How to Optimize Your Speakers on HTC One M9 w/ BoomSound
Bob Dylan called it, you guys: the times they are a-changin. Increasingly, more people are sharing and listening to music and video via their phones’ – often craptastic – built-in speakers. For this reason, the music industry is placing a higher emphasis on song mixes tailored specifically for smartphone playback. Yet even with Taylor Swift’s diminutive dynamic range, there still persists a series of reasonably understandable limitations inherent to a pocket sized speaker that will almost undoubtedly leave the listener wanting something more out of their TayTay listening experience.
In response, HTC debuted BoomSound on the One M8. It’s purpose was to project as much volume from a tiny speaker as possible. However with HTC’s new phone, the One M9, they’ve expanded functionality with additional features powered by Dolby Audio. Let’s take a look at some of these new features.
One M9 users can choose from a variety of settings based on what they are listening to and how they are listening to it. BoomSound is automatically activated when using your device’s front facing speakers; however, your range of tweaks is limited in this way. From the notification shade it’s possible to toggle between two different settings:
•Music Mode
•Theater Mode
Choosing Music Mode psychoacoustically boosts the bass frequency during playback, whereas Theater Mode boosts the overall volume. (As if it wasn’t already loud enough!)
When using a headset, you’ll be given four other options to choose from based on what product you’re using. First, let’s navigate to the BoomSound settings page:
1. From Home screen, open up your Apps list and tap Settings.
2. Make sure your headset is plugged in.
3. Open up HTC BoomSound with Dolby Audio.
4. Choose from one of four settings (HTC earbuds, HTC in-ear, HTC Pro Studio, or Other).
The four settings all represent differing EQ profiles to compensate for that particular products presumed drawbacks. Often this simply equates to louder bass response.
BoomSound with Dolby also purports to deliver a 5.1 Surround Sound effect. True surround sound on this device is, of course, impossible as the phone itself sports only a single set of stereo speakers. The effect is executed by altering the phase correlation of the digital audio signal to accentuate the “room” sound (i.e. the non-monophonic elements of the signal). Calling it 5.1 Surround Sound is spin. Think of it instead as “hyper stereo”.
For better or for worse, the HTC One M9 does a lot to affect your phone’s audio. What you need to figure out is where you fall on the audiophile spectrum, and whether you like your audio with more or less “Boom.”
