Database Users

Noise Cancellation

I'm leaning on upgrading to the Nexus S from the Nexus One, but have a few questions concerning noise cancellation. In the tech specs, the Nexus S states it has software noise cancellation. So is it safe to assume it uses software to remove background noise as opposed to the Nexus One which used a secondary mic? How is the software based noise cancellation on the Nexus S performing for people? Would love feedback. I work at a manufacturing plant, and being able to hold conversations in and around noisy equipment is a must. Last question is, does the built in VoIP stack on the Nexus S make use of the noise cancellation?
I would really appreciate the feedback.

I don't know, but in another thread someone posted that their new nexus s performed very bad in a noisy environment, unusable actually. So its worth investigating and owners posting their results for now.

I am pretty sure that "software noise cancellation" is bull****. they just didnt want to disappoint existing Nexus One owners. Maybe Gingerbread in general tries to improve sound quality, but it has nothing to do with Nexus S

I haven't been in a "plant" environment, but have been in a noisy office, and it has performed as well as the N1. I also frequently use the google chat voip calling feature that was added to gmail recently. It mentions "software based" noise canceling. If it's the NS uses the same, then it will be awesome.
How does your N1 perform in your plant environment? I'm guessing it also will have problems.

rhca50 said:
How does your N1 perform in your plant environment? I'm guessing it also will have problems.
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The Nexus One performs great when it comes to noise cancellation. Never had anyone complain. I have tested the noise cancellation by leaving myself a voicemail on my work phone standing next to a centrifuge, and was shocked at the results. Not a hint of background noise. My voice was pronounced and clear, albeit a tad "digitized", which I'm sure is a side-effect of the noise cancellation. Only gripe I have is the low earpiece volume. Even on "full" blast, it's still too low in noisy environments.

I am having complaints from people I talk to using my nexus s. They say that it sounds like they are on speaker phone and that the call is nice and quiet until I start talking; which they say has a lot of static and background noise. Any other people getting complaints from people you talk to using your nexus s?
p.s. I work in a loud environment and never had issues using my N1.

I have commented on this in other threads. I've used a N1 since its launch. I returned my NS after having used it for 3 weeks as my primary phone. The main reason that I returned it is the lack of noise canceling, the ear speaker sounds tinny and on a busy street the traffic noise is picked up by the mic and broadcast in my ear. My N1's in call sound quality is far superior to the NS. The noise canceling really does a good job.

given that the Nexus S uses software noise cancellation instead of a secondary mic, is this something that may be able to be fixed with a new ROM or custom kernel?

generalagony said:
given that the Nexus S uses software noise cancellation instead of a secondary mic, is this something that may be able to be fixed with a new ROM or custom kernel?
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I doubt it, for noise canceling to work in an intelligent way, I would think there needs to be more than one mic. All of the noise canceling headsets I've seen have two mics, including my Jawbone bluetooth which has a button that rests on my cheek.

if you work in noisy environment don't buy this phone. I returned it only because of this problem. Every other problem that people complain here on this forum I didn't have and are nothing when it comes to phone calls. The primary function of the phone is the worst ever. Nobody hear me when I made phone calls from my car (driving, not using blue tooth - yes still legal in some countries) and I had to put the phone always on the speaker phone to be able to hear the other callers. Finally give up and returned the phone. Same isuue with my old Samsung i8910, but i was able to tweak the speaker settings in phone service software.
otherwise great phone.

I have found the that the NS works better than my N1 in general as a phone. The call quality is much better and the ear piece is MUCH better than the N1. N1 was hard to hear in anything above an avg room noise. NS I have to turn it down most of the time and much richer sound than the tin sound of the N1. Been in a few coffee shops that are loud and did calls in them. People on the other end said they could hear the background noise but it was very low and I was very loud and clear. Just my 2 cents.

I am going to try an exchange. I bought one of the first units sold at my local best buy on release morning so maybe I got a bad one. Friend of mine who bought just before me exchanged his and said his new one has much better call quality.

I am going to try to put this to the test. Although currently I am unhappy with the results I am getting recording wise.
The situation is that I own a Galaxy S GT-I9000 and often had complaints about sounding muffled. Now a Nexus S and the complaints are gone.
However. It is very difficult to understand an issue OTHER people are hearing, so I am doing some recording tests in different situations and I will be posting the results to http://technocrate.net in the next day or so.

I'm in the same boat with ya. I thought I was the only one. yeah perfect on the N1 now my wife says I sound garbled on the end. I changed the radio thought that would help but didn't. Just upgraded my from the N1 to the NS other wise the phone is great. I guess there's not a fix for this. I'll be returning mine then. even with the newest radio KI1, same way
Edit: Returning my second one, I'm done with this phone. I'm sad to see it go really like it beside the mic problem. Did samsung happen to fix this later on in a rev. batch?

Phone Fixed Post above
Well called samsung and they me told to send in my second phone in. I explained the issue about the mic to the tech which said they never heard about that issue. Ok well havent got a chance to make it home yet to test it but they replace more than just the mic:
Original Problem:
TECHNICAL INQUIRY - AUDIO/SPEAKER/SOUND/VIBRATION - SPEAKERPHONE NOT WORKING
Problem found:
RINGERTONE INAUDIBLE/NO ADJUST - CAMERA FAILURE - LOCK UP DURING OPERATION (SW)
Solution:
REPLACED COMPONENT - REPLACED COMPONENT - REPLACED PBA
Til i check it when I get home, just to let you guys know. The problem at the top, there system didn't have an option for the microphone. They replaced a lot of stuff but the mic only problem was the problem? I was liked its not the speaker just the mic to the tech. She said it was in the notes about the problem. I've been very happy with samsung trying to fix this issue. so far til i get home.

Microphone problem?

Is anybody having problems with mic? People i am talking to can't hear me most of the time... I was just wondering if this is happening with everybody?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Same Issue
I am having the same problem. During the first call I made, the person on the other end complained that my voice was "garbled." That is, the said that they couldn't really understand me. I just got off the phone with my Grandmother (who is hard of hearing) and she nearly hung up on me because she couldn't understand me. I am curious if this is just the unit I have, or if it plagues all Atrixes.

Try turning off noise cancelation

I am also having the same problems. I've fiddled with all of the noise cancellation settings and it didn't help. I even returned the phone and made them give me a new one thinking it may have been just mine but still have the same problem.
If this doesn't get fixed ASAP I'll be returning it to AT&T within the 30 day window.

Mic and speakerphone issue
Same issue with mic on the Atrix. Two people told me my voice sounded muffled. When I called them from the Captivate they could hear me clearly.
Also, they hear fine when I put the Atrix on speakerphone but I hear static on my side but no such problem on Captivate.
Anyone having the speakerphone static issue?

Call quality on my Atrix has been the best of any smart phone I've ever owned. I have it set up just how it came out of the box, pretty much. Not sure if noise cancellation is on or not.

I am having to return my atrix because no one can understand me!!! If I use bluetooth the sound quality is great but as soon as switch to the handset, they say it sounds like I am talking through a cardboard tube. Man, what is up with this? I went back to my iPhone for now.

i think it's a production issue. on my first atrix, straight out of the box, i could not hear anyone when they called me and they couldn't hear me. all i got was static, not even a garbled voice. i exchanged it and voice has been flawless on the new one. i would suggest doing that, there may have been a bad batch.

At this early date, no complaints on a number of calls, and I did call myself on another line to check. Earmic sounded fine too. (A Klipsch.)
But today one person said she couldn't understand me. I think because there was a motormouth making too much noise in the room, or maybe because I was inside a building and the call strength wasn't very good. But then again...the other things that person DID say, made me think she shouldn't be allowed to answer phones in a business office anyway.
So far, so good.

Same problem
Rezznor said:
i think it's a production issue. on my first atrix, straight out of the box, i could not hear anyone when they called me and they couldn't hear me. all i got was static, not even a garbled voice. i exchanged it and voice has been flawless on the new one. i would suggest doing that, there may have been a bad batch.
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No one can hear me either. Need to exchange it tomorrow.

As far as I can tell, the mic on this phone is pretty sensitive but only for about an inch or two. This is what noise canceling is about: letting in sounds near the mic while keeping out ambient noise. I had the same problem on my N1 too, though not as severe.

You can set voice quality on call setting
there are 4 modes for your mic

Looks like some people fixed this problem with an exchange. When i posted on the moto owners forum. The board manager PM'd me asking if they could do the exchange and are investigating the issue.

Yea I think you should go and change the nnoise suppression options and test more calls before taking it back.
I had it on high and people said they couldn't hear mme either.

ANDY12001 said:
You can set voice quality on call setting
there are 4 modes for your mic
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Click to collapse
I see the supression settings what other settings are there?
FLAC Vest said:
Yea I think you should go and change the nnoise suppression options and test more calls before taking it back.
I had it on high and people said they couldn't hear mme either.
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I have tried it on normal high and off, a new sim card (att usggestion) turned on that MOS optoion and the only time people can hear me is if the mic is right in front of my mouth, i am on speaker phone or using a wired or BT headset.
i have tried quite a bit.

This is my biggest problem with my Atrix right now.
There's a long thread on the subject of Atrix voice quality on supportforums.motorola.com.
Their moderator named Mark has promised a diagnosis on this from Motorola within 48 hours from yesterday, so hoping to know something soon.

[Q] 1 or 2 speakers?

I'm confused. I thought I heard stereo sound when I first got it, now it sounds like it's more from the right side. I'm on the phone with Asus now. The guy thinks I only have one speaker. I'm looking on both ends and see little holes on both sides. Can someone confirm if this has stereo speakers or a mono speaker?

this is a known issue.
many having the same issue where sound louder on one side.
edit: and there are two speakers

I plugged it into my car and the right speakers were louder then my left .. weird

CyberChulo said:
I'm on the phone with Asus now. The guy thinks I only have one speaker.
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Asus tech support thought that the Transformer runs Windows 7 when I called for a different issue... it's like a bike mechanic trying to fix an airplane :/
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App

EP2008 said:
Asus tech support thought that the Transformer runs Windows 7 when I called for a different issue... it's like a bike mechanic trying to fix an airplane :/
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
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same here... but I emailed EVERY name I could find on the net of people at the US HQ and a tech actually called me(not one from the call center) and was VERY helpful. I too have the right side speaker louder than the left. Many thought it was a software issue but the tech said none of the ones in the office were doing that and were even(he checked after he saw my email) and were running the same FW. He believes it's a HW issue, like maybe there was a batch that was affected, or maybe it was the first batch (he confirmed my dock was from the first batch) So he is going to use my unit to figure out what the problem is and hopefully then they will be able to resolve everyone's that's having an issue. My replacement will be here tomorrow and I ship out the one with the lower left volume to him so hopefully we find out officially what is causing this.
Trust me the call center is useless!! They said the same thing to me about it running windows 7. After my email the tech at HQ said they have been discussing it a lot and are going to work to get the call center up to speed and know the product off the top of their heads(the call center is in Jamaica btw)

lithiasalesjs said:
I plugged it into my car and the right speakers were louder then my left .. weird
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You mean the right speakers of your car were louder? That would indicate that it is a sw problem instead of a hw problem as graffixnyc suggested.

I knew it wasn't one speaker. I've had the unit for 2 weeks and all of a sudden I only hear from one side. Not that the left side is a little weaker, but none from the left side at all. I'm going to go ahead and do the RMA. Either it's cheap hardware with the speakers (the Transformers is a cheap $$$ you know compared to the other tablets) or I blew out the speaker. It was working fine for two weeks where the audio was centralized without any issues. The last thing I remembered doing before this happened was clearing out the Market cache. I doubt that would've caused this.

graffixnyc said:
same here... but I emailed EVERY name I could find on the net of people at the US HQ and a tech actually called me(not one from the call center) and was VERY helpful. I too have the right side speaker louder than the left. Many thought it was a software issue but the tech said none of the ones in the office were doing that and were even(he checked after he saw my email) and were running the same FW. He believes it's a HW issue, like maybe there was a batch that was affected, or maybe it was the first batch (he confirmed my dock was from the first batch) So he is going to use my unit to figure out what the problem is and hopefully then they will be able to resolve everyone's that's having an issue. My replacement will be here tomorrow and I ship out the one with the lower left volume to him so hopefully we find out officially what is causing this.
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Let us know how this goes - I've got the same issue.
I'm hoping it's software, as they can just send out a patch. I'd rather not RMA the unit, but if they determine it's a hardware issue, I'll contact them and get mine swapped out.

Ok. I loaded up some stereo tests from youtube and the left speaker is dead. Try this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8ODm-F9-IM I think this is a hardware issue and not a firmware issue.

My left speaker isn't dead, just less loud. All I need is a balance control. Hmmm, somewhere I have a sound dB meter, have to dig that out and measure the relative outputs.

I had the same issue with left speaker dead. first it was crackling/popping/distorted then dead. Asus gave me a DOA code to give to the retailer for a new one. New one has no speaker issues but does have light bleed which I can live with.
The joys of being cutting edge in tech.

I'm not sure what to do now. Should I get a refund from Amazon and purchase another one or send this one in to Asus?

I just tested mine; received around may 2nd from amazon (ordered on the 26). Speakers seem fine; definitely has right/left and volume is not hugely different. I'm still on the .6 firmware since the .9 is not available ota.

I got my Transformer yesterday, I've just tested the sound and the right speaker is louder than the left. I'm on the latest firmware.
Edit: Do people using different rom's also have the speaker issues?

CyberChulo said:
Ok. I loaded up some stereo tests from youtube and the left speaker is dead. Try this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8ODm-F9-IM I think this is a hardware issue and not a firmware issue.
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Actually a pretty good test. Left seems to be working but definitely less volume and body then right...

Awesome. Definately working, seems quieter, but not by as much as I'd have thought...

Just a note guys, I thought my left speaker was dead and tried the speaker test on youtube. At first it sounded like it was only coming out of the right and it was definitely missing a beat, so I was like "efff ..rma time." Then I played it again and it sounded like it was coming from the left only, so I tried it with headphones on and it was still messed up, and my music sounded wack.
So I just ended up doing a full system reboot and it worked fine afterwards, albeit a small difference in volume if anything. This must be a software issue, I'm sure we'll get a fix soon, ASUS is good about that.

I'm going through the exact same thing. Just opened mine up today. I'm letting the IPS flaw of backlight leakage in certain parts go but every song I play is louder in the right speaker and the left is really low. I'm not trying to overlook your hard work but any help you can provide would be great as to where to start contacting Asus. I don't want to call Jamaica...

My Right Speaker is now dead but it worked last week. The HDMI and headphone jack outputs both speakers.
What did everyone else end up doing on this thread to resolve this? Did it end up as an RMA?

haupman said:
My Right Speaker is now dead but it worked last week. The HDMI and headphone jack outputs both speakers.
What did everyone else end up doing on this thread to resolve this? Did it end up as an RMA?
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I had the popping and creeking issue (left and right) on my speakers a few days ago, but after three reboots they worked again. Maybe a bit more reboots does the trick for you too...

Michrophone/USB

As we all know very well our A500 mic sucks in a big way. I was wondering if an USB headset/michrophone would work. Did anybody ever tried? How did it work?

I've never actually tried the Mic on mine.. is it really that bad?

don't think so...
I have tried a Logitech USB headset I normally use on PC with Skype, doesn't work ... I'm on 3.1...
Marcher

That's really a bad news. I was hoping on that usb mic.
And no, it's not that bad... it's worse! I am using computers since 1980 and I never ever experienced such a bad microphone. Not even the cheapest crappy ones are this bad. I really like my a500 and I am happy with it but this mic issue is a big problem for me. To the point that if I can't solve it I will be forced to sell it. I even wrote to Acer asking for explanation but nobody ever bothered to answer. When, months ago I called them (Acer Italian Assistace) asking: "Where is the mic"? Nobody was able to give me an answer... The guy didn't even know the a500 had a mic. I do believe this is unacceptable.

bluemax137 said:
That's really a bad news. I was hoping on that usb mic.
And no, it's not that bad... it's worse! I am using computers since 1980 and I never ever experienced such a bad microphone. Not even the cheapest crappy ones are this bad. I really like my a500 and I am happy with it but this mic issue is a big problem for me. To the point that if I can't solve it I will be forced to sell it. I even wrote to Acer asking for explanation but nobody ever bothered to answer. When, months ago I called them (Acer Italian Assistace) asking"Where is the mic"? Nobody was able to give me an answer... The guy didn't even know the a500 had a mic. I do believe this is unacceptable.
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I agree with you on this issue....I feel the mic is good...but its placement is made in such a way that the sound barely reaches there....
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App

I've tried the Microsoft Lifechat LX-3000, but neither the microphone nor headset worked.
Surprisingly, the in-line-volume controls worked...

My microphone bottom line
I bought an A500 about 6 weeks ago from Costco for $479, rounded up to about $520 by the time tax was added. I was quite happy with it, until I tried to use speech input, when I discovered the mic problem. I had come to rely on the generally excellent speech input on my OG Droid from 2 years ago. Then Staples came out with their $100 off coupon and the A500 priced at $399, meaning I "overpaid" about $220. I decided to return it, and WAIT. Prices will come down. In the meantime, I miss the tablet.
But here is what I think I learned in the interim.
First, I believe the mic problem to be a hardware issue, rather than software. I could be wrong. Some people claim their problem was fixed when they exchanged units. Some brave types are replacing the hardware.
Workarounds:
I tried a Motorola Bluetooth headset, with mic, but it didn't seem to be much better. That was apparently because the mic portion of the bluetooth spec hasn't been deployed yet. So if that gets fixed, there might be a workaround. I do prefer to be able to speak straight to the tablet however.
I also tried one of those little in-ear wired phones with the 4 contact jacks and an in-line mic. I had high hopes for that, but it didn't seem much better. The fact that that wasn't good either makes me think there is a software/firmware problem IN ADDITION to a hardware mic problem. But I am happy waiting, particularly because Costco's return policy was quite good.

see this photo of the guts
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=21019185&postcount=18
could it be the following? hmmmmm .... ACER?
The 2 mics could be for some type of noise cancellation. If by some chance one was wired backwards they would mostly cancel each other, leaving very little audio. Hmmmmm ... didnt research this but maybe that's what everyone is complaining about. Low low recording level would certainly fit the symptoms of a mis-wire. Manufacturing defect? I haven't done any reading or research on this idea just a thought.
I'm actually trying to find out; for a friend, if it's yet possible to get a Bluetooth mic recognized and working ... anyone?
flloydlloyd
Vancouver
Canada

Hello,
I got the mic -problem, too. I called Acer regarding the issue and they said I should send in the device for repair. 6 days later I got a brand-new device, where the microphone is working OK. It's not as crystal-clear as the iPad's mic, but I can do Skype pretty well with it now ;-)
Woody
Sent from my A500 using XDA

woodywoodstock said:
Hello,
I got the mic -problem, too. I called Acer regarding the issue and they said I should send in the device for repair. 6 days later I got a brand-new device, where the microphone is working OK. It's not as crystal-clear as the iPad's mic, but I can do Skype pretty well with it now ;-)
Woody
Sent from my A500 using XDA
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Click to collapse
On the work invoice they sent with it, what did they claim was the fix?
I wonder about it being a hardware problem only because you can record your own voice and hear it playback fine. It's only in voip applications that it gets too low to hear. At least thats the case with mine.

It is a hardware problem, no question. A couple of months ago I took my a500 back to the assistance center and they have substituted it with a brand new one.
As somebody else said, things have improved a lot but my mic is still far to be good. Said that, I believe not all the a500 have the same hardware. Probably different tablets get different components. Some mics are better some mics are awful. I solved the problem buying a headset with mic. Now I can talk perfectly using skype, google talk etc etc. That evidently means the problem is not a sw one.
There is thread on this forum about the "right headset to buy". To make it short, we need the "Apple style" ones (sigh) having a plug with 3 little rings.

Hello,
There was no information given on the work-invoice. They just mentioned the issue "audio not recording" and "audio abnormal sound". They then sent me an exchange device.
Best
Woody
Sent from my A500 using XDA

No usb yet
Tried Logitech G35 headset volume an track skip controls work but no mike or sound
I have looked through source of HC I am not a developer but can read. There is Linux salsa sound support. Even USB sound card support but not turned on or supported. There are people urging Google to turn it on in ics . It hasn't happened yet. My experience was my tablet was almost deaf, I even opened it up switched mikes, disconnected rear mike, drilled small hole as mine was completely covered over. I could see a small rectangle opening in the front mike compartment covered over by the glass. I made a small hole just above it. All these tests and mods made very little difference. Only solution so far--use a Sony PSP headset with mike in cable, was only mike combo that worked. It has 4 segments on the plug---same configuration that some camcorders have. Not a common plug.

USB sound works but very poorly
Well I tried USB Audio Tester root -- free on playstore and with a little fiddling with the controls I got sound and mike on my Logitech G35 headset working. Alas the sound was very poor and the mike was always in. ALSO the regular mike and speakers were on as well. Maybe some other USB sound card would work better with this program. At least it proves the Tablet is capable of USB sound FYI. Running Civato’s Flexreaper extreme oc 1200 on v6 bootloader.
I will keep digging for program or controls to make this work.

[Q] Really quiet microphone. Normal?

Hi guys, I didn't see anything posted here about this so maybe it's just my phone, but does anyone else seem to have a quiet microphone? People are telling me they can barely hear me. I notice this issue on all ROMs including stock, and even though I have the phone NV unlocked for AT&T, even the sound recorder app is playing back my audio at a low volume.
Has anyone else experienced this? Is there any fix (software or hardware)?

If you have taken the phone to the gym and sweat or simply haven't cleaned out the mic area that will probably fixture issue. I took the phone to the gym a couple times and my fiance couldn't hear me afterwards whatsoever. Cleaned the mic and all of as back to normal.
Sent from my XT907 using xda app-developers app

Jersey846 said:
If you have taken the phone to the gym and sweat or simply haven't cleaned out the mic area that will probably fixture issue. I took the phone to the gym a couple times and my fiance couldn't hear me afterwards whatsoever. Cleaned the mic and all of as back to normal.
Sent from my XT907 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Hmm, well the mic area looked clean to me, but this was a pre-owned phone I bought from Swappa so I'm not sure if the previous owner did anything. In any case, I called some friends and they said they could hear me fine. I don't know if cleaning the mic did the trick, because using a voice recorder app it still sounds low, but as long as other people can hear what I say, I'm fine with it. Thanks a lot for your help!

phantomsniper773 said:
Hmm, well the mic area looked clean to me, but this was a pre-owned phone I bought from Swappa so I'm not sure if the previous owner did anything. In any case, I called some friends and they said they could hear me fine. I don't know if cleaning the mic did the trick, because using a voice recorder app it still sounds low, but as long as other people can hear what I say, I'm fine with it. Thanks a lot for your help!
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Click to collapse
Glad it's working better.. let me know if it persists and I'll do some more research.

I recently snagged an M from Craigslist. The phone is in pretty much brand new condition, not a scratch on this thing, the guy even threw in a brand new Otter Box case for it. It works great, except for the terrible mic quality. No matter who I call, they all complain about the quality, whether I have 5 bars of 4G or not. I've downloaded a few voice recorder apps, and they seem to record in fairly reasonable quality, so I'm not quite sure what the deal is. I've been looking for any reference to poor mic quality for the xt907 for a few days now and this is one of maybe 3 threads on the topic. So obviously it's not a very widespread issue. But I'd still like to be able to use my new phone without resorting to Bluetooth or a wired headset.
Does anyone have any experience with this issue? Or replacing the actual physical mic inside the phone? I've found replacement parts here and there, but they all just say 'XT907 Replacement Mic" etc. If someone has an actual model/part number for the microphone, or know where to find it, I'd greatly appreciate the info.
For the OP, when you cleaned your mic, how exactly did you go about it? I've hit it with compressed air but I haven't taken the phone apart yet.
Thanks again for any help.

WusteHase said:
I recently snagged an M from Craigslist. The phone is in pretty much brand new condition, not a scratch on this thing, the guy even threw in a brand new Otter Box case for it. It works great, except for the terrible mic quality. No matter who I call, they all complain about the quality, whether I have 5 bars of 4G or not. I've downloaded a few voice recorder apps, and they seem to record in fairly reasonable quality, so I'm not quite sure what the deal is. I've been looking for any reference to poor mic quality for the xt907 for a few days now and this is one of maybe 3 threads on the topic. So obviously it's not a very widespread issue. But I'd still like to be able to use my new phone without resorting to Bluetooth or a wired headset.
Does anyone have any experience with this issue? Or replacing the actual physical mic inside the phone? I've found replacement parts here and there, but they all just say 'XT907 Replacement Mic" etc. If someone has an actual model/part number for the microphone, or know where to find it, I'd greatly appreciate the info.
For the OP, when you cleaned your mic, how exactly did you go about it? I've hit it with compressed air but I haven't taken the phone apart yet.
Thanks again for any help.
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Click to collapse
Compressed air would probably work, I just blew into it to clear any dust, and I tried to take a small microfiber cloth and insert the corner into the mic piece just in case there was any extra dust, though the mic hole was pretty clean to begin with.
I mostly had the problem when I called my dad though, and I found out the problem was a problem with the earpiece in the Droid 2 Global that my dad was using. When I switched him to an older Sony Ericsson w518a, the voice still seemed a *tiny* bit quieter than I think it should, but by no means was it as bad as with the Droid 2 Global.
tl;dr: I pretty much came to the conclusion that the earpiece of the other person was faulty, not the mic of the Razr M.

I also have the same issue with the outgoing voice quality of the Razr M. After a lot of researching I have come to the conclusion that it is actually the Noise-Cancelling feature of the phone that is not tuned correctly or outright defective on some devices. The secondary mic is located on top of the back camera. If you try to cover it completely with tape or something rigid, the voice quality improves somewhat.
Since the default phone application is the only one that seems to utilize the noise cancelling feature, it also seems to be the only one that suffers from horrendous outgoing voice quality. All my other apps that use a mic, like Viber, Voice recorder and VoIP apps, do not have this problem.
There is no way to disable this feature, on some phones it's a simple toggle but not on the Razr M with JB. I know of other mods where it can be disabled in the Phone.apk by disassembling it and removing the lines of code that way, but I have no knowledge of doing that. If someone is able to shed some light on this process, please help us out.

Problem with noise suppression, nothing else. Try to remove second mic from the board.