Database Users

Music playback issues: quality/noise, stutter

Hi all,
I got my Hero on Monday and I'm blown away by this phone so far!
The only not-so-great aspect I have found is the music playback:
1) There is a small amount of background noise when playing music, which is noticeable
in a quiet environment during low-volume parts of tracks. I don't always listen to Metal on the subway, so this is kind of a problem.
2) Sometimes, when listening to consecutive tracks of an album, there is a stutter when a new track starts. Haven't found a way to reproduce this reliably yet.
I was expecting to be able to ditch my iPod for the Hero, but I'm a little hesitant now. Does anyone else experience these issues?

I have the same issue with the jumping at the beginning of a new track, haven't noticed the background noise though probably because I do listen to metal.
Maybe it has something to do with standard sd card or how the mp3 was created? I hope someone knows the answer.

Also:
Does anyone know if there is a graphic equaliser somewhere? Music seams to be too trebley (using Seinnhauser earphones), but I haven't been able to find anyway to adjust it

Forgot to mention: I used 192 kbit/s MP3s encoded by iTunes and portable AKG headphones. I'm going to try out the included earbuds when I get home, to see if they "equalize" anthing.

I'm listening to Rufus Wainwright's Hallejuah on my Hero now over a set of Sony MDR-NC22 Noise Cancelling Earphones (in-ear type) with the noise cancelling switched off. No background hiss. Could it be from your MP3?

ghoonk said:
I'm listening to Rufus Wainwright's Hallejuah on my Hero now over a set of Sony MDR-NC22 Noise Cancelling Earphones (in-ear type) with the noise cancelling switched off. No background hiss. Could it be from your MP3?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's possible of course, but I never noticed noise like this on my iPod. One other thing I'll try at home is listening to a WAV file and check for noise.

Send me the MP3 file and I'll load it up on my device now and let you know if I'm having any problems
my email address is my username @gmail.com

Ok, I tried the included earbuds, and the noise is much less pronounced than with my AKG headphones, but still audible. It starts as soon as the playback begins and stops about 2 seconds after I pause the music player. (I guess this is when the audio hardware shuts down.)
MP3 and WAV exhibit the same noise, so it's not encoding artefacts.

wossName said:
Ok, I tried the included earbuds, and the noise is much less pronounced than with my AKG headphones, but still audible. It starts as soon as the playback begins and stops about 2 seconds after I pause the music player. (I guess this is when the audio hardware shuts down.)
MP3 and WAV exhibit the same noise, so it's not encoding artefacts.
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Is it a buzzing noise?

I'd describe it more like a hissing sound.
Edit: I have attached a sample MP3 (hissingat5.mp3) in a ZIP file. I can clearly hear a hissing sound around 0:05 when the music gets quiet and I'm not using the included earphones. Anyone else? (I've checked the original CD with the same headphones, there's definitely no noise on the recording.)

wossName said:
2) Sometimes, when listening to consecutive tracks of an album, there is a stutter when a new track starts. Haven't found a way to reproduce this reliably yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My ipod touch does this sometimes. I have to reboot the ipod and its fine after. Maybe its because they are low on memory. Have you got lots of apps running? Try taskiller and try again?

I've found the music app struggles the most with low system resources and during the phones numerous "heavy lag" periods makes play back shutter or even stop altogether!
And god forbid you have more than five albums with bog standard 600x600 cover art... slow doesn't really describe it

mwatson said:
My ipod touch does this sometimes. I have to reboot the ipod and its fine after. Maybe its because they are low on memory. Have you got lots of apps running? Try taskiller and try again?
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Good idea, that might be a reason.
I think I'll be sticking to my iPod for now, though. While the stuttering problem is probably fixable in software, I'm not so sure about the audio quality.

my music also lags(espacially in sleep mode.. it's ridicoulis)... it's so annoying.. something needs to be done about this... I've tryed to memory cards and the music lags on both.. one is fast and one is slow..

I've found that if I play music through the phone itself or my headphones, there's no problem. If i connect it to my little 2.1 speakers, songs stutter, jump, restart, skip etc CONSTANTLY. Any ideas why this could happen? The speakers work fine with everything else, afaik. And the Hero works fine with other stuff... guesses?
I also have the slight hiss for a few seconds. Sound quality is pretty average, but i have my awesome samsung P3 for that

Im using a Philips SHB9000 stereobluetooth headset, theres no hiss in that, maybee its bound to wired only? thoe i have some stutter.. i use a Class 4 4GB Microsdcard.

skee^ said:
Im using a Philips SHB9000 stereobluetooth headset, theres no hiss in that, maybee its bound to wired only?
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Yeah, since you're not using the Hero's audio hardware at all, I wouldn't expect there to be any noise.
BTW, how much does the bluetooth headset drain the battery? I was thinking of using one to solve this problem.

Lack of gapless playback is also a bummer for me. I might be going back to my Zune.

wossName said:
Hi all,
I got my Hero on Monday and I'm blown away by this phone so far!
The only not-so-great aspect I have found is the music playback:
1) There is a small amount of background noise when playing music, which is noticeable
in a quiet environment during low-volume parts of tracks. I don't always listen to Metal on the subway, so this is kind of a problem.
2) Sometimes, when listening to consecutive tracks of an album, there is a stutter when a new track starts. Haven't found a way to reproduce this reliably yet.
I was expecting to be able to ditch my iPod for the Hero, but I'm a little hesitant now. Does anyone else experience these issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly the same as on my phone. I'm on my fifth Hero now and knew about the hiss already but this is the first to stutter. Exactly the same files, exactly the same memory card, exactly the same apps installed and running on the system.
No idea why one Hero has difficulty and others don't.

My Hero stutters even in the middle of songs on playback. I tried an alternate music player (nswPlayer) and it didn't help. I'm using mp3s but I think they're 320kbps. Maybe a re-encode would help?

Sound Quality

Anyone having issues with sound quality on their focus. Everytime a sound is played a pronounced hiss and distortion comes through my headphones. When listening to podcasts this hiss is very apparent. I wanted this phone to replace my ipod touch, which does not have this issue. Feedback please, thanks.

I do not have feedback or hiss in any music or app so far. My headset works well too. Not sure but something is up. Have you tried a hard reset and a new set of headphones?
I do notice low overall volume out of the stereo port though...compared to the Tilt 2 my car stereo needs to be turned up about 25% louder to be equivalent.

i think the sound is amazing, especially the external speakers.
As for headphones, have you put the headphones all the way in? It could be that or either worn-out wiring on the headphone cable.

My complaint about the sound is the alarm. When u test a sound for alarm is its very loud. When u set an alarm to go off it seems 1/2 as loud.

Ok, I have done a hard reset and tried with several headphones. The pronounced hiss is still there with some crackling when I change a song. My best guess is the audio output is not working properly. I did test the headphones on my ipod touch with no distortion coming through. Will be taking a trip to the att store for an exchange. While there I will test the floor model to confirm a problem with my device. I hope they are in stock because I took the last one two days ago. I love the phone and with clean audio output I will love it even more.

pancake04 said:
Ok, I have done a hard reset and tried with several headphones. The pronounced hiss is still there with some crackling when I change a song. My best guess is the audio output is not working properly. I did test the headphones on my ipod touch with no distortion coming through. Will be taking a trip to the att store for an exchange. While there I will test the floor model to confirm a problem with my device. I hope they are in stock because I took the last one two days ago. I love the phone and with clean audio output I will love it even more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what became of the at&t store test?

I've had my Focus now for 10 days and I am completely satisfied with it. I have never had any sounds like you describe. Just clean, clear and much better reception than I had on my 2+ year old Fuze that I dearly loved. It was hard to switch to Samsung for me, but I think I made the right choice. So far I really like my Focus and the display is nothing short of fantastic!

I'm having a similiar hissing issue with my Focus as there seems to be a noticeable hiss at low volumes. The sound quality does not appear to be as good as my iPhone 3GS or Zune 80GB.
I'm still within my return window so I'm debating returning the phone and exchanging it for a new Focus.

is there any update on this? i'm really cutting it close to my 30 day warranty period, and i'm not sure if i should return the phone or not.
my issue is that when playing music in zune, you can hear a very faint hiss. if you pause the music, you can hear it for a half second before it stops outputting audio.

uwbadgers16 said:
is there any update on this? i'm really cutting it close to my 30 day warranty period, and i'm not sure if i should return the phone or not.
my issue is that when playing music in zune, you can hear a very faint hiss. if you pause the music, you can hear it for a half second before it stops outputting audio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try switching it for a new one while you're still in your window.

Make the switch... before the deadline. No harm no foul and really it is a legitimate complaint.

Headphones - Hissing Noise

Guys,
Another day, another observation. When you plug in the headphones, do you guys hear a hissing/static/white noise for a couple of seconds initially. I am able to reproduce this every time I plug in my headphones (tried three different sets). I am not too bothered by it because the noise dies after 2-3 seconds. I also witness the same behavior when I pause a song.
I guess I am raising the topic here because am not sure if this is common across all WP7 devices (thereby making this a WP7 issue), if it is only my phone, or if it is common across all Venue Pros.
Thanks for any input.

ZappiestOyster said:
Guys,
Another day, another observation. When you plug in the headphones, do you guys hear a hissing/static/white noise for a couple of seconds initially. I am able to reproduce this every time I plug in my headphones (tried three different sets). I am not too bothered by it because the noise dies after 2-3 seconds. I also witness the same behavior when I pause a song.
I guess I am raising the topic here because am not sure if this is common across all WP7 devices (thereby making this a WP7 issue), if it is only my phone, or if it is common across all Venue Pros.
Thanks for any input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get the same noise, but mine is constant. Whenever a sound plays, the white noise/hissing in the background comes up and continues for 5-10 seconds after the sound is played and then goes out. Then when another sound happens, it does it again.
It almost makes using headphones unbearable.
I've tried multiple sets of headphones too, it does it on them all.
I think it may have something to do with the curved top of the phone and the fact that the plug doesn't go all the way into the device.
Anybody else have a similar experience?

jfellows said:
I think it may have something to do with the curved top of the phone and the fact that the plug doesn't go all the way into the device.
Anybody else have a similar experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it's that - if the curved surface was the culprit, the sound wouldn't vanish after a few seconds. It almost seems like a software issue.
Thanks for confirming the behavior!

I only hear the hissing sound for a few seconds after plugging it in to the jack...

Hearing a hissing on most smartphones is pretty common, in my experience. The better quality earphones you use the more you will notice it. The Nexus One did, the Venue Pro does, my N95 did a bit.

People I've called with the built in headphones/mic say the noise levels are so extreme they are unusable. Hopefully the free Bluetooth headset we're all getting will fix that issue...

Hello!
This is normal when companies use cheap DACs and amps for sound replication. The DAC turns on when you play sounds, and turns off when there's a period of no sound. If it's a cheap system, there's a noticeable base sound/noise that is added to your signal.
When you have music playing, that, of course, is drowned out by the music. Thus, you won't hear it unless you have really soft music, say, a few bars rest in your classical album or something.
The problem also is more noticeable with low impedance earphones (IEMs, for example).
A possible, easy way to fix this is to use an inline resistor/impedance cable on your headphones, since typically this noise does not vary with volume (in my experience). Then, you bump up the volume on your device... if it's powerful enough to do it. Otherwise, you'll have to inline resistor, a clean-sounding portable amplifier (powered by additional), and then your headphones. It gets pretty bulky...
Alternatively! Separate your music player and your phone. Unfortunately, the DVP has such a nice Zune interface. And still, with cheap music players you can hear the hiss if you're careful. I can hear this on iPods with my earphones still...
Sorry to hear about this! I was hoping that the sound quality would be decent. I might try to get an HD7 instead now...
Cheers!

linj said:
Sorry to hear about this! I was hoping that the sound quality would be decent. I might try to get an HD7 instead now...
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to let you know, the HD7 does not have the hissing/static that the DVP does. I've tried the HD7, Samsung Focus and DVP and HD7 had the best sound quality in my opinion. The Focus sounds muffled compared to both HD7 and DVP.

I've got the same hissing noise on mine, but I think it's an issue with a crappy DAC as it's only there when there is sound. I was hoping to replace my Zune HD but there's no way that's gonna happen with this noise - it's AWFUL!
I'm really thinking about moving to a Samsung Focus. I loved this phone when I first got it, but over time I just uncover more and more I don't like.

Arcarsenal said:
Hearing a hissing on most smartphones is pretty common, in my experience. The better quality earphones you use the more you will notice it. The Nexus One did, the Venue Pro does, my N95 did a bit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true. Almost every phone I've used has this. It's more noticeable on some phones than others but it's nothing unique to the DVP.

Bringing this back to the top, I've observed something on my new model, though I could have sworn the one I sent back for a refund did not have this problem...and it only occurs with earbuds, and not ear phones (I have a big pair of medium to high quality full-size Creative earphones, the buzzing is not audible at all with them.
Since this phone seems reasonably crash-free, I'm reluctant to press Dell for a replacement, especially if, viola, all the DVPs have this problem. Mine seems particularly loud, but that may be a combination of the Zune Premium earbuds I'm using and other factors. As others said, it vanishes briefly if you pause a song (like the sound output is switching off to save electricity or whatever) but resumes immediately. I might be better off just going through various earphones and finding a brand that's of at least the quality of my current earbuds but minimizes the effect.
EDIT: Additionally, lowering the volume simply makes it much more noticeable.

Strange static noise

I have noticed that when using the supplied earphones I can hear static background noise when I scroll through menus and buttons while music is playing. This only happens when music is activated and I can hear a low annoying fuzzy static that gets louder the more I scroll for example.
I can barely hear it when I put on headphones but can with earphones, seems quite strange wonder if anyone else experiences the same thing?

No one? Just try it, turn the volume down while listening to music then go to home screen and scroll left constantly or right and the hissing noise will get louder.
Audio chip or whatever must be quite crappy.

Restarted phone and can't seem to hear it now. Strange.

I'm glad that by talking to your self you've managed to fix this problem.

I spoke to myself to soon! Its back and I suspect it has something to do with the wifi sharing. As I activated kies air, uploaded a song, listened to song and hissing is back! argh.

jonkrav said:
I spoke to myself to soon! Its back and I suspect it has something to do with the wifi sharing. As I activated kies air, uploaded a song, listened to song and hissing is back! argh.
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Try force stopping it? I've frozen most Samsung apps but even before then I had no problems at all with something like this tbh...although I don't use the stock music player.

I have annoying static background noise while using earphones, it can be better heard whilr using the phone when no music is playing.
This is a general issue or isolated cause?

I have this!!! I seem to get possibly some kind of audible distortion just before i play a song, and then when i pause the song and touch the screen it makes the weird static noise (and possibly when the song is playing as well, but its less identifiable). For me this noise only lasts for about 5 seconds after i have paused it and then stops. And yes, it also seems to be louder in earphones than headphones.
HAVE YOU FOUND A FIX? Firmware upgrades? Sent it back and got a replacement? what did you guys do? Let me know, thanks.

Could it be evp?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

I installed the Backslash Kernel and THEN noticed this, rebooted and it went.
It came back a while after. I also unplugged the headphones with the music app running and the phone rebooted.
Re-flashed the CF-Root KG1 Kernel and it went away, not had any 'noise' or reboots since :/

I got a replacement from orange as this issue was too distracting. My replacement has just come, but exactly the same 'static noise while and after listening to music' issue is still here!!! Is this really what its like for everyone but people don't bother saying?
PDA: I9100BVKE2
PHONE: I9100BVKE2
CSC: I9100ORAKE2
BUILD INFO : Wed May 11 22:56:39
KERNAL VERSION: [email protected] #2
On my last phone i tried flashing to generic KE7 AND KF3 (using odin). Both seemed to make the sound last for not as long after i pause the music, but did not solve the issue. Will rooting the phone, using different kernals and whatnot fix this? Could it be a dodgy batch of phones from orange? (I have no knowledge of what rooting and kernals actually is, let alone what ones i should use)

I have also experienced this. It seems the screen is the problem since the noise is gone when the screen is off.
What headphones are you using?

I have used the supplied headphones, but i have also tried other headphones as well. All seem to give the same sound but possibly at varying levels of volume. Do you still have the problem?

I use the Sennheiser CX300 II and I do not experience it any longer.
It depends on the impedance of the headphones. If the impedance is 16 ohm I cannot hear it but on 12 ohm headphones it is pretty obvious (but they are able to play louder).
I have not tried the supplied ones myself because they ALWAYS sound awful but if you had a specific name for a proper headphone you have tried, you can easily find their impedance on the internet.

Hmm well i have tried my creative EP-630 headphones which have impedance of 16 Ohm and i can still hear the noise. I have used many terrible headphones on terrible 'mp3 players' over the years and i have never experienced this, so i don't see why i should now go out and buy some new headphones. Although if you are really saying that the Sennheiser CX300 II headphones completely cured your problem then it might be worth it? Was your problem exactly the same as the one i described? Cheers.

It's obviously a problem of the audio amp picking up electrical noise from the other components of the device. I'm skeptic that anything can be done to solve it.
I also can hear some faint background noise on mine when scroling the screen and using memory, but anyway it's very faint... not enough to bother even in quiet environments.

I have to agree, it's bad shielding in the design. Something we will all have to live with.
I notice it most between songs when listening to music. Each songs starts with a little blast of noise.

Hmmm well i've heard that with certain kernals it is not there. Also for me, simply changing to different stock firmware reduced the time that the static sound lasts after i pause a song, so surely that can mean it can be stopped altogether. Im not prepared to give up on this (yet).
I would be grateful for other information and reports from other people about this issue, even simply if you don't have it. :/

...anyone?

tgg12 said:
...anyone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have this problem too...
but i have found that it does with some earphones... i guess its a matter of shielding, as posted before.

Headphones Distortion / Background Noise

Hi - just wondering if anyone else noticed some background noise / distortion when using headphones on the tab 7.7.
Happens when playing any sound and continues for 2-3 seconds after it stops. Tested with the stock buds and some replacement buds I picked up a few days ago. With my over the ear headphones I can't hear it though. Easiest way to test is just by playing a movie and pausing it.... there is a hissing noise for a few seconds afterwards.
Maybe related: even with headphones plugged in, notification sounds come out of the speakers - this is my first Android device so I'm not sure if that's normal or not.
Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing this or if it might be hardware related. Thanks!

rembo10 said:
Hi - just wondering if anyone else noticed some background noise / distortion when using headphones on the tab 7.7.
Happens when playing any sound and continues for 2-3 seconds after it stops. Tested with the stock buds and some replacement buds I picked up a few days ago. With my over the ear headphones I can't hear it though. Easiest way to test is just by playing a movie and pausing it.... there is a hissing noise for a few seconds afterwards.
Maybe related: even with headphones plugged in, notification sounds come out of the speakers - this is my first Android device so I'm not sure if that's normal or not.
Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing this or if it might be hardware related. Thanks!
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Click to collapse
Yeah I get that too. Doesn't really bother me though. I mean, it's not like I can still hear it while playing music or anything...

Mine's pretty noticable, even when playing music/videos. Weird that it's totally quiet with my over-the-ear headphones

rembo10 said:
Mine's pretty noticable, even when playing music/videos. Weird that it's totally quiet with my over-the-ear headphones
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Click to collapse
Personally, I only really notice it if there's a trailing silence from music or videos, but while there's actually sound, I can't detect it.