Hi,
I recently upgraded from an HTC Magic to an HTC Desire HD.
I noticed that the overall sound quality on the DHD is very poor.
I first noticed it when making a call, and the sound was very tinny. It sounded like the treble was turned way up, perhaps in an effort to increase clarity, which resulted in distortion and clipping. I suppose you could also describe it as a high pitched "buzz". I thought it might be the speaker, but ruled that out when I found the same result when using headphones or plugged into an external sound system.
The problem is noticeable in any situation:
a) The earpiece, when making calls
b) The loud speaker, when on speaker-phone or playing music
c) Line-out (headphones, speaker, sound systems, etc) for calls and music
d) Even just the "beep" the phone makes when you turn up the volume, or any other system sounds (high pitched ones obviously make the buzz more prevalent)
I did some searching online and found a few forum threads, and some people agree that it's not very good while others say it is fantastic.
The review on GSM Arena seems to agree that the SQ is lacking, but that seems to contradict what I've heard a lot of people on the forums say.
The main problem is that people have different opinions of what is acceptable, what is good, and what is not.
So, I created a video in attempt to demonstrate what I'm talking about.
I ask that you please watch it, and tell me if it sounds similar to your Desire HD, or if there is something wrong with mine. When comparing your phones to other makes or models, does yours sound a lot more trebley and tinny?
The first part of the video is a speakerphone comparison with a Samsung Galaxy S and my DHD. It's kind of hard to tell in the video, but it's clearly evident in person. I also included a line-out recording with the DHD and an HTC Magic, which I think illustrates the issue a bit better. The last part of the video is comparing audio, from a computer, an SGS, and the DHD. The volume from the SGS and the DHD were pretty low, so I had to boost them a bit in post-processing which does make the "tinny" clipped treble sound very apparent, albeit a little exaggerated.
This issue is less prevelent in some styles of music, so I will also include a link to the exact song used in my tests in case anyone would be so kind as to try playing it back on their device and see if they get the same result.
Tycho - Past is Prologue
I should also mention that SRS and Dolby and all that jazz don't make a difference -- while they do make some songs sound better, the high pitched "buzz" distortion is still present -- and since it's there with plain old system sounds, ringtones, calls, etc., I think it is fair to assume that the music EQ and effects don't really have anything to do with the issue.
Finally, here is the video (be sure to select 720p for optimum audio quality):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NBHydZ5g-g
I thank you for your time and your help!!
By the way, I am currently running Android Revolution HD 3.2 and my radio version is 12.41.60.19_26.06.04.14_M
I recently upgraded from an HTC Magic to an HTC Desire HD.
I noticed that the overall sound quality on the DHD is very poor.
I first noticed it when making a call, and the sound was very tinny. It sounded like the treble was turned way up, perhaps in an effort to increase clarity, which resulted in distortion and clipping. I suppose you could also describe it as a high pitched "buzz". I thought it might be the speaker, but ruled that out when I found the same result when using headphones or plugged into an external sound system.
The problem is noticeable in any situation:
a) The earpiece, when making calls
b) The loud speaker, when on speaker-phone or playing music
c) Line-out (headphones, speaker, sound systems, etc) for calls and music
d) Even just the "beep" the phone makes when you turn up the volume, or any other system sounds (high pitched ones obviously make the buzz more prevalent)
I did some searching online and found a few forum threads, and some people agree that it's not very good while others say it is fantastic.
The review on GSM Arena seems to agree that the SQ is lacking, but that seems to contradict what I've heard a lot of people on the forums say.
The main problem is that people have different opinions of what is acceptable, what is good, and what is not.
So, I created a video in attempt to demonstrate what I'm talking about.
I ask that you please watch it, and tell me if it sounds similar to your Desire HD, or if there is something wrong with mine. When comparing your phones to other makes or models, does yours sound a lot more trebley and tinny?
The first part of the video is a speakerphone comparison with a Samsung Galaxy S and my DHD. It's kind of hard to tell in the video, but it's clearly evident in person. I also included a line-out recording with the DHD and an HTC Magic, which I think illustrates the issue a bit better. The last part of the video is comparing audio, from a computer, an SGS, and the DHD. The volume from the SGS and the DHD were pretty low, so I had to boost them a bit in post-processing which does make the "tinny" clipped treble sound very apparent, albeit a little exaggerated.
This issue is less prevelent in some styles of music, so I will also include a link to the exact song used in my tests in case anyone would be so kind as to try playing it back on their device and see if they get the same result.
Tycho - Past is Prologue
I should also mention that SRS and Dolby and all that jazz don't make a difference -- while they do make some songs sound better, the high pitched "buzz" distortion is still present -- and since it's there with plain old system sounds, ringtones, calls, etc., I think it is fair to assume that the music EQ and effects don't really have anything to do with the issue.
Finally, here is the video (be sure to select 720p for optimum audio quality):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NBHydZ5g-g
I thank you for your time and your help!!
By the way, I am currently running Android Revolution HD 3.2 and my radio version is 12.41.60.19_26.06.04.14_M
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