Sound quality opinions - AT&T, Rogers HTC One X, Telstra One XL

I'm thinking that my iPod touch sounds better than my One X, especially on small headphones. It's hard for me to make up my mind if I like Beats on or off, though I know its just software enhancements and its not "pure."
What do you think?

i thought the sound was fine when hooked up to external speakers.
i can say that my call quality blows though. my EVO on sprint was much much clearer in terms of voice calls. it's at least bearable for now i'm just hoping it's an AT&T issue and they resolve it on their end or it improves with the area i'm in.

Related

Underwhelmed by MT4G Audio

This is not a deal breaker for me, but it seems to be bothering my GF more than me. We both came from Sprint with Evo's where the speaker was awesome. It's been well noted that the speaker on the MT4G is not that loud and crackly at max volume, but has anyone else noticed that the audio through headphones sounds fairly unremarkable? It sounds kind of distant, like listening to a recording of a recording.
I'm hoping this is just a driver issue and can be improved by an OTA updates or some innovative dev. Has anyone else noticed this as well?
My speakerphone, while playing a video for my kids, actually seemed louder than my Vibrant's. But I can't speak for anyone else's. And I've never seen anyone with an EVO, so I have no point of reference.
Sounds okay to me, though. I have used the headphones to listen to radio for the first time, earlier today. And it seemed ok. Perhaps one of the music players with better sound settings...
itmustbejj said:
This is not a deal breaker for me, but it seems to be bothering my GF more than me. We both came from Sprint with Evo's where the speaker was awesome. It's been well noted that the speaker on the MT4G is not that loud and crackly at max volume, but has anyone else noticed that the audio through headphones sounds fairly unremarkable? It sounds kind of distant, like listening to a recording of a recording.
I'm hoping this is just a driver issue and can be improved by an OTA updates or some innovative dev. Has anyone else noticed this as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The MyTouch 4G loudspeaker sounds much better than the tinny weak N1 speaker. But to be honest I don't expect too much from the phone's speaker. I haven't used the earphone output yet because in my car I stream music via bluetooth. The sound via bluetooth is much better than on my N1 and has less interference and crackling.
It puts the G1 I came from to shame.

[Q] In-call sound quality

I am not sure whether I am being picky or whether my unit is faulty, but in call voices sound a bit distorted through the earpiece (even when I lower the volume). Has anyone else experienced this on theirs?
Sounds like the usual HTC crap earpieces to me. I can use full volume when talking to some people, others make it distort a little and I have to turn it down. But, it sounds no better or worse than any of my other HTC droids.
The Speaker sounds a lot better than my Desire Z though...probably not as good as the SGS speaker but I can hear more of the music and it is a little clearer...though the DZ is known to have a terrible speaker!

How is the voice quality and sound on this phone??

I keep reading reviews knocking the sound quality and voice quality of this phone, and it's scaring me away from it. They say the speakerphone and earpiece speaker is very low and tin can sounding. Can you all share if this is true or not?
Some days it sounds like a tin can but others it's fine. My DX was a lot better sounding. People can hear me without any issues though. It's only on my end.
the speaker for the bolt is pretty quite wish it was a bit louder, as for call quality on stock and das BAMF for me its one of the better sounding phones i have owned
I found that the phone sounds crappy a lot of the time. The volume control range is too narrow, so the volume is either too loud at the lowest setting or too quiet on the highest. When you crank the volume all the way up you get a lot of distortion and noise. I was definitely surprised by the low quality of the phone on t-bolt. My clamshell from ages ago worked better.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
in call sound quality on mine is not that great,I get a crackeling noise at max volume which i never had before(also didnt notice till i dropped it a few days ago so may be the cause for me) but i almost always use bluetooth so its not really an issue for me the BT sound quality has been great for me.
well i have had 3 of them and so far all have been better than any blackberry or my htc imagio,the speaker is behind the kick stand that makes it quit but thru the headset and tethered to the car stereo its just fine. I drive a truck and its loud in here but all works well.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
Unfortunately the TB is the worst sounding phone that I've ever owned... people on the other side say that I sound awful as well.
Yes it sounds bad and they know it!
I talked to HTC about the sound quality. They told me it was a software problem and would be fixed (Sure it will). They said to close the kickstand to make the external speaker sound better. Well if you can't hear it I suppose it sounds better. They said to turn the volume down so the ear piece sounds better. The phone also has a bad headphone amplifier. It distorts bad if you add a little base. This is my first HTC phone and it will probably be my last.
Wow, coming from my Droid X I have the exact opposite of what most of you are having.
No one has noticed that I have changed phones and I'm having an easier time understanding people on the other end.
I have a friend with a heavy Swedish accent that is much easier to understand now than he was on my X.

[Q] Loudspeaker hardware mod?

No matter how much we try to deny it, or try not to talk about it- we must all admit that the speaker output of the Sensation isn't amongst the best we've come across. I've missed calls numerous times (especially in a crowded street or so) just because I couldn't hear the ringer.
Yes, we do have apps such as Volume+ and PowerAmp which does seem to do an alright job- but still doesn't satisfy our need.
Here's my Q- Would installing a speaker from a different model/ phone have a better output? I understand that it might need additional software tweaks as well ( not to mention finding a suitable speaker which fits )- but is it possible?
PS. I'm not a sound crazy noob who just wants to impress people with a loud phone, I honestly can't hear it half the time.
Regards,
Tony
Would be interesting! This is my chief complaint with my phone.
I dont understand why this has not been touched yet. Its been the number one issue since day one, volume+ only helps with media.
Dacoit said:
I dont understand why this has not been touched yet. Its been the number one issue since day one, volume+ only helps with media.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure has been. Any input from someone who has a better understanding of the internals of a Sensation would definitely be helpful. And I for one definitely wouldn't mind risking the warranty if it actually seems possible.
Which one of the HTC line would have the most powerful loudspeaker? I suppose those within the HTC family maybe an easier fit.
I think HTC Sensation has the same speaker as the HTC Droid Incredible 2, HTC Evo 3d(expected),HTC Freestyle & HTC Incredible S based to how they used the same picture for these phones speakers on www.repairsuniverse.com. Anybody know about the sound quality from these phones?
I've heard that the Evo 3D stores a pretty powerful sound output. Judging by the link, I'd say it might be a good fit on the sensation as well.
But I sure hope it isn't exactly the same speaker. That'd be like installing a Sensation XE speaker on the Sensation- Foolish.
The only thing i fear is that our phones have a weak speaker because of the design of the case. The hole for the speaker on the sensation is small and off center of the actual speaker. The Evo3d has a seemingly larger slits for the speaker and it seems to be on center so that might be the difference. Has anybody opened the phone and used the speaker without the plastic body and the battery cover in the way?
kevinliu2336 said:
The only thing i fear is that our phones have a weak speaker because of the design of the case. The hole for the speaker on the sensation is small and off center of the actual speaker. The Evo3d has a seemingly larger slits for the speaker and it seems to be on center so that might be the difference. Has anybody opened the phone and used the speaker without the plastic body and the battery cover in the way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had that suspicion earlier today as well. And I did try it out with the rear housing off. There really wasn't much of a difference- it might seem a bit louder with the back off, but at the same time it seems to pump more bass with it on.
I wouldn't mind trying out an EVO 3D speaker on mine to figure if it does make a difference, but I'd need someone to confirm that they aren't the same speakers as the sensation. Any additional info/ tips would be appreciated- Let me get this done and make myself a bit useful to the forum
If you are using an mp3 as a ringtone, that can be re-recorded at a higher output level. Not sure if there is an Android audio app that would let you do that directly on the phone, but certainly there are lots of audio apps for Mac and PC that will do the job.
stroobach said:
If you are using an mp3 as a ringtone, that can be re-recorded at a higher output level. Not sure if there is an Android audio app that would let you do that directly on the phone, but certainly there are lots of audio apps for Mac and PC that will do the job.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure there are apps which would help increase output to a certain level, but still does't reach expected levels. For all having issues with the loudspeaker output- I'd recommend this thread for now: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1389756
All credits go to the OP of that thread- that sure was an amazing find! Worked well for me, and editing that particular file whilst installing a different speaker might help even better. Will get back on that as soon as I'm done with a project deadline.
I guess we all agree that the loudspeaker on the Sensation is woeful. I own a Touch Pro 2 and the dual speakers are LOUD. They are probably the loudest speaker phone that you can ever find from the entire HTC product line. Interestingly, the dual speakers are also designed such that the left speaker is behaving like the tweeter (higher pitch sounds) while the right speaker is the woofer (lower pitch sounds). It is very apparent when you cover up one and then the other while some music is playing.
I have ordered a spare speaker (meant for repairs) for the Touch Pro 2 and will be playing around with it to see if some hardware mods are possible to improve the Sensation's speakers. The delivery is expected to take 3 weeks to arrive.
I don't wish to dig up zombies, but I thought it better to continue an old thread than start a new one due to others insights.
Has anyone tried other speakers to see if they fit in the Sensation? I too have come from the Touch Pro2, and there was a tweak on it which made the speaker even louder (it was already quite loud!). I could hold a conversation, hands-free, in my car with the window down on the motorway no problem. And now, coming to the Senny, I'm almost embarrased to play music to anyone (unless using the headphones). I realise we can't get the TP2 speakers on the Senny (as there is more involved than just swapping a speaker - even if there was room for 2 larger speakers in the Senny).
Anyway. @darkytoothpaste, or anyone else, has there been any progress with the speaker hardware?

Verdict on Nexus 5 audio quality?

Now that the Nexus 5 has been out for a while now, and should have went through multiple iterations of hardware revisions, what is the verdict on the Nexus 5's audio quality? This is both speakerphone and headphone.
It is known that the Nexus 5 has really shoddy audio quality, especially from the headphone port. See here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7567/smartphone-audio-quality-testing/4
For me, this is really important, as I'm an audiophile, and I need to have excellent sounding audio. I'm on a Galaxy Note 3, but considering coming to the Nexus 5 as I've really had it with the ridiculous random reboots with the Note 3.
I'd really like to get some input from people who can contribute subjectively as well as those who might have tested it like Anandtech did.
Thanks in advance!
The speaker is okay, nothing to write home about but not terrible. I'd say it's better than the Nexus 4 but certainly not as good as the HTC One M7/M8. The headphone jack is awful. I'm not quite an "audiophile" but the sound is not good. It's still listenable, but it's a significant step down from the HTC One M7 or Galaxy S3 I've used in the past. It's actually to the point where I would rather listen to music over bluetooth than use my headphones because the quality drop over bluetooth isn't as significant as the difference in DAC quality between the N5 and my bluetooth receiver.
All in all, audio quality is probably the one thing that makes me regret the phone. If you plan on using headphones with the phone a lot, and don't want to deal with a USB DAC (including the issues getting it working on the Nexus 5) I would avoid the phone. I wish I had waited and picked up an HTC One M8 honestly, and that would be my recommendation. Now that they've dropped the "Beats" branding the audio quality is actually very good without the overpowering bass of the original M7.
Thanks so much for the in-depth explanation. I guess that takes me out of the running for a Nexus 5.
ajm786 said:
Now that the Nexus 5 has been out for a while now, and should have went through multiple iterations of hardware revisions, what is the verdict on the Nexus 5's audio quality? This is both speakerphone and headphone.
It is known that the Nexus 5 has really shoddy audio quality, especially from the headphone port. See here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7567/smartphone-audio-quality-testing/4
For me, this is really important, as I'm an audiophile, and I need to have excellent sounding audio. I'm on a Galaxy Note 3, but considering coming to the Nexus 5 as I've really had it with the ridiculous random reboots with the Note 3.
I'd really like to get some input from people who can contribute subjectively as well as those who might have tested it like Anandtech did.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Poweramp & Flac files on my N5 & klipsch headphones, while ok it's by no means great.
You have the Note 3 atm, the N5 is no where near as good audio wise.
I had the N3 & tried the S5 both are way better than the N5.
Atm I use the M8 for proper audio quality.
It's your choice, the N5 is a great device but not for music.
I use beats headphones and Viper4android, along with poweramp and flac as stated above and I have pretty good sound. Not nearly as sweet as the M7 was but definitely above average. I think a combination of good after market headphones and a reliable audio mod can make a so-so sound situation much better. If you have the means and sound is important, then you may want a different device. But if you don't or already have the N5, there are ways to improve the sound significantly. That's my penny and a half.
Mine sounds great using Poweramp and some Klipsch earphones
Honestly, the sound is definitely sub par. I get it, it's a $349-$399 phone & corners are cut somewhere. I have been to see bands play & my siblings & friends with different phones record bands & clips & their playback makes my n5 look like garbage. (They have note3, m7, iPhone 4s/5/5s). Headphone jack isn't awesome either.
I stream music a lot in my car using an auxiliary wire & it isn't awesome, but it isn't atrocious either.
Sound & battery are really killing me with this device.
ajm786 said:
should have went through multiple iterations of hardware revisions...
...I'd really like to get some input from people who can contribute subjectively as well as those who might have tested it like Anandtech did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There have been no hardware revisions at this time so everything is the same as when Anandtech did their tests, and no one tests like Anand does so you've already read the best info out on the subject.
I think the audio quality is above average for a mobile device, but isn't in the same league as the hardware used for the high end Samsung or HTC phones. Software mods such as Viper4Android can make up most of that difference.
The only real issue with the external audio is the stereo crosstalk in the upper volume steps which I've not needed to use as it's plenty loud for my ears.
Came from an S4, and expected to be disappointed by the audio quality of the N5, but I wasn't. The speaker does suck though. N5 + faux sound + Sony MDR-1R headphones = not too shabby an experience (prefer it to the S4).

Categories

Resources