quality. For the past year, I've use my I-Mate Jam every day at the gym...it's my IPOD with all my favorite music. I use Yahoo's music service and constantly fill it with new tunes. When the 6700 arrived, I copied my library over and was eager to try it out.
Within five minutes, I was disappointed. First, the volume was amazingly low compared to my JAM. Nealy 40% lower. So much so that on certain songs, it was hard to hear. On my JAM, the volume is so loud it hurts. While I don't turn it up that high, its great to know when you're in a noisy room or on a plane you can hear your music. Bluetooth was even worse. I have an Acura TL with built-in hands free. The JAM works great here. With the 6700, I have to crank the volume nearly twice as much just to hear.
Second, there is a lot of distortion. It's like listening to a dusty record or a worn cassette. Pops, crackles, and skips are very noticeable. My music is encoded at 192Kps...on the Jam its like a CD. On the 6700 its annoying...like I'm listening to my old Sony Walkman from 1985. Some music actually skips a beat.
I just don't get it. This is the 5th generation device from HTC. How come after all this they can't get it right? With each device there have been bad quirks. Things like the PDA2K's faulty Bluetooth support (read the posts and you'll see what I mean) or the JAM's really poor camera. There's always something. Don't they learn from past experience? By now, it should be nearly perfect. Boards like this are full of feedback.
Uggg. I like the rest of the device. WM5 is great. EVDO...WOW! Nice improvements in many areas. The keyboard is solid...more useable than to Palm's Treo. But if you're into music, this device really misses the mark and in my case, that's every day.
I'm going to exchange it in hopes that maybe it's a bad unit. I doubt it though. I've tried four different headphones from the ones inside the box to high-end Bose...all sound the same. It's too bad...I really thought this would be the perfect PDA/Phone combo.

Related

Jabra 200 or 250. if u own one post your nice review here.

ok as ya all know by now ive been looking around for a BT headset. i wud like to invite all the owners of jabra 200 and 250 bt headsets. i wud like to request all the plus and minus of both these headsets. as i would like to buy one i want to know wht should i get. so im expecting reviews only for jabra owners here. thx a lot and hoping for some nice response
I have a BT200 and it is fine as a head set althoughout side wind noise can be a problem. Battery life is good, it out lives the life of the battery in the XDA II any way!
BT 200
I own a BT 200 and am very satisfied about it.
After some minor installation/bonding problems, due simply to the fact that I did not exactly know how to deal with it, I think it makes a good choice.
Battery life OK en especially satisfied about combined use with bluetooth GPS (BT 308)
I've a Jabra 250 headset, impossible to use in good conditions. Tha range is ridiculous.
I sell it to buy a Bluetrek G2.
brilliant. if this goes on i can surely decide to get it or not. 2 good and 1 bad till now. plz keep them comin. thx a lot ppl for ur time.
ALSO I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE CODE NO. NEAR THE MIC SO I KNOW. FIRST 3 PPL WHO WROTE PLZ SPECIFY AS WELL. THX A LOT AGAIN. ITS WRITTEN IN BIG LETTERS TO GET ATTENTION.
25C
hey thx mate. u think i shud get the one that says 16c then. since the other person said it works. i was thinking of gettin the jabra 200 only instead no head aches at all :lol: . im waiting for feedback ppl
I have a J200 with the 03C code. Never had the bonding issues with stock XDA2 BT stack. Sound quality leaves room for improvement though. What I hear is often scratchy... Also note, when you are using the J200 on BT, the mute button on screen (Phone Applet) does not work. NOt sure if there is a fix for this. Can get quite embarassing if you are not aware of this "feature"!
oki so score is 2 on 2. i dont care much bot the mute func. dont use it much. 03C weird code. wht to do oh my godddd :wink: :roll:
Buy a Bluetrek G2, it seems that there's no problem with this headset...
using 250. code 23C. works quite well. one out of ten connections breaks up the voice a bit. have not tried range too much but my use is mostly in the car where it is not far. battery life is fine (well beyond the xdaii)
hope this helps..
I've tested Bluetrek G2, Jabra 250 (code 15C) with XDAII for a month.
- Battery: both are good
- Both can pair at least 2 devices (XDAII and Notebook for IP telephony)
- Jabra: big but pro
- G2: light and small
- Sometime the sound is not good, repair for scan the new frequency slot and they will be OK
Finally, I've selected Jabra 250 because it is easy to hang on your T-shirt button :lol:
hmmm thx for the input. the problem is that i dont get the Bluetrek G2 at all in my country. ill havta hunt. whts the price for the g2 neways. i really like the jabra. go on pplz more input plz
Try by yourself, it's the best solution for you. We can't offer you the solution..
i know that it is. but its the reviews that im interested in mostly.
The most importan is what you think. XDA's users have very different experiences about this headset. Impossible to give you an opinion you can trust
I'm using the 250 (16C) and its OK.
Plus points:
-Design is nice and ppl. wont think that I'm out of this world.
-Battery life is super
-Range is super. My friends are very suprised at the range I'm getting.
But take note. At a long range, there will be a slight delay (2~3 sec. than usual) in getting the tone signal in.
-Easy to hang on the shirt.
-One 2 One-one year warranty (i'm not sure abt. other countries).
-Super clear voice going in to the ears (this is also a problem too) and ppl. talking to us get a clear voice too.
Minus points:
-I get a headache if wearing it for too long (lets say more than 4 hours).
I'm not sure abt. other headsets.
-The sound is indeed scratchy but this is due to its super clear earplugs.
Other products like DCI, Bluetrek, Logitec are also scratchy and breaking voice, but their design is different in a way that it minimize this. Simple to say Jabra is more like 'mid to tweeter' while other models are more 'bass to mid' sound. Logitec goes a step further and add a 'beep' sound when it starts breaking up. I think BT technology needs to improve further.
-I do get very rare case of bonding problem after installing 3rd party bT software. Uninstall it, so back to normal.
-err...paint is slightly dulling out at the area which touches the back of the ears. I'm not sure why but probably due to the perfume or maybe hair oil I'm using. But its very minimal.
nemore reviews ppl ? :shock:
I've got a 250 (06C) and I've had no problems with it.
It's by far the least obtrusive headset I've found, sound quality is perfectly adequate for conversation (not sure it would be good for music, but then music over bluetooth would be bad anyway!) and the range great and battery life is unbelievably long!

Sony DRBT50 and HTC Touch Diamond

After quite a bit of research into which headsets were the most comfortable, had the best sound quality and decent autonomy I chose the Sony DRBT50, found a seller on Ebay and ordered them...
Now, to make a long story a little shorter let's just say that they seem to have gotten lost somewhere between here and Germany and I'm going to be given a refund (thank [insert your divinity here] I took the insurance) and the seller has told me that if he was in my shoes, he wouldn't buy a Bluetooth headset as they don't offer anywhere near the same sound quality as a decent wired pair...
He admitted to only having tried them with Bluetooth dongles and not devices with built-in Bluetooth like the Diamond so (here comes my question) has anyone here had any experience with these headphones in particular or any information about Bluetooth headsets in general to share with me? If you don't think that Bluetooth can provide good sound dynamics which are the best wired headphones in a similar price range (around 150)?
Thanks
---I know that some people have problems with music skipping even with wired headphones but I thankfully don't have this problem (so I don't need warning about this issue)---
NeoGreendawg said:
After quite a bit of research into which headsets were the most comfortable, had the best sound quality and decent autonomy I chose the Sony DRBT50, found a seller on Ebay and ordered them...
Now, to make a long story a little shorter let's just say that they seem to have gotten lost somewhere between here and Germany and I'm going to be given a refund (thank [insert your divinity here] I took the insurance) and the seller has told me that if he was in my shoes, he wouldn't buy a Bluetooth headset as they don't offer anywhere near the same sound quality as a decent wired pair...
He admitted to only having tried them with Bluetooth dongles and not devices with built-in Bluetooth like the Diamond so (here comes my question) has anyone here had any experience with these headphones in particular or any information about Bluetooth headsets in general to share with me? If you don't think that Bluetooth can provide good sound dynamics which are the best wired headphones in a similar price range (around 150)?
Thanks
---I know that some people have problems with music skipping even with wired headphones but I thankfully don't have this problem (so I don't need warning about this issue)---
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a bluetooth stereo junkie and I have bought a lot of sony erricson bluetooth stereo.I liked DRBT50 on pics, but when I used them I felt they are really very heavy and I dint like them.Out of lot of stereos I bought, I think the best one I though is DRBT22 , which is lightweight and absolutely nice stereo.I have also used DS980, but for some reason , I just have them packed.Even those stereo sound is also good, but the battery life is only 4/5 hrs, so you have to recharge them regularly.But DRBT22 bass and trebles are really good and I like them , and also the battery life is 10 hrs which is very good. I suggest you for DS980 or DRBT22 depending on what you like.Similar to BT22, there is also DRBT21, which looks good , as you can wear from behind the neck, but I havent tried those.
regards
Vijayvasa
I never got round to answering this...
After over a month I actually ended up receiving the headset.
The battery life is amazing and the reception's pretty good too. I can easily go about ten fifteen meters away from my phone without the signal starting to break up. Basses are good but the mids are a little lacking. The cups have a lot of padding so they're quite comfortable but not perfect as they are much smaller than I'd imagined (no I don't have big ears).
Overall, it's a decent headset that I can happily wear when taking the dog for a walk but I wouldn't recommend them to an audiophile.
If anyone wants any more details about the headset feel free to ask.
NeoGreendawg said:
I never got round to answering this...
After over a month I actually ended up receiving the headset.
The battery life is amazing and the reception's pretty good too. I can easily go about ten fifteen meters away from my phone without the signal starting to break up. Basses are good but the mids are a little lacking. The cups have a lot of padding so they're quite comfortable but not perfect as they are much smaller than I'd imagined (no I don't have big ears).
Overall, it's a decent headset that I can happily wear when taking the dog for a walk but I wouldn't recommend them to an audiophile.
If anyone wants any more details about the headset feel free to ask.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try this to improve the sound .
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=494220

Placing speakers on back of phones -- What is the purpose of this?

I have to admit, this is something that has been bothering me for a long time, though it used to be a small pet peeve. I never understood why phone manufacturers create phones with speakers on the back.
The majority of smartphones I've owned and used has had speakers placed on the back and, on all of them, it had an effect on the phone's audio quality. On the 8525, the volume would increased greatly if you place it on its back. On the Fuze, it would decrease it greatly (this is in addition to the already low volume of the Fuze). By comparison to these two, the two phones I used which I considered as having the best audio both had speakers on the top/bottom (Nokia E71 and iPhone 3GS).
Which makes perfect sense to me. Listening to music on my Fuze, I always had to place it on some surface which allowed me to leave the 'speaker' portion free so that I could hear the music well. On the other hand, with my iPhone, I could leave it anywhere and it wouldn't matter because, well, the speakers are on the bottom.
Now perhaps it wouldn't bother me so if I knew the purpose of doing this. Off the bat, I know it can't be because of design (as a lot of phones with top/bottom speakers placement remains thin and very sleekly designed), so my second thought was that it had something to do with using speaker-phone. However, I can't really see placing speakers on the top/bottom as opposed to back as having a negative effect on voice quality.
So can anyone inform me, please?

[Q] Note 4 edge best sound / music player - thoughts wanted

Hey All,
Just want some thoughts on best sound / music player setup on the note edge (915G),
I have tried various music players, (Jet music / Shuttle+ / Music player pro and stock music player, which are all good)
I am looking for high end natural sound quality and my question is...do I root and install VIPERFX or choose a good music player or is a good set of headphones a better choice?
I am thinking about buying some AKG 550 headphones which should give a good balance then is it best to play with the music players for better sound quality or do I root and install Viper??
I know its my choice in the end but some thoughts from the community always helps?
I haven't rooted in over a year, but probably Viper if you're going in that direction unless much has changed since then. If you don't feel like rooting, then your best bet is probably PowerAmp. It also takes advantage of the Edge feature, which is nice.
As far as headphones go, if I'm going to spend that much for a pair, then I'm going to be willing to spend whatever the price is to ensure my happiness. For the sake of transparency, you should know that I haven't had a chance to try out AKGs. Having said that, I have a pair of QC25s by Bose and they are pretty freaking amazing. I honestly don't think I can ever go back to passive noise-canceling headphones again.
One of the problems that I have is that I have a very minor case of tinnitus (i.e. permanent ear-ringing). I also like to do my work in public places but find myself getting distracted pretty easily, usually catching trivial conversations that I find somewhat amusing. When I use the QC25s, it's as if I put myself into the zone and nothing can bother me. The upshot of it all is that I don't even have to turn the music up that loud in order to enjoy it, which spares my ears and prevents the tinnitus from worsening.
But what about the sound quality? I personally find that I hear much more of the music with active noise-canceling enabled. I was listening to some Dire Straits, for example, and there were just subtle notes that enhanced the listening experience that I don't recall picking up on before. Let's face it though. You're not going to get incredible, deep bass out of the QC25s, but you will get a very wide, clear sound, allowing you to appreciate depth to songs that you may also not have noticed before.
I don't know if you planned on paying full price for the AKGs or if you're somewhat like me and naturally resistant to "brands," but I would strongly recommend giving the QC25s a good listen before making your decision. I've let several people borrow my pair for 10 minutes and a couple of them actually ended up purchasing their own the following day. If you have the money to burn, you can also customize your own pair with an absurd amount of color selections on their website. In addition to helping me appreciate my music more, they've also increased my productivity in a way that other headphones haven't done, and they will be the standard against which I compare my future purchases. I'm coming over from a pair of passive noise-canceling Sony XBA-2s and it's not even close. While the Sonys are nice, the QC25s have just been game changers for me.
I should add that you just need to take into consideration your listening habits. If you're going to be in quiet places already most of the time, then I would purchase Sennheisers, Grados, or AKGs, but if you're more out and about or on-the-go like me, I just don't see how I could do anything other than the QC25. And obviously, other headphones would be better suited for more fitness-related activities, like Westones, Sonys, or Shures.
Power amp

S8+ Sound!

Bought s8+ on the 6th, no problems till I played music while playing a game. No game in particular, they all do it. I'm a spotify user, enter an app and my volume decreases not by volume by button but physically, I have to maximize my volume to get back the sound I had before entering the application. Otherwise it's far too quiet. Not sure if a bug but there's no option to turn this off. Irritating. Anyone else know how to turn off?
I use spotify and other music apps but my sound it low with any headphones have volume full to max aswell
Sent from my SM-G955F using XDA-Developers Legacy app
rowbaggie22 said:
I use spotify and other music apps but my sound it low with any headphones have volume full to max aswell
Sent from my SM-G955F using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem. Don't think there's anything to be done about it, the DAC inside the phone is just not that good. Pretty disappointing to be honest.
ynrozturk said:
I have the same problem. Don't think there's anything to be done about it, the DAC inside the phone is just not that good. Pretty disappointing to be honest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sound stage is highly subjective. No two individuals will enjoy the same music genre nor the way its reproduced. Some listeners prefer heavy 'boom boom' base while others enjoy a 'bright higher pitched' overall tone, then there's the billions in between those extremes.
One has to be realistic with a mobile phone that performs so many tasks. We read an awful lot about the camera, got to the point where many look at the camera before they even consider signal strength etc? No mobile can, nor should, match a DSLR. Same with the sound reproduction. One cannot compare the quality of sound against a dedicated high res player like the Astel&Kern costing 3k or similar stand alone mobile players. It has to be a question of compromise.
I never use the camera. I do listen to music an awful lot that is why I have spent many thousands of € buying various dedicated high res players. Problem is obvious. Summer day in shorts who wants to carry an DSLR, Dedicated Digital audio player and a mobile phone?
The S8+ sounds fine when paired with decent head phones either on ear or over ear plus ear buds. Many are enjoying the AKG developed ear buds that came with the mobile. I DON'T like the AKG ear buds, that is personal taste though.
Non the less considering the S8+ does so many things so well I cannot fault its sound reproduction considering its a mobile phone
If you desire a true hifidelity portable sound then you are going to have to dig very deep into your pockets. Putting that proposition to one side the S8+ can produce a very acceptable sound for the masses including myself who is a hifi junkie.
Suggestion. Try a number of different head gear ranging from ear buds to on ear head phones. OBVIOUSLY when using the on ear or around ear head phones volume will be affected as the S8+ is not designed to power such head sets even though it does a bloomin good job! When using ear buds you can achieve a high volume. Bluetooth are another option though sound quality does degrade accordingly.
So, all in all its compromise but Samsung has balanced the equation rather well. Again personal taste will always be a major factor eg, I don't enjoy the sound stage LG mobiles produce even though many people do. If you are looking for an exceptional sound stage from a mobile phone try out the Sony range, they should be good being the masters of portable hifi from the off. I enjoy both the Sony and Samsung sound reproduction but give the edge to Sony on most occasions.
Ryland:good:
ynrozturk said:
I have the same problem. Don't think there's anything to be done about it, the DAC inside the phone is just not that good. Pretty disappointing to be honest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you on the Exynos version as well? Maybe it's an Exynos problem, my Snapdragon S8+ has no problem running my Sennheiser HD700's, plenty loud at half volume. (Sounds pretty good too I might add)
Cautions said:
Bought s8+ on the 6th, no problems till I played music while playing a game. No game in particular, they all do it. I'm a spotify user, enter an app and my volume decreases not by volume by button but physically, I have to maximize my volume to get back the sound I had before entering the application. Otherwise it's far too quiet. Not sure if a bug but there's no option to turn this off. Irritating. Anyone else know how to turn off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem on my Oneplus 3T so I do not think it is hardware related. (I was playing pokemon GO while listening to music)
PoLoMoTo said:
Are you on the Exynos version as well? Maybe it's an Exynos problem, my Snapdragon S8+ has no problem running my Sennheiser HD700's, plenty loud at half volume. (Sounds pretty good too I might add)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, Exynos version.
---------- Post added at 09:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:26 AM ----------
Ryland Johnson said:
Sound stage is highly subjective. No two individuals will enjoy the same music genre nor the way its reproduced. Some listeners prefer heavy 'boom boom' base while others enjoy a 'bright higher pitched' overall tone, then there's the billions in between those extremes.
One has to be realistic with a mobile phone that performs so many tasks. We read an awful lot about the camera, got to the point where many look at the camera before they even consider signal strength etc? No mobile can, nor should, match a DSLR. Same with the sound reproduction. One cannot compare the quality of sound against a dedicated high res player like the Astel&Kern costing 3k or similar stand alone mobile players. It has to be a question of compromise.
I never use the camera. I do listen to music an awful lot that is why I have spent many thousands of € buying various dedicated high res players. Problem is obvious. Summer day in shorts who wants to carry an DSLR, Dedicated Digital audio player and a mobile phone?
The S8+ sounds fine when paired with decent head phones either on ear or over ear plus ear buds. Many are enjoying the AKG developed ear buds that came with the mobile. I DON'T like the AKG ear buds, that is personal taste though.
Non the less considering the S8+ does so many things so well I cannot fault its sound reproduction considering its a mobile phone
If you desire a true hifidelity portable sound then you are going to have to dig very deep into your pockets. Putting that proposition to one side the S8+ can produce a very acceptable sound for the masses including myself who is a hifi junkie.
Suggestion. Try a number of different head gear ranging from ear buds to on ear head phones. OBVIOUSLY when using the on ear or around ear head phones volume will be affected as the S8+ is not designed to power such head sets even though it does a bloomin good job! When using ear buds you can achieve a high volume. Bluetooth are another option though sound quality does degrade accordingly.
So, all in all its compromise but Samsung has balanced the equation rather well. Again personal taste will always be a major factor eg, I don't enjoy the sound stage LG mobiles produce even though many people do. If you are looking for an exceptional sound stage from a mobile phone try out the Sony range, they should be good being the masters of portable hifi from the off. I enjoy both the Sony and Samsung sound reproduction but give the edge to Sony on most occasions.
Ryland:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input. I know where you're coming from because I think the same. I'm a musician so audio is kind of a big part of my life. I don't buy a phone expecting it to have the power of my DAC's or amps at home - but I want it to be decent at least. The S8's isn't decent - far from it. I've thrown a number of headphones and IEM's at it and it still performs poorly - because the DAC inside is poor. It really is that quite simple. I don't expect it to run my Beyerdynamic T1's or anything, lol. But I do expect it to run my IEM Shure or Sennheisers at least decently, which it doesn't.
I also agree about the camera part. While I do appreciate a good camera in my phone, when I go out to take pictures I would much rather have my Sony A7RII with me, along with some Zeiss glass.
Ironic that once it was the Exynos versions (Note 3) that had premium audio (Wolfson DAC) while the Snapdragon phones languished. Now it seems it's the exact opposite, lots of complaints from the Exynos crowd and nothing but praise from the Snapdragon set. I personally have the US ATT version (SD835 + Aqstic DAC) and the sound quality is superb, both with full custom Shure SE-535Vs and Sennheiser HD-700s (directly driven from the phone). Definitely a step up from my S7E.
For reference I'm also a musician with a pretty good idea of what real instruments sound like (9ft Concert Grand in my living room).

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