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Hello. I've noticed that, unlike my other droid based on the same SoC, the Sony Ericsson Live With Walkman, this X5 has a couple of problems when recording video, regardless of the ROM.
First, when recording in low-light conditions, the framerate drops to an unusable level. Even in the photo camera, when moving around, I can see some "ghosting". The other issue concerns the very low bitrate of the audio recording, but it seems that it's improved in the ICS ROM's using the AAC codec. At least the bitrate is higher, but I haven't tried yet if that translates to a better sound recording quality, or if the bottleneck in the video's sound quality is the quality of the microphone itself.
Has anyone experienced any of these problems and know any workaround? The framerate drop in low light happens even if the phone is overclocked.
Dual Mic Setting
Hello paraiso-san,
my wife phone had the "low-level" mic recording issue, and I fixed it following this procedure.
Since I did it some time ago I hope to write it correctly:
1. Launch the numeric pad, and compose this code: *#*#2846579#*#*
2. Phone will open a tech menu (pay attention!), click on ProjectMenu
3. Click on 1.Background setting
4. Click on 6.Dual Mic Setting
5. Set it to On
6. Go to home, and restart phone
NB
In case of no Dual Mic Setting line on tech menu:
1. Edit build.prop file, in system folder by Root Explorer, Root Browser Lite or similar
2. Add ro.config.dualmic=true on bottom of file and save the file
3. Restart the phone
In case of no changes on audio level when Dual Mic Setting has been set to On:
1. Set it to Off
2. Restart the phone
3. Take a video (just to try...)
4. Set it to On
5. Restart the phone
6. Take a video again (keep fingers crossed)
GOOD LUCK!
FeW
Thank you! Can't try the secret menu method because I'm not running the official 2.3.5 anymore, I'm using Aurora now and changing the audio recording codec from AMR to AAC made a huge difference. The mediainfo program for Windows tells me that the audio bitrate is now 96kbps instead of the previous 8000bps, and the audio is recorded in 2 channels (stereo) instead of 1. Does this mean the problem is solved, or should I edit the .prop file anyway? About the lag in photos and dropped frames in video recording under poor light, I can't find a solution. Could it be a limitation of the lens/sensor itself? My Sony WT19i has the same SoC, at the same 1.4GHz clockspeed, and it doesn't get lower than 29fps at 720p, even in total darkness. Not even if I underclock it to 800MHz. I don't understand why the X5 behaves this way!
Didn't mean to edit this.
BTW, in case anyone was interested. Open Camera has no video limitation and every function seems to work. There's still a 4GB limit, so depending on resolution that will produce shorter or longer videos. There is an option to restart video automatically. The hardware zoom is a little funky, but there's a touchscreen (-) and (+) to zoom which works fine for relatively stationary video.
This solved my issue with recording college lectures. I record in 720p so the video reaches just about an hour and restarts automatically. I upload the lectures to YouTube right after class. People are thankful if they miss class, and I get return favors, so life is good.
Smartphone Android 4.4 MTK6572 Dual Core 1.5Inch GPS 2.0MP Camera Bluetooth 4.0
Features:
Powerful Watch Phone Landed Now!
Pragmatic and decent appearance design.
Concise and comfortable interface and fluent screen touch experience.
Condense all Android intelligent phone functions into a tiny watch, eliminate the inconvenience of carry around.
Dual Core
Android: Android OS v4.4
Built in GPS. Built-in GPS, supprt A-GPS, google map or other map
Data service: WAP2.0 GPRS,EDGE,HSPA+
Band 2G: networks GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz. Band 3G: WCDMA 2100/850/1900 MHz
Wifi: 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth Version: 4.0
Single SIM Card Single Standby
Memory card: Support 32G
Data transfer: USB/Bluetooth
Mobile internet: WAP/WiFi
Message: SMS/MMS
Input: Handwrite/Keypad
Single Camera: 2.0MP
Browser: WAP 2.0
CPU: MTK6572. CPU Frequency: 1.2GHz
Vedio file support: mp4, 3GP, rmvb, flv, etc.
Audio file support: mp3, acc, amr, ogg, m4a, mid, wma, flac, ape, aac, wav, etc.
Image file support: jpeg, png, jif, bmp, etc.
RAM: 512MB. ROM: 4GB
Battery Capacity: 700mAh
Standby Time About 2~3 days
LCD Size: 1.54 inch, 240×240 pixel OGS capacitive screen
Net Weight: 68g (Including battery)
Dimension: 60×43×16.88mm
MultiLanguages: English, Bahasa Indonesia, Deutsch(German), Espanol(Spanish), French, Italiano, Nederlands, Portuguese, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Thai, Simplified/Traditional Chinese
FM RADIO
Package Included:
1x ZGPAX S82 Android Smart Watch Phone
1×Battery
1×Charger
1×USB cable
1×User manual
http://www.zgpax.com/mobile.php?a=show&m=product&id=41&chid=44&g=mobile
Will 3G data work in the USA with this S82 Watch?
This is the first time ever I have seen this on a watch:
Band 2G: networks GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz. Band 3G: WCDMA 2100/850/1900 MHz
That's straight from the specs. Other forums have indicated at&t operates the WCDMA connectivity on 1900 MHz. If that's true, will this watch support the higher data rate in the USA with at&t as the carrier? Has anyone tested this out to REALLY verify it?
Thanks.
Hmmmm this seems nice
I was going to get the S8 but this seems better.
Any one got one yet?
STK2008 said:
Hmmmm this seems nice
I was going to get the S8 but this seems better.
Any one got one yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey I have Both I literally just got the S82 today and I like the look of the S8 better!!!
The functionality is also easier on the S8, but don't take my word for it because i have only had it for one day!!!
I think that the S82 is better for extra memory, removable battery, and the screen resolution looks better. Nothing else really stands out to me!!!
Sorry, English is not spoken Google Translate
I got it on 30 June.
I assess its more like a toy than a complete replacement. And, oh yes, I have it in my hands and lying on the table, constantly wearing on his arm until he tried.
*Now, about the shortcomings.
*According to the manufacturer's website battery capacity of 700 mAh. In my copy of 500 mAh. On eBay, there are two types of battery: Model 463232 - 500 mAh and Model 452547 700 mAh. In my case, 500 mAh. I saw information about other models of batteries for other models zgpax there some sort of confusion: on one battery write 700 mAh, and the description thereto - 500 mAh . So I do not know whether to trust these figures.
*On the manufacturer's website said the three sub-screen buttons. But realistically, only one button - the "return". I researched and found out that some programs will replace the missing "Menu" button if you can hold the left edge of the screen to the right. But what to replace the central button "Home" do not know. As it is often required to go to the menu Settings, or running programs long press "Home" and then come back. Have to press "Return" to close the program, change anything in settings, and then re-run the program (if the program is full screen and can not see the top of the bar to quickly setting). Without these keys very uncomfortable. Maybe something I do not know, this is my first watch and learn on their own.
*Hours of course small, just can not say. I have a habit of more smartphones to turn off all wireless, you do not need at the moment and close the program. In these hours, I installed the program iBattery, which in sleep mode disables the wireless and dampens background processes. After switching on again% battery charge varies little, even if, for example, it took half a day. But at the same time you will not run programs that have something to work online. The program has a setting that can be turned off in sleep mode.
*More about the battery life. The battery is discharged relatively evenly (if one can say so), but when it was less than 40%, then quickly, before our eyes discharged. The truth is when I used about two days sometimes including watches. But keep in mind that the number of% charge can be deceptive and the battery is discharged very quickly (just drop into the abyss).
*Another unpleasant surprise was the background noise when recording microphone. Maybe it's just me, I do not know. But when the recorded video with the sound recorder and recorded, it appeared on the record very noticeable background. I do not know how it connects the microphone to the motherboard, do not understand, but it is very unpleasant. Call off the clock I did not try, not tested.
*Level wi-fi signal is weaker than the big smartphone at the same distance. But it works. Just worked bluetoth headset for external headphones - check the music, I did not try to call, do not use.
*GPS works. It just seems that the signal strength is weakened if the watch is worn on the arm. Remove the watch seems to be better. Quickly picked up by satellites if the program updated AGPS. Without this long.
*The standard keyboard is very small. You can try MessagEase keyboard, but get used to it and adjust.
*The font size in Settings better expose the fine.
*If the program is some kind of advertising, in contrast to a large smartphone, where a small advertising bar at the bottom, then the clock it can take almost half of the screen. Even if you run without wireless networks, then this place will be empty.
*Built launcher scrolls like that tight. Sometimes you have to move a little in the opposite direction, and then to the right - then scrolls.
*He tried to pick up, but it is not found launcher without advertising, to have more icons on one screen, and not to open the folder. I use the built.
*The camera shoots course is not very good. Yet it is fair 2 megaPixel. I've seen pictures on the internet made similar clocks supposedly 5 megaPixel, but there was just awful interpolation, feeling that took the sensor ~ 0,3 megaPixel and greatly interpolated to 5. So that the camera in my watch but not much, but still the better. It's funny that in the program Open Camera video settings have much higher resolution of the real, but the video still will remove 864 * 480. In this program the default quality jpeg 90%, 100%, I found, though subjectively the difference is not obvious.The camera is in such hours not to create photographic masterpieces , and if with nothing for normal shooting, and it is necessary to capture all costs (eg price tags in the store .
*Incidentally, the level sensors do not work properly in hours. It seemed to me that the navigation program where the compass shows when you hold not horizontally, but vertically. Also, if in the Open Camera to include stability augmentation, the picture will be cut off and inclined. A program interface is inverted 180 degrees, tilt and if by yourself, then become normal. This indicates improper calibration of the sensors. Perhaps there are programs where possible to set up, I do not know.
*What else to add? The exterior design is closer to the classic clock. The camera on the right side a bit like winding mechanical watches. Buttons on the left side - less likelihood press chamber as in the other clock, where all with one hand. Hours unprotected battery is built into the rear cover and remove easily without loosening the screws. Access to the SIM card and the card slot light. Stuck Card Transcend 32Gb UHS-I TS32GUSDU1 - works .
*By the way, when buying was no information on the headphones. Came parcel included microUSB appeared headphones. The firmware has a FM-station. Connected to test - runs.
*On the screen at the plant was glued film, glossy, uneven, it is necessary to tear off the top layer №2. But under the film had a lot of bubbles and dust particles. I tried to clean up and re-stick, it became better, but 2-3 motes remained
*Figured screen size ~ 38 * 41 mm. Of similar size saw glass sony smartwatch, but there are size 39,2 * 39,2 mm. So it goes a little wider. I do not know whether the glass is carefully grind, to come in width.
There is only one plus for the S82, the better battery:
According to the manufacturer's website battery capacity of 700 mAh. In my copy of 500 mAh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very bad, like all available chinese watch phones. My EC309 has a 560 mAh battery, on the website 600 mAh.
When can we get a good one? I would pay 500 €, but only crap is available.
smartwatchticks said:
This is the first time ever I have seen this on a watch:
Band 2G: networks GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz. Band 3G: WCDMA 2100/850/1900 MHz
That's straight from the specs. Other forums have indicated at&t operates the WCDMA connectivity on 1900 MHz. If that's true, will this watch support the higher data rate in the USA with at&t as the carrier? Has anyone tested this out to REALLY verify it?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just got the watch. I can confirm that it works 3G on AT&T network. The only pluses for this watch vs. the S8 is that U.S. customers will be able to access 3G on both AT&T and T mobile, and can easily swap memory cards. The battery is 500mah, not 700mah as advertised by the manufacturer and several websites. The watch is very thick and clunky. The position of the camera is difficult to take photos while wearing the watch. There is no home button, just a back button. Touchscreen response is poor at times. Speaker volume is quite loud.
FM radio works with included microusb headphones. Battery is attached to back cover. The battery/cover unit can be easily removed to access the SIM card slot and TF card slot. If you install a launcher like nova launcher, the notifications panel at the top disappears. Google Playstore works. Bluetooth pairing to keyboard and headset works fine. About 1.2 GB memory for apps, like the S8. If you don't live in the U.S. and don't need a lot of storage memory, stick with the S8.
I've put the S82 aside for now and have gone back to my Aplus GV18. I may be returning the S82 as I am in a dispute with the seller about falsely advertising a 700mah battery.
Examples photo Open Camera
kravmama1 said:
Just got the watch. I can confirm that it works 3G on AT&T network. The only pluses for this watch vs. the S8 is that U.S. customers will be able to access 3G on both AT&T and T mobile, and can easily swap memory cards. The battery is 500mah, not 700mah as advertised by the manufacturer and several websites. The watch is very thick and clunky. The position of the camera is difficult to take photos while wearing the watch. There is no home button, just a back button. Touchscreen response is poor at times. Speaker volume is quite loud.
FM radio works with included microusb headphones. Battery is attached to back cover. The battery/cover unit can be easily removed to access the SIM card slot and TF card slot. If you install a launcher like nova launcher, the notifications panel at the top disappears. Google Playstore works. Bluetooth pairing to keyboard and headset works fine. About 1.2 GB memory for apps, like the S8. If you don't live in the U.S. and don't need a lot of storage memory, stick with the S8.
I've put the S82 aside for now and have gone back to my Aplus GV18. I may be returning the S82 as I am in a dispute with the seller about falsely advertising a 700mah battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good review!!
XG3002 said:
Examples photo Open Camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Photos from working watch?
Attached some outdoor and indoor photos from my watch camera. No alteration.
kravmama1 said:
Attached some outdoor and indoor photos from my watch camera. No alteration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you has pictures from watch?
Attached are photos of the watch. I have tested GPS. Works fine outdoors. Difficulties finding position indoors. Battery goes from 40% to 14% quickly. This is my first day of heavy use. I think that it is because the battery is not calibrated yet. Should improve over the next few days. Heavy use and screen on time today of 4-5 hours. Includes downloading some apps, using GPS, taking photos, watching a little YouTube and playing with various settings, wallpapers, etc. Gets a little warm but not hot. Do not notice warmth when on wrist, only when holding in hand. Touch screen response getting a little better with continued use. Still frustrated with the watch, but getting better as I find apps to get around its shortcomings.
arovaris said:
Photos from working watch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's a photo with working watch.
Photo of nature - individual blades of grass,twigs of trees , leaves are noticeably better compression quality jpeg.
I set the program Open Camera because more options in comparison with the firmware.
In my copy of the image on the clock in the corners of the photo looks blurry and darker.
It did not work to upload a video of 20 MB.
Tell me please, what quality audio recording?
In my copy of the recording sound is very strong background noise.
And you checked the phone call - as an interlocutor hears you?
XG3002 said:
Tell me please, what quality audio recording?
In my copy of the recording sound is very strong background noise.
And you checked the phone call - as an interlocutor hears you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call quality: If cell signal is poor, then difficult to make calls because voice drops on both sides. The cellular antenna on the S82 is weaker than my $25 GV18. So tested at place with good cell signal. Speaker volume is loud for music play, but is not as loud for phone calls. Would be difficult to hear in noisy room. Using watch microphone, there is some voice distortion, but can still understand. When paired with bluetooth headset the volume is loud - easy to hear other party, also other party can hear my voice clearly. For making phone calls, best to use bluetooth headset. Also, need to make sure you use carrier with strong signal in your area or you won't be able to make calls.
Using voice recorder with both the watch microphone and bluetooth headset, I did hear some background noise, but not strong. There was no background noise during phone calls.
I had to download a messaging app from Play Store in order to text. The phone messaging app did not work out of the box.
One plus of the S82 is the rubber cover over the microusb port that prevents things from getting in. I understand that the S8 microusb port is open. There is a screen protector pre-installed. Good screen visibility in sunlight. The screen on uses up most battery, so turn screen to lowest setting when indorrs to save battery. note that the speaker hole is on the watchband itself as are the antennas.
Will update in future post with some apps that may be useful to make watch more usable. There is now a YouTube video of the watch from an owner. I am new to this forum so am unable to post a direct link. Just search ZGPAX S82 on YouTube. It is posted by Morry.
I'm am sure the device could be made better after root, but I am not knowledgeable enough to be comfortable with trying to root it.
https://youtu.be/xQjm4midRHI
Will this work through bluetooth to a phone, or is it stand alone only.
Thanks
You can use a program like SWApp Link for companion functions.
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2740033
rooting s82
Anybody know how to root the zgpax s82 also known as Alps H18.
Thanks in advance.
Project Purposes: Optimize sound quality of snapdragon audio codec devices when played through the headset port at moderate to low volumes, especially using low impedance, high sensitivity in ear monitors. The optimization will mainly affect signal to noise ratio, noise floor, perhaps THD. In addition, real time Spl monitoring on any device has been added for hearing protection, curiosity and viewing the dynamic range of music tracks. Integration of the Biquad equalization/filter mod by @chdloc as a parametric equalizer. The equalizer is capable of 5 bands, different left and right parameters and clipping protection.
Potential Users: Listen to music with high efficiency headphones/IEM and music volume generally below 2/3 max. Low distortion, noise important. Will also provide a finer granularity to the volume heard, about 1 dB increment change vs 3 dB through android volume control. Ability to make custom equalization filters for anything that plays through the headset jack.
Requirements:
For Gain Control:
Rooted, snapdragon based sound codec device (tested on galaxy S3, Note 4, Sony Tablet Z, Nexus 5). Totally stock ROM and kernel is fine. AOSP and custom kernels should work, even Faux audio kernels.
For Spl measurement only:
Non rooted, stock android 4.4 and beyond.
Usb DAC-you need to be rooted but any brand codec, Usb audio must work already, Not compatible with 3rd party Usb sound apps/drivers. You will also need ALSAmixer and thanks to the developer for making this tool. Use version 251.
This app supports Neutron, Poweramp, Spotify and Google play music. Other music play apps should work using a “polling” method to detect if they are playing
Background
You may have heard various reviewers say that the codec/DAC of a device is of high quality but the software has not been designed to take advantage of said hardware. Well, that seems to be unfortunately true. The situation is that most if not all headphone audio is not designed to maximize signal to noise ratio, distortion and noise floor. The volume output of the device is dependant on "gain" from both analog and digital controls. Unless you are playing back at max levels, volume attenuation using the digital control results in data truncation and potentially loss of information. Therefore the use of analog gain to control the volume(with digital gain near 0) should provide the most optimal signal. Measurements done by myself show about a 10 dB noise floor improvement at low gain levels using an analog method of gain level optimization . But at near max output this difference should disappear.
Reference is zipped below from a presentation from ESS, a company that makes high quality DAC chips.
Is there a way to do this? Yes, by keeping the digital gains near or at 0 dB and using analog gain control. There are 3 different gains that we can adjust, RX digital gain(in /system/etc/mixer_paths.xml with value 84 generally zero dB), Android volume(0-15---15 being 0 dB) and analog control(HPHL and HPHR-also in mixer_paths). The problem is that each time you adjust mixer_paths you need to restart your phone--not a very good solution unless you listen at one fixed volume. There is a utility called tinymix that will adjust these as well but in my experience(Note 4) it's not very reliable/fast.
In the process of working on some other sound mods with my friend @chdloc) we stumbled on a specific file that is a codec debug tool. It shows the codec register values(the ones above as well as a plethora of other data) but more importantly--it can be written to! So we have a way to smoothly and quickly read and adjust digital and analog gains. There is a catch though. If the audio path changes (listening to music then a text notification comes in, or alarm goes off, or you get a phone call) the audio gain will revert to whatever was default in the mixerpaths.xml file(kind of a master control file for audio). We have been able to compensate somewhat for this as will be seen below and is a main feature of this mod.
The Spl monitoring is covered below in more detail. Although it was not my initial goal for this project, I believe the Spl monitoring offers a unique glimpse into the actual sound pressure level coming out of the headset as well as the dynamic range of your music. As far as I have seen, there is not another mod that does this and it was something I have always wanted to do. My hearing has already been degraded by rock concerts, noisy subways, loud weddings etc and I wanted a way to protect against any further damage (but at the same time I do like to listen at a relatively high volume). This feature is helpful in that compromise.
The Biquad integration provides a way to both design custom filters (equalization) that will work for all music apps playing through the headset jack. The filters can be asymmetric--left different from right.
Setup--
0- Backup/Nandroid everything.
1- place "tinymix" in system/bin, permission to execute. Tinymix is used in the initial codec query/calibration. Make the appropriate changes to mixer_paths.xml (see below).
2- make sure you have busybox installed(most custom Roms already have this, if you are stock rooted get it from playstore)
3- Install the Gainctrl apk. This is the main app to control gains, logically raise and lower the gain to achieve the desired listening volume. The app will ask for permissions dealing with starting on boot, root functions, reading sms since it can read back messages.
4- Put a set of headphones in the jack
{
"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"
}
5- Open the app Gainctrl----
You will presented with three choices. If you want the usual install press the top button.
(The second button will install Spl monitoring software only for non root.
The third option is for codec tools which will be used for future debugging and I will skip it.)
For Usb Dac control just press the choice and the screen will close.
When you plug in a Usb Dac, the program will detect this and will be discussed below.
Then a setup screen will open
There is an auto calibration step that needs to be done once-press the button on the lower part of the screen that says calibrate.
The app will find the range and location of the analog gains that your codec supports. This is where tinymix is used to determine the HPH levels your codec supports. The app will use Google play music to play a track(whatever you were last listening to, so make sure that app is installed), go through some measuring and then let you know when it’s done. It will then quit.
Quick start usage--just start playing Google music again and the notification controls will appear up top. Press the up/down buttons to raise /lower volume or use the 3rd triple line icon to open the gain slider screen.
Here are sliders for Android volume (each tick is 3 dB), Digital gain and Analog gain. Analog goes from 0 to 20 (usually, sometimes 12). Digital is the RX1 and RX2 (L,R side and each tick is 1 dB) from mixerpaths and incidentally also corresponds to what Faux sound modifies. We should initially keep Analog at zero, Android at max 15 and then use the Digital to get a comfortable level. If you have maxed out digital to 84 (0 dB) then start raising Analog (each tick is 1.5 dB).
6- Setup Screen Usage---Choosing which music app you will use(Poweramp and Google are the same button). Each music app will fire "broadcast intents" when playing or not-these are used to rerun the codec scripts for gain changes on music play-so choose carefully. The calibration above uses Google music so that is what is chosen as default. As mentioned above the gain settings/biquads usually don't stick after the music stops so the app needs to know when tracks play/pause/change.. “Say text” on or off to verbally read text messages or not. In addition I have added a switch to enable automatic reapplication of the "Biquad" mod on each pause/play. This is a brilliant piece of work done by my friend @chdloc that creates a 5 band parametric equalizer on the qualcomm platform. His post has the details of how to implement the feature and further instructions are below.
Music polling-certain music apps don’t broadcast play pause info that this app can catch(Pandora). By choosing the polling method a loop will be set up on headset insertion that “listens” for music playing every 4 secs. It should not be used with the defined player options above it and if it is chosen the others become inactive, and visa versa.
Summary:
- The notification bar is where you increase or decrease the volume. The far right icon next to the arrows goes to the gain slider screen as an alternate adjustment.
- If you restart the phone/tablet you will not need to restart the app--it should auto start.
- If you get a call, the music will stop and on resume the volume will go back to the last chosen levels.
- If you get a text, music will pause and it will be "read" over the music channel so no volume shifting occurs. However, the text reading can be disabled by the button in the settings screen.
From any of the screens there is a master menu, 3 dots on the top left, it will go to all relevant screens. It can be activated by pressing the notification icon of the app, the Home button on the "Biquad" bar, opening the app from the app drawer if no notifications are present.
Help- will bring you to this post:
There are also 2 mini apps--"Up" and "Down". These can serve in place as up or down clicks on the notification bar. They are good as "shortcuts" to put on the home screen, or even mapping the volume up/down keys using "xposed additions". A single launch/click of the Up/Down app will change the gains by 1 dB according to the logical algorithm (keeping android vol/digital at or near 0 dB and analog gain as low as possible).
Spl control-
Preface-One of my fears in many long years of listening, is what damage is being done in regards to permanent hearing loss. There are studies and recommendations as to time and volume levels that are safe. The SPL calc is an attempt to provide a rough estimate of the Spl(sound pressure level) coming out of the headphone using the following assumptions.
The full output of the codec is 1 V, the published headphone stats(sensitivity and impedance) and measured/published phone amplifier impedance are correct. The software will compute the Spl using the above and the gains selected. So you need the headphone’s published sensitivity( my Shure SE846 is 114 dB SPL/mW), some are published in dB/V so be careful with the entry box. The Spl window uses these units so be reasonably certain. The headphone out impedance is usually about 1 to10 Ohm (Note 4 is 1.4) but you should be able to find the value on the net or measure it yourself(here). The headphones impedance at 1 Khz is usually published but can be also taken from Goldenears.net reviews( again my SE846 is about 9 Ohm)
You should be able to raise/lower gain by 1 dB, monitor the Spl from the notification bar. If you are curious and have the right gear you can also use this in bench testing to easily compare different settings(high analog vs digital attenuation) but at the same Spl(gain). I have measured the actual Spl using a handheld meter, using a full-scale 1 kHz sine wave and the matching is very close. Actual music will be less but varies depending on what you are listening to. Informal observations show average music to be 5-6 dB down from the 1 kHz sine. Please consult published guidelines for safe listening.
Spl and Visualizer
As noted above, one of the purposes of this app/mod is to try to inform the listener about excess sound levels which will cause hearing loss. It does not limit or change the sound in any way but based on the gains(voltage put out by the phone), the headphone/amplifier output impedance and headphone sensitivity, calculates what a 1 kHz sine wave Spl would be. Depending on what you are listening to (silence, over compressed rock music, everything in between) the sound coming out of the headphone will be quite different. There is a class available in android that measures the peak and RMS audio levels on a real time basis. By using this measurement we can then compensate for whatever the played signal is for a much more accurate determination of Spl. Unfortunately there is a bug in the measurement process that makes levels only accurate at maximum android volume levels. With this app, we keep them there anyway so it is not an issue. However, if you do not do so the numbers put out will not be accurate.
Additional Feature:
Spl Monitoring Mode Only- Any device, any onboard DAC- No root needed, the volume keys will provide the gain parameters. Of course, you still need to input the amplifier, headphone specs. In addition, the maximum output voltage will need to be measured(to figure out the maximum volume possible). A male to male headset connector, voltmeter and a 1 kHz full scale sine wave is needed(below). Play the sine wave at max volume(do not attach headphone), measure the voltage and that is used in the input screen. My Galaxy S6 only puts out .525 V so it's max Spl will be quite a bit different than the Note 4 (1 V).
The new Spl measurement process gets peak and RMS levels every 1.5 seconds and put these values in an array of 8 values. At the end of the 8th measurement, the array is averaged and saved to a text file on your root storage(about every 15 sec). The two files contain the peak values and RMS in dB. So let's say the track has a peak value at 1 minute into the song of 0 dB, and an RMS level of -7 dB. The dynamic range would be 7 and if the calculated Spl was 90 by the original OP formula, the new net Spl would be 83 dB. A very quiet track may have a peak of -3 dB and RMS -16 resulting in a dynamic range of 13 and corrected Spl (90-16) of 74. More info on dynamic range calculations
The “visualizer” is enabled in the Spl Ctrl screen.
Be extra careful which headphone sensitivity units are used--either dB/V or dB/mw. Enter either one but not both. The website of the manufacturer should have the specs. Note: Shure is in dB/mw and Sennheiser is dB/V.
The visualizer engine does take considerable CPU resources and battery use. If you don’t want/need it, keep it disabled. On my Note 4, there is no lag and minimal battery compromise but devices may vary. The following screenshot shows the effect on my Note 4, about an extra 5-7%.
[/IMG]
The values are in a separate notification bar, with the last 8 array members over the previous 15 seconds.
The graph icon will show a graph of the Spl and dynamic range over time. It uses google graph api, so an internet connection is needed. The graph is scrollable by dragging it. Every time the headphone is pulled a separate “session” begins and the graph zeros out. But the last session can still be seen by pressing the button noted. Very long sessions won’t function with the google graph api that is used so the data gets automatically resized to every other value. Pause/play stays in the same session.
The left side of the graph has units for Spl in dB, the right(which may need to be scrolled since it is off screen) has the legend for dynamic range. Most tracks will have a dynamic range of between 8-15 (corresponds to the DR album database of 5-12 values). Parts of a track may have more range than others and certainly will have different Spl values. I have placed a yellow caution line at about 78 dB and a red at 85.
I have enclosed a couple of papers from recent literature regarding safe/prolonged listening levels and hearing loss. This software does not “A” weight the Spl, which is what is seen in the literature, but it is not far off, based on my A vs C weighted Spl meter comparing the levels.
Additional information
Neutron users must enable generic driver in settings.
Poweramp working with gains and Spl, use the google music toggle in setup, make sure direct volume control off and MusicFx is on in settings
Biquad Control:
One of the most significant accomplishments in regards to the qualcomm codec platform was the development of the Biquad filter/equalization system by @chdloc. This give us either a hard coded fixed equalizer(see his post for the mixerpath mods) or (with a bit of work) an on demand custom 5 band parametric equalizer that you can totally control. What my app will do is capture the numeric band codes from the Biquad app scripts, and take a screenshot of the frequency curve.
Step 1 is to install Biquads app, make the required mixerpath mods and probably make an extreme filter(bad sounding) to make sure it actually works when we test it out.
Step 2- From this apps main menu open Biquad Bar.
Another notification bar will appear up top, back arrow or close the main menu for now.
Step 3- Open @chdloc’s Biquad app, design your filter and press “Design Biquad”.
It will calculate the filter and put up a nice graphic--do not close this! Go to the notification bar opened above and press the “Capture” button. A screenshot is taken and you are presented with a screen to name the filter. Call it something descriptive, ie +2 dB 4 Khz Q 2 lets say, then hit save. You can now go back to chdloc Biquad app, hit ok to put away the graphic and then design another. Note--all captures are done on biquad #1--so do not design on the others.
Step 4- Design “Multi filter”- from the main menu, choose that entry and a screen opens showing left, right channels and the previously added individual biquads are in the drop down positions in a grid form. By default, they are all disabled. Just pick one at a time. A few comments. After measuring my Shure 846 freq response I noted a bit of a channel imbalance. So I made a 2 dB boost at 4K in the R and 4 dB boost in the L. So each band does not need to have the same gaines L or R. Each line can also have just a unilateral change. So if you need a boost or cut in just one side, leave the other disabled.
To prevent clipping it is very important to cut the “preamp” (INP1) by whatever the max boost was in your filters. So if you are boosting low bass by 8 dB, INP1 reduction needs to be 8. The net Spl calculation will reflect this as well.
Step 5- Go back to Setup from the main menu and enable Biquads.
Step 6- From the Main menu click “Active Filter” or the “Biquads bar” in notifications(click on the icon-not the Home) will open the same window. You will see a list of all the filter composites you have made, including a disabled choice. Just click on the entry you want to be active and it will run some tinymix commands to implement it. The details of the “mix” will show below the choice list in case you forgot what you picked. Long clicking will delete any entry.
Step 7-optional-Biquad library- from the main menu again, this lists all the single filters we took from the Biquad app, with screenshots(not scaled) to get an idea of what each looks like. Long clicking will delete.
Once this is done, the overall filter/equalization will occur automatically on playing.
Mixerpath mods:
As noted above, if the music stops or something interrupts the music stream, the default gain settings kick back in, potentially leading to a loud music blast as the track resumes, before the scripts have a chance to fire. To prevent this I highly recommend changing a few values in the mixer_paths.xml file that control HPH, which are the headphone analog gains and RX1, RX2 which are digital gains. Important: as above, the setup screen choice of what music app you are using is key for the scripts to run on playing, if they are not chosen the app will not know when to run the scripts.
In system/etc resides mixer_paths.xml. Use an appropriate file explorer and text editor to make the changes. There is one mixer_path change that is needed (at least on my device). That change involves turning off the "compander". The purpose of the compander is to reduce noise but I have seen no such improvement in testing. Unfortunately, having this on will prevent the analog gains from reliably changing so it needs to be off. So open mixer_paths.xml and under the "Headset" path change the "COMP1 Switch"=1 to "COMP1 Switch"=0.
Open and "find" occurrences of "HPHL" and "HPHR" in the path "Headset". Replace values with something low-- (2 to 4 range). That is to assure that analog gain does not get out of hand on audio stream type change(default is 20 on the Note 4 which is 30 dB higher than the 0 some people will use). Especially change the HPHL/R values of 0 in the beginning of the file, also to 2 to 4.
If your Digital gains are usually 65-75 in the control screen, I would also change the RX1 and RX2 values at the beginning of the file to whatever you generally use as well as the values under the "Headset" path(both usually 80-84). (NOTE- the path is under “headphones” on the Nexus 5 so again be careful). Save the file. If the formatting is not proper, audio may not work and/or the phone may not even boot.
Do not forget to change the COMP1 switch to 0.
Finally, if you use the “Up” and “Down” miniapps, they will trigger the above actions without pulling down the notification bar. They can also be mapped to the volume buttons using xposed additions(free version works fine). If you do this and media is not playing, the buttons should still control incall volume. However if no media is playing and not in a call, volume button (Up and Down miniapps) will trigger a volume screen below(since it does not know what you would like to adjust). Note--if tasker is running as a freestanding app, a broadcast error may flash-it is of no consequence.:
Usb Dac control;
On insertion you may see:
You must check the "always" box and hit OK.
First time use you will see:
The top box will populate with sound card devices and the Usb Dac will usually be device 1.
So enter 1 in "Device ID" field as shown.
Then the next scroll box will show the details of that sound card. We are interested in "PCM playback volume". Notice that the Numid is 3. That is entered in the next line as Numid.
Now, I have defaulted some boxes with my Dragonfly Red data but as shown, the Soundblaster E3 has markedly different values. The next part is critical. The "Range" must be put in (if not 64)--so in this case it's 12560. Then a Start Gain, this will trigger every time the Usb Dac is plugged--pick 5-10 percent of max, but this can be altered later. If you are interested in Spl levels, the voltage, impedance data etc must be put in. It is useful not only for ear protection but can help in loudness matching between headphone jack and Usb. The visualizer is explained above. The default player is Google music but the 3 dot menu can take you to "Setup" to change that.
When the Usb Dac is plugged, the notification bar will have a control similar to the qualcomm one. The up and down arrows will boost or decrease the Usb Dac gain by 1 dB (if the Range is 64) and the 3 lines on the right will take you to sliders that do the same.
If you do not want to have the Usb Dac control anymore, there is a Disable button on the control screen.
Finally, many thanks again to @chdloc for direction, knowledge, encouragement, friendship and the brilliant Biquad app. And for helping with the Usb Dac, Alsa particulars.
I would also like to thank the makers of Tasker, one of the most useful coding tools I have used in my many years of amateur programming. This app was created solely in Tasker including android java api usage.
Scope shots and etc..
A couple of oscilloscope shots of the difference between keeping analog gain low (so digital attenuation is minimal)
This is stock:
This is the same voltage/spl but analog at 0 and digital near max(this is at the highest level I listen to, about 40 dB down from the max possible with my shure se 846 and Note4). Improved noise floor and band spiking. Test chain is Note 4 to asus xonar u7, unloaded, scope software Visual analyzer
Great work @bjrmd !
I've been using this mod for about a week without a problem.
Great mod
pvnsai73 said:
Great mod
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks--
I made a major advance in Spl measurement that will be in the next version soon. As stated above, the Spl is based on the analog/digital gains plus amp/headphone specs. This gives a worse case figure for playing a full scale 1 khz sine wave. But we don't listen to full scale sine waves, and music levels vary tremendously depending on many factors (type of genre, dynamic range compression-loudness wars, the way it was mastered etc). Using the "visualizer class" in android, I have been able to get the peak/RMS levels in real time as the track is played. So, based on what that shows, we will have a much more accurate net Spl. I am very interested in maintaining/protecting hearing and this will be a major focus in the next version.
bjrmd said:
Thanks--
I made a major advance in Spl measurement that will be in the next version soon. As stated above, the Spl is based on the analog/digital gains plus amp/headphone specs. This gives a worse case figure for playing a full scale 1 khz sine wave. But we don't listen to full scale sine waves, and music levels vary tremendously depending on many factors (type of genre, dynamic range compression-loudness wars, the way it was mastered etc). Using the "visualizer class" in android, I have been able to get the peak/RMS levels in real time as the track is played. So, based on what that shows, we will have a much more accurate net Spl. I am very interested in maintaining/protecting hearing and this will be a major focus in the next version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro I have a doubt
Wt is the main purpose of this mod and how it can be used wisely
I have changed my mixerpath value like below
Are they right?.. like mentioned in install instructions
pvnsai73 said:
Bro I have a doubt
Wt is the main purpose of this mod and how it can be used wisely
I have changed my mixerpath value like below
Are they right?.. like mentioned in install instructions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The changes look correct.
The mod has 2 main purposes:
First, was originally intended as a kind of "voodoo sound" app like @supercurio did for the wolfson codec. Keep analog gain to a minimum so digital gain stays near 0dB, minimizing loss of signal information(see above for full explanation and presentation by ESS).
Second, it became possible (because we now know the contribution of all gain parameters, ie digital, analog, android volume) to estimate the projected Spl if we also can get the specs for headphone sensitivity, impedance and phone headphone jack impedance. This will be even better estimated by the visualizer correction noted above.
And yes the key: to use wisely!
There are plenty of studies and sites on music induced hearing loss -you can do some reading-there is plenty out there. So a major objective is to know when to back off on the volume
bjrmd said:
The changes look correct.
The mod has 2 main purposes:
First, was originally intended as a kind of "voodoo sound" app like @supercurio did for the wolfson codec. Keep analog gain to a minimum so digital gain stays near 0dB, minimizing loss of signal information(see above for full explanation and presentation by ESS).
Second, it became possible (because we now know the contribution of all gain parameters, ie digital, analog, android volume) to estimate the projected Spl if we also can get the specs for headphone sensitivity, impedance and phone headphone jack impedance. This will be even better estimated by the visualizer correction noted above.
And yes the key: to use wisely!
There are plenty of studies and sites on music induced hearing loss -you can do some reading-there is plenty out there. So a major objective is to know when to back off on the volume
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying and all the help yu done to me
Thanks for info and tutorial
kevinnol said:
Thanks for info and tutorial
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are very welcome
There is a bit of a "bug" if you use google music and have a device that "offloads" the signal to the DSP. The mixerpaths are reapplied on track change(not all devices--yes to Nexus 5, Note 4, no to the Sony tablet) so we lose our current settings. Will have a fix out the next day or 3. Neutron/Spotify should be fine even now.
Spl and Visualizer
As noted above, one of the purposes of this app/mod is to try to inform the listener about excess sound levels which will cause hearing loss. It does not limit or change the sound in any way but based on the gains(voltage put out by the phone), the headphone/amplifier output impedance and headphone sensitivity, calculates what a 1 kHz sine wave Spl would be. Depending on what you are listening to (silence, over compressed rock music, everything in between) the sound coming out of the headphone will be quite different. There is a class available in android that measures the peak and RMS audio levels on a real time basis. By using this measurement we can then compensate for whatever the played signal is for a much more accurate determination of Spl. Unfortunately there is a bug in the measurement process that makes levels only accurate at maximum android volume levels. With this app, we keep them there anyway so it is not an issue. However, if you do not do so the numbers put out will not be accurate.
Additional Feature:
On any android 4.4 or later device it is now possible to monitor the real time Spl/Dynamic Range as above. No root needed, the volume keys will provide the gain parameters. Of course, you still need to input the amplifier, headphone specs. In addition, the maximum output voltage will need to be measured(to figure out the maximum volume possible). A male to male headset connector, voltmeter and a 1 kHz full scale sine wave is needed(below). Play the sine wave at max volume(do not attach headphone), measure the voltage and that is used in the input screen. My Galaxy S6 only puts out .525 V so it's max Spl will be quite a bit different than the Note 4 (1 V).
The new Spl measurement process gets peak and RMS levels every 1.5 seconds and put these values in an array of 8 values. At the end of the 8th measurement, the array is averaged and saved to a text file on your root storage(about every 15 sec). The two files contain the peak values and RMS in dB. So lets say the track has a peak value at 1 minute into the song of 0 dB, and an RMS level of -7 dB. The dynamic range would be 7 and if the calculated Spl was 90 by the original OP formula, the new net Spl would be 83 dB. A very quite track may have a peak of -3 dB and RMS -16 resulting in a dynamic range of 13 and corrected Spl (90-16) of 74. More info on dynamic range calculations
The “visualizer” is enabled in the Spl setup screen.
Be extra careful which headphone sensitivity units are used--either dB/V or dB/mw. Enter either one but not both. The website of the manufacturer should have the specs. Note: Shure is in dB/mw and Sennheiser is dB/V.
The visualizer engine does take considerable CPU resources and battery use. If you don’t want/need it, keep it disabled. On my Note 4, there is no lag and minimal battery compromise but devices may vary. The following screenshot shows the effect on my Note 4, about an extra 5-7%.
[/IMG]
The values are in a separate notification bar, with the last 8 array members over the previous 15 seconds.
The graph icon will show a graph of the Spl and dynamic range over time. It uses google graph api, so an internet connection is needed. The graph is scrollable by dragging it. Every time the headphone is pulled a separate “session” begins and the graph zeros out. But the last session can still be seen by pressing the button noted. Very long sessions won’t function with the google graph api that is used so the data gets automatically resized to every other value. Pause/play stays in the same session.
The left side of the graph has units for Spl in dB, the right(which may need to be scrolled since it is off screen) has the legend for dynamic range. Most tracks will have a dynamic range of between 8-15 (corresponds to the DR album database of 5-12 values). Parts of a track may have more range than others and certainly will have different Spl values. I have placed a yellow caution line at about 78 dB and a red at 85.
I have enclosed a couple of papers from recent literature regarding safe/prolonged listening levels and hearing loss. This software does not “A” weight the Spl, which is what is seen in the literature, but it is not far off, based on my A vs C weight Spl meter comparing the levels.
Again, many thanks to @chdloc for helping me make this possible.
Additional information
Neutron users must enable generic driver in settings.
Poweramp working with gains and Spl, use the google music toggle in setup, make sure direct volume control off and MusicFx is on in settings
A word about the effect of equalization:
If you apply cuts using the equalizer, they will reflect accurately in the Spl (the visualizer responds depending on the amount of cut). But if you significantly apply gain, depending on the amount of clipping, the Spl will be underestimated. So in general apply boost sparingly and mainly cut the frequency bands you don't like(or to make the others sound louder). The brilliant codec mod by @chdloc is not reflected in the Spl either, so try to keep the boost/cuts equivalent to keep the Spl accurate (and the signal without clipping).
interesting MOD, great work mate.
Update:
Version 2.1: Now has Spl monitoring for any device running android 4.4+, no root needed, but you will need to measure maximum output voltage from the headset jack. This is an "observer" feature only-it will not affect the output in any way.
for exynos mode ? ty
Borfas said:
for exynos mode ? ty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, works on the S6
But Spl mode only
Hi do you think that we can hardcode these settings into the system?
tetsuo55 said:
Hi do you think that we can hardcode these settings into the system?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you want to "hard code"?
If it's the analog gain, then yes--just change your mixerpaths as I suggested and your regular volume key will still work but you will need near max to drive your headphones(this is the desirable condition--digital gains at or near max--analog gain low to allow this)
bjrmd said:
What do you want to "hard code"?
If it's the analog gain, then yes--just change your mixerpaths as I suggested and your regular volume key will still work but you will need near max to drive your headphones(this is the desirable condition--digital gains at or near max--analog gain low to allow this)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes perfect.
Does it make sense to do the same for the built in speaker?
tetsuo55 said:
Yes perfect.
Does it make sense to do the same for the built in speaker?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really, you would never hear the improvement in quality listening to the external speaker.
bjrmd said:
Not really, you would never hear the improvement in quality listening to the external speaker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so it would improve the sound quality just the same, but since the speaker are generally crap you won't hear the difference.
Thanks and keep up the great work
EDIT: it turns out my device does not have the mixer path xml, so i will have to figure that out first.
I have an Atoto S8 G2 and I use a lot of bluetooth streaming from my phone for things like podcasts.
I used to have a more basic touchscreen bluetooth head unit that showed the name of the track, artist, etc, all while sitting on a home screen with the clock and a moving line that showed the playback position in the track/file/song/etc, as well as minute/second marker. This was useful because I could press-and-hold ff or rew to move along inside whatever I'm listening to, much like an old school CD player.
I'm a little bit disappointed at how my Android unit handles bluetooth streaming. The screen just shows the track name and artist name, and then a HUGE MOVING DISTRACTING OSCILLOSCOPE STYLE DANCING BARS. I'm including a picture to illustrate. It's ugly and annoying, and there is no indication of where I'm up to in the track/title, nor is there a way to move the position around with buttons or any other methods. If I don't like looking at that dancing line of audio levels, I can press home but then it doesn't show me anything at all. I'd like to glance at which part of a lecture or book series etc I'm in before I shut off the car. It's silly the way it looks, there must be a better way! Is this how all Android head units handle Bluetooth A2DP / streaming, or just Atoto?
Also, if I use Android Auto (plug in, etc) and then disconnect it, it doesn't go back to Bluetooth mode. I understand if I switch sources to radio or something else, it shouldn't go back. But if I plugged in my phone, then next time I get in my car and decide I don't need AA, but I'm wondering why there's no sound coming out... it's because I'm still in AA mode!! Is there a way to automatically go back to the last mode when AA / Carplay finishes a session, much like a phone call would go back?