Whine in headphone output.

[Ninjak#AC]

At this point, after doing tests and scanning multiple forums, including Motorola's, I'm pretty sure by now that this boils down to being a ground loop problem which no patch or firmware will fix because it's hardware based. For those deciding to keep the Bionic in hopes that Motorola corrects this within a year and will allow a warranty exchange, here's an option (though I hate that I have to even suggest having to use it seeing as it shouldn't be necessary) to tide you over. The Motorola SYN2113 is a MicroUSB-to-3.5mm jack converter. For those who

1) find the noise is infuriating

2) don't want to (or can't) wait for an Incredible HD or Prime

3) don't have headphones/earbuds with inline volume control

4) and don't want to burn through battery using bluetooth headphones

this may be the best workaround. They can be found online for as little as $2 on Amazon. Ignore what some descriptions say about it being for any particular Motorola phone; it should work for the Bionic and any Motorola phone with the MicroUSB port. Such a defect shouldn't exist in a flagship phone, but I hope this helps someone, just as I hope Motorola finds a way to make this right. Considering how late the Bionic is to market, the last things it needs are more reasons for people to turn away from it.

 

[maddog83]

I've only discovered this problem when using the AUX in my car but also with the car charger plugged in. Unplugged the charger and it was fine

 

[1812dave]

Okay, so I've got an update with some........fixes I guess.

In my car I unplugged the power cord from the dock while driving and the whine COMPLETELY disappeared. crystal clear. once the phone was charging the whine returned instantly. The bionic uses so little power when the display is clicked off that this will be no problem to have it not charging when I am listening to my music.

When using the headphones at the gym I didn't notice the whine but when I got back to my house where it was quiet it was noticeable on soft songs. I think that if there is any ambient noise it is enough to drown out the whine. I like the idea of using the bluetooth earbuds to listen to music and I think I will return my current klipsch earbuds.

I wish my car had bluetooth.

I realize that its not ideal to have to find fixes for problems with a phone and I wouldn't be if I didn't like everything else about the phone so much. I am happy that I found ways to enjoy listening to music with it and am pretty pleased I get to keep my phone.

Does anybody know of a bluetooth receiver that outputs an AUX jack?

In the car, if I use any source of power (110 inverter, or the USB output of the inverter, or the DC power of the car's aux outlet (like cigarette lighter) with any of my phones, there is always an audible whine. this has NOTHING to do with the issue specific to the Bionic. Blackberry's do it. other devices do it. the quietest source of power I have found is the 110 inverter. the worst is the USB jack on one of my inverters. the USB charges that plug into the DC outlet is somewhere in between.

the issue is present in more than one vehicle, but the primary vehicle I use Pandora in is a Toyota Sienna during long trips.

 

[PhontomF]

At this point, after doing tests and scanning multiple forums, including Motorola's, I'm pretty sure by now that this boils down to being a ground loop problem which no patch or firmware will fix because it's hardware based. For those deciding to keep the Bionic in hopes that Motorola corrects this within a year and will allow a warranty exchange, here's an option (though I hate that I have to even suggest having to use it seeing as it shouldn't be necessary) to tide you over. The Motorola SYN2113 is a MicroUSB-to-3.5mm jack converter. For those who

1) find the noise is infuriating

2) don't want to (or can't) wait for an Incredible HD or Prime

3) don't have headphones/earbuds with inline volume control

4) and don't want to burn through battery using bluetooth headphones

this may be the best workaround. They can be found online for as little as $2 on Amazon. Ignore what some descriptions say about it being for any particular Motorola phone; it should work for the Bionic and any Motorola phone with the MicroUSB port. Such a defect shouldn't exist in a flagship phone, but I hope this helps someone, just as I hope Motorola finds a way to make this right. Considering how late the Bionic is to market, the last things it needs are more reasons for people to turn away from it.

Can you confirm that this works? I know the sound can also be heard through the external speaker so it isn't only a headphone jack issue.

 

[jimdibb]

On my Shure e3c in-ears, there is a whine and some noise when using Pandora. I haven't yet tried it with any audio files directly on the phone. I don't really notice the whine when it's plugged via AUX into my car, although in some cases there's significantly more electrical noise, but usually only when the audio output hasn't been used that day (like it's uninitialized.).

I'm getting the custom Moto usb/audio cable for use in the car, hopefully that will take care of that use case. I'll have to look into a bluetooth adapter maybe for the headphones, or just turn the music up louder so I don't hear it.

 

[l44l44]

I've got the whine in my Bionic that I got yesterday, but it's nothing that I can't manage, so I'll keep it. Who listens to music nowadays anyways. Somethings in life are just not worth the trouble!

 

[1812dave]

I've got the whine in my Bionic that I got yesterday, but it's nothing that I can't manage, so I'll keep it. Who listens to music nowadays anyways. Somethings in life are just not worth the trouble!

who listens to music? me. every day. and so do untold millions of other people...

 

[l44l44]

who listens to music? me. every day. and so do untold millions of other people...

We all know what I'm talking about. Motorola poured their heart and soul into this phone, and for us to bag on it due to a small bug, just doesn't seem just to Motorola. Google bought them for a reason, so let's not undermine their cause! It's just music, so listen and enjoy, everyone, whine or no whine.

 

[geeksbsmrt]

We all know what I'm talking about. Motorola poured their heart and soul into this phone, and for us to bag on it due to a small bug, just doesn't seem just to Motorola. Google bought them for a reason, so let's not undermine their cause! It's just music, so listen and enjoy, everyone, whine or no whine.

I for one listen to Pandora almost constantly at work. Most of the time it is slower, softer music to keep me calm (I work in IT most of the time in a Help Desk environment.) If I didn't have the music going I might go off on some random person because of some stupid little problem. That said, the whine in the headphones is VERY noticeable and quite annoying. I made the switch to Verizon from Nextel when the OG Droid launched and have always owned Moto products. I feel the build quality is superior to other manufacturers. However, this was a very big disappointment from them. I know they are capable of better, which is why I am so frustrated.

 

[jimdibb]

I've got the whine in my Bionic that I got yesterday, but it's nothing that I can't manage, so I'll keep it. Who listens to music nowadays anyways. Somethings in life are just not worth the trouble!

What do you listen to in the car, talk radio? :-$

 

[l44l44]

What do you listen to in the car, talk radio? :-$

All sorts of music, rock, country, classical. My point is that the whining isn't that bad, and it's just something that most people have to deal with in the background. Please don't undermine all that Motorola has done for us.

 

[djrakowski]

All sorts of music, rock, country, classical. My point is that the whining isn't that bad, and it's just something that most people have to deal with in the background. Please don't undermine all that Motorola has done for us.

Motorola hasn't done anything for us, and people are right to complain when they've spent lots of their hard-earned cash on devices that don't work properly out of the box.

 

[1812dave]

All sorts of music, rock, country, classical. My point is that the whining isn't that bad, and it's just something that most people have to deal with in the background. Please don't undermine all that Motorola has done for us.

what's with all this sympathetic "all that Moto has done for us" schtick??? You sound personally offended that anyone has dared voice their problems with the audible whine in the headphone output. Have you got a vested interest in Moto that has got you worried that they are somehow going to be "harmed" if word of this defect spreads?? What's the deal with you and Moto?

 

[joeym2]

I listened to mine with some in ear buds and was impressed in the audio quality and how loud they were. As a musician I think I would have noticed any interruption in the sound. Maybe it's not affecting all bionics

 

[ltfrazer]

Go over to the Motorola Support Forum for the Bionic. Many of those users have gone directly to Motorola and complained (this user included) and after talking with either a level two or three support person Motorola is acknowledging the problem and sending out new phones. Not everyone has been successful, you have to persevere. They don't offer the phone without some discussion and you have to, of course, send the defective phone back within 48 hours with the prepaid shipping label. They do take your credit card info in case you don't do what you are suppose to do. The person I spoke with was very helpful and very apologetic on Motorola's behalf. He tried to assure me that Motorola wants to make sure their phones are trouble free and don't have these issues. I'm just repeating what he said. At least they acknowledged the issue and are being responsible about it. I'll see what happens when I get my new phone tomorrow!

 

[1812dave]

I listened to mine with some in ear buds and was impressed in the audio quality and how loud they were. As a musician I think I would have noticed any interruption in the sound. Maybe it's not affecting all bionics

hearing it depends on LOTS of things.

1. age/hearing ability
2. if you have tinnitus, that can easily mask it, if its the same pitch
3. headphone sensitivity
4. the methodology you use to try to ascertain if your unit has the problem.

Many musicians are subject to hearing loss, due to the constant barrage of loud music and some affected by hearing loss may not even be aware of it if it is subtle. It took me a while to realize I had hearing loss on one side due to a growing acoustic neuroma, as the loss of hearing was slow and subtle.

I'm not saying that yours may not be exempt from this pervasive whine issue, but it IS possible that were I to listen to your unit, with my headphones, it is conceivable that I'd hear it immediately. then again, you could just be one very lucky guy!!

 

[kath00]

Just posted on the motorola support forum too. My beloved and otherwise perfect Bionic definitely has the hisss.

The easiest way to hear it is to start playing music and then pause it. When you pause it, the hiss persists for a while before it "clicks" off. You would think it will not matter to you because when you play music, it's really not audible. Try playing songs with quiet segments, like a soundtrack or a comedy/talk show recording. You will immediately hear it if you have a defective phone. Same with watching movies. Very noticeable between people talking. SIGH!

Calling Motorola for a new phone tomorrow.

https://supportforums.motorola.com/thread/57436?start=315&tstart=0

 

[qpowel1]

Go over to the Motorola Support Forum for the Bionic. Many of those users have gone directly to Motorola and complained (this user included) and after talking with either a level two or three support person Motorola is acknowledging the problem and sending out new phones. Not everyone has been successful, you have to persevere. They don't offer the phone without some discussion and you have to, of course, send the defective phone back within 48 hours with the prepaid shipping label. They do take your credit card info in case you don't do what you are suppose to do. The person I spoke with was very helpful and very apologetic on Motorola's behalf. He tried to assure me that Motorola wants to make sure their phones are trouble free and don't have these issues. I'm just repeating what he said. At least they acknowledged the issue and are being responsible about it. I'll see what happens when I get my new phone tomorrow!

Keep us updated if receiving a new phone remedies the situation. Personally, since I bought the bluetooth receiver for my headphones, my music listening has been nothing short of pristine, but I would possibly send it back under general principle if the situation has been solved.

 

[kath00]

After 2h on the phone with Motorola today, they said as of this morning they are NOT exchanging the messed up units. My options were 1) return it to Costco (I am in the 14d window for 2 more days) or 2) send it in for repair, which is 5-7 business days without a phone, ha ha.

They were totally unhelpful. Frankly, I felt that the exchange they started on the Moto forum 2 days ago was a very nice way to handle the large number of lemons they have sold to people for the crazy $300 pricetag. Now they are saying "we put an end to that program, sorry!" It's really unprofessional and left a very sour taste in my mouth.

Given that I got my phone from Costco, I luckily have 90 days to exchange. Since I love the Bionic in every other way, my plan is to wait for them to iron out all the kinks (random reboots, annoying hissing, etc) and THEN exchange it for a brand new phone, hopefully around the 90 day mark.

Thanks for nothing, Motorola! Customer service is sorely lacking here. I am glad CNET has picked up on these defects and has written about it on their website. At least they will call attention to the bugs they are shipping these phones with. Early adopters lose again.

Katherine

 

[Jude526]

That's awesome they are listening. Too bad Verizon replaces with refurbish after 14 days.
I think tho Motorola could give 72 hours to return the defective device

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