The Volume on the OP2 is wretched. - OnePlus 2 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I got my OP2 4 days back and it has been quite a disappointment switching from the OnePlus One in terms of sound quality and volume levels.
The volume level is horrendous, both for ringtones/notifications and media. I'm sure this will eventually be solved by a kernel or a OS update but as of now, even if I am with a group of friends and the phone is in my pocket, I can't hear the ringtone. Moreover, there is no option to unlink ringtone and notifications.
Before anyone suggests, my volume levels are highest.
J.

It is true. Volume is too low. For me it is not a problem because I'm almost always on silent mode. Anyway there is one volume thing which is also broken...
When playing games it does not make a visible difference if the volume is on the highest lvl or almost muted. There is a difference, but IMO speaker is to loud when You set it's level as lowest as possible -_- (but not entirely, not to mute)
You think the same ?

It is a problem for me as I go to crowded places often.
I don't play games but I listen to a lot of music and apart from the volume levels, the sound quality is also very bad. Spotify sounds like a radio channel being broadcast from a garage.
I don't have the issue of speaker being too loud like you have. But OnePlus needs to up their game. Maybe they should concentrate on these issues instead of creating hype around an invite system.
M3ntoR said:
It is true. Volume is too low. For me it is not a problem because I'm almost always on silent mode. Anyway there is one volume thing which is also broken...
When playing games it does not make a visible difference if the volume is on the highest lvl or almost muted. There is a difference, but IMO speaker is to loud when You set it's level as lowest as possible -_- (but not entirely, not to mute)
You think the same ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Can someone post the mixer_paths.xml? I'm waiting for my OPT to ship, but it'd be interesting to see if we could modify the mixer_paths.xml to work like the OPO speaker mods.

I did modify it and there is a little difference. Still, not as good as the OPO.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/85jai1zga4nub1l/mixer_paths.xml?dl=0

jutinarora said:
I did modify it and there is a little difference. Still, not as good as the OPO.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/85jai1zga4nub1l/mixer_paths.xml?dl=0
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Click to collapse
could you highlight which lines has been changed?

That's funny because I found the volume was way too loud on my OnePlus Two, even at the lowest setting. I disabled Audio Effects and I can now set the volume to a more appropriate level.

How did you disable Audio Effects? @thegregulator

Here's an unmodified version of mixer_paths.xml: https://www.dropbox.com/s/aw90jz1judpkjlq/mixer_paths.xml?dl=0
hunhool said:
could you highlight which lines has been changed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Differences per diffchecker.com: https://www.diffchecker.com/i0xiffnw. Left is the modified version by @jutinarora, right is my stock version.
---------- Post added at 19:15 ---------- Previous post was at 19:13 ----------
T Greezy said:
How did you disable Audio Effects? @thegregulator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go into the app Audio Tuner and toggle it off. You can also toggle it off directly when playing media on the speaker, just press either of the volume buttons and look for the "AudioEffects" toggle.

No kidding. I got mine yesterday and it's so quiet that I'm concerned whether the alarms will wake me up; I'm a very heavy sleeper. I was just trying to listen to something on TuneIn which was quite audible on my OPO and I was straining to hear.

Go into audio tuner> turn the preset to "flat".. turn maxxbass off... turn maxxspace off...

Just done what omegablaze said but increased max dialog to max and my volume went up through headphones but not really seeing a difference though the phone. I was wondering if the are any custom flashes out there like extreme beats + viper4android that I have just seen on YouTube. U see I'm new to flashing and root etc so any help would be great because it's very hard to hear any calls that come though
Sent from my ONE A2001 using Tapatalk

Waterdroid said:
Here's an unmodified version of mixer_paths.xml: https://www.dropbox.com/s/aw90jz1judpkjlq/mixer_paths.xml?dl=0
Differences per diffchecker.com: https://www.diffchecker.com/i0xiffnw. Left is the modified version by @jutinarora, right is my stock version.
---------- Post added at 19:15 ---------- Previous post was at 19:13 ----------
Go into the app Audio Tuner and toggle it off. You can also toggle it off directly when playing media on the speaker, just press either of the volume buttons and look for the "AudioEffects" toggle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tweaking this file didnt help on oxygen 2.1 , hopefully someone soon has a better option.

Sorry to hear you're having that issue, the speaker volume on my OPT is quite loud, no volume issues here

kayone73 said:
Sorry to hear you're having that issue, the speaker volume on my OPT is quite loud, no volume issues here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well as per what i have researched there are many people who are facing this issue. Furthermore i have 2 other phones lumia 1520 and a motox and they both are very loud compared to one plus two. i have compared the same notification tones on all three phones and the lumia 1520 is the loudest whereas one plus is the quitest. In a noisy environment you dont come to know that it is ringing especially while riding a thumping motorbike.

My advice based on what I'm currently doing is to buy some nice headphones. The ones I'm using are Sony MDR-10RC they really compliment each other in looks and if you play with the audio settings it equals very nice sound. But if it's a case of you are not hearing you phone when its ringing just download zedge and search (loud ring tone). Yes I'm not a fan of oneplus 2 stock speakers but I hope this helps you out.
Sent from my ONE A2001 using Tapatalk

I also have problem with ringtones i work in factory on cnc and i can't heare phone ring tone and notification particularly

Guys, what about increase the volume of the headset or the headphones for listen to music louder? I saw the file, but I couldn't guess which value to change.

Same problem. Too low during Call, and loudspeaker during call. Notifications and ring tones too low too.
Headphones are fine though.
Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk

I guess something needs to be done, I also find volume very low

Related

Headphone Music Increase (It's too quiet as an MP3 player)

Hi, Just got my HTC HD2 after a break from HTC handsets.
I've noticed when listening to music, even when turned up max, the music is quite quiet.
I've tried the audio booster but that seems to just do bass, vocal etc. not the overall volume.
On my old Omnia I had the same issue, but you could run SoundTester.exe and manually increase the db's.
But I don't seem to have that on the HD2.
Any ideas how to make the music louder? I mean walking past traffic & the music is easily drowned out.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
searh for srs wow in the apps section of this xda hd2 forum.
and if you are a junglist check out ukbreakbeat.com
Maybe its the headphones? I have a set of fontopia headphones and on full volume it is properly painful.
Yeah my sennies get hilariously loud on full whack, suggest noise isolating as opposed to simple in ear. Once I got the correct sized ear adapter on em, even the tube cant intrude on my tunes
I'll check out srs wow thanks.
I'm using a set of Sony MDR-XD200 headphones at the moment, as I wasn't a fan of the standard HTC ones. They've been ok with other handsets & MP3 players (Except the omnia which had this problem too).
This guy gotta be deaf lol
jrvenge said:
This guy gotta be deaf lol
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Click to collapse
what was that...?
lol, no it was definetly quiet, alot more than it should be.
Do you remember on some of the old custom roms (I had one on my p3600) the audio broke and was really quiet, that is what this seems like.
But the SRS WOW has just about done the job, thanks
You know on normal windows mobile you can click on the speaker at the top and adjust ringing volume & device volume, I can't do that on the HD2, I can use the volume keys on the side, but that just does 1 generic volume, I was wondering if the device volume was set low, but I can't check it.
HTC_Junglist said:
You know on normal windows mobile you can click on the speaker at the top and adjust ringing volume & device volume, I can't do that on the HD2, I can use the volume keys on the side, but that just does 1 generic volume, I was wondering if the device volume was set low, but I can't check it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Settings tab, sound and display, the 2 volumes are there and a switch to link them or not.
Audio Oblivion said:
searh for srs wow in the apps section of this xda hd2 forum.
and if you are a junglist check out ukbreakbeat.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is that a flash site? doesnt load on hd2. is it dnb or nuskool breaks? my pc is dead so i cant check it
I'd say he needs some better headphones with higher impedence. I have Sennheisers and they are very very loud but then they are 70 Ohms
The only problem I have with my HTC HD2 as a music player is probably going to sound pretty minor. I have a set of Sennheisser in ear buds that I love and used to use on an iPod Touch. At it's loudest, the volume is a bit much for me usually, but the bar just below it I find isn't loud enough. Picky, I know, but it just seems like a big leap between volume levels. Is there any way of helping this?
Starfury said:
I'd say he needs some better headphones with higher impedence. I have Sennheisers and they are very very loud but then they are 70 Ohms
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep I have some too, dug them out last night to give them ago, no better really.
So I've tried Sennheiser Eco Ear Canal, Sony MDR-XD200 & the standard HTC ones packaged with the HD2.
All are too quiet, it's not my hearing, tried them all on the Omnia & they are deafening, also with the HD2 I can hear other stuff going on around me, cars, walking on gravel etc. Very strange others are not having this issue.
kilrah said:
Settings tab, sound and display, the 2 volumes are there and a switch to link them or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Yeah, unfortunately they were both on 100%
I have akg 321 in-ear buds, before that akg 315 normal style, I haven't experienced any volume problems with music.
NathanRandom said:
The only problem I have with my HTC HD2 as a music player is probably going to sound pretty minor. I have a set of Sennheisser in ear buds that I love and used to use on an iPod Touch. At it's loudest, the volume is a bit much for me usually, but the bar just below it I find isn't loud enough. Picky, I know, but it just seems like a big leap between volume levels. Is there any way of helping this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had this issue. If you go to the volume screen that appears when you press the side volume buttons you can adjust the system volume by touching the bars to get gradual and precise volume increase/decrease. Using the toggle buttons makes it jump too much, stupid design imo.
Also the music player should have it's OWN volume control, instead it adjusts the entire system volume, again a ridiculous design flaw IMO also the volume graphic in the music player dissapears sometimes in rom 1.44, can't comment on other roms. I've had 2 HD2's and both have done the same thing.
Getting back to Junglist: I think you have a hardware issue mate, the full volume on this unit is very loud and even louder when used with audio booster. No one else has this problem. I use the sennheiser (spelling!) cx300's awesome headphones, and cheap
Talking of Audio booster again, in conjunction with the music player it is excellent, it handles the frequencies very well compared to say coreplayers eq that end up distorting the headphones with even minor bass frequency boosting. Using coreplayers pre amp is pointless also, complete distortion and hard to control, not very finger friendly.
It's such a shame about the Audio Booster switching itself off when jumping tracks even when it is left running in the background, it's only use therefore, is listening to long mixes. Too much of a pain to keep switching it back on after individual tracks You also have to switch it back on if you pause music and navigate away for a bit.
I hope HTC are aware of this and fix it in the next firmware update
jonbaker76 said:
is that a flash site? doesnt load on hd2. is it dnb or nuskool breaks? my pc is dead so i cant check it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its a flash site yes... best to check it out on a pc tbh...
both dnb and dubstep are represented by this record label.
check out the music... there are links on their site to their soundcloud and myspace.
the website itself is sick! check out the spacialiser!!!
Audio Oblivion said:
its a flash site yes... best to check it out on a pc tbh...
both dnb and dubstep are represented by this record label.
check out the music... there are links on their site to their soundcloud and myspace.
the website itself is sick! check out the spacialiser!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will do, not a fan of dubstep but i used to play dnb, i make/dj breaks/nu skool breaks now, you into that?
check my tracks/remixes and mixes @:
www.soundcloud.com/billvega
can't beat a bit of self promotion, totally off topic, sorry!
jonbaker76 said:
It's such a shame about the Audio Booster switching itself off when jumping tracks even when it is left running in the background, it's only use therefore, is listening to long mixes. Too much of a pain to keep switching it back on after individual tracks You also have to switch it back on if you pause music and navigate away for a bit.
I hope HTC are aware of this and fix it in the next firmware update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the sticky at the top of this forum - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=583638
25. Allow Audio Booster to Stay On.
Notice how after every song Audio Booster turns off again? A very simple solution is to press the Home button and not the "Done" softkey. This keeps Audio Booster running.
58. Keep Audio Booster Running After Each Song
Another way to keep Audio Booster running while playing music is to use the following reg tweak:
HKLM\Software\HTC\AudioManager_Eng\Config\enter_su spend and change 1 to 0
Although I have left the booster off and the volume no higher than 85% as with my Sennheiser HD-25 professional monitoring/DJ headphones on its too loud above these settings. With other headphones I have tried I agree its a bit quiet but not too bad. Maybe you have deafened yourself by having your music too loud
Starfury said:
From the sticky at the top of this forum - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=583638
25. Allow Audio Booster to Stay On.
Notice how after every song Audio Booster turns off again? A very simple solution is to press the Home button and not the "Done" softkey. This keeps Audio Booster running.
58. Keep Audio Booster Running After Each Song
Another way to keep Audio Booster running while playing music is to use the following reg tweak:
HKLM\Software\HTC\AudioManager_Eng\Config\enter_su spend and change 1 to 0
Although I have left the booster off and the volume no higher than 85% as with my Sennheiser HD-25 professional monitoring/DJ headphones on its too loud above these settings. With other headphones I have tried I agree its a bit quiet but not too bad. Maybe you have deafened yourself by having your music too loud
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mate but i know about them. The tweaks don't work
even when audiobooster is still in the background (and dutty's task manager says so) it still doesn't work. Sometimes it does though, it's a bit random.
It certainly doesn't work if you pause the music and come back to it
Tried Nitrogen? I downloaded the other day but its still sat on my sd card

Sound level during calls

I dont know what I am doing wrong but I find the sound level extremely poor for calls
I tried with a bluetooth headset, the outside speaker and the jack with my mp3 headset
it's pretty weird since when I play videos or music I am impressed by how loud I can push the Tab...
I am on AT&T with JMC (but was the same on JM6). And I set the sound at max
anybody has the same issue? Am I doing something wrong? Or is there any sound booster app for calls? (and is it necessary?)
Thanks for your help
My Tab isn't phone-enabled, but since you're new to Android, I thought I should point out that there are multiple volume settings, and in-call volume is one of them. Menu Key -> Settings -> Sound Settings -> Volume should give you all the sliders (Ringtone, Media, Alarm, System, Notification...). There are apps/widgets too that let you get to/change these settings without having to go into the settings menu every time (audio manager has been a decent widget for me). Until you're actually in the call the hardware rocker is usually doing the ringtone or media volume.
When I use mine with Skype 60% is usually blaringly loud for me, and I don't even have the system or media volume maxed out.
Sorry if it's something you know you've done, but thought it might help. If not, maybe someone else has had the same issue and solved it.
BuglessFan said:
My Tab isn't phone-enabled, but since you're new to Android, I thought I should point out that there are multiple volume settings, and in-call volume is one of them. Menu Key -> Settings -> Sound Settings -> Volume should give you all the sliders (Ringtone, Media, Alarm, System, Notification...). There are apps/widgets too that let you get to/change these settings without having to go into the settings menu every time (audio manager has been a decent widget for me). Until you're actually in the call the hardware rocker is usually doing the ringtone or media volume.
When I use mine with Skype 60% is usually blaringly loud for me, and I don't even have the system or media volume maxed out.
Sorry if it's something you know you've done, but thought it might help. If not, maybe someone else has had the same issue and solved it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes this I had figured out and set at the maximum
Everything non call related is really strong... It's conversation from normal calls that is ridiculously low
Am I the only one ?? What's wrong with my tab ?
Anyone with an opinion about this ?
Voice-enabled on AT&T with JM6. Have good results with the built-in speakers and cheap Nokia BH-214 stereo Bluetooth earbuds. I ordered the OEM earbuds, but I do understand that the 3.5mm jack port in finicky. Is your Bluetooth 2.1 or newer? Do you have many open applications when trying to place or receive calls? I've notice the sound stutter a bit on the speakers when I've got several apps open.
Here's something I noticed, when in call using my BT Headset, the volume slider sometimes says its on max but the output isnt. Try to lower or increase your volume. Once you hear the max level beep, it gets louder.
Im on a SingTel Tab by the way.
ishtangli said:
Here's something I noticed, when in call using my BT Headset, the volume slider sometimes says its on max but the output isnt. Try to lower or increase your volume. Once you hear the max level beep, it gets louder.
Im on a SingTel Tab by the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, will try right away
Edit: yeah I can definitely reduce the volume but my max was my actual max. As anybody tried to compare the volume on the speaker when playing music whith the volume on the speaker when on a call... It's like 5 to 10 times higher volume on a call !! And then same issue on a headset
DonDerham said:
Voice-enabled on AT&T with JM6. Have good results with the built-in speakers and cheap Nokia BH-214 stereo Bluetooth earbuds. I ordered the OEM earbuds, but I do understand that the 3.5mm jack port in finicky. Is your Bluetooth 2.1 or newer? Do you have many open applications when trying to place or receive calls? I've notice the sound stutter a bit on the speakers when I've got several apps open.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As mentioned I tried it with everything I could... The default external speaker, a simple stereo headset (Not bluetooth), a bluetooth headset. They all give the same. Low volume
If you don't like volume in speaker, headset, bluetooth....You can change settings in "hidden" Audio menu. There you can change volume of individual ouput, but be careful!!!!!
Before change anything, make sure you can put it back the same number if you are not satisfied or have problem ..so wright it somewhere anything you wish to change.
Good Luck with experiment. If I remember correctly(from my old Samsung i780-Windows phone) "TX" settings is for output and "RX" for imput, but I can be wrong, so be careful.
Alcibiade said:
Thank you, will try right away
Edit: yeah I can definitely reduce the volume but my max was my actual max. As anybody tried to compare the volume on the speaker when playing music whith the volume on the speaker when on a call... It's like 5 to 10 times higher volume on a call !! And then same issue on a headset
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what I do is, when in a call, I lower the volume by about 2, then increase it until i hear the max volume beep. The moment i hear it, the volume on my headset usually jumps up.
I have the same problem with the speaker volume. At maximum you cannot hear it. The bluetooth seems to work OK. IIRC JK5 software seemed to work correctly.
09CarreraS said:
I have the same problem with the speaker volume. At maximum you cannot hear it. The bluetooth seems to work OK. IIRC JK5 software seemed to work correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I guess for you too, music or movies play with a high volume on the speakers whereas for calls it's rather low volume ?
Yes bluetooth or headset I can hear but still quite low volume compared with music...
stefanopolis said:
If you don't like volume in speaker, headset, bluetooth....You can change settings in "hidden" Audio menu. There you can change volume of individual ouput, but be careful!!!!!
Before change anything, make sure you can put it back the same number if you are not satisfied or have problem ..so wright it somewhere anything you wish to change.
Good Luck with experiment. If I remember correctly(from my old Samsung i780-Windows phone) "TX" settings is for output and "RX" for imput, but I can be wrong, so be careful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My problem is specifically for calls. Anything else is fine and working well. That's the weird issue... I dont want to boost the volume for anything else!
That's pretty weird... I have been playing with the tab and I found out that for calls, the highest level I can have (by hear) is two notches below the highest. That's by far the loudest I get (If I push higher the sound decreases)
Am I the only one ? It really pisses me off.... I don't know how it can be like that (I am on JMC ROM after flashing a JM6 ROM over the JK5 from Russia (I am on an AT&T Tab flashed to get phone working)
Someone else get the same experience ?
I can confirm that the max 'in call' volume is two notch below the max !!! And I have the same tab/setting of the OP.
Aren't there some codes you can enter to adjust the volume level on calls and music, etc.?? like the Galaxy S?
pakalrtb said:
I can confirm that the max 'in call' volume is two notch below the max !!! And I have the same tab/setting of the OP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks ! Ina sense I am a littel bit relieved to see I am not the only one !
Such a stupid bug. Come on Samsung...
FYI it is fixed with the firmware JME
Sound level is much more acceptable and the highest level is not anymore two notched below the max

Sound too quiet, try this.

Hi all,
I've always felt that when playing music on my DHD that it's too quiet, when I've listened to music through my headphones I would say it's acceptable however when I've plugged my DHD into a HiFi or into my stereo in my car I could crank the volume to full control without it been deafening. I happen to find a fix yesterday by accident, I had my DHD plugged into my car stereo and the phone rang, I pulled the audio cable out and answered the phone, when I was done I put the cable back in and immediately I was like WTF just happened now, the music was much louder than what it was before I answered the phone, I would say it was about 30% louder.
I tested my theory by stopping the music and unplugging the cable, plugged the cable back in and started the music, while it was playing I opened the phone and simply dialled any random number and ended the call immediately, when it went back to the music it was most certainly much louder. I've tried it several times now and every time it makes it much louder than what it was before I make a call, I can now no longer turn the stereo full blast as it is simply too loud, just by turning it up to half way I would say it's the equivalent of what it was before when I had it turned up to the maximum.
I'm using Poweramp and I don't know if it's got anything to do with that, I will test it with the built in music player and see what it does. I originally downloaded Poweramp as I thought that the built in music player may be the problem.
i'll repet what you do and post some results... really want a louder volumen in headphones. I plugged my headphone in a Wildfire and it's incredible louder, no talking about an ipod! last week in a party i was ashamed when my friend put off his $50 cell phone and i plugged mine on stereo, so low volume....
wtf, that's true.. really don't understand what the phone turns on!! probably the same thing that volume boost turns on!!
Aha that actually works
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
thiagodark said:
wtf, that's true.. really don't understand what the phone turns on!! probably the same thing that volume boost turns on!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good news, it must be a software bug with the volume control.
works here too.. atleast on poweramp and soundcloud, didnt hear any difference on spotify
MarkieSA said:
Good news, it must be a software bug with the volume control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
let's hope someone let this bug permanently turned on, with no call trick...
Haha! Tried it myself, and it works! Awesome!
I found using shazzam or sound hound while music was playing caused it to go louder. Seems to be when the mic is initialised. Noticed this two days ago
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Interesting find.
I've noticed a couple of ROMS which suggest better audio volume by 20%.
For example this one. (Speaker Boost +20%)
So somehow, somewhere the bug or issue has been fixed or improved.
Grant Barker said:
Interesting find.
I've noticed a couple of ROMS which suggest better audio volume by 20%.
For example this one. (Speaker Boost +20%)
So somehow, somewhere the bug or issue has been fixed or improved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really, i'm using that rom right now, and what it makes is improve SPEAKER volume, not from headphone. I made my tests in Android Revolution rom and can confirm that headphone is as quiet as stock rom, and it is improved by the "call trick"!
Thanks for sharing! I was experimenting a bit, and it seems like the simplest way to boost the volume is to make a call while music is already playing. The call MUST connect though, or the volume will revert to normal levels. Tested with Winamp.
Maybe have one of the dev's ask to look into this.
If this is different from the already increased speaker volume output, it probably is a bug that can be fixed / feature that can be 'un-featured'
works fine
I had similar experience with my laptop. When listening a mp3 file, the sound coming out from my laptop seems like no effects, standard sound without bass and treble effect. Have to play a movie file first together and stop the.movie make the song hear with the effect.
I believe this issue coming from my sound driver. Using another OS in same laptop. The sound play normally with no issue.
For our Android, it's about the sound driver too?
well well, i just noticed that in the Android Revolution 4 (leaked gingerbread based), the sound is improved by default, no needing the call workaround, looks like HTC fixed the strange bug for the next version...
i just wanted to share!
edit: if someone could try to confirm it, i'll appreciate! =o)
sound problem
hey guys i'm new to this forum, i would appreciate if anyone could help me..
my DHD tones(just keyboard sound, lock sound, shutter sound) have came very low and i can burly hear it.. i turned all the volumes to the max but it's still very low, can anyone help me with that?
indramino said:
hey guys i'm new to this forum, i would appreciate if anyone could help me..
my DHD tones(just keyboard sound, lock sound, shutter sound) have came very low and i can burly hear it.. i turned all the volumes to the max but it's still very low, can anyone help me with that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem, go to the Market and download "Volume Ace".
MarkieSA, you're an accident hero.
I noticed sometimes my DHD volume suddenly were loud . If I restart the phone, it will go low . I couldn't find out how to make it loud again until reading your post. I'm using PowerAmp too . I think it plays a role in this case.
Thank you for this great finding.
Really useful little trick for 2.2 users, especially for peeps using stock ROM's without the 20% boost via custom kernels. I had tried some of the volume boost type apps before rooting but all they do is invert the phase of one of the stereo channels. All this does is give you a very tinny mono output which is no use to say the least.

audio hiss after 4.4.2 update.

<<SOLVED>> The moto G Opamp is not very efficient. It struggles to go down to 2Ohm stable. This means average earbud type headphones rated at 16Ohms. will have hiss and other artifacts. Higher impedance headphones. 40-70Ohms have much better sq. Much above 70Ohms and I suspect the Moto G won't be powerful enough to drive them.... so, that's the sweet spot!
Hey,
Since I updated to kitkta4.4.2 I notice there is a significant background hiss listening with headphones.
As soon as you use an app that activates the audio jack the hiss kicks in, it is constant, not volume dependent. If you turn the volume down to zero, but the app keeps the sound output active the hiss remains.
when the app is closed, the hiss abruptly stops (presumably when the sound API deactivates the inbuilt opamp to save battery)
I'm about 90% sure this wasn't present under 4.3 or was far less noticeable.
I'm not being picky either, this is bad enough that it would make using the phone as a walkman at a low or moderate volume unpleasant. From experience I'd estimate the hiss at approx -20dB.. this is similar to the hiss you would hear from your average desktop PC fan at idle under your desk..
can anyone test this too, on 4.3 and 4.4.2?
Oh, and use earbud headphones or good closed cup ones. Open phones, unless you are somewhere very quiet won't give a good idea of the hiss..
thanks
Can confirm this on 4.4.2, too bad I didn't see your post before updating, as I don't really remember how it was on 4.3 :/
You don't actually have to use earphones, it's noticeable through the speaker, too (well I'm in my room alone and I put my ear close to it). However, I wouldn't say it's very significant - when using earphones I can hear it when muted, on the 1st bar after mute; on the 2nd you can't really say if you hear it or is it your imagination; and on the 3rd bar it's unnoticeable.
I can't notice any hiss in 4.3, even if I use a headphone amp. No clicking sounds either when the opamp turns on.
Sent from my XT1032 using xda app-developers app
UnknownAX said:
I can't notice any hiss in 4.3, even if I use a headphone amp. No clicking sounds either when the opamp turns on.
Sent from my XT1032 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is what I was worried about. I didnt notice any hiss before either, and I had it connected to a car stereo so would amplify the issue (if it was there).
maybe something did change in the audio settings/drivers then. I have already tried dissablying all the dsp stuff with no luck, still the hiss and click when the opamp switches on/off.
Maybe it was there before though, and it's bad luck with the phone, rather than the OS version.
I have got UK Retail 4.4.2 and I have tried to replicate this. I have tried YouTube, Spotify Play Music and TuneIn. I do not experience a hiss!
UnknownAX said:
I can't notice any hiss in 4.3, even if I use a headphone amp. No clicking sounds either when the opamp turns on.
Sent from my XT1032 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dhilluk said:
I have got UK Retail 4.4.2 and I have tried to replicate this. I have tried YouTube, Spotify Play Music and TuneIn. I do not experience a hiss!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Under 4.3 to save battery I disabled apps I wasn't using, including the Audio Effects app, and google play. When you disable them it forces you to 'uninstall updates' which I didnt realise at the time, but I think may have been specific to the moto g, as you cannot redownload them from playstore, or update them.
Would someone be so kind as to upload the FULL apk of their google play and and Sound Effects, from their stock 4.4.2 build?
Im pretty sure this is down to the software API that activates the opamp. (as it is very distinct), it even happens when you activate audio by using the rocker to increase the ringtone volume!?!?!???
It sounds like listening to a really cheap mp3 player with a low S/N ratio...
** edit I mean 'Play Music' not 'google play'
Hi,
I actually just registered to say this was very much present on my moto g on android 4.3 and is still the same on KitKat. It definitely sounds like a cheap mp3 player. Does anyone know of a fix?
Thanks
helppme said:
Hey,
Since I updated to kitkta4.4.2 I notice there is a significant background hiss listening with headphones.
As soon as you use an app that activates the audio jack the hiss kicks in, it is constant, not volume dependent. If you turn the volume down to zero, but the app keeps the sound output active the hiss remains.
when the app is closed, the hiss abruptly stops (presumably when the sound API deactivates the inbuilt opamp to save battery)
I'm about 90% sure this wasn't present under 4.3 or was far less noticeable.
I'm not being picky either, this is bad enough that it would make using the phone as a walkman at a low or moderate volume unpleasant. From experience I'd estimate the hiss at approx -20dB.. this is similar to the hiss you would hear from your average desktop PC fan at idle under your desk..
can anyone test this too, on 4.3 and 4.4.2?
Oh, and use earbud headphones or good closed cup ones. Open phones, unless you are somewhere very quiet won't give a good idea of the hiss..
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
motg-gm said:
Hi,
I actually just registered to say this was very much present on my moto g on android 4.3 and is still the same on KitKat. It definitely sounds like a cheap mp3 player. Does anyone know of a fix?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now this is getting weird. I think I'll install the ota to see how mine behaves. The G's audio quality decent enough imo. Probably above Android smartphone average. But what I like the most is that it's 100% silent, regardless of the volume setting, headphones or the amp.
Having said that, I will still get a USB DAC solution for it, which luckily has native support on both stock ROMs.
UnknownAX said:
Now this is getting weird. I think I'll install the ota to see how mine behaves. The G's audio quality decent enough imo. Probably above Android smartphone average. But what I like the most is that it's 100% silent, regardless of the volume setting, headphones or the amp.
Having said that, I will still get a USB DAC solution for it, which luckily has native support on both stock ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there anyway to update the phone without wifi ?? ...my friend as unlimited data but no wifi and she really wants to update ?
boe323 said:
Is there anyway to update the phone without wifi ?? ...my friend as unlimited data but no wifi and she really wants to update ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see how this is on-topic, but of course, you can download the update either on Wi-Fi or mobile data.
I don't know what you mean with "hiss", but since I updated mine (today - uk), i have started to notice some "clicks" in musics, that i didn't have before.
I was using PlayerPro, turned off the equalizer, uninstalled and reinstalled it again, and it was solved.
Google music, had no issues.
RickPinto said:
I don't know what you mean with "hiss", but since I updated mine (today - uk), i have started to notice some "clicks" in musics, that i didn't have before.
I was using PlayerPro, turned off the equalizer, uninstalled and reinstalled it again, and it was solved.
Google music, had no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
by hiss, I mean hiss. It is probably around 18KHz, and is similar tot he sound of RF interference on a stereo (alsmost like the snow screen sound on a tv).
It is not volume dependent so it is defenitely downstream from the DAC, and must be the opamp or downsteram from the opamp in the phone. It is most likely from a poor ground some where in the audio path (assuming the opamp isn't awful, anyone know the chip?). It could be due to the single board set up of the Moto G mainboard design. I'm guessing here, but if the PCB has the audio channel close to any of the ground of power channels, this would explain my hiss. If it is built to tight tollerance, this could also explain why some people have it, others don't.
In laymans terms, I'm saying the audio signal is 'dirty. If anyone has every used a PC with crappy audio on the motherboard, they will know exactly what this problem is like. When no program is using the audio driver, the board puts the audio to 'sleep', when you open a program that uses that audio driver, the audio wakes up and you get some hiss, noise through the audio and pc speakers. This is exactly what I experience with my moto G.
if im honest, it's unlistenable, however I'm a bit of an audiophile so I can appreciate for most people they won't see it as a problem..
helppme said:
if im honest, it's unlistenable, however I'm a bit of an audiophile so I can appreciate for most people they won't see it as a problem..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found 4.3 to already be noisy with the hiss when using my earphones, which have a low attenuation and so even low volumes sound loud on them. To get around this problem I bought an attenuator which connects between the phone and the earphones. Then I set the phone audio to maximum, and reduced the volume using the attenuator. Setting the phone audio to loud means the hiss volume is low compared to the volume of the sound coming out of the phone.
This is the attenuator I use:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008EWP07E
RickPinto said:
I don't know what you mean with "hiss", but since I updated mine (today - uk), i have started to notice some "clicks" in musics, that i didn't have before.
I was using PlayerPro, turned off the equalizer, uninstalled and reinstalled it again, and it was solved.
Google music, had no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
superusr said:
I found 4.3 to already be noisy with the hiss when using my earphones, which have a low attenuation and so even low volumes sound loud on them. To get around this problem I bought an attenuator which connects between the phone and the earphones. Then I set the phone audio to maximum, and reduced the volume using the attenuator. Setting the phone audio to loud means the hiss volume is low compared to the volume of the sound coming out of the phone.
This is the attenuator I use:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008EWP07E
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is a possibility, but its not ideal... sadly this is looking like a hardware issue not a software one though as if it was software, I'd expect it to be upstream of the opamp. The fact your attenuator solution works, is more evidence this is a downstream issue . (as implification induced noise increases with the square of the volume (assuming a logarithmic volume scale))
I'm on 4.4. I notice a slight hiss when music is coming out of the phones speaker, though its completely undetectable if the phone is at around half volume. No hiss when coming through headphones.
Sent from my XT1034 using xda app-developers app
Ravinxx said:
I'm on 4.4. I notice a slight hiss when music is coming out of the phones speaker, though its completely undetectable if the phone is at around half volume. No hiss when coming through headphones.
Sent from my XT1034 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please can you test something, with some sensitive in ear headphones (or in a quiet room if they are normal headphones.)
>Connect headphones to phone
>Make sure ALL apps are closed.
>turn the phones ring volume to zero
>you should hear silence.(regardless of what headphone volume is)
>On the home screen, Press the Up volume rocker 3 times quite quickly.
>On my phone, the headphones go from silent to Hiss, then I hear the 'Beep'.....'Beep' of the volume increase on top of the hiss. Wait 2 seconds after the second beep and you hear the Hiss abruptly stop, and you are back to silent.
I have this problem with all audio activity on the phone, but the ringtone volume trick is the easiest way to demonstrate it.
helppme said:
Please can you test something, with some sensitive in ear headphones (or in a quiet room if they are normal headphones.)
>Connect headphones to phone
>Make sure ALL apps are closed.
>turn the phones ring volume to zero
>you should hear silence.(regardless of what headphone volume is)
>On the home screen, Press the Up volume rocker 3 times quite quickly.
>On my phone, the headphones go from silent to Hiss, then I hear the 'Beep'.....'Beep' of the volume increase on top of the hiss. Wait 2 seconds after the second beep and you hear the Hiss abruptly stop, and you are back to silent.
I have this problem with all audio activity on the phone, but the ringtone volume trick is the easiest way to demonstrate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or even easier, just press the volume down or up button once in any direction with headphones plugged in. Regardless of what it was set to and becomes set to, you will hear a faint background hum/hiss be emitted through the headphones for a second. This is fairly normal on any phone and even most audio devices. I don't know what you expect really in a smart phone that costs £129 in the UK. It is a compact environment to build so much electronics into and will never be a hifi device.
I tested with 3 phones on my desk right now and they all have a hiss when you first do something to make audio come through the headphones like quickly play and then pause a track. In fact, one phone (Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus) has not only a hiss, but a screech/high pitched whine as well. All of these "noises" that are detectable, become undetectable when volume of anything is turned up past the first or second bar anyway.
Ravinxx said:
I'm on 4.4. I notice a slight hiss when music is coming out of the phones speaker, though its completely undetectable if the phone is at around half volume. No hiss when coming through headphones.
Sent from my XT1034 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
coursemyhorse said:
Or even easier, just press the volume down or up button once in any direction with headphones plugged in. Regardless of what it was set to and becomes set to, you will hear a faint background hum/hiss be emitted through the headphones for a second. This is fairly normal on any phone and even most audio devices. I don't know what you expect really in a smart phone that costs £129 in the UK. It is a compact environment to build so much electronics into and will never be a hifi device.
I tested with 3 phones on my desk right now and they all have a hiss when you first do something to make audio come through the headphones like quickly play and then pause a track. In fact, one phone (Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus) has not only a hiss, but a screech/high pitched whine as well. All of these "noises" that are detectable, become undetectable when volume of anything is turned up past the first or second bar anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a fair point, and I agree is not surprising given the phones price. I think the reason I have posed this question was to a) determine if it could be software related (4.3 vs 4.4.2) but It doesn't looks so. b) Is it universal, or could be a slight lottery and maybe my phone is worse than others. As some people say they definitely have no issue. (granted it could be subjective)
Also, I would say, although it is present in most devices to some degree, it is noticeably worse on this phone than any other I have had. Multiple sony erricsons, galaxy Ace, Nokias.. And my last phone Galaxy S2 had extremely clean audio production. (i compared directly with moto g).
I do concede I am an audio snob though, so don't like listening to poor quality. I never really expected to use the moto g for music, but would have been a nice to have.
helppme said:
This is a fair point, and I agree is not surprising given the phones price. I think the reason I have posed this question was to a) determine if it could be software related (4.3 vs 4.4.2) but It doesn't looks so. b) Is it universal, or could be a slight lottery and maybe my phone is worse than others. As some people say they definitely have no issue. (granted it could be subjective)
Also, I would say, although it is present in most devices to some degree, it is noticeably worse on this phone than any other I have had. Multiple sony erricsons, galaxy Ace, Nokias.. And my last phone Galaxy S2 had extremely clean audio production. (i compared directly with moto g).
I do concede I am an audio snob though, so don't like listening to poor quality. I never really expected to use the moto g for music, but would have been a nice to have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it seems to me too that you are a bit more on the audio than most people
By the way, I was wondering up to which levels can you really say that you hear the hiss? As I've said before, for me it's definite hiss when muted and 1st level, weird feeling on the 2nd and I can't hear it from the 3rd.
theArchitektas said:
Yeah, it seems to me too that you are a bit more on the audio than most people
By the way, I was wondering up to which levels (just the volume slider, no music) can you really say that you hear the hiss? As I've said before, for me it's definite hiss when muted and 1st level, weird feeling on the 2nd and I can't hear it from the 3rd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the music. pop music which has a lot of mids and highs, the hiss isnt noticible from notch 4 up maybe.
Quiet music, classical, R&B & hihop with a lot of bass beats but not many highs, you can hear the background his up to maybe 2 notches off max. But its acceptable from maybe half volume.
tbh it's more of a shame than an issue. I didn't expect this to replace a decent mp3 player, would just have been convenient is all.

Did they lower the headphone volume on latest update?

I feel my headphones sound significantly lower on latest January update.
Did anyone else notice this? Did they do it to deal with the "hissing" issue some people had?
gordito_gr said:
I feel my headphones sound significantly lower on latest January update.
Did anyone else notice this? Did they do it to deal with the "hissing" issue some people had?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So are the hissing issue gone?
soralz said:
So are the hissing issue gone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on the latest build. The hissing is for me gone (or so quiet I don't here it anymore. At about volume 1 or 2 you maybe be able to here some. But like I said, to quiet to notice and only when you play something without sound ) I think it got quiter, but still damn loud on max. I love it.
Petty Palkovics said:
I think it got quiter, but still damn loud on max. I love it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course it's not "damn loud" anymore, it's significantly lower and not enough loud.
Does anyone know a way to being back the old audio output on headphones?
gordito_gr said:
Of course it's not "damn loud" anymore, it's significantly lower and not enough loud.
Does anyone know a way to being back the old audio output on headphones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe the build in equalizer could help you? You can easily access it through google play music settings..
Maybe its your phone? Or your headphones? When I'm on max I can literally use my headphones as speakers...
There is a new headphones audio menu with Oreo.
Configuration > Sound > headphones and audio effects.
There are some headphone presets, some are louder than others.
jonpagecr said:
There is a new headphones audio menu with Oreo.
Configuration > Sound > headphones and audio effects.
There are some headphone presets, some are louder than others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe that to. Personally I didn't notice a big difference change those settings. It could also be your music player. SoundCloud for example can't be equalized through normal ways.
Hissing is still there, maybe a tiny bit lower. Max volume is still "damn loud", my max comfortable listening level (without ear bleeding) is not more than 50%. I often listen at volume 1 or 2 (out of 30).
Both earphone volume and loud speaker volume have been reduced for me.
Prabin813 said:
Both earphone volume and loud speaker volume have been reduced for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, personally, I think that the speaker sucks, quiet or loud. I never use it. I really bought the phone for its "rare" headphone jack, which since the latest update is wonderful. Maybe headphone hisses a little bit, maybe they cancelled the Oreo update ( I believe) and maybe the speaker are horrible. But it's the best you can get with almost fully stock Android and a headphone jack.
Yes I wrote to much
Yes, I noticed this too...
I noticed this too as the volume that I used to play music at (about 60%) with my headphones was MUCH to soft after the update! Something definitely lowered the volume, though it SEEMS that it is more on headphones than the speaker. I have to go to max when on headphones to listen to music now. I say 'seems' because I don't use the speaker for much more than phone calls, and while it is quieter, it is not so quiet you cannot hear the conversation. It would be nice if there was a way to get the volume back, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
KB_Thailand said:
I noticed this too as the volume that I used to play music at (about 60%) with my headphones was MUCH to soft after the update! Something definitely lowered the volume, though it SEEMS that it is more on headphones than the speaker. I have to go to max when on headphones to listen to music now. I say 'seems' because I don't use the speaker for much more than phone calls, and while it is quieter, it is not so quiet you cannot hear the conversation. It would be nice if there was a way to get the volume back, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Volume at max? Wow, what headphones do you use?
_mysiak_ said:
Volume at max? Wow, what headphones do you use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xiaomi Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro HD that I got a deal on when I bought the A1. They are ok... not great, but ok for what I paid for them.
I've tried multiple headphones since the update, and the volume issue is true across the board with anything plugged into the headphone jack. I have NOT tried bluetooth headphones as I don't keep bluetooth enabled.
My wife's red A1, which is still on Nougat, is much louder than my A1 on Oreo, update 1. (still haven't gotten the latest one)
--KB
maybe they lowered to power of the DAC because everyone was moaning about a tiny hissing noise, the only way to stop it is to buy more powerful headphone or lower the DAC, now its quieter we cant have it both ways guys
KB_Thailand said:
Xiaomi Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro HD that I got a deal on when I bought the A1. They are ok... not great, but ok for what I paid for them.
I've tried multiple headphones since the update, and the volume issue is true across the board with anything plugged into the headphone jack. I have NOT tried bluetooth headphones as I don't keep bluetooth enabled.
My wife's red A1, which is still on Nougat, is much louder than my A1 on Oreo, update 1. (still haven't gotten the latest one)
--KB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I honestly can't imagine listening to any of my IEMs at max volume. I can't get comfortably over 50% while commuting (bus, train etc). In quiet environment my volume's somewhere between ~3% and 16%. I would accept further lowering of overall volume to remove the hissing noise in a blink of an eye (and hopefully I'll be able to do that with custom kernel)
_mysiak_ said:
I honestly can't imagine listening to any of my IEMs at max volume. I can't get comfortably over 50% while commuting (bus, train etc). In quiet environment my volume's somewhere between ~3% and 16%. I would accept further lowering of overall volume to remove the hissing noise in a blink of an eye (and hopefully I'll be able to do that with custom kernel)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never noticed the hissing noise people talk about so much, but then, my ears are old so it may be that. Before the Oreo update, a tick over half was plenty loud. After, I had to raise it, a lot. Some songs require max, while most are ok at around 85-90%. So yeah, there was a huge reduction in sound volume on my phone with the update. At least, I THINK it was the update. I installed a Sony app to record sound. I've only owned one Sony phone, an Experia 3Z. The sound on that phone was horrible. Even at max volume, you could not hear it ring if it was in your pocket, and music was always not loud enough on headphones. I may uninstall that app and see if the volume level returns just to be sure it wasn't the app and not the update, but doubt the app would affect the whole system.
I feel that too that they reduced the volume for the audio out put via 3.5 mm jack.
I got update today, and can't really tell if there is any difference in volume. I still use no more than 30-40% of volume (my head would explode with MAX), and there is still some hissing.
This applies to Oreo patch 1. Patch 2 arrived today but I have not installed it yet.:
I am not sure what I did (or what I did that made the difference) but I deleted the Sony app, then went into the settings on my music app and did some tweaking on the modes there, and the volume is now louder than it was. I can set the volume to about 55-60% now and it is loud enough. A few songs in my library still need higher settings, but I am assuming that is because they are pretty old, converted to .mp3 files from CD's (remember those?) way back in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
Bottom line: I am not sure that the update really hurt sound volume. It could have been a combo of app differences with the update. Still no hissing that I can hear.
Regards,
--KB
EDIT: I just did the new Oreo update (89MB) and the sound was different again. I went into my music app and changed the EQ to Flat and the sound was much better. I did not hear any hissing, even with classical music, but again, old ears may be the issue there.

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