Database Users

Annoying whining noise from screen - where do I stand?

Hi folks,
I thought I'd get some opinions from folks here regarding the screen whine issue that some LCD screens get.
I recently bought a replacement Tytn off ebay after breaking my screen on mine. When it arrived it looked fine. I put it on charge and started cleaning it. That night I find out it's got a high pitched whine making it almost unusable.
I've sent it back to the seller and asked for a refund but he says he's contacted HTC to find out if it's a recognised fault or not. If it's not something that HTC acknowledge then he's going to make me make arrangements to pick it up from him.
Does anyone know if this is a recognised fault with the phone?

AFAIK, I have got some experience with some other handheld, it appear the pitch noise come from LCD inverter. seen some picth noise in early production of O2 Atom, old handera handheld. even nokia e61 generates pitch noise if you listen it closely. what I can not confirm is where the LCD inverter located, in mainboard or in LCD modul it self. So I can ot tell you which one is broken.
Well, it's just my opinion.

Thanks for the input tianz.
I've found loads of info on Google about it. It appears to be quite common with some of the older mobile phones.
Is it reasonable to expect me to have to accept a phone which has an audible whining noise to it?

Well... actually it's up to you, If you find the whining noise is too loud for your ear maybe you should return it while you can. As my experience when I had Handera with whining noise, I had return it. but when the replacement came back, the whining noise get worse and the company said that there's no problem at all with my Handera.
Later on I found out what cause the whining noise, and actually very simple to fix it, just find the inverter ?? (sorry I don't know what they call it in english, It's ferit core and copper wire wrapped around it) and put some wax from the candle or you can use glue.
And again, I don't know where exactly the inverter located in Hermes device, or maybe they use different model of inverter in Hermes.
So, It's up to you. I hope my answer will satisfied you. Thank you

Unfortunately I bought the phone off ebay and the guy isn't keen to refund me - although he currently has both phone and my money.
He says it's not that loud/irritating so I'm not sure what to do.

I've just dealt with it. The whine is only there when the LCD screen is on. My 8525 phone is exactly 1 year old. It can be irritating though, so I use the earbuds whenever I can.

Optimal said:
I've just dealt with it. The whine is only there when the LCD screen is on. My 8525 phone is exactly 1 year old. It can be irritating though, so I use the earbuds whenever I can.
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Unfortunately for me the guy that's selling me the phone doesn't appear to agree that it's annoying:
=========================================================
"I have tried the phone and whilst it is just possible to hear a noise if I put my ear to the screen (why ayone would need to do that I have no idea) there is no audible noise when the phone is held to the ear as used in a normal phone call"
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I can hear it loud and clear even at arms length - the phone doesn't even need to be near my head!

Mid said:
I can hear it loud and clear even at arms length - the phone doesn't even need to be near my head!
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Click to collapse
Refund it if you can, too loud if its for me.

tianz said:
Refund it if you can, too loud if its for me.
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That's the problem, he doesn't want to refund. He wants me to keep the phone so he doesn't have to deal with it.

if you do have the phone in your hand, please confirm the pitch noise come from the front speaker or LCD it self. I'll try to help you finding the inverter located. I'll look around if I had a chance to open my 8525 again. Thank you

i am on my second tytn. I bought both used and in PRISTINE condition on Craigslist. The first one I bought had it, and so I asked for my refund from the seller. The second one (that I have now) just started the whining noise yesterday. I've had it since January 2008. It SUCKS!!!
-Paul
PS: the noise is heard when I put my ear to the front speaker up close. It's weird. I heard it as soon as I move my ear to it. However, after about 5 seconds I don't hear it anymore. Then as soon as I move my ear away, I hear it again... It's like my ears become desensitized to it? lol

PS: the noise is heard when I put my ear to the front speaker up close. It's weird. I heard it as soon as I move my ear to it. However, after about 5 seconds I don't hear it anymore. Then as soon as I move my ear away, I hear it again... It's like my ears become desensitized to it? lol
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[/QUOTE]
It is quite possible. It's like being in a room with an analog clock. You may have sat in that room 100 times, with the same noise around you, but for some reason this time you can hear the tick tick tick of the hand movement. Then just as quickly as you noticed it you can suddenly not hear it no matter how hard you try.
It can be a state of mind that results in your heightened sense of hearing or it can be as simple as your tympanic membrane being a little tighter.

Like the above poster said, I hear mine sometimes too, and other times I dont hear it at all.
To the OP, if the seller has your phone and your money, then either keep asking for your money back and if that doesnt work, email ebay or give him bad marks stating what he has done. If that doesnt work, you can threaten to take him to small claims court ( Judge Judy ). What is loud and irritating to you maybe not to him. Get you rmoney back. Hope this helps..

I think the reason the sound goes in and out is due to the fact that the screen istelf goes to sleep after a few seconds, or what ever you have set in the system...
My screen starting making this noise a few weeks ago. I love the functionality of this phone, but I am pretty much done with it. I can't stand all the tweeks that come with it.
I jumping to the iPhone as soon as they make the slinbox player for it... and they roll out the 3g functionality.
Don't mean to rant, but I am just frustrated.

I think the phone was dropped of damaged and that is why it gives off a high pitch sound.. Mine dropped onto a hard concrete floor. It looks and works perfectly fine but immediately after it emits a high pitched sound when ever the screen is on.
This is not normal for the TyTn which means it was damaged in some way prior to you getting it. Demand a refund.

Hi guys - the person I bought the phone from is still waiting for HTC to get back to him so he still has both the money and the phone.
Even if HTC say it's not a recognised fault, it's still unusable to me because it's really loud to me.
I'm not sure there's much I can do as I'm not exactly in a strong position to make demands.
Personally I think it would be unreasonable for him not to refund me but then he might not be a reasonable person.

tianz said:
if you do have the phone in your hand, please confirm the pitch noise come from the front speaker or LCD it self. I'll try to help you finding the inverter located. I'll look around if I had a chance to open my 8525 again. Thank you
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Click to collapse
The sound is definitely from the LCD - the speaker is fine once the screen is switched off (i.e. you can turn the screen off while on the phone and it's still fine).

I've had 3 8525's, one of them had this problem from day one. There have been a few threads about it as well.
I have just learned to turn my screen off during a call. It's real easy and quick, besides, you aren't looking at the phone when you are talking on it, and if you are, you probably can't hear the whine.
However, if you don't want to deal with the whine, then don't. Hopefully you paid through paypal and can just file a claim if the guy doesn't want to be fair. It is a defect and they should back you up.
If not, look to ebay and see if there is anything further you can do with them.
Call HTC yourself. Don't wait for him.
good luck

yes mine also does it i have just learnt to put up with it, but yes like drakkahn said you should ring HTC yourself and see what they have to say

drakkahn said:
Call HTC yourself. Don't wait for him.
good luck
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Very good point. I don't know why I haven't thought of that.
Just off to call them now.
Thanks.

[Rant] External Speaker Blown/Sounds Like Garbage

So my external speaker stopped working properly after my alarm went off yesterday. Now it sounds like I'm talking to tech support in India using a Barbie walkie-talkie as a speakerphone. I think it's blown. Being the industrious engineer type, I took the whole phone apart to try to see if something rattled loose. No luck, but I did have fun going to a meeting at working with a pile of disassembled components for a cellphone. I think my external speaker is probably blown. It should be noted that I was using the ViperRom volume hack at the time (I've since removed it from Nebula Rom just in case that was the issue). I really doubt it is the root cause of the issue because it wasn't at full volume, and I rarely use the speaker for any prolonged duration other than alarms, notifications, ringtones. This is just a cautionary tale, a boombox is not a toy. Samsung said 6 business days for a turnaround on the RMA. Ugh. I might have to pay the bastards at Sprint for their $35 "convenience" charge. They conveniently bend me over on a legitimate warranty claim, or I don't have a phone for my business for over a week. I'll tell you what, I have never had a problem with the speaker on my iPod/iPad not working after 3+ months. Thank you Mr. Steve Jobs. You must be a genius for creating these magical products solely by yourself, crafted skillfully out of love and rainbows. Without this (and sacrificing unicorns), I can understand why the competition has such a hard time creating a device who's external speaker can withstand normal use for 3 months.
Long story short, my phone has DI18 stock on it right now. Wow does that make me sad. What's worse is that I couldn't find the 13th windows 95 floppy so I could install ODIN.

this happened 2 me once
and all samsung could say was to get me the repair going on but i had the full protection from s;rint so i just got a new phone at a cost of a hundred bucks of course

plapczyn said:
So my external speaker stopped working properly after my alarm went off yesterday. Now it sounds like I'm talking to tech support in India using a Barbie walkie-talkie as a speakerphone. I think it's blown. Being the industrious engineer type, I took the whole phone apart to try to see if something rattled loose. No luck, but I did have fun going to a meeting at working with a pile of disassembled components for a cellphone. I think my external speaker is probably blown. It should be noted that I was using the ViperRom volume hack at the time (I've since removed it from Nebula Rom just in case that was the issue). I really doubt it is the root cause of the issue because it wasn't at full volume, and I rarely use the speaker for any prolonged duration other than alarms, notifications, ringtones. This is just a cautionary tale, a boombox is not a toy. Samsung said 6 business days for a turnaround on the RMA. Ugh. I might have to pay the bastards at Sprint for their $35 "convenience" charge. They conveniently bend me over on a legitimate warranty claim, or I don't have a phone for my business for over a week. I'll tell you what, I have never had a problem with the speaker on my iPod/iPad not working after 3+ months. Thank you Mr. Steve Jobs. You must be a genius for creating these magical products solely by yourself, crafted skillfully out of love and rainbows. Without this (and sacrificing unicorns), I can understand why the competition has such a hard time creating a device who's external speaker can withstand normal use for 3 months.
Long story short, my phone has DI18 stock on it right now. Wow does that make me sad. What's worse is that I couldn't find the 13th windows 95 floppy so I could install ODIN.
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i dont think anyone can make external speakers like apple
i have a mac and an ipod and the sound amazing
hope your epic gets fixed soon

You probably can just replace the speaker yourself
If you have the time and patience you can just order the original OEM part from ebay. Just search for "New OEM Samsung Epic Speaker Replacement" and they're like $13
Hope this helps.

It'd be nice if there was a speaker upgrade.
I had a blackberry 9000 (bold) before this phone. Had it for two years. The external speaker on it was amazing. Blew Iphones away. It actually had legitimate bass response. If RIM can do it, seems like Samsung should be able to too.
But then have you seen samsung's new led tvs? Awful picture!
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Same thing happened to me. I wasn't using any volume hacks or anything like that... it just blew when my alarm went off.
Took it to the nearest sprint store and they didn't have the part so they called the only nearby sprint store that, according to their online inventory, did have it. On the phone, they confirmed that they had it so I drove another 30 minutes to get there. Finally, they take my phone, disassemble it, and realize that they don't actually have the part. They had a samsung moment speaker.
I took my phone and had to come back a week later when the part finally came in...
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Happened to mine too. Sprint store fixed it. That was before the TAP policy change.
Looks like the DIY replacement is the cheapest way to go.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

After a phone lockup and rare battery pull this morning I thought this had happened too. The "beep" when turning volume to full was distorted and super loud, while ringtones were faint and almost inaudible. After a few minutes it stopped once I played a youtube video, but I'm puzzled and wondering if this will happen to me as well...

What is it with all these blown speakers? Are the speakers they use that much ****ty?
Sent from my Evo Killer!!!

Mine did this the other day. When i was charging the phone while plugged into my computer and I got a phone call, after the phone call was over everything sounded really bad. All my system sounds were distorted and loud. Even the shutdown sounds were crazy. After a reboot though it sounded normal. I've recreated it when im plugged into my computer, but on the regular samsung charger it doesn't do it. Weird...

My phone did this last week. I haven't taken it in yet. Sounds like somebody needs to get a class action going.

Happened to me a while ago, made a topic about it: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=885296
Not sure if it's the exact same problem, all of my media-type sounds were just making static noise, and I had to get the phone replaced.
I didn't have insurance, so it cost me $35, not a big deal. Except that the replacement phone had issues with the capacitive buttons not being very responsive, and they wanted to charge me ANOTHER $35 to get that fixed, when I brought it back in the next day, wtf! Luckily, they waived it just that one time, and I haven't had any issues since. (crosses fingers)

plapczyn said:
So my external speaker stopped working properly after my alarm went off yesterday. Now it sounds like I'm talking to tech support in India using a Barbie walkie-talkie as a speakerphone. I think it's blown. Being the industrious engineer type, I took the whole phone apart to try to see if something rattled loose. No luck, but I did have fun going to a meeting at working with a pile of disassembled components for a cellphone. I think my external speaker is probably blown. It should be noted that I was using the ViperRom volume hack at the time (I've since removed it from Nebula Rom just in case that was the issue). I really doubt it is the root cause of the issue because it wasn't at full volume, and I rarely use the speaker for any prolonged duration other than alarms, notifications, ringtones. This is just a cautionary tale, a boombox is not a toy. Samsung said 6 business days for a turnaround on the RMA. Ugh. I might have to pay the bastards at Sprint for their $35 "convenience" charge. They conveniently bend me over on a legitimate warranty claim, or I don't have a phone for my business for over a week. I'll tell you what, I have never had a problem with the speaker on my iPod/iPad not working after 3+ months. Thank you Mr. Steve Jobs. You must be a genius for creating these magical products solely by yourself, crafted skillfully out of love and rainbows. Without this (and sacrificing unicorns), I can understand why the competition has such a hard time creating a device who's external speaker can withstand normal use for 3 months.
Long story short, my phone has DI18 stock on it right now. Wow does that make me sad. What's worse is that I couldn't find the 13th windows 95 floppy so I could install ODIN.
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Click to collapse
1. Isn't it common for manufacturer warranties to be honored by the manufacturer and not the reseller?
2. Doesn't Samsung make 8 million different phone models a year while Stevie and the Rainbows make 1?
3. Are you serious about the 13th floppy?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

Firmware?
Is this happening with stock D18 firmware, modded or stock Froyo?
So far it hasn't happened to me with the stock D18 firmware so I am curious.

Mushmaster said:
1. Isn't it common for manufacturer warranties to be honored by the manufacturer and not the reseller?
2. Doesn't Samsung make 8 million different phone models a year while Stevie and the Rainbows make 1?
3. Are you serious about the 13th floppy?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
1) Yup. It is. But since phones are tied to a service they traditionally were covered by the service provider. This was the case with Sprint until recent changes.
2) True, but a speaker, really? I've NEVER had a phone speaker stop working on ANY phone that I have ever had. Perhaps I was just lucky. But I pretty much only use the thing for ringtones and alarms. I barely ever even use speakerphone.
3) Na. That was a joke. I have Vista...but using it is comparable to my 13th disk analogy.
I took one of the posters suggestions and bought a replacement oem speaker. For the record, Samsung was very considerate about the problem and issued an RMA right away. I just don't want to deal with not having a phone for over a week.

plapczyn said:
1) Yup. It is. But since phones are tied to a service they traditionally were covered by the service provider. This was the case with Sprint until recent changes.
2) True, but a speaker, really? I've NEVER had a phone speaker stop working on ANY phone that I have ever had. Perhaps I was just lucky. But I pretty much only use the thing for ringtones and alarms. I barely ever even use speakerphone.
3) Na. That was a joke. I have Vista...but using it is comparable to my 13th disk analogy.
I took one of the posters suggestions and bought a replacement oem speaker. For the record, Samsung was very considerate about the problem and issued an RMA right away. I just don't want to deal with not having a phone for over a week.
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Do you mind sharing where you bought your external speaker and how you went about replacing it?

ya ive been had the crackling noise in my speaker for a while now. its serioulsy horrible. gonna take it to a sprint store for the free repair since i have insurance but im wondering if i can use an external speaker from a different device for better quality. givin id have to afro engineer it, still think its worth the time as opposed to replacing the crappy speaker every 3-6 months cuz it blows from regular usage. ive had quite a few people come to my work with the epic complaining about the same thing that have been on stock since day 1 so it obviously a hardware issue in its own.

Very annoyed by the Note 3 speaker and Samsung

Coming from Note 2, I'm so utterly disappointed by the Note 3 speaker. It's weak and has a very cheap sound. My Note 2 (now in my wife's possession) has a rich sound. I can't believe Samsung regressed on a very simple yet important feature. It always amazes me Samsung or HTC or Motorola hasn't surpassed Apple in Smartphone sales with Android being so superior to iOS. I always know why because these cheap sons of *****es are nowhere as serious and detail oriented as Apple when it comes to hardware. Apple really gives you premium components in all aspects of the phone. Think about it, Apple, Samsung, etc all charge about the same for the flagships. But Apple throws in the best antennas, sensors, screen, speaker, camera, processor, mmc, memory, now even a fingerprint scanner (even though I don't give a damn about it). What do others do? Go skimpy on components here and there. WTF? My Galaxy S3 for example got no reception while my wife's iPhone 4S was merrily surfing the Internet away at a July 4 fireworks venue. Same Sprint network. S3's antenna just stings like a MF. Samsung particularly is most shameful because they make so many components in house. If not for Android, Samsung etc. don't deserve to compete with Apple. Don't get me wrong. I hate Apple. But I love their hardware and their attitude to making the best hardware the industry possibly sees. I was hoping Apple drive the competition. But the competition falls asleep on the wheel. OMG.

I agree the external speaker is slightly better on the N2. My wife also has my mint titanium grey N2. However with a headset the difference is amazing far superior to the N2. I have been streaming music on my N3 all day in work from play music, and for me volume and quality are fine. Most of the sound features are designed for a headset on the N3. External speaker and mic pick up on speaker phone again seem better than the N2. It takes a bit of transitioning from the N2 to 3 but I am loving mine.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

bklm1234 said:
Coming from Note 2, I'm so utterly disappointed by the Note 3 speaker. OMG.
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You and others hung up on the external speaker really need to get a grip. This is from another thread and says it best.
cpufrost said:
The speaker is fine, it reminds me of the iphone speaker at the bottom. The way you hold the phone can also make it far more effective just as cupping your hands around your mouth to shout!
Nice knowing that setting the phone down on the table isn't going to muffle the sound!
I have experience in pro audio reinforcement/music production and sound is important but as previously mentioned it's ludicrous to expect a room filling sound from a transducer smaller than most tweeters on speaker systems!
If you want something to fill a room, check out the UE bluetooth speakers.
The mods will increase gain however the driver has absolute excursion limits as well as its driving amp and pushing the levels higher just results in compression and nasty distortion just like cranking your stereo amp into clipping. It won't damage your phone but sounds horrible!
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It's also not nearly as bad as people are making it out to be and there are advantages to it being on the bottom vs. the back where it's easy to block.
Here's my N2 taping a video playing playing on my N3 and vice versa. It's the same TV show (Modern Family) being played back on my cable company's video app minutes apart. Both phones are at max volume. The N3's flat on its back on a desk and the N2 is propped up in a Seidio kickstand case because it can't lie flat on its back without hobbling its audio. The recording distance is the same.
N2 recording N3
N3 recording N2
If the external speaker is that important to you return your N3 and buy something else. Samsung's not going to change it so it is what it is.

I totally agree with the Op and have said since release day, the external sound quality is way too monophonic, it's so bad to my ears that I'm trying to sell my N3 and will keep my N2.
It's not just poor audio quality, it's overall system sounds, they're harsh.
Very cheap sounding speaker Samsung, shame on you.

I have no issue with the sound on this device.

LOL, If anyone is obsessed with a tiny speaker on a phone they need to buy a boombox, not a cell phone.

The sound on my N3 is 10 times better then what I had on my original Galaxy S.
I'm pleased with it.

neoKushan said:
I have no issue with the sound on this device.
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I have no issues with speakers.

This one is a mystery to me as well. Given I haven't heard an HTC One that's supposed to sound really good, but if I'm listening to music or something for which I'd want really good sound quality, I'd hook it up to a dock or use headphones regardless of how good the little speaker on the thing is for its size. It's never going to hold a candle to headphones or a real set of speakers.

I must have a faulty phone then. Because even system alerts sound thin and monophonic on my n3.
On note 2 rich and full, a real contrast.

Brava27 said:
LOL, If anyone is obsessed with a tiny speaker on a phone they need to buy a boombox, not a cell phone.
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LOL! Why settle with a 5,7" display when you can get a 65" plasma!! Pockability is a *****, isn't it?
I don't carry headphones with me all the time... in fact I rarely do. I just want to enjoy my phone. Ever heard of "multimedia" (key word being "multi")? It doesn't mean just a good screen. You need some audio to pair that video with and unfortunately the N3 just doesn't deliver in that department.
In my book, to buy a flagship device you don't want to settle with something just being good enough, you want something much better than average... well in my case I was actually willing to settle with just average. I wanted to get the N3 really bad but after comparing a youtube clip with weak audio with my N2 I realized that the N3 wasn't even average... it was worse than average. I'm keeping my N2 because both audio & video is better than average
/Tubgirl

JCM800 said:
On note 2 rich and full, a real contrast.
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I used a N2 for almost a year. I agree the sound coming out of it had more detail than what's coming out of the N3 but to call it "rich, full, a real contrast" is putting the N2 on a pedestal it doesn't serve to be on. The N2 was a great phone but had plenty of strengths and weaknesses. The N3 is a great phone with plenty of strengths and weaknesses. The only thing that's changed is what's moved from one category to the other. At least to me, it would take a hell of a lot more than less detail coming from an external speaker for me to overlook all the material gains Samsung's achieved with the N3.

everything on the note 3 is way better than the note 2 apart from the speaker I did take mine back to the shop and had it replaced and my replacement sounded alot better so I think it's some speakers are better than others, but overall cracking phone love it
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk 2

Tubgirl said:
LOL! Why settle with a 5,7" display when you can get a 65" plasma!! Pockability is a *****, isn't it?
I don't carry headphones with me all the time... in fact I rarely do. I just want to enjoy my phone. Ever heard of "multimedia" (key word being "multi")? It doesn't mean just a good screen. You need some audio to pair that video with and unfortunately the N3 just doesn't deliver in that department.
In my book, to buy a flagship device you don't want to settle with something just being good enough, you want something much better than average... well in my case I was actually willing to settle with just average. I wanted to get the N3 really bad but after comparing a youtube clip with weak audio with my N2 I realized that the N3 wasn't even average... it was worse than average. I'm keeping my N2 because both audio & video is better than average
/Tubgirl
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Click to collapse
Going back to the N2's display, especially in bright sunlight, would be downright painful. And according to your argument that's a key part of "multimedia." Add to that the quality of sound the N3 puts out via BT and the 3.5mm jack which I listen to multimedia with 97% of the time and your whole argument seems a bit silly. Listening to anything for any length of time over any phone's external speaker isn't multimedia; it's either a necessity borne of no other options or just plain masochism.

I noticed that when I play music it sounds good and loud. However when I was on a phone call, the volume was very quiet out of the speaker. It could have been because of the other person I was talking to, but I'm not sure.

rchapoteau said:
I noticed that when I play music it sounds good and loud. However when I was on a phone call, the volume was very quiet out of the speaker. It could have been because of the other person I was talking to, but I'm not sure.
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Click to collapse
I've had to take two conference calls of over an hour each using the the N3's external speaker. The sound is plenty loud. In fact, the thinness everyone's complaining about doesn't come across in phone calls because the content (people's voices) is pretty constant. On the plus side, the three mics and noise cancellation of the N3 got positive comments from people on the receiving end of the conference calls and those on my side didn't have to do a football huddle over the N3 to be clearly heard.

I don't know about the quality. I don't use it to listen to music.
But the volume is considerably lower than the S4.

LOL!!!...if u bought the note 3 for sound, or was expecting Bose to come outta there then u purchased the wrong phone lol....The note 3 is a maestro at multitasking..a literal powerhouse...I mean this phone rivals most laptops.
Take a moment to appreciate the awesome sexy piece of tech in ur hands

I only use the external speaker when im in the shower. I dislike people who walk around with their speaker volume up ...I dont wanna hear what you are listening to. People that complain about the stereo speaker need to get over themselves.

airyras said:
I only use the external speaker when im in the shower. I dislike people who walk around with their speaker volume up ...I dont wanna hear what you are listening to. People that complain about the stereo speaker need to get over themselves.
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Click to collapse
I couldn't care less what you like hearing. The quality of sound isn't great from the Note 3, that's my point. I'm used to a better sound from my Note 2. Hopefully devs will sort this out in favour of the Note 3 shortly anyway.

For the love of god ... Why Samsung

Why Samsung? Why? speaker on the back? I love the note 4 the only really negative thing I have to say is why the speaker on the back of the device and not on the bottom like my note 3 ? I'm already finding myself laying the phone face down on the beautiful screen to hear any type of music, potentially scratching the screen. Sorry just ranting

Poor you... I wish I had your problems. Nevermind that a cellphone speaker sounds like complete garbage no matter where it's positioned. Maybe you should return the Note 4 and get a boombox instead.

cds36 said:
Why Samsung? Why? speaker on the back? I love the note 4 the only really negative thing I have to say is why the speaker on the back of the device and not on the bottom like my note 3 ? I'm already finding myself laying the phone face down on the beautiful screen to hear any type of music, potentially scratching the screen. Sorry just ranting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can edit the mixer_paths.xml and boost you speaker if you are rooted. I know it isnt really fix for the speaker but since you cant physically move the speaker to a new position , its all you really got . For me personally it doesnt make a difference but Im not coming from the Note 3 , Im coming from the GS5 which has the same speaker position.

HTC is the only company that got it right.

siraltus said:
Poor you... I wish I had your problems. Nevermind that a cellphone speaker sounds like complete garbage no matter where it's positioned. Maybe you should return the Note 4 and get a boombox instead.
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Sorry im not a audiophile I guess like yourself, sounds doesn't sound that bad to me the speaker placement was a horrible choice should've just left it on the bottom like the note3 would of been way better than where its at now. Im wondering if they did that because of the finger print scanner.

Maduro78 said:
HTC is the only company that got it right.
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Click to collapse
and lets not forget the moto x and nexus 6

probably so we wont scratch that 20 inch camera on the back! I mean, why is it even poking out like that?!?!!??! its begging to be scratched, get broken if its continuously place on the back /rant

We will see those things on the note 5 lol

cds36 said:
and lets not forget the moto x and nexus 6
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Click to collapse
Not having stereo on the X was disappointing but then again not really a big deal on a device that's so small. We'll see how the 6 fairs

the note 4 isnt geared towards sound hence, why samsung doesnt waste R&D on speakers that most people rarely use. I rarely use my speakers on my notes. If im not bluetoothed or streaming, its on silent. lol

The speaker on the Note 4 is clearer and louder than that on the Note 3. Fact.
http://youtu.be/_UYwfonN2hM
When at work, I lay my phone face up on a pack of sticky notes.

cds36 said:
Why Samsung? Why? speaker on the back? I love the note 4 the only really negative thing I have to say is why the speaker on the back of the device and not on the bottom like my note 3 ? I'm already finding myself laying the phone face down on the beautiful screen to hear any type of music, potentially scratching the screen. Sorry just ranting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't scratch the screen from putting it screen down on a table. Gorilla glass is amazing man! I do agree that speakers on the rear suck though.

knarfies said:
the note 4 isnt geared towards sound hence, why samsung doesnt waste R&D on speakers that most people rarely use. I rarely use my speakers on my notes. If im not bluetoothed or streaming, its on silent. lol
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Click to collapse
I have to agree there, I feel if i need to blast music they would be attach to some form of speaker lol. other wise, the sound is being stream through my bluetooth...or being stream to my tv lol

I hear there is a patent that stops them from putting it on the front.... Not 100% sure but I guess it's possible. I agree it's stupid being on the back but this Note 4 is a beast. I came from a Galaxy S5.

For me the speakers are perfect since I hold my phone with one hand and two i usually have a finger in the bottom holding the phone up and it used to cover the bottom speakers on my note 3, I sounds good and clear what do you expect surround sound.

cds36 said:
and lets not forget the moto x and nexus 6
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Moto g 2014 also.
Sent from my SM-N910T

Has any phone ever used the front speaker for calls and system/media audio? I would think it would be pretty obvious to move the back speaker to the front and control the volume with software depending on if your in a call or playing music or whatever.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app

The speaker is really the only thing left in the Note series that could really use some improvement. Everything gets incremental upgrades except for the speaker.

the speaker on the back is lame imo, but it does sound very good-so not sure how much I can really complain. It is very loud using speakerphone speaker and the ringtone/alarm. Certainly better than the Note 2/3 that I owned.
the HTC M* is still the best for media output for youtube or other video playback. I still wish HTC would have made a M8 5.97" phone.

The biggest problem with a rear speaker, is that when the phone is lying on it's back, the sound gets extremely muffled. This is especially true when using a case. Horrible, horrible design choice by Samsung.

One Speaker on my 6P was louder than the other.

I received my 6P yesterday, and by this morning I dropped it into a UPS box to send it back.
So, I got the 64GB aluminum version, it arrived a day after I placed my order. I set it up and let it install its OS update, which took forever, then I started to use it. Right away I noticed that the top speaker seemed louder than the bottom speaker when the phone was playing notification sounds. In two phone calls, people complained that it sounded like I was underwater or had them on speakerphone.
I was a little concerned by the speaker issue, so I took the time to play back audio from NPR and then tried a few videos. While playing back video, I flipped the phone this way and that, and moved the phone back and forth from ear to ear just to make sure I wasn't deaf in one ear. The top speaker was definitely much louder than the other. With the mic being housed with the bottom speaker, I'm lead to believe both issues are related.
I contacted customer support and the lady who took my call said that another user had called with the same issue, but she couldn't recall which model they had. She had spoken with the design team about this and they said it was a defect, that both speakers should be firing at the same volume level.
We did the mandatory factory reset and I fired up YouTube - then I moved my old phone back and forth over the speakers of the 6P and she could hear the difference too, so I ended up mailing it back for a refund - I plan to buy another, but an exchange would entail a $549 hold on my bank account, so a refund it is.
So, that said, I'm curious - has anyone else had this issue? I searched the web but didn't find anything, but I've tweeted to some people who were opening new devices and one of them said he felt the top speaker was louder on his unit too (I didn't say which speaker, I just asked if one was louder than the other), while another person said she'd follow up.

It seems like it's a relatively common issue.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6p/help/check-speakers-t3237050
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6p/help/uneven-speaker-volume-t3238144
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3r6faw/nexus_6p_speaker_issue_strawpoll_please_answer_if/

Roxy said:
It seems like it's a relatively common issue.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6p/help/check-speakers-t3237050
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6p/help/uneven-speaker-volume-t3238144
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3r6faw/nexus_6p_speaker_issue_strawpoll_please_answer_if/
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:crying::crying::crying:
Oh dear... I wouldn't have minded it if it was just a tad louder, but it was bad - plus I was having some speaker overdrive issues as well. I guess I'll wait for Google to process my refund and keep an eye on these threads before deciding if I want to take the risk again... Which sucks, because I was loving the phone. Hell, I picked this over a Lumia 950 XL because I wanted to use some half decent apps and have access to Tap to Pay. Sure, Android still waits forever for iOS apps, but Windows waits for never. -_-

I kept my phone regardless of the volume issue... lol.
Here's more reddit post(s) regarding the problem:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3rjbbd/did_anyone_figure_out_if_the_top_speaker_being/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3r45jr/speakers_not_balanced/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3qrjp2/top_speaker_louder_than_bottom_one/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3qso4k/is_anybody_not_having_speaker_balance_issues/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3rak95/did_rma_fixed_uneven_speaker_issue/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3rajy4/can_someone_post_a_video_of_the_speakers_balanced/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3quee4/front_facing_speakers/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3rdslq/google_store_support_says_that_the_volume/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3rekuc/speaker_difference_an_intended_feature/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3rcumg/speaker_imbalance_based_on_volume_level/

Roxy said:
I kept my phone regardless of the volume issue... lol.
Here's more reddit post(s) regarding the problem:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3rjbbd/did_anyone_figure_out_if_the_top_speaker_being/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3r45jr/speakers_not_balanced/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3qrjp2/top_speaker_louder_than_bottom_one/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3qso4k/is_anybody_not_having_speaker_balance_issues/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3rak95/did_rma_fixed_uneven_speaker_issue/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3rajy4/can_someone_post_a_video_of_the_speakers_balanced/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3quee4/front_facing_speakers/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3rdslq/google_store_support_says_that_the_volume/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3rekuc/speaker_difference_an_intended_feature/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3rcumg/speaker_imbalance_based_on_volume_level/
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I've blogged about this and have included all these links - thanks for the info! I really hope when I buy another one that it don't have the speaker issue. Google needs to step out and address Speakergate so users are aware of this issue.
https://tekmuze.wordpress.com/2015/11/04/forget-bending-the-nexus-6p-may-have-speaker-defect/

I see on Reddit that some people are hearing the exact opposite of what I was told by Google support - Google support is telling them that this actually "feature" and not a flaw, which brings to mind old comics about Windows 95 and 98 bugs being labeled as features... -_-

If it's a "fault" on all phones then surely it's an easy software fix. I'm surprised none of the reviews mentioned it?

Batfink33 said:
If it's a "fault" on all phones then surely it's an easy software fix. I'm surprised none of the reviews mentioned it?
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I too am amazed... But keep in mind that review units are hand picked and sent out by Google, so it's likely that phones without this flaw were sent to the press.