Anyone else disappointed with the external speaker quality compared to their last phone?

[TwoDollarCuts]

I got my Solar Red in last Thursday and today I had time to sit and compare sound quality with my Motorola G5 Plus. Now, for background, last month I had an M7 bust on me which I've used faithfully since launch and I recall hearing the sound and being floored by it. I was really hoping the same for the U11.

When I heard my G5's external speaker quality I was sad that it didn't sound full, but now that I'm comparing it to my U11, I swear that it sounds almost the same if I just lay the phones out on the table now that there is essentially one speaker working through both phones (I get that the U11 has the dual speaker setup, but it really doesn't do as much as I thought). When I took the same song on both phones with the U11 on Music mode the bass thumps were about the same.

If someone could talk about their M7 or M8 external speakers vs the U11 let me know. I could just have rose tinted glasses on.

 

[rkdxpress]

I came from the m8 to the u11. U11 sounds way better! Very pleased as this was important to me also. Just for fun place your phone in a large bowl or a dry sink for improved sound.

 

[MDMcAtee]

I'm not disappointed at all with this phone. While the m8 may be a touch louder it is not as clear and detailed, nor is the bass as punchy.

Give it a few days to settle in then compare the two.

Mac

 

[SkypilotOfHope]

Music mode is quite good, better than my HTC 10. Theatre mode is awful, imho.

 

[Morty2264]

I did see some audio comparisons on YouTube, and it sounded pretty good. Then again, I'm not a huge audiophile/very well-versed in audio so I am pretty happy with whatever I get sound-wise.

 

[Mathrania]

I came from Pixel XL and the sound is notably better... Last best sounding device owned by me was M8

 

[bhatech]

Music mode is quite good, better than my HTC 10. Theatre mode is awful, imho.

This !!! Music mode is loud and clear. Theater mode is low, screathy and awful sounding to me as well.

 

[Habiib]

I did a small comparison (M9 vs U11) and I concur that the music mode is awesome. However, the theater mode of the M9 grinds the U11's into saw dust. In my opinion, the M9's theater mode is the best sounding I've heard when it comes to adding more depth and a quasi surround sound effect.

What's interesting is that Music mode is actually stereo and the speakers are separated between L (earpiece) and R (bottom speaker) channels. Erica Griffin made this discovery.

 

[TwoDollarCuts]

So through some miracle I got my M7 out of the boot-loop. For those interested or are having the same problem, this is what I did:

Hold down the Lower Volume button until it gets to the selection screen after the "HTC Android" screen pops up
While still holding the Lower Volume button down, press the Increase Volume button to make a selection to Boot, then use the power button to select. It will be safe.
Choose to boot in safe mode and the phone should reboot itself
Keep the Lower Volume button pressed just in case, and then let it go when it boots to safe mode.

Anyways, I compared the same song on my M7 to my U11 and it was as I suspected which is the M7 external speakers sound better. The sound is more full with Beats Audio and it just makes me super disappointed in the U11. I've heard the M8 is the sound king for the front speaker series and it's honestly what got me on the HTC train on the first place so I'm going to look into getting a second hand (or new) M8 and just deal with that for a while. I understand the U11 is the best phone from HTC yet, but front firing and good sounding speakers mean too much for me to give up so my stubborn self will have to go until they either come back or both the M7 and future M8 die.

 

[TwoDollarCuts]

So you thought the U11 music mode was better than the M9? Just wondering.

 

[Habiib]

So you thought the U11 music mode was better than the M9? Just wondering.

Yes, it was louder and clearer to my ears. One thing I noticed was that there were certain higher frequencies that sounded more audible on the M9. I was watching a clip of a C5 Galaxy taking off when its engines were being throttled up and the high pitch whine was clearer on the M9, but all else went to the U11 for having better sound quality.

 

[isdaako]

It's an improvement over the 10 I had. Like the 10, the 11 when placed in a sink ( bowl shaped ) has much improved sound. Also, it seems that both phones sound better from ten feet away than arms length.

 

[mfreeland]

It's an improvement over the 10 I had. Like the 10, the 11 when placed in a sink ( bowl shaped ) has much improved sound. Also, it seems that both phones sound better from ten feet away than arms length.

At least with the 11, you don't have to worry about a little water in that bowl or sink....

 

[AnnDroid]

I'm still loving my Nexus 6P speakers. Good and loud. I only listen to podcast, so quality isn't that important. Anyone here have a comparison to the Nexus 6P?

 

[isdaako]

At least with the 11, you don't have to worry about a little water in that bowl or sink....

Finally!

 

[TwoDollarCuts]

Got my Moto G5 Plus back from repair and I can confirm that my U11 does sound better, but still can't hold a candle to the bass response the M7-M9 can give. For things like rock, jazz, or podcasts the U11 is perfect. I have to admit that I really am enjoying the premium-ness of it as, again, I came from the M7. But for an avid hip-hop head the bass response is just terrible. Was I expecting too much? I kept reading about how great the speakers were compared to all the other flagships, but with hip-hop it's just more clear with no bass. Dang. The Solar Red is pretty, the phone is fast as hell for everything I do, the speaker is great for anything where bass doesn't matter. So torn on it.

 

[BigDinCA]

Loved my M8. Still have 2 of them - one is the Sprint Harmon Kardon edition and one is just broken. It has two solid front-facing speakers that no other device I've been around can touch, including the U11. I can't speak on the M9 because I didn't have one. But I also really liked the 10 and the speakers weren't that bad at all next to the M8. The U11, in my opinion, is better than the 10. Add to that all if the other improvements in components and camera and software and it's a no-brainer. If you had an M8 you may be a little disappointed in the phone's speakers but audio through the usb-c port is great.

 

[deadlywill]

I'm impressed with how mine sounds. Often have to turn it down so the neighbours don't call the cops ha

 

[coronaboy10]

Nope, coming from HTC 10 and before that an M8. And the U11 blows them both away and the U11 seems to have the bass turned up compared to the 10. I do miss the ff speakers like on the M8 though. A LOT!

 

[wynand32]

I'm impressed with how mine sounds. Often have to turn it down so the neighbours don't call the cops ha

Hmmm... Kind of wondering about mine. Received it yesterday from Amazon, and I'm just not finding the external speakers to be putting out much volume. Music mode is much quieter than theater mode, and the sound in the former is lacking in bass.

Unfortunately, my Nexus 6P won't boot (boot loop error) and so the only phone I have to compare with is my iPhone 6. The volume on the iPhone is roughly equivalent at maximum to the U11 in music mode, albeit the U11's quality is better.

I was expecting better. I don't care as much about playing music through the external speakers; I always use headphones for music. But in the occasional YouTube video that I watch, or Netflix, I have to crank the volume past 75% to get any kind of volume.