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
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
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.
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?
I'm on holiday at the seaside, with my (at times utterly annoying) girlfriend, and when I get to escape for a couple hours of snorkeling around the coast I miss the opportunity to record videos, and maybe a GPS track of my swimming path, other than obviously having the possibility to make and receive calls, which can be a very useful thing while being alone in the aquatic wilderness.
Anyway, I tried the banal search for "waterproof hd2" on google, and the best I came up with is a "Dry Case" container, no more than a PVC bag with a waterproof sealing, and complimentary waterproof stereo jack and a nice vacuum pump plug to make the device stay put inside the case. Cost, 40USD for two sheets of plastic and some more components of plastic yet. Since there are apparently no waterproof tight "hard cases" (and otrageously expensive at that) like the ones they make for some portable compact cameras, I thought I might as well search for supercheap chinese alternatives on ebay, and there are several alternatives of which this one looks best (or least bad) to me. None of them have a waterproof stereo jack plug (but who's going to listen to music underwater anyway, let alone talk at the phone in the same condition), nor the vacuum pump plug, which instead is a very useful addition in my opinion (yet on the other side, the PVC sheet has more strain by being repeatedly sucked against the device surface and adapting to its borders).
I know the usual reasonable arguments like "why entrusting your multihundred euros device to a couple dollars case", but after all it was HTC itself the first to sell a phone which shipped at 630euro here in italy on the release date (sums up to ~800USD), WITHOUT any lanyard hook, and I am efficiently entrusting the freefall safety of this phone to a virtually zero cost hack with a normal lanyard and some adhesive tape under the metal cover (it saved me from at least 2 falls, both at elbow -thus deadly- height).
I am going to buy such a case anyway, since a couple of euros are not going to kill my finances, and will obviously test it with a nokia 3310 first to make sure, and then with a cheap digital camera, yet I'd like to have your opinions or experiences on this matter, before I can produce them myself, as it will take at least a month before I get my case shipped from China, and maybe a year before I can actually test it in a proper seaside vacation, since this one will be over in a week, and I won't be going elsewhere sea-ish before 2011.
Up.
The waterproof case came in today, more than 3 weeks later, but I got lucky as the standard shipping time from china to italy is 1 month.
Bottom line: TOO TIGHT!
I cannot even fit in the HD2, I pushed it as I could through the first sealing closure, but when it got to the second sealing closure it stopped, and I fear to either tear the plastic, or excercise too much strngth and have the HD2 be bulleted far away blowing to pieces.
Curious, as the description says it's 15x9cm, while even including the sealed borders, the width of the thing is 8cm.
I thought that the phone in there would have been to instable, on the contrary! Bah. Let's see in the seller will give me a refund or something, I couldn't even fit my Coolpix S52 in there.
EDIT: won by the curiosity, I pushed away, and the HD2 finally fitted inside. If it wasn't a 2 minutes long procedure each way, the tight fit would be a pro. Anyway, the transparent window thought for the camera lens is too low and partially covers the objective, so only half of the viewport is actually visible, being the other half dark. Overall, still useless, and I somewhat scratched the screen protector while forcing the way out.
Wait... How will you use your phone underwater?
Wdave said:
Wait... How will you use your phone underwater?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the touch screen works perfectly even with the plastic on it.
The phone underwater? Isn't it cool to track your swimming path with GPS, record videos and take pictures, and be able to make emergency calls should it be needed? And tons of other stuff, too.
I'd be surprised if you get a gps fix with even a thin layer of salt water above your telephone.
you cant get GPS signal inside water, I watched a YouTube video on a waterproof Garmin device when it was put in the water, it lost all GPS satellites
hello ,
i have a otterbox 1900 , it s full waterproof and Shockproof .
i sell it with VTT support : http://htc-touch-hd.forumactif.biz/...tt-moto-otterbox-etanche-resistant-t27426.htm
the normal price for it is 120 euros , i sell it for 60 without shipping .
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mail : [email protected]
Lindenia said:
I'd be surprised if you get a gps fix with even a thin layer of salt water above your telephone.
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azlan96 said:
you cant get GPS signal inside water, I watched a YouTube video on a waterproof Garmin device when it was put in the water, it lost all GPS satellites
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this changes things, as GPS was one of the main reasons to bring the phone with me while at sea. I mean, not the only one, as recording underwater videos still rocks, and GSM signal should be available underwater too (I don't do scuba, just your ordinary 4-5m occasional dives while holding my breath). Anyway, I'd be snorkeling on top on the water most of the time.
Anyway, I'll look into it more.
voileuxcool said:
hello ,
i have a otterbox 1900 , it s full waterproof and Shockproof .
i sell it with VTT support : http://htc-touch-hd.forumactif.biz/...tt-moto-otterbox-etanche-resistant-t27426.htm
the normal price for it is 120 euros , i sell it for 60 without shipping .
mail : [email protected]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's an interesting price indeed, even if I wouldn't be able to quite use the phone at its best with that. I am not the extreme bike-hike kind of guy, so the phone wouldn't be really in the risk of being dropped, I just would like to be able to use GSM, GPS (ok maybe not that one in light of what it's bene said here) and especially camera while underwater. Portability is not a big issue and the bulky size of the otterbox is not the matter, but I am not too sure otterbox can work up to 10mt underwater, rather than being just "splashes or 10cm waterproof", and what's more important, the back is not transparent so I woudln't be able to record videos
Would it have been otherwise, you would have found a potential buyer
With a huge delay of about 42 days, the last one of the waterproof cases I ordered arrived, it's the last one linked from the first post, and it finally keep its promises regarding the sizes, it's indeed very large, and the transparent rear window is perfect to have the HD2 record the video; you can use the phone with a protective film and the waterproof case on it, just make sure the case plastic is well adhered on the proximity sensor or it will trigger it (I have S2U2 set to turn off display on proximity active).
I will be testing the case at home leaving it underwater for some time, and after that I will probably publish a review on my website
Interested
I, too, am pursuing a similar case primarily for canoeing. I own the Otterbox Defender case which serves its purpose very well but is not waterproof. Currently, I have to move it in and out of my larger dry bag when I want to use it. I found the otterbox 1900 for $25, but it will not allow me to shoot video without removing the case. You are not the only one out there looking for a solution. I look forward to reading your results.
Thanks for stirring up this surprisingly lazy thread, I would imagine shooting videos underwater or carelessly at the seaside would be of more interest to a lot of people
Anyway I tested the second case, and DAM, water came inside
This is my test setup:
put a piece of toilet paper inside the pouch
close the pouch seals
fill a bucket with water
station the case at the bottom of the bucket with a weight on it to keep it down
wait at least 24hrs, the more the better
take out the case and check the toilet paper for moisture
The very first case stayed succesfully underwater for 3 days and no water whatsoeger came in (but it was too small for the hd2 anyway, so doesn't matter), while I decided to test the second one in harder conditions: closed the seals without folding them in and close the velcro... water almost filled the case. I was disappointed, this shouldn't have happened as the velcro is there just for conveniency and has no sealing capabilities; so I tested again, more careful to close the seals (which are somewhat harder to fit than in the first case) and then closed the velcro... stayed under for alittle more than a day, but a few drops of water came in... contacted the seller, got a refund. I bought another identical case with the promise that they will check it before shipping, chinese sellers are the best
Solution
I look forward to hearing the solution if a suitable one is found. Good luck.
I'd love a good case for canoeing as well. let us know if you find anything, and thanks for sharing so far!
I have the second case STILL on the way, anyway I checked better the first one, and it actually works :-|
I apparently asked for a refund on a working item... anyway it IS hard to make working, as the sealing lines must be thoroughly pressed and you've got to make sure there is nothing left open especially on the extremities. A simple way to check if you closed it well is to leave it slightly bulgind with air inside, and try to squeeze it, if you cannot hear air flowing out it's fine to go. In fact, after checking no air cameout, I sent it under the bucket for another test run for 2-3 days, and no water came in.
I suppose the most delicate moment is when you take the phone OUT of the case, as the water drops still hanging around the rims may wet it.
If me and my gf last long enough for me to go at hers at the beautiful seaside of southern Italy, I should be testing it snorkeling this next summer
i use some general transparent plastic bag. it does its job very well, put the hd2 in, tie the plastic up, and ready to go!!
one thing
-the touch screen don't work underwater
-there is no signal underwater
-water is very good cooler, the batt cover get cool as soon as you use the hd2 underwater
a13x4nd3r said:
i use some general transparent plastic bag. it does its job very well, put the hd2 in, tie the plastic up, and ready to go!!
one thing
-the touch screen don't work underwater
-there is no signal underwater
-water is very good cooler, the batt cover get cool as soon as you use the hd2 underwater
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
heh's that's surely bold of you
I mean, that works as long as the plastic bag has no holes, I just would be scared of it being teared apart on the rocks or random garbage floating around when you're snorkeling.
Regarding the touch screen, I never tried it myself, yet the screen does work when inside the thik waterproof case I bought, and in several occasions I got to using the touchscreen with very wet fingers, effectively activating it with a thin layer of water under my skin, so well, if actually the touchscreen doesn't work underwater, that's going to be a huge problem as I need that mostly to shoot videos
ephestione said:
heh's that's surely bold of you
I mean, that works as long as the plastic bag has no holes, I just would be scared of it being teared apart on the rocks or random garbage floating around when you're snorkeling.
Regarding the touch screen, I never tried it myself, yet the screen does work when inside the thik waterproof case I bought, and in several occasions I got to using the touchscreen with very wet fingers, effectively activating it with a thin layer of water under my skin, so well, if actually the touchscreen doesn't work underwater, that's going to be a huge problem as I need that mostly to shoot videos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just be brave and optimistic, if you are to scared you can just double or triple the plastic bag, as the plastic bag is transparent.
i havent been to beach since i have my hd2, i just try it at bathub in my home, the touch screen don't work at all, so if you want to stop recording you have to pull the phone up and press the stop button
thanks alexander, your input has been dramatically useful, really.
It's so obvious that I never actually thought of it, it's the cheapest of the solutions ever, and especially for me since my mother keeps stacking tons of transparent food plastic bags wherver she finds available space
Obviously with a simple plastic bag you don't get a re-useable case, as untightening the knot everytime makes it prone to get teared, and you don't get a lanyard because I don't see how you could attach one on a plastic bag in a satisfasctory safe manner, yet it's free VS paid, and you can't beat that
A word of warning with taking stuff in "sealed" containers into water. Those little free dives you do down 5-6 feet are one of the larger changes in pressure your container will experience so testing it in 6" water in a bath is nothing like the pressure it will experience at 6'.
Secondly, most "sealed" containers are fine at static pressures but fail when they encounter dynamic pressures such as when you jump from the back of a boat or off a jetty so be careful to make entry to the water as gently as possible unless the container is rated for depths greater than 3 atmospheres, (100')...
Yes, I'm a diver...
If you go to most large discount stores (Wal-Mart in my case)...look for a vacuum food sealer.
The kit comes with different sized bags (which can also be cut down to various sizes) and a countertop vacuum sealer unit.
Place your phone in one of the bags and cut it to size leaving a good 2" of room around each side, then just vacuum seal it. The phone works perfect and the bags are meant for freezer storage...so they are pretty thick and the unit makes an air tight seal
If you want, you can even punch a hole in one (or two) of the outside corners (outside the seal of course) and attach a string (or lanyard..shoelace..whatever) so you can wear your phone around your neck.
We have a swimming pool in our back yard and I have used my phone in the pool using these. I usually always do this to my HD2 and my wifes Vibrant when we are in the back yard with a lot of people (never know when a kid is going to go under, or a drunk friend is going to try and push you in)
I got the idea when we went to SeaWorld and saw a kiosk where they were charging people $15.00 to do this to their phones.
As the poster above me says to be a diver...im not going to argue with him at all, our pool only goes to 4-1/2 feet deep. so I would probably listen to him about the depth preasure information...but if you are just hanging out on the beach or in very shallow water, its a great way to keep your phone dry and still be able to use it.
Cheers
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:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
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.
I recently bought phone. Since there is no screen protector for note 9 in my around, i temporary plug a protector for note 8 with nano luqiud with glue and uv light. Problem is does note 9 speakers give both same amount of db and my phone's upper speaker went a little less powerful since liquid leaked into speaker. Or It is normal to upper speaker have a little bit less sound? Sorry for my grammer.
If you spilled the glue into the speaker it will probably sound lower than normal. I don't notice a difference in loudness between the top and bottom speaker.
The upper speaker pushes less db than the main firing speaker. The waterproofing fabric for the speaker is deeper inside than the Note 8. If you look in with a light, you can see a gap between the actual grill and the waterproofing fabric for the speaker. If glue got in there I'm afraid the only way you can get it out is by taking the device apart.
Also, with these type of speakers and the waterproofing material being used, once liquid touches the fabric, the sound is dampened out because there is no longer free vibration of the fabric to let the sound travel, aka sound "loud."
xXECHOXx said:
I recently bought phone. Since there is no screen protector for note 9 in my around, i temporary plug a protector for note 8 with nano luqiud with glue and uv light. Problem is does note 9 speakers give both same amount of db and my phone's upper speaker went a little less powerful since liquid leaked into speaker. Or It is normal to upper speaker have a little bit less sound? Sorry for my grammer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use some alcohol and a tooth brush to scrub out the glue. Then, blow it out with a can of compressed air. accidentally got some glue in my S9+ doing a rush job and the speaker wasn't as loud. This rectified the problem. You may have to scrub and spray repeatedly a few times, but I managed to get mine cleaned out.
bsims85 said:
Use some alcohol and a tooth brush to scrub out the glue. Then, blow it out with a can of compressed air. accidentally got some glue in my S9+ doing a rush job and the speaker wasn't as loud. This rectified the problem. You may have to scrub and spray repeatedly a few times, but I managed to get mine cleaned out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using compressed air, make sure you don't damage the top speaker's delicate diaphragm (the extremely thin material that moves and creates the sound). If you tear or warp it, the top speaker quality will be worse, and sound distorted. It happened to my friends S9 when he had water in it from going for a swim and forcefully blew in it with his mouth to get the water out. It never recovered.
DareDevil01 said:
Using compressed air, make sure you don't damage the top speaker's delicate diaphragm (the extremely thin material that moves and creates the sound). If you tear or warp it, the top speaker quality will be worse, and sound distorted. It happened to my friends S9 when he had water in it from going for a swim and forcefully blew in it with his mouth to get the water out. It never recovered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why would you want to use compressed air to push the water even more in the device/part again?
So I discovered this trick a few weeks ago and I have been meaning to share with everyone but only got to it now.
The top speaker on my old S9+ was crackling when playing music and I decided to try and clean it. I put alcohol on an earpick and rubbed it in rounds, up, down, left, right and etc. The sound got better but not enough. Then I noticed the hydrogen peroxide 3% next to the bathroom mirror and used it instead of alcohol. I also decided to play a loud song at the time of cleaning it. As I was at it, I could see little bubbles flying off from the speaker grill and opening up all the tiny holes that were filled up with gunk over the years. This process restored the speaker clarity to 100% as original.
Then, since both mics of the S9 were muffled from all the dust (and likely baby powder from me powdering deez nuts as it helps with comfort ) I decided to fill them up with peroxide as well, instead of alcohol. I took a fat needle and was putting it up and down into the mic holes to push the peroxide out. While it was coming out I could see it bubble which is an indicator that it is dissolving particles. Then I tried it with paper and added some more peroxide and repeated 2 times.
Last, i took a dry earpick and pulled the cotton up while rolling it with my fingers to the point it became like a long fat cotton needle. Slim enough to enter the mic holes as I was turning it and pressing it slowly inwards. Did that part to absorb any peroxide leftovers, instead of waiting for it to dry out by it self.
The result was crystal clear sharp sound that I had thought was long gone and never coming back. I call this a full restoration.
Did the same thing with the s21u on all 3 mics and it worked splendidly. 2 of them had become somewhat muffled after a years use and when talking through the loud speaker people on the other side weren't hearing me clearly.
Note 0: To put peroxide into the mics, I fully soaked an earpick with it and then gently rubbed it on the mic holes until it went in.
Note 1: Putting a needle in the mic holes will not damage the mics as the holes are curved so the needle cannot touch a mic. (Samsung's preventative measure against people putting in the SIM pick in the wrong hole)
Note 2: You can test your MICs clarity through a sound loop by opening your dialer and typing *#0283#
Note 3: DO NOT attempt this on phones which are NOT waterproof. The only reason this works on our phones is because they were designed to withstand water.
Ingenious. As long as the water or oxidizer doesn't damage anything. That's a tough cleaning challenge many times.
If any of it makes it past the mic inside the phone better be ready to pull the rear cover, disconnect the battery, flush anhydrous isopropyl alcohol (min 93%) and completely dry.
I was wondering if there is a technique, when cleaning, to avoid pushing gunk further down into the mic which would clog them even more?
blackhawk said:
Ingenious. As long as the water or oxidizer doesn't damage anything. That's a tough cleaning challenge many times.
If any of it makes it past the mic inside the phone better be ready to pull the rear cover, disconnect the battery, flush anhydrous isopropyl alcohol (min 93%) and completely dry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Legit points, thanks god peroxide doesn't really affect anything rubbery or plasticky.. And given that the phones waterproof rating says it can withstand water pressure of about 1 meter's submersion, all should be good as applying little drops of peroxide puts no pressure at all.
But yeah, it is a bit scary for sure, aaand totally worth it once the sound clarity is restored
KingFatty said:
I was wondering if there is a technique, when cleaning, to avoid pushing gunk further down into the mic which would clog them even more?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it's tricky. Best to clean it regularly a microfiber cloth before the junk gets pushed in.
A dry climate helps as does not putting the phone to your ear.
After over 2.5 years my N10+ ports are surprisingly spotless. They are partially shielded by the case which is antistatic it seems.
The Bolt case rarely requires much cleaning, another reason I wuv it.
KingFatty said:
I was wondering if there is a technique, when cleaning, to avoid pushing gunk further down into the mic which would clog them even more?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what I had been afraid of when it comes to cleaning with alcohol.
The thing about the peroxide is that it starts bubbling up the gunk and essentially it helps is dissolve and carries it upwards. If the gunk has muffled your mic, it has already piled up at the bottom... No further down to go haha
blackhawk said:
Yeah it's tricky. Best to clean it regularly a microfiber cloth before the junk gets pushed in.
A dry climate helps as does not putting the phone to your ear.
After over 2.5 years my N10+ ports are surprisingly spotless. They are partially shielded by the case which is antistatic it seems.
The Bolt case rarely requires much cleaning, another reason I wuv it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I live in the Mediterranean and during the summer the humidity can reach up to 90%+.. And in the winter I have the phone playing music in the bathroom when showering and the air fills with steam from the hot water.. Too many no no's...
babyboy3265 said:
Legit points, thanks god peroxide doesn't really affect anything rubbery or plasticky.. And given that the phones waterproof rating says it can withstand water pressure of about 1 meter's submersion, all should be good as applying little drops of peroxide puts no pressure at all.
But yeah, it is a bit scary for sure, aaand totally worth it once the sound clarity is restored
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah just saying. Never trust that waterproof rating; it's waterproof until it leaks
The ports, mic and speakers are probably safe but the rear cover seal and buttons are suspect so try to avoid getting liquids on those.