Serious problem with volume - ear damage alert!!!

[davidjoh]

I have a samsung galaxy s4, when im using spotify the max volume is first till low butik after a few minutes something happens and The volume is all of a sudden super high. I mean a permanent ear damage is very possible.

Any ideas om what could cause this?

[mattdebach]

Samsung Galaxy S3 

4.1.2

0.6.0.20 -spotify version

i have not expierenced random volume spikes mine happen when i skip back into a track with the scrub bar or sometimes when i move foreward and if i skip tracks. it only occurs when i have the eq on and has been occuring since i first got the app (at least 6 months ago). Im not sure if this information will help but i am using only the eq that came with the phone and my volume spikes happen for less than one seccond (although i have pretty good headphones and when you are listening quietly in bed it just about kills you) i have tried using different equalizers (offered through the app store) but all seem to have the same issue. also about a month ago i switched to the Cyanagonmod firmware for my phone, i have since switched back, however durring my time on that firmware the built in DSP Equalizer worked for bass boost and general eq however the vol spikes happened when i enabled Dynamic Range Compression so i hope that helps but due to the cheaper google play all access i belive that i will no longer use spotify so i suppose this will be my last post good luck to all

[davidjoh]

I turned of the EQ and now it seems to be working fine, the initial volume is higher and that is a step in the right direction.

I will test it more tomorrow...

[Azalin]

Same problem -

Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S3 (Happens on both)

Spotify Ver 0.6.2.64

OS 4.2.2

[-thedude-]

Same problem with the Equalizer on.
Galaxy Nexus, Android 4.2.1.
Spotify 0.6.2.64
The volume spike blows your ears out, this must be a top priority fix! Please forward to the developers a.s.a.p.

[Joe]

Just as an aside, I notice that volume jumps significantly when I turn off the equaliser. Is it possible some of you are getting the volume jump because for some reason the equaliser just turned itself off?

[nikreiman]

You'll be pleased to learn that we've got a fix for this issue, and it will be released in a future version. I can't say exactly when, as we have a few more urgent bugs which need to be fixed first, but keep your eyes open for updates!

[Budgues]

@Davidjoh
I am also using a Galaxy S4. Did you turn off the Spotify EQ or any internal EQ of your device?

[gotnotime4bs]

I've been having the same issue for almost 2 months! There was an app update a while ago and it said that it was supposed to fix the issue, but it didn't. I've since started using Google Music because this is unbearable. I hope there's a real fix soon, because even though  I don't like Google Music as much as Spotify, I'll have to cancel my subscription because the app has become useless for me.

Device Make/Model Samsung Galaxy S4

Android Version 4.2.2

Spotify App Version  0.6.5.183

[gotnotime4bs]

I didn't see this before my last post. I turned off Spotify EQ and it seems to have fixed the issue. Thank you.

[nikreiman]

FYI this fix was released in client version 0.6.5.

[nikreiman]

Also that means you can all turn the EQ back on if you like 🙂

[velan100]

This is still not fixed. I have version 0.7.6.357 of spotify (Galaxy s3). All was good until yesterday when I upgraded to android 4.3. Now am getting the volume spikes at the start of every track. Did not have this problem before. Please advise!

The problem is rendering spotify virtually unlistenable. (and I'm sure unlistenable is not a word but you get my meaning)

[Jovi]

Hello,

I just bought Samsung Galaxy S4 and installed Spotify and I experience same problem with volume spikes. I used to have Samsung Galaxy S2 and there was no problem at all with volume.

It seems to be a problem with equalizer turning off as mentioned before. Equalizer switches back on when I open it in Spotify app and volume drops again to normal level. I have noted that problem doesn't seem to appear if I leave Spotify equalizer window on when I lock my phone.

I demand a fix to this problem as I am paying for the service, and I want to have good quality of sound which comes from the working equalizer!

Device: Samsung Galaxy S4

Android version: 4.3

Spotify version: 0.7.6.357

[user-removed]

Can confirm, not fixed.

Samsung Galaxy S 4 Mini, Android 4.3.2, Spotify new one.

[nikreiman]

I just wanted to chime in again on this thread and provide a bit more background information. First of all, I can understand why people are frustrated at this problem. When the volume spikes occur, they are very disruptive and make the app almost unusable. Fortunately the workaround is pretty simple -- just disable the equalizer and the spikes shouldn't occur anymore.

Note: If you have the EQ disabled, and the spikes still occur, please contact me with your phone/OS details.

We will probably not be able to come up with a solution which works any better than the one in the update mentioned in my previous post that was shipped in summer 2013. This is because on different Android devices, the EQ (and sound driver, for that matter) are implemented in completely different ways, and it is unlikely that we will ever be able to find a solution that works for all of them. The problem is specifically caused by the fact that the Spotify app can't control when EQ settings and the volume are applied to the signal. When the volume settings are applied before the EQ ones, then the spike occurs.

Without getting into technical details, it's not really possible to force Android OS to apply them in a given order, so we do our best to delay the volume setting, but obviously it doesn't work on all devices. If you want to know more technical details about the problem, feel free to PM me and I'll gladly explain in much more gory detail. 🙂

Ultimately, the best "fix" for the problem would be for us to write our own EQ rather than relying on the system one. I'm not on the Android team here anymore, but last I heard they are not planning on doing this. Realistically, when we introduced the EQ, it should have been in an experimental "labs" setting, because it was never 100% foolproof. Unfortunately we did not think of that at the time, and it has led to lots of problems with the EQ (for instance, it does not work on Beats-enabled devices, IIRC). However a lot of people like the EQ so they would be mad if we removed or moved the settings.

We know that the problem still exists, but keep in mind that we must prioritize our time to fix critical problems (like playback not working at all or crashing), so given that disabling the EQ fixes the problem it is hard for us to justify devoting even more time to writing our own EQ. That's not to say that we never will, but just bear in mind that we might not have time to do this in the near future.

[beardbear47]

hi 

thanks for taking the time to both reply and  forward me to the most direct and useful thread on this matter.

im not interested in hearing complaints i want solutions.

that said im saddened  to  hear its not priority. yes disabling eq does remove much of the problem, and to some thats enough.

.

i am involved in music  eg performing and recording, as such sound quality is parmount . ive just invested money in new headphones to satisfy that desire. in some respects  they help assist. .

its just galling to now know all was well until i decided to upgrade to jellybean4.3

not knowing the trade off would be sound quality loss for some features that are of little mportance.

i miss the satisfying deep bass and sweeter high end that was one  avaiable .

it makes me seriously consider ditching spotify, and from many threads in a similar veign im not alone.

i do appreciate your explanation, knowing a little of applying eq to sound sources it does make  understand the problem is complex and not as simple as some may think

graeme

[Morebassplz]

Years go by but theres still no change, no fix and above all, no aplogy.

I now have serious tinnitus, thanks to spotify app on my Note3 not working as it should.

Why do you developers have to be this evil? 😕

[rudygt]

hey guy, just wanted to call you out. The 4 dollars i gave to power amp i used across 1 htc, and 2 samsung devices a 5 years ago or longer is still working with a 10 band EQ never any volume issues, has gone further than the 120 so far i've given to spotify, DO THE MATH. guess how many gigs of audio files i have, not much 10. 10 gigs, nothing, thought i would do the right thing and pay, if spotify's model doesnt support development then please, charge an extra 4 dollars one month. do you get it?

[Lmbux]

Hi this is happening for me on Xperia z5 compact, turned off the equaliser and is still a problem, please help. Has been happening for two months.


Thank you