topic Re: My Xperia SP is defective one in Other/General

Problem with clear bass

rey33 — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 10:40:05 GMT

Hello, recently i find out that clear bass problem and other bugs that i have is only experienced by some of Xperia SP users.

Some of my friends have it, but most of them don't have it. What should I tell to Service Center to claim my warranty?

NB: If I set clearbass to +10, volume in louder part of song is reduced, but when it is calm, volume rise up again. I already tick off Dynamic Normalizer but still hhaving that issue

Topic edited by Rickard

Re: My Xperia SP is defective one

him — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:13:55 GMT

I don't think your xperia is defective I'm also having the same problem.

Re: My Xperia SP is defective one

857077 — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:19:09 GMT

I think mine has the same problem.

Re: My Xperia SP is defective one

mcmaros — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:48:34 GMT

Same problem here. There is a big compression when Clear Bass is set to higher values. It sounds like some silly normalizer.

I´ve got the latest sw. (12.0.A.2.254)

I´m little bit disappointed, I was expecting one of the best sound through all brands - I´m a huge fan of Sony Walkmans, I´ve got A865, E474 and A805, all of them sound superior with no compression.

I think it´s a software issue, because in case of sound quality it´s very good. Sound is very clear with no hum or distortion. There is just problem with the compression (or some kind of normalizer) when clear bass or other frequencies in EQ are set to higher values. Maybe some kind of protection against distortion when the higher values are set in eq. But it´s too agressive, and, of course, it´s a little bit annoying at higher volume.

(sorry for bad english)

Re: Problem with clear bass

rey33 — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 15:46:34 GMT

Hmm.. But why not all of Xperia SP users have this problem? If it is a software problem, all users will have same problem like us right? But most of my friends (Xperia SP users) don't have this problem. So what is this? Will any fix come? I'm very frustated 😕

Re: Problem with clear bass

him — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 04:55:23 GMT

This problem exists in .254 update maybe some of your friends haven't updated their phone till now.

Re: Problem with clear bass

stealthfighter — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 10:05:58 GMT

I've been having the same problem since upgrading to .245. I've decided to use PlayerPro instead. I'm really disappointed with what they did to their walkman through their updates. And to think they can't even fix the wifi connection glitch, and constantly making the bugs more serious after every update.

Re: Problem with clear bass

rey33 — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 10:29:51 GMT

oo so this is happen since .245? i hope this is true so i don't have to claim my warranty to SSC since sony service center in my country is really bad. fixing little things can take 1-3 months Thanks guys.. I'll try PlayerPro instead

Re: Problem with clear bass

gadgetman1 — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 13:07:52 GMT

Don't know if we're talking about the same thing, but:

Maximum headphone volume is rather limited on the sp. It doesn't matter what you try to do to boost it, it won't go any louder, because it's a function of the audio amplifier gain between the output of the DAC (digital to analogue converter) and the 3.5mm headphone socket. Only a hardware mod would increase the gain and hence loudness.

But, you can make the most of the limited volume by careful use of an equaliser. The trouble is, the built in "hardware" equaliser (the chipset feature that 99% of Android music players with 5 band equalisers use) is not that good. Even when you set a nice bass boost, as the music gets louder it gradually reduces the boost until there's nothing left, leaving a very harsh sound. Of course, you need to reduce the boost as volume gets louder to prevent digital clipping, but the system equaliser does it very crudely, leaving a very lo-fi sound where the bass is constantly rising and falling in level.

If you want a better sound, and a more accurate bass boost which doesn't diminish with volume, you need to use a music player app which does its own "dsp" and doesn't rely on the phone hardware for eq. I personally use JetAudio, but there are others, like PlayerPro etc. The free version has a 10 band eq, the paid one 20 bands. It also has a "gain" control. If you like heavy bass and set a big boost, you have to turn down the master gain on some music to prevent unpleasant digital clipping. This is what the system hardware eq is trying to do, but it doesn't do it very well.

You don't actually get more volume this way, as outlined at the start, but it can appear to sound louder because the spectrum is better balanced and the bass doesn't reduce when the music gets louder.

I've spent 3 months trying to get decent sound out of the sp (I work in audio) and this has been the only solution I've found to get "hi-fi" sound out of it. The sound is actually very good, but sometimes still too limited in volume depending on what's going on around you.

Re: Problem with clear bass

rey33 — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 13:51:11 GMT

Wow there is a lot of writing 😛 Thank you so much man for your time and effort to write your perspective. I'll give it a try soon

Re: Problem with clear bass

mcmaros — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 13:57:25 GMT

Yes exactly. We´re talking about the same thing.

Re: Problem with clear bass

rey33 — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 14:22:38 GMT

Hei there, recently i've downloaded PlayerPro and played with its Equalizer. Then i play same song with my Walkman and now clear bass is fully working without any sound diminished! It's weird but i'm very happy

Re: Problem with clear bass

mcmaros — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 15:56:57 GMT

Thanks rey3 I´m going to try this

Maybe walkman app was scared you don´t want to use it anymore So now it works properly...

New feature from Sony

Re: Problem with clear bass

gadgetman1 — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 22:31:32 GMT

@mcmaros wrote:
Thanks rey3 I´m going to try this
Maybe walkman app was scared you don´t want to use it anymore So now it works properly...
New feature from Sony
lol

I know it wasn't asked,but there's something else you can do to really improve your phone as a music player - a volume control with more steps. I've gone from the standard 15 steps (of which I tended to use the top 3 only) to 45 steps. Makes a world of difference. It's not as easy as just an app instal though and your sp needs to be rooted, something I probably shouldn't be mentioning in this forum and may get censored for

At your own risk. It definitely works if you can follow instructions.

30/45 step vol control

SP at xda including rooting

Re: Problem with clear bass

rey33 — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:06:33 GMT

Do not thank me mcmacros, we should thank to gadgetman. Without his explaination, I will not try Player Pro and find this solution. So, big thanks to you Mr. gadgetman.

Re: Problem with clear bass

rey33 — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:08:53 GMT

I have installed a sound mod for my XSP, it's beats audio. Will this mod work in my SP?

I will report here soon if I have installed your mod suggestion. Thanks again man!

Re: Problem with clear bass

dip14 — Sat, 03 May 2014 16:43:54 GMT

@gadgetman wrote:
Don't know if we're talking about the same thing, but:
Maximum headphone volume is rather limited on the sp. It doesn't matter what you try to do to boost it, it won't go any louder, because it's a function of the audio amplifier gain between the output of the DAC (digital to analogue converter) and the 3.5mm headphone socket. Only a hardware mod would increase the gain and hence loudness.
But, you can make the most of the limited volume by careful use of an equaliser. The trouble is, the built in "hardware" equaliser (the chipset feature that 99% of Android music players with 5 band equalisers use) is not that good. Even when you set a nice bass boost, as the music gets louder it gradually reduces the boost until there's nothing left, leaving a very harsh sound. Of course, you need to reduce the boost as volume gets louder to prevent digital clipping, but the system equaliser does it very crudely, leaving a very lo-fi sound where the bass is constantly rising and falling in level.
If you want a better sound, and a more accurate bass boost which doesn't diminish with volume, you need to use a music player app which does its own "dsp" and doesn't rely on the phone hardware for eq. I personally use JetAudio, but there are others, like PlayerPro etc. The free version has a 10 band eq, the paid one 20 bands. It also has a "gain" control. If you like heavy bass and set a big boost, you have to turn down the master gain on some music to prevent unpleasant digital clipping. This is what the system hardware eq is trying to do, but it doesn't do it very well.
You don't actually get more volume this way, as outlined at the start, but it can appear to sound louder because the spectrum is better balanced and the bass doesn't reduce when the music gets louder.
I've spent 3 months trying to get decent sound out of the sp (I work in audio) and this has been the only solution I've found to get "hi-fi" sound out of it. The sound is actually very good, but sometimes still too limited in volume depending on what's going on around you.

------------------------------

U have saved my life Bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If u still read this .....i have E1 dual....after an update/repair the bass feature is not working with Walkman.....although no problem with jet audio.

Can u suggest how can i make my walkman application work as before ?

Thanx again!

Re: Problem with clear bass

Maximazz — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 12:28:52 GMT

I solved that bass problem by converting my Mp3 sample rate (Hz) from 44100 to 48000 using format factory or other mp3 converter.The audio became more louder and no more distorted BASS.But, it effect the illumination light and thats okay for me.

Re: Problem with clear bass

Peter_121 — Thu, 25 May 2017 15:58:25 GMT

I am also having the same problem. But I think I have a solution for that. It's Sony music. Feature there called Clear Audio + has control over your Sony audio hardware. Deactivate that. Other features like crosstalk is seen in sound settings on settings. Many options there cause these problems. But if this do not work, then it might be because your headphones are using more energy on bass...

Re: Problem with clear bass

LloydFlavio — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 20:15:00 GMT

The problem with the clear bass at high volume is definitely in tge software. The sound with clear bass gets normalised not only when listening through wired headphones, but also through Bluetooth. This is a very annoying thing about Sony's Clear Bass. If Sony develipers can't really give perfect sound quality with Clear Bass at high volumes, then they should at least offer an ordinary equaliser too, or add the remaining frequencies to the usual equaliser. Clear Bass would be much better as on its own, rather than as a replacement for lower frequencies on the equalizer. I hope Sony will consider this and fix it.