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How is the voice quality and sound on this phone??

I keep reading reviews knocking the sound quality and voice quality of this phone, and it's scaring me away from it. They say the speakerphone and earpiece speaker is very low and tin can sounding. Can you all share if this is true or not?

Some days it sounds like a tin can but others it's fine. My DX was a lot better sounding. People can hear me without any issues though. It's only on my end.

the speaker for the bolt is pretty quite wish it was a bit louder, as for call quality on stock and das BAMF for me its one of the better sounding phones i have owned

I found that the phone sounds crappy a lot of the time. The volume control range is too narrow, so the volume is either too loud at the lowest setting or too quiet on the highest. When you crank the volume all the way up you get a lot of distortion and noise. I was definitely surprised by the low quality of the phone on t-bolt. My clamshell from ages ago worked better.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

in call sound quality on mine is not that great,I get a crackeling noise at max volume which i never had before(also didnt notice till i dropped it a few days ago so may be the cause for me) but i almost always use bluetooth so its not really an issue for me the BT sound quality has been great for me.

well i have had 3 of them and so far all have been better than any blackberry or my htc imagio,the speaker is behind the kick stand that makes it quit but thru the headset and tethered to the car stereo its just fine. I drive a truck and its loud in here but all works well.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App

Unfortunately the TB is the worst sounding phone that I've ever owned... people on the other side say that I sound awful as well.

Yes it sounds bad and they know it!
I talked to HTC about the sound quality. They told me it was a software problem and would be fixed (Sure it will). They said to close the kickstand to make the external speaker sound better. Well if you can't hear it I suppose it sounds better. They said to turn the volume down so the ear piece sounds better. The phone also has a bad headphone amplifier. It distorts bad if you add a little base. This is my first HTC phone and it will probably be my last.

Wow, coming from my Droid X I have the exact opposite of what most of you are having.
No one has noticed that I have changed phones and I'm having an easier time understanding people on the other end.
I have a friend with a heavy Swedish accent that is much easier to understand now than he was on my X.

Recording at concert

Ok so I remember going to a nickleback concert a few months back and I recorded it on my galaxy nexus and the sound quality was crap...Now I went to a Linkin Park concert and the quality is still crap. So I guess my question is if there is anything different I can do to get any semi decent sound quality?

Nickleback and Linkin Park? The phone did u a favor. LOL!
But seriously Ive never had a phone that recorded live audio well. To much low end and way to loud especially if ur any where near the stage. I record with sound off most of the concerts I go to.

TokedUp said:
Nickleback and Linkin Park? The phone did u a favor. LOL!
But seriously Ive never had a phone that recorded live audio well. To much low end and way to loud especially if ur any where near the stage. I record with sound off most of the concerts I go to.
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Lmao! haha funny one =p and ya that probably makes sense seeing how I was at the very front for both of them =/ bleh oh well wish there was a way to get better quality but then again I didn't really expect much in the first place haha

External mic. Phone mics really aren't equipped to handle the sound levels at a concert.

bobloblaw1 said:
External mic. Phone mics really aren't equipped to handle the sound levels at a concert.
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So what is a good type of external mic that I can use for concerts?

This is going beyond what I know but maybe this link will help you: http://android.stackexchange.com/qu...e-an-external-microphone-with-my-galaxy-nexus
Then use amazon reviews or whatever to pick a good quality wired mic.
Be aware that many artists, (especially mainstream ones) aren't "taper" friendly and will sic security on you if you are spotted recording.

Maybe not, but it can/should be better
bobloblaw1 said:
External mic. Phone mics really aren't equipped to handle the sound levels at a concert.
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Went to a concert. Used my Verizon S3 to record a video. My buddy standing next to me with the iphone recorded the same video. Mine is completely inaudible. His is absolutely fine.
Can anyone inform us how to fix the terrible audio recording capability of the Verizon Galaxy S3?

I used to take video at concerts with my little handheld Canon camera. It seemed to help to actually cover the mic hole with a finger in order to dampen the volume as much as possible. I haven't tried this at all with a smart phone but might help.

It would be interesting to learn if using an app made for allowing high fidelity, uncompressed recordings might help, such as Rehearsal Assistant. If so, then perhaps that would imply it was the codec or some other issue used by the stock video recorder on our phone.
iPhones that can record halfway decent concert footage seem to record at a consistently high quality (i.e., my old Incredible sampled around 8-13KHz/sec . . . ouch) and minimizes most of the bass. The recording sound tinny, but at least it can sometimes avoid the overwhelming saturation from large bass sounds or high volume in general.
- ooofest

GS3 Audio Recording from The Offspring Live Concert

So I went to see The Offspring live tonight and attempted to record some of the parts of the show. The video is fine, no issues there, but the audio, holy crap does it suck. The bass overwhelms the mic and I cant hear anything but the pounding of the bass. Ill have a video up soon to show you guys what I mean.
In the meantime has someone experienced issues when recording a live show? And being pissed that the audio is so terrible? The iPhone 4S had no issues recording live shows. Everything was great. Maybe some tweaks or something I could install to fix the issue?
At the time of the show I was running Synergy Mod r72.
Edit: And here is the video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7jap9R4Tao
Also youtubes upload process reduced the video quality massive amounts. But the original file is still 1080p.

If you're okay with audio only, Tape Machine is the best app on the market. I have the paid version and use it frequently. Robust options and high quality audio. Recorded the Thrice farewell concert at Marquee Theater and it sounds great.
Sent from my Galaxy S3 using xda app-developers app

I would like to know the same as well. I went to the Uproar Festival on Saturday and the video recorded amazing but I too have the issue of all you can hear is the distored bass.

iPhone has a separate mic for shooting video
http://ipod.about.com/od/introductiontotheiphone/ss/Anatomy-Of-Iphone-4.htm

strung said:
iPhone has a separate mic for shooting video
http://ipod.about.com/od/introductiontotheiphone/ss/Anatomy-Of-Iphone-4.htm
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We also have two mics.. one at the top of the phone and one at the bottom.

Is there a way to edit the audio in a computer program to make it more tolerable?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

That's not a bass issue, it's a volume issue, it is simply too loud for the microphone.
Try another app as the sensitivity settings can be changed by software.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

The diaphragm of the mic can only handle so many dbspl before it produces maximum voltage and you clip. I would bet the mic is not made to handle the 120 dbspl or so the concert is at. Apple, in their infinite wisdom, probably made it to handle such a case... I think it's patent #80085
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

I too, as I'm sure a lot of people, have noticed audio recording quality issues at concerts. It could be one of the many things that everyone has said here, but whatever the issue is, I really want to try and find a solution or workaround or something.
I did some research and saw so many different reasons for why it could be happening, but I'm not sure anyone really knows. Is it just because the fact that I'm 5 inches away from the stage and my mic can't handle the volume? Is it ICS specific as I've heard some people say? (but I see OP is using CM10, so that's JB not ICS unless he switched to JB after recording the video.) I don't know, but I wish I did!
I was considering one of the external microphone rigs that i've seen people make for the Galaxy Nexus and other phones... or even just a separate audio recorder to use for sound while video taping, and then sync them together in post production.
I am going to link to a video I took from I show I went to over the weekend just to show you my similar clipping experience, mainly only from the bass. Once it's on YouTube I'll post it.

DrewHulva said:
The diaphragm of the mic can only handle so many dbspl before it produces maximum voltage and you clip. I would bet the mic is not made to handle the 120 dbspl or so the concert is at.
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This is the issue, I feel.
At a loud concert, I can put my hand over the mic and the distortion goes down or away, but let the full loudness of that sound hit a small diaphragm and you'll lose resolution + it will be overwhelmed rather quickly, I feel.
Happens with all phones I've tried and even many video cams.
- ooofest

The solution for clipping audio is called Voodoo Sound by Supercurio in the kernel but unfortunately us version of S3 doesn't have Wolfson dac so I think we are screwed. I've loved this future on my Fascinate with custom kernels.

SotYPL said:
The solution for clipping audio is called Voodoo Sound by Supercurio in the kernel but unfortunately us version of S3 doesn't have Wolfson dac so I think we are screwed. I've loved this future on my Fascinate with custom kernels.
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That is not what I wanted to hear... ugh. There has to be some sort of solution. Maybe I'll try putting my fingers over the microphones next time I'm at a concert, lol.

Doesn't the video recording usually use the second mic for noise cancelling, or is that only for calls? That can REALLY f*** up music.
Also, I just thought it would be really cool if a video app could use the second mic in addition to the first in order to record stereo audio.

I'm trying to find if there is a way to decrease the microphone sensitivity, since Voodoo Sound is not compatible with US variants of the S3 due to lack of Wolfson DAC. Some people suggested using the headphones that came with the phone to record sound during video since the microphone on the headphones may be better. I also heard that putting your fingers over the microphone helps, but I'd have to try and see.
Here is a video I took recently at a show I went to over the weekend. I was literally inches away so I know that doesn't help my case. Skip to 1:10 to get to the louder portion.

Covering the microphone
I can tell you that covering the bottom microphone isn't sufficient to record loud events (but it helps). I didn't know there was a top microphone at the time. I might have an opportunity to try that this weekend.

haha the Stone Pony. My ex always used to get me to go there, only to find it full of 40ish year old women trying desperately to pretend they're still in their 20s. I prefer Porta, much more attractive girls and they serve pizza!

Camcorder - distorted loud sound

I just found out that Nexus 5 has utterly crappy auto gain control in comparison to some other flagships. It's basically impossible to record loud live concerts since there will be only loud buzz-noise instead of audio. Are there any workarounds yet to get normal audio out of camcorder?

Seriously? No one ever tried to record a loud concert or any other musical event?

krneki10 said:
I just found out that Nexus 5 has utterly crappy auto gain control in comparison to some other flagships. It's basically impossible to record loud live concerts since there will be only loud buzz-noise instead of audio. Are there any workarounds yet to get normal audio out of camcorder?
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This could be the same issue reported and resolved here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/general/mod-camcorder-audio-quality-fix-t2837930

krneki10 said:
Seriously? No one ever tried to record a loud concert or any other musical event?
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Not even once. I go to concerts to enjoy live music and it takes professional recording equipment to come anywhere close to reproducing that.
Cell phone mics aren't designed to bootleg concert audio.

bblzd said:
Not even once. I go to concerts to enjoy live music and it takes professional recording equipment to come anywhere close to reproducing that.
Cell phone mics aren't designed to bootleg concert audio.
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But you probably have been at concerts quite a lot of times, right? Have you seen how many people are actually recording short clips simply with their phones? It's not about getting studio quality but normal useful audio would be really nice.

krneki10 said:
But you probably have been at concerts quite a lot of times, right? Have you seen how many people are actually recording short clips simply with their phones? It's not about getting studio quality but normal useful audio would be really nice.
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Oh I see them. I want to grab their phones and smash it on the ground and say "get your *bleep*ing phones out of my face, I'm trying to enjoy a concert here!"
I get it you want to capture the moment and post it in youtube/facebook/twitter/whatever where it will probably be seen once and forgotten about forever. None of them ever sound even like "normal useful audio" to me though, not even worth playing through a phone speaker.

Speakerphone (loudness, clarity)

Proper etiquette aside (hint: don't use speakerphone while doing your "business" in a public bathroom), rate this thread to express how you think the Samsung Galaxy S8's speakerphone performs. A higher rating indicates that you love it: it's loud and it's clear.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

Its loud and clear. Great sound. All stock and no root

Tiongkia said:
Its loud and clear. Great sound. All stock and no root
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Same for me... Perfect.

great and loud sound. idk why people complain that there are not front firing speaker. i mean you aint gonna watch movies on a phone...

timrock7 said:
great and loud sound. idk why people complain that there are not front firing speaker. i mean you aint gonna watch movies on a phone...
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I watch a ton of movies on my phone ... adult and on kodi and no the speaker is not lour and crisp

Neuken69 said:
I watch a ton of movies on my phone ... adult and on kodi and no the speaker is not lour and crisp
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Get headphones or a bluetooth speaker for like 100bucks. You got an s8, dont tell me you dont have 100eur more to spend on something

The quality is good but honestly if it went a pinch louder then it would be perfect

speaker quality is par at best. obviously no improvements in the past 2 or 3 generations.
people have a hard time hearing me on speakerphone. speaker for me is just barely loud enough.
hopefully they will fix in coming updates.

Does anyone else get a laser beam sounding tone on high pitched sounds

The quality and loudness is not good enough on the speaker phone. Honestly, i have a lenovo vibe s1 costing $135, sounds better and louder. Sorry to say, i had to say this, as i was comparing the loudspeaker clarity with Huawei honor 6+ and lenovo vibe s1, both of these phones performed better than s8

I like having the front firing speakers since my finger sometimes covers the speaker when I hold the phone in landscape with one hand. With the bottom speaker, I have to kind of "cup" the speaker to "direct" the sound frontwards. The sound isn't bad, but I do prefer the front firing speakers for this reason.
On calls, with Verizon HD calling, it sounds amazing. With regular calls, it sounds pretty good usually, but if I'm outside, I often find myself selecting the "Turn on extra volume" option.

I'd have to say it sound a bit on the quiet side. Since it is very similar to my G4, I've already got use to it.

I traded my S5 in for an S8 and transferred my ring tones over from the S5 to the S8. Even at full volume on the S8 they are much quieter than the S5.

I love modem strike online and it sucks cause how you hold the phone it covers up the sound. Sucks. You can't 'cup' and play

My S7A is the loudest phone I have heard compared to all my friends and co-workers.
Speaker on the S8A is really that bad?
I got my S7A just befor the S8A became available, I'm considering dumping my S7A and getting the S8A.
Hmmm, maybe a major update might include a fix for the amplifier.
Could also be the location of the speaker on the S7A.......

I actually just had to send mine in due to the loudspeaker being all distorted sounding. Was really disappointed because I love this phone. I sent the phone in for warranty repair. I will reply with how it turned out.

rickyiswhite said:
Does anyone else get a laser beam sounding tone on high pitched sounds
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Coming from a Moto X Pure, which had stereo front facing speakers, This was is the best way to describe it. It totally sounds like laser beam sounding tones and it drives me insane.

CyanYam said:
Coming from a Moto X Pure, which had stereo front facing speakers, This was is the best way to describe it. It totally sounds like laser beam sounding tones and it drives me insane.
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After having the phone for almost a year I've gotten used to it and barley notice it anymore

rickyiswhite said:
After having the phone for almost a year I've gotten used to it and barley notice it anymore
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I hope so. Got the phone off Ebay, and at first, thought it was a defect.

CyanYam said:
I hope so. Got the phone off Ebay, and at first, thought it was a defect.
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Yeah the S8 volume sucks.