Call Volume and Music Volume Not Loud Enough

[just999in]

Does anyone else notice that even with the volume turned up to the maximum level on the Nexus One, it isn't loud enough when there's a lot of background noise?

I can't use the phone in crowded places because I can't hear the other person talking.

I can't listen to my music at my noisy gym because the max volume isn't loud enough.

After spending $530 for the phone, I don't want to buy a separate MP3 player with better sound quality for the gym.

I don't want to go back to the iPhone, but the sound volume has much higher limits on my old iPhone 3gs. The speaker on the iPhone 3gs is also louder. The earphone that come with the 3gs are also better and include volume control on the cord, unlike the ones that come with the N1.

Though the Nexus One has the fastest processor, best screen, and the best Android OS, what good is the phone if the sound quality sucks?

Does anyone else have similar concerns?

[sixty4]

I agree with everything you said. I love my N1 but there are some things that are lacking, and sound is at the top of my list. I hope someone figures out how to make it louder or an update fixes it.

[alphawave7]

I've noticed quite a bit of disparity in volumes, across all sounds (ringtones, mp3, streaming audio, videos,etc). I have gotten LOUD on all of the above, with hardly any distortion, so I know the phone is capable of 'loud', it just seems either geared towards quieter volumes even at max, or it's being fed 'quieter' media. Those with mp3's can use mp3gain to harmlessly adjust their mp3 music and ringtones to compensate. When I listen to un-normalised streaming radio (Pandora/Slacker), I often get LOUD songs mixed in with near silent songs, and THAT is frustrating!

edit: today for example, I'm streaming the TWiT broadcast on Google Listen, and it so loud at full volume I can leave my phone in another room and still follow the broadcast with no problem!

[just999in]

Originally Posted by alphawave7

I've noticed quite a bit of disparity in volumes, across all sounds (ringtones, mp3, streaming audio, videos,etc). I have gotten LOUD on all of the above, with hardly any distortion, so I know the phone is capable of 'loud', it just seems either geared towards quieter volumes even at max, or it's being fed 'quieter' media. Those with mp3's can use mp3gain to harmlessly adjust their mp3 music and ringtones to compensate. When I listen to un-normalised streaming radio (Pandora/Slacker), I often get LOUD songs mixed in with near silent songs, and THAT is frustrating!

edit: today for example, I'm streaming the TWiT broadcast on Google Listen, and it so loud at full volume I can leave my phone in another room and still follow the broadcast with no problem!

I also notice that all of the volumes for different functions aren't always uniform, but the important ting is that when there's a lot of background noise, the maximum volume for music and calls is not loud enough no matter how you tweak the settings.

I tried it side by side with my iphone with the same earphones and the iphone goes much louder, and the iphone speaker is better quality, though it came out 7 months before the N1.

I don't want to go back to using the boring iPhone OS, but sound quality is too important to overlook. Could a software update possible fix this?

[alphawave7]

Try removing the battery cover and repeating the exercise...I'm curious if it's a physical constriction (the slit) versus a true hardware/software problem.

[just999in]

Originally Posted by alphawave7

Try removing the battery cover and repeating the exercise...I'm curious if it's a physical constriction (the slit) versus a true hardware/software problem.

I tried removing the battery cover, but no difference at all in sound quality/loudness.

Do you reckon a software update can make the volume louder? I care more about the volume with headphones, which doesn't rely on the built-in speaker. This volume is just not adequate when in crowded places, particularly when listening to podcasts.

Cheers

[alphawave7]

Originally Posted by just999in

I tried removing the battery cover, but no difference at all in sound quality/loudness.

Do you reckon a software update can make the volume louder? I care more about the volume with headphones, which doesn't rely on the built-in speaker. This volume is just not adequate when in crowded places, particularly when listening to podcasts.

Cheers

I use isolating in-ear monitor/earbuds (high impedance Ety ER4P-27 Ohm for critical lsitening, and Sony EX75-16 Ohm for general work/play), and have no issues with loudness or volume on any sources. Perhaps a change in your headphones are in order? What are you using now?

[just999in]

Originally Posted by alphawave7

I use isolating in-ear monitor/earbuds (high impedance Ety ER4P-27 Ohm for critical lsitening, and Sony EX75-16 Ohm for general work/play), and have no issues with loudness or volume on any sources. Perhaps a change in your headphones are in order? What are you using now?

Right now, I'm using the earphones that came with the Nexus One, which are total crap (much worse than the ones that come with the iPhone). I'm sure the ones you have will make an improvement. One feature that is necessary for me is volume control and mic. If I can't answer a call or adjust volume through the headphones, they're useless to me.

Do you know of any earphones with mic, pause/play, and volume control built in (like Apple's earphones)?

Cheers

[alphawave7]

Originally Posted by just999in

Right now, I'm using the earphones that came with the Nexus One, which are total crap (much worse than the ones that come with the iPhone). I'm sure the ones you have will make an improvement. One feature that is necessary for me is volume control and mic. If I can't answer a call or adjust volume through the headphones, they're useless to me.

Do you know of any earphones with mic, pause/play, and volume control built in (like Apple's earphones)?

Cheers

Too many to list! Consider your budget, and this would best be answered at Head-Fi...you'll get great answers there.
The 'Portables' forum: Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

[silkcitysurfer]

I found this forum by querying volume boost for Nexus One on Google. I love the phone, the functionality and it's performance. Much has been said negatively about the phone in reviews, and I wonder how much of this is the phone and how much is T-Mobile?? Either way, I love it, EXCEPT that I could use more volume when using a head set. I've used the google ear buds (which are rather large) and compared to a set of iPhone headphones (which work fine with the Nexus One). Compared to my old iPhone and other mp3 players, the headphone volume range is set low. Any workarounds would be welcome. I'm getting on in years. Maybe my 20 year old ears would have been fine, but past 50 now.