Audio Quality Sucks (music and videos)

[computerpro3]

I hate Apple with a passion and I was rather excited to have a viable (superior) alternative to the iphone with the Touch Pro2. Everything about this phone has been fantastic until just now when I plugged in my headphones. I'm something of an audiophile and thus use some decent headphones. In the course of my listening, here are my findings:

The Touch Pro 2 performs great with less sensitive headphones (like Beyerdynamic DT770 80ohm), but with sensitive headphones like Grado's it sounds like CRAP.

Even more disappointing, using sensitive high end earbuds like my Super.Fi Pro 5's reveal SIGNIFICANT and DISTRACTING electrical noise. If you listen to quiet music like some classical or jazz, you will definitely notice it. While annoying, at least with music, the music itself usually overwhelms the noise.

Unfortunately, watching a video is a completely different story. In short, watching a video on this phone is like Chinese Water Torture with the electrical noise easily heard 100% of the time.

It's simply unacceptable for a manufacturer to produce a device in this day and age that has this kind of interference. They should really test a $500 device with earbuds that cost more than $10.

The whole point of this phone is for power users, and power users like us are the exact demographic that would have expensive (usually high sensitivity) earbuds. I mean honestly, this will be a problem with anything by Westone, Ultimate Ears, Shure, Livewires, etc, etc.

The noise is worst in the left channel.

This is on a Verizon TP2 for reference. Is this possibly just a defective phone or do others experience the same noise? FWIW you probably won't notice it with normal ibud's.

This is really a shame as other than this interference, it's a surprisingly good sounding phone. Punchy bass, smooth highs, and a slightly forward midrange.

[JokeZony0u]

perhaps not quite the audiophile as you may be...the music and video quality sounds great with my Bose headphones.

But I guess I'm more of a bass kinda guy..so I might not have noticed some of the things you have

[RonDutt]

You may have a faulty device, or a lot of EM noise wherever you tested. I use high end earphones and speakers and don't hear any noise (or EXTREMELY low) when listening to music, even solos where there is extended silence.

[Exil3d]

Originally Posted by RonDutt

You may have a faulty device, or a lot of EM noise wherever you tested. I use high end earphones and speakers and don't hear any noise (or EXTREMELY low) when listening to music, even solos where there is extended silence.

I was going to suggest getting a hold of another VZN pro2 and play the exact same song with your earplugs and see if its noticable. If it is noticable then you are truly a audiophile. But if the noise is gone.. then chances are that you have a bad Pro2 with maybe improperly shielded audio circuitry. Alot fo time manufactures shiled their devices very well but once in a while the shielding is held down my simple glue. So maybe the glue was not applied properly and the shielding has shifted a bit, leading to this noise you speak of. Oh... I did get a good laugh on the Chinese Water tourture comment. that was great.

[chlodad]

I have the Sprint TP2, I plugged it into my car stereo and noticed low grade audio, switched back to the Ipod touch played the same track and noticed a huge difference in audio quality

[computerpro3]

Originally Posted by JokeZony0u

perhaps not quite the audiophile as you may be...the music and video quality sounds great with my Bose headphones.

But I guess I'm more of a bass kinda guy..so I might not have noticed some of the things you have

The Bose headphones are not high sensitivity drivers (in an electrical sense). That is why you don't hear the noise with them.

If you had high sensitive headphones, you would most certainly be able to hear the noise (at least while watching video on the phone).

It's easiest to hear while watching something with no background music but dialogue - I noticed it first on Family Guy.

If you're into bass, you should check out the Beyerdynamic DT770 (80ohm) headphones. You won't want to wear them out and about (they are ugly compared to the Bose headphones) but the sound is in a completely different league. You'll be amazed!

You may have a faulty device, or a lot of EM noise wherever you tested. I use high end earphones and speakers and don't hear any noise (or EXTREMELY low) when listening to music, even solos where there is extended silence.

What headphones do you use?

As I said, this noise is not heard even with all high end headphones (though it should be with almost all high end IEM's). The problem comes when driving high sensitivity (in an electrical sense) headphones.

I was going to suggest getting a hold of another VZN pro2 and play the exact same song with your earplugs and see if its noticable. If it is noticable then you are truly a audiophile.

Well this is not the typical snake oil stuff here. At least while watching movies, any idiot off of the street could hear it. It's a rhythmic, obvious, irritating noise.

You know what it sounds exactly like? If anyone of you build computers, do you remember what old onboard soundcards sounded like? IT sounds like the onboard sound of a 8 year old $30 motherboard while the computer is accessing the hard drive. It's that same rythmic chirping sound.

For reference, my Super.fi Pro 5's have a rather high 119 dB sensitivity rating and an impedance of 21 Ohms.

[gTen]

I am guessing you are going through the 3.5mm right? Have you tried using a miniusb->3.5mm converter from maybe a previous device? (make sure its an HTC one and not a regular one as I "think" the htc propitiatory miniusb has something extra for audio)

It may be possible since the 3.5mm was added non-standardly that it wasn't fully tested or implemented efficiently. Aka the could have just put in any headsets, tested it and said its ok just to get it out the door. Personally if you got a last minute request to add a 3.5mm port, I then doubt you'd go through the effort on testing it with high sensitivity headsets..

This is only an assumption on the possibility.

[MrGoodCat]

gTen has a good idea. try and see if you can get a hold of a htc usb to 3.5.

also i am not sure if this will help much, but if you have advanced config installed there is and option under "HTC Audio Booster" (i think thats the one) where you can adjust the bass, trebble and 3D surround supposedly. have not tried it myself though. oh and this a long shot, but maybe for the hell of it try and check mark teh hearing aid compatible option in the personal settings. it may reduce some of the noise you are getting. i am not electronics expert though. but its worth a shot

[Protonus]

1.) What program are you playing music in?
2.) What program are you playing video in? What kind of video?
3.) Are you using an external amp with the phone? If you're an audiophile I'd expect you would be.
4.) Do you have wi-fi or bluetooth enabled or in use during this testing? Both generate significant RF which could be affecting the circuitry of an unshielded offboard amp.

I have tested MP3 audio in CorePlayer and WMP and found no outside noise. I tested video in the same programs that was converted using the HD video converter on the PC from a 720 x264 source, and again, no external noise. I actually did have Wi-Fi and BT on in my tests too, though I wasn't actively sending data. This is with modified JVC Marshmellow 1st gen canal phones. Before you get high and mighty if you're not familiar with these canal phones and/or canal phones in general, look 'em up. But for the money they are some of if not the best portable listening 'phones around per $. They are very sensitive (as are most canal phones), and being that they are foam isolated canal phones they block a tremendous amount of outside noise resulting in a very isolated listening experience, in short if there was noise, I'd hear it on these I'm sure.

Now the thing with canal phones is due to their effective sensitivity I'm able to listen at much lower volumes then with other devices, so I'm wondering if with your big / fancy full size phones if you're overstressing the amp and clipping or picking up noise because of a higher volume setting and subsequently higher line voltages. Again if you're not using a external amp with nice phones you should be for that reason. I know that the audio output via the 3.5 is a little low and I'm sure that's why HTC included that "booster" app for those that like to go deaf. But even with my canal phones, with that booster app at stock settings, I'm listening at 100% volume in WMP and 50% system volume with plenty of volume...

[lbjohnny]

Just in case...make sure you're not charging it while listening to music. I noticed buzz/rf noise with charger plugged in...in my car at least (110 volt plug)

BTW - Part time recording engineer & TP2 sounds fuller, cleaner & not as shrill as a MIPOD. (I have the nano 3 gen)