Iconia 8 ONE (B1-810) --- Inadequate Volume Range from Internal Speaker

Apologies for the lengthy post. I've seen this question posted before but never really answered in terms of a fix. So here goes: I own an entry-level Samsung Tab III but I'm totally new to Acer. My issue/question has to do with the narrow volume range (too low at max) for the built-in speaker.

The built-in speaker on my recently purchased Iconia 8 ONE (B1-810) at max volume is half the output of the Samsung Tab 7, and roughly 3/4 that of a basic prepaid smartphone.

I don't hear any distortion, buzzing or popping sounds to suggest the speakers are defective. It sounds clear, it just doesn't get all that loud. At max volume the sound level is fine for indoor use in a quiet room. It's not so good if I'm walking around a larger room listening to a podcast or audio book. Meanwhile, it's virtually unusable outside with any ambient background sounds whatsoever, even if it is relatively quiet (a light breeze, a couple of birds chirping, some distant traffic noise). I can have the tablet sitting right next to me with the speaker facing up and it can't be heard well in an outdoor setting where there are no walls to reverberate off of. (On the other hand, if I plug in headphones I am free to blast my eardrums out — it gets more than loud enough through headphones!)

I bought this tablet because it is bigger and easier to read. The HD screen is an improvement over the entry-level 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab III, which has a low-res screen. However, I don't like to be tethered to headphones. The only workaround I've found so far is to use an external speaker but that detracts from the portability and "get up and go" convenience (pretty much a deal killer for traveling with this tablet).

Is there any solution for this? I listen to a lot of podcasts and audio books, and the built-in speaker ought to at least be adequate for that (I'm not expecting the internal speakers to do miracles for music!).

I don't suffer from hearing loss but I tried the Accessibility menu in the hope that there might be a workaround via an accessibility feature for the hard of hearing, but it looks as if the Accessibility options are for people with vision loss. I've also verified that there isn't another app installed that is overriding the volume. Finally, I tried a couple of volume-control downloads from the Playstore that didn't do much (although I'm still open to suggestions if anybody knows of a specific volume app that works). At this point, I'm not sure what else to do other than to ask if this is merely an Acer tablet characteristic — or a defect. Anybody else have a problem with these Tabs having a lower max volume output than their smartphones and/or other tablets?

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Cory-Acer

Hi NewsView,

I appreciate you taking the time to provide feedback in your quest for a solution and I apologize that the speakers aren't meeting your requirements. I've got a few suggestions that I'd like to share, unfortuantely, the volume of sound is objective and I may not be able to completely address it here.

The specification for the speakers on the B1-810 is dual .5 W speakers located in the rear near the bottom of the system. One thing that may be helpful is in landscape move, use your hand near the speaker to cup and project sound towards you. This is something I frequently have to do with rear speakers on my smartphone. Another option would be to look at a bluetooth speaker device, which would still allow you the portability you're looking for.

Finally, if you believe that the speaker is defective, our service team is available to help setup service as required, but I do want to highlight that if the speakers are functioning properly, our phone reps and repair techs will not have a different speakers available.

Hope this helps,

Cory

Sonicdue13

As much as I love Acer tablets there speakers aren't the best and if you read reviews on amazon or YouTube most of the time the reviewers will say the speaker quality isn't the best, unfortunately there's no way to fix that so I suggest using earplugs or headphones or to use a Bluetooth speaker for some nice sound from the device!

Hope this and the technicians post above mine answers your question.

Winterpeg007

I just bought one and the volume at "max" is inadequate! Even with quality "Apple" ear buds, the volume on MAX is way too low. I can't believe that people find the volume acceptable at there levels! My cell phone is louder and it's a Motorola "flip" phone! I bought this Tablet at Costco, so I will be bringing it back in the next week or 3 if I can't find an acceptable way to increase the volume. This tablet is replacing a Blackberry Playbook which is far superior to this tablet, but we all know where Blackberry is going. My wife has a Samsung Galaxy which is louder when it's volume is at 50% that this Acer.

Tell me in 10 words our less, if there is a fix for this, or an app to help.

I have tried at least 3 different apps, Volume+.etc and they do nothing to help. I feel sorry for people who bought theirs and can't just walk back to Costco and give it back for a full refund, no questions asked, up to 3 months after purchasing.

FIX?????????? or return and buy a Samsung is the question.

ACER answer the question.

billsey

I bought one of these at Costco a month or so ago and haven't had any problems with volume. I assume you've got the sound up all the way both with the buttons (system volume) and in the app... Yours may just be a bad one. If you contact Acer they'll be happy to fix it, or take it back to Costco for a replacement.

Since Acer doesn't have official spokesmen here, only community support (a few members are Acer employees helping out in their spare time), I don't know what you expect them to do. Did you even try to contact them before starting a rant?

Winterpeg007

I guess I was a "little" excited about the volume. I had a chat with Acer tech support and after a complete disk clean and reset and re-boot in safe mode, the volume is now at acceptable levels for a tablet. It's always good to let off a little steam to keep the tension from getting to high(blood pressure).

So, for everyone out there:

1.Power off the tablet.

2.Press and hold the Volume up button, which is located closest to the touch screen lock switch.

3.While holding the Volume up button, press and hold the Power button for 3 seconds then release it. Continue holding the Volume up button.

4.Once the tablet screen turns on, stop holding the buttons.

5.On the Android system recovery <3e> screen, select wipe data/factory reset. Use the Volume up and Volume down keys to navigate through the menus and use the Power button to select the desired option.

6.When prompted to "Confirm wipe of all user data", select Yes -- delete all user data.

7.Select reboot system now.