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Z3 Top Speaker Crackle/Buzz

Hey all,
Is it normal for the top speaker to buzz/crackle when certain sounds are played, particularly those that are somewhat bass heavy?
A good example would be the stock notification sounds, as a lot of them cause this. In particular, the Polaris notification sound makes it rattle like crazy. The Aquila ringtone causes it too. These are just 2 of many examples I could pick out.
Test it yourself, is it normal?

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istrikerx said:
Hey all,
Is it normal for the top speaker to buzz/crackle when certain sounds are played, particularly those that are somewhat bass heavy?
A good example would be the stock notification sounds, as a lot of them cause this. In particular, the Polaris notification sound makes it rattle like crazy. The Aquila ringtone causes it too. These are just 2 of many examples I could pick out.
Test it yourself, is it normal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No
ask for replacement cause it s weird hardware issue!
:good:

Geeks Empire said:
No
ask for replacement cause it s weird hardware issue!
:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my 3rd replacement too...
Edit: I opened up my faulty z3 due to be returned, and it also has the issue with the top speaker crackling.
Seems to be normal then. I assume with the top speaker being responsible for the lows, it just couldnt handle the bass at high volumes.

Same here
I just had my first replacement and the problem persists :crying:

I just got the Xperia Z3 this week and noticed this issue as well. I'm a little disappointed because I expected more from the purportedly improved speakers but I guess I'll live with it for now.
I also noticed that the Z3 gets pretty warm if you play music via walkman with the speaker volume at the max. What also bothers me is that there is speaker noise when using the camera app, even with sound disabled.

yeah, my Z3 has the same issue
Even if you are phoning with load speakers on max volume it crackles.

i have the same pb
my top speaker crackles during some calls at max volume...
I hope this is a software related problem...
any news on this?

Well, I don't really have "crackle" but there's a noticeable "static noise" from top speaker whenever it is active (like when watching a movie/video or even when talking to anyone), especially at high volume setting. More than in any other smartphone that I've ever used. And what's more disappointing is that I am currently using a replacement unit, the original unit had EXACTLY the same issue. I really, REALLY hope that it's a software issue and Sony will be able to improve it with future updates and it's NOT because Sony used low-quality speaker or amplifier components

I have top speaker issue after 2months...the speaker crackling sound get higher.,,and really annoying.,, sometimes not even hearing.
What to do?
My phone got 6month older??
How to solve?
Can I go for replacement?

So this is generic Z3 issue bad move for such a pricey phone...

Count me in too..

[Q] Need confirmation on headset call performance

If you use a headset/earbuds with an in-line mic to handle calls, I would appreciate it if you could confirm one thing for me.
During a call, do you hear your own voice (and surrounding noise) through your own headset?
I've never had a smartphone send the audio picked up by my own mic straight back to my own ears during calls. I'm trying to figure out if this is normal behavior for this device or if I have a problem.

u can try turning on microphone noise suppression... i bet its the other side using hands free where his/her mic picks up the loudspeaker and sends it back to you... did happen to me a couple of times and was fixed by the other side switching back to earpiece/headset instead of handsfree loudspeaker.. anyways if the problem still exists try upgrading/downgrading F/W .. if that didnt help simply take it back using the warranty
o and might wanna try a different headset if yours could be the culprit

mazroui said:
u can try turning on microphone noise suppression... i bet its the other side using hands free where his/her mic picks up the loudspeaker and sends it back to you... did happen to me a couple of times and was fixed by the other side switching back to earpiece/headset instead of handsfree loudspeaker.. anyways if the problem still exists try upgrading/downgrading F/W .. if that didnt help simply take it back using the warranty
o and might wanna try a different headset if yours could be the culprit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Mazroui, thanks for the response. I'm certain it's my own mic and not the other end. Here's how I tested - Bring up dialer, dial any number, hit call. As soon as I hit call, I can hear all the noise coming in from my own mic into my ears, no one is even on the other end of the line yet as the phone is still ringing. If I rub my finger across the in-line mic of my headset, all the rustling noise is sent right back to myself.
I wish I could say it was the other person on the other end of the line, but I'm definitely hearing the noise from my own mic during calls for some reason.
So I take it your phone doesn't do this?

whoaboy said:
Hi Mazroui, thanks for the response. I'm certain it's my own mic and not the other end. Here's how I tested - Bring up dialer, dial any number, hit call. As soon as I hit call, I can hear all the noise coming in from my own mic into my ears, no one is even on the other end of the line yet as the phone is still ringing. If I rub my finger across the in-line mic of my headset, all the rustling noise is sent right back to myself.
I wish I could say it was the other person on the other end of the line, but I'm definitely hearing the noise from my own mic during calls for some reason.
So I take it your phone doesn't do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow.. definitely not... im using my dead lg g2 headset with 2 in ear plugs.. did u test with a different headset ? im guessing yours is a mono headset like my old blackberry phone 1 ear style... i remember it did that a lot.. although was very clear and loud but simply too irritating

I don't hear my own voice through the microphone on my Bower & Wilkins p5.

mazroui said:
wow.. definitely not... im using my dead lg g2 headset with 2 in ear plugs.. did u test with a different headset ? im guessing yours is a mono headset like my old blackberry phone 1 ear style... i remember it did that a lot.. although was very clear and loud but simply too irritating
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I tested with 4 or 5 different headsets, all stereo. A basic Panasonic set, Apple EarPods, Bose QC20 (Android version), Bose QC25, and I even have the Sony Active Noise Cancelling earbuds which only function with the Xperia devices, and even those send the audio from the mics back into my ears.
Each of these headsets work perfectly fine in other devices I have such as Google Nexus 5, Motorola Moto X 2014, iPhone 5S, and others.

whoaboy said:
Yeah, I tested with 4 or 5 different headsets, all stereo. A basic Panasonic set, Apple EarPods, Bose QC20 (Android version), Bose QC25, and I even have the Sony Active Noise Cancelling earbuds which only function with the Xperia devices, and even those send the audio from the mics back into my ears.
Each of these headsets work perfectly fine in other devices I have such as Google Nexus 5, Motorola Moto X 2014, iPhone 5S, and others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did u test if the phone was water proof XD maybe got something in the jack ? anyways with a problem like that id definitely use that warranty and save my self the hassle..
phone isn't supposed to do such a thing and with that many headsets tested u can prove it to the service center and ask for a replacement with no questions asked

Android404 - Thank you for the confirmation!

mazroui said:
did u test if the phone was water proof XD maybe got something in the jack ? anyways with a problem like that id definitely use that warranty and save my self the hassle
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I did a check to make sure the phone was waterproof using the service menu to test the phone pressure. It's never been in any water at all, closest it has ever been is on the bathroom sink while I'm taking a shower.
Yeah, I'm going to have to go down the warranty route I think.

wish u all the best

Thank you sir!

[Q] Voice call quality on Z3 - opinions?

Hi,
I recently switched from a Samsung S4 and was surprised that the call quality on Z3 is subjectively very poor.
My complaints:
1) I feel that it is sometimes too loud even on the lowest volume
2) There is considerable noise whenever the person on the other end speaks - it seems to be at almost a constant volume, so turning volume up helps, but then it is too loud for me - this is a major issue to me, it is so bad
3) I tried various settings for call audio and I don't feel they make any difference (compares to a touchwiz ROM options - you could really hear a difference there between Smooth and Clear (or whatever they were called).
4) I tried some sound mods hoping they would do something, but they didn't - I am on a mostly stock ROM and I had problem with the call quality since the beginning - before I even rooted the device.
Does anybody have the same problems as me, or is something amiss with my Z3?
Thanks for your opinion

Zviratko said:
Hi,
I recently switched from a Samsung S4 and was surprised that the call quality on Z3 is subjectively very poor.
My complaints:
1) I feel that it is sometimes too loud even on the lowest volume
2) There is considerable noise whenever the person on the other end speaks - it seems to be at almost a constant volume, so turning volume up helps, but then it is too loud for me - this is a major issue to me, it is so bad
3) I tried various settings for call audio and I don't feel they make any difference (compares to a touchwiz ROM options - you could really hear a difference there between Smooth and Clear (or whatever they were called).
4) I tried some sound mods hoping they would do something, but they didn't - I am on a mostly stock ROM and I had problem with the call quality since the beginning - before I even rooted the device.
Does anybody have the same problems as me, or is something amiss with my Z3?
Thanks for your opinion
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I would include model number and service provider. These are issues that may affect voice quality, if I'm not incorrect to say so.
I have a D6616 on T-mobile in the US, most of my callers are on Tmo (family plan) and quality when in network is far better than Iphone 4 or 5 on big red (VZW), HD calling is very clear, makes it not sound like a phone at all, weird mind game it plays... Loudness is something that because of my job is very appreciated, and microphone is very sensitive, better than my previous LG G2... had to scream into that slab to be heard... people thought i was Les Grossman

Came from a Sprint LG G2 here, I would say the Z3 is as good if not better in terms of call quality. Just my opinion though. It is loud but, not too much as to hurt my ears though. Almost don't need speakerphone mode lol.

Call Quality Issue

I recently purchased Xiaomi Mi4 Via Flipkart in India.
I am facing an issue with the sound quality. I had to replace my phone once because in the first handset i received, there was a microphone failure which led to very poor in call quality. So i got it replaced from flipkart. Now in my new handset , the in-call sound quality is very average when indoor and i get s terrible whenever i am outside or driving. The other person has to speak very loud for me to hear him. This persists even when using headphones. I dont know what is the reason of making a phone when you are focusing on everything and the main feature of the phone is not working properly. I have browsed many forums for this and there are people complaining about this issue. Such a brilliant phone and yet it makes me want to change it because I can't hear the other person properly. Please if anyone has a solution to it tell me.
I am on latest MIUI 6.3.9.0 Stable Version running Android 4.4.4. Phone Signal Strength -77dBm 18asu.
My SIM card is perfectly fine as i used it on Samsung Galaxy S4 and the in call quality was perfect.
Please help me solve this issue.
Thanks.
Ankit

maybe there is a problem with the noise reduction in sound settings.
Try to update to the developer Rom (5.4.3).

ANC / Noise Cancellation not working at all?

I wonder what HTC thought about advertising noice cancellation, it really does nothing in my opinion..
I also tried using "fake" noise (white noise videos, hair-dryer) and switched between on and off, no difference!
Is my U Sonic broken or is it really that bad?
Also the "ear analyze" - really a thing or does it just equalize treble?

I'd say it works like 15% it's nothing special especially after talking on QC35s or MDR-1000x

celtaV said:
I wonder what HTC thought about advertising noice cancellation, it really does nothing in my opinion..
I also tried using "fake" noise (white noise videos, hair-dryer) and switched between on and off, no difference!
Is my U Sonic broken or is it really that bad?
Also the "ear analyze" - really a thing or does it just equalize treble?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried making a few different profiles? First one try to make sure you are in a very quiet room. While playing music you can definitely hear a difference when turning USonic on and off. Second profile in a somewhat noisy room and try that. When creating profiles not only does it analyze you ear canal but also the outside noise. I mean it isn't drastic but there is a difference.

Have you tried making a few different profiles? First one try to make sure you are in a very quiet room.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already did so, the line it generates looks very similar to the first one with some background sounds.
What I also noticed: When you stop the music the DAC still is active, with ANC activated you can hear some quiet white noise that stops quickly. This should be the "active" noise cancellation but it really is bad.. That feature seems to be a real disappointment to me, otherwise the phone is great!

Sorry to resurrect this thread but I just got my HTC U11 recently...
Is the agreed position that the ANC on HTC U11 + USonic is pretty much useless?
I ask because, I have owned a Sony Z5C and still own a Z3 tablet and a set of similar Sony NC earphones - that only work with a limited set of Sony devices.
With the Sony setup I can definitely hear a difference in background noise e.g. computer hum or Air con noise at work or Train hum noise on commute definitely gets reduced considerably as soon as I toggle NC on.
But with the HTC, I cannot tell any difference between NC enabled or disabled....
I spoke to HTC support and they have agreed to send me replacement Usonic - but will take 3-4 weeks!!

It worked for me, blocking some(low frequency) airplane engine and office air conditioning noise for me. Although not very effective.

Sorry for late reply - forgot to subscribe to thread.
I just got some Bose QC35 in the end - can now switch between my Z3C tablet and HTC U11 seamlessly..and pretty good NC too

It's not "not working at all", as an in-ear headset, Usonic offers good sound quality but I admit the anc functions is a bit weak on this.
It is somewhat capable of reduce the constant low frequency noise such as when you're on a plane or in a train. It however cannot block all the noise, you may consider it as "noise reduction", not completely "noise canceling".
I have the JBL RA C, compares to Usonic, the ANC is much better on JBL.