bluetooth call quality vs. year and phone type?

Call quality is (from the perspective of someone receiving a call from CTR driver)?

  • Good 2017 CTR iphone

    Votes: 1 3.8%
  • Good 2017 CTR andriod

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bad 2017 CTR iphone

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bad 2017 CTR android

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Good 2018 CTR iphone

    Votes: 5 19.2%
  • Good 2018 CTR android

    Votes: 5 19.2%
  • Bad 2018 CTR iphone

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bad 2018 CTR android

    Votes: 2 7.7%
  • Good 2019 CTR iphone

    Votes: 8 30.8%
  • Good 2019 CTR android

    Votes: 3 11.5%
  • Bad 2019 CTR iphone

    Votes: 1 3.8%
  • Bad 2019 CTR android

    Votes: 1 3.8%

  • Total voters
    26

yargk

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I have a 2018 Type R and when I call people using bluetooth and a pixel 2, the person on the other end will complain that I sound like I'm underwater. On my end it's fine. Is anyone else having this issue?

It seems this post is the closest to what I'm describing: https://www.civicx.com/threads/phon...ing-android-auto-bluetooth.21228/#post-738867

I wonder if it's:
1. a faulty head unit
2. faulty microphone
or 3. something that can be updated with software?

I also wonder if it got better with a newer model year.
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kefi

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Why not try calling with a different phone to see? That would quickly rule out whether it's your phone or the headunit.

That being said, it's unlikely to be related to your phone or the head unit, honestly. Bluetooth doesn't encode the audio in a way that could become 'muddy', only breaking up and clicky. It's a digital signal. Has to be the mic if it's just sounding 'underwater'.

I definitely have no clarity issues in mine, with a variety of phones I've used.
 
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yargk

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I agree that the phone shouldn't matter, I just wanted to get data on all possibilities. I'll try with an iphone next and I expect it to be bad as well. I'm mostly wondering if I need a new head unit or just a new microphone.
 

kefi

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I agree that the phone shouldn't matter, I just wanted to get data on all possibilities. I'll try with an iphone next and I expect it to be bad as well. I'm mostly wondering if I need a new head unit or just a new microphone.
I believe the microphone is above you in the light cluster. It could well be the mic, the wire, or even the DAC in the head unit. No way to know on that one.

Either way, as long as you can prove it easily (i.e. use a techs phone), it should be covered under warranty. Make sure you don't have Honda Hack installed on the HU before bringing it in though!
 

jetydosa

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Try using AA and see if its the same?

I know when I talk to my wife in her Forester, if she is using the Bluetooth it sounds like crap, but if shes using CP it sounds fine. I can tell the difference immediately and always scold her for using BT instead of CP :D
 


tinyman392

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Try using AA and see if its the same?

I know when I talk to my wife in her Forester, if she is using the Bluetooth it sounds like crap, but if shes using CP it sounds fine. I can tell the difference immediately and always scold her for using BT instead of CP :D
Well, this is why the OP is asking about BT specifically, isn't it? It's already assumed that using a higher-speed connection will allow better quality to be transferred in real time. A cabled connection is nearly lossless before it gets sent over the phone. If the BT codec being used is lousy or the BT connection is slower then you'll hear it because it won't be possible to transfer the higher quality audio in real time.

___

@OP: you should really be listing the following combinations for the Type R related towards which head unit they have and different Apple and Android phones. The quality loss is almost always in the bluetooth modules and software support they have vs year of car and the OS you have. Using BT version vs head unit might be a good compromise as well, but there are instances where some phones have a high BT version but with lousy support. There'll be noise in the results either way I guess.
 
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yargk

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Well, this is why the OP is asking about BT specifically, isn't it? It's already assumed that using a higher-speed connection will allow better quality to be transferred in real time. A cabled connection is nearly lossless before it gets sent over the phone. If the BT codec being used is lousy or the BT connection is slower then you'll hear it because it won't be possible to transfer the higher quality audio in real time.

___

@OP: you should really be listing the following combinations for the Type R related towards which head unit they have and different Apple and Android phones. The quality loss is almost always in the bluetooth modules and software support they have vs year of car and the OS you have. Using BT version vs head unit might be a good compromise as well, but there are instances where some phones have a high BT version but with lousy support. There'll be noise in the results either way I guess.
Noted on the head unit instead of model year, that makes sense.

Seems like BT should have enough bandwidth for clear audio. I tried BT calls in a 2019 and 2016 VW and the person on the other end of the call said it was much easier to hear than the civic (they out of the blue said, are you in the car? The audio quality is so much better than usual)
 

SCOPESYS

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Noted on the head unit instead of model year, that makes sense.

Seems like BT should have enough bandwidth for clear audio. I tried BT calls in a 2019 and 2016 VW and the person on the other end of the call said it was much easier to hear than the civic (they out of the blue said, are you in the car? The audio quality is so much better than usual)
Bluetooth Audio quality in GenX Honda "may" be very dependent on the Codec & Bluetooth versions being used both by the Honda (old design) head unit, and your Smartphone ( latest and greatest, or model from years ago).

Just because you have a nice new current Phone (Android or Iphone), does not mean that it can use the best highest quality codec with your Honda "Dinosaur" Head unit, with its old hardware design, from the "Dark ages"

It may almost be a case that Older phones work better with the Honda head Unit, because they are more Bluetooth Version and codec Compatible ?

The whole CODEC and Bluetooth version issue probably needs more investigation .. it is not something I have ever got into. -- because -- What I do know from Practical experience is that my OLD Samsung S6 (2015) works very well with the Honda Genx head unit - maybe because both are products of similar design years.
 

kefi

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Yeah, codecs can be newer and the headunits are old as dust, but that still will only affect the quality slightly. You won't sound 'underwater' on a bluetooth connection, you either hear them or don't. Bluetooth doesn't downgrade bandwidth due to low signal to maintain a connection and it's all backwards/forwards compatible, regardless of version (not counting bluetooth LE). It only changes feature sets.

Even if it was the OLDEST bluetooth codec, that is enough to support the same level of quality that our phones have in the first place. The newer codecs only brought new sampling rates and stereo, and new ways to transmit large amounts of any kind of data you want instead of just audio.

The newest bluetooth standards are only just now arriving in our phones anyways. These standards take yeaaaaars before they ACTUALLY end up in your devices.
 
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jetydosa

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Well, this is why the OP is asking about BT specifically, isn't it? It's already assumed that using a higher-speed connection will allow better quality to be transferred in real time. A cabled connection is nearly lossless before it gets sent over the phone. If the BT codec being used is lousy or the BT connection is slower then you'll hear it because it won't be possible to transfer the higher quality audio in real time.
Correct - and if OP uses AA and the call quality is still shite, then he'll know its the mic. If not, its prob some bluetooth issue between the headunit and phone.
 


kefi

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As far as I'm aware, call audio is still transmitted over bluetooth when android auto is connected.
 

tinyman392

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As far as I'm aware, call audio is still transmitted over bluetooth when android auto is connected.
It shouldn't be, if it is that's a really stupid design on AA's part.
 

kefi

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Easiest way to know is to try and call with bluetooth off. I'm not even sure if AA will work without it period. Never tried. Agreed that it would be dumb.
 

FifStreet

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your car and phone are under water? did you try putting it in rice?

I'm sorry . That was not helpful. I will show myself out.
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