yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
Sorry, no. I am not a kernel OS programmer person ... maybe someone else with that experience can analyze the code. Since Samsung has indeed fixed the problem without any compromises that I can see, you'd think that they might now admit that there WAS an audio problem and perhaps provide a short description of what the root cause was. At the very minimum it validates the Qualcomm DAC/Audio components as a great audio solution for a leading smartphone.

Note that every smartphone headphone-out will have SOME limitations. For example, if you put tons of EQ somewhere in the spectrum, and listen at high volumes, you will probably run into output drive limitations which is normal. It is pretty amazing that you can drive the S4 into 4.7 ohm at max volume and I haven't seen any evidence of hard-clipping (which would definitely be noticeable in the sound). The firmware update fixing the "crackle" problem confirms that that crackle problem was not a clipping problem or output drive limitation in the electronics but some weird digital artifact, hopefully gone forever!
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] elfary:
Now the S4 looks like a candidate to replace my great (audio wise) iPhone 4S.

Could you post an RMAA of the patched S4 driving a 16ohm load or real world low impedance headphones?

iPhone 4S figures driving a 16ohm load are nothing short of stunning (check goldenears.net)

Optimism is the depth of technical ignorance
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
I don't have really low impedance phones (only Senn HD598 50ohm and stock Sammy ~35ohm). I looked at the loaded (presumably with resistors) iPhone 4S results at goldenears and a reasonable comparison with my S4 measurements is for the 33 ohm loaded case. [My RMAA measurements on the updated firmware S4 are essentially identical to those before the update. I will update that article shortly with the "crackle" problem removed status and include some RMAA results for 16 ohm loaded output].

First off, I should say that my opinion is that distortion levels less than ~ 0.05% are completely inaudible to anyone so although I do a lot of RMAA, it is really more for the noise levels and frequency response shapes and to see how really good electronics can be (or not). That said, the iPhone 4S at 33 ohm loaded looks somewhat better in distortion terms than the S4 SGH-I337 I've measured but the levels are all extremely low so that is merely academic imo. The noise level of the S4 is better and the iPhone 4S has a FR droop of ~ 0.8 dB from 8 kHz to 20 kHz ... some might notice that as a very slight high-frequency (treble) rolloff.

See some related comments/opinions here at GSMArena (my posts 62, 64).

Please send me the link to the 16 ohm RMAA ... didn't spot that at goldenears.

In summary, my opinion is that sonic differences with these types of great superphones will be very very small and the dominant sound-shaping influence will be, assuming you don't EQ to hell and clip, the headphone distortion (particularly intermodulation) and frequency-response shaping of the phones themselves.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Caloba:
I have the MetroPCS version of the S4 and I'm experiencing the audio distortion in my headphones. Is there a firmware fix for my model yet?

Sent from my Galaxy S4
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] elfary:
There you go:

http://sonove.angry.jp/Comparison_iPhone4_vs_iPhone4S.htm

Just ftr to these ears the noise floor of the iPhone 4s is closer to -100 than -90. The background is pitch black even with my ultra sensitive Westone UM3x or Shure SE530

Optimism is the depth of technical ignorance
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
Thanks for that link. It is also important to remember when looking at noise-level data (like RMAA data) that the noise is relative to the maximum output level of that device. (Same applies to S/N ratios). Why is this important? What really matters is the total output voltage NOISE level (absolute). So for example, when comparing two difference devices with the same S/N ratio, but one has a higher-output drive capability, that device will in fact be noisier! This is well known in audio power amplifiers and the same applies to headphone amps. I verified this with the FiiO E12 Mont Blanc headphone amp. It has higher output (to drive high-Z phones) than the E17 Alpen, but the E17 is definitely quieter at the same gain levels (verified with listening tests with high sensitivity iems). So what this means is that all other things being equal, you should get an external amp with the minimum amount of drive capability you really need for your headphones. As a reference point, here are some of my ABSOLUTE noise measurements in a 20 kHz bandwidth, UNweighted (and if I can hear the noise/hiss background) with stock Samsung earbuds (~ 35 ohm ... so that other S4 owners can compare directly :):

QuadBuff Amp: 2.0 uVrms (dead quiet)

S4 (SGH-I337): 3.2 uVrms (full volume: dead quiet)

FiiO E17: 5.0 uVrms (Gain 0dB: dead quiet)

FiiO E17: 9.2 uVrms (Gain 6dB: dead quiet)

FiiO E12: 13 uVrms (0dB Gain range: audible)

FiiO E12: 19 - 30 uVrms (16 dB Gain range: audible)

Anything below ~ 10 uVrms total noise is "dead quiet" to my ears. Younger ears will probably be able to hear noise at the 5 uVrms level.

The maximum output level for my S4 is ~ 0.88Vpeak (or 0.62Vrms) so that means the S/N ratio for my S4 is ~ 106 dB UNweighted. Compare that to the FiiO E17 which has a max output of 3.65Vp or 2.6Vrms. At 0 dB gain, I measure a S/N of ~ 114 dB UNweighted but it is actually noiser than the S4.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] silt1:
just bought galaxy s4 and tried connecting my 10ohm tdk ie800. The crackling sound is still there even though the latest available fw is installed. it is an i9505, Baseband I9505XXUAMDE, build JDQ39.I9505XXUAMDE. Any fix? Cheers.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] NineToTheSky:
I am in the UK, and I had the latest update yesterday; the baseband version is I9505XXUBMGA.

The crackling has gone!
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] StuartTheFish:
That's not the latest firmware. MEA was the first version it was fixed in IIRC, and MDE is older.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] StevenCinNYC:
So glad to find forum--can you solve it for me?

I have a T-Mobile S4 SGH-M919, Android version 4.2.2, Kernal Version 3.4.0-453951 se.infra@SEP-133 #1 Fri Apr 26 16:55:54 KST 2013, Build #JDQ39.M919UVUAMDL

I don't know anything or have any technical skills. I have polk UltraFit 2000s that have no distortion and 3000s that have the distortion. Before finding this thread, I bought Monster iSport Victory headphones which also have the distortion.

I just tried the software update on the phone, but it said my software is up to date.

The distortion is very annoying, and I'd really like a solution for it--whether getting different headphones or an adapter or somehow getting the software to update.

I have read several posts on this thread, but way far from all of them so I'm sorry if I missed my solution already.

Thanks very much for any help.

Steven
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] StuartTheFish:
You need to update from MDL to a newer version, like I said in the post before yours, it was first fixed in MEA.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] StevenCinNYC:
How do I update to newer version

Sorry, I don't know which version is which so the prior post didn't help me. And I don't know how to update to a newer version.

I clicked on Software update on the About device page, but it said that my software is up to date. How do I update it?

Thanks.

Steven
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] StuartTheFish:
If there's no update being sent out by your network, you'll have to update it manually. You'd download the newer firmware yourself, and then flash it via Odin. With yours appearing to be a US t mobile one though, I don't know what firmware is compatible or not. Might be worth asking around on here to see which ones are available for you.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
gee, I was pretty darn sure that we in Canada would be the LAST to get this firmware updated pushed OTA (in my case via Bell Cellular). I tested the latest update to this (for the SGH-I337 version) I337MVLUAMG1 down to 10 ohm load and no problems (except for the slightest distortin at max volume). That crackle/distortion didn't really affect me (before the update) because I use higher-impedance phones but I got roped into trying to leverage it. I asked my carrier (Bell) what the "significant changes" are to this latest firmware but they seemed rather clueless. The only change they have posted about this firmware update is "E-9-1-1-" fix! Go figure.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ipmanwck:
I have updated mine manually since this thread was opened. I am now on the below firmware which is really great with many lag fixes :)
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jymloke:
Still crackling after update...

Hi fellas,

I have recently updated to XXUBMG4 (via OTA), and still getting crackling. For some reason, my carrier has skipped XXUBMEA and jumped straight to MG4. I am getting the crackling real bad on any non-stock headphones supplied by Samsung.....

Is anyone facing the same issue? Should I try root and try the XXUBMGA or XXUBMEA version ?

Thanks heaps! Pretty distressed I can't listen to good quality sound with this phone!! :eek:
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Zer0b1ade:
I have an fii0 11 amp and it fixed the issue with my m919 and my sony xba 4s.

Flashing a 4.3 rom fixes this issue as well
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsan45:
me too

same here. got the Aussie rom xxubmg4, and mine still has bad crackling when paired with sony XBA-4 (8ohm).

I thought this update covered the sound issue, but obviously it didnt. Or my phone just missed the feature.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] mhajii210:
Same problem

I am getting what sounds like background noise or fuzz whenever I turn on bass boost and play my music using the Google Play Music app. I tried different headphones and same problem. I don't have the sound crackling, but the noise can definitely be heard during the slower or quiet parts of a particular song. I have the T-Mobile SGH-M919 version. I tried a variety of equalizers and same thing happens as soon as I enable bass boost. When I disable the bass boost the issue is resolved. I'm on the Jump program, so I'm kind of hesitant to root the phone. Would the newer firmware update that hasn't been released yet for T-Mobile solve this background noise issue?

mhajii210
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] juancarlosm1983:
So, I've read one of the guys uploaded his I337's firmware, but he's canadian so I believe he has a I337M.

The thing is, I've got a I337 (from AT&T). And, of course, the sound crackles. I was wondering.... May be (and I know almost 0 about firmwares and kernels) I can flash the I337MVLUAMG1 firmware on my phone and that should fix it.

BUT, since S4 SGH-I337 and S4 SGH-I337M have an M of difference :p I don't know I that would work :eek:

Does someone know if it works? :confused:
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] g2xpolak:
Still havent found a way to fix this for tmobile gs4
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] CynaKill:
Me either on i9505. Anyone fixed? (Using Audiofly AF78 which sounds like utter rubbish)
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] klownem:
Hi I am looking at selling my iPhone 5 to get a UK S4, but after seeing this thread I am a bit worried about buying one as I use my phone everyday for listening to music, has this issue been fixed I will be buying a sim free model from clove.

I will be using Beats Mixrs and the Tours with the S4.

I use for a portable speaker : Bose Soundlink Mini

Thanks
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] StuartTheFish:
Don't be worried, it was sorted months ago.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ipmanwck:
Does the same issue happen on the I9500 with the Wolfson chip ? Thinking of returning to S4 but international version.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] MistahBungle:
Impedance issue.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] plumez:
Read through some of the later pages...

So it's the general consensus that this has been fixed by the newer update for most of the people with this problem?

I have a SGH-i337 with i337UCUAMF3 baseband and still experience this problem.

Sorry if this is redundant. I didn't have time to read the entire thread.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] vivi1991:
Any updates? i want to buy a S4, but the sound qualtiy issues put me off!
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] StuartTheFish:
Have you not read any of this thread? It was cured about half a year ago!
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] vivi1991:
Nice, and I've heard that the output impedance is low(positive thing). I'll get this smartphone! :D
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] umd:
Hi everyone. I need help about this problem.

Flashing a CM based rom causes the same problem with my i9505. When I flash TW based rom after a full wipe it doesn't solve that either.

Only way to fix is to flash a stock fw via Odin then flash a TW based rom via recovery. Looks like CM roms have something to do with it so I can't use them.

I really need your help.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] umd:
Anyone?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Zibri:
I tried my K141 Monitor (600 ohms) and my K141 MkII (55 ohms) on galaxy s4 i9505.

They both work perfectly, obviously the 600 ohms are too much for a phone and the sound is quite faint.

The 55 ohms sound pretty well. No cracks whatsoever. Still soume more loudness would be desirable.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] rbrucemtl:
I have CM 11 M3 snapshot flashed and it is working with the included kernel... I have not seen this problem with any 4.4 ROMS
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] umd:
Thank you for your reply. I finally solved this problem. I've been trying different combinations and using TWRP instead of Philz recovery solved it.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] tomgaga:
Which stock did you flash with odin? And which rom after that? I am having the same issue and even after I flash stock via odin, its still there.

Tx in advance
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] umd:
I believe it was NB8 which is based on Android 4.3. After that flash TWRP. Maybe it's a coincidence, I'm not sure but it solved for me. Hope solves for you too.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] sambo60:
This is so bizarre!! I just upgraded my headphones from the Shure SE535 to the Shure SE846, and now I'm getting popping very frequently from my new headphones with the S4 (at&t version). When I try playing the same files on my laptop through the new headphones, they work perfectly, so I know the headphones are not the culprit. I tried upgrading to a new version of the ROM I'm using (it's task650s ROM) thinking that might solve it, but I still have the problem. I tried poweramp, but it does it too. My old headphones don't do it at all, even on the S4.

Any ideas? This is really sad, because I love the new headphones, but it looks like I might be looking for a new phone sooner rather than later :(
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] tomgaga:
Heey, TX for answering.

The problem disappeared now, I noticed it after I installed Phoenix Rom but it could have been something else too. Pretty strange :S
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] fluidz:
I have the same issue with my M7 - popping noises, like pop pop pop, mostly left sided, through two pairs of headphones.

Htc One M7, crackles (like a popping sound), but no distortion, with volumes above 50% with both Phonak Pfe232 iem's - three black lines, and Sennheiser Hd215 - two black lines. Tried both headphones on my Ipad 4th, no crackling at all at the same volume.

Just to make sure it wasn't software related, I alternated between using Spotify and Tone Generator App on the M7, crackling in both cases. Especially at high' volume. Popping sound most of the time comes from the left side, however I have heard it come from the right.

If it's any help in comparing - My M7 is running Firmware - 4.4.3 Stock, 6.09.401.5. Kernal 3.4.10-g40b189c, Baseband - 4t.29.3218.08_10.33F.1718.01L
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] trenzterra:
Sorry for bumping this thread again so soon, but posting this on behalf of Jensign as he can't post links yet.

He has updated the page with a detail spectra showing the problem here: http://www.jensign.com/S4Distortion/

Do check it out!
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] olaf63:
So I further tried with a pair if Bose IE2, no data known but they work well at all volumes, but the max volume reached is lower.

This confirms what said before about impedance maybe. My other Headsets that crackle do it only at volume above 12, almost the same reached by the Bose.

So now I have to decide if send my S4 for a much uncertain repair staying without the phone for almost two weeks, or hold down.

The thing that buggers me is that the S4 demo unit I tried in the shop did not hexibit the problem at max volume, but now I'm wondering if the max volume reached by my phone and the demo were the same. At the moment I did not notice differences, but who knows.

One certain thing is that my ONE X+ reaches a higher volume without distortions with the same headsets.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] trenzterra:
I sent it in for 'repair' and 5 days later all I got was a mobo and screen replacement, but that did not resolve the issue. I do not believe that sending it in will change anything at this point in time.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] olaf63:
I think this convince me not to send it in, thanks.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Moedot7:
150hz test

I used the 150hz file. My earphone crackle at 12 and 13 only (14 and 15 are fine). My earphones are philips shs3200. I do not know the ohms.

Please note I set StayAlive to Normal.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] trenzterra:
Thank you. Is the crackling a constant humming or occasional? For me at 12 I get crackling only at the start but at 13 it is constant.

BTW,

I have uploaded a YouTube video to better demonstrate the problem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMIXcwvi_Qg

If you could approach your local Samsung rep with this video it'd be great.

Also, if you could re-share my Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/reubenchew/posts/10151428267560966

If it goes viral maybe Samsung would be forced to act.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] rogergent:
Can anyone try this with a pair of Yamaha eph-100 as I'm thinking of getting the s4 but worried after this
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] trenzterra:
The Yamaha EPH-100 is affected.

See this post:

http://forums.androidcentral.com/sa...ed-its-audio-quality-tests-2.html#post2774094
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] rogergent:
Thanks very much won't be getting the s4 then lol htc one for me
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jensigner:
In the link posted above by user trenzterra (thanks) for the test article "Samsung Galaxy S4: Problem With Low-Impedance Headphones", I have updated the discussion on the audio spectrum results. Also, I have included a download link at the bottom of that web page for a zip archive containing 5 test .wav files for users (and of course Samsung engineers) interested in testing S4 (and S3) under identical conditions.

Note the cautionary note there before use!

It should be pointed out that I observe the instability at 10 ohm resistive loads on my S4 for pure sine waves at ONLY 11/15 (it sounds like a "buzz" to me audibly) which is actually quite a high audio level (I usually listen at levels of 8 or lower with my 35 ohm earbuds); I'm sure others listen at higher levels with lower impedance earbuds where during random-amplitude and frequency music playback, the problem will occur at all higher playback levels.

There is undoubtly enough evidence from owners of S4 with low impedance buds and coupled with my quantitative measurements, users deserve a GOOD response from Samsung. If the official response from Samsung is that they only support use of their own earbuds (~35ohm), then there isn't much to do ... waiting ... waiting .... :rolleyes:

---------- Post added at 04:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 PM ----------

What about this simple workaround solution for low-impedance headphones: since the problem doesn't seem to be due to any intrinsic current limit issue with the output driver stage (based on my measurements), it *might* be possible to simply put a small series resistor (in series with each headphone) to raise the impedance seen by the headphone output to above, say 16 ohm or so. Sure you'd get a drop in available output across the actual headphones because you have a series voltage divider, but you could just componsate and playback at a higher level (since there is no current limit issue). Since most headphones I believe (i'm not an expert on this so stand to be corrected) are close to resistive, there probably wouldn't be an issue with tonal changes and you should get rid of the "buzz" distortion ... assuming that the problem is ONLY one related to the output impedance and there aren't other nasty things going on.

For example, if you have 12 ohm buds which are problematic with the S3, just add ~ 4 ohm in series with each bud ... just a thought.

---------- Post added at 05:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:19 PM ----------

I tested the output of my S4 with 8.2 ohm loads on each channel. The instability problem is much more pronounced than at 10 ohm load. Using a 1 kHz sine wave the "oscillations" occur at Music player volume settings of: 8, 10, 11, 12 but NOT below 8, nor at 9 nor above 12 ... very strange.

Also I determined the output impedance of the S4 by measuring the output voltage with no load at 15/15 and the output voltage under 8.2 ohm load at 15/15 (where there is no oscillation problem). Comparing the voltage divider values this gives an output resistance at 1 kHz of 2.5 ohm, very similar to that of the S3.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] gavinfabl:
Does this problem occur with the Octa i9500 version? Maybe a reason to forfeit LTE? Sound is far more important.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] NZtechfreak:
Don't know if anybody knows Gavin, trying to lay hands on an i9500 to test this out.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] gavinfabl:
Let's hope we find out soon.

I'm also trying to find out if it works on Three UK apart from LTE.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] trenzterra:
Thanks! I actually ordered a 22ohm resistor from eBay a week ago (chose 22ohms because I actually intended to use it on my desktop where my sound card's amplifier gain is way too high) and it'll probably reach me in two weeks' time. Let's see if that solves the problem.

I know that some users have tried an amplifier which solves the problem.

But still, it would be great not having to lug around extra equipment if possible.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] i4mt3hwin:
I get crackling too with my S4 and UE900s. Might be taking it back for a one at this point.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] NZtechfreak:
That's interesting, they're 32ohm aren't they? Crackles were gone by 32ohm for me, although that was using cans (T5p).
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] i4mt3hwin:
I think they are 30. But yeah, I could have sworn when I first got the S4 the music was perfect on it. I've been listening to a lot of Flashbulb lately and I didn't notice anything until recently when at some of the parts where it's just bass I kept hearing crackling. I'm actually starting to wonder if the quality has degraded since I got it.

Don't know, but it's completely unacceptable. I'm not paying $650 for a phone that doesn't output audio properly. At this point my terrible GNex sounds better and that thing was trash to begin with.

Not happy atm.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] trenzterra:
Have you tried the UE900 on other sources? The UE900 by itself is known to crackle.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] otacon888:
I will be picking up my I9500 later on today. I will try my XBA4 and update you guys.