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.

[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?

[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

[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

[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.

[just999in]

Originally Posted by 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.

The iphone/ipod touch earphone do work, but the mic and volume control don't work. If I can't answer a call or adjust the volume on my earphones, they're useless to me.

[just999in]

Originally Posted by alphawave7

ANSWER a call..that's a bit different...I think that WILL require bluetooth...I can recommend my solution: Jabra BT3030 (aka Dogtag, ~$30), and your favorite earbuds/in-ear canal phones (I use the short corded Sony EX75's(~$30) for running around town...quite bass-heavy, so lower volumes required. The BT3030 tag has all the functions EXCEPT dialing out, which seems to be a Nexus bug, as it's mentioned on the Google fora. There are quite a few other Stereo BT units, some with built-in earbuds/IEC's, others with just a stereo mini jack, my preference, since I swap phones routinely.

Jabra BT3030 - Plays music from mobile phone and Mp3 player

Reviews: Sony MDR-EX75 Stereo Headphones | iLounge


Alternatives:

Amazon.com: Motorola S705 Soundpilot: Electronics

Amazon.com: Sony Ericsson HBH-205 Stereo Bluetooth Headset (Black): Cell Phones & Service

Amazon.com: Sony DRBT100CX/SLV Ear Bud Style Stereo Bluetooth Headset: Electronics

While the price is steep (not too bad, I've spent more!) these are IEC's that have mic AND control, but you'll need to ask at Head-Fi if they control non Apple/Blackberry DAP/phones too:

Amazon.com: Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10vi Noise Isolating Earphones w/ Microphone: Electronics

The Jabbra dogtag looks interesting, though the bluettoth turned on will be another drain on the battery. Would this be compatible with any set of earphones?

Hopefully another company will make a good quality in-ear headphone set that includes the mic and volume control. I don't know why most remotes don't include volume control, as most outdoor situations require changing the volume often due to changing conditions.

[just999in]

Originally Posted by alphawave7

ANSWER a call..that's a bit different...I think that WILL require bluetooth...I can recommend my solution: Jabra BT3030 (aka Dogtag, ~$30), and your favorite earbuds/in-ear canal phones (I use the short corded Sony EX75's(~$30) for running around town...quite bass-heavy, so lower volumes required. The BT3030 tag has all the functions EXCEPT dialing out, which seems to be a Nexus bug, as it's mentioned on the Google fora. There are quite a few other Stereo BT units, some with built-in earbuds/IEC's, others with just a stereo mini jack, my preference, since I swap phones routinely.

Jabra BT3030 - Plays music from mobile phone and Mp3 player

Reviews: Sony MDR-EX75 Stereo Headphones | iLounge


Alternatives:

Amazon.com: Motorola S705 Soundpilot: Electronics

Amazon.com: Sony Ericsson HBH-205 Stereo Bluetooth Headset (Black): Cell Phones & Service

Amazon.com: Sony DRBT100CX/SLV Ear Bud Style Stereo Bluetooth Headset: Electronics

While the price is steep (not too bad, I've spent more!) these are IEC's that have mic AND control, but you'll need to ask at Head-Fi if they control non Apple/Blackberry DAP/phones too:

Amazon.com: Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10vi Noise Isolating Earphones w/ Microphone: Electronics

Just bought the jabra BT3030. Of course, I couldn't find it in Asia for $30. I bought it in a shop for the full list price of $70. Probably a rip off for that price, considering the headphones that come with it are even worse than the Nexus One headphones. It works well though. I will look into a short cord Sony like you mention.

Still, the easiest solution would be one pair of good quality headphones that have all the controls already built-in, but can only find those for the iPod/Iphone.

[NexusDro]

Hopefully Google will release an adapter with mic/volume control so that we can use our own quality earphones with the phone.

I am using my own in-ear earbuds with no mic/volume control and the volume is pretty loud for me. I only need to set the volume to 40% while I'm on the train and bus. The loudspeaker volume, however, is disappointingly low though. I'll probably use the mp3gain trick once I find a ringtone that I like

I also read that people who hacked into the phone noticed that the loudspeaker was only set to 75% of its maximum output. So it is possible that the phone can be made louder via a software update. It depends on whether Google/HTC are willing to do it or not.