Note 9 speaker problem

[FYLegend21]

@MountainlifterDid you get the recent OTA update? I can't tell if it really made a difference. I played an 8 minute music video on YouTube and felt as if the drum became more treble-heavy on the right/bottom speaker, but the volume doesn't actually dip. In videos with narration the voice sometimes starts very deep and bassy and gradually drops off over time. I haven't been able to test Samsung Video Player since I normally use it for short videos I film with the phone.

With audio products, burn-in isnt much of a hardware thing as it is psychological, but we are definitely noticing a drop and it's not in our heads. It sounds to me like DSP for the speakers are trying to automatically normalize volumes but something is messing it up over time. I usually use Dolby Atmos set to "Auto" which seems to make the volume somewhat more balanced.

[Mountainlifter]

@FYLegend21

No, I didn't get the OTA update yet. Still doing the manual check daily. But this update is supposed to be just security updates and nothing to do with firmware or audio stability as far as I know.

I will report back once I get it. 

I agree, it is certainly not phsychological and difference in obvious. I think, as you describe, we should call this a "bass drop" problem instead of a "volume drop" problem. 

@userilBa4y5wSO No fix yet. And samsung service won't even recognize the problem.

[FYLegend21]

I spoke too soon, it still happens with Horizon Chase.

I might just be thinking it, but it seems like sometimes the bass and volume don't actually decrease but the overall sound just sounds even more "compressed". it's hard to tell the difference because some music just doesn't sound good to begin with on the Note 9. For example Mirrors by Justin Timberlake and In the End by Linkin Park are pretty poor-sounding through Note 9's speakers while other songs are decent.

[Mountainlifter]

@FYLegend21 Whatever the symptoms and however we analyze them, in the end, we aren't able to fully determine if it is a hardware or software issue. We can only hope that it is a software problem that can be patched out through a firmware or software update.

I read somewhere that the next update will have more device updates unlike  the security-only updates of the recent one.

[userl0FmH4srOK]

Yap, i think so, because i've check on my note 9 speakers, and that was fine.

[userilBa4y5wSO]

Did you find out how to fix it? Cause this is happening to me too and it's pretty annoying...

[userblmagXiGsO]

I'm having the same issue!! Could #samsung pls help

[MountainManJim]

My phone Note 9 512g is having a similar issue. Have had it since day 1. I thought it was streaming issues, or hand cupping issues, but soon realized that the stereo speaker in the ear piece will go quieter, or louder at random. I may watch a movie on my phone and in 2 hours may only notice it one time. Other days, I can't watch a 3 minute YouTube video without it happening 2-3 times. I've done everything aside from sending phone back. Wish we had better support and acknowledgment of the issue from Samsung

[userD2tgIIJ1Xn]

Samsung support is garbage, i wished they were like apple, apple actually fixed the charging problem already with a software update. But when you call samsung support about this speaker problem they have no ckue whats going on. I am on my 3rd note 9 with the same problem, i might jusr have to make the switch back to apple 

[FYLegend21]

Back in the days of the Galaxy S4 I heard they were pretty good with solving issues like this. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 S4 had some bad audio crackling with the headphone jack and they fixed it with an OTA. On the other hand my HTC Butterfly s had the same SoC and DAC with similar issues, but nothing was done about it.

Here's something odd - yesterday for 20 minutes I watched a concert video on Samsung Video Player and noticed no huge issues with the audio. Later that day when I tried again it started happening - the volume didn't decrease (probably because I set Dolby Atmos on Auto) but the audio just sounded wide and muffled with less bass. The moment I swiped down for quick settings and back again (pausing and resuming the audio), the volume seemed to gradually return to normal but remained inconsistent.