4s speakers

[1WaySTREET]

After an hour of trying to make this test a clean as possible and reproduce-able, I found a way.

Lets get the funny and fun stuff out of the way before I reveal the testing and results.

Note to self: Take the Otterbox Case off the phone once a week and clean the iPhone 4S. What I found after probably 3 months of it being on was NOT pretty. LOL!

Never want to hear the lyrics "Am I better off dead. Am I better off a quitter" again.

Now for the thank yous.

First I want to thank 1WaySTREET for being a total gentleman (or lady) during this lively discussion. This is how discussions should be done. Respectful with as much factual data as possible. 1WaySTREET made me think. And that is how we learn.

Second I want to thank Apple's engineers for the iPad (3rd Gen). Without their mic design, this verifiable and repeatable testing would not have been possible.

Third I want to thank Fossil Software for writing App Store - AppZilla 2 - 120 in 1!. Their software has a built in decibel meter that was perfect for this testing.

I started with the following devices in front of me: iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPad (3rd Gen) and Droid X.

The first thing to do was find a mic that was not only consistent but could discriminant between a direct sound and a ambient/reflective sound. After an hour of testing the iPad (3rd gen) was the winner hands down. It could tell when I held the bottom of the iPhone, on volume level 1, between the left side (iPhone 4S mic) and the right side (Speaker). This was critical to remove any possibility of detecting sound that was bleeding from the speaker to other parts of the phone. Once I was 100% positive that the iPad mic, with the iPhone at that low of a level, was fit for the job I began my testing.

I ran three levels of tests using iTunes playing the song Nothing by The Script.

1st: At level 3 on the volume.
2nd: At level 8 with my finger covering the bottom right speaker. (Yes there is a good reason)
3rd: At level 8 without my finger covering the bottom right speaker.

The iPad was put on my computer desk with a book under it so that I could make sure the mic was isolated from vibrations and could be set out far enough so that I could hold all three testing points of the phone up to it without making contact. The decibel meter read a very steady 40.3 dB to 40.4 dB average with a peak of 40.9 dB.

1st test was done with my ear and then the iPad.

Ear (Subjective): Speaker - 10, Mic - 7, Receiver - 3.
iPad (Factual): Speaker - peak 98 dB, Mic - peak 44.7 dB, Receiver - peak 42.9 dB.

This test is the most conclusive that Receiver is NOT directly moving air. Which means that 1WaySTREET and Apple's documentation are correct and I was wrong. I did get one consolation prize out of this; I have really good hearing. After looking at some tear downs of the iPhone 4S, I can see areas that can be reflective sound channels.

The 2nd and 3rd test was to find out just how much air movement was actually being reflected so that the iPad mic would pick it up.

Ear (Subjective):
Uncovered; Speaker - 10, Mic - 8, Receiver - 7.
Covered; Speaker - 7, Mic - 9, Receiver - 8.

iPad (Factual):
Uncovered: Speaker - peak 100 db (maxed out), Mic - peak 70.3 dB, Receiver - peak 47.8 dB.
Covered: Speaker - peak 79.9 db, Mic - peak 80.9 dB, Receiver - peak 51.9 dB.

There you have it. If you own an iPad (3rd gen), iPhone 4S and buy AppZilla 2 you can reproduce what I have done here tonight.

And so 1WaySTREET has something to frame

I was wrong.

Note to self: I think I only have one finger left to use up my first hand. Better be more careful. BWAHAHAHAHAHA

Lol. Well your testing procedure is awesome and very well thought out. I am glad that this is solved, thanks to you, as I went to sleep Also I am a woman, glad you added that lady in there or you wouldn't have any fingers left on the one hand. Lol

 

[Skull One]

Lol. Well your testing procedure is awesome and very well thought out. I am glad that this is solved, thanks to you, as I went to sleep Also I am a woman, glad you added that lady in there or you wouldn't have any fingers left on the one hand. Lol

That is very kind of you to say. Thank you.

Should probably give the back story to why I went so far.

I stripped off my Otterbox case to remove my ability to physically feel the difference between the front and the back of the phone. Then I started playing the song and slowly twirled the phone in my hand. This produced a very noticeable sound pattern that could only be explained by me being able to hear the music thru the receiver. At that point I literally asked out loud, how do I prove it?

So I went back to my USAF days when I was stationed at a phased array radar system. The first rule they taught me was how electrons moved thru the air and thru space. Then it dawned on me I needed to prove that air was physically moving by the receiver pushing it not just from sound bleed (which as we all know now was occurring) from the bottom speaker.

This lead to me pulling out every device I owned and examining their mics and how they reacted to sound. Thank goodness the iPad (3rd Gen) worked exactly as I needed it. It was very good with direct air (ie sound) pressure. Once I had the test bed created, then I began testing.

The next sentences are verbatim to what came out of my mouth when I put the receiver next to the iPad's mic with the music playing.

"What the *bleep*. I gotta find an exploded view of the internals. This makes no sense."

And the rest, as you know, is history.

BTW, I had an absolute BLAST doing the research. Rarely do I get to open and prove/disprove an issue like this so quickly and cleanly.

 

[sandisk]

Im currently using iHome iPhone dock. Listen to good music before I go to bed and the battery is fully recharged when I wake up the next morning.

 

[jaidonmitchell]

No, I don't think it's work because you will get louder music with that but you can't get a better music with that and some time so much loud music is frustrated and you feel like very worried and annoyed so I don't think this idea will be work.