Database Develop

How terrible is the sound on your NC?

So, music was one of the things I was hoping my NC could do, but haven't had much occasion to try out in the month I've had it. Today I devoted a little time and attention to it:
My only headphones at present are some worn-out Apple earbuds, and I used them once to listen to an audiobook--the only thing I noticed was that the volume was quite low, but otherwise I won't base any impressions on that experience.
Today, however, I decided to compare some music player apps for sound quality, and tried out the NC on three different sound systems in the process:
The Nook Color's speaker.
Lined in to an iPod dock with an unshielded 3.5mm-to-3.5mm cable.
Lined in to a shelf stereo system with a 3.5mm-to-dual-RCA cable.
Okay, the built-in speaker is crap, obviously. It's tiny, points backwards, and there's only one. My cell phone speaker can drown it out, though the sound is marginally better on the NC. It's actually halfway impressive the sound quality they get out of the tiny speaker, but I still couldn't imagine using it for music. It's serviceable for tv shows, but I would probably still pop in earbuds if I had them handy.
Connecting to an outside sound system was what really underwhelmed me. For the two systems I tried, the NC produced drastically lower volume than anything else I've ever plugged into them. At what would be a loud volume for my phone, iPod, or an instrument, the NC's output (at its maximum volume) was barely audible. With the systems cranked to achieve an ambient volume, the sound was tolerable, but washed out in comparison to other sources.
There was also occasional skipping or stuttering in playback, which is really odd considering how well the thing handles video.
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Is this consistent with everyone's experience? Is there any difference between stock and CM7 output?
I've seen threads here and there about improving volume and disappointment with output through the headphone jack, but I had no idea. I guess I've been sheltered using iPods and/or at least somewhat music-optimized phones (SE Walkmans), because I did not realize that audio output on a device capable of playing MP3s could be this bad.

the sound on my nook is good, the speaker isnt the best but its decent and audio with my panasonic headphones sound is awesome.
EDIT: i use cm7 and cant remeber much of when it was stock rooted, as that only satisified me for a whole 2 days before i went to nookie froyo then cm7.

I have no idea how sound works on the stock or rooted stock Nook since I put CyanogenMod on my Nook as soon as I got it. The sound seems to work fine on my headphones. I can almost reach the threshold of pain with a few tweaks of the DSP settings.
I do not use the built in speaker for much, but even it is better than nothing.

I'm running phiremod 6.1 on mine. I have found that the volume was inconsistent between versions, but I'm pretty pleased with the current setup. I do however have a different issue, which is related to the headphone jack. When I plug in my headphones, it seems like 75% of the time they don't work quite right. The obvious symptom is that one speaker is noticeably louder than the other, and generally the audio sounds like crap. Unplugging them and plugging them back in a few times will get things back to normal, but its a little annoying. This has been the case on every OS I have run on it.

there are terrible impedance issues with NC. If you buy this:
m.crutchfield.com/mt/www.crutchfield.com/p_127SNI135/PAC-SNI-1-3-5-Noise-Filter.html?tp=2653&osid=969403309&un_jtt_redirect
they will all go away. I know it says it is a "noise" filter, but it fixes impedance too. I own two of them, they keep me from pulling my hair out. Hint: if it doesn't work one way with a certain device, plug it in backwards using a M/F adapter.

i run cm7. using dspmanger... the nook color sounds awesome. I hook it up to my logitech thx speakers and cry.... because it sounds a helluva lot better than the $160 sound card in my pc.
without dspmanage... it sounds like garbage.
have fun.

I found this thread discussing NC audio in a little more depth:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=864064
I haven't heard the hissing they're talking about so much as a slightly washed-out sound and the crazy low volume. Someone else testing the NC with external speakers found that yes, it was considerably quieter than their Sansa MP3 player and iPod Touch, but the newest Kindle is quieter still.
technicalsquash said:
I do however have a different issue, which is related to the headphone jack. When I plug in my headphones, it seems like 75% of the time they don't work quite right. The obvious symptom is that one speaker is noticeably louder than the other, and generally the audio sounds like crap. Unplugging them and plugging them back in a few times will get things back to normal, but its a little annoying. This has been the case on every OS I have run on it.
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I've had this issue with my crap Apple earbuds in my iPod before, and rather than yanking them out and jamming them back in, I found turning them in the socket and/or moving them in or out just a couple millimeters let me 'tune' them to where I was getting the best sound from both speakers. I actually found the same thing with my NC lined-in to my iPod dock via 3.5mm male-to-male cord.

If you are having trouble with low volume or hiss i suggest you use my app here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1104039
It requires kernel support so only my kernel works with it for now until the next CM7 nightly.
Note: My kernel works with both B&N 1.2 Froyo and CM7.

[Q] Razr I Audio Issues (3.5mm Jack)?

I've been having a problem with my Razr I which was purchased around the 11th October from Handtec, and I'm just trying to work out whether this was a faulty handset or whether it's common for the device, or affects a certain batch.
The issue is high levels of hiss / interference when a speaker is connected to 3.5mm jack while audio is not playing. Hard to describe the sound as it changes, however it's somewhere between hiss, ground loop and EM interference.
There's also an unpleasant thump when audio output turns on (i.e. just prior to playing audio) or off (a few moments after the audio output is stopped).
The hiss/interference noise reduces significantly immediately before and after playing audio i.e. it seems to go down to an acceptable level once the audio chip is taken out of 'sleep' mode and made active. I can only assume that this is because a noise cancellation circuit is removing the interference once the audio chip is activated, but that while it's inactive the unwanted signal is making its way down the cable connected to the 3.5mm jack.
This happens regardless of whether the device is connected to wall socket - and I've tested with a battery powered speaker - so this isn't a ground loop issue as far as I know. It is most noticeable when connected to an external speaker that's turned up to a decent volume, but is also audible through headphones. Please note that different headphones will show the issue to a different extent, as the impedance of headphones can vary quite widely. Through small earphones, the sound isn't too offensive, but through an external speaker or decent headphones it's completely unacceptable.
I tried temporarily disabling the MusicFX app and doing a factory reset – no luck with either unfortunately.
There is a report on gsmarena from someone who noticed the hiss. They got a replacement and there was no hiss on the replacement handset.
The thing that's confusing me is that this seems like two separate issues - though I may well be wrong.
1) poor EM shielding and/or cancellation circuitry inactive when audio is not playing and
2) no soft-start / soft-stop when capacitor(s) on the audio chip is charged/discharged and/or DC offset on the signal coming from the audio chip.
The phone's in the box ready to be posted back to Handtec, but just wanted to try and understand whether anyone else has experienced this issue? Just to note that although I haven't been through the returns process just yet, support from both Motorola and especially Handtec so far has been great.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1930361
---------- Post added at 12:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:23 PM ----------
tomrazri said:
There is a report on gsmarena from someone who noticed the hiss. They got a replacement and there was no hiss on the replacement handset.
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that was me. the replacement was much better. still not upto gnex audio via headphones standard but the positives elsewhere on the phone (vs the gnex) mean i can live with the slight drop in audio quality.

Ah ok that's promising cheers. As you've mentioned in that thread, it's only really a problem when music's not playing and when the audio chip is activated/deactivated. No realm qualms with the quality of the audio chip itself as i wouldn't expect a studio grade dac in a phone, just the interference / lack of soft-start that was the dealbreaker. Fingers crossed my replacement will be from a different batch

my first unit came from clove. my replacement from amazon uk. good luck
Sent from my XT890
---------- Post added at 04:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:28 PM ----------
build date on my replacement unit is sep 22 if that helps

tomrazri said:
I've been having a problem with my Razr I...
...The issue is high levels of hiss / interference when a speaker is connected to 3.5mm jack while audio is not playing. Hard to describe the sound as it changes, however it's somewhere between hiss, ground loop and EM interference.
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I'm having exactly the same problem with my XT890 - bought from Amazon round 10th Oct., device build date is 22 Sept.
tomrazri said:
...seems to go down to an acceptable level once the audio chip is taken out of 'sleep' mode and made active. I can only assume that this is because a noise cancellation circuit is removing the interference once the audio chip is activated, but that while it's inactive the unwanted signal is making its way down the cable connected to the 3.5mm jack.
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In my case the hiss is present only in sleep mode with no music on. I can hear silent thud roughly 3 secs after pressing power button to enter the sleep mode followed by the annoying hiss (only on left ear though). It's not loud at all, in fact it's barely noticeable during the day. It only drives you insane if even subconsciously.
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tomrazri said:
This happens regardless of whether the device is connected to wall socket - and I've tested with a battery powered speaker - so this isn't a ground loop issue as far as I know. It is most noticeable when connected to an external speaker that's turned up to a decent volume, but is also audible through headphones. Please note that different headphones will show the issue to a different extent, as the impedance of headphones can vary quite widely. Through small earphones, the sound isn't too offensive, but through an external speaker or decent headphones it's completely unacceptable.
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I think this is where the problem lies. First I thought its down to frequency response or even impedance. I think its due to different 3.5mm jack layout. I have no problem what so ever on my Klipsch S4A (10-19khz, 18ohm, 4 rings jack) but on my Koss PRO 4AAT (10-25khz, 250ohm, regular 3ring jack) its simply unbearable.
Shall I try to send it back to Amazon in hope the new piece will be flawless?

denny76 said:
In my case the hiss is present only in sleep mode with no music on. I can hear silent thud roughly 3 secs after pressing power button to enter the sleep mode followed by the annoying hiss (only on left ear though). It's not loud at all, in fact it's barely noticeable during the day. It only drives you insane if even subconsciously.
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i 'think' i had the same hiss you are talking about on my first device. it was certainly noticeable as i mentioned before and unnacceptable i have no hiss on my replacement unit.
3 secs after any music has come to a stop, it sounds as if the internal amp (?) 'clicks' off. that 'click' is/was present on both devices i had but as that does not interfere with and music playing, i don't see that as a problem.
who knows if we are all talking about the same 'hiss' or not

Hiss on Razr I
I had exactly the same problem on first device but on replacement that hiss gone but not all together but 10x better . I have got 64gb micro sd card full of music and I love chillout stuff where any extra noises spoils listening pleasure . Btw my device was prom phones 4 u

Replacement received. Hiss/EM interference and the pop still there :crying:

ooo that is bad luck. as you got both from handtec, i can only assume they had a faulty batch that moto fixed on newer builds.

denny76 said:
First I thought its down to frequency response or even impedance. I think its due to different 3.5mm jack layout. I have no problem what so ever on my Klipsch S4A (10-19khz, 18ohm, 4 rings jack) but on my Koss PRO 4AAT (10-25khz, 250ohm, regular 3ring jack) its simply unbearable.
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Well, you first thought it could be the impedance but you forgot it or what? It's quite common problem that not all the amplifiers like all headphones. Can happen with hifi equipments too, but mostly mobile devices just don't have good enough output for high impedance headphones. Low impedance headphones are a bit more battery friendly.
I think people just looks silly walking around with big-ass-headphones. About the same as using tablets as cameras.
Anyway, my phone does have slight hissing noise with 18 ohm headphones, but I can live with it.

Sure I think this is probably not an issue for a lot of people, as I want to be able to output to speakers rather than just listen on earphones.
Agree big headphones look silly, I'd only wear them on long train journey's not strolling around
If it doesn't affect the way you use the phone that's fine, and for those people I don't think it should influence their buying decision. The gsmarena review calls out aux audio quality as an issue though and measures it in comparison to other phones, and it doesn't fare so well. It'd be interesting to know whether the situation's improved in later revisions.
If the interference and pop happened with other devices I'd understand it, but I've had no issues with various other mp3 players, smartphones and tablets feeding the same headphones and speaker systems.
Oh well, hopefully be able to buy in a month or so when I'm reassured they've fixed it.

tomrazri said:
If the interference and pop happened with other devices I'd understand it, but I've had no issues with various other mp3 players, smartphones and tablets feeding the same headphones and speaker systems.
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i'm confused by what you say above 'not having issues with other smartphones'. i thought this was your first smartphone purchase according to your review on amazon...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R15W...e=UTF8&ASIN=B008QBBDQ0&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=
Perfect form factor and excellent battery life. Despite being a bit of a geek, this was the first smartphone I've bought, because it ticks all the boxes that no other smartphones have so far.
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Yep, phones of friends don't have the same issue. It hasn't been a problem with some models of HTC, iPhone and Samsung that I've tried with the same speaker systems. I imagine there are plenty of older Motorola handsets that don't have the same issue too so it's nothing against them.

Posted this question on Motorola customer care, but recived a useless anwser. I don't know phone internals, but my guess is problem lies in incorects volume regullation. Just like with with connection of PC with amplifier, if you would turn your amplifier to maximum volume and try to regulate volume only with PC volume controll, you would get similar noise.
Here is my post to Motorola: h**ps://docs.google.com/document/d/1R5ngSJzSjmjbsHPTqnEaUDa3h7oR4OC8l13hK-512uI/edit
and attached noise record: h**ps://docs.google.com/open?id=0B4n8pwAEMymPdHpXUmJHeEV3eVk

Car Chargers / Headphones

Hey Guys,
Mentioned this on a couple of other threads, but I feel it needs a dedicated one.
Firstly, the output from the headphone jack to the line in on my car is poor, the level is so low i'm cranking it up to 20 just to get a decent listenable volume level, my previous phones (Atrix, Nokia N900) didn't require this.
Secondly, if I use my car charger with the phone and try and use the line in, there is massive interference that is louder than the output its self making it impossible to listen to music. Again another issue not present on my previous phones using the same charger.
I am going to attempt to make a recording of the noise, and I'll upload this later.
Can a few other people test this out and see if you get the same result please?
Cheers
Andy

Just get a ground loop filter for $5 and you are golden.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

I have noticed low headphone output also. I use a ground loop filter so I haven't noticed too much white noise but having to turn up the volume louder than normal to make up for the low output makes it worse. I only hear it in-between songs.

Hmm I'll try and find a ground loop isolator and see if that makes any improvement.
Just don't understand why it is such an issue on the Nexus 4.
The noise for me is louder than the audio that is being output rendering it useless. Going to upgrade my car with bluetooth at some point so that will solve all the problems.

Aux Sound Issues with the Nexus 6

I'm having a problem where I can't seem to put my finger on it. I have 2 week old Nexus 6 and part of the reason why I bought the phone was to stream music in my car. However, every time i try, I get this horrible static coming from the phone. So naturally I thought, well it must be the cable that i'm using to hook up my phone to the aux port of my car . So i bought a shelled Aux cable and the hiss is still there. So i tried my wife's Samsung Note 4 and the cable is fine and the sound is beautiful from her phone. So next logical thing is, this phone is busted. So I put some apple head phones on the phone, the hiss is gone! I can't hear it, it works beautifully. My next thought is, the head phones are just not quality enough to pick up the hiss. So I have some mid-range Sure head phones that are pretty badass. I put those in and i STILL don't hear the hiss. Now i'm clueless as to what it might be. The phone makes the hiss in the car's aux port while on the charger, while off the charger, All audio programs I through at it.
I was wondering if anyone is having the same issue or had any luck solving it.

Nexus 6 aux issue
I am having the exact same issue.

Are you plugging it into power? You may need a ground loop isolater.

i have that exact same issue.. when ever i connect charger to phone...
forgot to say this is on a GS4.. my N6 will arrive tomorrow or friday..

if its a ground issue.. i should just add a ground to the cars wire harness.. that should take care of the issue right??
i will add the ground wire to the plug for the power outlet.
EDIT: i get my nexus 6 today.. i will try it out. if i still get the noise.. i will add the ground wire.

Aux sounds issues with nexus 6
This is my problem: with my old note 2, also a lgg2, I listen music in the car with a aux male to male connector, at the same time I also received calls and I could talk through the phone and listen through the car speakers. Now I can listen music with the nexus 6 but at soon as I receive a call stop sending the sound to the car and reroute the sound to the earpiece on the phone.

Headphone Buzzing

hello everyone. i am on my 3rd nexus 6 all had the same issue and i'm wondering if anyone else has come across this or am i just having bad luck. on all the nexus 6's i've had i've had this random buzzing sound pop up when using the headphone jack. it doesnt do it at all on bluetooth. it seems to do it more when the cord plugged into the headphone jack moves. the buzzing is temporary like 1sec in length but it can do it multiple times in a 10sec span. at first i thought maybe it was the headphone 3.5mm plug in that was messed up but it's doing it with other headphones i have also. it also does it with the auxiliary cable i use for my cars stereo. has anyone else had this issue with their nexus 6? i am wondering if this is a manufacturing defect since this is my 3rd nexus 6 that has been doing it. i have an at&t nexus 6. i remember my samsung galaxy s2 having this same issue years back and it turned out to be a hardware defect.

i listen to music with my headphones plugged in, no issues here. anyways, this goes into the q&a/help section, not into general. ill ask a mod to move it there.