pro1x Pro1X: Internal microphone/speaker issues - low gain, sensitive feedback avoidance?

[smammy 11]

Two Pro1-X issues, possibly related.

First, the built-in microphone gain is extremely low. it makes my spouse completely inaudible during calls and only barely audible using a sound recording app. When we attach a wired headset, the microphone gain is fine.

Second, and this one is really weird, when we're making a call using the build-in mic and earpiece, we can hear the other party just fine _until_ we try to say anything, at which point the incoming sound cuts out completely for anywhere from a fraction of a second to multiple seconds. I assume this is some kind of feedback avoidance, but if that's what it is it's way too sensitive. This happens even with a wired headset attached.

Has anyone else run into either of these? Does anyone know of any workarounds (besides using a wired headset for the mic gain one)? Thanks.

Edited August 12, 2022 by smammy

[spam71 55]

Hello folks.

Unfortunately, it's the same song again. I've just received my brand new Pro1X. It looks great, I find keyboard much better than in Pro1 (at least normal position of bracket keys, much better tactile feel). But the right speaker is producing distorted sound, sometimes popping, sometimes silent. Since the sound changes when I press firmly the cover where the speaker is, I'm almost sure the problem is due to poor electric connection.

It's the same story I had with Pro1 - fingerprint reader was now working at all, but I gave up and didn't send it for repair for months.

I guess now I should contact fxtec support, and send Pro1X back. If only I could open the bottom cover and move the speaker a bit... but I would lose warranty.

It's sad, that again they made very good design, but failed at quality control.

[aaroncv3 9]

Yes, right/bottom speaker on mine also cuts in and out.  I have not tested pressing on the case.  My assumption is that this is a firmware issue. The cutting out seems to occur when the audio exceeds a certain level.  I have applied no scientific method to confirm this, yet.

[EskeRahn 5,350]

We also have post talking on the issue over here (though no known fix yet)

Oddly it does not seems to be always, I do not think it is a contact-issue though - but could be wrong.

[Rob. S. 1,616]

Doesn't sound like a contact issue for me, either. If it were, the dropout phenomenon wouldn't reliably go away with the volume dialed up, which it seems to do for the people who've been reporting this. Also, a contact problem would produce some kind of noise between loud and silent phases, which doesn't happen here at all. The cuts are absolutely clean. 

Is there even anyone who doesn't have this issue? 

I'm no low-level systems programmer, but intuitively I would locate the reason at the bottom of the driver stack, like in the speakers driver, if there is such a thing. Headphones-out doesn't seem to be affected...

 

Edited August 13, 2022 by Rob. S.

[aaroncv3 9]

1 hour ago, Rob. S. said:

programmer, but intuitively I would locate the reason at the bottom of the driver stack, like in the speakers driver,

Agreed.  This is not a manufacturing problem.  I would intuitively say this is a bug in 1 line of code in the DSP.

Some mundane detail, like a decimal point. 😆

[brunoais 317]

On 8/13/2022 at 11:49 AM, Rob. S. said:

I'm no low-level systems programmer, but intuitively I would locate the reason at the bottom of the driver stack, like in the speakers driver, if there is such a thing. Headphones-out doesn't seem to be affected...

There's a driver because there's a need to manage the digital-to-analog converter and then manage the amplifier for the speakers.

There's a chance they are using a driver that was designed for mono and they are using for stereo and it's failing at some points. If it's software, they can fix with OTA!

Edit: Appears like it's a hardware issue. See:

 

Edited August 14, 2022 by brunoais
Removing my speculation and bringing a topic with someone who actually moved hardware around to fix it

[smammy 11]

Appreciate the info on speaker issues. I don't think our sound output issue is the same issue: It only happens on calls, and the sound output cuts out completely when we're speaking. Also it happens with a wired headset as well. So my guess is that it has more to do with call audio processing than with the hardware or low-level audio drivers.

Is anyone having problems with the internal microphone like I described?

On 8/12/2022 at 5:07 PM, smammy said:

First, the built-in microphone gain is extremely low. it makes my spouse completely inaudible during calls and only barely audible using a sound recording app. When we attach a wired headset, the microphone gain is fine.

Thanks!

[Rob. S. 1,616]

37 minutes ago, smammy said:

Appreciate the info on speaker issues. I don't think our sound output issue is the same issue: It only happens on calls, and the sound output cuts out completely when we're speaking. Also it happens with a wired headset as well. So my guess is that it has more to do with call audio processing than with the hardware or low-level audio drivers

You're right, they're two different things. Then again it might still be a specific problem of your phone; I've tested calls to both mobile and landline connections, calling as well as being called from the other phone, and no such issues came up in any way...

[smammy 11]

On 8/14/2022 at 1:55 PM, Rob. S. said:

You're right, they're two different things. Then again it might still be a specific problem of your phone; I've tested calls to both mobile and landline connections, calling as well as being called from the other phone, and no such issues came up in any way...

Thanks, @Rob. S., that's a useful data point.

[Feld 0]

Hello!

I'm using the Pro1-X with Android.

I'm also occassionally facing problems when calling somebody or being called. In more than 50% of calls the other person can't hear me. I've not been on the other side of the call so far, so I don't know if there is really no noise at all. 

I've also tried another phone app "Koler", but it didn't help. I tested it because when I'm calling via internet with "Signal", the other person understands me more or less well. I don't know about these software things, but I was wondering if Signal uses it's own microphone driver or why it's not facing same problem (at least so far). By the way, recording my voice with "Schlichtes Diktiergerät" also works fine.

I hope, the issue gets solved soon. I mean, it's a basic feature of a phone. Does anybody have recommendations how to properly do normal calls with this phone (not via internet) in the meantime?

Do people with other operating system face the same problem?

Thanks and kind regards!

[claude0001 1,239]

@Feld: As your phone seems to be set to German UI language, I will assume you are located in Germany or Austria. If so, you should try to disable VoLTE (sometimes called "Enhanced 4G LTE Mode" in the settings), which will force phone call audio to use the traditional GSM protocols rather than VoIP. For me this was a day/night difference with the Pro1(noX) regarding call availability and connection stability. You will lose native video calling in the process, but I think it is well worth it - and most people prefer using seperate apps for video conferencing anyway. 

Unlike in some other countries, there are no plans to disable the GSM/2G networks anytime soon in Germany, as important national infrastructure relies on them. However, you'll have to remember to re-enable VoLTE when e.g. travelling to the US. They are currently shutting down everything <4G.

Edited October 24, 2022 by claude0001

[Feld 0]

@claude0001, thanks a lot for your answer. I was wondering from where you saw I'm located in Germany (hopefully it's not that clear from my English skills 😀 -> saw now it could be the app names), but yes in general it's true. Anyhow, I just started using my Pro1-X and only used it in Spain so far - but all mobile phones participating in my calls so far were German phones. I'll try your solution later on today. I'm curious, hopefully it works 🙂

I've tested it. There is no option "VoLTE", but one called "4G-Anrufe" (which means "4G-Calls"). I've disabled it. 2 of 2 calls worked well so far, so it seems to solve the my microphone/call problem. Hopefully the issue is gone.

Do other people of this forum thread still have microphone issues? It was even discribed in the latest update on Indiegogo. Or is that just another/additional issue?

Edited October 24, 2022 by Feld

[claude0001 1,239]

15 minutes ago, Feld said:

I was wondering from where you saw I'm located in Germany

It was your naming the App "Schlichtes Diktiergerät" (aka "Simple Voice Recorder"). 😄

I do not know about (the future of) 2G/GSM availability in Spain. Disabling VoLTE is a safe solution for Germany and Austria for now, but not for the entire world: If you are in a network which has disabled those old protocols, VoLTE is now mandatory for phone calls. But just trying will not break anything. 

[claude0001 1,239]

59 minutes ago, Feld said:

Do other people of this forum thread still have microphone issues? It was even discribed in the latest update on Indiegogo. Or is that just another/additional issue?

As I said, I had this on an 835-Pro1. Mostly, when using the phone on the move.

The problem with bad VoLTE calls is definitely not specific to the Pro1-X. It is generally not just a problem on the side of the phone, but also caused by shitty LTE coverage and bad handling on the side of the network operator. E.g., when in the midst of a VoLTE call you roam to a cell with no or poor LTE connectivity, the call should seamlessly transition to GSM - however for me this never (or rarely) worked: the call just stalled (German O2, cannot recommend ...).

By forcing GSM/2G from the start, you avoid both problems thanks to its larger range and hence almost 100% coverage in all areas.

Edited October 24, 2022 by claude0001

[Name_not_avail 64]

I want to add some observations about microphone performance here, because I now have experience with the Pro 1x on both sides of the Canada/US border, using a T-Mobile (USA) sim card in the phone.

The microphone volume is terribly poor when trying to call through the T-Mobile network in the USA.  People can hear me only very, very faintly unless I switch the phone to speakerphone mode, at which point the microphone becomes normal.  My voice is so faint that I cannot leave a voicemail for anyone (their system just clicks off), and many people just hear dead air when they answer me.  

I have not tried using ear buds with built-in microphone yet, so I cannot comment on how effective the microphone would be in that use case.  Switching to speakerphone mode does improve the microphone volume on the T-Mobile network.  I'm not sure whether speakerphone mode uses a physically different microphone on the Pro 1x.

I believe all these calls with poor microphone performance were using LTE, because T-Mobile has shut down all their GSM service now.  So there were never any GSM handoff issues at fault.  

I disagree with @claude0001 that this is not a specific problem to the Pro 1x, because I have used this T-Mobile sim card in other phones, using VoLTE, and I never had this low microphone volume problem with the other phones.  

On the Canada side of the border, there are still GSM cell towers.  When roaming in Canada, the roaming carriers (Telus and Bell) connect my Pro 1x using UMTS without me changing any settings on the phone.  I assume that's the cheapskate roaming deal they have with T-Mobile to exclude LTE, but in actual fact, it makes the Pro 1x perfectly useable in Canada, because it effectively applies the solution proposed by @claude0001 to disable VoLTE.

When I am connected to a WiFi network in Canada, the sim card is set up to automatically switch to "T-Mobile Wifi Calling" on the Pro 1x.  My microphone volume works fine in this mode, too.

I hope FxTec is working on the low microphone volume with LTE.  It's real, and it's going to make the phone unusable in the USA.

It's really not a practical solution to tell USA customers to disable VoLTE.

Now that I have root access, I have been interested to read the various audio settings on the Pro 1x by entering "su" and then "tinymix" in a terminal.  I output the result to a text file using the ">" command, followed by a filename.  Nothing in there stands out as obviously specific to microphone volume when using VoLTE, but maybe a more experienced user here can comment.  The mixer shows as "bengal-idp-snd-card" and there are 2498 controls, so I won't bother posting them all.  If you have root access, you can look at them yourself and probably change them yourself - there are threads on XDA that discuss this. 

But given the Pro 1x microphone seems to work fine with calls made on VoWiFi and UMTS, I don't want to screw around with anything in tinymix that would change the microphone performance across every use case, or damage it.  

[Aristocracy 10]

On 11/18/2022 at 8:21 PM, Name_not_avail said:

I want to add some observations about microphone performance here, because I now have experience with the Pro 1x on both sides of the Canada/US border, using a T-Mobile (USA) sim card in the phone.

The microphone volume is terribly poor when trying to call through the T-Mobile network in the USA.  People can hear me only very, very faintly unless I switch the phone to speakerphone mode, at which point the microphone becomes normal.  My voice is so faint that I cannot leave a voicemail for anyone (their system just clicks off), and many people just hear dead air when they answer me.  

I have not tried using ear buds with built-in microphone yet, so I cannot comment on how effective the microphone would be in that use case.  Switching to speakerphone mode does improve the microphone volume on the T-Mobile network.  I'm not sure whether speakerphone mode uses a physically different microphone on the Pro 1x.

I believe all these calls with poor microphone performance were using LTE, because T-Mobile has shut down all their GSM service now.  So there were never any GSM handoff issues at fault.  

I disagree with @claude0001 that this is not a specific problem to the Pro 1x, because I have used this T-Mobile sim card in other phones, using VoLTE, and I never had this low microphone volume problem with the other phones.  

On the Canada side of the border, there are still GSM cell towers.  When roaming in Canada, the roaming carriers (Telus and Bell) connect my Pro 1x using UMTS without me changing any settings on the phone.  I assume that's the cheapskate roaming deal they have with T-Mobile to exclude LTE, but in actual fact, it makes the Pro 1x perfectly useable in Canada, because it effectively applies the solution proposed by @claude0001 to disable VoLTE.

When I am connected to a WiFi network in Canada, the sim card is set up to automatically switch to "T-Mobile Wifi Calling" on the Pro 1x.  My microphone volume works fine in this mode, too.

I hope FxTec is working on the low microphone volume with LTE.  It's real, and it's going to make the phone unusable in the USA.

It's really not a practical solution to tell USA customers to disable VoLTE.

Now that I have root access, I have been interested to read the various audio settings on the Pro 1x by entering "su" and then "tinymix" in a terminal.  I output the result to a text file using the ">" command, followed by a filename.  Nothing in there stands out as obviously specific to microphone volume when using VoLTE, but maybe a more experienced user here can comment.  The mixer shows as "bengal-idp-snd-card" and there are 2498 controls, so I won't bother posting them all.  If you have root access, you can look at them yourself and probably change them yourself - there are threads on XDA that discuss this. 

But given the Pro 1x microphone seems to work fine with calls made on VoWiFi and UMTS, I don't want to screw around with anything in tinymix that would change the microphone performance across every use case, or damage it.  

I have problems also pretty much exactly as you describe them.  I am on the T Mobile network also and live pretty close to the Canadian boarder, but don't cross over.

As I'm talking to people sometimes one of us or the other will cut out... sometimes both of us at the same time.  The duration varies, but can last multiple seconds... long enough the other party gets frustrated and hang up.  Sometimes switching to speaker helps, but not always.  I've tried changing some preferences on my phone (Wifi enhanced calling, Network preferences (NR/LTE, etc) but nothing seems to really help.

I had a good run of calls after experimenting changing the network preferences and upon seeing that it didn't help I changed it back to the default-- Calls went smoothly for a couple of hours after that, but it could have simply been chance.  I don't really know anything about cell phones-- I basically needed something that worked right out of the box.  If this is a persistent incurable issue I may need to abandon it.  As much as I dislike talking on the phone I do need a device capable of fulfilling the function.

[Sue 0]

Also in the US on a T-Mobile SIM card.  Microphone does not pick me up at all unless speaker phone is used.