Root sound quality vs rom/kernel

[meeotch]

Just bought a rooted dInc that was running evervolv ICS / incredikernel, and the sound quality was ranging from not great (cell calls) to terrible (grooveIP, skype, etc.) Voices sounded muffled with cell/skype and tinny/compressed with grooveIP. Note that this is on my end - receivers have told me that quality on their end was also bad, but I've never heard it & so can't describe.

After running through various combinations of settings, different wifi networks, etc. I eventually flashed back to a near-stock config (Stock+ GB), which seems to have improved the cell quality to the point where it's usable, though VOIP still sounds lousy. However, I really did like some of the features of the custom ROM (back key kills apps, battery use per-app, etc.) and ICS in general. Plus, I bought this phone primarily to use with VOIP. Which is all a long lead-up to my actual question...

Q: Is there a particular ROM/kernel that's known for high call quality - particularly with VOIP apps?

I've searched through the forums and the lists of ROMs, but not found a thread specifically focusing on this issue, other than general dInc sound quality complaints. As this is my first android phone, I'm not entirely sure whether call quality is a ROM thing, kernel thing, or maybe just a problem with this particular phone. So I'm hoping some knowledgeable dInc owner can enlighten me.

 

[sdrawkcab25]

Just bought a rooted dInc that was running evervolv ICS / incredikernel, and the sound quality was ranging from not great (cell calls) to terrible (grooveIP, skype, etc.) Voices sounded muffled with cell/skype and tinny/compressed with grooveIP. Note that this is on my end - receivers have told me that quality on their end was also bad, but I've never heard it & so can't describe.

After running through various combinations of settings, different wifi networks, etc. I eventually flashed back to a near-stock config (Stock+ GB), which seems to have improved the cell quality to the point where it's usable, though VOIP still sounds lousy. However, I really did like some of the features of the custom ROM (back key kills apps, battery use per-app, etc.) and ICS in general. Plus, I bought this phone primarily to use with VOIP. Which is all a long lead-up to my actual question...

Q: Is there a particular ROM/kernel that's known for high call quality - particularly with VOIP apps?

I've searched through the forums and the lists of ROMs, but not found a thread specifically focusing on this issue, other than general dInc sound quality complaints. As this is my first android phone, I'm not entirely sure whether call quality is a ROM thing, kernel thing, or maybe just a problem with this particular phone. So I'm hoping some knowledgeable dInc owner can enlighten me.

The major factor in determining call quality for VoIP is the quality of the data connection (low latency/high bandwidth/low packet loss are what you want, which 3G doesn't really provide). But being that you are having bad cellular calls also steers me to the direction that you may have a hardware issue. Kernels and roms have very little to do with call quality. To improve cell call quality the only thing you can really do is try another radio. It may also improve your VoIP reception too, especially over 3G.

Your best bet to determine the source of the problem is to install a rooted stock rom(with the stock radio) and find an area of very good reception or connect to an excellent wifi network, and make some test calls.

 

[meeotch]

Thanks for the reply, and the info. Just to clarify/add to my initial post: All the VOIP testing I've done has been WiFi - I don't plan to use 3G data for VOIP.

As far as the radio goes, it looks like 2.15.00.07.28 - which is possibly old-ish? Maybe I'll try updating to something newer. I did install an "almost" stock ROM ([ROM] ◄ Stock Plus ► v3.01 11/22/2011 Based off of New OTA - xda-developers), but being new to this, I'm not sure if it installed a radio with it. In any event, cell quality did improve somewhat, so I'm mostly focused on VOIP over wifi now.

I've tried a couple of different wifi networks so far, with no improvement. Oddly, google voice from my laptop on these same networks sounds fine. In fact, google voice on the dInc (over 3G) sounds significantly better than any of the wifi options. It definitely feels like bad wifi performance - but I'm getting about a 40 ping & 5Mbps down where I'm sitting right now, according to speedtest.net on my phone, and all of the VOIP apps sound terrible.

So maybe I should amend my question to ask: is there a ROM/kernel that will improve wifi performance?

 

[sdrawkcab25]

Thanks for the reply, and the info. Just to clarify/add to my initial post: All the VOIP testing I've done has been WiFi - I don't plan to use 3G data for VOIP.

As far as the radio goes, it looks like 2.15.00.07.28 - which is possibly old-ish? Maybe I'll try updating to something newer. I did install an "almost" stock ROM ([ROM] ◄ Stock Plus ► v3.01 11/22/2011 Based off of New OTA - xda-developers), but being new to this, I'm not sure if it installed a radio with it. In any event, cell quality did improve somewhat, so I'm mostly focused on VOIP over wifi now.

I've tried a couple of different wifi networks so far, with no improvement. Oddly, google voice from my laptop on these same networks sounds fine. In fact, google voice on the dInc (over 3G) sounds significantly better than any of the wifi options. It definitely feels like bad wifi performance - but I'm getting about a 40 ping & 5Mbps down where I'm sitting right now, according to speedtest.net on my phone, and all of the VOIP apps sound terrible.

So maybe I should amend my question to ask: is there a ROM/kernel that will improve wifi performance?

You have any other phones that you can use VoIP on to compare to? I've personally never attempted to use VoIP on any cellular phones before so I'm not really sure how much quality to expect. But I can't find any other threads with anyone reporting a similar issue on VoIP. When the phone first came out there was a decent amount of people who had call quality issues but they seemed to die out after a couple updates. Your phone is running the Froyo radio. You may have better luck if you update to the gingerbread radio:
Radios | PvilleComp's

 

[meeotch]

Tried out a bunch of different radios. The one I've got installed now is the GB stock (2.15.10.07.07). 3G strength is about the same or slightly better @ -85dBm. Doesn't appear to have any effect on VOIP/wifi, though.

All the various VOIP apps are still bordering on unusable for me, but cell calls sound decent. Unfortunately, nothing to compare it to, sound-wise, except an actual computer and a dumbphone.