Related
Hi, i've seen a lot of request for a raphael speaker hardmod and also tried to find one myself, well.. As you thought, no luck.
So I decided to make one of my own, and yes, it works!
So here's what i've done (every piece makes it a bit better, so, choose the ones you wish to do, or do all of them like i did!):
1. Cut the back cover to look similiar to the original desing from htc (Picture 1)
Just throw the first metal grill (the one on the back cover) to garbage, that's what i did As the speaker has a cloth on it, you don't need those grills.
2. Make some room for sound to echo inside the back cover (Picture 2)
I did 1. and 2. with normal household scissors.
3. Prevent the sound from the front of the speaker going to the back of the speaker and thus undoing some sound. Try to insulate the back a bit (Picture 3) I did it with 2-sided 1mm thick tape and left the protecting layer on the tape (green) so it doesn't stick to the back cover.
4. Open up the phone (Help to disassembly here), lift the speaker and the.. uh.. thing on top of the speaker off from the back housing carefully (2-sided tape keeping it in place) so you wont break it. Time to throw away the second metallic speaker grill! Use scissors to carve the speaker hole bigger (see speaker in picture 3), use the tape that kept the speaker in it's place as a guide to how big to carve the hole, but don't cut any tape off, the hole becomes too big if you do that!
Video 1 : Results of the mod, you should hear the difference clearly! Too bad i didn't have a video of an original Raphael, but i think you do have one there as you're reading this.
Video 2 : Comparing the results with and without the back cover. This shows how big difference does the "sound echoing space" inside the back cover (Whatever) do!
And last side note before you begin, i will not take responsibility of ANY damage etc you manage to do to your precious phone. I've broken one already, did the mistake to grab the speaker wires and the speaker stopped working as the wires cut off.
Also, be VERY careful with this mod, you're working with the interior of the phone! Please don't do this if you don't have any experience disassembling/reassembling mobile phones.
Hope this helps you as much as it did me! It actually sound better live than on the vid, too bad my camcorder saves the vid to some ****ty format when recording to SD.
(Did i rickroll you btw? )
My apologies to the OP, I inadvertently merged this thread with my Q&A's thread. Enjoy this speaker fix.
is it just me or am i not hearing any sounds at all in those videos? (unless it uses a special type of codec..)
id love to hear the difference
Is the speaker volume really to quiet to justify a hardCORE mod that could ruin your phone?
Rottis said:
Hi, i've seen a lot of request for a raphael speaker hardmod and also tried to find one myself, well.. As you thought, no luck.
......format when recording to SD.
(Did i rickroll you btw? )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GR8 work!
it's nice to see you can fix the very low system volume.
I was especially amazed from the echo box effect on the rear housing.
thanks!
ndda said:
Is the speaker volume really to quiet to justify a hardCORE mod that could ruin your phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Initially, I was not going to reply to this, but it seems to me that you may be in the process of buying a Fuze and this may be very important for you to know.
No, the system volume is not that low, and frankly speaking, it is an issue which exists in some phones, not all. And, if it's possible for you to take a look at the phone at an AT&T store, do so, and decide for yourself (take a look at more than one Fuze).
@Rottis: Would you disagree that the low volume problem does not exist on all phones?
incisivekeith said:
Initially, I was not going to reply to this, but it seems to me that you may be in the process of buying a Fuze and this may be very important for you to know.
No, the system volume is not that low, and frankly speaking, it is an issue which exists in some phones, not all. And, if it's possible for you to take a look at the phone at an AT&T store, do so, and decide for yourself (take a look at more than one Fuze).
@Rottis: Would you disagree that the low volume problem does not exist on all phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't know that the volume problem exists on some phones. I own a HTC Touch Pro by Vodafone with no issues related to the volume (other annoying issues though).
I thought that the phones should be technically similar only with different brandings.
Do they use different hardware?
incisivekeith said:
Initially, I was not going to reply to this, but it seems to me that you may be in the process of buying a Fuze and this may be very important for you to know.
No, the system volume is not that low, and frankly speaking, it is an issue which exists in some phones, not all. And, if it's possible for you to take a look at the phone at an AT&T store, do so, and decide for yourself (take a look at more than one Fuze).
@Rottis: Would you disagree that the low volume problem does not exist on all phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, not all phones have the problem. I had an Sony Ericsson P1i before this raphael, and its speaker was truely amazing! And you could make it even better with a softmod.
That's the main reason i did this mod, as I have gotten used to a good quality speaker.
@Giannis86: try to install FFDSHOW (google for it) and it should work. Do not use Windows Media Player though. Sorry, i don't know the codec it uses for sound, but it should be some popular one, i didn't have to install any codecs for it (Using ubuntu btw).
@ndda: Yes it is, have you ever heard it? Or if you have, have you ever compared it to, for example the P1i?
If you ask me, the mod was worth it!
@ndda: Sorry, i missed a part in your message, yeah, i think they DO use the same hardware, it wouldn't make any sense if they didn't.
Well, the sprint version is different, but that does make sense.
I've done something similar to this with my old Dell Axim x5 to fix a touch-screen issue, but I did this knowing my Axim was worth only $50. I think it would have been more helpful if you showed a picture of the speaker wire and the connector, because I had to deal with that with my Dell and it wasn't as delicate as you describe the one on the Raphael.
Here's some pics of the speaker, it's wire and connector as requested.
The pics I took from the Raphael service manual, sorry for low quality.
Pic 1 (MB Connector)
Pic 2 (Speaker connected)
Pic 3 (Speaker + wire)
Btw, as said here earlier, the service manual can be easily found from the internet
None of your links go through any more... could you post new links for the mod pics & vids please?
gdbnet said:
None of your links go through any more... could you post new links for the mod pics & vids please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That must have been a temporary problem, as they all work perfectly fine at the moment. Please try again
Hi there,
I have the feeling that my microphone sensitivity is way to high - I mean you don't have to talk that loud in order to produce annoying cracks/snaps in every video recording. Is there any way to low the microphone volume level ? Do you face the same problem ?
yep, same here. when making voice calls the microphone level is a little too low for my taste, but when recording videos, mic sensitivity is through the roof. if someone's talking right next to me while i'm recording or if i start talking there's heavy sound distortion going on in the video. i record a lot of paintball matches and most of my (if not all) videos have unusable (corrupted) audio tracks due to either me talking or loud backgound noises.
/edit:
i uploaded a sample video... don't mind what's going on there, we were testing our newly bought sup-air paintball field for the first time, even though we were only halfway done preparing everything ;D
Sample Video @ YouTube
you're right, especially with video recording, a single light wind when recording outside and all the sound is bad
I took very nice HD videos of my holidays, but for most of them all you hear is a stressing noise due to the wind in the microphone.........and the wind was light, the usual light wind on a beach
This is exactly what I been saying. I'm not a HTC bashed but their promo gave the impression video sound quality would be impressive.
misiek_to_ja said:
Hi there,
I have the feeling that my microphone sensitivity is way to high - I mean you don't have to talk that loud in order to produce annoying cracks/snaps in every video recording. Is there any way to low the microphone volume level ? Do you face the same problem ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, everybody has this problem. The mic gain is set too high during stereo-recording, resulting in clipping, especially when close to the sound-source. Still not solved in 2.3.4 either. I don't think it's a hardware problem, but a settings problem. It is much less problematic when recording in mono.
Use this: https://market.android.com/details?id=yuku.mp3recorder.lite&feature=search_result
Dacoit said:
Use this: https://market.android.com/details?id=yuku.mp3recorder.lite&feature=search_result
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but I need to be able to adjust the stereo mic sensitivity in the video recorder.
mista.maja said:
i uploaded a sample video...
Sample Video @ YouTube
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
This is exactly what I'm experiencing, thanks for uploading it ! It is really strange nobody shared this issue before on any forum. At first I thought my device is damaged or something. Anyway it is good to hear there is a little chance they will fix it by software upgrade. What I can suggest is to simply create a support ticket request to HTC demanding to have it solved. If more people will complain about it maybe they will do something to fix this.
Yeah, they really need to fix it. They were really touting the stereo sounding recording as an important feature on the phone. Does anyone know if any custom ROMs can fix it?
sowen222 said:
Thanks, but I need to be able to adjust the stereo mic sensitivity in the video recorder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly... For a while I thought my device was damaged until I saw others complaining too. It sounds like it is due to poorly adjusted noise cancelling. Stock voice recorder makes horrible recordings, too. You have to speak unusually loud to get your voice recorded. It also affects applications like Soundhound: nothing gets recognized unless the source is really loud.
Proper etiquette aside (hint: don't use speakerphone while doing your "business" in a public bathroom), rate this thread to express how you think the Xiaomi Mi 5's speakerphone performs. A higher rating indicates that you love it: it's loud and it's clear.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
it's loud, but on max volume there's a lot of distortion, contacted Xiaomi, they sayed that's normal (i don't think so, maybe faulty batch, mine's 64GB white one). Overall, loud, but not clear enough.
How is the sound quality through 3.5mm jack?
killbox said:
How is the sound quality through 3.5mm jack?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great and loud, loudest from all phones i had. Check gsmarena review for more details
Anybody tried to cover one of the speakerphone holes? I've tried mine, and sounds from the left ones are small compared to the right ones. I looked into the holes, and it seems that something covered the left holes from the inside. I've attached a picture of it.
vegasphinx said:
Anybody tried to cover one of the speakerphone holes? I've tried mine, and sounds from the left ones are small compared to the right ones. I looked into the holes, and it seems that something covered the left holes from the inside. I've attached a picture of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same for my phone, seems to be normal
vegasphinx said:
Anybody tried to cover one of the speakerphone holes? I've tried mine, and sounds from the left ones are small compared to the right ones. I looked into the holes, and it seems that something covered the left holes from the inside. I've attached a picture of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the left hole probably contains mic and no speaker and also for symmetry
loud and clear
loud and beautiful
Sent from my MI 5 using XDA-Developers mobile app
The speakerphone is very loud and clear, it's amazing to have the combination of both
In test the loudspeaker is quiet good
Source: G******A
vegasphinx said:
Anybody tried to cover one of the speakerphone holes? I've tried mine, and sounds from the left ones are small compared to the right ones. I looked into the holes, and it seems that something covered the left holes from the inside. I've attached a picture of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey mate,
That is not the speaker hole. That hole for the mic and this phone comes with the single speaker (just mono not like stereo).
Headphone
I have no problem with the speakerphone sound, but the headphone out could be a lot better, lots of background noise with sensitive in ear monitors. That said, other "flaships" like the LG G2 suffer from the same problem...
Which ROM are you using? Do you have VoLTE in your country?
I am using CM 13.0-20161211-NIGHTLY.
The speakerphone sound is pretty loud and clear, but my friends tell me my mic is pretty bad while I'm using the speakerphone.
I think my problem is ROM dependent rather than a hardware defect.
I am planning to revert to MIUI soon, I will keep you posted.
I got crackling and broken loudspeaker, tried to flash another ROM but the issue persisted :crying:
I flashed MIUI Global Stable ROM.
The speakerphone now works fine on phone calls.
I still got issues on Skype calls though (it occurs only on Skype).
i got htc one m8 now, and planning to upgrade to this phone, what do i need to expect about sound quality?
strikereg said:
I have no problem with the speakerphone sound, but the headphone out could be a lot better, lots of background noise with sensitive in ear monitors. That said, other "flaships" like the LG G2 suffer from the same problem...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm afraid it's your headphones mate. The phone is very clear and proper tests (through GSMarena) show that it has the lowest distortion of any phone on the market (conparable to Sabre DACs), not to mention it's decently loud too, something phones like the G2 can't boast. That said, I didn't like the sound signature (how the output is shaped), so I replaced the audio driver with Viper4Android and disabled Xiaomi's driver altogether. I suggest you try that and see if that works for you?
xdadevet said:
I'm afraid it's your headphones mate. The phone is very clear and proper tests (through GSMarena) show that it has the lowest distortion of any phone on the market (conparable to Sabre DACs), not to mention it's decently loud too, something phones like the G2 can't boast. That said, I didn't like the sound signature (how the output is shaped), so I replaced the audio driver with Viper4Android and disabled Xiaomi's driver altogether. I suggest you try that and see if that works for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In a way it really is the headphones, for being such good IEM
They cost more than the Xiaomi Mi5. Problem is, good IEM are generally very sensitive, so they need a good quality source, with no background noise.
Sorry but it the Mi5 really has bad sound quality. Way worse that any iPhone.
I've given up and went and bought an IPhone 7. No problems there, of course.
strikereg said:
In a way it really is the headphones, for being such good IEM
They cost more than the Xiaomi Mi5. Problem is, good IEM are generally very sensitive, so they need a good quality source, with no background noise.
Sorry but it the Mi5 really has bad sound quality. Way worse that any iPhone.
I've given up and went and bought an IPhone 7. No problems there, of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also prefer IEMs for their sound quality. Which ones do you use? Also, check out this website and run the tests, it's quite fun and revealing: http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php
See the attached screenshot. There shouldn't be an audible distortion difference between the Mi 5 and iPhone. And unlike the iPhone, you can actually change the audio driver to suit your preference.
Edit: Looking at the numbers you can see that the Mi 5 has quicker frequency response, lower noise level, higher dynamic range, less harmonic distortion, less intermodulation distortion, and less stereo crosstalk than an iPhone 6s. There is not a single thing you can measure where the iPhone does better yet you call the Mi 5 "way worse". I don't have an iPhone on me so I can't verify it myself, but output should be identical.
I was wondering... is RN7P able to output stereo sound? If you go to CIT (settings->my device->all specs and tap kernel version 5 times) and choose test number 12 ( play music by receiver), you can hear music coming from... well the receiver (earpiece). It is loud enough, although not as loud as a main speaker, to hear it at normal volume levels. So does anyone have any idea/experience about the possibility of enabling stereo sound with a mod or something? My last phone did have stereo sound, and the sound from the earpiece was a little quieter than the main speaker, just like in this case.
1375965485501144093271341 said:
I was wondering... is RN7P able to output stereo sound? If you go to CIT (settings->my device->all specs and tap kernel version 5 times) and choose test number 12 ( play music by receiver), you can hear music coming from... well the receiver (earpiece). It is loud enough, although not as loud as a main speaker, to hear it at normal volume levels. So does anyone have any idea/experience about the possibility of enabling stereo sound with a mod or something? My last phone did have stereo sound, and the sound from the earpiece was a little quieter than the main speaker, just like in this case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I copy here a question posted on another post (sorry, i'm quite busy, can type a new question here)
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Hi,
I just installed the global rom miui_VIOLETINGlobal_V10.2.8.0.PFHINXM_997265e49a_9 .0.zip on my brand new RN7PRO china 6/128. No problem for the installation but, I found out that only the right speaker is working under all condition. I tried with MP3, Games, youtube, and other audio files.
Now, I don't know if depend on the rom installed or is a device that is expecting to work like this.
Anyone can tell me if both or only one speaker is working??
The phone has only one main speaker (on the bottom side, to the right of the usb port when you are looking at the screen), if that i what you mean.
1375965485501144093271341 said:
The phone has only one main speaker (on the bottom side, to the right of the USB port when you are looking at the screen), if that i what you mean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, mate!!!!
that's was exactly what I was looking for! :cyclops:
I will look into your question and see if I found something.
Thanks, again
PS: So, the other "holes" that look like a speaker on the left side of the USB looking the screen...what is it?? very big microphone??
The holes are there for aesthetic reason, to preserve the symmetry of the device.
nemo81 said:
Thanks, mate!!!!
So, the other "holes" that look like a speaker on the left side of the USB looking the screen...what is it?? very big microphone??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the holes on the left side is for the microphone.
Like other said, they design it symmetrically for aesthetic reason.
TheMrBinary said:
Yes, the holes on the left side is for the microphone.
Like other said, they design it symmetrically for aesthetic reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Audio jack on the bottom it's better.
Can anyone please tell me what that 2nd cutout on the top is, it's driving me crazy.
There were rumours that it's an 'IR' blaster, yet not a mention of it at the unpacked event and no subsequent 'hands on' videos have even mentioned it's existence.
Does it beam 'DeX' wirelessly to a TV/monitor, is it a secret weapon?
Please, someone, anyone, put me out of my misery.
kxdaorbit said:
Can anyone please tell me what that 2nd cutout on the top is, it's driving me crazy.
There were rumours that it's an 'IR' blaster, yet not a mention of it at the unpacked event and no subsequent 'hands on' videos have even mentioned it's existence.
Does it beam 'DeX' wirelessly to a TV/monitor, is it a secret weapon?
Please, someone, anyone, put me out of my misery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a spycam....no, just kidding, just kidding - it was reported to be a 3rd microphone for cutting out any background noise.
I've never seen one before - no one has - but I'm guessing it's a white hole.
A *white* hole?
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. A black hole sucks time and matter out of the Universe; a white hole returns it.
Sent from my MI MAX 3 using Tapatalk
Some say a mic and some say a small speaker, waiting on reviews now
kxdaorbit said:
Can anyone please tell me what that 2nd cutout on the top is, it's driving me crazy.
There were rumours that it's an 'IR' blaster, yet not a mention of it at the unpacked event and no subsequent 'hands on' videos have even mentioned it's existence.
Does it beam 'DeX' wirelessly to a TV/monitor, is it a secret weapon?
Please, someone, anyone, put me out of my misery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bigger cutout on top is a speaker as well as at the bottom of the phone.
Charkatak said:
The bigger cutout on top is a speaker as well as at the bottom of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, maybe my question wasn't as clear as it could have been.
I was questioning the cutout on top of the phone, next to the sim tray hole. Since found out that it's another microphone, used in the 'sound focus' (or zoom sound) feature.
kxdaorbit said:
Sorry, maybe my question wasn't as clear as it could have been.
I was questioning the cutout on top of the phone, next to the sim tray hole. Since found out that it's another microphone, used in the 'sound focus' (or zoom sound) feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understood you correctly. Next to the sim tray hole to me is the speaker. The device to my knowledge has stereo speakers, as S10, but since the earpiece cutout is so small, I don't think Samsung would make it a speaker as it is on S10.
One mic is on top, another one is at the bottom and another one(Sound focus mic?) is located next to the 3 camera lenses(on the edge of the camera housing/frame) - can't find that video that showed the location of the mic next to cameras
Charkatak said:
I understood you correctly. Next to the sim tray hole to me is the speaker. The device to my knowledge has stereo speakers, as S10, but since the earpiece cutout is so small, I don't think Samsung would make it a speaker as it is on S10.
One mic is on top, another one is at the bottom and another one(Sound focus mic?) is located next to the 3 camera lenses(on the edge of the camera housing/frame) - can't find that video that showed the location of the mic next to cameras
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry dude, the video you're talking about doesn't exist, there's no mic next to or anywhere near the camera array.
The cutout in question is absolutely a mic, and the earpiece does indeed doubles as the secondary speaker.
Microphone
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
try this ....
https://www.xda-developers.com/samsung-galaxy-note-10-new-features/
marcgear said:
try this ....
https://www.xda-developers.com/samsung-galaxy-note-10-new-features/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is getting more confusing by the minute, even Sammobile seem confused, having updated their story on this twice already.
Some Youtube reviewers saying yes, others saying no, a lot of fake news floating around this feature.
Will just have to wait till I hold it in my own 2 (or is it 3?) hands.
kxdaorbit said:
This is getting more confusing by the minute, even Sammobile seem confused, having updated their story on this twice already.
Some Youtube reviewers saying yes, others saying no, a lot of fake news floating around this feature.
Will just have to wait till I hold it in my own 2 (or is it 3?) hands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was in Best Buy store and did try opening YouTube to hear the speakers. So the earpiece and the top hole are both speakers. Also on the white color(easier to spot), there is a small slit in the side of the 3 cameras frame(closed to the side where flash is) - I think it is the zoom mic
Charkatak said:
I was in Best Buy store and did try opening YouTube to hear the speakers. So the earpiece and the top hole are both speakers. Also on the white color(easier to spot), there is a small slit in the side of the 3 cameras frame(closed to the side where flash is) - I think it is the zoom mic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right, there now seems to be a consensus amongst the early reviewers, and posts by 'XDA' members such as yourself, who've seen it in person.
The mic in the camera frame slit is such an elegant work of engineering, that I can't understand why 'Samsung' wouldn't be shouting it from the rooftops, but yet it's nowhere mentioned in marketing or spec infographics.
I do wonder though whether it impacts (however slightly) on the waterproofing of the device, maybe the reason it didn't achieve the IP69 rating as earlier touted?
Apologies for my dismissal of your earlier post, you were right all along.
kxdaorbit said:
You're right, there now seems to be a consensus amongst the early reviewers, and posts by 'XDA' members such as yourself, who've seen it in person.
The mic in the camera frame slit is such an elegant work of engineering, that I can't understand why 'Samsung' wouldn't be shouting it from the rooftops, but yet it's nowhere mentioned in marketing or spec infographics.
I do wonder though whether it impacts (however slightly) on the waterproofing of the device, maybe the reason it didn't achieve the IP69 rating as earlier touted?
Apologies for my dismissal of your earlier post, you were right all along.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was curious too about the speaker placement and mic's location when Samsung unveiled devices. I wanted the top hole to be IR Blaster, but at least we get nicer sound. I doubt the earpiece slit would be enough to act as an upper speaker, but they Samsung came up with the idea of making additional hole on top Oh and I do remember some years ago when Nokia came out with zoom mic in their phone, the mics pointed towards the object, so that might explain why Samsung had to make a slit in the camera frame. Now that I have seen Note 10 in person, I am happy that I pre-ordered it. I don't think I would have done it if Samsung wouldn't offer $600 trade in for my S10e. I really don't like the idea of buying expensive phones, let alone replace them every year.
There's 3 microphones :
- top
- bottom
- in the bevel of the camera.