1. SpamHammer's Avatar
    Hey guys,

    I found a similar thread a few days ago where a user was complaining about the sound on the Passport. My Passport having arrived, I have a similar issue.

    Music on the Passport sounds like crap over headphones. It gets really distorted and "scratchy" for lack of a better word. Turning off my bluetooth headphones, the music sounds fine on the speakers - no distortion at all.

    I know it's not the headphones as they work great with my Android phone and my laptop. It's only when using the Passport.

    Phone call clarity is fine on the Passport, for the record.

    I'm thinking this has something to do with the Bluetooth stack used, or the system's EQ settings, which I haven't been able to find a way to change (note: I am NOT using the Music app - I use Pandora, Rhapsody, YouTube, etc.).

    Can anyone shed some light on this?

    For testing, I'm using La Roux's "In For the Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey remix)" (the version used in the Judge Dredd trailers) as the test, if anyone wants to repeat the test.

    On low quality versions of the song, listening on a good pair of headphones or desktop speakers, you can hear her voice crackle ever so slightly at higher pitches.
    On high quality versions of the song, it's unnoticeable.

    On the Passport, across multiple music apps and multiple versions of the song, her voice is basically crackling static. is almost white noise. Same with the bass - completely flat and lacking punch, just converts to white noise. This is with decent A2DP headphones and to a lesser, but still noticeable degree, desktop gaming headphones.

    It's completely untenable to listen to.

    And, I've tried it with several other songs too! Pop, rap, etc. All have the same issues.

    So, can someone please provide some feedback?? I've never heard such crap sound in my life.

    I'd love to find a system-wide EQ, but so far my searches in BlackBerry World have turned up either nothing or questionable apps.
    I don't think Android apps would work because they'd either have to be always open or they wouldn't affect the phone's EQ outside of their instance.
    06-05-15 01:52 PM
  2. vladi's Avatar
    Every BB10 devices sounds like that over BT.

    Even with aptX enabled BT headphones like MDR-1BT MKII its still questionable at least, plus there is that bottleneck present on BB10 for higher fidelity files.

    Now if mid-highs are crackling most of the time maybe your Passport has some software issues, I wouldn't recommend restoring OS just because of it but if its important to you.
    06-05-15 02:00 PM
  3. Trauma Surgeon's Avatar
    BT audio is terrible. Get a nice cable and some good headphones.

    Posted via CB10
    arkenoi likes this.
    06-05-15 02:12 PM
  4. SpamHammer's Avatar
    BT audio is terrible. Get a nice cable and some good headphones.

    Posted via CB10
    That's flawed on so many levels:

    1. It's not true. Audio quality is determined by codec, device, and headphones.
    2. I like having the freedom to not untangle headphones or be tethered to a short range
    3. I like not having to worry about knocking my phone on the floor when I get up
    4. I already mentioned the issue is reproducible in corded headphones.
    5. Deflection is not an answer.
    DrBoomBotz likes this.
    06-05-15 03:11 PM
  5. SpamHammer's Avatar
    Every BB10 devices sounds like that over BT.

    Even with aptX enabled BT headphones like MDR-1BT MKII its still questionable at least, plus there is that bottleneck present on BB10 for higher fidelity files.

    Now if mid-highs are crackling most of the time maybe your Passport has some software issues, I wouldn't recommend restoring OS just because of it but if its important to you.
    A bottleneck? What bottleneck?

    And yeah, it's making music completely unusable. I can't listen to music on my phone at work, at home, on my commute, etc. That's a pretty core, pretty basic function of smartphones since...well, ever. Smartphones have been doing music playback since before the iPhone, so it's something I've been used to for over 10 years now.

    This is a huge issue.
    06-05-15 03:14 PM
  6. DeRedder's Avatar
    First off, the passport audio output is among the best ever.
    It's completely flat. Attach some actual good monitor headphones and you will know.
    As for you music, well, sucks to be you I guess. My music sounds perfect. You can access the equaliser by swiping down.

    Android does not even have realtime audio. We are talking +100ms delay.
    Jaredius and kthhrrsn like this.
    06-05-15 03:21 PM
  7. herculesinwyoming's Avatar
    I have bluthooth beats and they work fine With my passport

    Posted via CB10
    06-05-15 03:23 PM
  8. SpamHammer's Avatar
    It's completely flat.
    I would normally agree that that was good if it started as flat and then you could get a good equaliser, but I can't even find an EQ on BB World.

    As for you music, well, sucks to be you I guess. My music sounds perfect.
    Super helpful post, bro. You really contributed to the conversation.

    You can access the equaliser by swiping down.
    What part of "not using the BB Music app" don't you get? I specifically listed the apps I use and you didn't bother to read my post.

    Android does not even have realtime audio. We are talking +100ms delay.
    So? If I'm listening to music, that's not something I can notice. That might explain the delay sometimes between the audio and video on Android though, so thanks for that.
    Blackerthanblack likes this.
    06-05-15 03:37 PM
  9. sk8er_tor's Avatar
    My music gateway works fine connected via Bluetooth to my Passport. Also works fine in multiple cars I've driven, also connected via Bluetooth. Never tried it with Bluetooth headphones though.

    You mention it's an app you're using... maybe it's the app?
    06-05-15 03:41 PM
  10. DeRedder's Avatar
    I believe all android apps to sound crap so honestly, maybe the problem is just in the apps?
    Also "gaming headphones" are known for their audio quality...

    Lol
    06-05-15 03:44 PM
  11. DeRedder's Avatar
    Just use the real audio application to confirm everything works, and then think about no more using android audio apps.

    Speaking about garbage, I have the S6 edge and the audio quality is just that
    06-05-15 03:46 PM
  12. SpamHammer's Avatar
    I believe all android apps to sound
    Great, so I'm dealing with someone who clearly has no idea what he's talking about and is biased against a wide range of products and solutions. Bigger reality distortion field than Steve Jobs...

    Also "gaming headphones" are known for their audio quality...
    They're known for much better quality than standard headphones, cheap earbuds, bundled headphones, etc. So, yeah, they are. Are they Shure monitors? No. But are they a great deal better than what most people rock out of the box and perfectly useful as a distinguishing tool for this test? Absolutely.
    06-05-15 03:58 PM
  13. Trauma Surgeon's Avatar
    That's flawed on so many levels:

    1. It's not true. Audio quality is determined by codec, device, and headphones.
    2. I like having the freedom to not untangle headphones or be tethered to a short range
    3. I like not having to worry about knocking my phone on the floor when I get up
    4. I already mentioned the issue is reproducible in corded headphones.
    5. Deflection is not an answer.
    Mp3 files?

    Posted via CB10
    06-05-15 03:58 PM
  14. SpamHammer's Avatar
    then think about no more using android audio apps.
    Huuur, maybe if BlackBerry had half the damn apps that Android did we wouldn't be having this conversation, genius. You're starting to sound like a troll.

    I always look for native apps first, but if I can't find them, I use the Android ones that I know have consistently worked.

    Why are you trying to blame the user for the platform's problem? WTF is wrong with you?

    I believe all android apps to sound crap...I have the S6 edge...the audio quality is...garbage
    $30K millionaire here - makes minimum wage but buys all the expensive gadgets, talks **** about them, doesn't understand them, but must have them for status.
    06-05-15 04:01 PM
  15. SpamHammer's Avatar
    Mp3 files?

    Posted via CB10
    From my original post:

    note: I am NOT using the Music app - I use Pandora, Rhapsody, YouTube, etc.
    You do the math on whether or not they're MP3 files.
    06-05-15 04:02 PM
  16. SpamHammer's Avatar
    You mention it's an app you're using... maybe it's the app?
    Maybe. But I've tried multiple apps to confirm whether it's an individual app, and it's reproducible across the three I tried. That tells me it's a system-wide issue. Plus, the apps perform fine on Android and their desktop counterparts.

    That's why I was looking for a BlackBerry EQ to use, hoping I could solve it by forcing better EQ settings across the board. Any experience with those?
    06-05-15 04:04 PM
  17. shawnreum's Avatar
    Does your BT head phones have volume on them directly?
    If so, turn down your Passports BT volume a bit.

    Posted via CB10
    06-05-15 04:24 PM
  18. Ronnie Tyler's Avatar
    I don't know why are you talking about my phone had the similiar issue with the bluetooth audio and the camera focus once i installed the leak , went from 10.3.1 to 10.3.2 everything got fixed and i connect my phone to my car everyday for music and the sound is amazing
    06-05-15 04:37 PM
  19. SpamHammer's Avatar
    Does your BT head phones have volume on them directly?
    If so, turn down your Passports BT volume a bit.

    Posted via CB10
    I'll try that, but I wasn't running either at full volume because it was too loud. I guess I'll bring the Passport's volume to low, set the headphones' volume to high, and then adjust from there.
    06-05-15 04:38 PM
  20. SpamHammer's Avatar
    I don't know why are you talking about my phone had the similiar issue with the bluetooth audio and the camera focus once i installed the leak , went from 10.3.1 to 10.3.2 everything got fixed and i connect my phone to my car everyday for music and the sound is amazing
    I'm not quite following what you're saying here, but it seems like you're saying moving from 10.3.1 to 10.3.2 fixed everything for you. The thing is, I'm on 10.3.2 right now. I got it the other day when it came out. :-/
    06-05-15 04:40 PM
  21. vladi's Avatar
    Like I said if you have constant crackling in every tune you listen to its most likely 1) OS or app bug or less likely 2) Faulty hardware or 3) high encoding settings

    By the way BB10 most likely downsamples high quality audio files anyway so when you are ripping FLAC just go easy on encoding maybe its audio processor/CPU that are having the issues while transcoding it.
    06-05-15 04:53 PM
  22. DeRedder's Avatar
    By the way BB10 most likely downsamples high quality audio files anyway so when you are ripping FLAC just go easy on encoding maybe its audio processor/CPU that are having the issues while transcoding it.

    06-05-15 04:59 PM
  23. Trauma Surgeon's Avatar
    From my original post:



    You do the math on whether or not they're MP3 files.
    You have answered your own question!

    Posted via CB10
    06-05-15 05:18 PM
  24. jamesharmeling's Avatar
    I don't have a Passport, but my Classic is flawless using bluetooth. I use it in my car (Pioneer stereo), BlackBerry handsfree device, HP laptop.....but mostly with my mini Samsung bluetooth device with my BlackBerry earbuds. I stream Tunein Radio, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and also my music files. They all play and sound great.

    Hope you find a solution to this! Good luck and have a great weekend.



    BlackBerryaholic by choice.
    SpamHammer likes this.
    06-05-15 05:19 PM
  25. androidphanatic's Avatar
    1st, what kind of cheap headphones are you using?
    2nd, read this article. http://audiophileon.com/news/blackbe...?rq=blackberry

    The guy touches on bluetooth.

    3rd, take some be cool meds.

    Posted via CB10
    06-05-15 06:01 PM
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