Database Users

[MOD] Speaker hole enlargement

Hey all, watching some flash videos today made me notice how poorly the N1 puts sound out the back speaker, even compared to my old G1. I remember back in my Blackberry days that people used to mod the backs to "let more sound get out", and so I started looking into this...
First off, the speaker is GINORMOUS in relation to the slit. If you look inside the back where the speaker is, you can see a little internal grille, and the small slit for sound to escape. There's also a TON more room where that grille isnt attached to the back (same shape as the slit, only about 5x the size) that could be milled out pretty easily, and still retain the "keep crap out of the back" feature of the grille.
So, this leaves me with a few questions:
Where can I get a replacement back, in case my mill catches a bit more than I anticipate?
Anyone else interested? I figure if I set up to do one, I might as well bang a few others out instead of setting up multiple times.
Once I get a second back, I will be going at this with pics and hopefully notable improvement in projecting sound into my hand, and back toward my face!
I might not be a software hacker, but when it comes to this sort of thing, I figure its the best way I can give back to the community!

Give HTC support a call and tell them your cover doesn't line up properly(I don't think any of them do) they'll send you out a replacement. If they don't they can sell you one for ten bucks I think.
Hope to hear good results from your mod, might do it myself.

I actually think the small slit does something to amplify the sound..
Take the back off, play music, put it on. Notice it gets louder when you place it back on..
I don't know though, but I'll be following this thread!

Wisefire said:
I actually think the small slit does something to amplify the sound..
Take the back off, play music, put it on. Notice it gets louder when you place it back on..
I don't know though, but I'll be following this thread!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I think the OP should test and see if there's even a noticeable difference without the back cover. I would think not...

Try removing the cover, sounds WAY worse.

Yes, I completely realize the back sounds bad off, its acting as a resonator, or isolating front from back waves of the speaker, which causes phase cancellation. Thus why im not removing the cover, just making the one hole bigger. It SHOULD not lose the "low end" that it has with the back on (if you want to call it that.
Either way, Im hacking at least one up, Ill post results!

Do it. (poor phone!)

I would suggest to replace the speaker with a Desire one, some people who have both phones pretend it's way louder on Desire, and yes it's the same form factor and size so it should fit

It is quite a bit louder without the cover but sounds bad due to the lack of resonance.
Shouldnt be too bad with just an enlargement, make sure you put something to block out dust. Let us know how it goes.

I've found that attaching one of these to the back quite useful...

or try a vuvuzela

I think the engineer who designed that whole was well aware of resonance qualities. If you make that whole and turns out better, you should apply to HTC job hehe...

@Hummeroid
Good idea ...
What about drilling mini-holes arround the "slit" ?
Instead of making ONE BIG hole ...

Very Interesting mod idea...I think the small drilled holes would be an effective test.

Or just cup your left hand around the back of the phone.

I looking for the out come of this.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

mrbkkt1 said:
Or just cup your left hand around the back of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hah, I've never seen anyone else do it, but I do this all the time if I'm showing people a video or am in a noisy setting (ie. party)

clickwir said:
hah, I've never seen anyone else do it, but I do this all the time if I'm showing people a video or am in a noisy setting (ie. party)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, everyone does it.. I mostly do it when I want to listen to something quiet, I can turn it down and redirect the sound towards me.

I actually have a really good pair of earphones. I prefer that the main speaker is in the back, instead of in the earpiece like some phones. Prevents earspeaker blowout and call quality is damn good with this phone so far.

mrbkkt1 said:
Or just cup your left hand around the back of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I try to put it up against a wall. Your hand can work to absorb sound waves, thus deadening sound and lowering overall quality; but drywall bounces the sound waves back nearly impeccably. Desks, etc, any hard surface should do the trick.

[Q] Sound when speaker is closed?

Hey guys i'm thinking of getting the surround and wanted to ask people who already have it what happens when you play music/phone rings when the phone is closed? Does the sound come from the hidden speakers? won't that sound muffled? or what? thx!

From what I can tell, even when the phone is closed the sound still comes from the same speakers. So the sound does seem muffled by the front plate of the phone. However, the quality of the sound is still great for a phone even with the speaker closed. If I'm listening to something, I usually leave the speaker slid out though.

frejos said:
From what I can tell, even when the phone is closed the sound still comes from the same speakers. So the sound does seem muffled by the front plate of the phone. However, the quality of the sound is still great for a phone even with the speaker closed. If I'm listening to something, I usually leave the speaker slid out though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it sounds like you like your phone! would you recommend it?
and on a related note, why is there a speaker grill on the back of the phone too? (see attached pic)

I like the weight and feel of the phone compared to the other thiner/lighter models. It feels like a solid well made phone. I definitely use my phone more for music now and really like the Zune integration. The large speaker bar provides crisp clear sound that remains clear at the highest volume. There are three different sound modes (changed by pressing the silver square button on the speaker bar): Normal, Dolby Mobile, and SRS Enhanced.
Overall I like the Surround, I'm a bit disappointed in the lack of customization (true for all WP7 devices) but I expect that will improve over time. I'm also looking forward to some more great apps.
As for the back cover, that appears to be a vent hole as there is no speaker (at least visibly) behind it.
If you are going to get a WP7 and enjoy using your phone for music/media then I think the Surround is a great choice.

Also found this review which has some good pictures of the back cover removed.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4015/htc-surround-review-pocket-boombox

Hey there,
You don't really notice any muffling of the sound until you slide the speaker out, and even though, I wouldn't say it makes a HUGE difference - a difference yes. I think the phone, while it has a nice solid quality feel, is a bit thick for my liking. Coming from an iPhone 4, then Samsung Galaxy S (super thin), and now this, the Surround almost feels like the Tilt 2. I just ordered the Samsung Focus (I think the HD7 is awesome, but I wouldn't be able to enjoy 3G since I'm on AT&T). I hope the Focus is thinner.

That speaker looking grill is just that, it allows the sound to have an alternative venue to escape in the event that the speakers are covered. Thats what helps keep the sound crisp and clear when the phone is in the closed position. Think if it as a ported sub-woofer box... Well at least thats what the HTC rep told me
CyK1 said:
So it sounds like you like your phone! would you recommend it?
and on a related note, why is there a speaker grill on the back of the phone too? (see attached pic)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I thought that's what it was for too, but I don't know if it's very helpful.
If you get this phone and use the alarm like me, just get use to leaving the speaker open. It's not really a big deal.

speaker sound
The speakers sound FINE whether open or closed. There is a grill on the back that helps when the case is closed. I think all this stems from a couple of dim witted no talent reviewers who trashed the entire phone on this one caveat.
Despeite what a few of them say, the phone has great audio, great video, great everything, the phone is NOT bulky, the screen is plenty bright with good saturation, the zune software does a great job of converting videos.
The only limitations of the phone are those of the OS and that will certainly improve over time. In fact there are already 2500 apps available, many for free, that extend the abilities of the phone and you can bet your whiskers MS is working on upgrades right now. Someone just put out an app where you can vote on what improvements you want to see next. There are new apps appearing every day so having the phone is fun....that's what we do here...tinker and maximize our toys until the next one comes out ))))

panflute said:
The speakers sound FINE whether open or closed. There is a grill on the back that helps when the case is closed. I think all this stems from a couple of dim witted no talent reviewers who trashed the entire phone on this one caveat.
Despeite what a few of them say, the phone has great audio, great video, great everything, the phone is NOT bulky, the screen is plenty bright with good saturation, the zune software does a great job of converting videos.
The only limitations of the phone are those of the OS and that will certainly improve over time. In fact there are already 2500 apps available, many for free, that extend the abilities of the phone and you can bet your whiskers MS is working on upgrades right now. Someone just put out an app where you can vote on what improvements you want to see next. There are new apps appearing every day so having the phone is fun....that's what we do here...tinker and maximize our toys until the next one comes out ))))
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to be a pain, but can you stay on topic? We are talking about the sound when you do not slide the speaker out. No offense intended, just saying...
I failed to mention that the sound is definitely muffled when closed. Is it still loud? Yes, it's fine, but definitely better when slid out.

Cannot hear ringing with phone facing upp

Aria has the ringer/speaker behind the phone.
Because of that, if I have my phone face up speaker is completely blocked and I can barely hear it ringing.
Anyone else experience this problem? any bright idea to solve this problem other than just putting the phone upside down?
I'm thinking this probably is design defect..

That might be for speaker on back.
Solution I use is leave phone face down.
Sent from my Liberty using Tapatalk

Yeah, it's definitely a poor design. I usually place my phone on top of my wallet in a way so that the speaker isn't covered.

I'm finding it sound much louder if the phone is slightly lifted from the surface.
It doesn't have to be much. Just lifted 1/16" and it was enough to make it much louder.
May be I will apply some sort of spacer to make some room for sound to escape.

First time poster, long time lurker here.
I use the gel case HTC makes for the Aria. Since it has a cut out for the speaker and camera, the sound isn't muffled when resting speaker down on a table.

Just get a type of case that makes the aria body a little bit bulky that way you have somewhat of a lift and your speaker isn't full face down.
Signatures are fancy.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
First time poster, long time lurker here.
I use the gel case HTC makes for the Aria. Since it has a cut out for the speaker and camera, the sound isn't muffled when resting speaker down on a table.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are talking about smoke color case. Right?
I actually use the same case.
It still muffles speaker. I also have silicone case, which does the same.
I just folded paper and stick it just below the speaker, so the case bulges out little bit. That seems to do the trick.

A couple of questions here, so humor me.
What volume is your ringer set at?
Are you using a custom ringtone?
I'm asking these questions because with the gel case on the phone I have no problem hearing my ringtones. However, I use custom-made ringtones that have been amplified using Audacity, and have the volume set to near maximum.

I have a gel case with a hole for the speaker, and i find if i sit the phone face up, but with one side resting a few millimetres on a surface (usually a headphone cable or sumtin on my desk), with a hard surface behind it, it reflects the sound out the gap pretty well, so if you face the gap towards yourself it kinda amplifies the ring volume, as the surfaces all bounce the sound waves towards you. But yeh leaving it face down gives the best volume.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
A couple of questions here, so humor me.
What volume is your ringer set at?
Are you using a custom ringtone?
I'm asking these questions because with the gel case on the phone I have no problem hearing my ringtones. However, I use custom-made ringtones that have been amplified using Audacity, and have the volume set to near maximum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Volume is set one step lower from maximum. Putting it at maximum makes it too loud when the phone is not placed on flat surface.
I am using custom ringtone with quiet large volume.

A possible fix to low in-call volume

Recently I found my Z3c had a dramatic drop in earpiece volume. I could barely hear the caller's voice when in a quiet surrounding (like office or home), and impossible to follow the talk when outside. This was quite annoying, because it's a phone and making calls is one of its essentials regardless of whatever extra functions added to it. So I did a lot of work trying to bring the volume back. I rooted the phone (eventually), tried some sound mod, and even worked on the mixer_paths.xml directly. None of these gave me any luck. As the problem seemed irrelevant to the software flaw at the stage, I was thinking about possible hardware cause.
The first thing I did was to open the top side flap, which covers the micro SD and USB. Then I made a call to my voicemail and compared the voice I heard from both the flap opening and the top speaker. I could tell immediately that the sound was much louder and clearer from the flap opening, while the sound from the top speaker was distant and isolated. Wait a sec...
From my research on posts, I was told that there is a film lying on the speakers to make the Z3c dust proof. You can see them through the speaker cuts. To allow the sound goes through it, the film has to be perforated. Could those tiny holes be blocked after spending time with dust, water and soap (yes I did wash my Z3c frequently, thanks Sony for the water proof!). A user did mention the volume on both speakers were much gained after removing those films. I don't want to go extreme, but that did give me a hint.
So I used a pair of tweezers, with pointed tips. I slightly scratched them on those films. Immediately the color changed from dark black to lighter gray. I kept scratching them and made the grey evenly, and made another call to the voicemail. Guess what...the earpiece volume was noticeably increased! Then I airbrushed those films and tried again, this time I could not tell the improvement, but the sound was loud enough that I could hear the voice even from a distance. Now the sound coming from the flap opening would also match with that from the top speaker. I would call it a success.
To summarize: what I did was simply cleaning those meshed films on the speakers, by scratching dust off them. These films can be penetrated if you pushed too hard, so please be gentle. And I'm not sure if this trick would work for others, I'm just sharing my experience, with a good wish that this could work for others who are also bothered by the low in-call volume as I was. Still, try those software fix as well, as the cause to the same phenomenon may be different.
Thanks for reading. Let me know your comments/thoughts/tricks and treats (Happy Halloween!)

Thanks for sharing, I have same issue --- did you test its waterproofing if it still works after cleaning the speaker's mesh?

Has anyone issue with the lower speaker? I actually tried to touch it, its very hollow --- are all units like this? Thank you.

Shizuwi said:
Thanks for sharing, I have same issue --- did you test its waterproofing if it still works after cleaning the speaker's mesh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had it showered once, nothing wrong so far.

today-g said:
Had it showered once, nothing wrong so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
done, so far great improvement with sound, i can hear the other person on the phone better --- but not sure about my bottom speaker, its very hollow.

This was one of the reasons why I'd sent in my phone. I thought the speaker was broken. Seems they've just cleaned or replaced that mesh because the volume works well on the returned phone.

Thanks for sharing :good::good:

I push chewing gum in to the grills and mic to clean them out.
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

wow.. it realy works... thanks a lot bro ... !!!

Thx for sharing I'll try it

How does such a thin layer of perforated material manage to block so much sound?

You're my hero!!!!!
I was about to send it back cause of the awfully low earpiece volume. Now that I have cleaned it it's even too loud!
Thanks mate I really appreciated it
Cheers:good:

Great tip bro. Immediate improvement to volume level. However I guess I pushed it further that the sound is now cracking at high volume when the phone rings.
But am still happy that I can hear the other party.
Good job man.

Those of you who are claiming this works, could you please go into your service menu (*#*#service#*#*) from your dialer and run the stereo speaker test? Do both speakers have the same volume output or is one significantly louder than the other?
Sent from the only flagship phone that actually fits in my hand... The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact

So, I'm almost embarrassed to report that I had no issues with my earpiece, but thought I'd give this method of "cleaning" it out a try. I used a piece of chewing gum to remove any dirt from the screen and almost immediately noticed a drastic DECREASE in output from that speaker. Now, calls sound hollow and tinny, and the stereo speaker affect is nearly gone because the top speaker is so much quieter.
I'm afraid that I somehow caused my top speaker to produce less sound by trying this method. I've tried to wipe away any sticky residue caused by the gum, but nothing seems to help. I can't send my phone back to Sony because it's been rooted and they wont honor the warranty. I can't believe that thin piece of speaker grill would actually be able to block sound. What now?

I managed to get higher volume by cleaning the upper speaker with a chewing-gum but my operation removed the thin grey layer. Do you think I've lost waterproof?

zar69 said:
I managed to get higher volume by cleaning the upper speaker with a chewing-gum but my operation removed the thin grey layer. Do you think I've lost waterproof?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you haven't. Speaker attached to the lcd panel by a plastic staff so water can't goes inside.. I removed the speaker cover too but i admit without that cover phone looks ugly

2russell said:
No you haven't. Speaker attached to the lcd panel by a plastic staff so water can't goes inside.. I removed the speaker cover too but i admit without that cover phone looks ugly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, thanks.

Has anyone tried replacing both speakers with Z3/Z3 dual/Z3+ ones? I was looking at the pictures of spare parts and it might be possible to put some of those in our Z3c, since the sound on Z3c is really low by default, and the ones on Z3 do sound quite louder.

I had same problem, could barely hear a phone call. I scrapped off the black material protecting the speaker now I can hear through the earpiece. I'm guessing now the phone is not water proof..

Any way to increase output sound on ZE551KL? (ringtones, notifications, speakerphone)

I am using a ZE551KL while waiting on my ZE551ML to return from RMA. The ZE551KL is a decent phone but it does not measure up to the ZE551ML, but I am sticking with it while Asus takes their merry time on repairing my phone.
Anyway, has anyone had any success in increasing the volume levels of the back speaker? The loudness of the ringtones and notifications leaves much to be desired, at least for me. I have everything maxed and the Audio Wizard is on and set to Smart but I seldom catch my email notification and I carry my phone in my shirt's chest pocket. These are the same tones I used on my ZE551ML so they are recorded/saved loud enough.
Any help would be appreciated as I will passing this phone down to a family member once I get mine back from Asus... whatever year that occurs.

Yeah it's pretty pathetic. When i try to listen to a podcast out of the back speaker while I'm washing my face or doing other things where I can't have headphones in, I can't hear it over the sound of the water running.
I put it on "voice" and turn on "dialouge enhancement" and turn up all frequencies to the max and it makes it maybe a third louder, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. I guess you have to cut some corners with a 200 dollar phone. Skimping on the engineering and materials it would take to make an impressively loud compact speaker seems to be one of the places they tried to save money.

I wondered about buying an after market speaker replacement. And swapping it out.
Sent from my A1R using XDA-Developers mobile app

this is a software issue with the Asus stock ROM.
Flash the Cyanogenmod ROM, and the sound output from both the external speaker and the headphone port is way, WAY better.

nujaxx said:
I wondered about buying an after market speaker replacement. And swapping it out.
Sent from my A1R using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That might be possible, actually. I had to replace the screen on my ZE551KL and unlike the models with Intel hardware, the speaker unit seems to be connected by what looks like a miniature version of a 3.5 mm headphone plug. Seems like the vibration motor and speaker might be housed in the same rubber unit, though. I did a successful screen replacement, but I wasn't always certain exactly what I was looking at. :silly:
There's ZERO documentation or videos about the internals of the ZE551KL available online, but you can get a good luck at the audio plug leading into the speaker just by removing the 8 to 12 tiny screws that secure the backplate of the phone on. Keep in mind that will void your warranty though.

The speaker itself would be an easy switch. I've replaced some before and it was relatively easy. Can't see the Asus being different. It's nearly identical to the lgg3 in placement, interestingly enough.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00TD using XDA-Developers mobile app

argblah said:
Yeah it's pretty pathetic. When i try to listen to a podcast out of the back speaker while I'm washing my face or doing other things where I can't have headphones in, I can't hear it over the sound of the water running.
I put it on "voice" and turn on "dialouge enhancement" and turn up all frequencies to the max and it makes it maybe a third louder, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. I guess you have to cut some corners with a 200 dollar phone. Skimping on the engineering and materials it would take to make an impressively loud compact speaker seems to be one of the places they tried to save money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems to have made a big difference. Much appreciated, mate.

Install custom audio mods such as viper4android, dolby atmos, or biohazard sound mod