[Q] How do I deal with the HORRIBLE volume control in Android? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Ok, so I have the Samsung Galaxy SIII. The US variant may not have the Wolfson DAC, but I don't care. As much as people deify Wolfson, this thing sounds absolutely amazing all the same and I love it. In fact, I love its sound more than that of any player I've had, soundcard/DAC + amp, and so on. Not all will agree I'm sure, but to me it's just that good. The really neat thing is, it sounds amazing just on its own driving my HD555s directly (well, they are pretty sensitive.) It doesn't seem like anything is lacking in any frequency range, the soundstage is great, and so on. There's just one problem: that god-awful volume control! It only has seven or so positions so I frequently find that it's just plain wrong. It's either just quiet enough to be annoying with the balance a bit off or it's just loud enough to be physically painful to my ears. There's no in between.
I keep playing around with various solutions, but still haven't found anything that could be called 100%. Firstly, I've been using MP3Gain to change the volume level of my MP3s in a basically lossless manner (it just changes the frame volume setting without reencoding) but this is kind of a pain because I have a few other formats in my library still. Well, I primarily use PowerAmp and it recently added ReplayGain support, but... Something is just plain wrong with its ReplayGain support I think. It seems to be lowering even things that are already set to 89dB thanks to MP3Gain for starters (and the ReplayGain tag basically says +/- 0dB or at least it's no more than 1.5dB when it says to change it -- yes I remembered to remove the ReplayGain tags and rescan all of my collection after changing the volume via MP3Gain and it's worth noting that Foobar2000 on my PC has absolutely no trouble whatsoever.) Worse, the whole point of using it was to try to get it just right, so I add just a bit of gain (initially +3dB, but I think I've tried other values trying to get things just right) and it just seems to be way off. Regardless, I just haven't been able to find a value that's quite right for dealing with the issue either positive or negative. (And negative has its own troubles since it means I have the volume maxed or close to it and then something else blasts my ears at full volume...)
So more recently I got the idea to try one of those in-line volume controls. It's nothing more than an audio tapering volume pot and two 3.5mm connectors (one female with at least the decency to be gold plated but as it was soldered into the board and there was very little room to work with I left alone, the other I replaced from the original low quality connector and cable to a very short bit of Canare L-4E6S + Rean 3.5mm male connector.) The problem is, I ended up with roughly 200 ohms being the "just right" volume setting and that wasn't even far down on the pot. Unfortunately, the end result is a sound where the bass is bloated and just plain bad, the mids are recessed thanks in part to the bass, the highs are pitiful, and the soundstage is basically gone. Well, it's not meant to drive these headphones through what ends up being an impedance adapter. Regardless the result was horrible.
I've also tried third party apps that try to take over the volume control and give you a finer control including the demo version of a commercial one that I've seen suggested elsewhere in these forums. Nope. The result there was actually kind of interesting. It not only didn't work, but it seemed to actually be rounding to the OS's nearest value and pretending to give me a fine control instead... Frankly I'm just not sure that there is any way such an app can actually give one such control as it gave me the impression that basically the OS was overriding it in the end and that while it surely thought it was doing something it wasn't really.
I just can't seem to get through to any of the people on the software side of things. I've suggested to the author of PowerAmp that the program should have its own volume control to compensate for the crappy OS volume control, but no response. I've suggested in the CyanogenMod forums (I'm not sure where else) but only one person responded and that just to agree. No one seems to even be really looking at the suggestion, but then it's forums, not any proper suggestion form. Which is just pitiful because CM has generally always been good for compensating for these types of things that Google misses. Really I don't know what else to do though.
The whole situation is pitiful. How in the world have they managed to go through so many years and so many versions of Android with this horrible volume control? I know it at least dates back to Android 2.2 because I used to have an Archos 43 with the same issue. Ok, I understand that in the past people weren't really using them for music a lot, but these days a lot of people do and it can be a pain to carry an amp with you all the time. (Besides, why in the heck should I have to use an amp when it can drive my headphones directly perfectly fine AND I like the sound? It's just wasteful...)
Anyway, is there any solution left to try that I haven't thought of? My SGS3 is running CyanogenMod, so suffice it to say that it is definitely fully rooted to the point that I can even remount the root and system partitions as writable if I want to, so I can do just about anything in that respect, but at this point I can't find any other options to try.

Related

Best audio boost method?

Anyone had any success with an app to boost the speaker volume of the NC?
I read that Audio Boost 2 doesn't alter speaker volume much. I have not tried anything yet, but would any audio app with an EQ function allow boosting all freqs. work? I know that there is a chance of overdriving the speaker, but I want to try to get this "fixed". The speaker volume is the single most annoying issue with my NC. Mainly with sources with audio tracks that are recorded at low level.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
kev
bugeyed1 said:
Anyone had any success with an app to boost the speaker volume of the NC?
I read that Audio Boost 2 doesn't alter speaker volume much. I have not tried anything yet, but would any audio app with an EQ function allow boosting all freqs. work? I know that there is a chance of overdriving the speaker, but I want to try to get this "fixed". The speaker volume is the single most annoying issue with my NC. Mainly with sources with audio tracks that are recorded at low level.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
kev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Obviously, no-one did much. The worst part is NC's CM7 devs don't see it as a problem.
However, if you could talk dalingrin into looking into the issue (I myself failed to entice him to do anything), then there are some chances with his forthcoming new audio pipeline/ALSA commits.
As of now, when on CM7, you may try to play with DSP Manager's equalizer. Doesn't do much, agreed.
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fineoils.blogspot.com <<-there's not many answers here, but there's plenty of questions, sure
Only luck I'm having is headphones. Its really bad when the speaker is pushed up against the back of my case. Volume is horrible.
Use earphones will be the best bet for the time being.. Unless is CM7 got vol boost...
you can try poweramp, it has audio boost eq
yes its work withe me
Played around with Poweramp. Adjusted EQ midrange boost, keeping bass low & boosted Preamp setting & have determined that the speaker may just suck! Unless Poweramp EQ is adding distortion when the levels are boosted, the speaker can't handle much volume before breaking up. There may be no hope that the NC will ever have decent volume.
I find the volume on many sources to be barely adequate for personal listening in a quiet room, but for showing another person a video in a not so quiet environment, it is barely audible. I have also noted that the audio quality from the headphone jack is really poor when compared to any decent MP3 player. Looks like B&N saved $$$ on the audio section in order to bring us the nice screen & other quality hardware. I think that I am OK with this, but it would be nice to have it ALL!
Cheers,
kev
P. S. This may end my search for an internal solution to the volume level. Probably keep experimenting with small phone jack based amplified speakers.
The volume seems fine to me.
Hopefully we can have a stable Bluetooth stack working, so that we can pipe to audio to BT Speakers...
I really think the physical speaker is just crap. At the end of the day, you can't fix crap.
A. Nonymous said:
I really think the physical speaker is just crap. At the end of the day, you can't fix crap.
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That's the conclusion that I am coming to. Seems B&N found it necessary to keep the output level low so the speaker doesn't break up. Be fun to remove it & connect another more efficient one that can handle more power. I think I will continue to experiment with the small headphone connected powered speakers.
Cheers,
kev
bugeyed1 said:
That's the conclusion that I am coming to. Seems B&N found it necessary to keep the output level low so the speaker doesn't break up. Be fun to remove it & connect another more efficient one that can handle more power. I think I will continue to experiment with the small headphone connected powered speakers.
Cheers,
kev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would be interested in seeing how much it would cost to solder in a "good" speaker.. I would think there would be a bit more space to squeeze in a decent speaker or possibly two?
First thing I thought of before I even bought my nook was what speaker was I going to buy for it! When I saw it in stores, I knew there was no way that speaker was going to do anything, and it made me wonder why it's even there. Considering that it's not loud enough for audio books really and mp3's would just play way too low, I think they should have just left it out and added 2 aux ports! Okay, that might not be realistic, but still!
I've opted for a portable iHome speaker from Wal-mart(it's the one that is a round cylinder and if you buy two you can have them hook to each other) for only $20 and should be getting it today. Unfortunately my PSP speakers blew out or that would be perfect for the nook since those things were loud enough to start a party.
Try my mumusicon it has got a sub increase function and that increased my nc's speaker volume more than 40 percent without causing distortion
Sent from my LogicPD Zoom2 using XDA App
I wonder if its possible to add in one of those tiny compact laptop subs too. My dell xps has one on it, they might be too thick though.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
dashy_kan said:
Try my mumusicon it has got a sub increase function and that increased my nc's speaker volume more than 40 percent without causing distortion
Sent from my LogicPD Zoom2 using XDA App
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link for this app?
nolook said:
link for this app?
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I think it's a typo. I searched the Market and found "MyMusicOn Music Player".
https://market.android.com/search?q=mymusicon&so=1&c=apps
Pre-dawn raid said:
I think it's a typo. I searched the Market and found "MyMusicOn Music Player".
https://market.android.com/search?q=mymusicon&so=1&c=apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I dnlded Mymusicon & don't see any way to adjust the volume???
Edit: OK, tapped the album art screen & got another menu. Under "volume" there is a "sub" adj. that increases volume some.
I use DSP Manager to just raise all the EQ levels all the way up. It's pretty loud now.
stoopid but helpful
With the CN facing you in landscape, hold it up with your left hand. Put your right hand palm flat on the back of the device, gradually moving your palm to the right. You find a 'sweet spot' where the speaker is amplified about 50% by reflecting towards you off your palm.
Play around a little & you learn if your hand should be half way out from under the CN at the right side for loudest clearest sound (what sounds best to me) or palm cupped or flat.
An easy DIY aplifier would be a piece of flat plastic (like cut from milk bottle) adhered with a tiny bit of velcro at the 'sweet spot'. Could be detatched for travel, not need bulky external speakers, yet deliver noticably louder sound.
No software required

[Q] Any way at all to fix my audio issues?

Finally gave up the ol iPhone 3G and "upgraded" to an SGSII. I paid a lot of money and figured it'd work, but there are two extremely niggling problems that I cannot fix.
1. No one calling me can hear me unless I use speakerphone. I did successfully fix that once with some settings accessed by typing in a number and changing a few things, but that reset when I reset my phone...I've yet to be able to fix this.
2. When listening to music on my massive Sennheiser headphones I can't hear much at all. On the iPhone if I'd even approached full volume, I woulda blown my head off, on the SGSII, even on full, Metallica sounds like a soothing lullaby.
Are there any fixes for these issues? Or are these things that perhaps are fixed simply from having a different firmware? An almost 800 dollar phone, it'd be nice if it did two basic functions without flopping.
All help is appreciated.
EDIT: Oh and forgot to mention, I know the mic works thanks to speaker phone making me heard and I know headphones/sound output can be louder because the app Volume+ or whatever boosts it fine. I just don't want to use a seperate app each time, I want a more permanant fix.
EDIT2: Okay, Poweramp works fine, and I also see types of headphones are to blame. Like the earphones that came with the phone are fine. They have 3 notches on the plug as opposed to 2. I'd say that's a fair indication. Anyway, can consider this problem solved.
Also I've been told my warranty was indeed automatic, so if I truly cannot fix the mic problem again, apparently I can send it away to get fixed. Although I guess I'll have to reset and all, hide root and all that. Don't even know how, nor do I want to be phone-less, so help will still be very appreciated.
Rizaria said:
1. No one calling me can hear me unless I use speakerphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a defect to me ... I would try to get an exchange. Maybe first compre with another SGS2 in a shop.
2. When listening to music on my massive Sennheiser headphones I can't hear much at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's pretty normal with mobile devices, which usually have an output impedance of 32 Ohm. Large HiFi headphones are optimized for much more powerfull amplifiers and so have an impedance of 250 Ohm or even more. This results in much lower volume, if high impedance headphones are used on mobile devices like phones, notebooks or MP3 players.
A further reason is, that the SGS2 has lower maximum volume, than several competitors ... seems to be limited by software.
Download Poweramp from the market ... it's worth every cent, but there's also a time limited demo. This app has a nice preamp, which allows you to raise the overall volume and it's equalizer is also very good.
I use Ogg Vorbis (224 bitrate) songs with this app combined with an AKG K319, the best mobile headphones I ever tried ... much better than even most big Sennheisers ... that being said from a former Sennheiser fan For home HiFi I recommend Beyerdynamic DT880 or DT990. Try these headphones and you'll sell your Sennheiser
The combination of Ogg Vorbis (MP3 sucks in comparison), AKG and Poweramp give me fantastic sound quality!
And don't use Metallica for testing ... their records are highly compressed ... complete junk from an accustically perspective, because all dynamics are compressed away. Google for "audio compressor" and you'll understand.
i use a combination of poweramp with a 'smiley face' or 'rocl' equalizer setting and volume+ with +3 and good quality equalizer settings.
makes my koss portapros truly shine in terms of volume and clarity.
First off, lemme say thanks for the replies. 'Preciate it.
Aymara said:
Sounds like a defect to me ... I would try to get an exchange. Maybe first compre with another SGS2 in a shop.
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Possibly, it's been awhile since I got it though and I dunno where I put my receipt so I sort of doubt the shop will care. And defect or not, I feel it's more a software/firmware issue as I truly was able to fix it at some point.
That's pretty normal with mobile devices, which usually have an output impedance of 32 Ohm. Large HiFi headphones are optimized for much more powerfull amplifiers and so have an impedance of 250 Ohm or even more. This results in much lower volume, if high impedance headphones are used on mobile devices like phones, notebooks or MP3 players.
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Click to collapse
Hmm, didn't know that. Still doesn't explain why my headphones worked amazingly with my old iPhone but terrible with this. :c Not that I bought these headphones for taking out and about, rather bulky. Might hafta buy some others..
A further reason is, that the SGS2 has lower maximum volume, than several competitors ... seems to be limited by software.
Download Poweramp from the market ... it's worth every cent, but there's also a time limited demo. This app has a nice preamp, which allows you to raise the overall volume and it's equalizer is also very good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I gathered as when I used a similar app called Volume+ I found it quite capable of better sound. That's why I'd like some help with changing the Samsung audio settings. I know my way around them, but there's so many opions and changeable things I'm not sure what to do. I'll give Poweramp a look.
I use Ogg Vorbis (224 bitrate) songs with this app combined with an AKG K319, the best mobile headphones I ever tried ... much better than even most big Sennheisers ... that being said from a former Sennheiser fan For home HiFi I recommend Beyerdynamic DT880 or DT990. Try these headphones and you'll sell your Sennheiser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So cannot be arsed getting OGG versions ofall my music. xD And having to re-tag it all. If OGGs can even be tagged and have art. But yeah, way too much effort but I don't doubt you.
And don't use Metallica for testing ... their records are highly compressed ... complete junk from an accustically perspective, because all dynamics are compressed away. Google for "audio compressor" and you'll understand.
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Perhaps. But they're loud songs nonetheless, particularly the live ones. I can certainly hear the difference. Way too quiet on the SGS2. :c
rab1412000 said:
i use a combination of poweramp with a 'smiley face' or 'rocl' equalizer setting and volume+ with +3 and good quality equalizer settings.
makes my koss portapros truly shine in terms of volume and clarity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using more than one app is even more than my not wanting to use one in the first place. Certainly wouldn't help battery life, as this all only matters when I'm travelling long distance and need music.
There are 2 microphones on the sgs2. One is on the bottom edge and one is on the top edge. The bottom one is for regular calls and is broken on your phone. The top one is for speakerphone, which is obviously working.
I suggest returning your phone under warranty as the volume issue is not normal either.
Sent from my GT-I9100M
Electroz said:
There are 2 microphones on the sgs2. One is on the bottom edge and one is on the top edge. The bottom one is for regular calls and is broken on your phone. The top one is for speakerphone, which is obviously working.
I suggest returning your phone under warranty as the volume issue is not normal either.
Sent from my GT-I9100M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're not broken as such because as stated I was able to fiddle with some settings and get normal calls working fine, it just lost those settings after a reset. Some sort of firmware fault, I've heard of cases where people had the same issue back on the original SGS.
I could never get the warranty going. Samsung's website wouldn't recognise it at all. Never got around to trying to start the warranty manually. Probably too late now.
Also, to those who recommended Poweramp; I'm impressed. that's not a bad work around actually. Shame it doesn't have playlist support though.
EDIT: Oh, it does! perfect little app, thanks guys. Now I just need to find settings to fix my in-call volume issue then I'm all set.
Rizaria said:
Using more than one app is even more than my not wanting to use one in the first place. Certainly wouldn't help battery life, as this all only matters when I'm travelling long distance and need music.
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Click to collapse
volume+ has no perceptible hit on battery life fyi
edit:
why dont you give it a try first. you could always kill it or uninstall it if it doesnt work out for you. it has a v small memory footprint btw.
rab1412000 said:
volume+ has no perceptible hit on battery life fyi
edit:
why dont you give it a try first. you could always kill it or uninstall it if it doesnt work out for you. it has a v small memory footprint btw.
Click to expand...
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Ah alright, I might've imagined it. I'll use it if need-be, at least Poweramp seems to do the job as-is but thanks for the recommendation.
Rizaria said:
Hmm, didn't know that. Still doesn't explain why my headphones worked amazingly with my old iPhone but terrible with this. :c Not that I bought these headphones for taking out and about, rather bulky. Might hafta buy some others..
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Click to collapse
thats what you call impedance mismatch.
for example, my woodees in-ear sound excellent on an iphone/ipod. in fact, it is a match to a bose QC15 any day. however it sounds muffled on my laptop and sgs2.
its the complete opposite with my koss portapros which sound amazing on my laptops and sgs2 and sound just ok on the ipod.
there is most probably nothing wrong with both your headphones and phone, but just keep this in mind. it is one reason why certain audiophiles have more than one iem.
edit:
forgot about your in-call issues, yes that could be a hardware problem.
rab1412000 said:
thats what you call impedance mismatch.
for example, my woodees in-ear sound excellent on an iphone/ipod. in fact, it is a match to a bose QC15 any day. however it sounds muffled on my laptop and sgs2.
its the complete opposite with my koss portapros which sound amazing on my laptops and sgs2 and sound just ok on the ipod.
there is most probably nothing wrong with both your headphones and phone, but just keep this in mind. it is one reason why certain audiophiles have more than one iem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a pain in the arse. :c Had no idea audio could be so damn complicated.
At least Poweramp seems to make things loud enough. Might have to invest in some more portable headphones in the future though.
personally, id try to get your in-call volume issues sorted out first.
that just isnt right and could indeed point to a h/w defect.
rab1412000 said:
personally, id try to get your in-call volume issues sorted out first.
that just isnt right and could indeed point to a h/w defect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That basically is all I need sorting now. The underlying problem of the music volume may not be fixed, but the apps suggested here get around it fine.
I still don't think it was a hardware defect as I really did have it fixed at one point. Stupid reset. I think it's some semi-unique firm/software issue I have.
Rizaria said:
Had no idea audio could be so damn complicated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the downside of the MP3 age ... most people don't know nothing about audio quality and what's worse, they don't know what they missed so far.
There are several lessons to learn:
1. MP3 sucks even at highest bitrate, because frequencies above 15 KHz are cut off and basses are always distorted if the music is a bit louder. If you have good audio hardware, MP3 sounds much worse than a good Audio CD.
2. Ogg Vorbis is a good compromise for mobile use compared to Flac with it's extremly large files. If you rip a CD with quality setting Q=7 (224 kbit) you won't hear a difference to the CD except when using a DDD recording on a high end HiFi home sytem and having yourself very trained ears And what's also nice is, the file size is similar to MP3.
And yes, you can use album art with Ogg ... embed it with Media Monkey on PC or if you rip a complete album to a folder, just place a JPG in that folder which has the same file name as the album title. Both Media Monkey and the SGS2 will show it (no matter if stock player or Poweramp). No need to mention, that all MP3 tags also can be embedded in Ogg.
3. Good audio hardware is needed ... and though the stock volume is a bit low on the SGS2, it's Yamaha audio engine is quite good. But the stock audio player is crap. It's impossible to get good equalization without distortion in the bass bands. But Poweramp solves this problem, if you set it up correctly.
So all that is missing now is a good headphone. The best mobile headphone with correct impedance you can get below 100$ nowadays is the AKG K319 ... though it ships with a hardcase and has fantastic sound, it's not very popular or let's say not well known, so you can get it really cheap ... got it for only 25 Euros
But if you are a bass junkie, the Koss Porta Pro might be the better choice. It has a little bit more bass response as the AKG, but is more bulky and can't compete with the AKG's sound "crispness" in middle and high frequency bands.
Conclusion: After already switching to Poweramp, Ogg and a good mobile headphone will give give you a second WOW effect
Aymara said:
Conclusion: After already switching to Poweramp, Ogg and a good mobile headphone will give give you a second WOW effect
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very interesting. I knew some of that, but not quite to that extent. Regardless though, the sheer time it'd take me to replace my songs..ugh, I shudder at the thought. Also I prefer mp3 and m4a for cross-system compatibility and iTunes use. Still my fave way of organising and listening to music I'm almost ashamed to say.
That being said, I installed Winamp just for transferring my music and playlists onto my SGS2 properly.
I'll keep the headphones in mind, but Poweramp itself solves the bulk of that problem. x3 Now if only I could fix my major problem.
Rizaria said:
Also I prefer mp3 and m4a for cross-system compatibility and iTunes use.
Click to expand...
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MP3 will die over time, not only because it sounds horrible. The main reason are the licence fees, devs and manufacturers have to pay ... Ogg on the other hand is free ... did you notice, that nearly all newer devices suport Ogg?
It can understand, that switching a large archive to Ogg can be a lot of work, but it's zero hassle to use Ogg for new material.
I highly recommend to compare the sound quality.
Now if only I could fix my major problem.
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Click to collapse
You mentioned, that you found a fix, but a reboot resets it. Do you use the latest firmware or a custom ROM?
Aymara said:
MP3 will die over time, not only because it sounds horrible. The main reason are the licence fees, devs and manufacturers have to pay ... Ogg on the other hand is free ... did you notice, that nearly all newer devices suport Ogg?
It can understand, that switching a large archive to Ogg can be a lot of work, but it's zero hassle to use Ogg for new material.
I highly recommend to compare the sound quality.
You mentioned, that you found a fix, but a reboot resets it. Do you use the latest firmware or a custom ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I don't doubt it. Gotta love that open source. I might investigate more into ogg files when I have more spare time.
As for the firmware, I believe I updated to a latest one. At least I don't think it was custom, looked the same as the stock, stupid TouchWiz and all. Only updated to root it basically. 'Cause I think my stock rom was an Optus mutated version basically, so couldn't root it. Something like that.
Lets check the settings..hmm...Android Version: 2.3.3, Baseband Version: I9100XXKDJ, Kernel Version: 2.6.35.7-I9100XWEK2-CL187606 [email protected] #2, Build Number: GINGERBREAD.XWKE2.
That's all I know.
Rizaria said:
I might investigate more into ogg files when I have more spare time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One last word about Ogg ... it's only superior to MP3 at 224 KBit and above!
At least I don't think it was custom, ...
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Click to collapse
You think? Where did you get it from? I only updated by OTA ... staying stock so far.
maybe 2.3.5 will fix that
Aymara said:
One last word about Ogg ... it's only superior to MP3 at 224 KBit and above!
You think? Where did you get it from? I only updated by OTA ... staying stock so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tend to only have MP3s above 192kbps, mostly higher, so I guess I'll know to keep the trend for oggs.
And yes, I believe so. The OTA updating thing didn't work. Again, I believe, because it was an Optus-edited firmware.
tuvi123 said:
maybe 2.3.5 will fix that
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Click to collapse
Perhaps. If I update again does it keep my root or will I have to do that again?
EDIT: Okay, Poweramp works fine, and I also see types of headphones are to blame. Like the earphones that came with the phone are fine. They have 3 notches on the plug as opposed to 2. I'd say that's a fair indication. Anyway, can consider this problem solved.
Also I've been told my warranty was indeed automatic, so if I truly cannot fix the mic problem again, apparently I can send it away to get fixed. Although I guess I'll have to reset and all, hide root and all that. Don't even know how, nor do I want to be phone-less, so help will still be very appreciated.
Aymara said:
But if you are a bass junkie, the Koss Porta Pro might be the better choice. It has a little bit more bass response as the AKG, but is more bulky and can't compete with the AKG's sound "crispness" in middle and high frequency bands.
Conclusion: After already switching to Poweramp, Ogg and a good mobile headphone will give give you a second WOW effect
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with most everything you said except your comments on the koss portapros.
Unlike most iem's, the koss us not bass heavy and in fact shines in separation, natural sound reproduction and over all warness and crispness. It is definitely not a headphone for bass heads.
I like listening to modern music with a lot of strings and I get a lot of separation in the high frequencies.
Like i said I've compared it to a Boss quiet comfort 15 and senn 555's.
Your akg is very good too, but at a third of the price less, i personally feel the koss is a better buy.
And that's why it's design has been the same for the past 25 years
sent from my samsung galaxy s2 using tapatalk

[Q]is the speaker really that bad?

I have a kindle fire and am considering a nook tablet, but I'm wondering does the speaker in the NT really sound as bad as people are saying? How is it compared to an iPod touch?
I don't have an iPod, but I have no complaints about it.
I've got all three of these in my home. Fire best, iPOD next, Tablet sucks
Thanks, i'm prob going to wait for the Asus mimo then. Although the Asus transformer speakers really sucked too.
No, I don't think the speaker is that bad. I think the internal settings/controls on the stock tablet are what disappoint a lot of people. I wasn't happy either until I installed the Volume+ app. I don't have any complaints since.
rwischer said:
No, I don't think the speaker is that bad. I think the internal settings/controls on the stock tablet are what disappoint a lot of people. I wasn't happy either until I installed the Volume+ app. I don't have any complaints since.
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Click to collapse
Ditto. The volume is just way to low on the nt.
That being said, I tried the volume + app and didn't see a difference. Maybe I just don't know how to use the app though. What settings are you using on this app to get more volume? All it seemed to let me do is control the volume for alarm, ringer, notification, etc.
I really find that to be an interesting position to take on whether or not you will buy the Nook tablet - not that I really care either way if you buy one or not as I am certainly not B&N employee or anything.
I own an iPad, a NT, and have owned an iTouch in the past. Frankly, I wouldn't want to listen to any of these devices through their internal speaker. They are all very small and can only provide a miniature tin can version of sound.
However, I will say that any of these sound great with headphones and can easily be improved with decent set of portable speakers plugged in.
Just my two cents on the subject...
Well, i was going to let my dad watch movies on it, he's 84 years old, he won't use headphones.
I got the kindle fire, and really liked it but the space is so too limited so i'm returning it.
I was going to get the NT, but the speaker sucks, and personally i don't like the larger form factor for a 7" tablet.
I would get the galaxy 7" but it's too expensive.
Guess i'll have to wait. Thanks for the input everyone.
all you guys have to remember that this was meant for
READING (but who wants to do that)
not modding the crap out of it.
424aca said:
all you guys have to remember that this was meant for
READING (but who wants to do that)
not modding the crap out of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, wrong place to tell people not to mod it buddy, were in the android development forum
Sent from my CM7 Nook Tablet
The on-board speaker for every device I've ever tried out is crap for watching anything. I suspect my father (65) would just toss it in a drawer and it wouldn't be heard from again until one of my nieces steals it.
That complaint aside, have you considered getting whichever tablet you think will actually be the easiest for him to operate and just getting him a set of those plug-in speakers which just mount on top (or the side depending on how you're holding it)?
Like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Macally-Porta...96/ref=sr_1_66?ie=UTF8&qid=1330738941&sr=8-66
If he's going to be seated in the same place while watching a regular set of computer speaker may be preferable.
CRE said:
The on-board speaker for every device I've ever tried out is crap for watching anything. I suspect my father (65) would just toss it in a drawer and it wouldn't be heard from again until one of my nieces steals it.
That complaint aside, have you considered getting whichever tablet you think will actually be the easiest for him to operate and just getting him a set of those plug-in speakers which just mount on top (or the side depending on how you're holding it)?
Like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Macally-Porta...96/ref=sr_1_66?ie=UTF8&qid=1330738941&sr=8-66
If he's going to be seated in the same place while watching a regular set of computer speaker may be preferable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm interesting find, has anyone used it?. Another alternative is to get yourself an Aux cable so you can plug your NT to most of all music player, i have that setup in my car .
~ Veronica
They're pretty easy to find in my area. They're not great, I'm sure, but at least they point in the right direction!
Get the volume + app if you're running cm7 or rooted. Its really great. Can't believe I lived without it for so long.
Sweetra said:
Get the volume + app if you're running cm7 or rooted. Its really great. Can't believe I lived without it for so long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have CM7 and tried Volume+ but didn't notice any difference. Not sure it installed right though because it kept asking me to "agree" to the license agreement every time I started the app. Are there any tricks to the install?
The speaker (one) in the nook tablet is very poor, low in level, and monaural. A cable into a stereo aux-in for car or whatever is a big, loud, stereo solution for almost no money. Streaming output audio over wifi to clients on the net will keep you wireless, this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=23135348 post is looking to port MPD (music player daemon) to android, and there are no doubt others.
SpeakerBoost
I happened upon an app in the Amazon market called SpeakerBoost. I also found it on Google Play. This app actually works, and it is FREE.
It allows you to adjust the maximum volume output for any android device. I loaded it on both my Nook Tablet, and my OneV. The difference is like night and day. I was able to watch a movie on my Nook without having any external speaker plugged in. IMHO, that is one big plus. I don't have to carry around an extra speaker when I travel anymore. :victory: And if I choose to attach the external speaker, it is Much Louder than before.
I'd say that this app is a real find.
Since they don't have this app in the Nook app store, you will have to root your device in order to even get this app.

[Q] I need a way to add a balance control to the headphone output

Hello all.
I'm partially deaf, and in recent years the hearing in my right ear has been getting worse at a faster rate than the left. This has now got to the point where using wired headphones with my Galaxy S2 is becoming annoying. What I need is a way to make the volume in the right ear about 10dB louder than the volume in the left ear. Is there any way I can do this?
(In terms of what I'm listening to, I don't use it for music much, but I watch a LOT of video, and sometimes play games).
An even better solution, of course, would be something that allows two different sets of graphic-equaliser settings, one for each stereo channel. That would allow me to compensate for different degrees of hearing loss at different frequencies. But a simple volume offset (a "balance" control) would be a good start.
I also need that...
Poweramp has balance steering, but I don't know any app which can control each stereo channel.
Shasarak said:
Hello all.
I'm partially deaf, and in recent years the hearing in my right ear has been getting worse at a faster rate than the left. This has now got to the point where using wired headphones with my Galaxy S2 is becoming annoying. What I need is a way to make the volume in the right ear about 10dB louder than the volume in the left ear. Is there any way I can do this?
(In terms of what I'm listening to, I don't use it for music much, but I watch a LOT of video, and sometimes play games).
An even better solution, of course, would be something that allows two different sets of graphic-equaliser settings, one for each stereo channel. That would allow me to compensate for different degrees of hearing loss at different frequencies. But a simple volume offset (a "balance" control) would be a good start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you tried any equalizer app in market yet?
Ah, this thread has suddenly come back to life!
przemcio510 said:
Poweramp has balance steering, but I don't know any app which can control each stereo channel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Poweramp does indeed have a balance control, but, as you say, it affects only Poweramp output, and it plays only audio - if it played video as well, that would be useful.
Jokesy said:
have you tried any equalizer app in market yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't - do you recommend one? Most of them seem to be graphic equalisers - they allow variation of the frequency profile of the output, but they apply equally to both channels, and it is specifically the ability to vary left and right channels independently that I need.
eXtremeDevil said:
I also need that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far the best solution I've found so far is a hardware one:
Click here.
It's simply a short section of stereo cable with 3.5mm stereo jack plug and socket at the ends, and two separate inline volume controls, one for each channel. It's a little bit of a faff plugging it all in, but it works quite well, and doesn't seem to degrade the sound. It may seem a bit extravagant importing it from Australia, but even with shipping it's still less than £3.
Clearly, some kind of equaliser app that lets you apply two different sets of graphical EQ to left and right channels would be even better.

Headphone volume balance

Hi all
I just got my international GS3 from O2 as a swap for an HTC One X. The One X seemed to have a fault where audio on the left channel was slightly louder than the right. After multiple replacement units all having the same problem, and even display models in shops and 2 friends One X's all showing the same bias, I realised it's just a fault with the phone.
I'm quite amazed to find the GS3 has the exact same problem. Before anyone asks, I have done every sort of test to rule out deficiencies in my hearing, the headphones and the source files, using multiple players, devices, headphones, files and even people's ears. The bias is inherent to the device.
I cannot work out why the GS3 and One X both have this problem, yet my ancient Sony W810i still has perfect stereo balance (OK, the sound is not very rich, but at least it's even). Incidentally, I tried mono mode on the GS3 and the problem persists.
Has anyone experienced this? The imbalance is only slight, but it's most noticable in podcasts, where the voices speaking seem to be in the left side of your head. This is especially noticable on larger headphones, and with bassier voices.
I'm open to rooting the phone if there's a solution that way around (probably will root soon anyway to get CM), perhaps a line of code somewhere where values can be adjusted. Relying on balance controls in individual media players (like PowerAmp) is not a solution, I want a global fix for all applications that use sound (I live on BeyondPod, video players, TuneIn Radio, Spotify and FM Radio).
Thank in advance for any tips, or even just careful testing of your own GS3s to see how widespread the problem is.
Thanks,
Simon

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