| Cell Phone Fidelity [message #335152] |
Sun, 20 April 2008 14:08  |
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Jessica A. Engle
Messages: 471
Registered: February 2007
Location: nebulous at best |
Active Member |
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Hello. I am about to purchase a new cell phone, and I want to know if ANYONE engineers or reviews cell phones based on whether or not they reproduce sound well, as opposed to superfluous features such as cameras, internet access, etc. I have not found much information on this subject anywhere.
I rarely use the telephone at all, I may use it at length once or twice a month, so I'm not interested in discussing the health/hearing benefits of different phones. I just want to know if someone has a cell phone that is not unbearable to listen to. A good speakerphone feature would also be a draw.
Is it in the nature of cell phone technology for it to sound good?
Much appreciated!
Jessica
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| Re: Cell Phone Fidelity [message #335182 is a reply to message #335152 ] |
Sun, 20 April 2008 16:26  |
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Check out the Sony 8XX series. Mine is pretty good in that regard.
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| Re: Cell Phone Fidelity [message #335254 is a reply to message #335152 ] |
Sun, 20 April 2008 23:33 |
 McAllister
Messages: 726
Registered: April 2004 |
Gold Member |
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Cell manufacturers care more about cameras, videos, and other doo-dads than clarity.
A good friend is a usability guy, who interviews with Nokia a few years back. They asked him, "What would you do to improve cell phones?" He answered, "I'd like to make them better as actual phones - clarity, quality, and connection." Dead silence. He didn't get the gig.
All that I've heard - many Nolia, Ericsson, iPhone, and others, sound shitty.
M
"That sounded great....now let's record one."
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| Re: Cell Phone Fidelity [message #335301 is a reply to message #335254 ] |
Mon, 21 April 2008 09:22 |
theo mack
Messages: 144
Registered: April 2004
Location: Las Vegas |
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I really like my new samsung katalyst.
Sounds way better than any of my previous cel phones.
The "chocolate" being the worst sounding one I owned.
The Katalyst is still not as good as a home wired phone though.
I must also add the t mobile "hotspot at home" feature is freaking amazing. The phone will connect to my home wireless router automatically and my minutes are free. reception is really bad around my home, this completely solved my issues.
The fidelity is about the same when it is working in wi-fi mode with the exception of an additional few ms. of latency.
As far as I know t mobile is the only usa carrier with this feature.
I considered an i phone, tried one for a few days. Liked it but it is a better (pda/everything else) than phone IMHO. Maybe the new one will be a great phone too?
theo mack
Freelance Audio Guy
Las Vegas, NV.
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| Re: Cell Phone Fidelity [message #335337 is a reply to message #335152 ] |
Mon, 21 April 2008 12:26 |
McAllister
Messages: 726
Registered: April 2004 |
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AT&T switched their network to digital only sometime in the late 90s. They built it, and to move as many people over to digital they developed the first "One-Rate" plan (no roaming or long distance charges). All of their analog customers were force-migrated (here's a free phone!) and the network was soon thereafter dismantled.
Old, analog bag-phones (and the ones mounted in cars) had great power, reception, clarity, and signal strength. Incredible pieces. You still see 'em from time to time in thrift stores. Or course, finding a compatible network is another story.
M
"That sounded great....now let's record one."
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| Re: Cell Phone Fidelity [message #335338 is a reply to message #335152 ] |
Mon, 21 April 2008 12:30 |
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I have a cheap AT&T "LG" phone that I'd recommend NOT getting. Reason being, is that it makes an obscenely loud alarm/alert sound to indicate a low battery directly through the listening piece. I'd go so far as to say that it is dangerously loud, as it has blasted my right ear drum on a couple of occassions, and it actually hurt my ear.
As far as fidelity goes, I've not heard any difference between the various ones I've used.
Ryan Slowey
Albany, NY
Me: http://www.myspace.com/bubba_joan
Music page: http://www.myspace.com/hangmanslowly
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| Re: Cell Phone Fidelity [message #335370 is a reply to message #335152 ] |
Mon, 21 April 2008 15:09 |
marcel
Messages: 425
Registered: May 2005
Location: Vancouver |
Active Member |
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This is one of my current obsessions...
I don't care so much about audio quality (as long as I can understand the other person), but build quality is a big issue. I'm trying to find a military grade, no-frills (camera, internet terminal, mp3 player, fancy graphics/ringtones being frills) PCS phone that will withstand the abuse I usually dish out to phones.
I have a 5 year old Siemens M-55 that I keep going back to. Had, I dunno, 6 other phones in the last 3 years, and all have broken in some cheesy way or other. Eventually the old one is gonna go, too, so...
Best, Marcel
Best, Marcel
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| Re: Cell Phone Fidelity [message #335374 is a reply to message #335370 ] |
Mon, 21 April 2008 15:23 |
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Berolzheimer
Messages: 808
Registered: April 2007
Location: L.A. |
Gold Member |
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I have a T-Mobile Dash, it has absolutely the worst sounding speakerphone ever. must be 50% distortion, of a really scratchy, hashy type. I used to have Palm Treo, I thought it sounded pretty good, comparatively.
"We have also sound-houses, where we practise and demon- strate all sounds and their generation....
Divers instruments of music likewise to you unknown, some sweeter than any you have; with bells and rings that are dainty and sweet. We represent small sounds as great and deep, likewise great sounds extenuate and sharp; we make divers tremblings and warblings of sounds, which in their original are entire. We represent and imitate all articulate sounds and letters, and the voices and notes of beasts and birds. We have certain helps which, set to the ear, do further the hearing greatly; we have also divers strange and artificial echoes, reflecting the voice many times, and, as it were, tossing it; and some that give back the voice louder than it came, some shriller and some deeper, some rendering the voice, differing in the letters or articulate sound from that they receive. We have all means to convey sounds in trunks and pipes, in strange lines and distances."--Francis Bacon, 1626
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