HTC 8S audio playback issue

[jakub_pl]

Hi,

since I own HTC 8s I experience also really annoying audio playback issue. It looks like device is not able to playback audio (with built in music player, audiocloud, spotify, ringtones) smooth. From time to time audio stutters and is heavily distorted. It occurs so often that I can call the device audio-disabled.

I sent the phone 2 times to service and they didn't fix the problem. What they do was 1) reinstalling software, 2) changing battery and reinstalling software. Then I contacted HTC and described everything. They contacted the service and asked me if I can send the phone once more. This time service was supposed to look at the issue with care. Of course - it didn't happen and once again I just read the report that none of tests shown that there is any problem with my phone.

I have enough.
Please find this link as attachment (headphones recommended). It's an audio file recored on my laptop with internal mic, so the quality is not the best. I just played 3 songs with spotify. It's easy to notice that audio stutters a lot and sound is distorted.
During this recording the phone was all the time on table doing nothing more than playing songs. All applications in background I turned off.

htc_8s_audio_stuttering_u.zip - Speedy Share - upload your files here

So, this is kind of report to this recording:

first song:
00:50 - audio stutters
01:42 - audio stutters
02:08 - audio stutters
02:36 - audio stutters
03:32 - audio stutters
03:59 - audio stutters
04:46 - audio stutters
04:48 - sound is distorted till the end so it's like 20 seconds

Second song,
05:19 - song starts, sound is OK
05:58 - audio stutters and sound is distorted since this moment
06:19 - audio stutters, sound is back OK
06:40 - audio stutters
06:42 - sound is distorted since this moment
07:02 - audio stutters, sound is back OK
07:23 - audio stutters
07:44 - audio stutters

Third song,
08:50 - song starts, sound is OK
09:16 - audio stutters, sound is distorted
09:27 - audio stutters, sound is back
09:45 - audio stutters
11:04 - audio stutters
11:58 - audio stutters
12:04 - sound is distorted till the end so it's like 40 seconds

I wrote down this timings during recording in Audacity but after exporting file to mp3 there is like +/- 3 seconds of difference in what I gave here and what is in the file. But it's not a big issue...

So, this is how smartphone from HTC plays music.... :/

Dissapointed HTC Customer,
Jakub

 

[Gnax]

Yup, you're not alone. In this forum this was previously discussed also I know few more people with this same issue. So HTC themselves messed up somewhere. I, personally, first noticed this after I installed GDR2.

 

[jakub_pl]

I missed it somehow (http://forums.windowscentral.com/htc-8s/237932-sound-distortions-after-gdr2-update.html)

 

[jakub_pl]

Yesterday I got my phone back from repair. Mainboard was replaced. Problem still occurs.

*I'm listening to "I'm going slightly mad" right now and... I'm going slightly mad ;p

 

[QuadraFX]

Czesc Jakub ;-)

I have contacted HTC support already a few times about this. I am 100% sure that the problem is software related (I have reinstalled original GDR1 on my 8S and the problem is gone !) I have clearly put that this is just the software, more precisely - HTC firmware part related. I was able to prove this when GDR2 was rolled out.
But it seems like HTC support is deaf. I was told to send the phone for a repair.

What I'm going to do is I'll wait to check if the 8S will get WP8.1 and if it would, then I'm curius about these audio problems if they will still be present.
If they will be here again, I'm going to say goodbye to HTC products. They just don't care about customer support.

Moreover, I was just given a Xperia SP as a company phone, so for me it's kind a "welcome back, Android". Everything is working great, no "audio playback issues", great camera, and many, many more features that make usage of this phone really nice experience.

 

[jakub_pl]

Czesc!

Thanks for reply.

As I already described - in my case replacing mainboard did not have any affect. Audio issue was still present. So I contacted HTC support and I was told to send device to service once again, it will be checked replaced probably. Today I got my HTC 8S back. It's a new device.

I'm gonna say goodbye to HTC. Yes, I got my 8S replaced but I don't want to use it anymore. I'm gonna say goodbye not because of this technical issue (as you wrote is software related and one day it will be finally fixed I think) but because of HTC poor support. I had to send device to service 5 times until they replaced the phone.
In case of other problems in the future I don't want to waste my time sending the device 5 times until it's repaired or replaced.

I have enough.

 

[jakub_pl]

Update:

I unpacked the phone and wanted to use it. It came out that touchscreen is broken (I'm unable to type some letters and digits while texting and windows button doesn't react). Bravo HTC!

 

[QuadraFX]

Update:

I unpacked the phone and wanted to use it. It came out that touchscreen is broken (I'm unable to type some letters and digits while texting and windows button doesn't react). Bravo HTC!

Well... after a year of usage, my 8S has following problems :
- Power button is hardly working, I (sometimes) literally have to push it to some hard edge (e.g. furniture) to turn it on or off,
- Battery charging gives strange results, reporting fully charged battery (green light) at about 70% charge,
- Volume butons started to work unreliably, sometimes skipping some values (e.g. going from 15 to 17)
- A camera... some kind of pink tint appears in the central part of the pictures

I really can't understand, why they waste the potential that's in this, well, really good looking phone ?

 

[Gnax]

Ignoring few display scratches, mine HTC still working properly, all working as it's supossed to.

 

[jakub_pl]

Yesterday I got second replacement. It's a new phone, but audio playback issue is still there anyway.

 

[flogistus]

it seems that this issue disappears with 8.1 preview for developers: yesterday I played songs with my 8s for an hour using the xbox music app( :-( ) and a streaming app and the sound never got distortions or something else

 

[QuadraFX]

Nah, even with 8.1 onboard the problem is still there.
It does not appear while listening to the music, just with games and (less often) with videos.
Just a little better when Airplane Mode is on, the sound seems to crackle occasionally but no heavy distortions appear.

HTC has messed up the firmware... thats all. When I bought the phone it has WP8 with GDR1 and everything was ok. Then after GDR2 and firmware upgrade the problems begun.
Just to be sure, I have flashed GDR1 again and everything was perfectly OK (that version also contained original HTC firmware).

WP 8.1 does not upgrade the firmware, just the OS.

 

[azcruz]

I never had any issues with audio playback on my 8S since day 1 and after numerous upgrades, and currently on Windows Phone 8.1. Mine is unbranded though.

I am sorry to see some of you suffer from this problem.

 

[jakub_pl]

I got third replacement. Doesn't work any better than previous ones.

 

[QuadraFX]

I got third replacement. Doesn't work any better than previous ones.

I have some strong feeling that HTC has abandoned further support for 8S.
Well... this is the price we have to pay for buying the phone from a failing company.

 

[Gnax]

After 8.1 I haven't seen the problem.

 

[jakub_pl]

OK I want to let you know how story developed... So finally HTC informed me, that repair service "has admitted that issue exists" (???) and phone was replaced by 8X. Using 8X was a pleasure till I found out (after few hours), that device is restarting itself randomly and continuously! I though it's because SIM tray issue and I applied "tape fix" on SIM card but it didn't help. So phone was sent to repair center once again. Then it was replaced by One mini... cracks in housing after few days appeared but despite this problem phone works fine, there is no issues with sound or restarting. As phone device performs very well as it has superb call quality, as a smartphone not so good as it's performance is poor (but this is separate thing to discuss).

So this is how my 1 year story with HTC looked like.

 

[QuadraFX]

And I have found a workaround. A Plane Mode ! After playing games in Plane Mode I had no audio problems.

This clearly indicates that 8S has problems with software, maybe its part responsible for the radio.
However for next three months I can`t do anything with the phone (I mean, requesting a repair) because I`m again on a business trip in Sweden, working here in the Ericsson R&D. So after going back home I`ll try to push the thing again.
It`s a pity that I cant contact anyone at HTC directly and pass the problem to their technicians, not having to talk to Customer Support which is probably outsorced to some other company.

On the other hand, I don`t feel that HTC will care about 8S when they announced its EOL.

 

[Gnax]

Talking about problems.. Do anyone have problem with camera when filming? For example, when I'm filming something once in time, white frame flashes for split second. Had this problem since 8.0.

 

[jakub_pl]

Can't tell. I haven't used camera that much... Conclusion is that both 8S and 8X are crappy devices.