Poor audio quality - Imagio General

When listening to tracks with any silence through my high quality headphones, I have noticed a large amount of noise generated by the Imagio's audio output circuitry. Figuring this was due to all the radios packed into such a tiny package, I listened to the same track with the phone in airplane mode: Same sound.
It also makes no difference whether the phone is charging or not.
The quality of the noise does change, however, depending upon what player I use (in addition to the HTC and WinMo players, I also have TCPMP). This leads me to believe that a purchase of Coreplayer may be in my future.
Anyone else noticed this? Can anyone compare the stock players to Coreplayer? I realize any audiophile would scoff at me for expecting clean sound from a cellphone, but my Q had excellent performance in this area!

Check the system volume level. I had the same issue until I lowered the level to 60%

I don't notice any noise with mine

Related

Sound quality through headphones

It is noticed that while listening through headphones that the sound is being affected by some sort of 3D/spacial/EQ process that might give the impression of "punch" for movies but at the expense of phase-y sounding vocals and smeared high notes for music.
Yikes. Thst stuff is not good for music quality. No way to turn off? The settings options seems kind of scarce.
After playing around with various music players and headphones it seems that the audio is now OK.
Not sure what happened. It may have been a headphone jack issue. Audio sounds great now.
Oooops!
There is an issue with sound quality. Compared it to a Rockbox'ed Sandisk Clip Zip with a very wide stereo track 2-channel stereo track (fyi -- Brook Benton's "Kiddio" 1960). There is some EQ bast boost and high frequency crossfeed that narrows the stereo separation. I'm going to boot from CM and see if the problem persists.
For video I would not notice the issue, but could get to me listening to music with my Klipsch S4 buds.
Update:
It is not bad. Seems part of the issue is low gain which can be increased with Volume+ or other similar app function.
Volume+ did the trick for me. Jamming to some Coheed at the moment. Sounds as good as my other tablets now
The problem was never with volume -- I think stock has plenty of volume for driving Audio Technica ATH-900x. The problem is with some sort of audio processing that affects the soundstage and frequency response.
I am not hearing it using the Google player app. Gain is not the same as volume. Both need to correlate or weak quality.
SRS processing is used and applied at the headphone output. See HD+ file \system\etc\srs_processing.cfg
This is what I use, have my settings set to Jazz "my preference", audio sounds great, not talking about low resolution MP3's.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smartandroidapps.equalizer
TonyBigs said:
SRS processing is used and applied at the headphone output. See HD+ file \system\etc\srs_processing.cfg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand the config issue, but I am not hearing it. I should hear the sound manipulation with cymbal decay as example, but not hearing it. Weird.
Playback in CM 10.1 has the correct stereo image.
so am I
so am I ,after checking

[working] sound issues and hardware/software link

Hello there everyone.
I am working on few of problems faced by Nexus regarding its sound quality and other issues related to hardware and software. One of the device has confused me completely is been addressed at the end of this thread.
Mostly, according to my experience, the sound is very loud compared to its previous model of Nexus 7 2012 which had mono speakers while this is loaded with two stereo speakers. Using it in portrait mode has best sound experience.
However, if you try the surround sound option via Google Music, the sound isnot really loud. Just without it, I have noticed best performance.
Also, in MX Player Pro, I have seen that with good headphones, you can increase the sound upto 30 (rather than normal 15) yet you can not do the same whilst using the speakers. It could be due to codecs.
Overall, the sound is loud in a quite environment but hardly noticed in busy areas with background noises like streets. shops etc even on its full sound.
However, some devices do have a bit low sound which could be increased by modifying files a bit but this is kind of increasing your speakers output more than it is optimised to be used for. Thus, sound may break and might be distorted. I am trying to find a combination where an optimum balance could be achieved but I haven't been successful. (If anyone has these values, please share)
I havenot come across a speaker problem related to hardware where no sound was coming out of it. Although, few devices do have different maximum sound if measured in db (3 to 5 db on same track)
THE DEVICE
The device came without its top speaker working and after opening it up and checking the speakers, both speakers worked. I thought the reason, it was not working was due to software. I tried looking into it deeply through software modification without any luck.
One day, after heavy gaming out of curiosity, I just turned on songs to check if both speakers were working and viola, both were working out of no where without any software modification (I gave up and reset the Nexus to give it for warranty claim the next day).
I was overjoyed and till next day, both speakers were working perfectly until I did some heavy gaming again and the sound vanished after charging it (It got hot again during charging)
This has happened twice and today I was gaming with sound turned on and nothing. The device top speaker didnot turn on for a second even like two times it happened before. Both that time, my device was silent while gaming.
I suspect some wiring issue but still not sure, I am now a bit sceptical to open this Nexus again and void the warranty as I have already have taken the back lid off few times. I do not intend to heat it with soldering Kit as I have damaged Htc Sensation a while back doing that. Any Suggestions about this device in particular?
How have been your experience with sound quality and do share any mods you have find useful and have tested.

A7 Dolby Atmos Speakers Hiss at Low Volume Only

First I need to add that I find the so much advertised two DACs of the Axon very highly exaggerated in terms of power. They are just too weak, even compared to my previous Note 3, both on headphones and speakers.
Second, they seem to not be able to be effectively used on almost any app since 98% of apps do not utilise them by default and one cannot change it.
If you tweak Dolby Atmos a bit you can get it to amplify the general audio output, both on speakers and headphones, and this is why I use it predominantly. I am on the B09 update on A2017G and it is still very buggy. No matter what setting I choose, i.e. Music, Voice, Game, Custom, when I leave the Dolby Atmos screen it drops sound for a second and always resets to Movie, no matter what. Also the sound regularly interrupts, especially when unlocking screen or doing things in the background, or just on its own.
What annoys me most however from when I bought the phone is that at very low or low volume (only on speakers), when there is speach or the music starts, there is some kind of hissing, ss/sh-ing sound corresponding to the words said or the tiny beats of the music played. It's like a background noise added on purpose simultaneously with special, mostly high frequencies, i.e. words, tiny/starting percussions or similar, no matter the Dolby Atmos setting. This noise stays apparently at all times, it just is not heard when more, mostly low and middle frequencies get in. This "noise" is not available when no Dolby Atmos is used, however the volume then drops by a few levels down. Good or bad, Atmos also adds some spatial effect to the sound, which is why I like it for...
Does anyone of you, an A2017G or A2017U user, observe similar behaviour on your device? Is Dolby Atmos working better for you, i.e. unconditionally steady settings, no low volume added speakers noise, no sound interruptions?
I also noticed browsers do not get use of the DACs/Dolby Atmos, i.e. YouTube, online videos, many video players. My favourite before Aimp was unable to do so also so I had to transfer to Jet Audio and PlayerPro, both of which can work with the Dolby.
Why did ZTE add (two) DACs when they couldn't be used by 95% of the apps and games by default and even manually, also there seems to be no gain in output at all? Was this the case with the Lenovo Phab2 Pro's Dolby Atmos? For the "regulated hiss" (not present on headphones at all) I cannot currently watch any movies on the phone with Dolby Atmos enabled, unless at very high speakers volume. It hisses so badly every time a word is pronounced or some subtle 'invisible' sound plays. The same is with playing music...
I dont use Dolby when I listen to music - it makes everything so much worse and much quieter. Listening to flacs on stock music player with Super HiFi on. No hisses on low or high sound levels. Silence is silent. as for speakers - no hiss also.
ZTE did not add 2 DACs for music, 1 is for music other one is for audio recording which is records at 128kbps. and quality.. I dunno it's quite clear, I had recorded a room full of people, with two girls singing and some people chatting in backgroud and I can hear everything. but sound itself if on the lower end, girls vocals are lower than they are, everything seems shifted to lower sound spectrum.
Tooks some time and checked spectrum of that sound file 50-2000Hz. everything over 2kHz is just a noise.
and a little edit: it records nothing less than 50Hz - total silence there.
The stock player is OK but it's lacking on features, also not sure if it can play video.
I have noticed the low volume speakers "noise" with Dolby on when watching movies using almost any player - VLC, BS, MX and more. If I go above 30-40% volume it seems to disappear, but more like you don't hear it and it stays. I say "noise" but it is like a hissing/ss-ing sound added to sole frequences only, i.e. speech only or single instruments. When more frequencies get in, you don't hear it. Weird these don't exist at all with the Snapdragon amplifier, i.e. when Dolby is off.
https://community.zteusa.com/thread/12853, here is a similar thread in the ZTE USA community. I believe it has something to do with the Axon's own amp or its software and happens at low volume only. There was a thread in Reddit exactly about what I am reporting but I can't find it now.
If you go to your phone's Music\Settings\Dolby Atmos app, then move all sliders up you will notice that it significantly increases the overall volume when Dolby is on. So it's not low, if you change it, it boosts up the volume by at least 30%. On another note, the Axon's mic recording quality is quite poor/muffled, even compared to the old Note 3, hopefully they will improve it at least a bit by some future update.
I bought the A7 exclusively for its audio capabilities so am disappointed that I have to report insufficiencies in this exact area.
Does your Dolby Atmos set itself to Movie only if you exit the Music app? Are there any drops in sound when it's on and you do something in the background?
There are two DACs. "AKM AK4961 DSP CODEC, which can be considered the primary chipset for Hi-Fi audio playback and recording. The AKM AK4490EN DAC is an independent Hi-Fi audio sampler". So AK4961 works in standard mode and AK4490EN in Super mode. ADC is only in AK4961.
You can consider rooting your device and install ViperFX or the whole A.R.I.S.E. sound system. That will solve all the problems with sound output. However the sound recording filtering is surprising, leaving only the vocal spectrum is not normal. There should be a setting somewhere.
I have the Chinese A2017 model running Oreo & have just noticed this hissing sound which can be heard at lower volumes when I keep speakers close to my ear. I don't hear any hissing sound using headphones. I wonder if it's always been there or it's a hardware/software issue. I'm probably gonna hard reset the phone to see if it goes away. Anyone could fix it?

Buzzing distortion sound through earphones when download of sth is in progress?

Hi,
I've been experiencing an issue since I've had this phone for a little more than 1 month.
If I'm wearing my wired earphones (don't have Bluetooth ones) and the phone makes use of the network (as when a video or a song starts to load) I can hear a buzzing distortion sound in the background as long as the download is in progress. In fact, I have a network speed meter on the status bar and when I'm not doing anything the phone jumps from OB/s to 1kB/s every once in a while (which is normal) also resulting in an audible hissing sound in the background through the earphones.
What the hell is this? It's pretty annoying especially when a YouTube video begins to play.
Nothing here
Yup, pretty normal when poor isolation of RF is done hardware-wise. There is probably nothing software that can be done about it except for better frequency filtering on hardware/driver side.
You pretty much have to live with it; back when I still had my Axon I barely noticed it and only when I was lying in bed right before sleep.
I doubt @front firing speakers does not have it on his phone.
You have to be in a very silent environment and set the volume to really really low to be able to notice it.
The Nexus 9 tablet is also very prominent in this regard, or the Nexus 7 2013 speakers (not headphones). A variety of devices have this issue.
What you could do to confirm it is hook up and oscilloscope to your 3.5mm input jack, play a video at exactly ZERO volume and look at the frequency of the signal you got there

Bose SoundTrue--DAC sound quality

Has anyone used BOSE SoundTrue (one without the phone call/microphone option) with V20? I had interesting experience. When I played YouTube video (strong bass, loud beats, etc, etc) the first time around, there was hardly any difference in the quality w/wo DAC (in this instance, I kept turning on and off the DAC option during the video playback). I replayed the same video again, and this time, there was a clear difference of quality where the sound was lot more crisp and solid (when the DAC was on).
Has anyone had experiences
a) something similar but with different company head phones? (i.e. sound quality once good and not so good at other times with the same song/video)
b) something similar with SoundTrue? If so, do I need to get better earbuds? BOSE SoundTrue has been great overall so far for me in general
Sometimes I have a problem with the headphone plug on my high impedance headset. I've had to spin it around or replug it to get it to switch from being an external or normal device to high impedance one

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