Sound on my new radio is muffled.

I bought a $230 wifi radio that is impressive in many ways, but the
problem I have is that the sound sounds muffled

Maybe it's okay for music.  I haven't listened to much music, but for
talk it sounds muffled.  Like literally they are talking through some
sort of muffle.  I don't have this problem with 5 other table radios. 

Is the problem that there is too much bass?   If not that, what? 

It has equalizer settings so I changed from default and various kinds of
music to "talk".   I didnt' hear any change. 

So I went to custom, which has 6 frequency ranges, and over time, I've
lowered the lowest 4 ranges to the minimum and raised the top one to the
max, and the one in between almost to the max.   This helped at first,
but future changes were smaller and I didn't see addtional help. 

I can still understand if I make the sound one or two steps louder, but
then it's louder than I want. 

Is there an audio ng that's not dormant that I can post too.   alt.audio
and alt.audio.pro had gone 3 years without posts. 

micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote in
news:gojrgilsq36fjgt7gca1r8d0v6pbscg6bo@4ax.com: 

> I bought a $230 wifi radio that is impressive in many ways, but the
> problem I have is that the sound sounds muffled
> 
> Maybe it's okay for music.  I haven't listened to much music, but for
> talk it sounds muffled.  Like literally they are talking through some
> sort of muffle.  I don't have this problem with 5 other table radios. 
> 
> Is the problem that there is too much bass?   If not that, what? 
> 
> It has equalizer settings so I changed from default and various kinds
> of music to "talk".   I didnt' hear any change. 
> 
> So I went to custom, which has 6 frequency ranges, and over time, I've
> lowered the lowest 4 ranges to the minimum and raised the top one to
> the max, and the one in between almost to the max.   This helped at
> first, but future changes were smaller and I didn't see addtional
> help. 
> 
> I can still understand if I make the sound one or two steps louder,
> but then it's louder than I want. 
> 
> Is there an audio ng that's not dormant that I can post too.  
> alt.audio and alt.audio.pro had gone 3 years without posts. 
> 

Start with the equalizer set for normal all the way across.  Try
listening to talk only at first; AM might be good for this.  It may be
that the extra sound you hear makes things sound muffled.  Some AM
stations are also broadcast locally on the low end of the FM band. 

Next make sure that music sounds good to you.

Make sure the volume isn't too loud.

Good luck,

David

On Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:42:01 -0400, micky wrote:

> I bought a $230 wifi radio that is impressive in many ways, but the
> problem I have is that the sound sounds muffled

Did you take it out of the Amazon box first?

On 22 Sep 2023 18:36:58 GMT, lowbrowwoman, the endlessly driveling,
troll-feeding, senile idiot, blabbered again:


> Did you take it out of the Amazon box first?

Did you perhaps stuff it into your big mouth first? <BG>

-- 
Yet another thrilling account from the resident senile superhero's senile
life:
"I went to a Driveby Truckers concert at a local venue and they made me
leave my knife in the car. Never went back. Come to think of it the Truckers
had a Black Lives Matter banner. Never bought any of their music again
either."
MID: <k84ip9Fesb1U1@mid.individual.net>

On 9/22/2023 1:42 PM, micky wrote:
> I bought a $230 wifi radio that is impressive in many ways, but the
> problem I have is that the sound sounds muffled
> 
> Maybe it's okay for music.  I haven't listened to much music, but for
> talk it sounds muffled.  Like literally they are talking through some
> sort of muffle.  I don't have this problem with 5 other table radios. 
> 
> Is the problem that there is too much bass?   If not that, what? 
> 
> It has equalizer settings so I changed from default and various kinds of
> music to "talk".   I didnt' hear any change. 
> 
> So I went to custom, which has 6 frequency ranges, and over time, I've
> lowered the lowest 4 ranges to the minimum and raised the top one to the
> max, and the one in between almost to the max.   This helped at first,
> but future changes were smaller and I didn't see addtional help. 
> 
> I can still understand if I make the sound one or two steps louder, but
> then it's louder than I want. 
> 
> Is there an audio ng that's not dormant that I can post too.   alt.audio
> and alt.audio.pro had gone 3 years without posts. 

Time for a visit to an audiologist.  If you don't use hearing aids, you
may need them.  If you use them, the settings may need to be tweaked.  A
few years ago, I thought something had gone wrong with my stereo
equipment, either the speakers or the receiver.  I also noticed I was
having problems understanding dialog on the TV and in face to face
conversations.  Turns out I have typical "mild-moderate" age-related
hearing loss.  Hearing aids made a big difference in what I hear and
almost completely "repaired" my stereo system.  If you will be getting
your first set, make sure they come with a 100% money-back guarantee if
not satisfied, for at least 45-60 days as it takes a little while for
your brain to adjust.  Much longer than it takes to adjust to a new
eyeglasses prescription.

On 9/22/2023 1:42 PM, micky wrote:
> I bought a $230 wifi radio that is impressive in many ways, but the
> problem I have is that the sound sounds muffled
>
> Maybe it's okay for music.  I haven't listened to much music, but for
> talk it sounds muffled.  Like literally they are talking through some
> sort of muffle.  I don't have this problem with 5 other table radios.
>
> Is the problem that there is too much bass?   If not that, what?
>
> It has equalizer settings so I changed from default and various kinds of
> music to "talk".   I didnt' hear any change.
>
> So I went to custom, which has 6 frequency ranges, and over time, I've
> lowered the lowest 4 ranges to the minimum and raised the top one to the
> max, and the one in between almost to the max.   This helped at first,
> but future changes were smaller and I didn't see addtional help.
>
> I can still understand if I make the sound one or two steps louder, but
> then it's louder than I want.
>
> Is there an audio ng that's not dormant that I can post too.   alt.audio
> and alt.audio.pro had gone 3 years without posts.


You might have "Loudness" on, which raises the low and the high, and 
makes human voice almost inaudible (muffled). The "Loudness" setting 
would tire me out quickly when I listen to people talk.

I have been playing with Windows since the beginning of time. I found a 
very good software equalizer (free software) in my Windows 10/11. It has 
many equalizer presets. My favourite preset is "Telephone", which raises 
the frequency range of human voices and depresses the high and low. I 
can listen to Tucker Carson and Alex Jones all day.

Without that software equalizer, the high and low in the frequency 
spectrum would tire me out quickly. Interesting enough, even with the 
"Telephone" preset when I listen to music, I can hear the lyrics very 
clearly, and the music still remains enjoyable.

On 9/22/2023 10:42 AM, micky wrote:
> I bought a $230 wifi radio that is impressive in many ways, but the
> problem I have is that the sound sounds muffled
> 
> Maybe it's okay for music.  I haven't listened to much music, but for
> talk it sounds muffled.  Like literally they are talking through some
> sort of muffle.  I don't have this problem with 5 other table radios.

A $230 radio ... for *talk*?  <rolls eyes>

On 9/22/2023 10:42 AM, micky wrote:
> I bought a $230 wifi radio that is impressive in many ways, but the
> problem I have is that the sound sounds muffled
> 
> Maybe it's okay for music.  I haven't listened to much music, but for
> talk it sounds muffled.  Like literally they are talking through some
> sort of muffle.  I don't have this problem with 5 other table radios.
> 
> Is the problem that there is too much bass?   If not that, what?
> 
> It has equalizer settings so I changed from default and various kinds of
> music to "talk".   I didnt' hear any change.
> 
> So I went to custom, which has 6 frequency ranges, and over time, I've
> lowered the lowest 4 ranges to the minimum and raised the top one to the
> max, and the one in between almost to the max.   This helped at first,
> but future changes were smaller and I didn't see addtional help.
> 
> I can still understand if I make the sound one or two steps louder, but
> then it's louder than I want.
> 
> Is there an audio ng that's not dormant that I can post too.   alt.audio
> and alt.audio.pro had gone 3 years without posts.

How big is the speaker in this "radio"? It seems to me that you might 
have bought a piece of cheap junk. But then, the only "radios" I listen 
to are the ones in my car and an old mp3/radio player with headphones. 
Otherwise, I listen to the radio on my home sound system, which has 
really good speakers or the similar one in my bedroom.

Does your car "radio" sound OK to you? That would suggest your hearing 
is not going bad.

Could you be listening to wifi sources with low data rates? Have you 
tried "stations"?

On 9/22/2023 12:58 PM, Bob F wrote:
> On 9/22/2023 10:42 AM, micky wrote:
>> I bought a $230 wifi radio that is impressive in many ways, but the
>> problem I have is that the sound sounds muffled
>>
>> Maybe it's okay for music.  I haven't listened to much music, but for
>> talk it sounds muffled.  Like literally they are talking through some
>> sort of muffle.  I don't have this problem with 5 other table radios.
>>
>> Is the problem that there is too much bass?   If not that, what?
>>
>> It has equalizer settings so I changed from default and various kinds of
>> music to "talk".   I didnt' hear any change.
>>
>> So I went to custom, which has 6 frequency ranges, and over time, I've
>> lowered the lowest 4 ranges to the minimum and raised the top one to the
>> max, and the one in between almost to the max.   This helped at first,
>> but future changes were smaller and I didn't see addtional help.
>>
>> I can still understand if I make the sound one or two steps louder, but
>> then it's louder than I want.
>>
>> Is there an audio ng that's not dormant that I can post too.   alt.audio
>> and alt.audio.pro had gone 3 years without posts.
> 
> How big is the speaker in this "radio"? It seems to me that you might 
> have bought a piece of cheap junk. But then, the only "radios" I listen 
> to are the ones in my car and an old mp3/radio player with headphones. 
> Otherwise, I listen to the radio on my home sound system, which has 
> really good speakers or the similar one in my bedroom.
> 
> Does your car "radio" sound OK to you? That would suggest your hearing 
> is not going bad.
> 
> Could you be listening to wifi sources with low data rates? Have you 
> tried "stations"?

Have you tried other "stations"?

In sci.electronics.repair, on Fri, 22 Sep 2023 11:13:11 -0700 (PDT),
"ohg...@gmail.com" <ohger1s@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Friday, September 22, 2023 at 1:42:07?PM UTC-4, micky wrote:
>> I bought a $230 wifi radio that is impressive in many ways, but the 

$270 it was!!  
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BG67YH18/

It has a wood or wood-composite cabinet.  That's good for bass iiuc.
(But so do two of my table radios that don't have this problem.) 

Do you think opening the cabinet and stuffing it with wadded newspapers
or rags or something would change the sound to be more like I want? 

>> problem I have is that the sound sounds muffled 
>> 
>> Maybe it's okay for music. I haven't listened to much music, but for 
>> talk it sounds muffled. Like literally they are talking through some 
>> sort of muffle. I don't have this problem with 5 other table radios. 
>> 
>> Is the problem that there is too much bass? If not that, what? 
>> 
>> It has equalizer settings so I changed from default and various kinds of 
>> music to "talk". I didnt' hear any change. 
>> 
>> So I went to custom, which has 6 frequency ranges, and over time, I've 
>> lowered the lowest 4 ranges to the minimum and raised the top one to the 
>> max, and the one in between almost to the max. This helped at first, 
>> but future changes were smaller and I didn't see addtional help. 
>> 
>> I can still understand if I make the sound one or two steps louder, but 
>> then it's louder than I want. 
>> 
>> Is there an audio ng that's not dormant that I can post too. alt.audio 
>> and alt.audio.pro had gone 3 years without posts.
>
>There's always the possibility there's something wrong with your particular radio and this isn't a normal or adjustable condition.  How are the reviews for that radio? 

4.1 on 24 ratings.   That's pretty good and I think we've all seen
reviews, of restaurants too, where one person says it was terrible and
the other says 5 stars.   So i didn't worry too much about reviews,
mostly because iirc this and one other they themselves sell were the
only wifi radios with presets.  And presets was a deal-breaker,
especially since wifi radios can't scan 

Maybe I should have shopped more than Amazon and Google and I think I
looked in BestBuy.   There still are not many wifi radios afaict**. 

That said, this review starts off almost like mine would: 

>However, sound quality is very muddy. It has plenty of volume and hood thumping bass, but the high end is just not there, regardless of EQ settings.

Ugh. 

>Most internet stations are lousy 128kbps MP3, which sound awful. But that is not a fault of the radio.
>...
>Oh, and one last thing: frequently when I am changing radio stations via the presets, when I choose a new station to listen to, the radio immediately shuts off. When I turn it back on, the chosen radio station plays.

I noticed this too.  Not a big problem, because it only takes one button
to turn back on. 

He has other serious complaints but still gives it a 3. 
  ---- 
Review 2 gives it 5 stars and says "sounds great"
Review 3 says bluetooh has a problem but other wise, "the 50 watt
amplifier was excellent, had good amount of bass, etc. to make the music
sound like good quality"

Review 4 says "First off, the unit did not appear as nice as in the
pictures here. The finish of the wood (if it even is actual wood) looked
grayish and cheap" --- I have the same color as he, walnut, and I think
it looks nice, not greyish or cheap.

Review 5 " also did not enjoy the way this radio sounded at all! I spent
several hours listening to a wide array of stations and musical styles
while trying to adjust the EQ settings, but could not find any tolerable
balance whatsoever. The equalizer is quite limited and did not seem to
make a significant difference in changing the overall sound quality,
which was muddled and lacking in detail, while also making my ears
really, really tired and sore."

So we have muddy, muddled, and muffled.   Not encouraging. 

continued:  "I found not being able to walk over and turn on the Mondo
Elite Duo without a remove very unsatisfying."  Strange, since I can do
it. 

Review 6:  Plays Radio Paradise perfectly, and all the music in my
Logitech media server library. Highly recommended.

Review 7:  sounds decent, and works fine. I have no complaints.
Review 8:  5 stars  Very pleased!
Review 9   5 stars  Great sound and features Great speakers for a radio
of this size. 
Review 10  5 stars   after all, great sound
Review 11, 5 stars   Easy to use with good sound
two more 5 star reviews

> Model number? 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BG67YH18/

Amazon changed a few weeks ago and even though there are 24 questions,
one can no longer see the list of questions and answers, even there is a
link at the top to what should be the list.   I wonder if that is an
error on the programmer's part and we are supposed to be able to see the
list of quesitons. 

 I honestly think a lot of calibrations are for the lowest common
denominator - people with no idea of accuracy but think loud one note
"thumping" is quality sound...

I plan to write the maker, Grace, but first I had sent them two
suggestions for firmware improvement, changes which should be
downloadable to my radio. Seek, and Undoing the connection they made
between Sleep and disabling the screen and most of the controls. 

>  
>Yeah, a lot of groups were polluted by political assholes and killed them off - the downside of no moderation.

That was some of it but I think a lot is that webpages get the attention
and some even advertise, and no one promotes Usenet, not even those who
sell Usenet readers.  So I think most of us started here when the web
was small, and gradually some are losing interest, getting hooked on
webforums, or dying.   And not being replaced. 


My first suggestion got a prompt acknowlegement and they said they'd
consider including it. 
But today's suggestion got an individualized email with some help about
2 stations I said in passing that I hadn't been able to connect to. 



**One of the reviews mentions the Bose Wave SoundTouch Music System IV.
I forget if I knew about that before I bought this one, but it's $1750
on ebay and I don't think I'm going to spend that much on a radio. Okay,
it's down to 175 used, somewhere, but it's the typical Bose semi round,
and I may have rejected it for that reason alone. --- Darn, I've never
had a radio bigger than a deck of cards that didn't sound right. This
was the last problem I expected --- On amazon the Bose radio is $886 and
based on pictures there are no presets, except one the remote there are
6 preset buttons but I don't plan to use the remote, and 6 is not
enough. Grace has 100.  On amazon the Bose radio has a terrible video by
Bose, but the one by a customer, influencer?, says that you can connect
to a smart device and stream music that way if you choose to do so.
That means I don't want it.  The one I have keeps track of urls, once
you tell it, and doesn't require any other device. (You need a computer
to load up stuff, but I have a computer.)   The bose video mentions
Pandora, Spotify, Amazon music, Iheart, SiriusXm and Deezer and mine
permits all of those except Deezer, but mine allows ANY url to be
stored, and Bose says nothing like that. There are no preset Okay, so I
didn't want the Bose one. Dodged a bullet. 

Revo Superconnect has 8 presets, $500.  only rates 3.8  Smaller, only
one speaker, 16,000 wifi stations.   Doesn't look as nice as mine.