Database Users

Bluetooth Audio Quality

(Update: 2/23/10: To replicate the problem, use a bluetooth headset, make a call, then walk away from the phone until you're almost out of range. That's exactly the problem I have when I'm holding the device, it doesn't matter where I am distance wise, the best audio call quality I get STARTS where most phones get when you're too far from the device. Ideas?)
After weeks (3 straight) of searching, I have to finally ask.
Does anyone else have an issue with the quality of their bluetooth connection (calls only) regardless of brand and distance from the phone?
I've purchased nearly 13 different bluetooth devices trying to fix this. Changing the distance from the actual handset (experimenting if there's a different to if the Hero is plugged in or not), the price of the bluetooth unit, what type it was (speaker phone unit only, carkit, headphones, ad2p or not, etc etc), and I still have a poor call quality call.
Reception isn't an issue, I've tried from full bars to almost no bars, and in every instance, when I disconnected the bluetooth and went back to using either speakerphone, headphones, or directly on the device, the noise went away.
You can only hear the noise when the remote party speaks, and it really sounds like the old analog bag phones in bad reception. Is there anything as far as changing settings on the bluetooth to improve the audio quality?

not really. the BT module sends information to the receiver and the receiver decodes that into audio. so you cant really set an EQ for BT with android at least so it basically depends on the receiving unit. while music is playing turn the volume down to 75% on the phone and thats the best quality you will get. im an audiophile and it works for me.

I have a Plantonics Stereo BT.
It works great on my Hero... Much better than my HTC Diamond!

Haven't had any trouble from my Jawbone 1. The sound quality isn't as good as it was on my TP, TP2 or Pre but it's ok. Haven't had any weird noises. But it does randomly disconnect from my Hero. Well the phone says it is still connected but I get no call notifications through it and when I answer, the audio is through the handset. Even right after I finish talking to someone through the BT. Gonna have to chalk it up to the Hero cause I've had no issuse with it on any other phones. Best BT ever in my opinion.

Yeah, I don't know. I have used the Jawbone II, Jawbone Prime, Moto H12, Moto H790, and Plantronics Voyager Pro all with no problems in sound quality, also audio quality is very important to me because I do have some hearing loss. My call quality with the Hero isn't quite as good as with my old Blackberry Curve, but it is still very functional as I use it at least an hour everyday. If you have gone through that many headsets it is quite possibly the device itself.

I don't know, I have 3 Hero's and I honestly don't like the quality of sound on any of them. One of them is just straight stock. I just wish I could get it with a clear quality as my old dumbphones have. I think I've been helped to discover the answer to my question, thank you all!

Bluetooth handsfree problems

I tried to use the Streak with both of my bluetooth handsfree devices (stock Toyota Prius solution and Becker Cascade Pro) and it doesn't work: In the Toyota the voices are choppy on both ends of the conversation and with the Becker I only get static when I call or receive a call.
Since both handsfree kits work with all my Symbian phones the error seems to have something to do with the Streak. Does anybody experience similar problems?
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App

Yes, with my Pioneer head unit. The a2DP streaming is incredibly good but some calls get really choppy and broken. There don't seem to be any settings you can play with like the ol' WM days either!
Frustrating as I do 120 miles a day in the week and could do with better BT call quality!

Are you guys still on 1.6 or did you update to 2.1?

Still the stock ROM as I don't think rooting works with German Streaks.
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App

Hi,
bite late replying, sorry
Yes firmware 1.6
Used it again today and the call started out OK and just progressively got worse. Very frustrating because as I previously mentioned the A2DP streaming is virtually CD quality.
Hope it's just a firmware thing and an update sorts it cos this thing is becoming more awesome by the day, as I add stuff to it!

Sony BT XPLOD stereo
I can make calls ok and stream music ok. I just cannot stand the stuttter that happens every couple of minutes. The audio on a call or the A2DP from slacker will inexplicably stutter at least once every several ninutes. It is so maddening when I consider how good it sounds otherwise. If I turn off bluetooth, it immediately stops.

Has anyone tried it with a 2.1 ROM yet? Cos it's a major PITA!
I basically can't phone anybody on my way home from work as they can barely hear what i'm saying for the rapid stuttering. Same on the receive side as well.
As I've previously mentioned streaming music is playing fine. No stutter on mine and superb quality.
Is there nothing I can change to fix it?

Crackling bluetooth

Hi all,
I have the Plantronics Discovery 975 bluetooth headset which has never given me problems before on previous HTC phones, but I now hear crackling whenever someone speaks...
Are there other bluetooth headset users with the same problem?

+1 voyager pro sametimes cracle sometimes no
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

We bought two SGS2 and two Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth headset at work. I got one of the phones and one of the headset and I'm having the exact same problem as you have. My other colleague who were happy enough to recieve the other phone does not have any cracking noise which is rather weird.
I even tried my headset connected to his SGS2, i had to make sure my head wasn't messing up the signal or something lol... and it worked fine, so it's something with the phone i guess.
In this thread they talk about KE7 having a new sets of Bluetooth profiles and what not. Perhapes Samsung recognized there was some bug and changed things around.. But i'm only guessing here.
In case anyone is wondering:
Yes, both phone and headset was fully charged when tested.
Yes, both phones and headsets were tested in the same room around the same time so it cant be interference from external sources as it didn't bother the other SGS2.
I'm using KE2 over here. I forgot to check what version my colleague is using but we got the phones the same day from the same store so I bet he is using KE2 as well.

Did both phones have WiFi enabled or disabled?

Come to think of it, I think i had it enabled on mine but not on the other phone. I'll try compare them again and this time have wifi off on both phones.

I had a 975 for about two weeks before I returned it. I wasn't getting consistent performance on either my G2 (HTC), G2X (LG), or Vaio P (Sony). I replaced it with a BlueAnt Q2 and didn't have any problems with the same devices. It works really well on the SGS2 for phone, media, and Voice Talk. The 975 also wasn't A2DP and I like to listen to music and audio on my headset sometimes.

I tried disabling the wifi, not sure if its just now or not but, it seems to be working better. I still hear the crackling noise every now and again but not like before. However i think i will keep using my SE MW600. It delivers more solid performance and the sound quality is better as well. Maybe it's because the MW600 supports A2DP.. i cant really tell.

HTC HD2 Tmobile USA I am also having serious crackling problems...to the point of contacting Plantronics to replace my Voyager Pro and pay $49 for refurbished headset. Distance to phone 2 feet and only getting 1 bar on bluetooth strength. Any sort of obstruction like moving head between headset and phone still at 2 ft away...noticeable crackling and 1 or less BT signal strength on phone. With Wifi enable crackling increases. Connecting to a linksys router just 3 ft away is quite fast but still only 3 signal strength. Turning off bluetooth causes a rise in wifi signal strength but zero bars if more than 10 ft from router. I hard reset but problems still existed.
Extensive research on the problem came across issues about bluetooth and wifi electronics on circuitboard are side-by-side and has something to do with the negative affect on each other.
Anybody have similar "crackling" audio or crackling sound and / or LOW signal when close to phone or wifi routers. I welcome any suggestions at this point.
CPU QUALCOMM 8250B
BLUETOOTH VER 2.1/2.1+EDR
OS 5.2.21913 (21913.5.0.94)
MANILA 2.5.20181424.0
ROM 9-29-10
RADIO 2.15.50.14
PROTOCOL 15.42.50.11u

Jawbone and bluetooth crackling
Hi,
I have a Jawbone Prime which I used for my iPhone 4, which was crystal clear, now I've used it a couple of times with my S GS2 and so far I'm struggling to get a clear call quality.
I thought it was the headset but I have tried it with a friends Advantax speakerphone and that happens the same, every 10 sec's it goes quite and crackles to the point that it's impossible to actual have a conversation!
My phone is only 3 weeks old is it worth exchanging it or will I get the same problem if its a software issue??
Help please
BTW I have just spoken to a lady from Samsung about this issue, to find out if it is a handset issue or software. After being passed around saying it was the headset, though I explained I have tried another 2 headsets, she now said my headset is not compatible.
When I asked her for a list of compatible headsets she put me on hold and then came back saying 'Please go to an accessory store to find out'.
I don't like being fobbed off but I believe Samsung are doing that to me and everyone else! I asked if they were fixing this issue, as there are other forums of this issue, she couldn't answer that question funny enough!
I'm now going to try another handset with my sim and the headset as I work in CPW, finger crossed!

I don't know if I am having the same issue as you guys. You are describing it as "crackling"? My connection falls into a state where the audio sounds as if the bandwidth is REALLY low. So the other person's voice is choppy - really fast choppy - I don't mean intermittent sound.
If I briefly transfer the audio to the phone and then back to the handsfree device again it clears up.
This happens in my car which has a Parrot CK6100 and also our BMW mini built-in bluetooth system.
I have a UK Orange branded SGS2 with KE2 firmware.
Could someone try doing the above and see if it clears up the audio?
As a side issue, stereo audio over a2dp works without problems so it is not a signal strength issue.

+1 Discovery 975
Better with wifi off, but still crappy sound.

I have been having a problem with my bluetooth crackling in my car for a very long time now. I did a search and found this very old thread. I wanted to bump it up to see if anyone else is having a problem like this and if there is any known troubleshooting steps we could take. As previous people have posted, stereo bluetooth works fine, its just on calls with my car that it intermittently crackles. I can toggle the connection to my phone and back to my car to clear it up, but who wants to do that? This happens nearly every call. I thought it was my car so I ignored it but I recently tried my phone in a different car and had the same issue. Ironically, I never have this issue with regular bluetooth headsets, only with cars. Anyone else have a problem like this?

SGS2 dropping Bluetooth connection in car and sound quality is terrible.

Anyone else having serious bluetooth issues in car or otherwise? I cannot make calls out in my car (2010 GMC Terrain). It will make the call initially, but the sound is very choppy and I drop the BT connection every time.
Figured I would try here before returning the phone to see if its a known issue. Very frustrating considering my SGS1 worked 100% fine.

BobbyTee said:
Anyone else having serious bluetooth issues in car or otherwise? I cannot make calls out in my car (2010 GMC Terrain). It will make the call initially, but the sound is very choppy and I drop the BT connection every time.
Figured I would try here before returning the phone to see if its a known issue. Very frustrating considering my SGS1 worked 100% fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use BT a lot and haven't had any trouble establishing and maintaining a connection. I've used it with two different Infiniti's and it's performed flawlessly - auto connects, transfers contacts, support calls waiting and hold, streams BT audio, displays artist and title via the car's display, pauses music for incoming calls, and tracks forward and back using the car's controls.
Does the Terrain have GM's funky BT via OnStar? I had a CTS with it and it drove me mad. I had three different phones and none of them worked exactly the way they should have.

BobbyTee said:
Anyone else having serious bluetooth issues in car or otherwise? I cannot make calls out in my car (2010 GMC Terrain). It will make the call initially, but the sound is very choppy and I drop the BT connection every time.
Figured I would try here before returning the phone to see if its a known issue. Very frustrating considering my SGS1 worked 100% fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ford Edge with Sync. The sound quality with my SGS2 is horrid! Mine is also choppy though I don't drop the connection. As soon as I turn bluetooth off the sound quality on the phone is great.

Guys, I've this same problem with my car (2009 Toyota Avensis + build-in Nokia CK-100 - official Bluetooth module) and my friend car (2010 Nissan Note + build-in BT Nissans radio). Choppy sound but I didn't see disconnects. I've branded rom for Polish T-mobile, shoud I change it to custom? or maybe any official service can re-install branded firmware?
Maybe Wifi + BT + GPS couldn't be turn onn at the same time? I didn't find any paths to resolve problem.
Sorry for my poor english

I am using mine with a Ford and it works perfectly.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Why aren't bluetooth microphones supported?

I just assumed that I could use any bluetooth microphone for voip, voice recording etc. I currently do not have any bluetooth device but I tried 3 at a friends and they all paired for sound, but failed to work in using a voice recording app or a voip app. In a voip app the sound went strange (long sounds on the dial tone buttons) and then the sound resumed coming out of the tablet even though the headset device was showing as connected. Only a reboot solved this.
So I assume the bluetooth stack doesn't support recording, but why not? Isn't this a basic thing at this point? If I connect a bluetooth headset with mic that should be my input and output on sound for the time it is connected.
Or has anyone had success with a certain bluetooth model for recording?

No one can provide info on this? Is this the norm for tablets? I would assume even some ancient gingerbread phone would work with bluetooth headset/mic.
Does cyanogen team ever modify the kernel to include more functionality such as this?

I'd check other bluetooth threads around this section, but I've heard several people who've used bluetooth headsets with Nexus tablets. It may be a setting issue (particularly the device setting under bluetooth and the app settings concerning headsets).
-Ara

My Motorola HS850 works perfectly with the N7.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

ExploreMN said:
My Motorola HS850 works perfectly with the N7.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, Plantronics bluetooth headset works perfectly for voip calls using Talkatone.

Thanks for the info. I don't have the model names off-hand but I'll ask my friend what they were. I wasn't aware that once a bluetooth device was paried that there were any additional options. I was under the impression that it was simply pair and use. With the case of a headset/mic I assumed it was inherited as your sound output/input for all apps while paired. The voip I tried is csipsimple and a voice recording app. I'm glad to at least some models work but I hope it isn't hit and miss and you have to be selective of what bluetooth device you use but rather something I was doing.
I didn't expect there to be any settings as well because even with no bluetooth recording device paired, I don't see anywhere in the settings recording recording (like mic volume).

Can't get mine to work. Single ear set I don't even get sound. Just dead air all around. The Southwing SA505 stereo gets sound fine but no mic function and on Groove ip no sound or mic on single ear or stereo. I even checked the settings making sure bluetooth was selected.

I'm from Canada so I can't try talkatone as I can't get google voice. I now purchased a btheadset. It pairs fine and I hear audio in all apps but I haven't found one app yet that works with the bluetooth mic. I wanted a voip sip app. I've pretty much tried all the free ones and other users have posted comments of bluetooth issues as well. There are a couple of paid sip apps that claim to support bluetooth, but I don't want to buy them to only find they don't.
So yes, android supports bluetooth mics, my thread title is inaccurate, but it seems the vast majority of recording apps do not have proper bluetooth support. Can someone name any app besides talkatone, even a voice recorder that works with bluetooth so I can just test it?
I'm actually surprised it's this bad. Bluetooth audio isn't that cutting edge. It should pair and now act as your soundcard so to speak. I initially thought to blame the OS because I thought any app that requests to play a sound or record a sound, would be re-directed by the OS to now use the bluetooth device.
I'm pretty sure it works exactly like this on windows. Or for example, I have a usb headset on my pc. It shows up as a soundcard. I make it the default and every app now uses that. No developer had to code to use a usb headset/mic, it just works.
Again a little disappointed that it's been a little trying just to get a bluetooth headset to function properly. I tried 3 at my friends that all pair fine and work flawlessly on his playbook in all his apps, and now I bought 1 so it's hard to say all of these bluetooth headsets have quirks and don't work properly with android.

Still trying to get this working. It pairs fine, and shows in the bluetooth details as being connected with phone audio and media audio.
It's a Aluratek ABH01F which I've read great things about. It supports a2dp. I'm not too familiar with bluetooth and microphones so I'm not sure if there is anything else to check for android to support a bluetooth microphone.
I don't know why I didn't think of it before but I tried google's voice search and it doesn't work either. I can hear the audio fine, just no mic.
Can anyone confirm if google's voice search works with their bluetooth mic? You probably have to walk out of the room to verify it's not the units mic that is picking it up obviously.

I'm not convinced bluethooth mics work at all on the nexus 7. I could chalk it up to my headset just doesn't place nice with the nexus 7 but again I tried 3 bluetooth devices at my friends. I found this post on another site:
Well, I got around to testing a bluetooth headset. single earpiece, Avantalk AH28. Not the best, but it works fine with a phone. Paired with the tablet fine. I dialed on groove ip - dial tones came from the tablet, the ringing transferred to the earpiece, when phone was answered there was no sound transmission at all- not from the bluetooth earpiece, or from the tablet. Just dead air. Tried it twice.
2nd test- google music played from tablet- not into the earpiece.
I have a stereo bluetooth headset with mic that I can test with but will have to charge that one up first. Will get back to you.
************************************************** ****
Got to my stereo Southwing SA505 bluetooth test. It worked to play music from tablet beautifully. Did not work with groove IP- went in and made sure settings were set for bluetooth- Mic did not work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.nexustablets.net/forum/nexus-tablet-audio/985-does-headset-jack-have-microphone-capability.html
Again, I hear audio fine via bluetooth, so I wonder if some of you were thinking the bluetooth mic was working but it was actually the unit's mic.
This app called tapemachine specifically states it has bluetooth support. It fails for me when I change it to bluetooth in the settings, can someone else try it?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samalyse.free.tapemachine&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDMsImNvbS5zYW1hbHlzZS5mcmVlLnRhcGVtYWNoaW5lIl0.
So I'm starting to think my thread title is correct. If I am, I'm hoping there is a way to hack some file changing the available audio profiles. I've read others doing something similar with different devices when the manufacturer disable those audio profiles. I would find it doubtful that google/asus would do this though.
Anyway, if anyone can try that app, or confirm that say grooveip is using the bluetooth mic and not the device. An easy test is tap on the unit mic while recording and see if you or the person you are talking to hears that.

No one? I know a couple of you said it worked, but are you sure grooveip is actually recording via the mic? I can hear phone calls using various sip apps with bluetooth, but I know the mic isn't recording. One of the headsets my friend has is a Motorola MOTOROKR S9 Stereo Bluetooth Headphones. Link here: http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-S9-Bluetooth-Headphones-Packaging/dp/B0017KTOJK.
I've only tried stereo headsets, so maybe that is the issue. The Motorola HS850 is a single ear piece, I'm not sure what plantronics set you have.
I'd really appreciate if someone else can verify if bluetooth is working. If bluetooth recording in fact works with the nexus 7, I must be really unlucky with 4 headsets that don't, which I find highly unlikely or nexus 7 has poor bluetooth support. The only thing left is my bluetooth hardware is broken which I find even more unlikely. Aradreamer, you say you've seen several posts saying bluetooth works, but I haven't found one post explicitly stating bluetooth recording works. I found more post on other forums clearly stating it doesn't work.

sark666 said:
I'd really appreciate if someone else can verify if bluetooth is working. If bluetooth recording in fact works with the nexus 7, I must be really unlucky with 4 headsets that don't, which I find highly unlikely or nexus 7 has poor bluetooth support. The only thing left is my bluetooth hardware is broken which I find even more unlikely. Aradreamer, you say you've seen several posts saying bluetooth works, but I haven't found one post explicitly stating bluetooth recording works. I found more post on other forums clearly stating it doesn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
odd odd ...
first off i have the Nexus 7 16g with it rooted.
heres what i did first i bought the samsung HM1200 didnt thoroughly test that 1 because i figured it just wouldnt work with the device ( or was broken ) once i started to get all this screeching out of it... i heard sound momentarily then all it did was the screeching at different levels. returned it yesterday. then i added a couple more bucks ( about $27 total ) and got the plantronics M20 took it home and crossed my fingers. got it all it paired up and what not and ended up with the same condition except now the mic is working perfectly. i tested this thoroughly now over and over inside and outside and also away from the N7 to be sure the mic is working. this is great BUT i cannot hear any sound at all coming in to the N7 except the same screeching at constantly varying levels. this is with both grooveip and talkatone. i also tried uninstalling beats audio and rebooting but i read somewhere this wont change the drivers back to the originals and i still have the same condition. i just got the N7 about 3 weeks ago and the store where i bought it has a price guarantee so i am today planning to return it and get the N7 again but this time the 32g version. ( they got 2 left so i will be going ASAP. ) so almost all the work i put into setting this thing up is about to be wasted. still i am going to do it anyways. to me its just the point of getting the best i can with my available budget/resources and i can easily see this thing be full and kicking myself in the butt for not doing it. this time around i will test all of what i mentioned here BEFORE i root it. in fact i will only install the necessary apps ( grooveip/talkatone etc.. ) during testing. its a real pain in the butt but it is a MUST i have this thing working as a phone with BT asap. thanks for the input and i will report back later.
update: actually in a more quiet room i was able to hear myself on the BT headset but very very low and in the background behind the screeching. still will report back later with the new unit.

For some reason the Bluetooth headset profile on the n7 is totally broken. I tried MANY headsets and none of them work. It is either the drivers, the hardware or the kernel. I hope it fixable in the 3g version.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

yep i am sitting here now with the 32g N7 and the first thing i did was try the BT unrooted and its the exact same thing screeching like mad can hear myself on the mic perfect from the other phone and can hear the other phone low in the background of the screeching on the N7 ugh
i have a temporary solution that should work till its sorted.... i need a new headset for my computer anyways so ill just make sure to grab one that is USB then when my OTG cable arrives i am pretty sure that should work. it will be corded but at least i can use the phone somewhat normally for free. ill let you know. now im off to rebuild the whole thing back to where i had it in the 16.

zip1212 said:
yep i am sitting here now with the 32g N7 and the first thing i did was try the BT unrooted and its the exact same thing screeching like mad can hear myself on the mic perfect from the other phone and can hear the other phone low in the background of the screeching on the N7 ugh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bummer. Hopefully they fix it with 4.2 or with the 3G version.
It also seems that if you try to toggle speakerphone / BT headset in various voip apps the tablet will crash and restart.
I tried with GrooveIP, Talkatone and the build in phone app (After changing the framework-res.apk file).
I also noticed i had better luck getting the BT headset to fully (and randomly) work when doing outgoing calls. It never worked on incoming calls.

Any progress on this?
I've noticed the same problem and just returned a BT headset due to the problems in GrooveIP & Talkatone
As a side note I was able to get the BT headset to work as a MIC with the google voice commands by using the following..
- Soundabout
- Under BT settings set it to force mono BT mic
- Set audio to wired headset
Just as ref, I'm using my N7 in my car, so my setup may be a bit different.
But this worked, I was able to tell my N7 commands and it would read out the response over my car speakers.
Anyone had success with a USB mic? Curious if that will work.

I'm very interested in this thread too.
I have a 32GB nexus 7, rooted and unlocked. I have a Platronics M100 bluetooth earpiece. My goal is to be able to dictate to Evernote through the BT earpiece. It is pairing and under the connect settings it is showing up as "phone audio". But when I speak into it nothing is happening in Evernote. I also do not get media audio through the earpiece.

My Sony xperia Z accepts audio from bluetooth microphones, but only during a phone call.
When the call is terminated the paired bluetooth mic becomes inactive and the phones built in microphone takes over. I have tried many apps but none will accept audio from a BT mic.
I have tried a number of headsets and speakerphones and they all behave in the same way. Sound is not a problem as the BT speaker simply replaces the phones internal one when paired.
The xperia Z has a setting which claims to: " record audio through bluetooth headset if available", but this setting does nothing. I keep retrying the setting at every android update, to no avail. Currently at 4.2.2.
When I plug in a wired headset, the speaker and mic simply replace the ones in the phone. Why doesn't bluetooth behave in the same way?
This issue has been raised in many forums, in relation to many android devices, but never answered.