Introduction:
So the LG Nexus 5 speaker seems to be low volume for some people and not so much others. I spoke to @supercurio and he says that his device is as loud as a Galaxy S 4 and the volume appears normal. My device suffers from low volume. I fear that this is due to the construction process and the glue used to assemble the device may have leaked into areas which it obstructs the speaker port. It appears to be a manufacturer defect.
But, this is XDA, so rather than complain, here is a fix. We aren't just talking about a little bit of an increase though, Senior Member @Oli1122 measured a 13dB increase using this method with just one additional hole on the front and one on the rear. That's well over double sound volume!
Note: Only do this if your volume seems oddly low or risk damaging components for no reason
You will need:
Phillips #0 screwdriver
needle
lighter
guitar pick
case opener tool
Performing the mod
1. Remove back panel from device (case opener tool/gitaur pick).
2. Heat up the needle with the lighter.
3. Stick needle through plastic until you feel no resistance in one of the locations shown in picture below.
4. Wait 1 second
5. Move needle around to slightly widen the hole after it loses some heat to the housing
6. Once needle has cooled, twist and remove.
7. You can remove the speaker assembly by removing four screws , then pick a new location and perform steps 2-6 on the other areas of the assembly shown in the pictures below.
8. Reassemble device.
Reference pictures:
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Theory behind it:
If you ask an audiophile, they will tell you that free-air speakers are louder than sealed or ported speakers. This works because the device has an almost sealed speaker and the intended ported output of the sealed speaker chamber is much smaller than the primary speaker output.
Further testing is required
Considering this, it may benefit unaffected users to perform this modification. I intend to feature this on XDATV in two weeks. I would appreciate assistance with quantifiable measurements. So, if you perform this mod, please get a video showing your desktop's sound-level input meter with a microphone positioned at a known distance from the Nexus5 speaker (located on the left side as viewed from the front). Windows Sound Level Mixer will work just as Ubuntu or Mac's will too.
Conclusion:
Your results may vary. If you try this, share your results and let people know if you tested before/after with a microphone, which locations you used, pictures, or if it just plain sounds louder. This issue affects several users and now at least I can watch YouTube videos comfortably now, without cupping the speaker or holding it closely outside.
Thanks Adam! ) Though, risky but worth a shot..
OT: Any Idea about Alsa Mixer app working to make it louder?
Regards
On my own Nexus 5 the speaker volume seems fine, but I like the idea of having the speaker open air. Won't the back cover just block the extra hole though?
noodles2k said:
On my own Nexus 5 the speaker volume seems fine, but I like the idea of having the speaker open air. Won't the back cover just block the extra hole though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once the air escapes the speaker enclosure, it can use the entire body of the Nexus 5 for airspace and escape through various ports.
Can you make a video of the process?
Jishnu Sur™ said:
Thanks Adam! ) Though, risky but worth a shot..
OT: Any Idea about Alsa Mixer app working to make it louder?
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt that would work as well as this.
@jlmcr87 never quote the OP in its entirety. If something needs to be changed, it can't be this way. Also, it makes it harder to read comments. But If you're going to quote the post, at least read it.
I plan to feature this on XDATV as I stated in the post you quoted.
As a side note, this makes the back panel vibrate with your music. For reference, it vibrates more than the keyboard when typing and I felt no such vibration previously... So I'm quite sure this is much louder.
While I don't have a Nexus 5, my first impression - based on the rather MASSIVE amount of report discrepancies from so many various Nexus 5 owners - is that the audio problems are caused by something like this as Adam has just described. I remember when the original iPhone came out that it had somewhat crappy audio levels from the internal speaker, and I got one at some point and removed that plastic bottom cover and found the reason: the "dust shield" that Apple had put in place on it was incredibly thick material, much thicker than was actually required to keep dust out.
I removed the original dust cover on the inside of the plastic housing, replaced it with a much thinner material (could have been something as simple as a small snippet of Saran-wrap to be honest but I found some very thin cloth material that was workable) and after reassembling things and powering up the phone, the difference in audio levels was pretty dramatic. Most people around were wondering just why the hell my iPhone was so freakin' loud compared to theirs and I told them, then I started making $20 a pop to do the same mod to theirs.
Anyway, recently I owned a Galaxy S4 Active and noticed that the microUSB cover (which seals it to be water-resistant at the bottom) works in conjunction with the entire bottom assembly as a "speaker enclosure" of sorts: when the port cover is removed/open, the audio quality from the internal speaker is very low and rather tinny; putting the cover in place "seals" the housing and then wham, you get midrange and bass as expected which is pretty cool by design.
As for the Nexus 5, it's awesome to see this as a potential "fix" of sorts and it'll most likely get noticed quickly.
Good job, Adam, and even in spite of me not owning a Nexus 5 it's welcome to see people going that extra step to resolve things.
AdamOutler said:
Once the air escapes the speaker enclosure, it can use the entire body of the Nexus 5 for airspace and escape through various ports.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
int theory wouldnt all the hardware etc, cause sort of a muffled sound from other ports and a slight distortion from the vibration? i watched a review on making suround sound louder and all they did was replace the screws with brass screws and add silicone around the edges?
interesting! would like to see the feedback :good:
jlmcr87 said:
Can you make a video of the process?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he is gonna.
Wait two weeks and you'll have one. As per his first post, this mod is going to appear on XDA TV.
ricky310711 said:
int theory wouldnt all the hardware etc, cause sort of a muffled sound from other ports and a slight distortion from the vibration? i watched a review on making suround sound louder and all they did was replace the screws with brass screws and add silicone around the edges?
interesting! would like to see the feedback :good:
he is gonna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There may be ways to improve it, but like I said, the back panel forms part of the audio system now. This definitely increases the low frequency vibrations and high frequency sounds audibly louder.
Were in the picture is the needle hole? I cant see it
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
gavin-phelan said:
Were in the picture is the needle hole? I cant see it
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
let me green-circle them... give me a few. I posted this from my Nexus 4 as I was using it as a camera to take pictures of the Nexus 5.
A video would be awesome...
^^ As I've stated twice now, video will be coming in two weeks.
gavin-phelan said:
Were in the picture is the needle hole? I cant see it
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I posted additional reference shots.
AdamOutler said:
let me green-circle them... give me a few. I posted this from my Nexus 4 as I was using it as a camera to take pictures of the Nexus 5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
mine suffered from low volume too.
but it's OK in utube but my ringtone and notification sounds are too low.
don't know if i should do this mod.
and why is there tape on your antennae ? did you break something?
bradputt said:
mine suffered from low volume too.
but it's OK in utube but my ringtone and notification sounds are too low.
don't know if i should do this mod.
and why is there tape on your antennae ? did you break something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the way the device comes. Its double-stick tape.
Hack, done. I didn't measure sound values before but I notice a clear difference. It obviously working as sound doesn't mute nearly as much as it did before when blocking the speaker, so air is escaping. Thanks for the tip!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
bradputt said:
mine suffered from low volume too.
but it's OK in utube but my ringtone and notification sounds are too low.
don't know if i should do this mod.
and why is there tape on your antennae ? did you break something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here which makes me think it needs a software optimization vs hardware mod.
Just finished this mod, and I'm happy with the results.
I wouldn't say my Nexus 5 was too quiet before, but this definitely increased the overall loudness.
At full volume, the device definitely vibrates more than before, but not enough to make a noise when sitting on a hard surface.
Also, now, when covering the speaker port with my finger, the volume is not decreased as much as before.
Tip: I had to heat the tip of my needle to the point that it was glowing red before it would penetrate the plastic. I used a sewing needle.
I also reccommend starting with less holes, and making more later if you decide it's still not loud enough. I could see overdoing this mod being a bad thing, as more of the sound would be leaking into the body than what's coming out of the speaker grille, which could make everything sound like it's in a tin barrell.
Thanks for the tip Adam.
Related
The other day, I noticed my phone stopped ringing, but was still vibrating. I did everything that I could to try to get the phone to play sound through the external speaker, but I got nothing. I eventually did the ODIN 1 click to restore and I'm still getting no sound. I took the phone apart to check to see if the speaker cable was loose, but everything is in tact...
Does anyone know what Samsung support is like? I loved being able to take my iPhone into any Apple store to get it swapped out for any issues. Is it the same with the Captivate and any AT&T store? I bought the phone from Best Buy.
How long has it been since you got the phone? Since you bought it from best buy I'm guessing you should take it there first if anywhere. They might swap you for a new one within 30 days of the purchase, but that's just a general warranty dealy that may not apply to phones. In any case I'd hit best buy first, because unless you bought it from the at&t store, I'm not sure If they'd help you that much as far as replacements go.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
take off the battery cover and press down on the speaker.
Best buy will replace the phone within the 30 day buyers remorse period.
After that you have to go through AT&T Warranty dept (not the store). They will advance you a refurb phone, and give you stuff to send back.
On that note hopefully you are within 30 days so you get a brand new phone from BB.
I just had this happen to me for the first time today, and pushing hard on the speaker fixes it for me, too. For now. Not a good sign. I think today is my 29th day...gotta make a quick decision. Time to read up on restoring to factory default...I've rooted and lagfixed this guy.
Tinyboss said:
I just had this happen to me for the first time today, and pushing hard on the speaker fixes it for me, too. For now. Not a good sign. I think today is my 29th day...gotta make a quick decision. Time to read up on restoring to factory default...I've rooted and lagfixed this guy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just do the one click recovery thing on it and exchange it, it's only gonna get worse.
i've got a replacement captivate now, but my old one did that once. no sound at all. i rebooted and it came back though.
Same problem
I am having exactly the same problem does anyone know how to fix it? :S i root it yesterday and tried the lag fix thingy.
I had the same problem. It happened on the night of the 29th day of owning the phone, the next day I took it to the closest AT&T Warranty Exchange center (or whatever they call it) and got a new phone.
I had this happen to me a few weeks ago, lucky for me it had only been like two weeks since I had bought the phone. I got it from At&t and just went back there and they gave me a new one. Does anyone know what causes this?
Fixed
I had the same problem...had tried the Odin One-Click restore, tried restoring, and several other things.
Do what VZSpyder says above...remove the battery cover and press down on the speaker. It immediately started working.
<<-- also a victim of the speaker issue. Pressing down on it has worked for about a month now. But the whole issue is a sign of larger problems I feel plague this handset.
I learned the hard way not to trust this thing as an alarm clock when the speaker glitch started showing itself.
The Samsung captivate has been by far the most problem prone phone or PDA I have had in my possession since 2002.
Actually, I haven't found any activity I can truly trust this phone to perform. It seems to randomly be unable to fulfill every task it is theoretically capable of.
Solutions to Captivate Speaker Issue
Ok, so I had my Samsung Captivate speaker cut out entirely last night and was, needless to say, very disappointed. However, I still believe it is a good phone, I cling to this notion despite the ribbing I took from my friends when the speaker cut out during a YouTube video. Grrrr... Anyway, and more to the point, what follows is my fix.
First, I pressed firmly on the speaker as suggested by many bloggers and the speaker started working again. Hooray! However, like many Captivate owners, I find this temporary fix, "unacceptable on principle alone." Ever the tinkerer and problem-solver, I thought there must be a low-tech solution to this issue as it appears to be related to the small 16mm x 5mm speaker unit’s unseen electronic contacts.
I thought: “If only there were a way to provide constant gentle pressure to the speaker unit without interfering with its performance or voiding the phone’s warranty, gentle but firm pressure that would stabilize the speaker unit and perhaps add a level of protection from vibration.” Here is what I came up with and I believe that it is quite possibly the lowest cost solution ever stumbled upon by a mere mortal.
I took one small "3M Command™ Strip," of the 16mm width variety associated with 3M's wonderful "Damage-Free Hanging Wall Solution" collection of devices. At one end of each Command™ Strip there is a 5mm section of the strip that is sticky on one side, the so-called “wall-side,” while the other side is adhesive free. I cut this end off producing a 5mm wide and 16mm long strip which has friendly adhesive only on one side. I then cut that strip to produce one 2mm wide and one 3mm wide strip exactly 16mm long.
Since the speaker unit is about 16mm long and 10mm wide, I then applied the 2mm x 16mm strip at the outermost boundary of the top of the speaker unit (closest to the camera lens) and the 3mm x 16mm strip at the outermost boundary at the bottom of the unit (closest to the battery). This seems to leave the tiny speaker grill, roughly 5mm wide, unimpeded and once the metal cover is put back in place it could, in theory, provide enough gentle pressure on the speaker unit to stabilize it and perhaps prevent a loss of electrical contact in the event of vibration and associated shifting or, God forbid, a small drop.
Stupid Speakers...
I have a similar problem with my Captivate's sound. Randomly, the sound will drop to almost nothing, though it is still audible if you put it right up to your ear.... Just barely.
It seems to "fix" itself if I gently tap the phone or drop it on a table or something... Could this be something similar? Perhaps electrical connections not being seated firmly?
it IS an electrical connection not sitting correctly.
press firmly on the left area beside the grill.
or take back for warranty.
if you dont have warranty, open it up press the connection back down and apply a peice of scotch tape over it.
Replacement doesn't help. I've got a new speaker put in by samsung .and 2days later. Same thing. I just havea small piece of paper behind the back plate to keep pressure on it.works well
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
I had the same thing happen to me. I just took it back and got another one. A little tip for those that don't like this or any other phone for that mater.
If you phone is still under warranty call/take it in 3 times. After 3 times you can request a different phone. Just be sure to pick one that is atleast as good or better.
I have used this method to get pseudo free upgrades for years now.
TRusselo said:
it IS an electrical connection not sitting correctly.
press firmly on the left area beside the grill.
or take back for warranty.
if you dont have warranty, open it up press the connection back down and apply a peice of scotch tape over it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I'll try that asap.
Sent from my Samsung Captivate
Bren Dekura said:
Thanks. I'll try that asap.
Sent from my Samsung Captivate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I did was follow this instructions:
http://www.techrepublic.com/photos/samsung-captivate-at-t-samsung-galaxy-s-teardown/456848?seq=1
And then lifted the connection enclosed in red in the picture upward.
Picture Here
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Well? Managed to fix it? I do not quite understand where to stick tape, someone tell me?
The speaker is decent. It even has good volume.
Iff you've got the tablet facing away from you!
This is really terrible placement of the speaker on this device. It's not a speaker for ringing as on a phone. It's a speaker that's meant to be heard when the tablet is in use with the display facing you. Cupping my hand over the speaker slit and extending that beyond the edge of the tablet works ... but isn't something you can really expect or want to do.
That's probably my biggest gripe with the tablet.
The screen isn't the best but.. I'll take it for the money.
Really, you don't like the screen? I think it has a better color tone than the iPad 3 honestly. Didn't really notice much of a difference in the resolution either.
The external sound's not too bad. If you put it on a surface then it helps amplify it, just like with a phone. The headphone sound quality on the other hand is outstanding! :good:
I wish manufacturers would figure out a way to have forward-facing speakers... my G2x has a speaker on the bottom. Better, but seriously... watching a YouTube clip without cupping my hand around the device to reflect the sound to my face would be a nice change. Meh... not that big of a deal to me but I do agree with your frustration.
It seems simple to me, there is already a bevel on these devices. They just need to make the bevel a little bit larger on the side to let the sound out. This is what my TV does and it works very well.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2
I was looking at the design and from a "why did they do it that way?" perspective and two things are clear.
1. they want to present the face of the tablet as an unbroken sheet of glass (ohh, ahh!)
2. they don't want to incur the cost of putting a slit in the glass
They could reduce the size of the glass and have a very narrow molded plastic border on the top and bottom for stereo speakers. Would work a heck of a lot better but violate #1...
I really think they're destroying functionality for aesthetics.
Playbook (though bigger) does have forward facing speakers, and are probably the best sound that I've heard on a tablet mainly due to the placement.
its more so because on most phones, the microphone is at the bottom. putting a speaker next to a microphone never ends well. mainly because on calls where you use loud speaker, you'd get the endless loop/echo where the speaker feeds their audio back into the microphone. noise cancelling mics are useless for cancelling the audio since the noise cancelling mic is too far away from the speaker, so the latency doesnt help.
I somehow think putting a magnet aka speaker on the screen would cause problems with the capacitive touch.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
It sucks when you put the 7 on a stand and it is blocking the speaker and muffing the sound. But what can you do? Plug in some headphones that's what.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Hexdecimal said:
Really, you don't like the screen? I think it has a better color tone than the iPad 3 honestly. Didn't really notice much of a difference in the resolution either.
The external sound's not too bad. If you put it on a surface then it helps amplify it, just like with a phone. The headphone sound quality on the other hand is outstanding! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait. What?! Can you provide a photo comparison of your device next to a iPad. This display has hardly any saturation or contrast compared to the iPad. The DAC in this thing is also horrid; audio sounds extremely bad with headphones. A world away from the Galaxy S III DAC.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Hexdecimal said:
Really, you don't like the screen? I think it has a better color tone than the iPad 3 honestly. Didn't really notice much of a difference in the resolution either.
The external sound's not too bad. If you put it on a surface then it helps amplify it, just like with a phone. The headphone sound quality on the other hand is outstanding! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I have both an iPad 3 and a Nexus 7, and while I like the Nexus 7 screen well enough, it doesn't really compare to the iPad's. Colors and saturation aren't even close, and nothing has text as good as the iPad (I think it's as much to do with how Android renders text as the resolution of the LCD). Don't get me wrong, text on the Nexus 7 is plenty good enough, but you can't say it's nearly as good as on the iPad.
My biggest problem with audio on the Nexus 7, both external and via headphones, is volume. It just doesn't get very loud. That's a complaint with the iPad 3, however, and really I have yet to come across a tablet with decent sound. So, that's not a fair knock against the Nexus 7.
originally made this in the original screen fix thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=29363298&postcount=638
randroid123 said:
... I'll probably just forget about it. I'm glad that this fix is working for everyone though and I definitely think it deserves it's own thread for those that don't feel like digging through 75 pages of potential fixes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Making this, detailed step-by-step, for those who don't want to dig thru that thread (Hopefully I'm not violating any rules. If so, Mods please replace my original post with this one)
ok I think I've discover the cause of the lift.
Got a replacement due to screen lift and guess what the new one had a slight lift on the lower left.
I figure must be a loose screw, it's not as bad as the old one where the whole left side bulged out.
So I open it and found all the screws to be snug. So I unscrewed the lower left, thinking it's too tight and that's where I discover the cause.
It's not that the screws are too loose, it's that there isn't enough space between the frame & the glass. So the tighter you screw it in, the further you're pushing the screen out, causing the lift.
Here's the simple solution I came up with.
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You'll need the following:
Nexus 7 with back cover removed
Pill Blister Pack (Allergy pills from walmart shown)
Small screwdrivers
Scissors and/or knife
Sewing Needle (not pictured)
needle nose pliers OPTIONAL (for those with thick fingers)
First you need to make a hole in the blister for the screw to go thru.
Here I'm using a sewing machine like a drill press to create my hole.
Next, cut out a rectangle and use your small screwdriver (Bigger than the needle, but smaller than the screw)
This will make the hole bigger for the screw to fit. While blister is still on screwdriver, use your knife and run it around the excess plastic created by the screwdriver.
Remove the blister and trim the corners so that it'll fit in the round frame
Remove the screw from the frame and slide the blister in between the frame
Screw the screw back snug, DON'T OVER TORQUE IT!
Right away the screen lift is gone where the blister is installed. Repeat for each screw where the screen is lifting up.
Cut away the excess so you can put the cover back on
Don't cut it flush to the frame, leave a little so you can grab it and remove it if you need to.
OPTIONAL - use a flathead to push that little bit down to eliminate any chance of obstructing the back cover.
Snap the back cover back on and enjoy your flush screen.
depending on how much lift you have, you might have to use 2 or more to fill the gap. But beware, the more you add the thicker the frame will be and you might run into issues with the back cover not fitting snug.
Looks interesting, might give this a whirl later.
ya!
After receiving my replacement today only to find out it had the same problem I tried this and so far so good! I hope it stays! Thank you for this!
Awesome job :good:
Update: Failed. Spent Hour trying this. Keeps coming back just putting the case back on. Ill try again on Monday. Used same thickness plastic, then tried thinner, then tried IDE Floppy Cable (ASUS brand haha).
I am sending this back anyways. Here is my before: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jDIgiWFPgc
_________________________________________
Tried it with 1 on top. 2 on top. 2 on bottom (Pictured below). All 4.
I'll confirm this is still working 24 hours later and feels more solid than it did when I first took It out of the box. Thank you so much! I started the RMA process and received the links to order my replacement when I read they hold another $225 from your account until they receive the original back and determine I caused no damage. You saved me a lot of time/hassle/and money being held from me for at least 1-2 weeks.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Yes thank you man, I tried it when you first posted it yesterday, I can vouch for the fix in this thread as i did the previous one, so happy that it is working for me and several others, it is well worth the 10-20 minutes to perform the fix.
I wish this would work on mine, but my problem is clearly related to a bad adhesive job. I'm almost tempted to re-glue it myself considering there is nothing else wrong with the thing but I'll give Google one more chance to send me a perfect one.
How about a donation link? I'd like to buy you a beer or 2 for your fix.
Wonderful job with the pictures man, they really helped. I can confirm that this works perfect for me too. I just did not but the tablet immediately feels better. No squishyness at all. With the previous fix (tightening the screws) the screen still felt squishy. Nothing now. It feels just as sturdy as the right hand side.
Sent from my Nexus 7
_MetalHead_ said:
I wish this would work on mine, but my problem is clearly related to a bad adhesive job. I'm almost tempted to re-glue it myself considering there is nothing else wrong with the thing but I'll give Google one more chance to send me a perfect one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I initially thought mine may have been adhesive related.. but turns out after this fix, it really is not.
Edit: id highly suggest giving this a try, it isnt difficult, probably cannot be detected as "user modification" if you remove the makeshift washers. If you dont want to that's your call, but i think the problem is still fixable with this method.
acroanidd said:
I initially thought mine may have been adhesive related.. but turns out after this fix, it really is not.
Edit: id highly suggest giving this a try, it isnt difficult, probably cannot be detected as "user modification" if you remove the makeshift washers. If you dont want to that's your call, but i think the problem is still fixable with this method.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dunno man, I can actually see underneath the glass on mine, that's how bad it is. I might give this a shot while I'm waiting for my replacement but I really don't expect it to do any good. I am happy for everybody who is finding success with this, just don't see myself being one of those lucky people.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
_MetalHead_ said:
I dunno man, I can actually see underneath the glass on mine, that's how bad it is. I might give this a shot while I'm waiting for my replacement but I really don't expect it to do any good. I am happy for everybody who is finding success with this, just don't see myself being one of those lucky people.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really would give this a shot...I'm convinced the issue is not adhesive related. My tab doesn't actually have a screen lift issue... it has been making a crunching sound that i discovered is actually just the black tape/insulation that the little black foam piece is glued to. If you remove the back cover and just fiddle with that black insulation you should hear the crunching i described. I am 90% sure that the crunching sound people are reporting is really not going to affect your devices integrity at all. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on that one.
So far so good. Let's see whether it stays that way or not. The left side feel solid now
Thanks for the fix and the photos.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
I just opened up my buddy's N7 with him, and check this out. It looks like the N7 already has some type of circular washers in this spot. OP, and those of you who have done this - did your N7s have these circular washers as well, or was that space totally hollow? I couldn't tell from your pictures. I've attached pictures so you can see what I'm talking about. It doesn't look like there's room in here to add the blister pack washers you guys are talking about, unless I really have to struggle to shove them in. Is it possible some N7s were missing these washers?
nyijedi said:
I just opened up my buddy's N7 with him, and check this out. It looks like the N7 already has some type of circular washers in this spot. OP, and those of you who have done this - did your N7s have these circular washers as well, or was that space totally hollow? I couldn't tell from your pictures. I've attached pictures so you can see what I'm talking about. It doesn't look like there's room in here to add the blister pack washers you guys are talking about, unless I really have to struggle to shove them in. Is it possible some N7s were missing these washers?
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Click to collapse
No, those were there on all of them. Those do not come out as far as i can tell. The blister washer goes in between the black round part and the back plate where the screw enters. Its snug but it should be, this will allow you to snug up the screws and alleviate the pressure on the screen. People seem to forget that only adhesive would not cause glass to bend, it would just sit loose but not protrude upward without a force behind it.
I just did what op did and everything is working fine. Fantastic work!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
You, sir, are brilliant. I just did the fix and it seems to be holding well. I'll see how it is tomorrow but the logic behind it seems solid.
Thank you for sharing!
Performed the fix, and it seems to have fixed the problem on my friend's N7. The OP is smarter than stinking Asus! Bravo.
One minor issue on the N7 I did this on is the back doesn't seem to be completely flush with the bezel now in the area with the washers, but this beats the screen lifting.
Have people allowed enough time after performing this and rechecked their screens? Everyone was saying retorquing the screws was the fix, and it initially looked like it did help, but eventually the screen came back up.
Thanks for the fix, but to be honest all this seems to be ridiculous, there should be no defect in a product you had to pay good money for. I'm hoping a fix comes soon out of the box.
Anyone having the same problem? Im not sure if its because of the whitestone adhesive, the dual speaker mod or what. Its getting annoying that I need to use the speaker just to hear the person im talking to.
Is this happening only when placing calls through your carrier or also when placing whatsapp and facebook messenger calls?
you probably got some of the Whitestone adhesive leaked into the earpiece speaker and then dirt/dust clogging it up, several people reported same thing happening, some careful cleaning with pure alcohol and wipes should sort it
RossTeagan said:
Is this happening only when placing calls through your carrier or also when placing whatsapp and facebook messenger calls?
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Click to collapse
I only call through my carrier, and I notice how weak it was when the dual speaker mod sounded a bit odd
j_hansen said:
you probably got some of the Whitestone adhesive leaked into the earpiece speaker and then dirt/dust clogging it up, several people reported same thing happening, some careful cleaning with pure alcohol and wipes should sort it
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Click to collapse
Well.. it " leaked INTO the earpiece " how would alcohol clean the inside?
Update
Sorry for talking first, reasearching later.
So ive made a search about this and what you said was exactly what they did.
chancces are it is just a little bit and it hasn't leaked deep into it but basically just covering the earpiece and clogging it up, give it a shot, you have nothing to lose anyway
xDreDz said:
Well.. it " leaked INTO the earpiece " how would alcohol clean the inside?
Update
Sorry for talking first, reasearching later.
So ive made a search about this and what you said was exactly what they did.
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Click to collapse
After alchol drys. Run speaker cleaning app. They have them in play store. Similar situation happened on 1 of my old phones. The app helped after cleaning out with alcohol.
I had low volume on the ear placed speaker, tried all of the various tricks.
Only way to get my volume back was compressed air
note 8 earpiece volume
xDreDz said:
Anyone having the same problem? Im not sure if its because of the whitestone adhesive, the dual speaker mod or what. Its getting annoying that I need to use the speaker just to hear the person im talking to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok heres the scoop on low note 8 earpiece volume. i moved up from a note 5 and could barely hear my calls. i looked at note 5 earpiece and holes are open. i looked at note 8 and found the holes are covered with aluminum---no open holes??? i used a magnified reader to see them. i used a pin and gently open 6 holes across the speaker again useing magnifier i could see the holes open. guess what? i had to turn the volume down!!! i don,t know if that aluminum cover was supposed to be removed at assenbly but the note 5 has nothing shiny on the earpiece speaker. i am now a happy camper and no longer hae to use my bluetooth earpiece.: CAUTION don,t need to push on pin hard just put it there and twist it a bit u will feel it move.
Well, maybe you punctured a water seal, I would be very careful about moisture and splashes, not to say submerging the device
I had the same issue with my note 8 I bought. The ear piece was more of a brown color than black so I knew it was clogged with dust or something. I took it to a professional and they said they would have to replace the entire LCD screen since the speaker was linked into it. They told me it would cost $280 to replace it. I told them to basically piss up a rope and I left. When I got home I used gorilla tape and put it over the mesh speaker and pressed it in with the end of a screwdriver just enough to get it touching the mesh..not hard. Pulled it off and did this a couple more times. The speaker mesh looks brand new and I hear perfect now. So try that.
jusgrr8 said:
Ok heres the scoop on low note 8 earpiece volume. i moved up from a note 5 and could barely hear my calls. i looked at note 5 earpiece and holes are open. i looked at note 8 and found the holes are covered with aluminum---no open holes??? i used a magnified reader to see them. i used a pin and gently open 6 holes across the speaker again useing magnifier i could see the holes open. guess what? i had to turn the volume down!!! i don,t know if that aluminum cover was supposed to be removed at assenbly but the note 5 has nothing shiny on the earpiece speaker. i am now a happy camper and no longer hae to use my bluetooth earpiece.: CAUTION don,t need to push on pin hard just put it there and twist it a bit u will feel it move.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are a life saver man. I mean i thought i had to give my phone for repairing or replacing the ear piece. But your solution worked like charm. You deserve appreciation.:good:
You can use compress air to clean out the earpiece
Michaelmc88 said:
I had the same issue with my note 8 I bought. The ear piece was more of a brown color than black so I knew it was clogged with dust or something. I took it to a professional and they said they would have to replace the entire LCD screen since the speaker was linked into it. They told me it would cost $280 to replace it. I told them to basically piss up a rope and I left. When I got home I used gorilla tape and put it over the mesh speaker and pressed it in with the end of a screwdriver just enough to get it touching the mesh..not hard. Pulled it off and did this a couple more times. The speaker mesh looks brand new and I hear perfect now. So try that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Been ages since I logged into this website. Had to do a password reset just to say Thank You. This worked like a charm. I had the low volume issue since a year but did not actually think of searching for a fix because I was using either loud speakr or headset. Thanks again. I was using the low volume as an excuse to buy a new phone which I wont now
switched from Oneplus 7t to Samsung s21 ultra SM-G998U, the first thing I noticed is the unbalanced volume in the speakers. with the earpiece speaker seem to be softer and less bassy. I like the phone and am getting attached to it, but the speaker problem always bugs me out, I tried cleaning it with small amounts of alcohol and an old toothbrush, tried submerging it under a small bucket of water while playing music at the loudest setting in hopes of getting debris and dirt out. It did improve, however, it is always noticeable to be unequal.
I watched two teardown videos, for the S21 base G991B/DS, which have foam balls in the earpiece speaker:
(the blue circles that are covering some white balls)
While the S21 Ultra teardown video shows an evident claim that it has no foam balls in its earpiece speaker:
That was it, I was thinking of disassembling the phone and adding some foam balls to the earpiece speaker, though the supply of those little foam balls would be a problem. Was it worth the hassle though? I'm just trying to achieve well-balanced stereo audio, especially in landscape mode.
TL DR: I'm not satisfied with the earpiece speaker and was thinking to improve it by putting foam balls in it
Get some Buds+ or a pair LDAC headphones and be happy.
There's the real possibility of trashing the phone by doing experimental surgery.
Buds Pro are great I've had several different pairs of earbuds including Sennheiser and the Samsung ones are the best overall with great integration to the phone.
thank you guys for the responses, didn't even think people would be interested in my ques, but yeah later I realized it's not worth it at all, just enjoying it as what it offers
atlinson said:
thank you guys for the responses, didn't even think people would be interested in my ques, but yeah later I realized it's not worth it at all, just enjoying it as what it offers
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Click to collapse
On your s21u, is the Dolby sound setting turned on?
babyboy3265 said:
On your s21u, is the Dolby sound setting turned on?
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Click to collapse
yupp, from time to time there will be unbalanced audio, specifically the bass and overall volume. but when it comes to sharper audio like guitar strumming, they seem equal.
my guess is that there is some junk in the earpiece gathered by time and the use of previous owner. Making the earpiece difficult to produce good bass.
I think you made the right decision. Took me awhile to get used to the speaker on this phone - particularly during calls. Volume needs adjusted pretty much every call (which is kinda normal nowadays since everyone is calling you from varying qualities of connected devices) and it's best held at the midpoint of the ear. I am going to avoid tearing this phone down at all costs due to the curved screen and sheer size.
atlinson said:
yupp, from time to time there will be unbalanced audio, specifically the bass and overall volume. but when it comes to sharper audio like guitar strumming, they seem equal.
my guess is that there is some junk in the earpiece gathered by time and the use of previous owner. Making the earpiece difficult to produce good bass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed it could be the case that the speaker is filled with gunk... Especially if it improved after you tried cleaning it and submerging it as you said..
I was experiencing a similar issue with my older phones getting their Mics gunked up and people could hear me muffled. And that I concluded, is because I use baby powder to powder my cashews and when having the phone in my pocket, little by little that powder accumulates in all the holes of the phone :/ And with the humidity of the summers, the powder gets even more stuck in the phone holes :/
babyboy3265 said:
tried cleaning it and submerging it as you said
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Luckily the phone's water resistance hasn't worn out. Additionally, I would cover the speaker hole into a smaller hole with my fingers, so that these water and gunks would flow out by a stronger pressure resulted from leaving a smaller speaker hole.
I hope yours could get solved by a small amount of alcohol and an old toothbrush
TLDR: I discovered there are actually foam balls in the US unit of S21 ultra. Made a workaround to balance both speakers, although not perfect, but I'm finally satisfied.
Just a quick update, I recently got my phone wet and the water resistance has worn out (not intentional). Having water condensing into the camera lens doesn't make me comfortable, that's why I took it apart. To my surprise, a guitar pick was able to easily rip the adhesive apart (without any heat; there is actually an opening at the side of the back glass, which could be the reason for water infiltration).
I started disassembling and focused my attention on the earpiece speaker while I had the chance (didn't take pics during the process). Long story short, I carefully cut holes marked by the blue boxes.
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Research: The left hole is indeed hollow, however, has nothing inside it. I tried putting some foam balls I cut from my styro foams, only to result in crackling and undesirable high volume quality. Not to mention that it does not increase the volume at all, only worsens it.
The right hole is where I find things interesting, there are foam balls! But does not seem to be much. I messed things up by cutting these holes, and despite putting some additional self-made foam balls in it, it's either a crackling sound or a bassy and muffled sound.
Workaround: Almost lost hope, but to make my disassembly worth more, I thought of the idea of transferring foam balls from the main speaker into the earpiece. Collected maybe around 5 to 10% of foam balls relative to the size of the main speaker. After the transplant of these balls (i removed my self-made foam balls first), and assembled them, there is not much crackling nor bassy muffled sound (or at least not really noticeable by my ears; I'm in my teenage years). To my surprise, the main speaker is still very loud and clear!
Output: I achieved an almost balanced volume between the earpiece and the main speaker. The earpiece does sound to have more mids than before, while the main speaker is very clear. I'm satisfied with what I've done
Additional: For the holes that I've previously cut, I put a little bit of multipurpose grease (having it laying around, tired and fatigued then decided to use them to cover what I messed up) and a reasonable-sized masking tape to cover these holes. Not the best solution but it works on my part.
Conclusion: It's not really worth it unless this does really bother you every time you're playing music while having the chance to open up the phone for repair. I do not recommend doing this to a new device; "Don't fix what is not broken". Although this is the second phone that I opened up, with enough precaution and knowledge about the parts, this could be swiftly done.
P.S. I still do have access to the internals as of now
atlinson said:
TLDR: I discovered there are actually foam balls in the US unit of S21 ultra. Made a workaround to balance both speakers, although not perfect, but I'm finally satisfied.
Just a quick update, I recently got my phone wet and the water resistance has worn out (not intentional). Having water condensing into the camera lens doesn't make me comfortable, that's why I took it apart. To my surprise, a guitar pick was able to easily rip the adhesive apart (without any heat; there is actually an opening at the side of the back glass, which could be the reason for water infiltration).
I started disassembling and focused my attention on the earpiece speaker while I had the chance (didn't take pics during the process). Long story short, I carefully cut holes marked by the blue boxes.View attachment 5602589
Research: The left hole is indeed hollow, however, has nothing inside it. I tried putting some foam balls I cut from my styro foams, only to result in crackling and undesirable high volume quality. Not to mention that it does not increase the volume at all, only worsens it.
The right hole is where I find things interesting, there are foam balls! But does not seem to be much. I messed things up by cutting these holes, and despite putting some additional self-made foam balls in it, it's either a crackling sound or a bassy and muffled sound.
Workaround: Almost lost hope, but to make my disassembly worth more, I thought of the idea of transferring foam balls from the main speaker into the earpiece. Collected maybe around 5 to 10% of foam balls relative to the size of the main speaker. After the transplant of these balls (i removed my self-made foam balls first), and assembled them, there is not much crackling nor bassy muffled sound (or at least not really noticeable by my ears; I'm in my teenage years). To my surprise, the main speaker is still very loud and clear!
Output: I achieved an almost balanced volume between the earpiece and the main speaker. The earpiece does sound to have more mids than before, while the main speaker is very clear. I'm satisfied with what I've done
Additional: For the holes that I've previously cut, I put a little bit of multipurpose grease (having it laying around, tired and fatigued then decided to use them to cover what I messed up) and a reasonable-sized masking tape to cover these holes. Not the best solution but it works on my part.
Conclusion: It's not really worth it unless this does really bother you every time you're playing music while having the chance to open up the phone for repair. I do not recommend doing this to a new device; "Don't fix what is not broken". Although this is the second phone that I opened up, with enough precaution and knowledge about the parts, this could be swiftly done.
P.S. I still do have access to the internals as of now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are definitely braver and a lot more handy than I am. Was going to comment the same : the NA variant has "ballz"
Look at Jerry's (Jerryrigeverything) teardown.
Nice work.